History tends to represent the voices of men and those in power. Typically, governmental officials, who are most often men, know how to read and write. And those documents are what survive. The majority of people in the past were illiterate and unable to write. Because of this, their voices disappeared outside of a few…
Tag: Japanese history
Fact vs Truth in History
You’ve likely heard the phrase “history is written by the victors.” Because of this sentiment, historians feel skeptical about written histories sponsored by governments and winners of conflicts. In history, there’s also a tension between fact and truth. These sponsored histories may not be factual, but they are often truthful. After all, they explain a…
Hideyoshi’s Wife Kitanomandokoro: the Woman Who Changed Japan
Kitanomandokoro was the first wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the men who helped unify Japan during the Warring States period. Kitanomandokoro proves an interesting person, namely because we have her voice and can see her influence. She had a special marriage of respect and even love with Hideyoshi as evidenced by surviving letters….
Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book
Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book offers a look at the Imperial court from around 993 to the end of 1000, when she served as a lady-in-waiting for Empress Teishi. We don’t know Sei Shonagon’s true name. The name passed down to us combines the first character (Sei) of her clan name, Kiyowara, and her role at…
Slavery and Japan
Japan, like nearly all nations. has a history of slavery. Many Western historians in the past believed the concept of freedom was imported to Japan from the West. This misplaced, Western-centric view states the West wrestled with its heritage of slavery and awoke to human rights and freedom before showing the rest of the world….
Christianity’s Reaction to Edo Period Persecution
As persecution during the early Edo period increased, the Christian community turned away from venerating martyrdom. Instead, they went further underground, hiding behind Buddhist and Shinto practices to avoid complete extermination. Unlike persecutions during the Roman Empire, Japanese Christians had nowhere to go. They couldn’t escape the islands of Japan or the reach of the…