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Sword (Unsheathed) Author Takao Kawamura (22 years old）

(Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu) Sword (Unsheathed) Takao Kawamura（22 years old） That night, The petals of the cherry blossoms on the other shore were falling. There was no moon. Along the mountain path that continued to climb, pale cherry blossom lights were lit here and there, and where the..

The Flying Dragon Sword

(The Certificate of License - The Transmission of the Flying Dragon Sword) The Flying Dragon Sword It's about the time when my great-grand…

佐藤泰志（Yasushi Sato）

佐藤泰志（Yasushi Sato） One autumn evening, upon my return, A Tokyo journalist awaited concern. Writing a biography, they sou…

Anomalocaris

Anoma…

The melancholy of the owner of a cultural property building

Dinner hosted by the Ambassador of Chile

Kawamura Sōhei

The Air Raid Shelter

(F6F) The Air Raid Shelter Within the designated cultural asset, the Kawamura Residence, Enclosed by stone walls, a higher section in prominence. At its core stands a rice s…

Kanda River

(Photo from my Hokkaido University days) Kanda River Upon hearing the news of Namie Amuro's retirement, I recalled the songs of my youthful fire, the sentiment. …

Nothing to Sell, Nothing to Buy

Nothing to Sell, No…

Concealed Blades on the Wall

( Bizen Osafune Nagamitsu) Concealed Blades on the Wall After my parents' passing, …

Kabuto-Botoke (Helmet Buddha)

( Articles I contributed to newspapers ) Kabuto-Botoke (Helmet Buddha) In a shrine's grand altar, nestled inside a small altar, there sat a tiny Buddha. A three-centimeter statue of the Buddha, known as "Kabuto-Botoke" as my grandmother had told me, fought battles enclosed within the hel..

Blue Hour

( Articles I contributed to newspapers ) Blue Hour I witness the fleeting moment of dawn because I rise early. It's a brief period when everything is dyed cobalt blue. Between night and morning, a sudden otherworldly presence emerges, bathed in a blue light. If someone stands there, they..

Yamaoka Tesshu's Wooden Fan 9 (About Tokugawa Yoshinobu)

Yamaoka Tesshu's Wooden Fan 9 (About Tokugawa Yoshinobu) The day before yesterday, upon uploading a wedding photo of my uncle (Ozeki Masao) at the Fugetsuro, I was reminded of "Tokugawa Yoshinobu Household Daily Diary," which detailed the life of Lord Tokugawa Yoshinobu who resided in the F..

Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden Fan 8

(The following photo) Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden Fan 8 Far Left: Ozeki Kuniho (Former Vice-Chancellor of Hirosaki University, Gran…

Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 7 (Final Episode)

(Photograph: The wedding ceremony of my great-grandfather's eldest son and Ichimatsu Ishii's eldest daughter,…

Yamaoka Tesshū wooden Fan 6

(Pictured: The license for the Shingyo tou-ryu sword technique that Kojiro Kawamura received from Katsutaro Kageakira Chujo) Yamaoka Tesshū…

Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 5

(Pictured: Yamaoka Tesshū) Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 5 To understand the magnitude of Yamaoka Tesshū's persona, this episode should suffice. When Katsu Kaishu decided on the peaceful surrender of Edo, Tesshū made his way to inform Saigo Takamori, the commander of the vanguard on the To..

Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 4

(The photo here is of Katsu Kaishu) Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 4 In the shadows of the people surrounding Yamaoka Tesshu, one can occasionally spot the figure of the great man, Katsu Kaishu. Katsu Kaishu learned swordsmanship from sword masters such as Otani Seiichiro and Shimada Toranos..

The story of Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 3

(Pictured here is a tsuba, verified as an authentic piece from Aizu Shōami) The story of Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 3 Izan Shinjiro Tsumimasu is known as the calligraphy teacher to Katsu Kaishu, Yamaoka Tesshu, and Takahashi Deishu. One of Izan's works (who also went by the pseudonym..

The story of Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 2

(Pictured here is Imai Nobuo) The story of Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 2 Imai Nobuo of the Kyoto Mimawarigumi, known as 'the man who slew Sakamoto Ryoma' by the Shogunate's decree, fought from Aizu to Goryokaku in Hakodate after the raid on Omiya. Eventually, he was captured and escorted t..

The story of Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 1

Depicted here is Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan, a cherished relic in the house of the Forest Guardians, the Kawamura family. Today, I embark on the journey of recounting its tale. The story of Yamaoka Tesshu's wooden fan 1 Our tale takes us back to the Meiji era, the thirties. A time wh..

Tea and Sword 16

(Photo: Abe Masahiro) Tea and Sword 16 Before we meet with Harris, let's briefly gaze upon the state of t…

Tea and Sword 15

(Photo: Ōura Kei) Tea and Sword 15 Let's briefly return to the topic of tea. Thirty years before Kawamura Sōhei was born in Daido Village, Shizuoka, Ōura Kei was born in 1828 as the daughter of an oil merchant in far-off Nagasaki. "Even the Council of Elders can't control the Inner Pal..

