1.
Japan
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Japan is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea, the kanji that make up Japans name mean sun origin. 日 can be read as ni and means sun while 本 can be read as hon, or pon, Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet Land of the Rising Sun in reference to its Japanese name. Japan is an archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, the country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one, the population of 127 million is the worlds tenth largest. Japanese people make up 98. 5% of Japans total population, approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period, the first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, from the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a period of isolation in the early 17th century. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is a member of the UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8, the country has the worlds third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the worlds fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the worlds fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer, although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the worlds eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, in ancient China, Japan was called Wo 倭. It was mentioned in the third century Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms in the section for the Wei kingdom, Wa became disliked because it has the connotation of the character 矮, meaning dwarf. The 倭 kanji has been replaced with the homophone Wa, meaning harmony, the Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nippon or Nihon and literally means the origin of the sun. The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, at the start of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan introduced their country as Nihon
2.
Provinces of Japan
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Provinces of Japan were administrative divisions before the modern prefecture system was established, when the islands of Japan were divided into tens of kuni, usually known in English as provinces. Each province was divided into gun, the provinces were originally established by Ritsuryō as both administrative units and geographic regions. In the late Muromachi period, however, their function was gradually supplanted by the domains of the sengoku daimyō, under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the provinces were supplemented as primary local administrative units. The local daimyōs fiefs were developed, in the Edo period, the fiefs became known as han. Imperial provinces and shogunal domains made up complementary systems, for example, when the shogun ordered daimyo to make a census or to make maps, the work was organized in terms of the boundaries of the provincial kuni. At the Meiji Restoration, the han were legitimized as administrative units under Fuhanken Sanchisei, provinces as part of the system of addresses were not abolished but, on the contrary, augmented. As of 1871, the number of prefectures was 304, while the number of provinces was 68, the boundaries between the many prefectures were not only very complicated, but also did not match those of the provinces. Prefectures were gradually merged to reduce the number to 37 by 1881, adding Hokkaidō and Okinawa produced the current total of 47 prefectures. Provinces are classified into Kinai, and seven or eight dō, however, dō in this context should not be confused with modern traffic lines such as Tōkaidō from Tokyo to Kyoto or Kobe. Also, Hokkaidō in this context should not be confused with Hokkaidō Prefecture, to date, no official order has been issued abolishing provinces. Provinces are nonetheless today considered obsolete, although their names are widely used in names of natural features, company names. These province names are considered to be mainly of historical interest and they are also used for the names of items, including family names, most of which were popularized in or after the Edo period. Examples include sanuki udon, iyokan, tosa ken, and awa odori, Japan Rail stations also use them in names to, aside from the historical background, distinguish themselves from similarly named stations in other prefectures. Some of the names are used to indicate distinct parts of the current prefectures along with their cultural and geographical characteristics. In many cases names are also in use with directional characters. The districts are still considered prefectural subdivisions, however in case of being part of a merger or division of old provinces, many of these old provincial districts have been dissolved as their chief towns have merged into larger cities or towns. See individual prefecture pages for mergers and abolitions of districts, code of Taihō List of provinces of ancient Japan Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128 Detailed maps of the provinces at different times can be found at, maproom. org samurai archives
3.
Minamoto no Yoritomo
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Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199, Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, Urahime, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the illustrious Fujiwara clan. Yoritomo was born in Atsuta in Owari Province, at that time Yoritomos grandfather Minamoto no Tameyoshi was the head of the Minamoto. In 1156, factional divisions in the court erupted into open warfare within the capital and this is known as the Hōgen Rebellion. The head of the clan, Tameyoshi, sided with Sutoku, his son, Yoshitomo, sided with Toba and Go-Shirakawa, in the end, the supporters of Go-Shirakawa won the civil war, thus ensuring victory for Yoshitomo and Kiyomori. Sutoku was placed under house arrest, and Yorinaga was fatally wounded in battle, Tameyoshi was executed, even after numerous pleas from Yoshitomo. Nonetheless, Go-Shirakawa and Kiyomori were ruthless, and Yoshitomo found himself as the head of the Minamoto, Yoritomo and the Minamoto clan descended from the imperial family on his fathers side. Nonetheless, in Kyoto, the Taira clan, now under the leadership of Kiyomori, Kiyomori was supported by Fujiwara no Michinori, while Yoshitomo was supported by Fujiwara no Nobuyori. This was known as the Heiji Rebellion, the ex-Emperors and Shinzeis mansions were burned, while Shinzei was captured and decapitated. Nonetheless, the Minamoto were not well prepared, and the Taira took control of Kyoto, Yoshitomo fled the capital but was later betrayed and executed by a retainer. In the aftermath, harsh terms were imposed on the Minamoto, only Yoshitomos three young boys remained alive, so that Kiyomori and the Taira clan were now the undisputed leaders of Japan. Yoritomo, the new head of the Minamoto, was exiled, Yoritomo was not executed by Kiyomori because of pleas from Kiyomoris stepmother. Yoritomos brothers, Minamoto