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Kabukimono
or were gangs of samurai in feudal Japan. First appearing in the Azuchi–Momoyama period (between the end of the Muromachi period in 1573 and the beginning of the Edo period in 1603) as the turbulent Sengoku period drew to a close, were either , wandering samurai, or men who had once worked for samurai families who, during times of peace, formed street gangs. Some, however, were also members of more prominent clansmost notably Oda Nobunaga and Maeda Toshiie. Etymology The term is often translated into English as "strange things" or "the crazy ones", believed to be derived from , meaning "to slant" or "to deviate"; the term is also the origin of the name for kabuki theatre (歌舞伎) as the founder of kabuki, Izumo no Okuni, took heavy inspiration from the (歌舞伎者)."Kabuki" in Frederic, Louis (2002). ''Japan Encyclopedia''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. The kanji used are ateji used for their pronunciation not their inherent meaning. Descriptio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords and ''Kiri-sute gomen'' (right to kill anyone of a lower class in certain situations). They cultivated the '' bushido'' codes of martial virtues, indifference to pain, and unflinching loyalty, engaging in many local battles. Though they had predecessors in earlier military and administrative officers, the samurai truly emerged during the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1185 to 1333. They became the ruling political class, with significant power but also significant responsibility. During the 13th century, the samurai proved themselves as adept warriors against the invading Mongols. During the peaceful Edo period (1603 to 1868), they became the stewards and chamberlains of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yakuza'' is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization. The ''yakuza'' are known for their strict codes of conduct, their organized fiefdom nature and several unconventional ritual practices such as ''yubitsume'' or amputation of the left little finger. Members are often portrayed as males, wearing "sharp suits" with heavily tattooed bodies and slicked hair. This group is still regarded as being among "the most sophisticated and wealthiest criminal organizations". At their height, the ''yakuza'' maintained a large presence in the Japanese media and operated internationally. At their peak in the early 1960s, police estimated that the ''yakuza'' had a membership of more than 200,000."Police of Japan 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sengoku Period
The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Various samurai warlords and Japanese clans, clans fought for control over Japan in the power vacuum, while the emerged to fight against samurai rule. The Nanban trade, arrival of Europeans in 1543 introduced the arquebus into Japanese warfare, and Japan ended its status as a Tributary system of China, tributary state of China in 1549. Oda Nobunaga dissolved the Ashikaga shogunate in 1573 and launched a war of political unification by force, including the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, until his death in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582. Nobunaga's successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed his campaign to unify Japan and consolidated his rule with numerous influential reforms. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea (159 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Okuni With Cross Dressed As A Samurai
was a Japanese shrine maiden who is believed to have invented the theatrical art form of kabuki. She is thought to have begun performing her new art style of (lit., "the art of singing and dancing") theatre in the dry riverbed of the Kamo River in Kyoto. Okuni's troupe quickly gained immense popularity, and were known for their performers, who were often lower-class women Okuni had recruited to act in her all-female theatre group. Few concrete details are known about her life; born near Izumo Province, Okuni worked as a (shrine maiden) for several years at the Izumo-taisha (the Grand Shrine of Izumo) until gaining popularity for her dramatised dance performances, which onlookers gave the name of . Okuni continued to perform kabuki with her troupe until her retirement and disappearance sometime around 1610. She is believed to have died sometime around 1613. History Early years Born , Okuni grew up in the vicinity of the Izumo shrine, where her father, Nakamura Sanemon, worke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono is traditionally worn with a broad sash, called an , and is commonly worn with accessories such as zōri sandals and socks. Kimono have a set method of construction and are typically made from a long, narrow bolt of cloth known as a , though Western-style fabric bolts are also sometimes used. There are different types of kimono for men, women, and children, varying based on the occasion, the season, the wearer's age, and – less commonly in the modern day – the wearer's marital status. Despite the kimono's reputation as a formal and difficult-to-wear garment, there are types of kimono suitable for both formal and informal occasions. The way a person wears their kimono is known as . Though previously been the most common Japanese garm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Machi Yakko
