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This is found on the grounds of Takatsuki's functional Catholic Church--not the ruins of Takayama Ukon's original.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Sakana-chō (肴町) in Koga City, was a part of the town where daimyo traveling along the Nikkō Kaidō were greeted by high ranking domain officials. Old buildings and reminders of the Edo period can still be found in this area. As you can see in the photo, the March 11, 2011 magnitude 9.0 quake did a lot of damage to these old structures.
Koga City, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, has a history that dates back to ancient Jomon times and was even mentioned in the Man’yōshu anthology of poems that was compiled in the AD 800s. During the Muromachi period, Koga became the base for the Kantō branch of Ashikaga under the leadership of Shigeuji, who led a rebellion against the Ashikaga shogunate.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the fief of Koga was ruled by many hereditary daimyo whose families had pledged loyalty to Tokugawa Ieyasu prior to the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The families that ruled Koga included the Ogasawara, various branches of the Matsudaira, Okudaira, Nagai, Honda and Doi. Perhaps Doi Toshikatsu, who became tairō (chief elder of the council of elders - rōjū) during the reign of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, was the most famous ruler of Koga.
Another famous ruler of Koga was Doi Toshitsura (1789-1848), who is sometimes called the “The Snow Lord”. Apart from being a key advisor to the Tokugawa shogunate, he was the first person in Japan to seriously study the designs of snowflakes. He illustrated his findings in a book Sekka Zusetsu (Pictorial Illustrations of Snowflakes) and some of the patterns became popular for clothing and decorative purposes.
Today, there is nothing left of the Edo period Koga castle, but numerous old temples, shrines, samurai and farmer homes remain. Unfortunately, many of these buildings suffered damage during the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011 and repairs were ongoing when I visited.
The main gate of Kairaku-en Park, which is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.
There is the first gate in the rear.
偕楽園の表門。表札には「好文亭表門」とある。奥に見えるのは、一の木戸
[ English ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/foreign_language/en/index.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairaku-en
[ Japanese ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/park/kairakuen01.html
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%81%95%E6%A5%BD%E5%9C%92
www.facebook.com/kairakuenpark
偕楽園・茨城県水戸市見川
撮影：河野利彦（2012/11）
Ninpo Nin-Jutsu-Stage enfants du 06.11.2010: Malcolm fait un sutemi sur Jessy-08
Copyright JC Balmat-Ninpo Nin-Jutsu
Daimyo - Princes du Soleil Levant, Françoise Faconnet, 1991
- multi | blue border
- coming soon to carredeparis.com
A path of thick-stemmed bamboo, Moso-chiku (Phyllostachys edulis).
孟宗竹（もうそうちく）の茂る小径
[ English ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/foreign_language/en/index.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairaku-en
[ Japanese ]
www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/park/kairakuen01.html
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%81%95%E6%A5%BD%E5%9C%92
www.facebook.com/kairakuenpark
偕楽園・茨城県水戸市見川
撮影：河野利彦（2012/11）
Matsumoto Castle (松本城, Matsumoto-jō?) is one of Japan's finest historic castles. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture and is within easy reach of Tokyo by road or rail.
The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late 16th century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats and gatehouses.
In 1872, following the Meiji Restoration, the site, like many former daimyos' castles, was sold at auction for redevelopment. However, when news broke that the keep was going to be demolished, an influential figure from Matsumoto, Ichikawa Ryōzō, along with residents from Matsumoto started a campaign to save the building. Their efforts were rewarded when the tower was acquired by the city government.[1]
In the late Meiji period the keep started to lean to one side. An old picture (shown below) clearly shows how the keep looked like then. It was because of neglect coupled with a structural defect, but a lot of people believed the story of Tada Kasuke's curse[2].
A local high school principal, Kobayashi Unari, decided to renovate the castle and appealed for funds. [3] The castle underwent "the great Meiji renovation" between 1903-1913[4]. It underwent another renovation "the great Shōwa renovation" in the period 1950-1955[5].
