#Ashikaga shogunate

[redsamuraiii]

The Elusive Samurai (Pending Release Date)

Eight-year-old Tokiyuki Houjou is the next successor of the Kamakura Shogunate, whose life is abruptly turned upside down when Takauji Ashikaga seizes power from the Kamakura, ending their reign. 

Rescued by a self-proclaimed prophetic priest, Tokiyuki manages to escape with his life. Now he must evade those trying to kill him while recruiting comrades who can help him restore the Kamakura Shogunate.

Historically, it takes place many years after Genpei War towards the end of the Kamakura Shogunate and the beginning of the Ashikaga Shogunate during which the warring period of the Sengoku Jidai takes place.

[historybizarre]

Seconds into the first episode of the Netflix anime “Yasuke,” viewers witness a massacre. Hundreds of warriors lie dead near the Honnoji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. The year is 1582, and flames envelop the area surrounding the fallen

Though the Netflix series introduces several mystical elements—including giant flying robots, magical armies and weaponized laser beams—the broad strokes of its depiction of the Honnoji Incident are historically accurate. Yasuke was an African warrior in the employ of Nobunaga, a powerful feudal lord known as the “Great Unifier,” during Japan’s Sengoku period. The first Black samurai, he was at Nobunaga’s side when the daimyo died; according to popular lore, Nobunaga tasked Yasuke with returning his head to his son.

[lightdancer1]

Hino Tomiko was the woman the Ashikaga owed their last traces of longevity to:

Of the three Shogunates, the Minamoto, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa, the Ashikaga were in the long term the least fortunate. But if not for Hino Tomiko their entire dynasty would have fallen sooner than it did. By virtue of a blend of vast effort and being your generic bloodthirsty warlord she was able to keep the dynasty together until she died in 1493, which was when the last aspects of a failing dynasty finally were so dead that not even the most hairsplitting definition of life could be left to it.

Given what an unstable trainwreck the Ashikaga were before her, one can also say that she was the only true Shogun the dynasty produced.

[garalord]

No. I have by no means submitted to a fate of destruction.

This is simply the path to my enlightenment.

All I've done is walk down the path I've chosen for myself, while laughing.

Now, let me ask you, is the path you lot have chosen one that can bring you laughter?

[liminal-lesbian]

my amphibia fic writing superpower is that I can pull a marcy ramble from thin air because i too just ramble about random nerd shit constantly

for example did you know that chinese-north american food is actually very intergral to chinese immigrant histo—

[samurailoveballadhistory]

Rokuon-ji is more famously known as Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion). You can see part of that golden-plated wall behind them.

The game is right in calling the temple “Rokuon-ji”, because the nickname Kinkaku-ji did not come until later.

However, I’m not able to find any description how much gold was actually on this temple during the Sengoku. After Yoshimitsu died, the temple experienced many disasters and had to be rebuilt a few times. Even if Yoshimitsu had originally plated the whole thing in gold to show off his wealth, there’s no telling if it actually looks golden like that during the Sengoku. The current solid gold look was only done in the 1950s.

In the game scene Yoshimitsu, the third shogun, was being described in an oddly negative light for being a prickly snob. I’m not sure what’s this all about, because Yoshimitsu seems to be mostly considered a positive symbol of prosperity and power (Ieyasu’s grandson, Iemitsu, supposedly took his name from Yoshimitsu in hopes that his reign would be just as prosperous).

It’s not wrong that Yoshimitsu is something of a nitpick. He demands strict punctuality (people who came in late to events can and will be kicked out), and regulates a dress code for the vassals. However, his “arrogance” was actually considered a positive assertion of power that was necessary for the time, because shogun Yoshimitsu ruled in the time of the North and South Court. It’s a messy situation where the imperial court split into two, and there were two emperors enthroned in two palaces, who are both claiming the other one is not legitimate. Yoshimitsu then rose up to become a successful ruler, and even received the acknowledgement of “the true ruler of Japan” from the Ming imperial court.

