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

The clip was filmed from a U.S. military plane at around 12:40 p.m., less than two hours before the battleship sank. Another piece of aerial footage shows the Yamato moving off the coast of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, while evading U.S. attacks on March 19 of the same year. The group identified the ship as the Yamato based on its characteristic shape. The scene shown in the footage matches photos attached to a battle report stored in the National Diet Library in Tokyo, the group said. The two pieces of footage, totaling 82 seconds, are part of 17 clips captured across 12 prefectures in Japan between February and August 1945. The running time for all 17 clips is 8 minutes and 28 seconds. Since 2011, the group has been trying to determine dates, times and locations of footage obtained from the U.S. National Archives by cross-referencing them with U.S. military war reports and Japanese records.

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thomas said:

Kyōhōin is home to one of approximately five gravesites for Shima across the country. Notably, the Kyōhōin gravestone is the only engraved with the word "burial." Shima's grave plaque and death register remain at this location, indicating that he passed away in 1632—32 years after the Battle of Sekigahara. Priest Miki emphasized that testimonies suggest Shima survived in Kyoto after the battle.

The excavations were conducted during a general restoration of Shima's grave. At a depth of approximately 20 centimetres, a jar containing a skull, a pelvis, and other bones was found. Based on the bone condition, they are believed to belong to an adult over 18 years old. Shima remains a historical mystery due to the scarcity of documents relating to his life. Kyōhōin and other affiliated institutions will continue their research to shed light on the legend of Shima's survival.

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noyhauser said:

Any theories what was in the jar? are they going to analyze them?

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戦国武将・石田三成の重臣・島左近のものと伝わる墓の発掘調査が５日、京都市上京区の教法院（きょうぼういん）で行われ、ほぼ全身の骨が見つかった。左近の骨かどうかは不明だが、今後、骨の年代などを調べるという。

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Japan diplomatic archives see visitor surge

The new exhibition room displays items such as Yoshida's favourite cigar case and the brush and inkstone he carried to the San Francisco Peace Conference 1951. The facility introduces the contrasting figures of Yoshida, a graduate of Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) who reached the summit of the political world, and Sugihara, a non-career diplomat who dropped out of Waseda University to study abroad before entering the foreign ministry. Sugihara, who independently issued his "visas for life," left the foreign ministry after the war. In 2000, then-Foreign Minister Yohei Kono offered Sugihara's bereaved family a posthumous apology, acknowledging "rudeness and communication failures." To restore his honour, a commemorative plaque and a visa issuance list were placed in the main lobby of the Diplomatic Archives. These were relocated to the new exhibition room for easier viewing.

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During the 50-minute footage held by non-profit organization Hiroshima-based World Friendship Center, the interpreter said that Oppenheimer had started crying as soon as he entered the room and apologized repeatedly. Oppenheimer, who helped develop the U.S. atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 in the closing days of World War II, did not visit either city during his 1960 trip to Japan. But he later met Shono, who toured eight countries on a "World Peace Study Mission" in 1964. The footage includes interviews with Teichler and two other people who took part in the tour. "It is surprising that there are records of him apologizing. It must be a consolation for the hibakusha to hear an apology from the person who was responsible for the development (of the bomb)," said Noriyuki Kawano, director of the Center for Peace, Hiroshima University.

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Excavation surveys of as many as 15 layers of accumulations in the soil in the cave revealed, for the first time in Japan, the process of how ancient stone tools evolved in shape and earthenware appeared. Fukui Cave is significantly older than the Sannai Maruyama Site of the Jomon period in Aomori Prefecture, a special historic site, which dates back 5,900 to 4,200 years ago.

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The special kit is the brainchild of Takamasa Inaba, 55, the shrine's "gonguji," or second-ranking priest, who is a diehard Gundam fan. Late last year, Inaba approached Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., which produces plastic models of robots from the Gundam series collectively known as Gunpla, to ask for its collaboration. The company, which runs a toy museum in Mibu in the prefecture, was happy to comply, saying it was a chance to give back to the local community. The plastic model is aimed at promoting the 25th anniversary of the registration of shrines and temples of Nikko as a collective World Heritage site. But Inaba also hopes it will help make the history surrounding nanban-dogusoku armour more widely known. According to shrine officials, only a few people visiting the shrine's museum bothered to look closely at the armour until now.

