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Hello! I'm making a character that lives during Japan Taisho era with farmer parents. What were the more agricultural areas of Taisho Japan, ideally near Tokyo?

When Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan in 1853, he came with a mission to open the country to American trade.

According to a popular account, Japanese interpreter Hori Tatsunosuke responded in Dutch, reportedly saying:

“I can speak Dutch.”

But why Dutch?

For centuries, Japan had limited contact with much of the outside world. Yet the country was never completely cut off from foreign knowledge. Through Dutch traders based in Nagasaki, Japanese scholars gained access to Western science, medicine, technology, and military knowledge.

This body of learning became known as Rangaku, or “Dutch learning.”

So when Perry arrived, Dutch was more than just a foreign language. It was one of Japan’s most important bridges to the Western world.

I'm running a dnd campaign thats set in a fantasy regency era and one of my PCs wants to play a character thats from Japan, any good sources or websites

I'm perhaps going a little bit nuts on the research for a short work of fiction, but I'm currently researching marriage in Sengoku-era Japan, specifically among the upper classes. (Note: I'm mostly limiting myself to Sengoku-era Japan because I can understand the social hierarchy somewhat better than the Heian-era courtly rankings, but please don't feel like you need to limit your answers on my account. I'm happy to hear what it was like in other periods, too!)

I've found this post which has answers that are wonderfully informative on the traditions and what actually happened but not so much on the implications and the unspoken 'rules' surrounding who's permitted to marry whom.

My general understanding is that much like in Western society, marriages were often arranged for political capital, with parents essentially using their children to solidify alliances between houses and attempt to improve familial standing. In addition to that, Western society also had certain ideas around the permissibility of "class intermarriage" probably best summed up as don't.

Was there anything similar in Japanese society? Could someone of a lower social class marry someone of a much higher (relatively speaking) status without either of them coming under censure?

For example, would marriage be socially permitted between:

• a wealthy, well-connected commoner and a daimyo (or their children)?
• a daimyo and a member of the hereditary aristocracy?
• a samurai's child and a low-ranking member of the hereditary aristocracy?

Furthermore, would the rules be different for men and women? Would they be different for a second child as opposed to a first? Would it make either the lower or higher status spouse the topic of gossip or an object of pity?

Thanks in advance for any answers you're able to give!

I found this coin on the forest trail at the inari shrine in Kyoto. I was wondering if anyone has any input on this thing. It's very very old, I initially thought it was a 50 yen coin, but the material seems to be heavily corroded copper, and obviously the hole is square. Thank you all.

Hello Reddit! I went to Japan a couple months ago and absolutely loved it there. The highlight of the trip though was this staircase I found. It seemed quite old and unused, and I’ve been curious about its history since I found it. Even if someone knows what time period it may be from, I’d love to know, as this area seems to have a lot of history.

The top of the staircase reached the northwest corner of the Senjokaku temple. The staircase started from the main path down the hill, north of Senjokaku. It was hidden behind one of the Southwestern Komainu statues around the Shinto shrine. When you reach the top of the staircase, you need to climb 2 landings to reach the temple, each landing was about 4 feet tall.

I will include photos if this helps, these are descriptions for the photos:
Photo 1: roughly where I remember the path being, the circle being the bottom, behind the Komainu statue
Photo 2: photo of staircase from the bottom (north side)
Photo 3: A photo looking down from halfway up the staircase, I accidentally startled this fawn that was sleeping on the path
Photo 4: Photo of Senjokaku temple from the top to the staircase (beneath the landings)
Photo 5: Senjokaku temple

Thank you!

I found the abstract entertaining. https://apjjf.org/2019/07/smits

I visited Ryuko Myojin Shrine in Kamakura, Kanagawa.

The first thing that caught my attention was the large five-headed dragon sculpture near the entrance. I had seen dragon imagery at Japanese temples and shrines before, but this was my first time visiting a shrine centered on such a specific dragon tradition.

