Kunoichi: Female Ninja Spies of Medieval Japan Most Westerners think of ninjas as black-masked men with swords who appear from the shadows and strike without warning. But not all ninja assassins were male, and not all of them walked in shadow. Female ninjas, known as kunoichi, formed an important part of medieval shinobi clans. Like their male counterparts, kunoichi trained in combat, disguise, and stealth, though their missions and function differed from those of male shinobi in several important ways. Disguises and Tactics Shinobi (which is the Japanese pronounciation of the characters Westerners read as “ninja”) worked as spies as well as assassins. Medieval Japan was ruled and dominated by men of the samurai class. A male shinobi might assume the role of a samurai retainer or an artisan, but those positions seldom allowed the assassin unfettered access to his target. Shinobi training for both genders focused on utilizing the ninja’s personal strengths to best advantage. Special Weapons Visibility—or lack thereof Respect
Tokyo Damage Report » JAPAN BOOK REVIEW #12 : absolute erotic, absolute grotesque by Mark Driscoll the author arbitrarily invents his own meanings for those two words. Ero refers to evil capitalists manipulating peoples’ natural urges for a better life, using biological drives to make fat profits. Guro refers to the cruelty of colonial slave labor and drug addiction. Main points of the book: 1) Techniques that were invented in the far-flung colonies by Japanese yakuza and criminals then got copied and institutionalized by the “legitimate” Japanese colonial governments, and then finally got implemented in mainland Japan during the war years. 2) Most of the "sophisticated, modern" cultural trends of Tokyo in the `20s and `30s actually started in the very rural colonies. Gangster capitalism"Sexology"Industrialized prostitution (karayuki to ianfu to jappayuki)Japanese-style FeminismFascism and centrally planned war economy Grotesque as entertainment (particularly war porn and drugs) Anyway, instead of a review of the book, I decided to do something different this time: 1880s – 1890s – 1910s:
Seedy and Sublime: The Ero Guro Dystopia of Japanese Noir Posters Stills and poster from Sejin Suzuki films In the 1960s and 70s, the Japanese film industry (Nikkatsu Studio to be precise) headlined a golden age for East Asian exploitation noir. After years of censorship, first outlined by Japanese Imperial government during the Second World War and later by the occupying Allies, exploitation noir films became a mode of subcultural expression and perhaps even an outlet for social critique. Just as cover art played a major role in selling pulp magazines and fiction in the West, the film posters of post-industrial Japan exhibited talent that was often lacking in the actual production. The eye-popping images of hardened yakuza, rogue detectives, and doe-eyed damsels (often in the nude) are unforgettable, though the same cannot be said about the underfunded, poorly-scripted pinku eiga (softcore exploitation genre known as “pink films.”) A Certain Killer’s Key (1967) and Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973) Images via Hanafuda and Lost Video Archive
19th-Century Samurai Training Text Deciphered A training text, used by a martial arts school to teach members of the bushi (samurai) class, has been deciphered, revealing the rules samurai were expected to follow and what it took to truly become a master swordsman. The text is called Bugei no jo, which means "Introduction to Martial Arts" and is dated to the 15th year of Tenpo (1844). Written for samurai students about to learn Takenouchi-ryū, a martial arts system, it would have prepared students for the challenges awaiting them. "These techniques of the sword, born in the age of the gods, had been handed down through divine transmission. The text includes quotes written by ancient Chinese military masters and is written in a formal kanbun style, a system that combines elements of Japanese and Chinese writing. Among its many teachings, the text tells students to show great discipline and not to fear the enemy's numbers. Last century of the Samurai Samurai rules One notable rule, "Do not let the school's teachings leak out!"
百物語怪談会 Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai | Translated Japanese Ghost Stories and Tales of the Weird and the Strange Japanese Roots Unearthing the origins of the Japanese is a much harder task than you might guess. Among world powers today, the Japanese are the most distinctive in their culture and environment. The origins of their language are one of the most disputed questions of linguistics. The search for answers is difficult because the evidence is so conflicting. Archeologists have proposed four conflicting theories. When similar questions of origins arise about other peoples, they can be discussed dispassionately. Why do they care so much? What makes it especially difficult to discuss Japanese archeology dispassionately is that Japanese interpretations of the past affect present behavior. Thus, when Japan sent troops to Korea and annexed it in 1910, Japanese military leaders celebrated the annexation as the restoration of the legitimate arrangement of antiquity. What really was the legitimate arrangement of antiquity? Japan’s unique culture began with its unique geogra-phy and environment.
