19
votes
Why didn't the steppe bow spread further?
The questions (answered separately below):
So why wasn't the rest of the world, the world off the steppe, using it? I mean, maybe it didn't reach the classical world until the Huns brought it there,...
- 6,279
13
votes
How did himuros operate for storing and transporting ice in Heian Japan?
Based on the scant information I'm finding in English and online, a proper answer to this might be difficult even with some serious library research.
Here is a brief mention from the book Vanishing ...
- 23.1k
9
votes
Accepted
How old was Murasaki Shikibu when she married her second cousin? And why did she marry him?
We don't know for sure.
We know very little about Murasaki Shikibu's life, and much of what we do know is highly circumstantial. There are no direct attestations of either her birth or death. ...
- 97.6k
3
votes
How common were fires in pre-Edo Japan?
Fire was as common in pre-Edo (i.e., Nara, Heian, & Kamakura) Japan as after as the architectural basis for construction did not change on the large scale—though it seems that not as many studies ...
- 10.8k
3
votes
Why didn't Japanese infantrymen and samurai use shields?
Given there is an accepted answer, and (I believe) there remains some misconception in answers provided here, I hope to clarify a few points about the usage of defensive shields in Japanese warfare ...
- 6,279
2
votes
What caused the long lasting of peace in during the Heian Period?
What caused the long lasting of peace in during the Heian Period?
Like most things in history, it is never really just one thing. But, in essence, if we are going to provide a short answer -- it was ...
- 6,279
1
vote
How did Japan do era names prior to the reign of Meiji?
I interpret the following quote to mean that there were multiple conflicting signals that would trigger a change to an era name, and that it may not be possible to clearly identify a system.
Prior to ...
MCW♦
- 34.1k
1
vote
How did himuros operate for storing and transporting ice in Heian Japan?
Sorry, not a Japanese reference but there is a very interesting movie about ice in old Korean (Joseon) called "The Grand Heist". There are many places online to watch it.
- 11
1
vote
What caused the long lasting of peace in during the Heian Period?
I wouldn’t describe this period as uniquely peaceful. It was likely just as tumultuous period in Japan as other empires at the time. What makes the Heian period unique in Japanese history is how the ...
- 405
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