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rekishinihon · 7 years

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Himure Hachimangu, Omihachiman, Shiga.

I visited Shiga back in 2016 in January. I was expecting it to be cold but I was pleasantly surprised when I woke up in the morning. A fresh layer of snow had fallen in the early hours of the morning which was great. Walking around on the fresh snow is great but unfortunately it isn’t really good for taking photos. It was really hard to extract any colours.

I walked around the canal…

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#asia #himure hachimangu #japan #japanese history #Japanese shinto #kyoto region #omihachiman #omihachiman canals #rekishi nihon #shiga #shrine

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rekishinihon · 7 years

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Patrick Lafcadio Hearn's (aka Koizumi Yakumo) residence in Kumamoto

Patrick Lafcadio Hearn’s (aka Koizumi Yakumo) residence in Kumamoto

I had a day off today and it wasn’t raining so I decided to visit Lafcadio Hearn’s residence just down the road from where I live. The address is 2-6 Anseimachi, Kumamoto. It is right behind Tsuruya shopping center.

I had come across Hearn’s name before while researching some other Japanese history but never knew much about him except that he loved Japan and was a teacher.

So it took me about…

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#glimpses of unfamiliar japan #industrialisation #izumo #japan #Japanese culture #japanese history #Japanese history nut #kobe #koizumi yakumo #kumamoto #Kyushu #lafcadio hearn #literature #meji period #shimane #Taisho #writer

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rekishinihon · 7 years

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The History of Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima Island.

This article was originally going to be included in the ‘History of Aki (Hiroshima) Prefecture’ but as this article has now become too long I decided to make one for Miyajima on its own. I was surprised by the fantastic history of this temple complex and I hope you think so too.

Located in the Seto Inland Sea, ten miles (6 km) southwest of the city of Hiroshima, the small island of Miyajima is a…

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#asia #edo period #heian period #hiroshima #historic photography #historical tours #history #Itsukushima #japan #japanese history #Miyajima #mori clan #mori motonari #photography #rekishi nihon #samurai history #sengoku jidai #shrine #torii

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rekishinihon · 7 years

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Escaped convicts first ever Australian ship to Japanese waters.

An amateur historian has unearthed compelling evidence that the first Australian maritime foray into Japanese waters was by convict pirates on an audacious escape from Tasmania almost two centuries ago.

Fresh translations of samurai accounts of a “barbarian” ship in 1830 give startling corroboration to a story modern scholars had long dismissed as convict fantasy: that a ragtag crew of criminals…

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rekishinihon · 7 years

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Looking for Hiroshige's Japan

Looking for Hiroshige’s Japan

The rain misted down and I had two choices: the road up the hill, or the one alongside the river. I stood next to some kind of cement plant, most of it hidden behind a corrugated metal fence dripping with moisture. My pack pulled down on my shoulders. The river, engorged by two days of rain, roared and echoed against the mountains. A man in blue overalls emerged from behind a small Fuso truck.

Li…

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#asia #Buddhism #chugoku pilgrimage #historic photography #historical tours #history #Hongu grand shrine #japan #japanese history #Kii peninsula #kumano kaido #kumano pilgrimage #Kyoto #osaka #photography #Wakayama

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Hannya – (A Japanese She-Demon)

In Japanese folklore the female demon (oni) Hannya figures prominently. Often depicted in traditional Noh and Bunraku plays using a wooden mask of a fierce and grimacing horned demon, this malicious entity may be Japan’s most well-known demon.

An ancient legend recalls how the female Hannya persecuted all who attempted to pass through the Rashomon gate of Kyoto. A staunch samurai named Watanabe…

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#asia #bunraku #devil #Edo #edo period #hannya #hannya mask #historical tours #history #japanese history #Japanese history nut #Japanese mythology #noh #osaka #Samurai #samurai history #Tokugawa

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Battle of Shiroyama – Saigo’s last stand. The Battle of Shiroyama, the battle that inspired the final scenes in the movie The Last Samurai, took place on September 24, 1877.

#Imperial Japanese Army #japan #Kagoshima #Kyushu #Meiji Period #Saigo #Saigo Takamori #Samurai #samurai history #Satsuma Rebellion #Shiroyama

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Achi Shrine

On the hill overlooking the historical Bikan area is the ancient Achi Shrine. According to the Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan) it was founded way back in the 4th Century AD during the reign of Emperor Ojin. Since that time the shrine has been an important stop for sea travelers and merchants between eastern and western Japan who pray for their safe passage along the Seto Inland sea.

Main…

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#Achi shrine #Bikan #edo period #Emperor Ojin #Empress Jingu #heian #history #japanese history #Japanese history nut #Japanese shinto #Kurashiki #Meiji Period #Okayama #rekishi nihon #samurai history #shinto

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Okayama Castle

(Tenshu-kaku from the south)

(Tenshu-kaku from the north. You can see the irregular shape of the base floor from this vantage point)

I was originally going to post a combined Okayama castle and Korakuen gardens article but during my writing I realised that both are individually significant so I have split them into two articles. The castle and gardens are quite big and although it took me two…

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Chugoku Air Defense Room.

