The Japanese people’s reverence of nature dates back to ancient times and is rooted in the religious worship of nature, especially since the prosperity of Sangaku Shinko. This roughly translates as ‘mountain worship’ and originated as a practice in Shugendo in the 7th century as an amalgamation of beliefs and Read More
The previous article on seppuku was met with a lot of responses, so I would like to write a follow-up. As mentioned, seppuku initially was not something one did to take responsibility for a mistake, but was done in order to follow a deceased master to death or to kill Read More
Seppuku was a practice only if you were samurai, and it was considered a method in which one died with honor.
But why did the samurai, in the name of “dying an honorable death” choose such a method?
A 5 working day week has become the norm in Japan, but the concept of a “day off” is a something that was only introduced into Japan in the Meiji era. Up until the Edo period, there was no concept of a “week”, and therefore no “days off”. In other Read More
When you watch historical plays, you often see a scene in which commoner touches a samurai’s shoulder, whereupon the samurai immediately draws his sword and cuts him down. This is called “burei-uchi”, meaning “striking for improper manners”. Another term used is “Kirisute Gomen” which means “permission to cut down”. There Read More
Japanese food is surged in popularity worldwide and is loved for its healthiness. The Japanese food or washoku that we eat now has gone through many changes, yet still keeps some traditional elements. But what about in historical times, when they did not have all the foodstuff we have today? Read More
We have written a number of entries about how the katana appears in many Japanese idioms, these received a wonderful response from everyone. Therefore, we decided to take things a little broader, focusing not only on the sword but on the “samurai” as we explore more idiomatic expressions. Some of Read More
There is a Japanese idiom that directly translates as “win and tighten the thongs of one’s helmet”. When you win a fight and take of your helmet in relief, an enemy might attack you unexpectedly. Even after you win, you should not let your guard down but apply extra caution. Read More
Japanese Armor, or katchū (甲冑; armor and helmet), can largely be categorized into two categories depending on in which period it was made: ō-yoroi (大鎧; great armor) and tōsei-gusoku (当世具足; modern armor) armors. The ō-yoroi first appears during the middle and late Heian period (794~1185), becoming more widespread during the Read More
A flock of birds (muradori) flying away from their nest together in the morning is a symbol of a new start. As evidenced by the sentence “muratori no muradachi inaba (when a flock of birds flies away together)” in the Man’Yoshu?, the term “muradori” is used as makura-kotoba for words Read More