In 1990, the Kuromon-Ninomon (second gate of the Black Gate) and sodebei (side wall) were reconstructed. The square drum gate was reconstructed in 1999.
There is a plan for restoring the soto-bori(outer moat) which was reclaimed for a residential zone[6].
[edit] History
The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504 which was originally called Fukashi Castle. In 1550 it came under the rule of the Takeda clan and then Tokugawa Ieyasu.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi transferred Ieyasu to the Kantō region, he placed Ishikawa Norimasa in charge of Matsumoto. Norimasa and his son Yasunaga built the tower and other parts of the castle, including the three towers: the keep and the small tower in the northwest, both begun in 1590, and the Watari Tower; the residence; the drum gate; the black gate, the Tsukimi Yagura, the moat, the innermost bailey, the second bailey, the third bailey, and the sub-floors in the castle, much as they are today. They were also instrumental in laying out the castle town and its infrastructure. It is believed much of the castle was completed by 1593–94.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate established the Matsumoto Domain, of which the Matsudaira, Mizuno and others were the daimyo.
For the next 280 years until the abolition of the feudal system in the Meiji Restoration, the castle was ruled by the 23 lords of Matsumoto representing six different daimyo families. In this period the stronghold was also known as Crow Castle (烏城, Karasu-jo?) because its black walls and roofs looked like spreading wings.
In 1952 the keep, Inui-ko-tenshu (small northern tower), Watari-yagura (roofed passage), Tatsumi-tsuke-yagura (southern wing), and Tsukimi-yagura (moon-viewing room) were designated as national treasures.
The second floor of the main keep features a gun museum, Teppo Gura, with a collection of guns, armor and other weapons.
Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded Oda Nobunaga, was well-known for his unification of Japan, helping to bring to an end the Sengoku, or Warring States period.
At the age of 50, he finally fathered his only son, Sutemaru, or Tsurumatsu. The little boy must have well-loved and anticipated, as the only heir of Toyotomi, meant to carry on his dynasty. Sadly, this small prince only lived just over two years, dying in September 1591. The beauty and richness of the Momoyama period are shown here, in these items a rich and all powerful warlord bestowed upon his son.
From the Tokyo National exhibit Masterpieces of the Zen Culture from Myoshinji, February 2009.
Sword with Kurikara Dragon
Owned by Toyotomi Sutemaru (1598-1591).
Warlord Gamo Ujisato (1556-95) sent this set as a celebration of birth gift to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, upon the birth of his first and only son, Sutemaru. The dragon king Kurikara appears in takamakie (raised makie) on pear-skin ground on the scabbard embellished with metal fittings of chrysanthemums and paulownia in high relief.
The blade was made by the master Naomuni of Ichimanji school in Bizen at the beginning of the Kamakura period.
Scabbard: Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century.
Lacquered wood with high relief gold and silver designs on pear-skin ground.
L. 41.1 cm
Blade: Kamakura period, 13th century.
Forged steel.
L. 23.6 cm
Myoushinji Temple.
Kumamoto Suizenji Park
湧水池
[English]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suizen-ji_J%C5%8Dju-en
[Japanese]
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E5%89%8D%E5%AF%BA%E6%88%9...
水前寺成趣園・熊本市
撮影：河野利彦（2012/11）
The main gate of Togoshi-kōen Park, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo. There is a compact Kaiyu style Japanese garden in this park, originally built by Lord Hosokawa in the Edo period.
戸越公園には肥後国（熊本）藩主細川家の下屋敷の庭園跡を利用して造られた回遊式庭園がある
www.city.shinagawa.tokyo.jp/hp/menu000000400/hpg000000343...
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%88%B8%E8%B6%8A%E5%85%AC%E5%9C%92
www.eurus.dti.ne.jp/~toshibo/togoshikouen01.htm
戸越公園・東京都品川区豊町
撮影：河野利彦（2012/10）
This marks the site of Takayama Ukon's Catholic Church that he built in 1574.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
He is one of the three great heroes of the Warring States period of Japan, along with Oda Nobunaga, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Gourd that he is holding has become a symbol of Hideyoshi ones who believe in omens.
