Kabuto-Botoke (Helmet Buddha) Legend Prologue (Excerpt from "Helmet Buddha Legend") The Helmet Buddha, or Kabutobotoke, is a deity our ancestors carried into battle within their helmets. This legend, handed down in the Kawamura family of Kanaya Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, was the starting p..

Kabuto-Botoke (Helmet Buddha) Legend Prologue (Excerpt from "Helmet Buddha Legend") The Helmet Buddha, or Kabutobotoke, is a deity our ancestors carried into battle within their helmets. This legend, handed down in the Kawamura family of Kanaya Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, was the starting p..

The W…

(Photo from "Bakumatsu Japan Illustrated" by Emile Amblard) The tea and the sword 13 Perri is in Hakodate. Following the treaty, he is immersed in a sense of satisfaction. He continues to survey and explore, investigating the state of Japan in preparation for trade and war. After Per..

(Photo: Ryoma Sakamoto) The tea and the sword 12 Culture is the essence of elegance. The end of the Edo period in Japan coincided with the American Westward Expansion and the Civil War era. The comportment of the samurai was far more refined than that of the Americans of the time. Ho..

(Pictured is Takasugi Shinsaku) The tea and the sword 11 Sugizo, journey forth. With the moon so pale and the wind crisp, Ascend the horse and travel three hundred leagues, For a dozen or so days. There should be wine to drink, And poems to compose. This was the preface written by ..

(The photograph depicts the Shōka Sonjuku) The tea and the sword 10 The forbidden allure. The young men of Hagi must have been drawn to Yoshida Shōin, as if they were compelled to touch the blade of a Japanese sword, gleaming blue and dangerously enticing. For this reason, their pare..

(The photo is of Shimoda Heigyu Prison Ruins) The tea and the sword 9 The tale of Yoshida Shōin's clandestine voyage is extensively documented in "Admiral Perry's Expedition to Japan." A considerable amount of ink has been spent on it. Shōin's audacity must have left a striking impressi..

(The image is of the flagship 'Susquehanna' ) The tea and the swords 8 In the seventh year of Kaei, American sailors stroll through Shimoda in spring, a privilege granted by the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan. Shadowed by Matsushin and his admirer, Shige..

(The photograph shows Yoshida Shoin) The tea and the sword 7 The modern tea industry in Japan was pioneered by swordsmen. Therefore, in order to understand the establishment of the modern tea industry, it is necessary to understand what the end of the Edo period was like, how the swords..

(The image is of British Minister Rutherford Alcock) The tea and the sword 6 We've strayed far from the topic of tea, but having introduced "The Expedition of Commodore Perry to China Seas and Japan" yesterday, I would like to continue by excerpting records from foreigners who visited Jap..

(The photograph is of Commodore Matthew Perry) The tea and the sword 5 Though we are jumping back in time, it is worth noting that even Commodore Matthew Perry, who arrived in Japan in the 6th year of Kaei, praised the conduct of the samurai. 'The officers and sailors aboard (the Americ..

(Photo: Bunkyū European diplomatic mission, wiki) The tea and the sword 4 Having digressed quite a bit from the topic of tea, let's further explore the state of affairs in the final days of the shogunate. In the first year of Bunkyū (1861), under the guidance of British Minister Rutherf..

(Photo: Hirobumi Ito, the first Prime Minister of Japan) The tea and the sword 3 In every age, it is the radical youth, who some might call rash, that bring about change in the world. Whether the radicals are right, or the conservatives are, it is for history to decide. Those who lived in ..

(The photograph shows Yoshida Shoin and Hashimoto Sanai) The tea and the sword 2 Chapter 1, Section 2 During his months of study in Tokyo, Sōhei received news of his younger brother Orihei's death. Like those who die young, Orihei had been pure and exceptional, a fact evident to an..

(Photo: Twelfth g…

A Confe…