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It's a scarecrow, but, in Japan, the setting up of the scarecrow is a ritualized process: ... the Scarecrow Festival or Kakashi Matsuri takes place in autumn, from 8th-16th September [Dates were specific to a locaton]... Japanese farmers invited the god of agriculture to leave his home in the mountains each spring and enter their scarecrows, called kakashi. ...

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. According to Daihachi Oguchi of Osuwa-daiko, about four thousand years ago, in the Jomon period , taiko was used for to signal various activities in the village. ...

It is a misunderstanding to talk of an unified Japan during the Tokugawa period with respect to having its own army, etc. These notions only become relevant after the concept of the "nation of Japan" was created in the 1860's and 1870's. In effect, every han or domain was its separate state though they paid homage to the Tokugawa overlords. These ...

I was hoping I'd have more of a chance to write something thorough, including sources, but I'll have to make this short. I'm basing this answer primarily on my understanding of Japan both pre- and post-Restoration on the works of Ryotaro Shiba, four of which have been translated and actively consider this period ('Clouds above the Hill', 'Ryoma!', 'Drunk as ...

It is definitely not a full answer but may help you to have a general feel about the Edo era. Some basic facts to help with the perspective: The samurais appeared much before Edo, and had several functions, mostly carrying out military tasks. The Tokugawa-shogunate (Edo era) brought several changes: 1) the class system was created, therefore you had to be ...