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A sword once owned by Nobunaga, characterized by its wide blade and powerful appearance. A blade favored by Yoshimune, identified by its shallow curve and gentle hamon, representing the era's craftsmanship. A piece associated with Hideyoshi, known for its sharpness and historical significance. These swords and their fascinating histories and unique characteristics are on display at the Kado Bunko Museum of Art until 25 August. This exhibition showcases the beauty of these historical weapons and offers a deeper understanding of their craftsmanship and significance.

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The ink-drawn graffiti measures about 5 centimetres on each side and depicts a man with a cloth crown, wrinkles, and a beard. Yoshitaka Ariga, a Japanese art history expert, believes an artist doodled a colleague's portrait during a break. Above the face is a drawing of a hand with slightly bent fingers. "The delicate brushwork makes it hard to believe that (the paintings) were drawn by an amateur," Ariga said. A photograph of the graffiti ran in a March 2023 report published by Horyuji temple about historical wooden pieces related to the Kondo main hall. In a May report, the Council for Cultural Affairs proposed that the 3,284 wooden pieces be designated a national treasure. The collection includes pieces not used during repairs of the main hall between 1934 and 1955.

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The camp authorities dropped rotten oranges in front of starving children and beat internees with sticks even when they were so weakened by hunger that their gums bled. The authorities frequently subjected internees to psychological torment. Maraini recalled eagerly awaiting a letter from her grandmother in Italy, only to be told by the authorities that she must wait a week to receive it. When she went to pick it up a week later, they tore the letter to pieces in front of her. "The authorities took pleasure in hurting people emotionally," she said. "The camp was a breeding ground for absolute power." "Absolute power makes people sadistic. The authorities believed that any cruelty toward traitors to the homeland was justified," she added. After the war, Maraini returned to Italy and debuted as an author in the 1960s. She has since created works that use a feminist and anti-fascist lens to examine human violence, addressing issues such as abortion and sexual violence. Last year, Maraini compiled her experiences in the camp in a book titled "Vita mia" (My life).

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The remains belonged to Fukuoka POW Camp No. 14. According to sources including a historical work published by the Nagasaki Municipal Government covering the five decades after the bombing, the POW branch camp was established during World War II in 1943. It accommodated about 540 Dutch, Australian and other prisoners of war from the Allied forces who had been transferred from the southern front. Before the bomb was dropped on Aug. 9, 1945, about 100 prisoners perished due to illness and other reasons, and eight Dutch POWs are said to have died in the bombing. The seven buildings at the camp were almost completely destroyed. After the war, the remains of the camp became part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works' Saiwaimachi plant. In 2018, major mail-order company Japanet Holdings Co. based in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, acquired the approximately 7.5-hectare site from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. A multipurpose complex that will include a soccer stadium and arena, a hotel and commercial facilities is being constructed there, scheduled to open this October. Before construction commenced, the city informed Japanet Holdings that the site was once home to the 14th branch camp.

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The discovery is based on the recollection of Sakuo Mikami (1907-1996), who once served as part of the Combined Fleet's staff. His account was recorded in 1988 during a gathering of the Suikokai group for exchanges among personnel from the Imperial Japanese Navy as well as the Maritime Self-Defense Force. While the record was kept inaccessible to the public, it was checked and heard with the permission of his bereaved family. Mikami's recollection shows that he received a phone call from staff officer Shigenori Kami at the Combined Fleet's headquarters on April 4, 1945, during Mikami's business trip to Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture. Kami told Mikami that the "head of the Navy General Staff was asked if the navy had any ships left when he notified His Majesty the Emperor (of a special aviation operation above Okinawa)." Referring to the navy general staff head's embarrassment when leaving, Kami reportedly stated the specialized mission "must take shape as soon as possible given this." The emperor's question about vessels had previously been believed to have been asked on March 29, 1945, in what is currently known as "Document Senkan Yamato" (Documentary on the battleship Yamato).

