Matsuo Basho is known for his haiku, poetry consisting of 17 syllables divided into lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. However, he is also famous for his travel memoirs, especially The Narrow Road of the Interior. Basho (1644-1694) was the son of a minor samurai and studied poetry, Zen Buddhism, Chinese learning, history, and Japanese literature….
Category: Culture
5 Books Lovers of Japan Need to Read
The following list of books are must reads for those who are interested in Japanese culture, anime, and manga. This list focuses on important events and sections of Japanese culture that anime doesn’t examine. Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes in World War II by Yuki Tanaka Tanaka examines little-discussed crimes against humanity Japan did against…
Ancient Appreciation for Objects: A Lesson for Modern Life
Recently, I cleaned out my wardrobe. I pulled two large garbage bags of clothes to donate. I don’t need a month’s worth of clothes that I don’t wear. However, I felt a strange reluctance to donate them. I’m attached to some because they were gifts. While I sorted, some Japanese and Ainu folklore came…
Japanese Professional Wrestling: Strong Style
Strong Style is the most common type of professional wrestling. It came from a disagreement in approach between the wrestlers Antonio Inoki and Shohei Baba. Inoki founded New Japan Pro Wrestling, which focused on what came to be called Strong Style. Baba founded All Japan Pro Wrestling with its focus on what came to be…
Japanese Professional Wrestling: King’s Road Style
Japanese professional wrestling has roots in American pro-wrestling. Many of the holds and brawling seen in early matches came from the various styles popular in the United States. The origins of Japanese pro-wrestling traces to Rikidozan, a former sumo wrestler who switched to it in 1951. Two of the most important wrestlers trained under him….
What Was Happening in Japan When:
Sometimes I struggle to keep a large picture view of history. When I’m researching or reading about a time period, I don’t think about what was happening elsewhere in the world at the time. This causes me to keep a siloed view of history. Yet, we have evidence that humans from across the world have…