Ruins of Chugoku Regional Military Headquarters Air Defense Room The Hiroshima Castle complex in Motomachi was a concentration of Army facilities. At the Chugoku Regional Military Headquarters, which were located in the southern section of the Hiroshoma castle complex, third-year students from Hijiyama Girls High School were mobilized as a Student Communications Squadron. Here, more than 700…

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#a-bomb #atom bomb #bombing of hiroshima #chugoku #first report #hijiyama girls high school #hiroshima #hiroshima castle #hiroshima prefecture #historic photography #history #Imperial Japanese Army #japanese history #radio bunker #rekishi nihon #ww2

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Shukkeien, historical park in Hiroshima.

Shukkeien gardens date back to 1620, a year after feudal lord Asano Nagaakira was made lord of Hiroshima. Asano’s principal retainer, Ueda Soko, a master of tea ceremony built and designed the gardens. The gardens were built as an expression of many miniature scenes modeled on Xihu (West Lake) in Hangzhou, China.

The centerpiece of the park is Takueichi pond, which looks like a mini Setonaikai,…

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Fukuyama Castle

My first visit to Fukuyama and it turned out to be a beautiful day. After doing my immigration paperwork I went to the castle. Fukuyama castle is beautiful on the eye. As with most castles it was also bombed during the war, which is a sad pattern I’m finding for each place I go to. But on a positive note, two outer facilities escaped intact and can be seen as they were in their original location…

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#asia #edo period #fukuyama #fukuyama castle #fushimi yagura #hiroshima prefecture #historic photography #history #japan #japanese castle #japanese history #Japanese history nut #katsunari mizuno #rekishi nihon #spring #sujigane gomon #Tokugawa #tsukimi yagura

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Onomichi - Tennei-ji and Senko-ji

Onomichi – Tennei-ji and Senko-ji

I went to Onomichi today hoping for clear skies and cherry blossoms. One came true, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom now. The sky was hazy so I couldn’t get nice blue/white contrasts. But it was nice and good exercise. I went to Tennei-ji, climbed what seemed like 1000 stairs to get up to the top and see the Onomichi skyline and Senko-ji. Senko-ji is temple number 10 of the Chugoku…

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#asia #Buddhism #cherry blossoms #chugoku pilgrimage #Edo #edo period #hiroshima #history #japan #japanese history #Japanese history nut #Onomichi #rekishi nihon #Senko-ji #Tennei-ji

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Mihara Castle Ruins - Hiroshima.

Mihara Castle Ruins – Hiroshima.

I finally got an afternoon off, so I did a bit of exploring around Mihara. I visited the castle ruins and there isn’t really much left. Looking at the old layout of the castle you get the impression that it must have been one huge grand castle complex using the ocean for its numerous moats and canals. Wow such a shame that more wasn’t kept. The Mihara train station sits right on top of where the…

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#castle ruins #Edo #edo period #hiroshima #japan #japan inland sea #japanese castles #japanese history #kobayakawa takakage #mihara #mihara castle #mori #mori motonari #oda nobunaga #rekishi nihon #samurai history #seto inland sea #setonai kai #toyotomi hideyoshi

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Kamakura Period 1185-1333

The Kamakura period 1185 to 1333 is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance of the Kamakura Shogunate; officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The era of the imperial courts of the Heian period were drawing to a close and feudalism was on the rise. Buddhism also began to appeal to the common people and started to gather many followers…

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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Nagashino battlefield and museum

I visited the Nagashino battlegrounds and museum in January 2016. It was a great experience to visit this place and walk on the old battlefield which was a decisive turning point for the Takeda family and their eventual downfall.

The Nagashino campaign was launched by Takeda Katsuyori, son of the great Takeda Shingen on May 30 1575 with about 15,000 men. Katsuyori wanted to recapture the fort…

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#Aichi #asia #historic photography #history #horai #japanese history #Japanese history nut #Mikawa #nagashino #oda nobunaga #Ozakazi castle #Samurai #samurai history #sengoku jidai #shinshiro #Takeda Katsuyori #Tokugawa Ieyasu #Torii Suneemon

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rekishinihon · 8 years

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69 Stations of the Kisokaido. Plate 15-Itahana snow. This is a very pretty scene. It shows travellers walking along the track by a fast flowing stream on a clear morning after heavy overnight snow.

#69 stations of the kisokaido #art history #edo period #hiroshige #Itahana #japan #japanese art #japanese history #Keisai Eisen #kisokaido #Meiji Period #rekishi nihon #sixty nine stations of the kisokaido #snow #traveller #ukiyo-e #winter

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