Ashikaga Takauji: Did you mean...?

The Japanese Tea Ceremony (chanoyu or chado) is a cultural tradition involving very particular places, procedures, and equipment for drinking green tea. Originating as a habit of Chinese Buddhist monks to aid their meditation, tea-drinking...

Ryoanji (Ryōan-ji) is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan which is today most famous for its Zen rock garden with its enigmatic arrangement of stones. Founded in the 15th century CE, the temple is one of the most visited tourist spots in...

Daily life in medieval Japan (1185-1606 CE) was, for most people, the age-old struggle to put food on the table, build a family, stay healthy, and try to enjoy the finer things in life whenever possible. The upper classes had better and more...

Tea, still probably the world's most popular prepared beverage, was first drunk by Chinese monks to aid meditation and those who valued its medicinal qualities, but it quickly grew in popularity, spreading to other East Asian cultures, especially...

The history of green tea in Japan goes back to the 8th century when it was a popular stimulant for meditating monks. In this article, we examine tea's origins and cultivation, how it became an integral part of Japanese culture, the symbolism...

Kinkakuji Temple or the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" was constructed in the 1390s CE as the retirement palace for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (r. 1368–1394 CE). It is surrounded by the waters of a calm pond, tea houses, and gardens. It...

Kinkakuji Temple or the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" was constructed in the 1390s CE as the retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (r. 1368–1394 CE). It is comprised of a three-story pavilion — covered in luxurious gold leaf...

The Togudo Hall, Ginkaku-ji. It was originally the private residence of the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (l. 1436-1490 CE, r. 1449-1474 CE). Built in the late 15th century CE, the hall contains the oldest surviving example of a tea ceremony...

Kinkakuji Temple or the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" was constructed in the 1390s CE as the retirement villa for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (r. 1368–1394 CE). While Japan suffered warfare, plague, deteriorating economic conditions, and...

Kinkakuji Temple or the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" was constructed in the 1390s CE as the retirement palace for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (r. 1368–1394 CE). It is surrounded by the waters of a calm pond, which contain several islands...