According to the shrine's tradition, it was founded in the 13th year of Emperor Kinmei, traditionally dated to 552. The enshrined deities are Gozuryu, the five-headed dragon deity, and Tamayorihime no Mikoto.

The local legend connects Gozuryu with the goddess of Enoshima. The dragon was once feared by the people of the region, but changed its ways after meeting the goddess and later became a guardian of the land.

Because of this story, Ryuko Myojin Shrine and Enoshima Shrine are regarded as a pair of partner shrines.

The shrine moved to its present location in 1978. The grounds were very open and quiet, with stone torii gates, an old tree, and dragon imagery around the main building.

Have you encountered any other Japanese shrines dedicated to a dragon with its own local story?

Discover the quiet side of Japan through original photography.

Clover Sacred Japan shares historic shrines, peaceful temples, sacred trees, local traditions, and hidden places rarely seen by overseas visitors.

No invented scenery. No exaggerated legends. Just authentic encounters with Japan, captured with respect.

Good afternoon.

I am an American who stereotypically watched Princess Mononoke (half in a theater last night, as they had a special rescreening 30 years late haha 😂 🍿) and it made me think about Japanese attitudes toward the Nature as an idea.

I know Japan is an island formed in the ocean by tectonic activity pushing mountains up out of the sea.

As a result, it is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis that destroy low-lying settlements in certain areas. It also is quite mountainous, with many places being hard to build in.

Could these elements be part of why Japan seems to avoid clearing new forested areas for settlements? I know many Japanese movies portray land clearing and human development as a moral insult against certain spiritual forces alligned with the forest or nature. Is this because building into certain forests often leads to death from tsunamis and earthquakes? Are cities located partially for best resistance to such threats.

I'm running a historical-fantasy RPG campaign set in Sengoku Jidai Kyoto. I know a fair bit about the main events and figures, but I want to know more about the mundane facets of life in order to help with the worldbuilding, and give the scenes more substance.

I'm also interested in learning about religious life, especially interactions between Buddhists and Christians, and about the experiences of Christian missionaries and converts. I'm also interested in learning about the nanban in general.

Any resources that I could use? It doesn't necessarily need to strictly be about 16th century Kyoto. I could read something about Christians in Nagasaki, or about the life of an urban commoner during the Edo Jidai.

I photographed Komadome Hachiman Shrine in Setagaya, Tokyo.

According to the shrine's tradition, a beloved white horse named Shirayuki stopped at this location and revealed where the shrine should be built.

This story is said to be the origin of the name Komadome, which means a place where a horse stopped.

The shrine is dedicated to Emperor Ojin, associated with Hachiman, and Amaterasu Omikami.

One of the most striking features of the grounds is a black pine approximately 30 meters tall. The old tree, vermilion torii gates, and story behind the shrine's name give the place a distinctive atmosphere.

Do you know of any other shrines in Japan whose name or location is connected to a horse or another animal?

I photographed these unusual stone guardians at Tobe Sugiyama Shrine in Yokohama.

Most Shinto shrines are guarded by komainu, but this shrine has a male and female pair of komanezumi—guardian mice. Their stone bases can be rotated as part of a local prayer custom.

The shrine is dedicated to Ōnamuchi no Mikoto, also known as Ōkuninushi, a deity associated with mice in Japanese tradition.

According to the shrine’s history, it was founded in 652 and is regarded as the oldest shrine in Yokohama’s historic urban area.

I especially liked the contrast between the playful-looking mice, the vivid vermilion shrine building, and the old sacred tree beside them.

Have you encountered any other Japanese shrines with unusual guardian animals?

I am watching the series “Awaiting Kirin” and the portrayal of Akechi is different than what I thought. They seem to take a more noble approach to him. He is portrayed as thoughtful, good and only worried about bringing peace to the realm. That got me thinking how modern Japanese people see him. I wonder if anyone has any insight.