Japan Unveiled: Late-Blooming Culture

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 Lisbon, he served the Portuguese court at the age of nine. In 1548 CE, at the age of sixteen, he joined the

  Fig. Nakamura Testu http://www.peshawar-pms.com/pekai/ryakureki.html Reproduced with permission from Peshawar Kai Title translation by the author This is a documentary movie of Nakamura Tetsu, a Japanese medical doctor who improved the livelihoods of 650,000 people of Afganistan and Pakistan. Memorable scene: While Nakamura and his Afghan coworkers were working at the irrigation project site, American military helicopters flew overhead. The contrast was stark. While still images of Nakamura often give a calm impression, in videos and movies, his sharp gaze and commanding presence are striking. The visual content of this film is powerful enough even without Japanese narration. I believe it is worth watching for audiences who do not speak the Japanese language. Nakamura Tetsu was a Japanese physician who devoted his life to enhancing the well-being of people in Afghanistan through irrigation projects. He was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, in 1946, just after the conclusion of