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Japan
 Websites presented in alphabetical order The Ainu Museum 
 The website for this Hokkaido, Japan, museum, features background about Japan's indigenous Ainu population. Illustrated essays discuss eating habits, hunting and food gathering, agriculture, clothing and ornaments, housing, religion, marriage and family life, dances, and oral literature. In English and Japanese. http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/english/english.html Topics: Communities & Groups, History By Place Last updated Jun 10, 2008 Ainu of Japan
Small collection of annotated links to resources about the Ainu culture of Japan, including articles, exhibits, a video, museum, and foundation. Part of a series on world indigenous cultures from the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, University of Alaska Fairbanks. http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/IEW/ainu.html Topics: Communities & Groups, History By Place Last updated Jun 18, 2008 Ainu: Spirit of a Northern People
Website companion to a 1999-2000 "major exhibition to explore the ancient origin of the Ainu, their evolving relations with the Japanese, and the 20th century Ainu cultural rebirth." Images are accompanied by text and audio and cover topics such as spiritual traditions, trade, homes, activities of men and women, arts, language, and other aspects of Ainu culture. From the Arctic Studies Center of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/ainu/ Topics: Communities & Groups, History By Place Last updated Jun 10, 2008 Astronomy in Japan: Science, History, Culture
"This page is written in English and designed primarily to give people who do not speak Japanese a window into one of the most interesting and fascinating aspects of Japanese culture." The contents include illustrated articles on starlore, festivals, star shrines, the lunar calendar, discoveries, and other astronomical activities. Includes annotated links to sites in English (mostly). From a professor in Japan. http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/jastro.html Topics: Astronomy, History By Place Last updated Jun 27, 2007 December 5: International Day of the Ninja
Website for this humorous, self-proclaimed day to "plague your co-workers with ninja-ness and wear a ninja mask to work." Includes instructions for making a ninja mask out of a t-shirt and making a paper shuriken (throwing star), and links to related sites. http://dayoftheninja.com/ Topics: History By Place Last updated Nov 27, 2007 Discover Nikkei: Japanese Migrants and Their Descendents
Material "about Nikkei people -- Japanese emigrants and their descendants who have created communities throughout the world. ... Nikkei also include people of mixed racial descent who identify themselves as Nikkei." Features a "real people" video archive (with transcripts and audio only), community forum, encyclopedia of Nikkei migration (covering countries in North and South America), and links to related sites organized by topic. Available in several languages. From the Japanese American National Museum. http://www.discovernikkei.org/en/ Topics: History By Place, United States History Last updated Mar 25, 2009 The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923: Materials from the Dana and Vera Reynolds Collection
Collection of images of the destruction caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 in Japan. The collection "includes some of the earliest photographs of the destruction taken by Americans, and consists of over 100 original photographs taken in Yokohama, Kyoto, Shanghai, and Hawaii, as well as many photographs purchased in Japan that document the devastation." Browsable by theme and object type. Includes historical essays and newspaper accounts. From Brown University Library. http://dl.lib.brown.edu/kanto/ Topics: Geology, History By Place Last updated Mar 7, 2007 History of the Kimono
This colorful site covers the development of the traditional Japanese garment from the primitive Jomon period of early history (before 300 A.D), to the Edo period (1601-1867 A.D.). Many graphics display the styles and features of men's, women's, and children's kimonos. http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/kimono/ Topics: Fashion, History, History By Place, Holidays & Observances Last updated Mar 6, 2004 How Ninja Work
"Secretive and silent, the ninja stalks through Japanese history like a shadow. ... Today, the ninja has become a legendary, cult-like figure, showing up in computer games and children's cartoons." This site considers facts and fiction about ninja and examines "the weapons and skills that made ninja some of the most fearsome assassins in the world." Other topics include the first ninja, supernatural ninja, and the modern ninja craze. From How Stuff Works. http://people.howstuffworks.com/ninja.htm Topics: History By Place Last updated Nov 20, 2007 Island of the Spirits
Website for this 1999 PBS Nova documentary "which leads viewers to Hokkaido, Japan, an otherworldly land of dense mountain forests, untamed creatures like the grizzly and wolf, and Japan's indigenous people, the Ainu." Features cover the origins of the Ainu, Ainu legends and beliefs (about animals such as the crane, the bear, and the flying squirrel), and animal migration. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/hokkaido/ Topics: Communities & Groups, History By Place Last updated Jun 18, 2008 Iwo Jima Retrospective
View the video of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. This site also features an essay about Iwo Jima and World War II, links to related Web sites, and video clips from "two special documentaries remembering those who fought at Iwo Jima." From Military.com http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,NI_Iwo_Jima2,00.html Topics: History By Place, World War II Last updated Feb 22, 2005 Japan and China: The Unforgotten War
Companion to a short 2006 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Frontline documentary about how "a few sentences in a Japanese history textbook last year [2005] set off the longest-running protests China has seen since 1989." These sentences concerned the Nanking Massacre of 1937. The site features the full documentary, and background facts and related links about relations between China and Japan. http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2006/04/japan_and_china.html Topics: History By Place, International Governments Last updated Mar 21, 2007 Japan In-Depth: History & Culture: Traditional Annual Events
