Tag - edo

 
 

EDO

Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Apr 18, 2020
The dogs have their day in old Edo
The Laws of Compassion that Tokugawa Tsunayoshi issued trickled down to the lowest rungs of Edo Period (1603-1868) Japan, which included the capital's many feral dogs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Mar 14, 2020
The Edo Period: An era of utter weirdness
The Edo Period (1603-1868) was a bizarre time that visitors to Japan could not help but comment on — the countless laws, the brutal punishments ... and the dogs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 7, 2020
Paradise lost: Japan longs for simpler times in trying days
The Japanese weren't always workaholics. Once upon a time, work had its place and knew its place. It didn't swallow life whole. Other pursuits were given their due. People worked without being consumed by work.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Feb 8, 2020
Engelbert Kaempfer on the old roads of Japan
'Japanese travel more often than other people,' wrote Engelbert Kaempfer, the 17th-century physician, scholar, naturalist and explorer whose 'History of Japan' (1712) was the first full-length foreign-language portrait of the nation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 18, 2019
The inclusivity of quidditch produces pure magic on the field
The players kneel at the ready, six to a side, staring down their opponents from across a verdant field.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 6, 2018
'Studies in Intellectual History of Tokugawa Japan': Chronicling the political theory of the Edo Period
In "Studies in Intellectual History of Tokugawa Japan," leading postwar political scientist Masao Maruyama chronicles the ideas and debates of scholars throughout the Edo Period (1603-1868).
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / AT A GLANCE
Apr 28, 2018
150 years since the Edo Castle surrender
What's done is done. But what if a historic negotiation over the surrender of Edo Castle between Saigo Takamori, who led the Imperial forces during the fall of Edo, and Katsu Kaishu, the shogunate's army minister, had fallen through 150 years ago? The surrender of the fort, or the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate, which opened the door to Japan's modernization, might not have happened, and what is now the nation's capital could have gone up in flames. Edo, renamed Tokyo in September 1868, was controlled by the shogunate for 260 years, but it fell to the alliance of Satsuma and Choshu forces supportive of the formation of a new government under the restored Imperial rule of Emperor Meiji. One of the central conditions for the peaceful handover, which saved Edo and its population of more than 1 million from war, was to spare the life of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the 15th and last shogun. Emperor Meiji moved from Kyoto to his new residence in the castle, which today is part of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 22, 2018
Learning Japanese from TV samurai tales of the wild East
Portraying legendary heroes in colorful costumes of yore, jidaigeki (period dramas) date back to the earliest years of silent films, and the genre has been frequently compared with America's TV Westerns.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Jan 20, 2018
In winter, the humble daikon is the ultimate utility vegetable
The price of fresh vegetables this winter is much higher than usual. That's why this edition of Japanese Kitchen features a classic, daikon-based seasonal recipe that will help your yen go further.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 7, 2018
Edo-kiriko: A cut above the average glassware
For Ryuichi Kumakura, a 70-year-old cut-glass artisan, finding young workers eager to learn and preserve the traditional Japanese craft is the least of his troubles — showing them how to engrave exquisite pieces of glassware with precision is what matters most.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 26, 2017
Throwback time for fashion leads to innovation
As regular followers of Japanese fashion can attest, the industry can be seen as somewhat flirtatious, dallying with new debutantes, another sister brand, another collaboration, another short-term "limited shop" or another retail concept that makes the news but doesn't really change the game.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 26, 2017
Edo Period 'post town' in Okayama re-imagines its past and reaps tourism dividends
Yakage is the only preserved town along the Sanyo Road that survives in it's near-original form, and tourists are flocking there.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 18, 2017
Japan’s 'kanban' are still hanging in there
Little information remains about the personal life of the artisan Kojiro Shimizu. His personality and interests, his passions and motivations — all are shrouded in mystery. What we know is that he worked in Kyoto in the late 19th and early 20th century and that he appeared to be on good terms with members of the business community. He also happened to be a master carver of kanban, the traditional shop signs of Japan, and on rare occasions, when he produced a particularly elaborate piece, he marked it with his seal, perhaps succumbing to a brief moment of pride. Had he not done so, he would likely be completely unknown to us.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 9, 2017
Keeping up with the Joneses, Edo style
The Edo Period (1603-1868) is renowned for the flourishing of material culture — a time when major advances and innovations in Japanese folk crafts and design were prized by the burgeoning commoner class of Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Osaka.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 18, 2017
'Edo and Paris: Urban Life and the State in the Early Modern Era': Essays on growth and bureaucracy
"Edo and Paris" compares the development of these two great cities of the early modern era. It compiles 19 essays by American, European and Japanese academics, edited by James L. McClain, John M. Merriman and Kaoru Ugawa, professors of history at Brown, Yale and Rikkyo universities, respectively.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 14, 2017
'Edo and Beijing: Cities and Urban Life in the 18th Century'
Feb. 18-April 9
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 30, 2016
British envoy, Japan Times turn tide in NHK history drama
Japanese love watching historical dramas, and one of the most popular times portrayed is the final years of the Edo Period (1603-1868), when the nation went through dramatic change politically, diplomatically and socially with the fall of the shogunate.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2016
Cherished Osaka bell under threat as land owner wants to sell
An ancient bell in the city of Osaka is under threat because the real estate firm that owns the land where it stands wants to sell.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Aug 6, 2016
Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura: the samurai era in town and country
A friend I've known for more than 20 years is now president of the Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura cultural theme park in the Kinugawa Onsen area of Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 19, 2016
Spooky beasts keep haunting Japan's art
Seething masses of people crushed together in searing heat; empty-eyed wraiths, heads drooping in despair, shuffling to and fro — waiting for the time when they will be released their suffering. Tokyo can be hell in July and August. It isn't all bad though; there's an excellent exhibition on yōkai, the various devils, demons and spirits of Japanese folklore, at the Edo-Tokyo Museum.

Longform

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