Ninpo Nin-Jutsu-Stage enfants du 06.11.2010: Malcolm fait un sutemi sur Jessy-09
Copyright JC Balmat-Ninpo Nin-Jutsu
Daimyo - Princes du Soleil Levant, Françoise Faconnet, 1991
- multi | blue border
- coming soon to carredeparis.com
Built by Sakai Tadakatsu (1594-1647) sometime in the early to mid 1600's, the foundation of the bell tower has been standing here for some 350 years. The Sakai were vassels of the Tokugawa and classifed as fudai daimyo, or hereditary daimyo. Although it was damaged by fire, it was rebuilt at here in 1893. It still rings four times per day, and stands over 16 meters above ground in the Kura-zukuri district of Kawagoe.
This marks the site of Takayama Ukon's Catholic Church that he built in 1574.
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Famous parent and child of the Warring States period.Sanada Masayuki (father), Sanada Nobuyuki (eldest son), Sanada Yukimura (second son)Yukimura Sanada has been touted as samurai in Japan in particular.
Ninpo Nin-Jutsu-Stage enfants du 06.11.2010: Taï Sabaki sur coupe verticale au sabre-03
Copyright JC Balmat-Ninpo Nin-Jutsu
駒込名主屋敷・Residence of the Komagome Headman
名主 nanushi (village headman) was an administrative post in Pre-Meiji Japan. The Tokugawa Shōgunate gave villages a certain amount of autonomy in regards to how they governed themselves. Some headmen were elected by the villagers, others had been elected or appointed and the post was hereditary. As far as I know the shōgunate and various daimyō didn’t have consistent policies on this. In the case of 駒込村 Komagome Mura (Komagome Village), the position was hereditary and it was held by the 高木家 Takagi-ke (Takagi family) who were 武家 buke (a family of samurai rank). When I visited today I was surprised to find out that the Takagi still live on the property. This was pretty exciting and at the same time it was a little disappointing because the property is fenced in and you can only view it from the outside.
After the 大阪夏の陣 Ōsaka Natsu no Jin (Ōsaka Summer Campaign in 1615), many families of various ranks and samurai retainers of the short lived 豊臣氏 Toyotomi-shi (Toyotomi clan) fled the city or straight up defected to the Tokugawa side. The Takagi sought refuge in the shōgun’s capital of Edo and were granted a fief on the 山手 yamanote (high ground) of Komagome. The family was also appointed to the post of 名主 nanushi (village head) as a hereditary title. The family has held on to this little piece of real estate gold for about 400 years. Tokyo is a city with few trees outside of parks and shrines, but this residence boasts a large yard befitting the family’s former status. There is even a 2 story Edo Period 蔵 kura (warehouse) on the property. It’s my understanding that the gate and warehouse date from 1717.
The village headman’s main job was to listen to and settle disputes among the local 町人 chōnin (commoners). His house would have had a unique architectural feature that is often lost to the modern eye, the 式台 shikidai (a raised floor). Shikidai were reserved for the samurai class. This platform allowed a samurai to remain in his own home and on an elevated platform when he received guests of lower status. The Takagi would have heard the complaints of the commoners in this way.
This brings me to my big question… What was the Takagi family’s status? It seems like they were a samurai family because they had a large 屋敷 yashiki (residence, but this word is usually used for samurai families). They had hereditary status, though this is ambiguous. The home had (and may still have) a shikidai – a raised floor for receiving guests. This all points to samurai status, however the present resident has a 蔵 kura (warehouse) on the property. A warehouse is something that I can’t imagine being on a samurai residence. The only samurai families that would need warehouses would have been daimyō on 参勤交代 sankin-kōtai duty (alternate attendance).
I’m going to try to follow up this photo essay with more information. Watch this space.
