Ashikaga Yoshiteru, The 13th Ashikaga Shogun was assassinated in June 450 years ago, June 17, 1565. Ashikaga Yoshiteru reigned as the 13th Ashikaga Shogun from 1546 to 1565. Born March 31, 1536, he was the first son of the 12th shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiharu. Yoshiteru was just 11 when his father was forced to retire due… Read More Ashikaga Yoshiteru – 13th Ashikaga Shogun.
While readers of Japanese literature from the Heian and Kamakura periods often find it difficult to determine when a sexual encounter has actually taken place, there are certain textual indicators that writers can use to make it plain that something carnal has, in fact, occurred. Writers may speak of the night as “dreamlike,” or describe… Read More Forced Affection -Rape as the First Act of Romance in Heian Japan (an essay)
Why did Akechi Mitsuhide turn against his lord? There are many theories, but no-one really knows for sure. New information is occasionally revealed which helps us to gain a better understanding of why. Letters suggesting a link between a feudal warlord in Shikoku and the 16th-century Honnoji Incident, in which powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga committed… Read More Letters suggest Shikoku warlord’s link to 16th-century Honnoji Incident
I love Nijo Castle. I visited the complex and explored the grounds in 2010. I am always on the lookout for more information to share with people. This is a plate photo taken in c1895 of Nijo Castle. The photographer captured the main entry gate (Higashi Otemon). Higashi meaning east. It looks to be the… Read More Nijo Castle then and now
Reading through one of my fellow bloggers pages (thankyou Stephen) reminded me of a couple of old Japanese maps I have saved on my hard drive. I love old maps and I remember studying a few maps while doing my history major at university. Lets have a look. A map of Edo in the 1840s,… Read More Old Japanese maps
Bix, Herbert P. 2001. Hirohito and the making of modern Japan. New York, NY: Perennial. Booth, Alan. 1995. Looking for the lost: journeys through a vanishing Japan. New York: Kodansha International. Booth, Alan. 1997. The roads to Sata: a 2000-mile walk through Japan. New York: Kodansha International. Bryant, Anthony J., and Angus McBride. 1989. The… Read More Book reference list