no Noriyori and Minamoto no Yoshitsune were also allowed to live and he married into the Hōjō clan, led by Hōjō Tokimasa, marrying Tokimasas daughter, Hōjō Masako. Meanwhile, he was notified of events in Kyoto thanks to helpful friends, soon enough, Yoritomos passive exile was to be over. Yoritomo took part in this, especially after things escalated between the Taira and Minamoto after the death of Minamoto no Yorimasa and Prince Mochihito himself, Yoritomo set himself up as the rightful heir of the Minamoto clan, and he set up a capital in Kamakura to the east. Not all Minamoto thought of Yoritomo as rightful heir and his uncle Minamoto no Yukiie and his cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka conspired against him. In September 1180, Yoritomo was defeated at the Battle of Ishibashiyama, his first major battle, Yoritomo spent the next six months raising a new army. In 1181, Taira no Kiyomori died, and the Taira clan was now led by Taira no Munemori, Munemori took a much more aggressive policy against the Minamoto, and attacked Minamoto bases from Kyoto in the Genpei War
4.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
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Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a nobleman and military commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles which toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan and he is considered one of the greatest and the most popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai fighters in the history of Japan. Yoshitsune perished after being betrayed by the son of a trusted ally, Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsunes older half-brother Minamoto no Yoritomo would go on to found the Kamakura shogunate, Yoshitsunes name in childhood was Ushiwakamaru. He was born just before the Heiji Rebellion of early 1160 in which his father and he survived this incident by fleeing the capital with his mother, while his half-brother Yoritomo was banished to Izu Province. At approximately age 10, Yoshitsune was placed in the care of the monks of Kurama Temple, a skillful swordsman, Yoshitsune defeated the legendary warrior monk Benkei in a duel. From then on, Benkei became Yoshitsunes right-hand man, eventually dying with him at the Siege of Koromogawa. In the ensuing war between the rival Minamoto and Taira samurai clans, known as the Genpei War, Yoshitsune joined Yoritomo, along with Minamoto no Noriyori and he finally destroyed them one month later at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture. Following the Genpei War, Yoshitsune was appointed as Governor of Iyo and his suspicious brother Yoritomo, however, opposed the presentation of these titles, and nullified them. Yoshitsune then secured imperial authorization to ally with his uncle Minamoto no Yukiie in opposing Yoritomo, incurring Yoritomos wrath, Yoshitsune fled Kyoto in 1185. His faithful mistress, Shizuka Gozen, carrying his child, fled with him at first, but then was left behind. Yoshitsune eventually made his way to Hiraizumi, Mutsu, once again to the protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira, yasuhira then had Yoshitsunes head preserved in sake, placed in a black-lacquered chest, and sent to Yoritomo as proof of death. Historical sources differ as to the fate of Yoshitsunes mistress Shizuka, Yoshitsune is enshrined in the Shirahata Jinja, a Shinto shrine in the city of Fujisawa. The death of Yoshitsune has been very elusive, according to Ainu historical accounts, he did not commit seppuku, but instead escaped the siege at Koromogawa, fleeing to Hokkaido and assuming the name Okikurumi/Oinakamui. In Hokkaido, the Yoshitsune Shrine is erected in his honor in the town of Biratori and this letter was Yoshitsunes final appeal to Yoritomo of his loyalty. The letter is a mixture of bravado and an almost masochistic indulgence in misfortune, the Japanese term for sympathy for a tragic hero, Hōgan-biiki, comes from Yoshitsunes title Kurō Hōgan, which he received from the Imperial Court. Many of the pieces that Yoshitsune appears in are legend rather than historical fact. Legends pertaining to Yoshitsune first began to appear in the fourteenth century, in early works at that time, Yoshitsune was described as a sharp-witted military leader
5.
Kyoto
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Kyoto is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a close to 1.5 million. Kyoto is also known as the thousand-year capital, in Japanese, the city has been called Kyō, Miyako, or Kyō no Miyako. In the 11th century, the city was renamed Kyoto, after the Chinese word for capital city, after the city of Edo was renamed Tokyo in 1868, and the seat of the Emperor was transferred there, Kyoto was known for a short time as Saikyō. Obsolete spellings for the name include Kioto, Miaco and Meaco. Another term commonly used to refer to the city in the period was Keishi. His last choice for the site was the village of Uda, the new city, Heian-kyō, a scaled replica of the then Tang capital Changan, became the seat of Japans imperial court in 794, beginning the Heian period of Japanese history. The city suffered destruction in the Ōnin War of 1467–1477. Battles between samurai factions spilled into the streets, and came to involve the court nobility and religious factions as well, nobles mansions were transformed into fortresses, deep trenches dug throughout the city for defense and as firebreaks, and numerous buildings burned. The city has not seen such widespread destruction since, Hideyoshi also built earthwork walls called odoi encircling the city. Teramachi Street in central Kyoto is a Buddhist temple quarter where Hideyoshi gathered temples in the city, throughout the Edo period, the economy of the city flourished as one of three major cities in Japan, the others being Osaka and Edo. The Hamaguri rebellion of 1864 burnt down 28,000 houses in the city, the modern city of Kyoto was formed on April 1,1889. The construction of Lake Biwa Canal in 1890 is one taken to revive the city. The population of the city exceeded one million in 1932, stimson, Secretary of War in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the city was removed from the list of targets and replaced by Nagasaki. The city was spared from conventional bombing as well, although small-scale air raids did result in casualties. As a result, the Imperial City of Kyoto is one of the few Japanese cities that still have an abundance of prewar buildings, however, modernization is continually breaking down the traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, such as the Kyōto Station complex. Kyoto became a city designated by government ordinance on September 1,1956, in 1997, Kyoto hosted the conference that resulted in the protocol on greenhouse gas emissions that bears the citys name. Kyoto is located in a valley, part of the Yamashiro Basin, in the part of the mountainous region known as the Tamba highlands
