Japan’s Terraced Senmaida, The One Thousand Rice Paddies
Senmaida. It means “One Thousand Rice Paddies”, and refers to the terraced paddies of all shapes and sizes cut into…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Sassa Narimasa
Sassa Narimasa was born in Hira Castle (Currently the site of Kotsuji Temple, Nishi-Ku, Nagoya) in 1536. He became a…
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)…
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…
Date Masamune
One of the easiest to recognize of all the samurai thanks to his distinctive armour, and most distinctive maedate, is…
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…
Shimazu Yoshihiro
Shimazu Yoshihiro（August 21, 1535 – August 30, 1619） Yoshihiro was a brave and skilled general who contributed greatly to the…