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Definition
Mount Fuji
Mt. Fuji (Fujisan) is the tallest mountain in Japan and, with its classically symmetrical snow-capped cone, has long been the symbol of that country. The volcano is regarded as a sacred kami or spirit in the Shinto religion, specifically...

Definition
Chushingura
Kanadehon Chushingura (A Treasury of Loyalty of Loyal Retainers or The Story of the Forty-Seven Samurai) is the most popular play in the history of Japanese theatre, first performed in 1748. It is a work of fiction, but the details of the...

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Japanese Calligraphy
An example of Japanese calligraphy. From a scroll with extracts from the 'Tale of the Genji' or Genji Monogatari, written in the 11th century CE by Murasaki Shikibu. Ink on decorated paper. Attributed to Prince Son'en (1298-1356 CE). (Tokyo...

Book Review
The Samurai Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to Japan's Elite Warrior Class
This is a paperback edition of a book that was first published as a hardback in 2019. The author, Constantine Nomikos Vaporis, is a professor of history at Maryland University and has published several academic books on Japanese history...

Book Review
Warriors of Japan: As Portrayed in the War Tales
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 periods. Varley's book, Warriors of Japan...