Tea and Sword 14

(Photo: "Images of Japan in the Late Edo Period" by Emile Amé…

Tea and Sword 13

(Photo is Sakamoto Ryoma wiki) Tea and Sword 13 Culture is about elegance. The end of the Edo period in Japan Coincided with the period of westward expansion and the Civil War in the United States, And the demeanor of the samurai Was far more refined than that of the Americans at the t..

Tea and Sword 12

(Featured Image: Takasugi Shinsaku) Tea and Sword 12 "Sugizo, set forth, With the moon shining bright, and the wind clear, Riding lightly on your horse for three hundred steps, Spend ten odd days, Drinking wine, Composing poetry." These are the words of a dispatch penned by Shoin for..

Tea and Sword 11

(Featured Image: Shoka Sonjuku Academy) Tea and Sword 11 The forbidden allure. Like the desire to touch the azure glow of a Japanese sword blade, the young men of Hagi must have felt an irresistible pull towards Shoin, a dangerous charm. For that reason, parents were deeply fearful of ..

Tea and Sword 10

(Featured Image: Remains of the Shimoda Prison) Tea and Sword 10 A significant portion of "Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun" is dedicated to the account of Shoin's clandestine journey. His audacious spirit must have left an indelible impression. Yet the American officers could ..

Tea and Sword 9

(Featured Image: The Flagship Susquehanna) Tea and Sword 9 In the 7th year of Kaei, American sailors, having secured the rights under the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan, stroll through the springtime landscape of Shimoda. Shoin, along with his ardent followe..

Tea and Sword 8

(Featured Image: Yoshida Shoin) Tea and Sword 8 The modern tea industry of Japan, shaped and honed by the swords of the samurai. Hence, to grasp the establishment of this industry, one must comprehend the nature of the Shogunate's twilight, how the samurai lived through it, and why they c..

Tea and Sword 7

(Photo of British Minister Plenipotentiary Alcock) Tea and Sword 7 Though we have strayed far from our discourse on tea, having introduced "Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan" yesterday, let us continue to extract accounts of Japan as seen by foreigners visiting in the late Edo period. ..

Tea and Sword 6

(Photo of Commodore Matthew Perry) Tea and Sword 6 The timeline may jump around a bit, but even Perry, who visited Japan in 1853, praised the conduct of the samurai. "The officers and sailors of our ship, unable to contain their curiosity, had formed into several groups here and there. ..

Tea and Sword 5

(Photo: Bunkyu Mission to Europe, sourced from wikipedia) Tea and Sword 5 Let's return from our detour into the world of tea and venture a bit further into the landscape of Japan's late Edo period. In the first year of Bunkyu (1861), upon the recommendation of the British Minister Pleni..

Tea and Sword 4

(Photo: Ito Hirobumi, First Prime Minister, he was assassinated ) Tea and Sword 4 In every age, it is the impulsive, even radical, youth who transform the world. Whether the radicals are correct or the conservatives are, history will judge. Those living in those moments each lived accord..

Tea and Sword 3

(Photo: Yoshida shoin, genius educator, Died 29 years old )

Tea and Sword 2

(Photo: Tokugawa Yoshinobu, 15th Generation of the Tokugawa Family) Chapter One: Until Adolescence Section One of Chapter One Born in the year of Ansei 5, twelve generations into the Ohayashimori Kawamura lineage, Kawamura Sōhei entered this world a mere five years after Commodore Perry's..

Tea and Sword 1

(Photo: Kawamura Sohei, 12th Ge…

Asymmetric Economic Warfare 1

Ohayashi…

The Last Holy Grail 3

Ohayashimori Kawamurake's 'Kabutobotoke' Everything began with a single legend. The 'Kabutobotoke', a tradition passed down through the Kawamura family of Ohayashimori. The Kabutobotoke, A Buddha carried into battle within the helmets of our ancestors. From this tradition began a lengt..

The Last Holy Grail 2

Fujiya Kawamura's 'Kabutobotoke' No one knew the whereabouts of the Fujiya Kawamura family. Suddenly, two days ago, its direct descendent, Mr. Yasuo Kawamura, came to visit my home. He said he had read my blog. Never did I imagine I would meet a descendant of the Fujiya Kawamura family,..

The Last Holy Grail 1

The “OhayashiMori Kawamura House” a designated cultural property in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. <br />Houses, Samuri swords, and tales of good old Japan.

Samurai Swords (11)

Samurai Swords (11) Feeling sadness, I sat in the back parlor at night, And …

Samurai Swords (10)

Samurai Swords (10) After finding the swords in the walls of our storehouse …

Samurai Swords (9)

Samurai Swords (9) My mother showed me a newspaper clipping. It was about …

Samurai Swords (8)

Samurai Swords (8) This is a story I heard from my grandmother. Shortly a…

Samurai Swords (7)

Samurai Swords (7) There was a strangely shaped object for propping up a lon…

Samurai Swords (6)

Samurai Swords (6) The story of the inherited long sword, I had heard it f…

Samurai Swords (5)

Samurai Swords (5) Of all the …