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Researchers believe Emon-fu workers in the capital used the table at their office because of its size. During the initial stage of research, only a portion of the multiplication table was legible. Because the characters seemed to lack any regularity, the team previously classified it as someone's practice tablet. However, after using an infrared device when revisiting the scrawl, it revealed three equations: "9 times 9 is 81," "4 times 9 is 36" and "6 times 8 is 48." All were written in what researchers presume is kanji or Chinese characters. The layout is the source of their ambiguity. The multiplication table is arranged from right to left, with five rows containing equations written from top to bottom—likely the upper right corner of the larger table. Previous tables found in Japan have only two to three rows. This five-row style matches those from China's Qin and Han dynasties, which lasted from around the third century B.C. to the third century A.D. In Japan, the use of the multiplication table as written characters is confirmed from the artifacts that date to the late seventh century.

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The white hood's pointed hat section is 54 centimetres high, while two attached pieces of cloth are each 96 centimetres long. The hood is made of silk and has a pattern of pine, bamboo and plum, known as a good omen symbol in Japan, on the surface. As there is no record of the white hood having been repaired in the past, its inside structure will be examined using X-ray and other methods in advance. Kenshin is believed to have worn a white hood over his kabuto helmet. The warlord, who ruled mainly what is now Niigata Prefecture, is depicted in the hood in drawings of the Battles of Kawanakajima (1553-1564), in which he fought against another Sengoku Period warlord, Takeda Shingen, and in his portraits. The battles took place in an area in what is now Nagano Prefecture, which neighbours Niigata Prefecture. There are few documents on the white hood. However, so many details are not known. "The pointed shape (of the white hood) is like a monk's hood," said Yumiko Sumiya, the 65-year-old head of the Keishoden treasure hall at Uesugi Shrine. "I assume Kenshin wore it in battle, mindful of the Shingon school (of Buddhism), in which he was a believer," she said.

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The paintings in the town comprise three sets, totalling 18 pieces. They adorned an annexe built in 1920 for the wife of Masaharu Miyakoshi, the ninth-generation head of the Miyakoshi family. The family was known as local wealthy farmers since the Edo period (1603-1867). The three sets of paintings are each made up of "bird and flower," "bamboo", and "landscape and genre" designs. [...] It has already been found out that the paintings on the sliding doors owned by the British Museum were created during the late Momoyama period (in the late 16th to the early 17th century) to the early Edo period and were likely to have been displayed at Tanzan Jinja Shrine in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. The Miyakoshi family's sliding door paintings were believed to be similarly created and stored. These sets of painted sliding doors were sold during the chaos of the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century, with four of the pieces ending up in Britain and another four in Aomori. While the bird and flower paintings on the Miyakoshi family's sliding doors portray spring and summer scenery, the British Museum counterparts depict autumn and winter scenes.

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Parts of the third ship were first discovered in October last year in waters about 18 meters deep and 50 meters south of the second shipwreck site. During the initial excavation last fall, archaeologists uncovered wooden structures ranging from 2 to 5 meters long, along with fragments of Chinese porcelain dating from the late 13th to early 14th centuries. After analyzing these items and additional objects found this month, researchers concluded that this site is another shipwreck location from the Battle of Koan. Remains from the Mongol invasions are believed to be scattered across a vast seabed area of 1.5 million square meters off the island. Of this area, 384,000 square meters became Japan's first nationally designated underwater archaeological site in 2012, after the first shipwreck was discovered.

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One highlight is a corner display of the "Warrior in Keiko Armor" and four other warrior haniwa that can be viewed at different angles. All five are believed to have been made at the same studio in what is now Gunma Prefecture and are sometimes called siblings because of their similar appearances. Usually, they are housed at different museums in Japan and the Seattle Art Museum in the United States. There is also a full-scale replica of the national treasure, which has its original colouring restored. It was discovered during an examination conducted along with the statue's dismantling and repair work that it used to be white, red and grey. These are not the only warriors on display, as visitors can see figures from the keyhole-shaped Imashirozuka Kofun in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture. Soldiers as well as shield-shaped haniwa were found there. However, haniwa do not exclusively depict figures of battle. Other statues chosen for the exhibition include women offering gifts and house-shaped haniwa that were also excavated at the same tomb. Additionally, a display features two rows of over a dozen haniwa of fish, dogs, cows, deer and horses.

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