This is for Yahoo! its part of this Yahoo! PurpleScape project with other artists. this will be shown in exhibitions in southeast asian countries. They said I could do anything i wanted so i thought now is my chance to do all the Japanese themed stuff i have been wanting to do. Japanese design is crazy and detailed so this of course meant major work for me. this beast took me a whole 7 days working on it at least 8 hrs a day. Like cultural African stuff Japanese stuff is kind of like cheating because everything looks so crazy already that you don't really need to do that much work in designing anything or making it look interesting. I prepped for this by watching Princess Mononoke and Totoro and Spirited Away, my fav Miyazaki movies. he is definitely influential and has an amazing imagination and makes the rest of us look like garbage. Here we have some mini sumos, samurais, tanukis, ninjas, giant rabbits, deer, koi no buri, those things they tie around huge trees, a pagoda like thing, paper umbrellas, bamboo poles, camphor trees, and bubbles instead of poison darts. I had to go and make it complicated did'nt i? Here is my rational:
This piece is Japanese inspired. The concept makes a spin on the processions that Daimyo warlords had to make every year to the capital of Edo. I tried to make this a little more fun and less serious that the shows of power and wealth that they really were. Instead of flying the Daimyo's flag they are flying Koi fish windsocks, which are used for Children's day in Japan. Instead of Ninjas blowing poison darts for assasinations they are blowing bubbles. Fun bubbles! Instead of a Daimyo Warlord being carried they are carrying a Tanuki, which is a mischevious mythical Racoon-like creature. I thought it would be fun to reverse the scale of things like the mini sumo wrestlers and the giant rabbits and giant trees.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Tokugawa Shogunate heavily regulated the movement of people and goods along the Tōkaidō Road as a means of making it difficult for potential daimyo to move armies and military supplies. As a result, the Shogunate banned the building of bridges along most major river crossings and in the case of the treacherous Ōi River which bisected the Tōkaidō at the post town of Shimada (23rd stop from Edo) in present day Shizuoka Prefecture, even use of ferry boats were prohibited. As a result, a unique profession arose in which “river men” would carry people across the river either on their shoulders or on floatable palanquins. As Japan exited the feudal days of old during the Meiji period and started to modernize, the ban on building bridges was lifted, and in 1879 the Hōrai Bridge was built spanning the Ōi River. Made entirely out of wood, Hōrai Bridge is recognized as the longest wooden bridge in the world at 897 meters long.
The Hōrai Bridge may have been the death knell of the Shimada river man profession, but luckily for us, the part of Shimada in which the river men and their families used to live is very well preserved and retains much of its Edo Period feel.
Rock Garden set on top of a rock ledge in pond / Kenroku-en (兼六園, Six Attributes Garden), located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, is an old private garden. Along with Kairaku-en and Kōraku-en, Kenroku-en is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. The grounds are open year-round except for December 29th through January 3rd during daylight hours and famous for its beauty in all seasons; an admission fee is charged. Kenroku-en was developed from the 1620s to the 1840s by the Maeda clan, the daimyōs who ruled the former Kaga Domain. Nearly the entire garden was destroyed by a massive fire in 1759. However, it is known from documents of the period that before the fire, the garden was often used and enjoyed by successive lords and retainers for "different banquet occasions such as viewing the moon ... enjoying colorful maples", and for admiring horses. The Shigure-tei teahouse – constructed in 1725 – miraculously survived the fire of 1759, and it offers evidence that not only was the tea ceremony present before the fire, but more importantly so was the culture associated with this elaborate ritual as it had a significant effect on garden design. Following the fire, the teahouse continued to be used and was completely restored during the Meiji period. It can still be seen today in the Renchitei section of the garden. Another object that existed in or around the garden before the fire of 1759 was the Kaisekito Pagoda, which is currently situated in Kenrokuen Garden on an island near the center of Hisago-ike Pond. The garden is located outside the gates of Kanazawa Castle where it originally formed the outer garden and covers over 25 acres. It began in 1676 when the 5th daimyō Maeda Tsunanori moved his administration to the castle and began to landscape a garden in this vicinity. This garden was, however, destroyed by fire in 1759. The garden restoration was begun in 1774 by the 11th daimyō Harunaga, who created the Emerald Waterfall (Midori-taki) and Yugao-tei, a teahouse. Improvements continued in 1822 when the 12th daimyō Narinaga created the garden's winding streams with water drawn from the Tatsumi Waterway. The 13th daimyō Nariyasu subsequently added more streams and expanded the Kasumi Pond. With this, the garden's current form was complete. The garden was opened to the public on May 7, 1874. The garden was named by Matsudaira Sadanobu at the request of Narinaga. Its name was derived from the "Chronicles of the Famous Luoyang Gardens" (洛陽名園記), a book by the Chinese poet Li Gefei (李格非), and stands for the six attributes of a perfect landscape: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas.
