Urban

Legends

Legends & Kwaidans

Yōkai

& Kami

History

SUBCATEGORY

CATEGORY

The Real Sengoku – What Was Life Like for the Swordless in the Shadow of Samurai Wars?

A Grim Gaze into History Every era wears its own mask. The Sengoku period — the time of civil war in Japan, which flooded the country with an ocean of

Let’s Go Shopping in Japan… During the Tokugawa Shogunate Era in Edo

The Ritual of Shopping In the very heart of Edo, on the bustling street of Nihonbashi, where the day began with the hurried clatter of sandals and the cries of

Kemari – A Ball Game from Medieval Japan That Taught Self-Control Instead of Competition

Different Values, a Different Sport On the hardened temple courtyard, in the shade of four trees—pine, maple, cherry, and willow—marking out a 15 × 15 meter field, several aristocrats of

The Man of Brass and Stars – How the Brilliant Inventor Hisashige Tanaka Thrust Samurai Japan into Modernity

The Man Who Was a Vehicle of the Future In an era when Japan, still kneeling on its bamboo legs of tradition, first encountered the electric West, a man appeared

The Hour of the Rat, the Koku of the Tiger – How Was Time Measured in Shogunate-Era Japan?

The Hour of the Rabbit, the Hour of the Dragon “A band of samurai snuck into the castle at 11:00 PM” — something feels off, doesn’t it? While it may

What Does “Shōgun” Really Mean? One word that forged the Japan of samurai in steel and blood

A land where warriors subdued emperors The Japanese language does not lack words as sharp as the blade of a tachi. But one of them—shōgun—has, for centuries, cut through not

「伝統は守るべきものではなく、自ら創造するものである。」

(Dentō wa mamoru beki mono de wa naku, mizukara sōzō suru mono de aru.)

„Tradition is not something to be merely preserved; it is something that must be recreated.”

— Yukio Mishima (三島由紀夫, 1925–1970)

History of Japon

History and Folklore

Each era (jidai), each tale, each legend is like a thread weaving the intricate fabric of national identity — from the pride of the samurai to stories whispered by the fire about mischievous yōkai and chilling yūrei. In Japanese storytelling, fear and wonder walk hand in hand, creating a mosaic where the worlds of kami and humans meet, where heroic deeds and tragic missteps, distant castles and urban alleys filled with ghosts of the past and living legends intertwine.

As we journey through Japanese history and folklore, we uncover not only past events, but also timeless questions about life, death, and humanity’s place in the universe. The extraordinarily rich history of the Japanese people, along with their vividly colorful mythology, offers an endless source of inspiration for both life and creativity.

Shadows of the Past: Thousands of Years of a Nation’s Turbulent History and Unbridled Mythic Imagination

妖怪と神

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"Strong Japanese Women"

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未開ソビエライ

An enthusiast of Asian culture with a deep appreciation for the diverse philosophies of the world. By education, a psychologist and philologist specializing in Korean studies. At heart, a programmer (primarily for Android) and a passionate technology enthusiast, as well as a practitioner of Zen and mono no aware. In moments of tranquility, adheres to a disciplined lifestyle, firmly believing that perseverance, continuous personal growth, and dedication to one's passions are the wisest paths in life. Author of the book "Strong Women of Japan" (>>see more)

Personal motto:

"The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest." - Albert Einstein (probably)

Mike Soray

(aka Michał Sobieraj)

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Ciechanów, Polska

dr.imyon@gmail.com

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