Memoirs of a Secret Empire

Part of the PBS series Empires, the three-part "Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire" focuses on the rise and fall of the Tokugawa shogunate.


Part 3, "The Return of the Barbarians," chronicles how the country's reluctant opening to foreigners revealed the shogunate's — and the nation's — technological backwardness, eventually leading to the shogun's overthrow and the beginning of Japanese modernization.






Re-enactment scenes from part 3, "Return of the Barbarians."


—Mellow Monk

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The green, mellow island

Located at the southern end of the Izu archipelago, Aogashima ("Green Island") is one of Japan's most remote inhabited islands. The fewer than 150 residents are watched over by a lone policeman, whose duties include welcoming—with a salute—the daily helicopter that begins its trip from the island chain's northern end.





The island administratively belongs to Tokyo, but life there is about as far removed from Tokyo as can be—and the islanders wouldn't have it any other way. Many of them have cellphones, but one mother is proud that her young children don't have one. "It's safe here, so they don't need one," she explains.


In addition to cellphones, the locals also have Internet access, allowing them to sell their wares directly to consumers. The most famous of them is potato shochu.


What keeps these people from leaving their island? A big reason is a sense of obligation to their ancestors. In 1785, a volcanic eruption forced the islanders to evacuate to Hachijo Island. Thirty-nine years later, a noble named Jiro Sasaki rallied his fellow Aogashima islanders and organized a move back to their beloved island. Even today, Sasaki is revered as the "Moses of Aogashima," and residents consider themselves his descendants and stewards of his legacy.



The volcano today.


"We wouldn't be here if it weren't for our ancestors," said two teenaged brothers. "They worked hard to protect this island, and that's why we have to, as well."


When asked why she stayed, the 86-year-old mother of a shochu distiller answered: "In the old days, life here was so difficult, and my parents went through a lot of hardship. That's why I have to continue [this way of life]."


[Source: Sankei]


Such words embody a spirit that is widespread in Japan—a sense of obligation to their land. This feeling of responsibility is strong among the country's farmers, too.


If you have a Google account, you can check out these pictures of a traveler who was stranded on Aogashima when rough seas stopped the ferry traffic for consecutive days.



I only half-seriously put this in the "sights to see in Japan" category, but if anyone ever does get to Aogashima, or has been there, I would love to hear about it.


—Mellow Monk

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Two Tokyo time traps

Jeff Henig has taken some beautiful photos of Tokyo's historic Yanesen district, while HubPages user Japanlover has written a fascinating account of two station towns along the old Nakasendo roadway where time stands wonderfully still.





—Mellow Monk

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Get "spirited away" to an otherworldly hot spring inn

If you think the Kanaguya hot spring ryokan has an otherworldly look and feel to it, then you are not alone: Hayao Miyazaki used it as his inspiration for the otherworldly animated inn in Spirited Away.




The inn's four-story wood-frame Saigetsu Tower is designated as Japanese tangible cultural asset No. 20-136.


—Mellow Monk

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Old Japanese Christmas illustration

—Mellow Monk

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Happy 1,300th, Nara

Japan is preparing to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the country's ancient capital in Nara City.


For 1,300 the old gal looks pretty good.



The deer of Nara Park, with the Kofukuji Temple pagoda in the background.


—Mellow Monk

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A Japan twofer: names and neolithic idols

The writers at the Japan Times enlighten us on Japanese names and neolithic Japanese idols known as dogu.



A dogu nicknamed the Tanabatake Venus.


—Mellow Monk

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Sado island

Japan's Sado Island boasts beautiful scenery and a rich cultural heritage.


You can also visit the now-closed gold mines that financed the shogunate for hundreds of years. (Here is a page of panoramic photos of the island's sights.)


And if diving is your shtick, you can also frolic with the fishes.



Barrel boat rides are a popular attraction on the island.


—Mellow Monk

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Evolution of Japan's tea ceremony

The Japan Society has an excellent essay on the evolution of Japan's tea ceremony.


