“I’d really like to do Silence right now… it’s been on my mind since 1990… it’s going to be tricky to deal with the persecution, to...
On the occasion of his acceptance of the Praemium Imperiale prize, awarded annually by the Japan Art Association with honorary patron H.I.E. Prince Hitachi, the Sankei...
In my youth, my introduction to Japanese swords (as with many other people) was via martial arts, Akira Kurosawa movies, and my discovery...
Someone once said that studying the Japanese sword is one of the quickest ways to get a profound understanding of Japanese culture. Many specialists...
After more than 250 years of rule, the Tokugawa government’s power had begun to wane. The Japanese people had been longing for modernization. Following the...
Rugby fever continues to grip Japan even though the World Cup finished several months ago. In 2020, before the novel coronavirus swept the...
(First of 3 Parts) The Bakumatsu era and subsequent Meiji restoration was a turbulent time in Japan. It was a bittersweet, complicated period in...
Last of Three Parts Part 1: Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Shonentai Youth Corps of Nihonmatsu Castle Part 2: In Search of the Samurai...
In recent times, there have been many cases of war loot being repatriated to the original owners, their descendants, or country of origin. French...
Second of Three Parts Part 1: Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Shonentai Youth Corps of Nihonmatsu Castle In the late Edo period, the...
Recently, the current Emperor Heisei emerged from Ise shrine with the three sacred treasures of the Imperial regalia, known collectively as the, Sanshu-no-jingi. These...
(First of 3 Parts) At the end of the Edo period (1600-1868), Japan was in turmoil. There had been over 260 of rule by...
