Emergence of the Jomon
I have visited several museums which have some great Jomon artefacts, most recently in Hokkaido. Last year I went to
Senso-ji, Asakusa
I visited Senso-ji earlier this month and it is by far the busiest temple I have been to. On a
Why didn’t Japanese seafarers find the Americas?
Browsing the web last night I came across an interesting question. Why didn’t the Japanese find the Americas before the
Heiankyo
What is Heiankyo you may ask? You may know of the Heian Period which began in 794 and lasted til
The Meiji Restoration – A quick rundown
The Meiji Restoration is a very important period in Japan’s history as it reestablished Imperial rule and was the catalyst
History of Kendo
Years ago when I first came to Japan I read Taiko and Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. These two books were
Thomas Glover – Scotsman in Japan
Many of you may look at this person’s name and wonder why I have chosen a foreigner in my Japanese
Interesting population statistics of Japan
I have a always been curious about the Japanese population during different eras of Japanese history. Especially during the Mongol
Oda Nobunaga
One of the most famous lords of the Sengoku Period (1467-1600). I was fascinated by Nobunaga about 6-7 years ago
Edict of 1635 and its inception
This is a document analysis I did in 2010 regarding the Tokugawa Edict of 1635. It is a little long
Nijo Castle then and now
I love Nijo Castle. I visited the complex and explored the grounds in 2010. I am always on the lookout
Kyoto Bronze Ware Craftsmen
Kyoto 1890s Three bronze ware craftsmen are at work in the workshop of Noboru Nogawa (能川登) in Kyoto, founded in
Old Japanese maps
Reading through one of my fellow bloggers pages (thankyou Stephen) reminded me of a couple of old Japanese maps I
O Sumo
A change of pace now, away from temples and shrines. Sumo, one of Japan’s oldest sports but one of the
Heian Shrine – Kyoto
Emperor Kammu was born in 737 as the crown prince of Emperor Konin and ascended to the throne in 781
Todaiji Temple
Todaiji (東大寺, Tōdaiji, “Great Eastern Temple”) is one of Japan’s most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of
Saigo Takamori 西郷隆盛 (1828-1877)
Born in Kagoshima in the Satsuma domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture) Saigō Takamori was one of the Satsuma samurai supporting the
Kofun history
The Kofun Period (古墳時代 Kofun jidai) refers to the protohistoric period of Japan, usually dated from 250 to ca 538
Book reference list
Bix, Herbert P. 2001. Hirohito and the making of modern Japan. New York, NY: Perennial. Booth, Alan. 1995. Looking for
Hello world!
Welcome to my blog. I have been a student of Japanese history/archaeology, religion and culture for nearly 20 years. I
Japanese History and Culture 