As pointed out in The Book of Tea, the Zen monks who brought tea to Japan from China brought the powdered form, as this was the most common way in which tea was prepared. However, this practice was lost in China after the Sung dynasty there was overthrown by the conquering Mongols in 1281.


In short, the matcha used in the tea ceremony, which you can still enjoy today, represents a snapshot of tea's distant past: Time travel in a cup.



Frothed matcha with a piece of wagashi is a typical welcome treat at Zen temples even today.


—Mellow Monk

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Sketches of Japanese manners and customs

Japanese publisher Doshisha has scanned and published online a book written in 1867 by traveler J. M. W. Silver called Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs.


An album of the book's beautiful sketches can be found here.



A sketch of koinobori on Boy's Day.


—Mellow Monk

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Political reformer, master artist

I'm always trying explain to folks that people in Kumamoto* are different.


Well, here's a good example—Morihiro Hosokawa, a descendent of warlords who served as a reformist governor there, then left politics to become, of all things, an apprentice potter who is now exhibiting his own elegant work along with his family's extensive collection.


The list of politicians who have made this career move must be a short one indeed.


*Kumamoto is the prefecture—equivalent to an American state—that contains the Aso region, home of Mellow Monk tea.



The former gov posing with his works of art.


—Mellow Monk

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One yen note

Here's a scan of a one-yen note bearing the likeness of legendary Japanese statesman Takenouchi no Sukune.


That is all.





—Mellow Monk

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Hanami at Kiyomizu Kannon Shrine, by Kunisada Utagawa

The spectacular painting below, by Kunisada Utagawa, depicts flower-viewing (hanami) at Kiyomizu Kannon Shrine—which you can still visit today.


More Utagawa images here.



This is only part of the amazing painting. Click the see the whole thing.


—Mellow Monk

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Yanaka, the twice-burned pagoda

In Tokyo's Yanaka district, on the grounds of the Yanaka Cemetery, once stood a pagoda. Originally built in 1664, the Yanaka Pagoda burned down in 1771 but was rebuilt in 1791.


After standing for over 160 years, however, the pagoda burned down once again, this time in a sad, bizarre case of double-suicide arson. Today, only the foundation remains.



The late pagoda in wintertime. Another nice image can be found here.


—Mellow Monk

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High on Hiroshige

Submitted for your approval—a nice, mellow woodblock print by Ando Hiroshige (1797–1858). I could literally spend hours gazing at his wonderful artwork. So here is more of it.



"Otsujuku" (Otsu Station), from Hiroshige's "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road" series.


—Mellow Monk

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The hall of a thousand tatami has no tatami

Located on Ikutsushima—also known as Miyajima, or "Shrine Island"—the building known as the Pavilion of a Thousand Tatami Mats (Senjoukaku) actually has no mats inside. "Thousand mats" simply refers to the size of the interior.





—Mellow Monk

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Miyako festivals

Kyoto, famous for its generations-old tea shops, was once the capital of Japan and, as such, was the site of numerous festivals and other events.


Miyako nenju gyoji gajo ("Picture Album of Annual Festivals in the Capital") is a two-volume album of paintings that chronicle these many colorful events.



"Kannenbutsu ("Winter prayers").


—Mellow Monk

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Lakeside painting

There's something hauntingly beautiful about Seiki Kuroda's Lakeside, isn't there.



That Mona Lisa mystique.


—Mellow Monk

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Japan's northern territories

Sovereignty of the two southernmost islands in the rugged but serene Kuril archipelago is disputed by Russia and Japan, the latter of which refers to the islands as the Northern Territories.


Although it's a touchy subject among some folks there, the majority of people seem only vaguely aware of the issue. So let's just sip our tea and enjoy the photographs instead.



Dispute? What dispute? You'd never know it from peaceful scenery like this.


