Samurai Signatures, Kao (花押)
Kao (花押) were stylised identification signatures used on important papers by the lords and nobility of Japan since the Heian…
Battle of Nagashino
Siege and Battle, 28 June 1575, Mikawa (Aichi Prefecture) Takeda Katsuyori (12,000) VS Oda Nobunaga (30,000) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (8,000)…
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi（1537 ~ 1598 ) Toyotomi Hideyoshi was not a physically strong man. He had risen rapidly in the ranks…
About Japan | History | Hyogo | martial art
Mimasaka: Miyamoto Musashi’s Birthplace
In the northeast of Okayama Prefecture on the border of Hyogo Prefecture, is the quaint little village of Miyamoto in…
Nara Period（AD 710 to 794)
In 710, the Imperial Government moved the nation’s capital to Nara, and the city of Heijo-Kyo was established, it’s design…
Azuchi-Momoyama Period（1568 – 1603)
The Azuchi Momoyama, or simply Momoyama Period spans the years 1573 to 1603 when political unification under Oda Nobunaga and…
Sen no Rikyu, the Tea Ceremony Master
Sen no Rikyu was an influential master of the Tea Ceremony. Famed for his having developed the Way of Tea…
Toyokawa Inari, the Fox Gods of Success
Of the three major Inari Shrines dedicated to the Fox Gods, Toyokawa Inari is one of the most famous. Believed…
Honda Tadakatsu
Honda Tadakatsu (also known as Heihachiro) was born in Okazaki, Mikawa (Modern day Aichi Prefecture) and was one of the…
Old Kumano Road World Heritage Site
There remains a mystical aura along the Old Kumano Road（Kumano kodo / 熊野古道） as it winds its way through ancient…
The Battle of Okehazama
On the outskirts of Nagoya City, 2,500 samurai trounced an army of 35,000 in what became known as the Battle of…
The Battle of Mitagahara
6 January 1573 Takeda Shingen (28,000) VS Tokugawa Ieyasu (11,000, including 3,000 Oda troops) The Battle of Mikatagahara almost changed…
The 47 Ronin Story
On the night of December 14, 1703, the legendary 47 Ronin led by Oishi Kuranosuke made their attack on…
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the first of the Tokugawa Shogun. Born January 31 1543 at Okazaki Castle in Aichi Prefecture, the…