The Battle of Nagashino and Shitaragahara
On May 21, 1575, the decisive battle at Nagashino and Shitaragahara began between Takeda Katsuyori’s forces (1546-1582, 武田勝頼), numbering 15,000 forces, and the 38,000-strong allied forces of Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582, 織田信長) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616, 徳川家康). The Takeda forces charged towards the 2-km-long fence constructed by the allies. For nine relentless hours, the Takeda forces […]
Myokakuji Temple, Nobunaga's Innovative Venue for Tea Ceremonies
Oda Nobunaga held his tea ceremonies at Myokakuji Temple, his lodging during his stay in Kyoto. Here, Nobunaga and Sen-no-Rikyu met. The two innovators began to resonate with each other in their rational minds. Nobunaga appointed Rikyu as the tea master for the tea ceremony held at Myokakuji Temple in 1573. Encounter between Nobunaga and […]
Hamamatsu Castle, Ieyasu's Journey of Building a Peaceful Era
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616, 徳川家康) was freed from his hostage of Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519-1560, 今川義元) defeated at the Battle of Okehazama, and took a step forward as the lord of Okazaki Castle. He put down the Mikawa Ikki riot and brought stability to the Mikawa region in 1645. Following the surrender of the Imagawa clan's Sunpu […]
Chion-in Temple, Honen's Teaching to Save the People
Chion-in Temple, the head temple of the Jodo sect, is located at the foot of Mt. Higashiyama in Kyoto, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616, 徳川家康) by allotting the temple grounds of Shorenin Monzeki. Hidetada, Ieyasu's successor, donated to the construction of the temple gate, ”Sanmon(三門)” or Three Gate, the largest gate in Japan. Although commonly […]
Kyoto Imperial Palace, Successive Emperor's Residence
The Heian-kyo had been the center of the nation where the successive emperors resided for over 1200 years since the capital relocation from Nara in 794 by the 50th Emperor Kanmu until 1869 when Emperor Meiji moved to Tokyo, one year after the Meiji Restoration. The highlight is the beautiful Shishinden Hall with its cypress […]
Daigoji Temple, Cherry Blossoms Honoring Hideyoshi's Unification of Japan
Daigoji Temple, a World Heritage Site, has been known as "Hana-no-Daigo" (Cherry Blossom Flower Daigo) since the Heian period (794-1185), and some 700 cherry blossoms are in full bloom in spring, including weeping, Someiyoshino, mountain, and double-flowered cherry trees. The temple consists of several sub-temples and gardens spreading across a vast area of Mt. Daigo […]
Okazaki Castle, Hardship Made the Man: Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616, 徳川家康) was separated from his mother at the age of 3, became a hostage of Oda Nobuhide, father of Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582, 織田信長) at the age of 6, lost his father at the age of 8, then became a hostage of the Imagawa Yoshimoto (1519-1560, 今川義元). In total, he spent about 14 years […]
Shoko Shuseikan, The Wise Lord Shimazu Nariakira Seeded a Modern Nation
Shoko Shuseikan Museum, registered as one of "Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution, encompassing Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining," is a group of factories established in 1851 by Shimazu Nariakira (1809-1858, 島津斉彬), the 28th head of the Shimazu clan and the lord of Satsuma domain. With the threat of Western powers expanding into Asia becoming […]
Nagoya of Art and Culture, Tokugawa Yoshinao's Achievement
Within the Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle, esteemed artists of the Kano school, including Kano Tanyu (1602-1674, 狩野探幽), painted the finest sliding door paintings of tigers, pine trees, and other motifs. The 1,049 sliding door paintings survived the war and were completely restored and copied. These invaluable treasures continue to be precious gems that convey […]
Yoshino Jingu Shrine and Yoshimizu Shrine: The Heart of the Southern Court, Dedicated to Emperor Go-Daigo
In spring, Mt. Yoshino is adorned with approximately 30,000 cherry blossoms in full bloom, comprising about 200 different varieties of Yamazakura, mountain cherry blossoms, gradually reach full bloom in four areas - Shimo, Naka, Kami, and Oku – ascending from the base to the summit, taking about a month to unfold fully. The panoramic view […]