Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the first of the Tokugawa Shogun. Born January 31 1543 at Okazaki Castle in Aichi Prefecture, the…
The Battle of Shizugatake
The Battle of Shizugatake was fought on Mt. Shizugatake in Omi Province on the northeastern ridge between Lake Biwa and…
Oda Nobunaga (June 23 1534-June 21 1582)
The first of the three Unifiers of Japan, Oda Nobunaga was born in 1534 during the height of the civil strife…
Date Masamune
One of the easiest to recognize of all the samurai thanks to his distinctive armour, and most distinctive maedate, is…
The Dog Shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
The fifth Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, was brought up as a scholar instead of a warrior, as it was feared…
Sassa Narimasa
Sassa Narimasa was born in Hira Castle (Currently the site of Kotsuji Temple, Nishi-Ku, Nagoya) in 1536. He became a…
Japanese Floor Mats, Tatami
The image of a traditional Japanese room includes the shoji, paper-covered wooden frame windows called shoji, fusuma, being sliding doors…
Japan’s Three Sacred Treasures, Symbols of Imperial Rule
According to the Kojiki, (the Record of Ancient matters, a collection of myths concerning the origins of Japan) the Three…
The Viper of Mino, Saito Dosan
Saito Dosan (born 1494) was known as the Viper of Mino due to his ruthlessness both on the battlefield and…
Shogun, Tokugawa Ienobu
The 6th Tokugawa Shogun, Ienobu Was Born On June 11, 1662. In 1709 Tokugawa Tsunayoshi died heirless. This left the…
About Japan | Gifu | Samurai
Gifu Castle
Gifu Castle was mostly destroyed in one of the many inflammatory lead up battles culminating in the Battle of Sekigahara…