Minamoto no yoshitsune: Did you mean...?

The Muromachi Period (Muromachi Jidai, 1333-1573 CE) refers to the period of Japanese medieval history when the Ashikaga shogun capital was located in the Muromachi area of Heiankyo (Kyoto). Replacing the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333...

The Pillow Book (Makura no Soshi) is a personalised account of life at the Japanese court by Sei Shonagon which she completed c. 1002 CE during the Heian Period. The book is full of humorous observations (okashi) written in the...

Insei or 'cloistered government' describes the strategy of emperors during the late Heian Period (794-1185 CE) in ancient Japan where they abdicated in favour of a chosen heir yet still ruled in some capacity...

A 16th century CE print showing a samurai on horseback. From the Night Attack on Yoshitsune.

The Hetsunomiya Shrine is one of several ancient shrines located on the island of Enoshima, which is just offshore from Kamakura, Japan. It was founded by Minamoto no Sanetomo in 1206 CE. Here, visitors pay their respect...

Paul Varley, who passed away in 2015, was a professor of Japanese history at Columbia University for many years before coming to the University of Hawai’i. He specialized in the Kamakura and Muromachi...