Top Photo Credit: courtesy of LUCASFILM LTD, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Kimono Times, Akira Times (2017). 2020 is a very important year for...
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...
Kabuki and sumo are two of Japan’s greatest cultural arts that give foreigners a chance to experience the country’s wonders. And with kabuki, one can...
(Part 7 of a Series on the Art of Kuniyoshi) Kuniyoshi was blessed with many disciples who revered their teacher. This fondness was...
Japan is famous, among many other things, for its exceptionally high literacy rate. Although Japan has not conducted literacy surveys in more than 60 years,...
(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 the...
The Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo is currently staging an exhibition of works by the artist Kawanabe Kyosai (1831-1889). This idiosyncratic artist was...
“Every time Setsubun is observed, a band of ghosts would appear,” says Kesako Matsui, a Naoki Literary Prize-winning writer. What Matsui refers to as...
With over 400 years of history behind its art, kabuki’s most powerful and prestigious stage name, Ichikawa Danjuro, will come to life again in May...
The revival of the tatara method of traditional steel production has begun! A new era in traditional Japanese steel (watetsu) manufacturing has been established...
I bet you won’t guess the shapes that the lights make at the Oi Racecourse this Christmas! In Tokyo’s Shinagawa ward, the Oi Racecourse...