—Mellow Monk

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Like a hermit crab in reverse: the crabs that house warrior spirits

Speaking of the Heike Monogatari, as anyone who has seen the classic film Kwaidan knows, in the waters where the Taira clan was defeated in a decisive naval battle lives a species of crab that is said to harbor the spirits of the Taira warriors.


This legend arose from a pattern on the crab's shell that — cue the Twilight Zone theme — bears an uncanny resemblance to a human face.



A scene from Kwaidan.


—Mellow Monk

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The $4 million tea room

A golden tea room made with over $4 million in real gold has been mesmerizing shoppers at the Yokohama Takashimaya department store in Yokohama City.





The tea room is a faithful, life-size reproduction of one used by the powerful feudal ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598), who often consulted with famed tea master Sen no Rikyu on matters spiritual and military.


The tea room is made with $1 million in gold leaf and over $3 million in solid-gold cups and other accoutrements.


One shopper marveling at the gilded tea room commented, "I wonder what Hideyoshi thought of when he was sitting in there?"


What indeed. Perhaps he thought, "Hmm, do you think I got a little carried away?"


[Source: Yomiuri Online.]


—Mellow Monk

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Abandoned silver mine still lures visitors

Before it was closed in 1923, the Iwami Silver Mine used to lure thousands of mine workers, but today it draws hundreds of thousands of people — as a World Heritage site (although not all locals are pleased with the designation).



The "main street" of Omori Town, site of the now-famous silver mine.


—Mellow Monk

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Photos of old Japan [tons of pics!]

A Flickr user named Okinawa Soba has a huge collections of photos of old Japan.



Cutting ice in the days before refrigerators.


—Mellow Monk

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From woman warrior to tea master to angel in white

Yaeko Niijima was born into a warrior family that claimed descent from the great 16th century general Yamamoto Kansuke (who was immortalized in a famous woodblock print).


The daughter of a gunnery instructor, she helped defend Aizu Castle during the Boshin War.


However, Yaeko later learned the Urasenke school of Japanese green tea ceremony, eventually becoming a tea master with her own students. She had first become interested in tea ceremony after working with the mother of Sennosai, the 13th headmaster of the school of tea founded by Sen no Rikyu.


During the Russo-Japanese War and World War I, Yaeko served as a volunteer nurse. In recognition for this service, she was presented with a Silver Cup award by Emperor Hirohito in 1928.


(She later married an equally adventurous man, Joseph Hardy Niijima (also spelled "Neeshima"), who as a young samurai (then known as Niijima Jo) had literally risked his life to visit the United States at a time when leaving the country with the Shogun's permission was punishable by death. Together they founded the Doshisha family of schools, which continue today.)


Was green tea responsible for her transformation from warrior to angel in white? I like to think so.



Yaeko Niijima (middle) late in life.



Yaeko's ancestor, Yamamoto Kansuke.





Inside the Niijima residence — which is preserved as a museum today — you can still see the piano that Yae Niijima played.


—Mellow Monk

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Online archive of Japanese prints

John Fiorillo has an incredibly extensive online archive of Japanese prints called — what else? — Viewing Japanese Prints.



An example of the shin-hanga ("modern print") style.


—Mellow Monk

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The Asakusa samurai

Asakusa Samurai is a blog — now dormant, apparently — all about Asakusa, my favorite district of Tokyo. [More posts about Asakusa here.]


Asakusa is where the Japan of old is best preserved. The area has even begun capitalizing on domestic nostalgia by bringing back such blasts from the past as rickshaws.



The Himiko, which ferries tourists up and down the Sumida River.


—Mellow Monk

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The man who saved the Akita

It may be hard to believe now, but back in the mid-1940s, Japan's Akita breed of dog was on the brink of extinction, pushed there by wartime deprivation and the popularity of foreign breeds, such as the German shepherd.


Literally coming to the dogs' rescue was engineer Morie Sawataishi. His tale [get it?] is recounted in author Martha Sherrill's book Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain.


