nobPAPA·Oct 14Visiting Tojo-tei — The Shadows of the Tokugawa, Standing Under a Late-Autumn Morning SkyOn a morning when the clear air of late autumn felt wonderful, I visited Tojo-tei in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, right as it opened. This is…
RealEdoLife·Sep 23The Shogun Who Taxed a City to Feed 100,000 Stray DogsIn 1687, the fifth shogun of Japan made a decision that would define his legacy for the next three centuries — and it had nothing to do…
RealEdoLife·Sep 19The Decision That Split Japan’s Government in TwoTokugawa Iesada is one of the least visible shoguns in Japanese history — a man who spent most of his reign out of public view, letting his…
RealEdoLife·Sep 17Tokugawa Ienari: The Shogun Who Ruled 50 Years and Built a Dynasty of His OwnEvery ruling family has a founder, a reformer, and — eventually — someone who just lets things run. Tokugawa Ienari was Japan’s version of…
RealEdoLife·Sep 7The Shogun Who Undid His Uncle’s Most Infamous Law — In DaysWhen Tokugawa Tsunayoshi died in 1709, Japan had lived for over two decades under one of the strangest legal codes in its history — a set…
