Japan Unveiled: Late-Blooming Culture

  Fig. Japanese carpentry without a single nail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-u4T13guko&t=27s&ab_channel=GreatBigStory Takafumi Matsumoto is a Miya Daiku, a shrine and temple carpenter who works in Kamakura, Japan. Fig. Kamakura https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-u4T13guko&t=27s&ab_channel=GreatBigStory Fig. Kamakura, South West of Tokyo Source: google earth modified by the author   Kamakura is located 50 km southwest of Tokyo and is abundant in natural beauty.  It was the capital of Japan from the early 12th century to the mid-13th century. It was the site of the first government established by samurai under Shogun Minamoto Yoritomo. The feudal system lasted about 800 years until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Since Japanese shrines and temples are made of wood, they require restoration after a suitable number of years. For example, in wooden structures from 1,000 years ago, iron was hard to come by, so buildings were constructed by combin...

  Fig. “Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)” by Skurama Kintaro https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm29450346?from= 250 I had a chance to watch Noh drama “Aoi no Ue” (Lady Aoi) performed by Sakurama Kintaro, a Noh drama performer. It can be viewed at: Characters: Lady Rokujo (Prince Hikaru Genji’s girl friend) Lady Aoi (formal wife of Hikaru Genji. She never appears in the play) Miko (female shaman) Buddhist monk   While story lines of Noh drama are often simple, the performer’s dances, face expressions and associated body languages are captivating. "Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)" is one of the representative Noh dramas which takes its theme from “Tale of Genji”, a novel written in 1008 CE by Lady Murasaki, a female Japanese novelist. This allegedly is the oldest novel in the world history. The main character Lady Rokujo appears in two different masks: a.     Her original form which is represented by the following:   Fig.  Female Noh mask. Public domain ...

  Fig. Tanegashima Hinawajyu Arquebus.(Tanegashima Hinawajyu ・ Japanese: 種子島火縄銃 ) this The Arquebus is in the Portugal Pavilion in Expo 2005 Aichi Japan. Photo by GnsinCourtesy https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arquebus.jpg The history of samurai is fascinating. I've described aspects of samurai history in my blog [1-9]. However, the history of Japan is not solely the history of samurai. Samurai made up only a small portion of the population. I've always wanted to explore the history of people other than samurai. In [10], I discussed Kasuke, the leader of the 1686 peasant uprising who sacrificed himself and his family. This blog post describes Yaita Kinbei (1502 CE - 1570 CE), a swordsmith. One of the main reasons I describe this swordsmith is that he changed the course of Japan’s Sengoku period (Warring States period, 15th century-16th century CE). There are several theories about how muskets arrived in Japan. The following is one of them: On August 25, 154...

  https://chiku.setagayashakyo.or.jp/member/detail/1136 Fig. Students say Good Morning to the volunteer Japanese kids go to school on their own. Every weekday morning from 7:45 to 8:25, volunteers stand at checkpoints to watch over the kids and ensure they arrive at school safely. Positioned strategically to control traffic when kids are crossing, the volunteers warmly greet them by saying, “Good morning. Have a safe walk.” “(Ohayo gozaimasu. Itte rasshai) As one of these volunteers, I can share what typically happens when I greet the kids. About 100 students pass by me, so I say "Good morning. Have a safe walk" around 100 times. Surprisingly, most of them bow to me with a cheerful "Good morning." When a kid does this,   before     I greet him/her, I intentionally raise my voice so others who follow can hear, exclaiming, "Wow, you’re so polite! Amazing. Have a fantastic day!" In response, several children who come after that particular kid also bow...

While Oda Nobunaga is often portrayed as a ruthless conqueror in game and anime, he sometimes showed his compassions for people. The following account is from Ohta Gyuichi [1], a retainer of Nobunaga. His book is considered relatively reliable. Fig. Oda Nobunaga (wood sculpture) Photo courtesy of Gifu Castle This is a replica of a 16th-century wood sculpture. Among the many depictions of Nobunaga, this one aligns with descriptions I’ve read, featuring his small mouth, well-defined nose, wrinkles between the eyebrows, and a nervous disposition. Fig. Yamanaka This is a schematic picture. The interested reader can visit the Wikipedia site at http://shmz1975.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2014/08/post-9b49.html In the late 1570’s CE, Nobunaga often commuted from Mino to Kyoto. Along the way, there was a place called Yamanaka, where a physically disabled man was always begging by the roadside. Nobunaga, seeing this man on commuting, he asked the townspeople why this man was begging always a...

  Fig. The Luís Fróis Memorial Description     日本二十六聖人殉教地 Date      Taken on 27 February 2012 Source   https://web.archive.org/web/20161021103818/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/67546293 Author             Ke Ki The Luís Fróis Memorial is located within Nishizaka Park in Nagasaki City, adjacent to the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum   Fig. Oda Nobunaga (wood sculpture) Photo courtesy of Gifu Castle This is a replica of a 16th-century wood sculpture. Among the many depictions of Nobunaga, this one aligns with descriptions I’ve read, featuring his small mouth, well-defined nose, wrinkles between the eyebrows, and a nervous disposition. Fig. Fróis arrived Goa on 4 September 1548 CE Source: google earth modified by the author Luís Fróis (1532 CE – 1597 CE) was a Jesuit missionary and historian who worked primarily in Japan. He authored the extensive “ History of Japan .” [1] Born in Lisb...