Japanese literature: Did you mean...?

This ancient Japanese incense burner has a lion-shaped weight at the end of its handle. It was cast in bronze and dates from the 8th century CE during the Nara period in Japanese history. (Tokyo National Museum)

The samurai (also bushi) were a class of warriors that arose in the 10th century in Japan and which performed military service until the 19th century. Elite and highly-trained soldiers adept at using both the bow and sword, the samurai were...

In which John Green teaches you about Homer's Odyssey. If it was Homer's If Homer was even real. Anyway, that stuff doesn't really matter. John teaches you the classic, by which I mean classical, epic poem, the Odyssey. The Journey of Odysseus...

In which John Green teaches you about one of the least family-friendly family dramas in the history of family dramas, Oedipus Rex. Sophocles' most famous play sees it's main character, who seems like he's got it all together, find out that...

Dig into the historic injustice of Japanese American incarceration camps, also known as internment camps, during World War II. On December 7, 1941, 16 year-old Aki Kurose shared in the horror of millions of Americans when Japanese planes...

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...

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 is a portion of the "Bussetsu zoho ketsugi kyo," which was a sutra copied by hand in ink on paper in 12th-century CE Japan. (Tokyo National Museum)

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...

Made of wood with polychrome, cut gold leaf, and crystal eyes, this is one of the most remarkable statues from ancient Japan. The ink inscription eclosed in the statue of Bishamon Ten (Vaisravana) reveals that it was dedicated on the seventh...