Chonmage is an old samurai hairstyle of Japan, and we can still see them in sumo programme, Japanese period play on TV.  It is so usual image of old period for…

Miki, the photographer found many old traditional craftsmen, but this gentleman was young. After she spoke to him, he continued working diligently ♪ Copyright(C) Miki →Miki’s twitter← (English is OK)…

  In Edo period (1603-1868), there were no ready-made kimono; therefore, when they want new kimono, they went to kimono shop and bought kimono materials, and then placed orders with…

Female samurai who are stronger than men often appear in jidaigeki (historical plays), but did they really exist? The answer is yes. There are some female samurai in the Japanese…

Continued from the yesterday’s post, “Book of Craftsmen in Edo Period : Part 1 (リンク).” Iroe Shokunin Burui (1784) by Tachibana Minko The following images are from the reprinted version…

A Japanese book published in 1784, Iroe Shokunin Burui depicts craftsmen in the mid Edo period (1603 – 1868). It was written by Tachibana Minko, an ukiyoe-artist from Kyoto in…

In Japan, there is even an old proverb that says, “White skin covers seven flaws,” which means a fair-skinned woman is beautiful even her features are not good. In a…

On October 2, 1885, a great earthquake struck Edo (modern day Tokyo) and killed over 10,000 people. Since the very next day, multi colored catfish pictures called “namazu-e (catfish printing)”…

Located about 30 km northwest from central Tokyo, an old castle town Kawagoe has been known as Koedo, meaning little Edo (old Tokyo). The city preserves old architectures of Edo…

  Even it is cold, “Bushi(samurai) must not say ‘it’s cold’ in front of people. They took precautions against complaining about something that they couldn’t do anything about it.” Michifumi…

There have been new types of business in all ages, and [W:Edo period] (1603 to 1868) is no exception. The book “Ooedo Omoshiro Shobai” written by Hirotoshi Kitajima, introduces variety…