It’s similar to how the game constantly portrays Nobunaga’s “viciousness” as “necessary evil”, and his success in being a “conqueror” was seen as something that was good for the nation. 

Perhaps the writer saw that some officials at the time had accused Yoshimitsu for being biased towards those who are in power, and not so kind towards the “weak”, so they latched on that and created an image of an unwise or even corrupt shogun. (I personally withhold judgement for now, because of lack of context or details.)  

They contrasted Yoshimitsu to the eighth shogun Yoshimasa, who was the one who built the much more humble-looking Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion). Yoshimasa was the shogun who reigned during and after the Onin War, when the shogunate more or less lost its power. Rather than being “kind”, some people viewed Yoshimasa’s mild personality as weakness, due to his lack of strength and authority compared to his predecessors.

Both Yoshimitsu and Yoshimasa were men of culture, but the difference is that Yoshimitsu represents glamour and glory, while Yoshimasa is somewhat more associated with humility. I guess the writer is aiming to highlight Kenshin’s gentleness by comparing him with Yoshimasa (which the writer described positively), but it looks more of a something based on and aimed for a modern perspective rather than something that was written to fit the time period of the setting.

[diversamenteintelligente]

(via KYOTO (the third day - idiosincrasia e gialli ombrelli)

Si può essere felici per così poco ed essere tremendamente baka? Sì, si può!

[gleaningsinbuddhafields]

The Five Mountains System in Medieval Japan

In a recent post I talked about how Zen imported from Song-Dynasty China found patronage with the elite samurai families of the city of Kamakura. Sometimes this was due to the cultural prestige of Zen among “country bumpkin samurai”, but also the new Zen monastic community drew sincere students as well, helping it take root. Zen still had a very small presence, compared to other Buddhist…

[noticiasarquelogicasjaponesas]

Sean bienvenidos japonistasarqueologicos a una nueva entrega, esta ocasión os hablaré del castillo de Takeda dicho esto pongase comodo que empezamos. - El castillo, se localiza en la ciudad de Asago, prefectura de Hyogo, data del siglo XV del periodo Muromachi, en este periodo podemos encontrar el clan del shogun Ashikaga, fue construido por Sozen Yamana, el daimyo de la provincia. - Entre sus Restos podemos encontrar : Muros de piedra, fosos, pozos , también fue escenario de la batalla entre el ejército de Hidenaga Hashiba y el ejército de Terunobu Otagaki. - ¿Dónde se localiza el castillo Takeda? Se localiza en el monte Kojo, Oda Nobunaga derrotó al castillo con su ejército en varias ocasiones en el siglo XVI, mientras que Hideyoshi Hashiba tomaba el castillo de Ueda, su hermano pequeño Hidenaga Hashiba condujo a 3000 soldados al castillo de Takeda y marchó desde el paso de Mayumi hasta Tajima , el 28 de octubre de 1600 el castillo takeda fue abandonado. - Espero que os haya gustado y nos vemos en próximas publicaciones de Japón que pasen una buena semana. - 日本の考古学者を歓迎します。今回は竹田城についてお話ししますので、楽にしていてください。 - 兵庫県朝来市にあるこの城は、15世紀の室町時代に遡り、この時代には将軍足利氏の一族を見出すことができ、県内大名の山名宗全が築城したものである。 - 羽柴秀長軍と太田垣輝信軍の戦いの舞台にもなった。 - 竹田城はどこにあるのですか？古城山に位置し、16世紀には織田信長が何度も軍を率いて城を破り、羽柴秀吉が上田城を手に入れる一方、弟の羽柴秀長が3000人の兵を率いて竹田城に入り、真弓峠から但馬に進軍、1600年10月28日に竹田城は放棄された。 - また、次の記事でお会いしましょう。 - Welcome Japanese archaeologists to a new installment, this time I will tell you about Takeda Castle, so make yourself comfortable and let's get started. - The castle, located in the city of Asago, Hyogo prefecture, dates back to the 15th century Muromachi period, in this period we can find the clan of the shogun Ashikaga, it was built by Sozen Yamana, the daimyo of the province. - Among its remains we can find: stone walls, moats, wells, it was also the scene of the battle between the army of Hidenaga Hashiba and the army of Terunobu Otagaki. - Where is Takeda Castle located? It is located on Mount Kojo, Oda Nobunaga defeated the castle with his army several times in the 16th century, while Hideyoshi Hashiba took Ueda castle, his younger brother Hidenaga Hashiba led 3000 soldiers to Takeda castle and marched from Mayumi pass to Tajima, on 28 October 1600 Takeda castle was abandoned. - I hope you liked it and see you in the next Japan posts have a nice week.

