Japanese history: Did you mean...?

This is one of 60 scrolls from a transcription of the "Avatamsaka Sutra." Ruled lines in gold pigment segment the paper, which is decorated with flakes of god. At some point, the top and bottom of this scroll were burnt in a fire with the...

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598 CE) was a Japanese military leader who, along with his predecessor Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582 CE) and his successor Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616 CE), is credited with unifying Japan in the 16th century CE. Hideyoshi...

The 'Tale of the Genji' or Genji Monogatari, written in the 11th century CE by Murasaki Shikibu, a court lady, is Japan's oldest novel and possibly the first novel in world literature. The classic of Japanese literature, the work describes...

Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-1651) governed Japan as the third shogun of the Edo period. He implemented a number of important policies that not only consolidated his family's hold on power but also greatly impacted Japanese society for several...

This large block comes from the ruins of Tosaka-dera (Takaidahaiji) in Osaka, Japan. It dates from the Asuka period or the Nara period in Japanese history, which overlapped with the 7th and 8th century CE. (Tokyo National Museum)

This ridge-end tile is from the former Fuchidaka Temple site in Aichi, Japan. It dates from the 8th century CE, which corresponds to the Nara period in Japanese history. (Tokyo National Museum)

These beads come from Japan and date from the Kofun period (250-538 CE) in Japanese history. In the Kofun Period beads of various shapes and materials were worn as fashion accessories, used in rituals, and buried in tombs. They include, for...

A traditional hearth in a Japanese home.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony.

A traditional Japanese tea room with tatami matting, caligraphy hanging scroll and a single vase of flowers. The hearth is set into the floor on the left.