(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 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...
(Part 6 of a Series on the Art of Kuniyoshi) Kuniyoshi was an artist who drew pictures in many genres. He was...
The Tokyo Art Club in Shinbashi is host every year to the world’s largest Japanese sword show called the Dai Token Ichi. ...
Paul Martin for JAPAN Forward The city of Yasugi has a long history with Japanese steel. Hitachi Metalworks — co-sponsors of the...
By Yukihiro Watanabe The Kanda Myojin Shrine is dedicated to a guardian god that has protected shoguns and citizens of Japan since the...
The Sankei Shimbun The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added Japan’s Hidden Christian...
Yutaka Teshigawara Mount Fuji, beloved and a source of pride of all the people of Japan, is also the nation’s highest peak...