L to R: Teppo ashigaru, yari ashigaru, teppo ashigaru, yari ashigaru (2nd row), samurai, yari ashigaru (2nd row) and daimyo.
A later army consisting of largely unskilled peasant foot soldiers (ashigaru).
Note fence behind ashigaru, to be used in conjunction with cycling fire of teppo ashigaru.
Disregard the ninja, you can't see them. They're secret.
Ninpo Nin-Jutsu-Stage enfants du 06.11.2010: Taï Sabaki sur coupe verticale au sabre-02
Copyright JC Balmat-Ninpo Nin-Jutsu
Kumamoto Suizenji Park
[English]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suizen-ji_J%C5%8Dju-en
[Japanese]
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E5%89%8D%E5%AF%BA%E6%88%9...
水前寺成趣園・熊本市
撮影：河野利彦（2012/11）
Takayama Ukon (1552-1615) is one of the least understood yet one of the most controversial daimyō of the later part of Japan’s Sengoku (warring states) period. A devout Christian, Ukon was a darling of the Jesuits, and as a result, his overlord, the Toyotomi Hideyoshi, eyed his loyalties suspiciously, even though he had fought well on some his military campaigns. Ukon’s original fief was in Takatsuki, located in present day Osaka, where he also had a castle. Ukon was a great propagator of his faith, converting his subjects to Catholicism—although some contest that many of these conversions were forced. The Samurai Archives Wiki states that 18,000 out of Takatsuki’s 25,000 inhabitants had been converted, and when Ukon was transferred from Takatsuki to his new fief of Akashi near Kobe in 1585. However, during Hideyoshi’s conquest of Kyushu, Hideyoshi’s suspicions of Ukon’s loyalties mounted and he was dispossessed of his fief. After taking refuge with another Christian daimyō, Konshi Yukinaga, Ukon eventually became a retainer of the powerful and influential Maeda Toshiie in 1588. Apparently, Toshiie trusted him. Persecution against Christianity only got worse, and in 1614, the Tokugawa banned the religion. Rather than give up his beliefs or fight for them, Ukon decided to go into exile in the Philippines in November of that year. A mere 40 days later, he died in Manila. It’s hard for me to make any judge Takayama Ukon. Was he a good daimyō? A brave general and not a coward as some have alleged? Did he actually force his citizens to convert to Christianity and persecute Buddhists? I honestly don’t know enough about him. All I can say is that he was a firm believer in his religious faith, and for this reason, he was lionized by his foreign Jesuit contemporaries and looked to as a historical hero by today’s Catholic community in Japan.
Now about the castle, Takatsuki-jō and its fief was ruled by the Nagai family during the Edo period. If you are a fan of the Bakumatsu period and know the history of Chōshū and the role that this domain played in overthrowing the Tokugawa Bakufu, then you may be familiar with the family name of “Nagai”. And if you look at the family crest of the Nagai of Takatsuki, you’d probably say it was identical to the crest of the Mōri, the ruling daimyō family of Chōshū. That’s because it is identical and the Nagai of Takatsuki are a branch of the Nagai of Chōshū, who were asked by the Tokugawa in 1649 to take over the reins of power in Takatsuki. The Nagai, starting with the first d daimyō, Nagamasa, ruled the area until 1869.
