Japanese History

The Gender Gap in Japan: bad

jdresner — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:17:04 +0000

The World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap report “assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities.” The United States ranked 31st out of 134; Japan ranked 75th, flanked by the Czech Republic and the Gambia. In Japan’s defense, that’s better than the last two years. The Country Report highlights are fascinating, a neat snapshot of current social data.

History of “The Pill” and the “little blue pill” in Japan

jdresner — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:51:03 +0000

In honor of the current health-care reform debate in this country, Roy Berman at MutantfrogTravelogue recounts the history of birth control and erectile dysfunction medicine in Japan

I may have found it…

jdresner — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:08:13 +0000

I’ve been looking for a good book on rural life in Western societies in the modern era to use as a counterpoint to the Suye Mura books: this classic social history of rural France in the 19th and early 20th centuries looks like what I need.

New Medieval Sources online: Harvard Law Scrolls

jdresner — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:35:39 +0000

Harvard University’s Law Library has put 22 Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi period documents online. The online exhibit includes a discussion by Professor Mikael Adolphson [pdf] about how to read and interpret these materials.

Samurai Arms and Armor as Art

jdresner — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:28:55 +0000

There’s a review in the NYTimes about an exhibit at the Met: arms and armor of the samurai. For some commentary and criticism of a similar exhibit from San Francisco, see here

International Divorce in Japan: an overview

jdresner — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:05:33 +0000

Joe Jones at MutantFrog Travelogue (don’t let the name fool you, it’s a fantastic blog about Japanese culture, politics and history) has an excellent overview of the law and demographics of divorce and child custody in Japan, especially when foreigners are involved. Jones is a lawyer, with extensive international experience. The topic has come up because of a fairly prominent ongoing dispute between a Japanese woman and her dual-citizenship former husband over child custody, involving both US and Japanese law. You can find details in the links of Jones’ post.

Jomon-era Ceramic Sculpture Exhibit

jdresner — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:49:36 +0000

A new traveling exhibit on Jomon-era “dogu” sculptures highlights the evolving debates about culture and physical remains, etc.

Ask and ye shall be answered: Mystery Circles on Samurai Armor

jdresner — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:22:34 +0000

One of the beautiful things about the internet is that if you ask for help, often you can get it. I posed the question about the mysterious circular gear on the medieval samurai to my blog audience, and got an answer very quickly: they are spare bow string spools. The best picture I’ve been able to find of a “tsurumaki” online is this ebay auction, where you can clearly see the groove around the edge which holds the string.

Five Colors

jdresner — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:56:32 +0000

In the discussion today the “Five Colors” of Buddhism came up, and I mentioned the Tibetan Mandalas. If you look at this sand-painting mandala done at PSU last year, you’ll see the five colors:

Note the border around the edge: White, Yellow, Red, Green, Blue, over and over (clockwise). You can see the same colors in this hand drum. As near as I can tell, the five colors predates most of the explanations offered for their meanings — which is to say, there are lots of different explanations, because everyone seems to be making up new rationalizations for an old practice.

Atsuta Shrine still exists

jdresner — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:07:42 +0000

Lady Nijo, in her Confessions, cites a visit to “Atsuta Shrine, in Owari.” Owari is now Aichi Prefecture and the city is called Nagoya. Atsuta Shrine still exists and is a major attraction, with their annual festival serving as a kind of city celebration.