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Japanese Swords
Kamakura-era tachi (Yushindō)The origins of the Japanese sword (日本刀 nihontō) and related bladed weapons can be traced back to the 8th century, coinciding with the initial stages of steel production in...
View ArticleIse Grand Shrine (Ise Jingu)
Ise Jingū (伊勢神宮), located in the city of Ise (formerly Uji-Yamada) in Mie Prefecture, is one of the most sacred Shintō shrines and consists of an extensive complex of buildings. It has two main...
View ArticleGenpei War (1180 and 1185)
The Taira–Minamoto War, also known as the Genpei no Sōran (源平の騒乱) or Genpei Kassen (源平合戦), was a nationwide conflict that engulfed Japan between 1180 and 1185. Superficially, it appeared to be a clash...
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Yushima Seido
Yushima Seidō (湯島聖堂) is the only Confucian temple (聖堂 seidō, "sacred hall' or "cathedral") in Japan. It is located in Bunkyō Ward, Tōkyō, just across Kanda Myōjin. In Japan, Confucian temples are also...
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Kanda Myojin Shrine
Kanda Shrine (神田神社 Kanda-jinja), officially known as Kanda Myōjin (神田明神), is located in Chiyoda Ward, Tōkyō, and ranks among the oldest shrines in the Kantō region. It was the main tutelary shrine of...
View ArticleGenpei War (1180-1185)
The Taira–Minamoto War, also known as the Genpei no Sōran (源平の騒乱) or Genpei Kassen (源平合戦), was a nationwide conflict that engulfed Japan between 1180 and 1185. Superficially, it appeared to be a clash...
View ArticleTaira Clan
Among the four great families that dominated the court politics of the Heian period (794-1185)—alongside the Minamoto (源), Fujiwara (藤原), and Tachibana (橘) families—the Taira (平) clan traced its...
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Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181)
Taira no Kiyomori (平清盛, 1118-1181) was a prominent political figure in the late Heian period (平安時代, 794-1185), rising from warrior origins to dominate court affairs and ultimately seeing his grandson...
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Furumachi’s Flower: The Last of Niigata’s Geisha
Nestled along the banks of the Shinano River, Niigata City was the biggest port of call from the Edo Period through the Meiji Period, stuffed to the brim with rice, sake and snow. Yet, beyond those...
View ArticleMinamoto Clan
The Minamoto family (源氏), one of the four major aristocratic houses alongside the Taira (平), Fujiwara (藤原), and Tachibana (橘) families, held significant sway over court politics during the Heian period...
View ArticleMinamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199)
Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝, 1147-1199) was the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, which became Japan's first warrior-led government and ruled from 1192 to 1333. He was the third son of Minamoto no...
View ArticleMinamoto no Yoriie (1182-1204)
Minamoto no Yoriie (源頼家, 1182–1204), eldest son of Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝, 1147–1199), the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, and Hōjō Masako (北条政子, 1157–1225), was born in Kamakura and raised as...
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Minagawa Castle
Minagawa Castle (皆川城 Minagawa-jō) is a yamajiro (山城, mountain castle) constructed in what is now Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture. As seen in the photograph above, due to the distinctive shape of the...
View ArticleMinamoto no Sanetomo (1192-1219)
Minamoto no Sanetomo (源実朝, 1192-1219), the third shōgun of the Kamakura shogunate and a notable waka (和歌) poet, was the second son of Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝, 1147-1199), the founder of the...
View ArticleMinamoto no Yoshinaka (1154-1184)
Better known as Kiso Yoshinaka (木曾義仲, 1154-1184), Minamoto no Yoshinaka (源義仲) was a prominent warrior of the late Heian period (平安時代, 794–1185). Following the death of his father, Minamoto no Yoshikata...
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Niigata’s Five Great Ramens: A Culinary Journey Through Japan’s Snowy North
While cities like Tokyo, Sapporo, and Fukuoka often steal the spotlight when it comes to ramen, Niigata Prefecture quietly holds its own with an impressive and distinctive ramen culture. Located along...
View ArticleHōjō Masako (1157-1225)
Hōjō Masako (北条政子, 1157-1225), the eldest daughter of Hōjō Tokimasa (北条時政, 1138-1215), was the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo (源頼朝, 1147-1199), founder of the Kamakura shogunate (鎌倉幕府, 1192-1333), and...
View ArticleHōjō Clan
The Hōjō family (北条氏) was a prominent warrior lineage that held de facto control over Japan for more than a century during the Kamakura period (1185–1333), serving as hereditary regents (執権 shikken) to...
View ArticleHōjō Tokimasa (1138-1215)
Hōjō Tokimasa (北条時政, 1138–1215) was the first shikken (執権), or regent, of the Kamakura shogunate, which governed Japan from 1192 until 1333. Originally a provincial government official in Izu Province...
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