History
Thousands of years ago… The Universe was formed by silence, darkness and a huge mass of formless matter. Particles within that huge mass started to move and collide with each other creating the first sounds ever heard. The movement of the mass gave place to clouds and the sky, where suddenly the three gods of [...]
In this ukiyo-e woodblock print by Kuniyoshi Utagawa a mysterious structure can be seen in the horizon whose silhouette is very similar to the Tokyo Sky Tree, which is currently under construction. Woodblock print created by Kuniyoshi Utagawa in 1831. Tokyo Sky Tree as it will look when its construction is finished at the end [...]
Not long ago I had the chance to visit Yamanashi prefecture (山梨県) for the first time. Most of the land of this prefecture is a big plain located north from Mount Fuji. Yamanashi is known for its delicious peaches, for its beautiful landscapes, for having the fastest train in the world (still under tests) and [...]
Suidobashi is one of the historic bridges in Japan that is still preserved nowadays. Suidobashi bridge crosses the river Kanda in downtown Tokyo; in the past it was used by merchants, travelers, warriors and samurai that followed the Tokaido route (that linked the present cities of Tokyo and Kyoto). This is how Suidobashi bridge and [...]
Walking around Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido (the northernmost prefecture in Japan), we saw several times these signs claiming: “Let’s regain Japan’s Northern Territories with the Spirit of the Whole Nation”. All Kuril Islands were Japanese from 1875 until the San Francisco treaty was signed in 1945, since then the Kuril Islands belong to Russia. [...]
In the mid-nineteenth century, when Europe and the United States were already fully engaged in the industrial revolution, Japan was a feudal country ruled by an army (samurai) who had the power of life and death over the rest of society. In July 1853, an American squad led by Admiral Perry entered the Tokyo Bay. [...]
Between the 14th and 16th century, Japanese people were ruled under a system of feuds that were always fighting against each other. The capital was still Kyoto, where the Shogun “controlled” the whole country. But when the Shogun Hideyoshi died in 1598, the new Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu decided to rule from his castle in Edo. [...]
Sometimes I refer to Japanese historic concepts in some posts but I have rarely written about Japanese history in my English blog. Understanding Japanese history is fundamental to understand Japanese society and the causes of the current Japanese technological developments. I will try to write and summarize all Japanese history in the most brief and [...]
