Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Shogun In pre-modern Japan, the shogun was Japan's supreme military leader, awarded the title by the emperor, and by tradition a descendant of the prestigious Minamoto clan. From 1603 through 1869, Japan was ruled by a series of shoguns known as the Tokugawa Shogunate, descended from Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu moved the capitol to Edo (modern day Tokyo), and through a governing system of strict regulations, he initiated a period of peace, prosperity and cultural renaissance that would last for over 250 years. REIGNS OF THE TOKUGAWA SHOGUNS Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1603-1605Tokugawa Hidetada, 1605-1623Tokugawa Iemitsu, 1623-1651Tokugawa Ietsuna, 1651-1680Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, 1680-1709Tokugawa Ienobu, 1709-1712Tokugawa Ietsugu, 1713-1716Tokugawa Yoshimune, 1716-1745Tokugawa Ieshige, 1745-1760Tokugawa Ieharu, 1760-1786Tokugawa Ienari, 1787-1837Tokugawa Ieyoshi, 1837-1853Tokugawa Iesada, 1853-1858Tokugawa Iemochi, 1858-1866Tokugawa Yoshinobu, 1867
Top Five Anime Movies from 2010 | Inside AX- Anime Expo by Samantha H., Staff Writer, Inside AX- Anime Expo 2010 was a year filled with many new anime series and some fantastic anime movie releases. With the release of movies such as Karigurashi no Arriety and One Piece film: Strong World, it may be hard to pick what movies to watch. Here at Inside AX, we’ve gathered a small list that we think deserve a look. Trigun: Badlands Rumble I remember when I watched Trigun and fell in love with Vash and the badass known as Wolfwood years ago. King of Thorn (Ibara no Ou) King of Thorn is a psychological thriller that was released May 2010. Karigurashi no Arriety (The Borrower Arriety) Karigurashi no Arriety topped the Japanese box offices this year and for a good reason too. Released July 17,2010, Karigurashi no Arrietty is the first movie that animator Hiromasa Yonebayashi has directed. Halo Legends Summer Wars Okay so I cheated a bit. What were your favorite anime movies of 2010?
Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Program Two - The Will of the Shogun With Ieyasu in control, peace settles over Japan, and a new society based on the samurai ethics of obedience and loyalty is established. In 1600, William Adams becomes the first Englishman to set foot in Japan. Impressed by European trading vessels, Ieyasu asks Adams to help him build his own fleet. Aware that the English have no interest in converting the Japanese to Christianity, Ieyasu decides to expel the Portugese and Spanish who often combine missionary work with trade. As Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu has united the daimyo warlords. Foreign missionaries have been expelled from Japan, but still Iemitsu fears the influence of Christianity. IMAGE CREDITS Top: Tokugawa Iemitsu/Hasedera Temple PREVIEW Episode One: The Way of the Samurai 56k | 200k Episode Two: The Will of the Shogun 56k | 200k Episode Three: The Return of the Barbarians 56k | 200k (Click 56K for modem access or 200K for cable/T1/DSL connections.
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Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire . Program One - Way of the Samurai In the early 16th century, Japan is a warlike society ruled by samurai and their daimyo warlords. When Portuguese merchants arrive in 1543, they are the first Europeans to set foot in Japan. Missionaries quickly set out to convert the nation to Christianity. In the same year, a samurai boy named Tokugawa Ieyasu is born to a low ranking daimyo family. To prove his family's loyalty to their ruling warlord, Ieyasu is given as a hostage where he remains for most of his childhood. On his deathbed, Hideyoshi, places Ieyasu in command until Hideyoshi's true heir—his young son, Hideyori—will rule. IMAGE CREDITS Top: Hideori/Osaka Castle. PREVIEW Episode One: The Way of the Samurai 56k | 200k Episode Two: The Will of the Shogun 56k | 200k Episode Three: The Return of the Barbarians 56k | 200k (Click 56K for modem access or 200K for cable/T1/DSL connections.
FOUND: The Bizarre Transformer Trucks of Japan FOUND: The Bizarre Transformer Trucks of Japan November 17, 2011 Vending machines that sell warm noodle concoctions with mysterious ingredients and unknown flavors…to our western eyes, Japan is unlike anything we’d recognize. But beyond Tokyo's glistening lights, oddball fetishes and weird, angular haircuts is a blue-collar subculture of an entirely different sort: Dekotora. Also known as “Art Trucks,” Dekotora is the land of the rising sun’s homegrown trucker subculture that covers big rigs with neon and ultraviolet lights, colorful airbrushed murals and shiny stainless steel or golden exteriors. There are plenty of truck-decorating customs in Asia (like Jeepnys in the Philippines), but these Japanese trucks are a league of their own. The Dekotora trend took off after the mid-70s emergence of Japanese low budget B-movies about truckers. On our Mission to ALL THE WRONG PLACES, we caught up with some of the Japanese truckers who started it all — the guys from Utamorokai Dekotora Club.
