Medievalists.net » Japan http://www.medievalists.net Where the Middle Ages Begin Sun, 06 Dec 2015 19:35:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.9 Miyazaki’s Medieval World: Japanese Medievalism and the Rise of Anime http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/08/miyazakis-medieval-world-japanese-medievalism-and-the-rise-of-anime/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/08/miyazakis-medieval-world-japanese-medievalism-and-the-rise-of-anime/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2015 02:07:59 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=60247 Hayao Miyazaki’s films always present vibrant worlds full of lush, colorful landscapes, characters, and fantastic, even mythic adventures.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/08/08/miyazakis-medieval-world-japanese-medievalism-and-the-rise-of-anime/feed/ 0 How to Create a Legend? An Analysis of Constructed Representations of Ono no Komachi in Japanese Medieval Literature http://www.medievalists.net/2015/04/11/how-to-create-a-legend-an-analysis-of-constructed-representations-of-ono-no-komachi-in-japanese-medieval-literature/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/04/11/how-to-create-a-legend-an-analysis-of-constructed-representations-of-ono-no-komachi-in-japanese-medieval-literature/#comments Sun, 12 Apr 2015 02:42:57 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=57538 Although the historical figure known to us as Ono no Komachi (ca. 825–ca. 900) is considered to have been a famous and talented female court poet of the Heian Period in Japan, not much is known about her actual life.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/04/11/how-to-create-a-legend-an-analysis-of-constructed-representations-of-ono-no-komachi-in-japanese-medieval-literature/feed/ 0 Who Would You Have Been In Feudal Era Japan? http://www.medievalists.net/2015/01/02/feudal-era-japan/ http://www.medievalists.net/2015/01/02/feudal-era-japan/#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2015 15:53:33 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=55146 Ever watched Akira Kurosawa's movies or Inuyasha, or maybe some other Japanese entertainment, and wondered who you would have been during the Feudal Era?

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2015/01/02/feudal-era-japan/feed/ 0 Truth, Contradiction and Harmony in Medieval Japan: Emperor Hanazono (1297-1348) and Buddhism http://www.medievalists.net/2014/12/11/truth-contradiction-harmony-medieval-japan-emperor-hanazono-1297-1348-buddhism/ http://www.medievalists.net/2014/12/11/truth-contradiction-harmony-medieval-japan-emperor-hanazono-1297-1348-buddhism/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2014 21:33:11 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=54731 The philosophical world of medieval Japan (here the 12th through 16th centuries, though other periodizations are possible) was a rich and multifaceted one.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2014/12/11/truth-contradiction-harmony-medieval-japan-emperor-hanazono-1297-1348-buddhism/feed/ 0 A First Escape from Poverty in Late Medieval Japan: Evidence from Real Wages in Kyoto (1360-1860) http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/26/first-escape-poverty-late-medieval-japan-evidence-real-wages-kyoto-1360-1860/ http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/26/first-escape-poverty-late-medieval-japan-evidence-real-wages-kyoto-1360-1860/#comments Sat, 27 Sep 2014 01:04:00 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=52872 This paper offers a first investigation of long-term trends in Japanese living standards from the mid-14th to the mid-19th century using urban daily wages and price data for a number of basic commodities.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/26/first-escape-poverty-late-medieval-japan-evidence-real-wages-kyoto-1360-1860/feed/ 0 The last man standing : causes of daimyo survival in sixteenth century Japan  http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/16/last-man-standing-causes-daimyo-survival-sixteenth-century-japan%ef%bb%bf/ http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/16/last-man-standing-causes-daimyo-survival-sixteenth-century-japan%ef%bb%bf/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2014 04:15:32 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=52644 Regional magnates, or daimyo, came to dominate the political landscape of Japan, each controlling territory on their own authority. These military strongmen established control over local warriors and cultivators and then began to challenge one another for supremacy. The result was a period of protracted civil war lasting for almost 150 years.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/16/last-man-standing-causes-daimyo-survival-sixteenth-century-japan%ef%bb%bf/feed/ 0 What Kind of Ninja Would You Have Been? http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/04/kind-ninja/ http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/04/kind-ninja/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2014 17:52:12 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=52332 The Ninja had many roles in their clans: some were unarmed experts, while others used a particular weapon. Some were intelligence gatherers, and others war strategists. Still, others were Kunoichi--female ninja! Only one was the grandmaster! This test will reveal what role you might have fulfilled in an ancient clan!

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2014/09/04/kind-ninja/feed/ 0 Cultures of Death: Warrior Suicide in Medieval Europe and Japan http://www.medievalists.net/2014/05/01/cultures-death-warrior-suicide-medieval-europe-japan/ http://www.medievalists.net/2014/05/01/cultures-death-warrior-suicide-medieval-europe-japan/#comments Fri, 02 May 2014 02:56:26 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=49354 In the course of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the warrior elites of Japan and northwestern Europe, despite many similarities in ethos and lifestyle, developed very different cultures of death.

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2014/05/01/cultures-death-warrior-suicide-medieval-europe-japan/feed/ 0 Legendary Samurai – Videos on Art and Warfare in Medieval Japan http://www.medievalists.net/2014/01/08/legendary-samurai-videos-on-art-and-warfare-in-medieval-japan/ http://www.medievalists.net/2014/01/08/legendary-samurai-videos-on-art-and-warfare-in-medieval-japan/#comments Thu, 09 Jan 2014 04:08:30 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=46494 Three videos from the Portland Art Museum

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]]> http://www.medievalists.net/2014/01/08/legendary-samurai-videos-on-art-and-warfare-in-medieval-japan/feed/ 0 Sword and Spirit: Bushido in Practice from the Late Sengoku Era through the Edo Period http://www.medievalists.net/2013/12/29/sword-and-spirit-bushido-in-practice-from-the-late-sengoku-era-through-the-edo-period/ http://www.medievalists.net/2013/12/29/sword-and-spirit-bushido-in-practice-from-the-late-sengoku-era-through-the-edo-period/#comments Sun, 29 Dec 2013 12:34:13 +0000 http://www.medievalists.net/?p=46141 Bushido’s derivative word, bushi, was the original term for the upper warrior classes. The spiritual aspects of it arose from two main sources: Buddhism and Shintoism. Buddhism provided the necessary components for bravery in the face of death.

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