Of the hundred or so Akitas he owned, Sawataishi was closest to one named Samurai Tiger:

Sherrill writes about how Sawataishi, now in his 90s, chokes up when talking about Samurai Tiger, of how a conversation about the spirited dog can occupy an entire night and drain many glasses of sake.

Morie Sawataishi with Kurasawa-Toro.


—Mellow Monk

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Online library of Edo-era paintings

The Tohoku University Library had made available online part of its Kano Collection.


Of the "108,000 items of classical books, scrolls, documents and art objects" from the Edo Period collected by educator–philosopher Kokichi Kano (1865-1942), 16,700 images from about 1,180 items are available online.


A neat category of images to peruse are illustrated scrolls like this one.


Kokichi Kano was also said to have had the world's largest collection of, ahem, "adult-oriented" ukiyoe prints, although all the ones linked to on this page are one hundred percent safe for work, minor children, and those with delicate sensibilities, such as yours truly [Yeah right, Monk. —Your loving staff].



A scene from a scroll titled "The Takano Picture Scroll" (Takano Emaki).


—Mellow Monk

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Lovers passing on the what's-your-name bridge

From Mellow Monk's Department of Obscure Japanese Movie Trivia comes some trivia so old that I've also labeled this post under "Japanese history."


Released in 1952 and 1953, the movie trilogy “Kimi no Na Wa” (What’s Your Name?) broke all previous box office records in Japan. This success was helped by the fact that the films were based on a long-running smash-hit radio series. The films proved so successful that they are said to have financed the modernization of Shochiku, the studio that produced them.


The story concerns a young man and women who meet by chance, fall in love at first sight (hitomebore), but are then kept apart by the circumstances around them. (Such stories about lovers kept apart by fate even constitute their own genre, known as surechigai, which means "passing," as in two ships passing in the night.)


The film was so popular that the unconventional way that lead actress Keiko Kishi wore her scarf (see the photo below) started a new fashion trend known as Machiko-maki (a "Machiko wrap," after the character's name).


A famous scene take place in the beginning of the trilogy at Tokyo's
Sukiya Bridge, where Machiko first meets her would-be beau, Haruki, during an air raid. (It is as they rush from the bridge to go their separate ways that Haruki utters the famous phrase, "Kimi no na ha?"—Oh, by the way, what's your name?)


In 1957, the Sukiya Bridge was demolished by the frenetic wave of development that preceded the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Today at that spot stands a monument that reads "Former site of the Sukiya Bridge." The words carved into the monument were actually written with a calligraphy brush wielded by Kazuo Kikuta (1908–1973), who authored the original story and after whom a TV screenwriting award was named.



A poster from the movie Kimi no Na Wa (What's Your Name?), showing actress Keiko Kishi sporting the scarf style that sparked a nationwide fashion trend waaaay back in the mid-1950s.


—Mellow Monk

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Photos of old Japan

If you like photographs, Japan, and old stuff, well then my friend, have I got a website for you: Old Photos Japan, which describes itself as "a photo blog about old Japan that reads like a book and works like an archive" and which promises a new photo every day.


I'm usually not one to attempt to see into the future, but I predict I will be visiting this site quite often.



"Employees pose in front of Tokyo sidewalk restaurants on a sunny day in May, 1934. The delivery bicycle belongs to Yanase Sushi (the shop with the white sign with red kanji)."


—Mellow Monk

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Societies, pathogens, and tea

Some societies emphasize the individual, whereas others place priority on the interests of the larger group. This "individualism–collectivism" split is one of the most fundamental differences between cultures.


For years, scientists and other bright types have wondered why "collectivism declines with distance from the equator, and why living in colder regions should promote individualism."


Well, some folks think they have finally found the answer — pathogens:

[C]ertain behaviors make you less likely to contract an infectious disease. A reluctance to interact with strangers can protect against pathogens because strangers are more likely to carry strange microbes that the group lacks immunity to . . . . Respect for traditions also works: ways of preparing food (using hot pepper, say, which kills microbes), rules about hygiene and laws about marriage (wed only in-group members, whose microbes you're probably immune to) likely arose to keep pathogens at bay. "Conformity helps maintain these buffers against disease," says Corey Fincher of the University of New Mexico; mavericks are dangerous.

