History Japanese history and archaeology: articles, news, and comments

The wooden one-story house, which sits in a narrow alley in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, had faced the risk of demolition after the couple that owned it for about 30 years decided to sell it due to its high maintenance costs. However, the house was bought for about 20 million yen ($189,000) by Mitsumaro Sato, a 63-year-old Hirosaki city official, who has agreed to preserve the house and use it to pass on the history and culture of ninjas, according to Shigeto Kiyokawa, a professor at Aomori University who also acts as an advisor to the school's "ninja club." "We are very glad that we were able to find somebody who is keen to preserve it," Kiyokawa told a press conference.

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jeeplover said:

this is so cool makes you wonder what is out there that has not seen the light of day in hundreds of years. possibly thousands.

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The Christmas of 1552 could hardly have been more different from the Christmases we know today. Familiar Yuletide iconography — Christmas trees, reindeers, mistletoe and the like — was not yet established anywhere in the world (and, naturally, there was not a whiff of the commercialism that marks modern-day Christmas festivities.) The setting for this Christmas was the abandoned Daido-ji Buddhist temple, converted into the Jesuits' house of worship and living quarters. It would be among the first of Japan's nanban-dera, or southern barbarian temples, the name given to the makeshift Christian churches housed in Buddhist buildings, with shoji and engawa (a type of terrace) and, often the sole exterior visual difference, a cross erected upon the kawara roof tiles.

On Christmas Eve, Japanese believers were invited to spend the night in the Jesuit living quarters, cramming the venue as they embarked upon an all-nighter of hymns, sermons, scripture readings and Masses. For today's readers, at least, de Alcacova's account comes across as a rather gruelling experience, although there's no reason to doubt the missionary's numerous references to the "great joy" of the Japanese converts. From dusk until dawn, the new converts were treated to sermons and readings about "Deus" — the Portuguese word for God. The entire celebration contained no fewer than six Masses.

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The ancient tombs kept under lock and key

Workers had been carefully restoring the bridge, originally built in 1877, after it was dismantled following the catastrophic earthquake due to fears it would collapse. Although workers tried their best to return the bridge to its original state by referring to materials used at the time it was first built, some new parts were also used. Restoration work on the bridge, located near the headquarters of the Bank of Japan, was completed last fall, but the surrounding park, which was used as a worksite, still needs to be cleared before it can be reopened to the public. The bridge's abutment and deck feature a mix of slightly different colored stones, while its white marble posts evoke a modern feel that contrasts with their Japanese-style garden lantern shape. The bridge, which was originally built with wood before the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, was rebuilt after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 using stones from Edo Castle.

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In 1877, meanwhile, the wooden bridge had been replaced by a western-style stone structure with two arches (earning it the moniker 'Meganebashi' or Glasses Bridge). This is the oldest surviving stone bridge in Tokyo. The name 'Tokiwa' can be written with two variant characters, and . The former is said to have been chosen because the latter includes the element ('dish'), which is considered unlucky because it is breakable.

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thomas said:

Tokiwa Bridge (常磐橋 Tokiwabashi), Tokyo's oldest stone bridge constructed in 1877, will reopen in April 2021.

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mdchachi said:

本社

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The woman walking ahead in the photo carries a Buddhist shrine and a chair, while the other brings a costume box. Behind them is a shop that appears to sell furniture. Under the direction of the central government of Japan since the 1890s, Okinawans had to learn to speak standard Japanese, instead of a local dialect, as well as adopt Japanese manners and customs. Wearing outfits commonly worn by women on the main islands is one of the customs local women tried to emulate. "They were under societal pressure to conform to the Japanese style, but they could not take it up in its entirety," she said. "So, the women blended traditional Ryukyu and Japanese styles." Back in the 1930s, it was common for ordinary people to walk barefoot in Okinawa, as the prefecture lacked both the materials and techniques to make sandals. But walking shoeless was prohibited in Naha in 1941 after the southernmost prefecture began to step up efforts to draw in tourists.

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mdchachi said:

Why would they be thinking about tourism in 1941?! I wonder if that's a typo.

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thomas said:

Local tourism, I would assume. I wonder whether these "barefoot laws" were ever lifted.

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The iconic castle will reopen to the public for the first time in about five years on April 26. The main castle keep interior was unveiled to the media on April 6. The 31.2-meter-tall structure is made of reinforced concrete and has one basement floor and six above-ground floors, topped by an observation platform. Efforts have been made to make the keep barrier-free, such as adding an elevator. Displays have also been renewed, including a large model of the keep, so that visitors can understand the building's structure.

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Ruins of Edo Castle stone wall from 400 years ago unearthed

The roughly 4-meter-high stone wall was discovered in November last year on the grounds of Sannomaru Shozokan (The Museum of the Imperial Collections) in the palace's East Gardens. A subsequent investigation led officials to conclude it is likely the oldest of the castle's remains, dating to the earliest part of the Edo Period. The ward government and the Imperial Household Agency said they have no plans to open the site where the stone wall was discovered to the public, as work to rebuild the museum there is currently underway. However, they said they are considering putting items excavated at the site on public display.

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A former electrical substation in western Tokyo with exterior walls pockmarked by bomb and bullet damage from World War II U.S. air attacks is set to reopen to the public in August. Following preservation and repair work, the former Hitachi Transformer Substation in the suburban Tokyo city of Higashiyamato will be unveiled to the public in its entirety for the first time, including the previously off-limits second floor. Equipment on the second floor of the former Hitachi Transformer Substation, which will be unveiled to the public for the first time following repair work, is seen in this photo provided by the Higashiyamato Municipal Government. According to the city, the factory, built in 1938, made military aircraft engines. Three U.S. air raids destroyed around 80% of the factory and killed 111 people between February and April 1945.

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