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Saigo Takamori
The Last True Samurai and True Last SamuraiBorn in Kagoshima in the Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture), Saigō Takamori (西郷隆盛, 1828-1877) was one of the pro-imperial samurai supporting...
View ArticleSatsuma Rebellion
The Satsuma Rebellion, known in Japanese as Seinan Sensō (西南戦争) or Seinan no Eki (西南の役), was the last major armed uprising against the reforms of the new Meiji government. It was fought by the former...
View ArticleYoshida Shoin
Yoshida Shōin (吉田松陰, 1830-1859) was born in 1830 in Matsumoto (松本村), a small village close to the castle town of Hagi (萩), Chōshū Domain (modern-day Yamaguchi prefecture). He was the second son of a...
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Matsudaira Katamori
Matsudaira Katamori (松平容保, 1836-1893) was the ninth and last daimyō of Aizu Domain. In the Bakumatsu, the final days of the Edo period, he served as Kyōto Shugoshoku (京都守護職, military commissioner) in...
View ArticleSumo
Sumō (相撲) is a unique form of wrestling with a 2,000-year-old history that easily qualifies as Japan's national sport. Sumō became a professional sport almost 300 years ago in the early part of the Edo...
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Kakizaki Castle
The Kakizaki (蠣崎) were the ancestors of the Matsumae clan (松前氏), the only feudal lord in Ezo (Hokkaidō). However, what is lesser known is that the clan's birthplace was the Shimokita Peninsula (下北半島)....
View ArticleJapanese counters
5.3. Counters5.3.1. Basic countersTo count things in Japanese, you cannot put nouns immediately after a number. Counters, which are added after numbers, are necessary. Do you think it is strange?...
View ArticleJapan Fact Sheet
The Japan fact sheet comprises a quick rundown of the most essential facts and figures about Japan. Content Country and population Name Flag Capital Archipelago Emperor Government Legislature Times and...
View ArticleTanabe Residence
Shimokita Peninsula (下北半島) is shaped like an axe, and Tanabe (田名部) is located at the base of the handle. Tanabe Residence (田名部館 Tanabe-date) was a Japanese castle located in Ogawamachi, Mutsu City,...
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Marriage in Japan
When Japanese tie the knot Over the past several centuries, the institution of marriage in Japan has changed radically. The changes reflect new social realities and influences from other cultures. They...
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Akechi Mitsuhide (1528-1582)
Akechi Mitsuhide (明智光秀, 1528-1582), also known under the title Koretō Hyūga no Kami (惟任日向守), was one of the principal captains of hegemon Oda Nobunaga and his assassin. A man of obscure origins,...
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Japanese Manners and Etiquette
Social behaviour and etiquette are considered very important in Japan. While specific rules of courtesy are supposed to be universal, quite a few Japanese manners and habits are unique and should also...
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Yamanashi Travel Guide
Yamanashi Prefecture (山梨県 Yamanashi-ken) is located in central Honshū and bordered by Tōkyō, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Nagano, and Saitama prefectures. It is one of only eight landlocked prefectures in...
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Noheji Castle
Noheji Castle (野辺地城 Noheji-jō) was a small flatland fortress (平山城) located in Noheji Town at the base of the Shimokita Peninsula. It is also known as Kinkei Castle (金鶏城 Kinkei-jō). Neither the owner...
View ArticleOkazaki Travel Guide
Okazaki City is located southeast of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture and prospered in the Edo period (1600-1868) as a castle town and an important post-station along the Tōkaidō Road.HistoryIn the Sengoku...
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Hinohara Castle
Hinohara Castle (檜原城 Hinohara-jō) is a former mountain castle (山城 yamashiro) built in Hinohara Village in the mountains of Okutama, western Tōkyō. Although much remains unknown about the castle's...
View ArticleByakkotai - Aizu's White Tiger Brigade
The Byakkotai (白虎隊, "White Tiger Brigade") was one of four units consisting of a few hundred youths, the sons of samurai, organised after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in March 1868 by the Aizu Domain...
View ArticleAizu Bukeyashiki
The Aizu Buke-yashiki (会津武家屋敷) are the reconstructed samurai mansions of the chief retainers of the Aizu-Matsudaira, the Saigō family. The Saigō had served the Matsudaira since the middle of the...
View ArticleAmami Oshima
Amami Ōshima (奄美大島) is the main island of the Amami archipelago, a part of the Satsunan Islands (薩南諸島 Satsunan-shotō) between Kyūshū and Okinawa. The Amami group is the southernmost island of Kagoshima...
View ArticleYayoi Period
The Yayoi period (弥生時代 Yayoi jidai) is a prehistoric period of Japan, usually dated from 300 BCE to ca 300 CE, during which wet-rice agriculture and the use of bronze and iron first appeared in Japan....
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