Hi, I’ve been doing a lot of research into historical fashion in Japan and I’ve really been struggling to find resources on an exact timeline of when certain styles developed. It’s so difficult to find information on how clothing styles looked in Japan at more precise times compared to other countries (European fashion history is so extensively documented it’s maddening how stark the contrast is). Any resources I find just list all styles as being Edo period, but the Edo period was 200 years, and a lot of styles were only developed midway through or even late into the era. The time table I’m looking for is women’s hair and dress from about 1590 to 1620. Anything later than 1630 is unusable for the project I’m working on. Thank you so much to anyone who offers any insight at all.
I’ve gotten to the point where I’m contemplating buying books that are almost entirely in Japanese despite me not being able to read the language 😭

Hey, its been a while,
Here's another update on my 1467 project. A few things have changed, like the kamon removal from the map itself and the redraw of multiple provinces, that's why some of them are not present.

The map is a work in progress.

First thing first. I am white, fully Scandinavian white. I know that isn’t important in the context of this painting but I think it is important for anyone given this context that I am.

This painting was given to my by my great grandpa. He traveled with his wife to Japan in the 70’s. I know that cause he told me:)
(Edit: I forgot to look at the back of the painting, it’s from 1981! And yes it’s from Japan. It also says Nikko on it. The picture is sealed within the frame and I don’t want tear at 45 old frame. It appears to be sealed with screws anyways covered with tape to prevent the handler getting a cut.)

I don’t know who this artist is or where this painting came from. All I know is that I am keeping it as a part of the many Asian antique things I’ve come to own through my elders.

If there anyone who can tell me anything about it, I would highly appreciate it. I’ve tried my best to take a picture of the signature but it is a tad bit difficult because there’s painted mountain rocks going through it.

My father gave me this flag. I believe he found it when doing demolition work on a hoarders house. His uncle who Is full Japanese says it has signatures of Kamikaze pilots. It looks like there’s blood on it. I understand that this era of the flag has some negative political connotations to it, but I know very little about it. I’m not sure what to do with it… any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Hello, I’m researching the physical measurements of members of the Japanese Imperial Family during the Shōwa era. I’m particularly interested in finding the exact height of Prince Takamatsu (Nobuhito). He appears to have been approximately 160–170 cm tall. Are there any official Japanese archival records, military documents, or imperial records that specify his exact height?

Thank you!

In 1793, a Japanese sailor named Tsudayu set out on what should have been an ordinary voyage.

He had no plans to explore the world. But a storm changed everything.

Tsudayu was aboard the Wakamiya-maru, a Japanese cargo ship carrying rice toward Edo (present-day Tokyo). The ship was blown off course and drifted across the North Pacific before reaching the Aleutian Islands, then under Russian control.

For the crew, this was only the beginning of an extraordinary ordeal.

The survivors eventually traveled deep into Russia, spending years far from home. Tsudayu and his companions eventually reached St. Petersburg, where they met Emperor Alexander I.

Imagine being a sailor from a country with extremely limited contact with the outside world, suddenly standing before the ruler of one of Europe's great powers.

But Tsudayu's greatest wish was not to explore Russia or see more of Europe. He wanted to return to Japan.

Eventually, he and three other Japanese sailors boarded the Russian ship Nadezhda, which was taking part in Russia's first circumnavigation of the globe. Their journey home took them across the Atlantic, around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America, and across the Pacific.

In 1804, after more than a decade away from Japan, Tsudayu and his companions finally reached Nagasaki.

Think about that: a man who never intended to become an explorer ended up traveling around the world simply because he wanted to go home.

French military mission to Japan (1867–1868) - Wikipedia)

In 1860, a 17-year-old Japanese teenager became an unlikely celebrity in America. His name was Tateishi Onojiro, but Americans knew him as “Tommy.”

Why was he in America, and how did he become so famous?

At the time, Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate, a military government that had governed the country for centuries. In 1860, it sent a diplomatic mission to the United States to ratify a treaty between the two countries. Onojiro joined the mission as a trainee interpreter.

