Binzuru (Pindola Bharadvaja)
Binzuru (Sanskrit: Piṇḍola Bhāradvāja) was one of the original followers of the historical Buddha and was said to have been a close associate of the Buddha's cousin and attendant, Ananda. He is revered...
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Tokura Castle (Tokyo)
Tokura Castle (戸倉城 Tokura-jō) is a mountain castle built in Akiruno, western Tōkyō. It is located three kilometres west of Musashi-Itsukaichi Station, the terminus of the JR Itsukaichi Line. Historical...
View ArticleŌshōgatsu (お正月) - Japanese New Year
New Year's or ō-shōgatsu (お正月) is one of the most important and most elaborate of Japan's annual observances. There are regional differences in customs, but what is in common is that homes are...
View ArticleTakagari - Japanese Falconry
TakagariJapanese falconry (鷹狩 takagari) is said to have come to Japan from China around the 4th century CE and was practised by emperors, courtiers, and later by the samurai class well into the Edo...
View ArticleEmoji - Japanese emoticons
Emoticons (顔文字 (かおもじ, "Kaomoji" or "Emoji" are facial expressions pictorially represented by punctuation and letters to express the mood the writer is currently in. The term "emoticon" blends the words...
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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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Setsubun
Setsubun is a traditional ceremony to dispel demons, usually observed on 3 February. The practice of scattering beans (豆撒き mamemaki) to drive away demons is one of some magical rites performed to ward...
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Masakado Kubizuka
Masakado's head mound: appeasing a vengeful spiritLocated in the heart of Tōkyō's buzzing business district of Ōtemachi, just a stone's throw away from the Imperial Palace lies a speck of land that...
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Gion Castle
Gion Castle (祇園城 Gion-jō), also known as Oyama Castle (小山城), was built in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture. It was named after the Gion Shrine (祇園社). There is a legend that the castle was built by...
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Matsudaira Clan
The Matsudaira (松平氏 Matsudaira-shi) were a samurai family (武家 buke) from the Matsudaira area in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). Although its exact origins are unclear, the clan claimed...
View ArticleAmanohashidate Travel Guide
Amanohashidate (天橋立, "Bridge to Heaven") is a sand spit at the northern tip of Kyoto Prefecture. It is located in Miyazu in the western part of Wakasa Bay and, with Matsushima north of Sendai and...
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Uesugi Clan
Uesugi kamonThe Uesugi were territorial warlords (shugo daimyō) of the Muromachi Period (1333-1568) who dominated the Kantō) region for a hundred years. The clan traces its lineage to the influential...
View ArticleUesugi Kenshin (上杉謙信, 1530-1578)
Prominent daimyō of the Sengoku period (1467-1568) and the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600). Uesugi is one of the greatest names in the history of the Muromachi shogunate (1338-1573). Successive...
View ArticleUesugi Harunori (上杉治憲, 1751-1822)
A pinnacle of frugalityUesugi Harunori was the ninth daimyō of the Yonezawa domain (part of modern-day Yamagata Prefecture), also known as Uesugi Yōzan (上杉鷹山). Inspired by the policies of Naoe...
View ArticleUesugi Shrine
Uesugi Shrine (上杉神社 Uesugi Jinja) is a Shintō shrine located in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture. Situated within Matsugasaki Park, the site of Yonezawa Castle, it enshrines Uesugi Kenshin. It was...
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Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum
Denkoku no Mori, also known as Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum (米沢市上杉博物館 Yonezawa-shi Uesugi hakubutsukan), was inaugurated in September 2001 as a museum and cultural facility for the Yonezawa area. The...
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Nara Period
Nara Period (710-784)The Nara Period (奈良時代 Nara jidai) is the historical period beginning in 710, the year the capital was moved from Fujiwarakyō to Heijōkyō (the modern-day city of Nara), and ending...
View ArticleHina Matsuri
Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is a festival for girls held on 3 March. Tiered platforms for hina ningyō (雛人形, hina dolls) are set up at home. Families celebrate with a meal, eating hishimochi (菱餅), sweet...
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Yonezawa Castle
Yonezawa Castle (米沢城 Yonezawa-jō) was a fortress located in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. History: The origins of Yonezawa Castle are said to date back to the Kamakura period, when Nagai Tokihiro...
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Tamba Kameyama Castle
Kameyama Castle (亀山城 Kameyama-jō) is a former hilltop castle located in Kameoka, the former province of Tamba (丹波国), about ten kilometres west of Kyōto. Its construction began under Akechi Mitsuhide...
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