Japanese Religion and Spirituality Its towering majesty and near-perfect symmetry make Mt. Fuji stand out — even in a heavily mountainous country like Japan. At 12,388 feet, the imposing mountain inspires spiritual awe, and many consider the lengthy hike up its slope a religious pilgrimage. If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Since ancient times, Japanese philosophers have pondered basic, unanswerable questions about their natural environment. The Way of the Gods Ancient Japanese elevated this fascination with nature into what was later called Shinto, the Way of the Gods. But the kami also would not hesitate to unleash their wrath if humans violated their cardinal rule of physical and spiritual cleanliness. Although its origins are obscure, Shinto helped forge national and political unity by emphasizing Japan's divine beginnings through myths and legends. The Buddha Has Landed Photo courtesy of Ngawang Geleg One Hand Clapping A Chinese Flavor
Would You Catch These Realistic PokéBalls? Could You? Nowadays they have Poke'balls for everything. Bug Ball, Quick Ball, Dusk Ball, Heal Ball, Net Ball, Premiere Ball, Warm Summer Day with 83 Degree Humidity and Chance of Slight Rain Ball, etc etc. Really? Ugh, I guess it works but I feel that's a bit over-saturated with different types of balls. Most of them, aside from the obviously basics, are nearly useless. But yeah, most the pokeballs in the newer games are useless. Either way, I don't think these renders were supposed to be of specific balls. Pokeballs are also supposed to create an environment in them that is suitable to the Pokemon.
Feudal Japan: The Age of the Warrior While most samurai warriors were men, some women were renowned for their skill in battle. A monument was erected to honor Nakano Takeko — a female warrior — at the Hokai temple in Fukushima prefecture because she asked her sister to behead her rather than die dishonorably from a gunshot wound in captivity. Being a warrior in feudal Japan was more than just a job. The samurai warriors, also known as bushi, took as their creed what later became known as the "Way of the Warrior" (Bushidô), a rigid value system of discipline and honor that required them to live and die in the service of their lords. If commanded, true bushi were expected to give their lives without hesitation. The bushi swore unwavering loyalty to their immediate masters in the chain of command. Although elegant and refined in appearance, Japanese castles were used as military installments. Shôgun Might The daimyô reported to the shôgun, more out of political and military necessity than out of loyalty. Urasenke Foundation
Character Bentos | yonasu.com Published on October 4th, 2011. A Bento or lunch box as we know it in the west are home-packed meals, typical filled with rice, fish, meat or cooked vegetables. Leave it to the Japanese to make them cute and fun with “Kyaraben” or “Character Bentos”. Over the past few years the “Kyaraben” craze has brought about contest such as Sanrio’s Annual Kyaraben Contest and turned what children have for lunch into a hobby and form of art. After a little bit of searching, I came across some excellent looking ones.
Japan under the Shoguns Japan under the Shoguns 1185-1853 Text and Web-site by James Bowen, Convener, Pacific War Historical Society. Web-site established May 2002 and last updated 14 May 2010. In the year 784 the emperor of Japan moved his court from Nara to Kyoto. For the next four hundred years, art and literature flourished at the new capital Kyoto while control of Japan by the central government withered away. Although the emperor ruled in name at Kyoto, the real power in Japan during this time was increasingly exercised by provincial samurai clan lords or daimyo who were intent upon increasing their land holdings and their independence from control by the emperor. Samurai clan lords, or Daimyo, ruled their domains from castles like this one The Kamakura Shogunate 1185-1336 The first shogun set up his military government at the seaside village of Kamakura, and the era from 1185 to 1336 is known as the Kamakura Shogunate. The Ashikaga Shogunate 1336-1568 The Tokugawa Shogunate 1603-1867 The Samurai
Super Japanese Ghouls ‘n Ghosts Japanese folklore has a rich and terrifying tradition of all sorts of zany ghosts, ghouls, monsters, and goblins. Japanese ghosts collectively known as yūrei (幽霊), and Japanese monsters collectively known as yōkai (妖怪) are arguably the most popular. But how many traditional Japanese spooks do you actually know anything about? Read on to see what you should really be afraid of this Halloween. Traditional Japanese Ghosts Traditional Japanese beliefs state that every human being has a soul called a reikon (霊魂). However, if a person dies an unnatural, traumatic death, or if their final rites aren’t properly performed, the reikon becomes a yūrei and starts wreaking havoc on everyone’s sanity. These ghosts dwell on Earth, haunting its fleshy inhabitants. Onryō – 怨霊 Onryō are female ghosts who were abused or neglected by their lovers in life. Ubume – 産女 Women who die in childbirth or without providing for their children before death are classified as ubume. Goryō – 御霊 Funayūrei – 船幽霊 Kappa – 河童