is an administrative unit in Japan, often referred to in English as town. In Japanese and other languages, it may also refer to: Places *Machi, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran *Maji, Ethiopia, a city in southwestern Ethiopia *Machi, Manipur, India * Machi, Mardan, Pakistan Mythology and religious tradition * Machi (biblical figure), a minor Biblical figure appearing in Numbers 13:15 *Machi (shaman), the shaman of the Mapuche indigenous culture Popular culture *Machi (hip hop group), a Taiwanese hip-hop group **Machi Esports, a professional multi-gaming organization founded by the hip hop group * Machi (''Hunter × Hunter''), a character from the manga series ''Hunter × Hunter'' * ''Machi'' (video game), a 1998 video game *"Machi", a song by Borgeous and Ryos * ''Machi'' (film), a 2004 Tamil action film Other uses *Machi (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people with the name) *Machiyar, also known as Machi, a Muslim community in Gujarat, India ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bakufu
, officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura period, shoguns were themselves figureheads, with real power in hands of the Shikken of the Hōjō clan. The office of shogun was in practice hereditary, though over the course of the history of Japan several different clans held the position. The title was originally held by military commanders during Heian period in the eighth and ninth centuries. When Minamoto no Yoritomo gained political ascendency over Japan in 1185, the title was revived to regularize his position, making him the first shogun in the usually understood sense. The shogun's officials were collectively referred to as the ; they were the ones who carried out the actual duties of administration, while the Imperial court retained only nominal authority.Beasley, William G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keichō
was a after ''Bunroku'' and before ''Genna''. This period spanned from October 1596 to July 1615. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1596 : The era name was changed to ''Keichō'' to mark the passing of various natural disasters. The preceding era ended and a new one commenced on October 27 of the 5th ''Bunroku''. Events of the ''Keichō'' era * 1596 (''Keichō 1''): ''Keichō'' Invasion (invasion of Korea). * September 18, 1598 (''Keichō 3, 18th day of the 8th month''): Toyotomi Hideyoshi died in his Fushimi Castle at the age of 63.Titsingh p. 405./ref> * October 21, 1600 (''Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month''): Battle of Sekigahara. The Tokugawa clan and its allies decisively vanquish all opposition. * January 15, 1602 (''Keichō 7, 24th day of the 11th month''): A fire at the Hōkō-ji temple complex in Kyoto was caused by careless workmen; and the great image of the buddha and the structure housing the statue (the Daibutsu-den) were consumed by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the city had a population of 1.46 million. The city is the cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Kyoto, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people. Kyoto is one of the oldest municipalities in Japan, having been chosen in 794 as the new seat of Japan's imperial court by Emperor Kanmu. The original city, named Heian-kyō, was arranged in accordance with traditional Chinese feng shui following the model of the ancient Chinese capital of Chang'an/Luoyang. The emperors of Japan ruled from Kyoto in the following eleven centuries until 1869. It was the scene of several key events of the Muromachi period, Sengoku period, and the Boshin War, such as the Ōnin War, the Ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsujigiri
Tsujigiri ( or , literally "crossroads killing") is a Japanese term for a practice when a samurai, after receiving a new ''katana'' or developing a new fighting style or weapon, tests its effectiveness by attacking a human opponent, usually a random defenseless passer-by, in many cases during nighttime.つじぎり 【辻斬り】 国語辞書 - エキサイト辞書 ''Excite.co.jp''. Retrieved 22009-31-12. The practitioners themselves are also referred to as ''tsujigiri''. Variations Sword attacks were not the only possible application of this act. In a variation named ''tsuji-nage'' (, "crossroads throwing"), the samurai would attack the passerby ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiseru
A is a Japanese smoking pipe (tobacco), smoking pipe, traditionally used for smoking ''kizami'', a finely shredded tobacco product resembling hair. History The word ''kiseru'' is said to have originated from the Cambodian word ''khsier'' around the 16th century, while it is also said that the word originated from the Portuguese ''que sorver'' ("which is drawn"). It is believed that pipe smoking was introduced to Japanese high society, such as the samurai, the Buddhist priest classes and rich merchants. Tobacco has been known in Japan since the 1570s at the earliest. By the early 17th century, ''kiseru'' had become popular enough to even be mentioned in some Buddhist textbooks for children. The ''kiseru'' evolved along with the equipment and use of incense associated with the Japanese incense ceremony, ''kōdō'': *The ''kō-bon'', an incense tray, became the ''tabako-bon'', a tobacco tray. *The ''kōro'', an incense burner, became the ''hi-ire'', a tobacco embers pot. *The in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tsuba
Japanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings ('' tosogu'') that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. ''katana'') used when the sword blade is being worn by its owner, whereas the ''shirasaya'' is a plain undecorated wooden mounting composed of a '' saya'' and '' tsuka'' that the sword blade is stored in when not being used. Components *: The '' fuchi'' is a hilt collar between the '' tsuka'' and the ''tsuba''. *: The '' habaki'' is a wedge-shaped metal collar used to keep the sword from falling out of the '' saya'' and to support the fittings below; fitted at the ''ha-machi'' and ''mune-machi'' which precede the '' nakago''. *: a hook shaped fitting used to lock the ''saya'' to the ''obi'' while drawing. *: The ''kashira'' is a butt cap (or pommel) on the end of the ''tsuka''. *: The '' kōgai'' is a spike for hair arranging carried sometimes as part of katana- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
