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Chojuro Kawarasaki plays Kuranosuke Ooishi in Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1941 film “Genroku Chushingura” (The 47 Ronin). The story, sometimes told with 46 retainers, has fascinated Japanese audiences since first being performed as a puppet play in 1748.

JAPAN / History / The Living Past

Mar 15, 2024

Edo samurai spirit: From the battlefield to the stage

By Michael Hoffman

Life under the Tokugawa shogunate wasn't exactly freedom but neither was it constant war. The Japanese instead sated their bloodlust with theater.

An ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniteru depicts the assault of Asano Naganori on Kira Yoshinaka, an incident that triggered the tragedy of the 47 Ronin and one that was re-created in the play “Chushingura.”

JAPAN / History / The Living Past

Mar 8, 2024

Revenge: A dish seldom served in Japanese history but still cold as ice

By Michael Hoffman

When Confucius was asked, "Should we kill those who are evil?" The response came, "What need is there for you to kill?"

1924

JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By

Mar 1, 2024

Japan Times 1924: Japan nice but men dress in queer ways

A piece by women visiting Tokyo gives us a century-old take on what tourists in the 1920s thought of "weird Japan."

Eleven portraits of Ainu chieftains, completed in 1790, are now held by the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Besancon, France. There were originally 12 paintings in the original set, collectively known as the “Ishu Retsuzo,” but one has disappeared.

JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hokkaido

Feb 26, 2024

The ongoing mystery of the Ainu portraits in France

By Eric Johnston

A former Hokkaido journalist is hoping to find out how portraits of Ainu chieftains from 1790 made it to Europe.

Equinox, ridden by Christophe Lemaire, wins the autumn Tenno Sho horse race on Oct. 29 at Tokyo Racecourse.

JAPAN / History

Feb 15, 2024

Imperial family boasts enduring bond with horse racing

Emperor Meiji saw the need to improve the quality of domestic horses to boost Japan's standing with Europe and the U.S.

1949

JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By

Feb 1, 2024

Japan Times 1924: Rescue workers toiling to save eighteen lives

Workers are in the news when, 100 years ago, miners await a rescue and, 50 years later, unified strikes take place.

Sunset at Cape Puyuni in Hokkaido, Japan. The northern island is home to the indigenous Ainu.

JAPAN / History / The Living Past

Jan 21, 2024

To Bird, a savage. To Chiri, alive and aglow.

By Michael Hoffman

When given a pen, Yukie Chiri wrote about the Ainu in ways outsiders never tried to understand.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.

For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on

By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

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