Military history of Japan

Introduction Commonly called, “The Heart of Japan” Kyoto was the center of Japan’s culture, literature, Japanese Imperial Court, and arts during it’s hayday. Looking at Japan’s long history, it was first introduced 1200 years ago as Japan’s capital during the Heian Period (794 to 1185 C.E.) as Heian-kyō meaning, "tranquility and peace capital.” The four centuries of the Heian Golden Age changed the course of Japan’s history because of the emergence of the intertwining elements such as…

1930s, leading to what many consider to be the height of the Japanese military state: The Second World War. It was not until after the Japanese capitulation and the American occupation that the Japanese ‘war mentality’ was suppressed, which signaled a stark transition in Japanese culture and the emergence of the Japanese state as both a global power and world peacekeeper. The presence of a military-style government existed in Japan even far before the Tokugawa period, however, it was not…

The origin of Japan’s long history about reverence for nature started with native religion. No one is quite sure how long religion has been practiced in Japan. The natives’ belief system was based on and in the worship of kami. Kami are the elements of the landscape or forces of nature (“Kami”). In the 6th century Shintoism was created to distinguish native religion from Buddhism and Confucianism (“Shintoism”). Shinto most literally means, “the way of kami” (Hirai). Shintoism became more popular…

calls forth the ghosts of Japan’s hallowed samurai class. A class so determined to preserve honor, they would rather stab their own stomachs in ritualistic suicide than live a shamed existence. Bushido is a code of conduct for the samurai of premodern Japan. The word samurai originally meant “one who serves” and referred to men of noble birth assigned to guard members of the Imperial Court. A strong virtue of Bushido was a strict hierarchy that emphasized obedience to authority. Warriors were…

The Similarities and Differences Between Samurai and Knights Have you ever thought about the medieval Knights and Samurai and what the similarities and differences are? During the late 1100s in Japan two large military clans called Taira and the Minamoto fought to control the country. The knights and Samurai were similar in many ways.The similarities between the samurai and knights were greater than the differences. This can be shown by looking at three areas: Social positions, training and…

culture can be traced back to 8000 BC during the Jomon Period in Japan, although most archaeologists agree that it could go as far back as 100,000 years (“Early Japanese History”). The ancient Japanese culture is one of the most studied and historic cultures in the world. The Jomon period is known for is their advanced pottery techniques for that time period -- hence the name Jomon, which means "patterns of plaited cord” (“Ancient Japan”). The ancient Japanese culture was well known for their…

Artistic evolution occurs throughout the Kamakura and Muromachi eras, altogether spanning from 1185 to 1550. Developing areas of art include literature, theatre, and visual arts. Both eras demonstrate interests regarding the past, Buddhist principles, and tradition but have different influences. Kamakura era literature discusses loyalism and Buddhist concepts. The era begins as war between the Taira and the Minamoto families concludes in 1185. The Tale of the Heike, a significant war…

of the highest ranks could receive a horse, and even so the colour of the horse is different among them, so perhaps it would be easier to distinguish who was the leader. This set of ranking which classifies warriors into groups, is still seen in militaries today, there is always a commander and soldiers who obey him similar to the system shown in the segment. The words written on the left, must be describing or stating something related to the event, but it looks like it is written in…

“Sapokanikan” is the first single released from Joanna Newsom’s 2015 album Divers. Shorter than most of the songs on her last album Have One On Me, the song resembles a union of the styles she used on Have One On Me and her debut album The Milk-Eyed Mender. “Sapokanikan”, like much of Joanna’s music, relies heavily on obscure references to tell a greater tale. Newsom’s overall message is about death and being forgotten and her references, language, and imagery tie together to paint a picture of…

Kamakura Culture The culture of the Kamakura period was based on the tradition of the national culture of the Heian era and was a mixture of the values of the emerging warriors and peasants. The Kamakura period overwhelmed political and military aspects; however, in terms of culture, it lagged behind the aristocratic culture of long - established tradition. Later, the new culture of unauthorized warrior readers gradually began to overtake the traditional culture. The characteristic of this age…