28
votes
What was the purpose of the breastplate rings on samurai armor?
Carlos Martin's comment can be verified by a standard book on Japanese armor. The rings are discussed in the book "Arms and Armour of the Samurai" cited below. I shall quote the relevant ...
- 628
20
votes
Accepted
What kind of football was played in 645 Japan?
It's referring to kemari, a variation of an ancient Chinese game of kicking a ball-like object around. Originally a military training exercise, it evolved into a sport played by teams of 12 - ...
- 97.6k
17
votes
Accepted
Were taiko drums used to determine village sizes?
I suspect this is a misleading interpretation of a custom.
The rumbling power of the taiko has also been long been associated with the gods, and has been appropriated by the religions of Japan. ...
MCW♦
- 34.1k
4
votes
Accepted
What is the exact reign years for Japanese Emperor Keiko, Emperor Seimu, Emperor Chuai, Empress Jingu and Emperor Nintoku?
The reason for the confusion is that we don't know the exact dates. We have traditional dates, and we have reconstructions, but the latter can be disputed.
Per the Cambridge History of Japan, vol. 1:
...
- 2,673
3
votes
What is the story of this kamon?
In this site, this kamon is named as Hiraoshiki Kenhanakaku. Kenhanakaku means "Sword flower horn". It is a variation of the Hanabishi.
Generally I think you will find crests being used by ...
- 2,257
1
vote
Did ancient Chinese and/or Japanese scholars speculate about what lay across the Pacific?
Xu Fu, the most famous explorer in Asia to answer this question, DID have some voyages in the Pacific, but for a strange reason, and some superstitions, too!
In 219 BC, Xu Fu was sent with three ...
1
vote
What did Japanese architecture look like with heavy materials such as stone, mortar and clay?
The short answer is mold, tsunami's and earthquakes is why they didn't build with stone. There are few 'ancient' examples of stone building but most of them came from the Chinese style for the temples ...
- 2,313
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