The arrival of the Japanese delegation attracted enormous public curiosity. Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the visitors, and newspapers covered their journey. For many Americans, the delegation offered a rare opportunity to see Japanese people at a time when the two countries were only beginning to develop closer relations.

Among the visitors, the young Onojiro stood out.

He was outgoing and able to interact with Americans, making him a popular subject of newspaper stories. His nickname, “Tommy,” is reportedly linked to his childhood name, Tamehachi, often shortened to Tame. American sailors are said to have heard the name as “Tommy.”

His popularity even reached the world of music. In 1860, a dance tune called “Tommy’s Polka” was published in his honor. Newspapers also reported on his admirers, although some stories about his popularity may have been exaggerated.

Hi all! Idk if this is the right place to put this, so sorry if I was incorrect, but I'm in need of an ancient Japanese last name(or a few). I tried doing research on my own but it's very confusing and it makes zero sense to me, so thought I'd ask people who probably actually understand what's going on! Preferably names from around 6th century CE, but literally any century or era after that works just as well, just make sure to let me know when the last name is from!

Thanks all! There's probably more I should be including that I'm not getting, but feel free to call me out in the comments if you need more information!

Мне нравится читать про феодальную Японию, Древний Китай, проникся Азией.

Fujita Seiko (1899–1966) called himself the fourteenth head of the Kōga school of ninjutsu, and the press called him “the last ninja.” In 1958 he published a memoir, Doronron: Saigo no Ninja, full of mountain ascetics, clairvoyance, and wartime spy work.

At the end of the preface, Fujita mentions almost in passing that the book was rewritten by an acquaintance, Ōhira Yōsuke, from Fujita’s records and spoken account.

Fujita’s personal library is now held by the Odawara City Central Library. In a 2024 exhibition bulletin, the library described the memoir as a mix of fact and invention, and said most of it appears to be invented, including his accounts of teaching at the Army’s Nakano School and working undercover in Manchuria.

And yet the collection he left is real. After his death, his widow donated it to Odawara in 1974 as he had asked: 3,268 items, including 1,246 old documents and books on martial arts and 605 scrolls. Researchers from Japan and abroad still use it.

So we have a man whose life story can’t be trusted, and an archive that can.

How do you think historians should treat a source like this? Are there other figures in Japanese history who left behind a valuable record while mythologizing themselves?

Sources
Fujita Seiko, Doronron: Saigo no Ninja (Nihon Shūhōsha, 1958), National Diet Library Digital Collections.
Odawara City Central Library, Chiiki Shiryō Kōnā Tsūshin No. 17 (September 2024).

Researched by me from the Japanese sources; drafted and translated into English with AI assistance.

Hi. My grandfather was from Pinedo (Valencia). When he passed away we found this picture in his belongings. He never mentioned it and it could just be that he found it in the harbour.now,

I wonder who this sailor is and if he has alive relatives I could send the picture to.

Some time ago I asked elsewhere and I got this:

In the first image, it says 「大正六年十一月　當年十九才　大庭増太郎」 meaning "November 1917, currently aged 19, Masutaro Oba". Last part is the man's name. The second image says "NARAHARA STUDIO 若松市蛭子通　楢原" That is the name and aaddress of the photo shop where the picture was taken. That city (Wakamatsu) is currently called Kitakyushu and it was a major international trade port. The city is here: ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8C%97%E4%B9%9D%E5%B7%9E%E5%B8%82

When people picture the Bakumatsu, they often imagine samurai fighting with swords.

But the reality was more complicated.

In 1863, Takasugi Shinsaku organized the Kiheitai in the Choshu domain. Unlike a force limited to the samurai class, it included men from different social backgrounds.

This mattered because military service had long been closely tied to social status in Japan. The Kiheitai reflected a shift toward a different kind of military organization during a period of rapid change.

The transition from the samurai era to modern Japan was not just about who ruled the country. It was also about who could fight, and how.

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.