[seat-safety-switch]

Storybooks like to tell these ridiculous fables of children who got abandoned in the jungle and were raised by wolves. That’s preposterous. Children raise themselves unless you keep a really good eye on them. Look, I was raised by human beings and I’m barely one step back from feral. Nurture is critically important for the development of kids, and that’s why I like to provide what the experts call a “high-enrichment environment” for the neighbourhood just-barely-fetuses.

Decades ago, kids got into way more trouble. Farmers had no convenient metal recycling and would leave sharp and rusty implements lying in their fields, ready for their progeny (and their progeny’s flunky friends) to play with. There was more stuff in general; now, a smartphone has replaced fully four-fifths of the cool old garbage that accidental garage fires used to be started with. Now, the long arm of the law gets really mad if there’s too much cool trash lying around. What are kids gonna play with? Sticks?

Enter me. Or to be more accurate, my pile of garbage that is slowly overflowing into the public domain. My fence broke again, you see, and since the landlord is probably being eaten by coconut crabs in whatever tropical country he didn’t come back from “vacation” in, I don’t expect it to get fixed any time soon. What this means for the neighbourhood children is that the alleys and sidewalks are full of cool old stuff. Entire payphones. Small two-stroke gasoline engines. I’m pretty sure I saw a wakizashi from the Ashikaga shogunate lying around the other day. You’re not gonna find that in your after-school CD-ROM, kids.

Will these children turn out to be tomorrow’s future engineers, inventors, and jobless, disaffected burnouts crudely constructing bastardized cars commemorating the sunset of American civilization? I sure hope so, and I’d like to take just a little bit of credit for doing so. If even one future Chrysler cooling-system engineer writes down on their memoirs that it was my fault they made a go-kart out of leftover marine batteries and a rewound Taurus alternator and maimed two of their friends, then I’ve done my part to further humanity.

[whencyclopedia]

Shogun

The shoguns of medieval Japan were military dictators who ruled the country via a feudal system where a vassal's military service and loyalty was given in return for a lord's patronage. Established as an institution by the first shogun proper, Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1192 CE, the shoguns would rule for seven centuries until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 CE. The position of shogun was held by members of certain families which gave their names to two of the three successive shogunate governments (bakufu): the Ashikaga Shogunate (r. 1338-1573 CE) and Tokugawa Shogunate (r. 1603-1868 CE). In the case of the first shogunate, the capital gave its name to the government: the Kamakura Shogunate (r. 1192-1333 CE). The other shogunates may also be referred to by their capitals: Muromachi (Ashikaga Shogunate), an area of Heiankyo/Kyoto, and Edo (Tokugawa Shogunate), the original name of Tokyo.

Continue reading...

[monikatouhou]

A funny thing with fiction based on history is that i know this kid is gonna die in 20 years or so (by beheading) and that the ashikaga shogunate will rule japan for the following centuries

[redsamuraiii]

After watching numerous Historical Taiga Drama (Period Drama), and put the pieces together, now it makes sense.

After the 14th Ashikaga Shogun was killed, there wasn't any Shogun, throwing the country into civil war (Sengoku Jidai).

Oda Nobunaga decides to install the 15th Ashikaga Shogun, only in name, to use him as a puppet to conquer Japan by his name.

No lords dare oppose him, thinking that Oda has the blessing of the Shogun, so anyone who oppose the Shogun is a traitor.

