Definitions by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫
Kami
Kami are any of the sacred beings worshiped in Shintoism, conceived as spirits abiding in natural phenomena and sometimes in people with extraordinary qualities.
Kami by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 25, 2011
Fumi-e
Japanese flat image of a Christian symbol, usually the crucifixion, designed to be stepped on. Suspected Christians were required to step on the representation of Jesus or the Virgin Mary to prove that they were not believers. At one point in Japan, Christians were persecuted by the Shogunate, because the Japanese feared that the influence of Christianity would make Japan too westernized. To be a Shintoist was to be loyal to Japan.
(fumi 'stepping-on' + e 'picture')
(fumi 'stepping-on' + e 'picture')
Fumi-e is pronounced "foo-mee-EH."
Fumi-e by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 25, 2011
Shamisen
A Japanese stringed instrument resembling a banjo with a long neck and three strings and a fretted fingerboard and a rectangular soundbox; played with a plectrum.
Shamisen by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 25, 2011
Atakebune
Large Japanese vessels which were used mainly for transporting supplies and troops to Korea. They were more functional as floating fortresses than actual warships. Due to their V-shaped bottoms, these ships could cut sharply through water currents and move at much greater speeds than any Korean warship. But what they gained in speed, they lost in durability.
Using a lighter type of wood, the Japanese, were able to mass-produce a large number of Atakebune ships in record timing. Given the speed and numbers of the Japanese military, Korea didn’t stand a chance when 400 vessels suddenly appeared on the shores of Busan in 1592.
Atakebune by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 25, 2011
Tokugawa Ieyasu
One of the most significant figures in Japanese history, Ieyasu was a warrior, statesman and founder of the Tokugawa dynasty of shoguns. Tokugawa Ieyasu was born Matsudaira Takechiyo in 1542, son of the lord of the province of Mikawa. At the time of his birth, Japan was convulsed by civil war, with violent feuds between territorial lords which had lasted for nearly a century. When he was four Ieyasu was sent as a hostage to secure an alliance between his clan and the neighbouring Imagawa clan. He was raised at their court and given the education suitable for a nobleman. In 1567 Ieyasu, whose father's death had left him as leader of the Matsudaira, allied with Oda Nobunaga, a powerful neighbour. It was at this time that he changed his name from Matsudaira to Tokugawa, which was the name of the area from which his family originated. He also changed his personal name to Ieyasu, so he was now known as Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu spent the next decade-and-a-half campaigning with Nobunaga while expanding his own influence and wealth. He had by now gained a considerable military reputation.
When Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582, Tokugawa Ieyasu acquired more territory, and allied with Nobunaga's successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi sent Ieyasu to govern lands in the east of Japan, attempting to contain his growing independence. Ieyasu made his headquarters at the small port of Edo (where Tokyo now stands). When Hideyoshi died campaigning in Korea, Ieyasu became one of the guardians of his young son. The leading military figures in Japan now began to scheme against each other and civil war again broke out. Another of the advisers appointed by Hideyoshi was Ishisa Mitsunari, and it was he who formed the Western Army against Ieyasu. In 1600 Ieyasu defeated the Western Army in the decisive battle of Sekigahara, thereby achieving supremacy in Japan. In 1603 Emperor Go-Yozei, ruler only in name, gave Ieyasu the historic title of shogun (military governor) to confirm his pre-eminence. Japan was now united under Ieyasu's control. He worked hard to restore stability to Japan and encouraged foreign trade, which included the exchange of gifts with James I of England and other European rulers. It was only later, under Ieyasu's successors, that Japan effectively isolated itself from foreign contact. Ieyasu died on 17 April 1616. He was later deified and his mausoleum at Nikko became one of the most important shrines in Japan.
Tokugawa Ieyasu by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 24, 2011
Shinsengumi
The Shinsengumi was a band of warriors dedicated to protecting the Shogun. Saito Hajime was a well known Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who most famously served as the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi.
Shinsengumi by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 24, 2011