Collection of descriptions of traditional annual festivals and events in Japan, such as the Sapporo Snow Festival, Setsubun (bean-throwing festival), Soma-Nomaoi (wild horse racing), Dai-Chochin Matsuri (giant lantern festival), Shichi-Go-San (children's shrine-visiting day), and Tori-no-Ichi (rake fair). From the Japan National Tourist Organization. http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/history/traditionalevents/ Topics: History By Place, Holidays by Region Last updated Nov 6, 2006 Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire
This site is a companion to a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) program about "commanding shoguns and fierce samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans — all [of whom] were part of a Japanese renaissance between the 16th and 19th centuries." The site features a timeline, a map and images of travel along the Tokaido road, information about characters of the period, and interactive activities. Also includes a glossary, bibliography, and a teacher's guide. http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/ Topics: History By Place, Nonfiction by Genre Last updated Oct 14, 2004 Japanese Historical Maps
Access to more than 100 images and books from the collection of over 2,300 Japanese historical maps dating back to the 15th century. Includes a view of the data, which is an overlay of historical maps with current geospatial data. Viewing maps may require downloading special software, depending on your computer. From the University of California at Berkeley, East Asian Library. http://www.davidrumsey.com/japan/ Topics: History By Place, Maps, Maps by Place Last updated Apr 10, 2007 Japanese Historical Text Initiative (JHTI)
The JHTI is an "expanding database made up of historical [Japanese] texts written during the last 1292 years. The original version of every paragraph in every text is cross-tagged with its English translation." Texts include ancient chronicles, gazetteers, a religio-civil code, medieval stories, political documents, and scriptures. Also includes research aids. Access to some material requires a free password. In English and Japanese. From the East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley. http://sunsite3.berkeley.edu/jhti/ Topics: History By Place Last updated May 16, 2007 Japanese Old Photographs of the Bakumatsu-Meiji Period
A database of thousands of hand colored Japanese photographs from 1860-1899. Search by word (any or all fields), keyword (assigned subject), location (from image map), or browse by drawer number. Results returned include a thumbnail of the images with title and photographer. Clicking on the thumbnail brings up the images themselves which include descriptive comments (lots of history here) and as much information as is available about the photographer, date, and location of the photos. From the Nagasaki University Library. http://oldphoto.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/unive/ Topics: History By Place, Photograph Collections, Photograph Collections: Regional, Technology Last updated Mar 3, 2004 Nippon in the World
This site features, Scenic Mementos of Japan , images from the seventeenth to the beginning of the twentieth century, browsable by region or subject. Another section has images from the 1873 Vienna International Exposition , "the first international exposition in which the Japanese government officially participated." There is also a section of modern political documents (described in English, but not translated). From the National Diet Library, Japan. Available in English and Japanese. http://www.ndl.go.jp/site_nippon/e/default.html Topics: Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties, Government, History By Place, International Governments, Nonfiction by Genre Last updated Mar 3, 2004 PhotoHistory: History of Japanese Photography
PhotoHistory is a searchable "chronology of significant events and tidbits in the history of Japanese photography. The chronology spans from 1646 to present day." Also browsable by year. Includes brief Overview of Japan's photographic history. http://photojpn.org/HIST/hist1.html Topics: History By Place, Photograph Collections: Regional, Photography, Technology Last updated Feb 20, 2003 Richard Stein's Japanese Sword Guide
A detailed resource on the subject of Nihontô, or antique Japanese swords, and their history from 800 A.D. to the present day. With information useful to beginners as well as cognoscenti, users can access illustrated glossaries, descriptive and historical essays, a listing of clubs, guidelines for care and polishing, advice for collectors, and biographies of famous sword smiths. From a chemistry professor with an interest in metallurgy. http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm Topics: History By Place, Weapons Last updated Nov 10, 2009 Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum
The website for this museum in Kobe, Japan, features exhibits of the history of Japanese carpentry tools and specific tools. Includes images of Japanese handsaws, hammers, nail pullers, axes, chisels, planes, and other tools. Also provides brief information about woods used in Japanese carpentry and an overview of the museum's collection. Some translation errors, but generally easy to read and understand. In English and Japanese. http://www.dougukan.jp/en/modules/tinyd8/ Topics: Crafts, History By Place, Museums by Place Last updated Aug 27, 2008 Tying the Knot: The Changing Face of Marriage in Japan
This article from the late 1990s describes how "omiai," the "traditional Japanese arranged marriage, seems to be falling rapidly out of use." Includes data back to the 1930s and related analysis about individuals picking their own partners and arranged marriages. Also includes discussion of age at time of marriage. From Trends in Japan, sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. http://web-japan.org/trends98/honbun/ntj980729.html Topics: Families, History By Place Last updated Jan 23, 2008 |
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