Daimyo: Did you mean...?

The two Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592 and 1598 CE, otherwise known as the 'Imjin Wars', saw Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598 CE), the Japanese military leader, put into reality his long-held plan to...

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...

Statue of Katō Kiyomasa, photograph by Jan van der Crabben, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, September 2025. Katō Kiyomasa (1562-1611) was a Japanese daimyō in the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was granted half...

The Ariake Sea and Yushima at Hara Castle, photograph by Matthew Allison, 4 October 2025. Hara Castle, Minamishimabara, sits on the coastline of the Ariake Sea, as photographed above. It was along this shoreline...

Katō Kiyomasa, portrait by Kondō Shōsen, Meiji to Showa era (19th to 20th century). Kiyomasa (1562-1611), a daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods, is depicted as a fierce general with a warrior-like beard and...

Feudal Japan Medieval Regent Figurehead Shinto Clan Court Zen Buddhism Daimyo Samurai Shogun Bushido Ronin Wako Kana system Za Kamikaze

The Sengoku Period (Sengoku Jidai, 1467-1568 CE), also known as the Warring States Period, was a turbulent and violent period of Japanese history when rival warlords or daimyo fought bitterly for control of Japan...