Many clans were defeated or subjugated, including Tokugawa, which end up becoming a vassal of Oda.

Takeda Shingen sees through Oda's lies and declares war, causing other surviving clans to uprise against Oda.

Oda was cornered until Shingen dies abruptly, turning the tide of the war, which eventually lead to Takeda clan decline.

Shortly after, Uesugi Kenshin, the last one standing that Oda considers to be a formidable foe, also dies mysteriously.

With Shingen and Kenshin dead, Oda finally dared to kick the Shogun out of the capital to seize control of the country himself.

Akechi Mitsuhide, who has been serving the Shogun now pledge himself to Oda, abandoning the Shogun, or so it seems.

Akechi is aware of the surviving clans of Tokugawa, Sanada, Uesugi began to communicate in secrecy.

But Akechi kept to himself as he does not trust Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a loyal servant to Oda Nobunaga.

Oda send Hideyoshi to finish off the Shogun's supporters in the west, where the Shogun had ran to seek refuge.

Oda send Akechi to support Hideyoshi but Akechi decides to betray him and kill Oda, paving way for Tokugawa in the future.

Hideyoshi returns from the west to the capital to eradicate Akechi, his clan and supporters, while Tokugawa laid low.

Years later, after Hideyoshi dies, Tokugawa finally made his power move to unify the country, and Sekigahara takes place.

Tokugawa decides to eradicate the entire Toyotomi clan and siege Osaka, wanting to end the endless civil war once and for all.

The new Shogunate is established with him being the 1st Tokugawa Shogun, after the previous Ashikaga Shogun.

Japan has over 200 years of peace, before the America and the Europeans showed up with their mighty naval fleet and canons.

Japan is divided into two, the Shogunate that kowtow to the westerners, and the Emperor who rejects the westerners.

Boshin War broke out between the Shogunate and the Imperial (Emperor), to decide the fate of the country.

It's a long, long, long history. This is just the gist of it. Who says "tv shows" aren't educational eh?

It may not be 100% accurate as dramas are meant to dramatized real life events for our viewing pleasure.

But it does spark one interest to actually read the history to know in detailed of what really happened.

[tokidokitokyo]

栃木県

Japanese Prefectures: Kantō - Tochigi

都道府県 (とどうふけん) - Prefectures of Japan

Learning the kanji and a little bit about each of Japan’s 47 prefectures!

Kanji・漢字

栃　とち　horse chestnut

木　き、こ～、ボク、モク　tree, wood

県　ケン　prefecture

関東　かんとう　Kanto, region consisting of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures

Prefectural Capital (県庁所在地) : Utsunomiya (宇都宮市)

One of only eight land-locked prefectures in Japan, Tochigi prefecture is famous for gyoza and strawberries. It is also home to Japan's oldest school of higher education, the Ashikaga Gakkō, and is home to the Tōshō-gū shrine, dedicated to the shogun who unified Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, in the city of Nikkō.

Tochigi lies just north of Tokyo, and is accessible in less than an hour by bullet train. Nasu is the location of one of the imperial family's villas, and hot springs near Nasu and Shiobara mountains are popular resort spots. In the southeast of Tochigi, the town of Mashiko is renowned for its simple but highly prized ceramics.

Recommended Tourist Spot・おすすめ観光スポット World Heritage Site Nikkō Tōshōgū - 世界遺産・日光東照宮

Nikkō is closely associated with Tokugawa Ieyasu, who unified the country after a century of warfare and founded the Tokugawa shogunate. Ieyasu retired and then passed away in present-day Shizuoka Prefecture, and was laid to rest at Kunōzan. In 1617, his remains were moved to Nikkō and he was deified as the protector of the eight Kantō provinces.

Ieyasu’s remains were reinterred at the temple Rinnōji in Nikkō, and his successor Hidetada erected the Tōshōsha in his honor. The third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu had great respect for Ieyasu and ordered the original shrine renovated, having the country’s most skilled artisans create the richly decorated buildings that stand today. The work was completed in 1636, and nine years later the imperial court bestowed the name Tōshōgū on the shrine.

