The structure of medieval Japan was characterized by a complex social hierarchy that shaped the lives and interactions of its people. Rooted in centuries-old traditions and influenced by...
Amidst the turbulent backdrop of Japan's 16th and 17th centuries, Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged as a legendary figure, blending martial prowess with strategic finesse. Born in 1543, his early years were...
Samurai , driven by the need to prove their loyalty and valor to their shogun masters, often resorted to a gruesome practice – the collection of human heads. The severed heads served as tangible...
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if there was a parallel world in which the ancient Japanese Edo period existed today, where the modern world and the Shoguns could converge? With the...
Now this is family dedication – a hotel that has been passed down 52 generations of one Japanese family over more than 13 centuries! The hot spring Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan hotel in Japan’s Yamanashi...
Since the 14th century AD, Noh has been a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama. It is the oldest major theatre art form that is still performed on a regular basis to this day. Noh , which is...
Throughout the medieval history of Japan, it was the shoguns that held the real power in the country. As powerful military dictators, they were the de facto rulers of Japan, subordinate only to the...
The Heian period, which lasted from the 8 th to the 12 th centuries AD, is considered to be the last division of Japan’s classical era. This period began with the establishment of a new imperial...
Old letters can be a way to understand things that are still a mystery or as new historical evidence. A letter has been found that is from 17th century Edo Japan which is offering researchers new...
Japan is full of countless intriguing places and monuments from its rich and vibrant past. From centuries of rich, evolving history, to the devastating effects of the Second World War, Japan has...
The shoguns were the military rulers of Japan during the country’s feudal period . Although Japan had emperors, they were mere figureheads for centuries. Actual power was held by the shogun, who...
The skeletal remains of a legendary English samurai who landed in Japan in 1600 AD, on his way to the New World with an ill-fated Dutch convoy, have been positively identified by archaeologists. The...
Archaeologists excavating at the residence of the Ashikaga Shogunate family in Japan have unearthed a collection of eight enormous garden stones. The shogunate , was the hereditary military...
The Chrysanthemum Throne is the throne of the Emperor of Japan and a metonym referring to the Japanese monarchy itself. The Japanese imperial family has recently been in the news, due to the...
In recent decades marine archaeology has greatly expanded our knowledge of the past. A Japanese team of marine archaeologists has made an amazing discovery at the bottom of the sea. They have been...
Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan, with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face. According to Japanese folklore, the Heikegani crabs contain the souls of the Heike samurai...
