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…
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 Komaki Nagakute
On the outskirts of Nagoya is one of the major battlefields of the Samurai era, Nagakute. Like many of the…
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)…
Date Masamune
One of the easiest to recognize of all the samurai thanks to his distinctive armour, and most distinctive maedate, is…
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…
Shimazu Yoshihiro
Shimazu Yoshihiro（August 21, 1535 – August 30, 1619） Yoshihiro was a brave and skilled general who contributed greatly to the…
The Battle of Sekigahara. The biggest, bloodiest battle of the Samurai
Sekigahara was the biggest, the bloodiest, the most violent and most important of all samurai battles, fought between the factions…
Himeji Castle, a treasure from the past
Japanese castles are one of the nations’ most popular tourist attractions amongst foreign travelers. Of all the castles in Japan, only…
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the first of the Tokugawa Shogun. Born January 31 1543 at Okazaki Castle in Aichi Prefecture, the…
The 47 Ronin Story
On the night of December 14, 1703, the legendary 47 Ronin led by Oishi Kuranosuke made their attack on…
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…
Japanese Swords, Tachi
Tachi are an early type of Japanese sword, worn by the nobility and warrior classes of feudal Japan. From the…
Maeda Toshiie
Maeda Toshiie was one of the leading generals of the Sengoku period under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Born…