Nikkō Tōshōgū boasts eight buildings designated as national treasures and thirty-four structures selected as important cultural properties. Some of these impressive cultural properties include the 9.2-meter-tall stone torii marking the entrance and the five-storied pagoda nearby, as well as the Yōmeimon, a richly decorated gate with over 500 carvings depicting fables and saints. This magnificent gate holds an ancient superstition, which said that completing it might lead to the collapse of the Tokugawa regime. To avoid this, the builders installed one of the twelve supporting pillars upside down, thus insuring that it remained incomplete.

For more photos and information check out: nippon.com

Regional Cuisine - 郷土料理 Gyoza Dumpling - 餃子

A statue of the goddess Venus wrapped in gyoza skin outside Utsunomiya Station (source)

“Utsunomiya Gyoza” is an important part of the culinary culture of Utsunomiya City. The city has over 300 gyoza restaurants, and queuing in front of your favorite restaurant or visiting multiple restaurants is quite common. The restaurants compete to create unique recipes in order to be recognized as the best gyoza in the city. You can even join gyoza-making classes led by top chefs. There is also a gyoza association called the Utsunomiya Gyozakai that holds an annual festival in the beginning of November.

Tochigi Dialect・Tochigi-ben・栃木弁

こわい　kowai　tired

「とうと登ってたっけ、こわいから座ってもいいけ？」 touto nobottetakke, kowai kara suwatte mo iike?

Standard Japanese: 「ずっと登ってたし、疲れたから座ってもいい？」 (zutto nobottetashi, tsukareta kara suwatte mo ii?)

English: "I've been climbing for a while now, and I'm tired, so can I sit down?"

いかんべ　ikanbe　it's good

A: 「こんなもんで、いがっぺ？」 (konna mon de, igappe?) B: 「いかんべ。」 (ikanbe)

Standard Japanese: A: 「こんなもんで、いいでしょう？」 (konna mon de, ii deshou?) B: 「いいですよ。」 (ii desu yo)

English: A: "Is it okay if I do it like this?" B: "Yes, that's fine."

いじやける　ijiyakeru　irritated

「あの店員の態度、すげ～いじやける！」 (ano tenin no taido, suge～ijiyakeru!)

Standard Japanese: 「あの店員の態度、凄くイライラする！」 (ano tenin no taido, sugoku iraira suru!)

English: "That store clerk's attitude, is so irritating!"

だいじだ　daiji　no problem

A: 「だいじ？」　(daiji?) B: 「だいじだいじ！」　(daiji daiji!)

Standard Japanese: A: 「大丈夫？」　(daijyoubu?) B: 「大丈夫、大丈夫！」　(daijyoubu, daijyoubu!)

English: A: "Is it ok?" B: "No problem, no problem!"

あかなす　akanasu　tomato (lit. red eggplant)

Standard Japanese: トマト (tomato) English: tomato

[archiveikemen]

archiveikemen’s Ikemen Genjiden Glossary

⚠️ Please note that this glossary applies to THIS BLOG ONLY. Other translators will have their own ways to translating some terms and I respect their choices. DO NOT USE THIS AS A REPLACEMENT FOR AN ACTUAL JAPANESE DICTIONARY.

This post will be updated regularly, whenever I encounter a new term or I recall one.

Seriously, don’t use this as a dictionary. I’m not responsible if you fail your JLPT or something.

LAST UPDATE: 13 JULY 2024

Yokai Names

九尾の狐 (kyuubi no kitsune) — Nine-Tailed Fox

妖狐 (youko) — Fox Spirit

⤷ Both refer to the same suitor, Tamamo.

酒呑童子 (shuten douji) — A mythical Oni & Demon King

⤷ Refers to Ibuki.

鴉天狗 (karasu tengu) — Crow Tengu

⤷ Refers to Kurama.

