If we talk about the number of fatalities and the degree of destruction, three major disasters stand out in Japan. Two are well known: the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, which reached 8.3 on the Richter scale and claimed the lives of about one hundred and fifty thousand people, and Operation Meetinghouse of 1945, an […]
Japan
Posted inModern Era
Shiroyama, the Epic Battle That Marked the End of the Samurai
Some time ago, we published an article titled Saigō Takamori, the True Story of the Last Samurai, recounting the story of this singular figure, ending with a brief narration of his death. He perished in the Battle of Shiroyama, a fight that marked the end of the so-called Satsuma Rebellion. This occurred amidst the turbulent, […]
Posted inSecond World War
Operation K: The Failed Second Japanese Aerial Attack on Pearl Harbor with Seaplanes, Three Months After the Initial Strike
It is not widely known due to the limited scale of the action and its poor results, but three months after their devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese carried out a second raid. The aim was to force the U.S. fleet to venture into open waters and engage in a decisive battle, taking advantage […]
Posted inAge of Exploration
Horo, the Inflatable Cloak that Protected Samurai from Behind
If there is one type of historical warrior that has reached mythical dimensions, it is the Japanese one. The figure of the samurai has been excessively mythologized, probably due to cinema, to the point of acquiring an aura of invincibility that doesn’t quite match reality. Samurai were human, and as such, they accomplished great deeds… […]
Posted inModern Era
The Curious Connection Between Edison and a Japanese Shrine Through Bamboo
In 1964, Madeleine Edison Sloane traveled to Japan and visited Iwashimizu Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine located in Kyoto Prefecture near the city of Yawata. The purpose of her visit was not tourism but rather to personally see a memorial within its walls and take part in one of the two festivals held there in memory […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
DNA Analysis Reveals the Origin of the Japanese
A team of researchers has made an important step in understanding the origins of modern Japanese people. Scientists were able to extract DNA from a Yayoi-era skeleton found at the famous archaeological site of Doigahama in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, and conduct a complete analysis of its genome. This study has revealed that the current Japanese […]
Posted inHistory
The oldest reigning dynasty in the world is the Imperial House of Japan, descended from a shaman queen
If we were to ask what is the world’s oldest active monarchy, most readers would probably say the British without giving it much thought. That would be an incorrect answer. We need to shift the focus to the Far East because that is where Japan is, whose kōshitsu, or Imperial House, has been at the […]
Posted inArt, Prehistory
The Mysterious Engravings of the Fugoppe Cave in Hokkaido, One of Only Two Sites with Ancient Petroglyphs in Japan
Located in the small fishing town of Yoichi, on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, is Fugoppe Cave, an archaeological site that contains over 800 petroglyphs carved into its walls, making it a unique location in all of Japan. The discovery of the cave dates back to 1950, when two young brothers, drawn by stories of […]
Posted inCulture
Utsuro-bune, the Japanese legend about a strange ship and its mysterious passenger
In Japanese folklore, there is a curious legend that is repeated in various current provinces of the country such as Hitachi, Kaga, Echigo, in addition to other historical territories like Owari no Kuni, Atsuta, or Iyo: the one about a boat of strange shape that came from the sea without anyone knowing its origin and […]
Posted inArt
The Largest Wooden Building in the World Houses a 16-meter-tall Buddha Statue
Previously, we shared the story of the Prinkipo orphanage, the largest wooden building in Europe which, however, is small compared to the Daibutsu-den or Great Buddha Hall, considered the largest wooden building in the world. It holds the record despite being 33 percent smaller today than when it was first constructed due to several renovations. […]
