
What does Hatsudai mean?
The women of Edo Castle are often a mystery to us. Let’s see what we can learn about one special woman, Lady Hatsudai. Continue reading What does Hatsudai mean?
The women of Edo Castle are often a mystery to us. Let’s see what we can learn about one special woman, Lady Hatsudai. Continue reading What does Hatsudai mean?
The story of the Kanda River is a story as old as Edo itself. It is part and parcel of the evolution of the city. Continue reading The Kanda River
Today weâre going to wrap up our little journey around æäº¬åº BunkyÅ-ku BunkyÅ Ward which has taken us to MyÅgadani, Koishikawa, and finally Hakusan. Continue reading What does Hakusan mean?
Have you ever seen the old American TV series “Shogun?”
Or have you ever imagined what it would be like if you, a foreigner, were a samurai in feudal Japan? Continue reading What does Anjin-cho mean?
Most people think that all that remains of Tokugawa Ietsuna’s grave is a small gate in Ueno Park.
They are wrong.
And I’ve got the pictures to prove it. Continue reading Gen’yu-inã»the Grave of Tokugawa Ietsuna
Taiyu-in is the funerary temple of Tokugawa Iemitsu. It’s located in Nikko next to Tosho-gu. It became the standard for all shogun graves. Continue reading Taiyu-inã»the Grave of Tokugawa Iemitsu
Are you ready for this article? Maybe not.
Tokugawa Iemitsu is famous for building TÅshÅgÅ« in NikkÅ, but he built another masterpiece in Edo for his father. Daitokuin was considered the most beautiful funerary complex at ZÅjÅ-ji. Unfortunately, almost none of it is standing today. So, I’ll attempt to resurrect Daitokuin today. Continue reading Daitoku-inã»the Grave of Tokugawa Hidetada
Not much to say on the topic of Toshogu (and to some degree, Taiyuin) because so much has already been said. The real meat of this series will be in the shrines that we can’t see today. Continue reading Tosho-guã»the Grave of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Today’s place name sounds like it comes from a beautiful green mountain, but actually it’s the name of a prominent samurai family from the Sengoku Period. Why is is Aoyama called Aoyama? Continue reading What does Aoyama mean?