雪女郎 (yukijorou) — Snow Woman, Snow-Type Ayakashi

⤷ Refers to Rikka.

八岐大蛇 (yamata no orochi) — Eight-Headed Serpent

People and Places

大倉幕府 (ookura bakufu) — Okura Shogunate

鎌倉幕府 (kamakura bakufu) — Kamakura Shogunate

幕府 (bakufu) — Shogunate

⤷ All refer to the same thing: Yoritomo’s Shogunate.

反乱軍 (hanran gun) — Rebel Army

⤷ Refers to Yoshitsune’s army / faction.

御所 (gosho) — Palace / Shogun’s Residence

⤷ Refers to either Yoritomo’s residence or Akihito’s palace. The term is commonly understood to mean "palace” as in 京都 御所 (Kyoto Imperial Palace). However, the SHOGUN did not live in actual castles or palaces until the Ashikaga Shogunate built the 花の御所. Instead, the Kamakura Shogunate (Minamoto Clan) lived in luxurious villas. To avoid confusion, I will be referring to Yoritomo's residence in Genjiden as the "palace” and Akihito’s palace in Kyoto as specifically “imperial palace” in my translations.

館 (yakata) — Manor

⤷ E.g. Yoshitsune’s residence

屋敷 (yashiki) — Mansion

⤷ E.g. Yasuchika’s residence, Kagetoki’s residence.

Others

陰陽術 (onmyou jutsu) — Onmyō Magic

黄泉 (yomi) — Underworld

[yamayuandadu]

Are there any other surviving Onmyōji clans other than Tsuchimikado and Kadenokōji? And which one of the other famous Onmyōji other than Abe and Kamo?

There aren’t all that many famous onmyōji who wouldn’t be Abe or Kamo or their descendants. Kibi no Makibi despite being portrayed as an onmyōji in fiction as early as in the late Heian period actually had nothing to do with onmyōdō in reality, Chitoku, Hōdō Shonin and Kiichi Hōgen are fictional characters, Dōman is likely based on a real person but one who we know next to nothing about. The non-Kamo non-Abe Heian period historical onmyōji, like Koremune no Fumitaka, Shigeoka no Kawahito or Yuge no Koreo didn’t really attain much fame as legendary characters (though this does not mean legends about them don’t exist, or that they were not historically notable), and they didn’t come from families specifically associated with onmyōdō.

The Kamo and the Abe were essentially the only clans to hold major hereditary positions in the onmyōdō bureau in the long run and the Kadenokōji, Kōtokui and Tsuchimikado who shared a similar distinction later descend directly from them. The Tsuchimikado family still exists. They are involved in the Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto. However, while it contains some elements of onmyōdō, it was originally formed essentially as a typical mid-Edo example of practical application of the ideas of intellectual movements focused on constructing a new version of Shinto. The Kadenokōji effectively ceased to exist by the end of the sixteenth century. Their Kamo forerunners were already losing ground as early as during the reign of Go-Shirakawa, who favored the Abe clan; so did the Ashikaga shoguns. There’s an unrelated family sharing the Kadenokōji name which instead descends from the Karasumaru, a branch of the Fujiwara; pretty sure the modern bearers of the name are more likely to be their descendants. 

The Kōtokui, who are sort of complicated (they descended from an Abe side branch whose head was adopted by Kamo) were still around in the early Edo period. They resided in Nara. They feuded with the Tsuchimikado through the mid to late 1600s but eventually their position declined and if Japanese wikipedia is to be believed their further history is effectively unknown.

In the Edo period the number of onmyōji grew considerably but it’s hard to really speak of new “onmyōdō clans” other because aside from the Tsuchimikado clan keeping their hereditary posts, onmyōdō became a matter of paying for a permit. The new regulations outright prohibited the inheritance of the status of onmyōji. A child of a non-Tsuchimikado onmyōji could only follow in their parent’s footsteps if they purchased their own license. Tsuchimikado extended their influence by asserting that other types of diviners, religious personnel and even entertainers should operate based on the same permits as onmyōji.