The Subculture of Japanese Trucker Art ‘Lit up like a Christmas tree’ doesn’t quite cover it. Moving pieces of art, embellished with massive neon lights and bling-tastic chrome; something between a science fiction robot and a Las Vegas arcade. “Decotora” trucks (translation: trucks decorated with illuminations), are the emblems of an unlikely subculture to emerge in the last decade out on the lonely highways of Japan. In the summer of 1998, photographer Tatsuki Masaru started taking photos of the Japanese decorated trucks and getting to know the drivers behind the pimped-out wheels… There are a few theories about how and when the Decotora subculture began. Our photographer thinks the subculture was mostly just born out of the loneliness of the truckers. The Decotora subculture even encourages some healthy competition. “They can’t keep driving without pride,” says Masaru. So if you’re ever travelling on a highway in Japan, keep an eye out. Like what you see? More info here
In Japan, Will Hafu Ever Be Considered Whole? Mixed-race individuals and their families seek acceptance in a homogeneous Japan. By J.T. Quigley for The Diplomat October 03, 2013 Facebook458 Twitter16 Google+15 LinkedIn2 “Spain! “It was the worst two weeks of our lives,” recalls Lara Perez Takagi, who was six years old at the time. “When our parents came to pick us up at the station, we cried for the whole day. By the year 2050, 40 percent of the Japanese population will be age 65 or older. Biracial Japanese nationals like Takagi are an increasingly common sight in Japan. Takagi is one of a growing number of hafu – or half Japanese – who have grown up between two cultures. Rather than calling someone mixed-race or biracial, some believe that the term hafu insinuates that only the Japanese side is of any significance. No Entry Olaf Karthaus, a professor in the Faculty of Photonics Science and Technology at the Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, is the father of four “hafu” children. “Asian-looking kids can come in.
Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef Kenji Fujimoto: Newsmakers The sushi chef was leaving his apartment when he noticed the stranger outside. He could tell by the man's suit—black and badly made—that he was North Korean. Right away, the chef was nervous. Even in his midsixties, the chef is a formidable man: He has thick shoulders, a broad chest; the rings on his strong hands would one day have to be cut off. But he'd long since quit wearing his bulletproof vest, and the last time a North Korean made the journey to visit him in Japan, a decade ago, he was there to kill him. The stranger came closer. "This is about your family," the stranger said. "Go away," the chef told the man, and without another word the man disappeared. A month later, in early July, another North Korean in a black suit came to the chef's door. "Come with me, Fujimoto," the man said, and together they went to a bare-bones hotel near the Sakudaira train station. Luring people back to North Korea to be executed or dispatched to gulags was a favorite trick of the regime.
Ginza’s oldest department store closes after 88 years A beloved Tokyo institution "destroyed" in a Godzilla film and for real in an Allied bombing raid, the Matsuzakaya Ginza store finally closed its doors for the last time on June 30, after 88 years of serving customers. In a closing ceremony, 13 employees lined up in front of the entrance of the oldest department store in the Ginza to bid farewell and bowed, paving the way for a total redevelopment of the site. Keisuke Okamoto, chairperson of Zen Ginzakai Machidukuri (All Ginza town development committee) mainly consisting of the companies and owners of retail stores in the Ginza, laments the closing of the store. “It was a symbol of the Ginza at the forefront of an era,” Okamoto, 59, said. However, he also said that he understands that the district must be redeveloped as the Ginza has always been a characteristically smart and modern town. Throughout its history, the Matsuzakaya Ginza store was known for many unique firsts, establishing a model for other department stores to follow.
The Dark Collaborations: Japanese Noir from Seichō Matsumoto and Yoshitarō Nomura One can’t really describe the Japanese mystery writer Seichō Matsumoto by comparing him to his English language equivalent because, in all the ways that matter, he has no equivalent. (The writer Wolcott Wheeler once described him as “one part Raymond Chandler, one part John Steinbeck, and one part Gore Vidal”—which should give some sense of how hard he is to pin down.) A true original, more than any other writer in his country, he shaped the Japanese crime novel into a psychologically dense, multi-layered creation. In short, he made the crime novel a respectable form of literature. Like Chandler, he started publishing later in life—following a career in advertising and some military service in World War II. At the time, Nomura was still a largely unknown director at Shochiku studios. Between 1961 and 1984, Nomura produced seven more films based on Matsumoto novels including Zero Focus, The Shadow Within, Castle Of Sand, The Demon, and Suspicion. Zero Focus (1961)
'The day my mum looked after the Beatles' In rock mythology, John Lennon was the cynical, acid-tongued Beatle, Paul McCartney was friendly and open, George Harrison was the quiet one and drummer Ringo Starr was the group’s clown, always joking around. Satoko Condon remembers it a bit differently. “Ringo was a bit difficult,” says the Osaka native, recalling how he snapped out orders for food. “He hardly spoke and never smiled.” Forty-seven years ago, the Liverpool mop tops came to Tokyo for a historical and ill-fated visit that helped seal the fate of their live tours. After years of seeing them on television, she was surprised to find that they were just ordinary people, she says. Roughly the same age as the 24-year-old Paul McCartney, Kawasaki had lobbied the airline’s publicity department to allow her to serve on the June 27, 1966, flight from London to Tokyo. “I said I would do anything to get on that flight,” she laughs. Lennon had arrived in first class in a badly creased linen suit and asked her if she could press it.
Vatican trove shows persecution in samurai-era Japan Vatican trove shows persecution in samurai-era Japan China Post -- Feb 01 A trove of ancient documents unearthed at the Vatican could shed light on the brutal crackdown on Christianity in isolationist Japan under its samurai rulers, scholars say. The hoard contains about 10,000 pieces of paper, collected by an Italian priest who lived in Japan in the last century, mostly dating from the "Edo" period (1603-1867), when the country shut itself off from the outside world and declared Western religion illegal. The wide-ranging collection, including memos from their curator, Father Mario Marega, who died in 1978, offers a rare opportunity to study details of how people lived through the tense religious persecution of the time, said Professor Kazuo Otomo of the National Institute of Japanese Literature.