Takatsuki was an important commercial and transportation hub because it was between Osaka and Kyoto. The Saigoku road, which connected Nishinomiya (in Kobe) with Kyoto, went through the town as well as did the Yodo River. As a result, the castle was the largest in the Hokusetsu region of what now comprises the northern parts of the Osaka municipality. The Nagai gradually increased the size of the castle and expanded its moats outward from when it was a Sengoku period castle. The castle was about 630 meters long and 510 meters wide after the last round of expansion. Unfortunately, it was destroyed after the Meiji Restoration and the castle’s stone walls were smashed into rocks to be used for the rail bed that was built to connect Osaka with Kyoto.
Sources: Samurai Archives Samurai Wiki and the Takatsuki City’s Shiroato History Museum
Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who succeeded Oda Nobunaga, was well-known for his unification of Japan, helping to bring to an end the Sengoku, or Warring States period.
At the age of 50, he finally fathered his only son, Sutemaru, or Tsurumatsu. The little boy must have well-loved and anticipated, as the only heir of Toyotomi, meant to carry on his dynasty. Sadly, this small prince only lived just over two years, dying in September 1591. The beauty and richness of the Momoyama period are shown here, in these items a rich and all powerful warlord bestowed upon his son.
From the Tokyo National exhibit Masterpieces of the Zen Culture from Myoshinji, February 2009.
Owned by Toyotomi Sutemaru (1598-5191).
Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th century.
Helmet, H. 15.5 cm, D. 24.3 cm
The helmet is either leather or paper, pressed with gold foil.
Myoushinji Temple.
Koraku-en is one of Japan's three great gardens along with Kanazawa's Kenroku-en and Kairaku-en in Ibaraki. Koraku-en is part of the Okayama Castle grounds, which are just across a bridge. Originally built by daimyo Ikeda Tsunamasa, this garden dates back to 1700 and took over 13 years to complete.
Koraku-en. Okayama City, Okayama.
This is a reconstructed watchtower for the Yui honjin (inn for daimyo- feudal lords, high ranking samurai and imperial messengers) during the Edo period.
Heading from Tokyo to Kyoto along the old Edo Period Tōkaidō road, Yui was the 16th out of 53 post stations along the way. In the Edo period, Yui was a post town of fairly moderate prosperity. There was one honjin one sub-honjin, and 32 inns for "regular" travelers called hatago.
Okayama Castle was rebuilt in 1966 after being destroyed by bombings in WWII. It was originally completed by the warlord Ukita Hideie, the daimyo of Bizen and Mimasaka provinces (these two provinces along with Bitchu make up the modern day Okayama Prefecture). Ukita's wife was also a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. The most important feature of the castle is its color as it is one of only two castles that I can think of which are painted almost entirely black. Because of it's color, it is nicknamed the "black crow" castle in contrast to the all white appearance of Himeji-jo which is sometimes referred to as the "white heron."
Okayama Castle. Okayama City, Okayama.
The legendary Date Masamune, a.k.a. "One-eyed Dragon," from the mega-hit "Sengoku Basara" video game is new entry in Kaiyodo's Revoltech toy line!
Stands about 14cm tall, the six katana-wielding daimyo has 20 points of articulation and has an impressive array of signature swords and other optional parts!!!
The only issue I have for this figure and newer Revoltech figures is that I can't seem to display the figure in an upright standing position due to its sculpt design.
The ruler of the Date clan known as the Dokuganryū (One-Eyed Dragon). Date Masamune is a cocky, ambitious warlord whose mannerism is very close to Dante of Devil May Cry's fame. He also tends to speak in a mixture of English.
Here he wields a single katana, but he can store and fight with six swords at once (three in each hand, held between the fingers). He's rival with Sanada Yukimura (Revoltech Series 080).