This theory also ties in with a theory about why the tradition of tea-drinking first developed in Asia thousands of years ago: Tea provided protection against pathogens, which became more and more problematic as humans began living in denser concentrations.


And now, thousands of years later, humankind is rediscovering the power of tea to fight pathogens, including the so-called superbugs.



Continuing a time-honored — and healthy — tradition.


—Mellow Monk

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Nikko's soba festival

The Imaichi area of the historical Nikko region is known for its buckwheat and in fact registers the second-largest harvest in all of Tochigi Prefecture. The bountiful nature, cool climate, and pristine water from the Nikko mountain range are perfect for cultivation, and the buckwheat grown there is renowned for its fragrance and sweet taste.


Imaichi's reputation for delicious buckwheat noodles (soba) goes back hundreds of years, when the town developed as a stopover point for people pilgrimaging to Nikko along the Nikko tree-lined road. Soba became popular as a quick, easy meal for weary travelers and soon became firmly entrenched in the area’s culinary culture.


Today, Imachi has over 30 shops offering their own handmade soba noodles. Many visitors enjoy comparing the different tastes of each shop’s unique recipe. In March of every year, the town is host to the National Handmade Soba Eating Contest.


This year, the soba-eating contest was held on March 23. Alright, I didn't get the word out in time for that, but it's not too late to make plans to attend the Nikko Soba Festival, which is held every November to commemorate the buckwheat harvest.



At last November's Soba (Buckwheat) Festival.


—Mellow Monk

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Diary of 1923 trip to Japan

The estate of Charles Blauvelt has posted Mr. Blauvelt's diary of his trip to Japan in 1923 aboard the steamer S.S. President Pierce.


He took his trip at a tumultuous time in Japanese history. For instance:

Sept 4

Slept in chair in front of the hotel last night. Soldiers patrolling the entire city, now under Martial law. Only one or two slight tremors felt during the night and no disturbance notices. No fires visible.

U.S. Embassy has temporary office here at the hotel. All at the hotel were examined today and those who had rooms given badge to get meals. Slight tremors felt throughout day - apparently no fires in city. Many Koreans arrested. Army post part of the hotel.

In 1935, the S.S. President Pierce served as a visual guide for Amelia Earhart during her historical crossing of the Pacific Oceean.


—Mellow Monk

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Yosakoi!

Yosakoi is a style of Japanese festival dancing performed during the season of Obon. "Yosakoi" literally means "Come at night" in the Tosa dialect of Japanese, which is spoken in what is today known as Kochi Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku.


Yosakoi began in 1954 as a modern version of the centuries-old Awadori dance style, which originated in neighborning Tokushima Prefecture ("Awa" is the old name for Tokushima), so you could say that Yosakoi is a modern, "citified" (but still very Japanese) version of a traditional rural dance.


After its inception, Yosakoi gradually spread throughout Japan, and today there is even a Yosakoi festival held in Tokyo's über-trendy Harajuku district.


The historical Tosa area is significant as the birthplace of Sakamoto Ryoma, a hero of the Meiji Restoration. His statue is prominently displayed at Katsurahama beach, near the Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum.



From the 51st Yosakoi festival in 2004 in Kochi.


—Mellow Monk

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Lake Chuzenji, exclusive resort area

Lake Chuzenji sits amidst the majestic beauty of the mountains of inner Nikko (Okunikko).


From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, the area was a popular resort area for foreign dignitaries. With its many luxurious villas, the Chuzenji of that era was a bustling, exclusive town frequented by celebrities and other prominent figures.


