Leading up to the abdication of Emperor Akihito on April 30, JAPAN Forward looks back on the pivotal aspects of the Heisei Emperor’s rule. There...
What significance does the tenno or “emperor” have for Japan and the Japanese people? There is no easy answer to that question. Suffice it to...
Part 1: Traveling the San’in: Orochi and the Mythical Origins of the Sword Part 2: Japanese Swords: ‘Tatara,’ the Traditional Iron and Steel Culture...
The date of the Emperor’s abdication, and therefore the beginning of a new era, was finally approved by the Imperial Household Council on December 1....