Masamune is one of five previous generals (the others are Sanada Yukimura, Maeda Keiji, Chōsokabe Motochika and Fūma Kotarō) in Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes to receive a three stage gaiden. His gaiden revolves around his elimination of Oda Nobunaga and his rivalry with Yukimura, though he does befriend him at some point.
Shunkō-in (春光院, Temple of the Ray of Spring Light) is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan and belongs to the Myōshin-ji (Temple of Excellent Mind) school, which is the largest among 14 Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhist schools. The temple was established in 1590 by Horio Yoshiharu, who was a feudal lord, or daimyō, of Matsue in present-day Shimane Prefecture. This temple houses important historical objects that reflect the multifaceted religious and artistic atmosphere in Japan from the sixteenth century onward.
The Bell of Nanban-ji is a Jesuit bell made in Portugal in 1577. The bell was used at Nanbanji Church, which was established by Jesuit Father Gnecchi-Soldo Organtino with the support of Oda Nobunaga in 1576. However, the church was destroyed in 1587 because Regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi made the first law against Christians in Japan. The Bell came to Shunkō-in during the Edo period. During World War II, the grandfather of the present vice-abbot buried the bell in the temple gardens to prevent destruction by the state authorities.
The Edo period (between 1603 and 1867) was the dark age of Japanese Christians. Christianity was banned, and Christians were systematically eliminated by the Tokugawa shogunate, or Edo bakufu. However, some Christians kept their faith and hid their religious identity. Those hidden Christians made their crosses and graves to resemble the Buddhist statues, pagodas, and stone lanterns. Shunkō-in’s hidden Christian lantern is one of those religious objects.
Several sliding door panels at Shunkōin were painted by Kanō Eigaku. Some of the paintings have Confucian teachings as their theme. Confucianism was very important to samurai, or warriors, during the Edo period because Confucianism taught samurai about honor, loyalty, and honesty.
Kenroku-en (兼六園, Six Attributes Garden), located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, is an old private garden. Along with Kairaku-en and Kōraku-en, Kenroku-en is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. The grounds are open year-round except for December 29th through January 3rd during daylight hours and famous for its beauty in all seasons; an admission fee is charged. Kenroku-en was developed from the 1620s to the 1840s by the Maeda clan, the daimyōs who ruled the former Kaga Domain. Nearly the entire garden was destroyed by a massive fire in 1759. However, it is known from documents of the period that before the fire, the garden was often used and enjoyed by successive lords and retainers for "different banquet occasions such as viewing the moon ... enjoying colorful maples", and for admiring horses. The Shigure-tei teahouse – constructed in 1725 – miraculously survived the fire of 1759, and it offers evidence that not only was the tea ceremony present before the fire, but more importantly so was the culture associated with this elaborate ritual as it had a significant effect on garden design. Following the fire, the teahouse continued to be used and was completely restored during the Meiji period. It can still be seen today in the Renchitei section of the garden. Another object that existed in or around the garden before the fire of 1759 was the Kaisekito Pagoda, which is currently situated in Kenrokuen Garden on an island near the center of Hisago-ike Pond. The garden is located outside the gates of Kanazawa Castle where it originally formed the outer garden and covers over 25 acres. It began in 1676 when the 5th daimyō Maeda Tsunanori moved his administration to the castle and began to landscape a garden in this vicinity. This garden was, however, destroyed by fire in 1759. The garden restoration was begun in 1774 by the 11th daimyō Harunaga, who created the Emerald Waterfall (Midori-taki) and Yugao-tei, a teahouse. Improvements continued in 1822 when the 12th daimyō Narinaga created the garden's winding streams with water drawn from the Tatsumi Waterway. The 13th daimyō Nariyasu subsequently added more streams and expanded the Kasumi Pond. With this, the garden's current form was complete. The garden was opened to the public on May 7, 1874. The garden was named by Matsudaira Sadanobu at the request of Narinaga. Its name was derived from the "Chronicles of the Famous Luoyang Gardens" (洛陽名園記), a book by the Chinese poet Li Gefei (李格非), and stands for the six attributes of a perfect landscape: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas.