Kamikaze

National / History | THE LIVING PAST Feb 15, 2014

Once upon a time, China anointed a 'King of Japan'

by Michael Hoffman

In 1401, barely a century after the Mongols' aborted invasions of Japan, and 600-odd years before Japan and China fell out over the Senkaku islets, a Chinese emperor conferred upon a Japanese shogun the title "King of Japan." Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408) was overjoyed at this ...

Travel Feb 8, 2014

Kamikazes live on at their Chiran base

by Winifred Bird

As a child growing up in California in the 1980s, I learned my share of Japanese words. Sushi, which my family would get for a treat on birthdays. Mochi (chewy rice cake), ramen and karaoke — all encountered at the Japanese shopping arcade downtown. And ...