Edo Castle

At this time, word of Lord Asano’s attack reached the clan castle in Ako 430 miles to the west in the early morning of March 19. He says, do you suppose the castle will be seized immediately? What will our lord’s sentence be? Here in Ako, we can’t know what is happening.” Then there is a discussion by two men on the events at the castle, they appear to be in one’s house. They say it is a pity that Lord Asano failed in his attempt on the attack on Lord Kiro. They are now wondering what will…

The Tokugawa Shogunate was a period when peace reigned throughout Japan and the Daimyo were able to be brought under control. This period was called the Tokugawa period also known as the Edo period. This was also a period when Japan was cut off from the rest of the world. The daimyo were one of the great lords of Japan (shogun above them) who had many samurais under their control. Oda Nobunaga, a Japanese warrior and government official, decided in 1568 to conquer the daimyo and gain control…

unassailable armed strength and unquestioned monopoly over the office of the shogun. However, their power was revolved around the shogun’s own lands, which could be considered as a super-daimyo domain. The shogun ruled some important ports and cities like Edo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagasaki. The Tokugawas also set out to create institutions that would stabilize political and social conditions and thereby prevent a lapse back into feudal warfare, which had existed for several centuries earlier. The…

Finally, the Warring States period finished and the peaceful Edo-age started in Japan. The importance of ninjas in History diminished. Then, what became of ninjas and ninjutsu? Some of lucky ninjas who worked under Ieyasu could get important posts as guards around Edo-castle. As Ieyasu needed to look out for all of the daimyos in Japan, other ninjas were dispatched from each daimyo’s territory and yet, almost all ninjas…

Osaka Castle is one of the most beautiful and well known historical landmarks in Japan. The castle has a long and interesting history and has had several incarnations. The castle began life as a small temple known as Ishiyama Hongan-ji. During its more than 500 years of history the building has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, because of its strategic and later cultural importance. Hongan-ji was originally built as a place of retirement for the Holy Priest Rennyo, the great revivalist…

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the main beneficiary of the achievements of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Already powerful, Ieyasu profited by his transfer to the rich Kantō area. He maintained two million koku of land, a new headquarters at Edo, a strategically situated castle town (the future Tokyo), and also had an additional two million koku of land and thirty-eight vassals under his control. After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu moved quickly to seize control from the Toyotomi family. Ieyasu's victory…

the Qing Dynasty which produced western style paintings. Now in Japan it’s the same way with having different era’s. They are the Muromachi which produced splash paintings, the Momoyama which produced the huge fortress castles with paintings folding screen lavish use of gold leaf, Edo which set the standard for…

status to them. Part of the Daimyos wealth had to be shared with higher status warlords and the Shogun. Question 3) In what years did the Samurai class rule Japan and what period/s were these called? It was during the Edo, or the Tokugawa period that the Samurai class ruled Japan. The Edo period was from 1603 to 1868. Question 4)What is…

Horio Yoshiharu was a daimyo during the Edo period in Japan, But in a vassal’s family, in 1542, was when his life story truly began. His father was a member of the Iwakura Oda clan, Until their defeat by Oda Nobunaga, which was not part of the plan. Now a wandering samurai without a master during the chaotic Age of Warring States, Yoshiharu’s father left his family with an uncertain fate. But during this time, Yoshiharu developed an inner strength, and a sense of peace: Qualities that helped…

Average 400 Shinto shrines in Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto’s temples get a lot of attention from visitors, but some of the city’s 400-plus shrines are also first-rate attractions in their own right. Kyoto is Japan in a nutshell. It’s the cultural and historical heart of the country. It’s the best place in all Japan. To Example traditional temples, shrines, gardens, geisha, restaurants and festivals. In short, Kyoto is the most rewarding destination in all of Japan and it should be at the top of any Japan…