One of the villas still standing today is the former Italian Embassy villa, built in 1928 and owned by the Italian government until 1997. Designed by American architect Anthony Raymond, the structure achieves an exquisite harmony between Japan’s natural beauty and Western architecture. Features such as the checkerboard walls of cedar bark and finished wood and interior paneling that highlights the wood’s natural grain are bold yet somehow soothing at the same time. Today, the villa is preserved as part of the Italian Embassy Villa Memorial Park, and its living room, study, and other rooms are open to the public.



This villa must have seen some interesting parties in its day.



Lake Chuzenji, with Mt. Nantai in the background.


—Mellow Monk

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The world's longest tree-lined road

Located on the eastern edge of the historical city of Nikko, Imaichi contains a cedar-lined road (namiki kaido) that has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s longest. Lined by some 13,000 cedar trees, the Nikko, Reiheishi, and Aizunishi roads wind a total distance of 37 kilometers on their way to Nikko Toshogu Shrine.


These trees date back to the days of the Shogunate, when Matsudaira Masatsuna, a retainer of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, had over 200,000 cedars plated over a 20-year period in the shrine's honor.


Many the trees standing today bear witness to their long and eventful history. One tree is still scarred by a cannonball fired during the Boshin War (1868–1869). Another, nicknamed "Nikko Namiki Taro," is considered the largest and most beautiful of all. "Sakura Sugi" (Cherry Pine) contains a wild cherry tree that grew out of a crack in its bark and which blooms magnificently in springtime.



The Nikko Cedar Avenue (Nikko Suginami Kaido) leading to Toshogu Shrine.


—Mellow Monk

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Upside-down pillar wards off evil for 400 years

Built as a memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Toshogu Shrine in the city of Nikko is today famous for its many exquisitely crafted architectural wonders. One of the most lavishly made structures there is the Yomeimon Gate, whose 12 wooden pillars are engraved with a curled pattern known as gurimon.


The pattern on one of these pillars is inverted compared to the others; such a post is called a sakabashira (inverted pillar) and is intended to ward off evil spirits.


This custom is related to the old Japanese saying, “Once a building is completed, its destruction begins.” By installing a pillar upside-down, the builders of Toshogu Shrine may have thought they were permanently postponing the shrine’s completion. That nearly all of the shrine’s structures are still so well preserved 400 years later could be a testament to the inverted pillar’s effectiveness.



The exquisite Yomeimon Gate.


—Mellow Monk

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Where Tokyo's temples are—Yanaka

If traditional Japanese architecture in general and old temples and shrines in particular are right up your ally (so to speak), then the next time you're in Tokyo, be sure to visit the Yanaka area. Yanaka has the largest concentration of shrines and temples of all the districts of Tokyo.


How did all those buildings end up there? Well, it seems that during the Edo period, the shogun ordered all the temples concentrated in the city's center to relocate to Yanaka, which at the time was the outskirts of town. The move was intended to create firebreaks in the crowded city—the shrines' thatched roofs were know to burn violently when a fire broke out.


The above is from Frommer's Walking Tours: Tokyo, according to which you can walk the highlights of Yanaka in about 4 hours.



At the entrance of Suwa Jinja (Shrine), in Yanaka, Tokyo.


—Mellow Monk

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Photos of "Last Samurai"-era Japan

The Nagasaki University library has an online database of Japan's late Meiji period (Bakumatsu, from the mid-1800s to 1868).




Photo of women picking tea (top) and a fire company (bottom) (dates unknown).


—Mellow Monk

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Toshogu Shrine, Ieyasu's resting place

Registered as a World Heritage Site, Nikko's Toshogu Shrine is the resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate and one of the most important figures of Japan's samurai era. He asked to be buried at the Toshogu Shrine so his spirit could watch over the land.

Some years later, residents of sacred Nikko discovered natural hot springs in the neighboring Kinugawa-Kawaji area. Today, in the Kinugawa-Kawaji hot spring resort area, you can still enjoy the same simple yet mysterious natural beauty that so enthralled Shogun Ieyasu hundreds of years ago.

The tomb of Ieyasu at the Toshogu Shrine.


—Mellow Monk

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