Japan History

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2017

Shogunate: Feudal period of Japan – History of Japan

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2017

Shogunate in Japan: the military government of the samurai

A clear guide to the three major shogunates and the end of military rule in Japan.

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2016

Katana - The legendary swords of Japan

Curved steel, samurai status, museum legends — and why not every “katana” on a shelf is the same object.

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2015

Okunoshima - The famous Rabbit Island

Hundreds of wild rabbits, a poison gas past, and a small island that was wiped off Allied maps during the war.

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2015

Yakuza: Japan’s Organized Crime Syndicates

A careful guide to the history, language, image, and present-day reality behind Japan’s best-known criminal syndicates.

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2015

Kakute: the hidden ninja ring and why it mattered

A closer look at the spiked ring often linked to ninja stealth, close-quarters fighting, and later legend.

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2015

Haiku: The Small Japanese Poems

Learn what haiku means, how the 5-7-5 pattern works, where the form came from, and why Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki still matter.

Kevin Henrique · Jan 15, 2014

Seppuku and Harakiri: Ritual, History and Differences

A clear guide to the meaning, history and cultural weight of seppuku in samurai Japan.