Edo period

alternate “Shinobi”.... historical accounts of context of secret intelligence gathering or assassination carried out by martial aable part of the samurai warfare. Samurai could not ignore the secret threat they posed. Ninja occurs right after the Sengoku period in 1638 during the Shimabara rebellion when ninja infiltrated the castle of Hara.Ninja’s as uncover soldiers are indeed authentic but the popular image of the dressed in black is no more than an artist convention. While both Japanese…

Texts that discussed food and eating in Tokugawa Japan came in both informational and in literary forms. Many texts that would be considered informational gave advice primarily on what to eat and how to eat. Authors frequently related food to medicine, talking a lot about what to eat to be healthy in general, and also what to eat to cure ailments; Chinese medicine understandings on the relationship between food as medicine were commonly brought up. Another important type of circulating food text…

Constantly referred to as the Warring states period, the Sengoku era (1467- 1593) was a period of numerous civil wars and endless political-military battles. Since the Onin War in 1467, a war between two powerful clans (Hosokawa and Yamana), Japan had hence been divided into warring states. This period in history had marked the shoguns' decline in power, both militarily and politically, as well as the rise in "influential feudal lords" called Daimyos, who took advantage of the political…

issued an edict that prevented Japanese from leaving Japan, and closed Japan to all foreigners. This brought 250 years of peace to the country. In July 1853, US Commodore Perry was the first foreigner to gain access into the closed country during this period. This event lead to the demise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, as Perry influenced other countries to do the same. With the sudden opening of its doors to westerners, Japan was not able to cope, socially, politically, or economically and the…

being a threat to their teachings. During this time period, two Theologist professors by the names of Jacob Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer crafted an essential “guidebook” for Inquisitors in search of witches. Appropriately named, Malleus Maleficarum, Latin for “The Hammer for Witches”, was held in the hands for Inquisitors to properly dispose of those who worked for the devil (Lewis). A witch was a threat to Catholicism, as in this time period the church was in despair of anyone who revolted…

of the Japanese government has changed over the years. During the Heian period, which was between 794 and 1185 A.D., there were four major groups that held government power. These groups were the emperor and imperial family, Buddhist sects, the aristocracy and the small-town warriors. During this time the emperors had to gain political backing from powerful aristocratic families to be able to rule the country. The Heian period was considerably peaceful and was also secure from foreign…

In my exploration of the Japanese culture, I was intrigued by the shift in connotations or views of Japanese yokai from the ones depicted in traditional folklore to that of modern media. In this essay I will endeavor to convey how the media has transformed the yokai image to one of popularization in order to better relate to the masses. Yokai, are strange and supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore and is sometimes translated as monster, demon, spirit, or goblin, but it can encompass all…

earth. The gyōji, who are officials who judge each match, wear costumes based upon what was worn during the Heian period of Japan from 794 to 1,185 (David D.). Before the game, the gyōji purify and bless the ring by burying dried squid, kelp, and salt within its center. Sake is partaken and what is left after is poured over the ring’s outer line as a tribute to the Kami. During the Edo period of 1603 to 1868, sumo became a sport conducted at the imperial court instead of a religious ritual:…

1633) arrived in Japan in 1576, there were no extensive works detailing the history, culture, language, and geography of Japan. He lived in Japan working as a Jesuit priest and translator for thirty years before his exile at the beginning of the Edo Period (1603-1868). During his time there, he became fluent in Japanese and accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge about Japanese culture, history, literature, poetry, and language, ultimately resulting in his authorship of This Island of…

While Vaporis’ argument of a shared culture remained relatively strong throughout Tour of Duty, he failed to provide thorough examples that alternate attendance was affective in creating a truly shared cultural experience throughout all social classes. Vaporis’ argument of a shared culture was exact; however, alternate attendance was more of a vehicle which created a shared culture and experience throughout the elite class of Japan. Vaporis provided limited examples of the specific effects of…