Do you believe ancient clans still exist in Japan today? Yes, they do, as their descendants are still alive today. Generations of respecting the value of family have allowed Japanese clan symbols, aka Kamon, to survive...
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Hiroko MatsuyamaBento: Japanese lunch box makes lunch time fun!
Bento boxes with chopsticks Photo by kofookoo.de on Unsplash Bento is a tasty lunch box that every Japanese is familiar with. Everyone has his own favorite bento and memories with them. They use color and arrangement...
Cool Japanese Last Names and their Meanings
This Kamon represents the Japanese family name “Kato” Japan has a vast number of last names. Many of them originated around the 12th century and became official after the Meiji restoration in the 19th...
Kamon: the Symbol of Japanese Family Identity
Uesugizasa Kamon, the Japanese family crest, indicates a family’s origins. Unlike the coat of arms, it doesn’t belong to an individual but to a family. Foreigners can have one if they wish. Inheriting the...
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Japanese clan symbols: Kamon of notable clans
Do you believe ancient clans still exist in Japan today? Yes, they do, as their descendants are still alive today. Generations of respecting the value of family have allowed Japanese clan symbols, aka Kamon, to survive...
Bento: Japanese lunch box makes lunch time fun!
Bento boxes with chopsticks Photo by kofookoo.de on Unsplash Bento is a tasty lunch box that every Japanese is familiar with. Everyone has his own favorite bento and memories with them. They use color and arrangement...
Cool Japanese Last Names and their Meanings
This Kamon represents the Japanese family name “Kato” Japan has a vast number of last names. Many of them originated around the 12th century and became official after the Meiji restoration in the 19th...
Kamon: the Symbol of Japanese Family Identity
Uesugizasa Kamon, the Japanese family crest, indicates a family’s origins. Unlike the coat of arms, it doesn’t belong to an individual but to a family. Foreigners can have one if they wish. Inheriting the...
Kamon Story: Based on True Unsolved Murder
Maru-ni Agehacho The murder occurred in 1906. It is treated as one of the unsolved cases because the statute of limitations has passed. Renowned novelist Seicho Matsumoto wrote a story about it and added a...
Samurai Kamon: Seven Notable Samurai Family Crests
Japanese warlords are known to have many family crests. They carry them for different occasions, and they often represent their bloodlines. However, many cases show that they are given by superiors or taken away from...
Shintoism Essential Value: Impurity and Purification Rituals
Shinto shrine gate in Nikko, Japan Shinto does not accept that human beings are born bad or impure; in fact, it states that humans are born pure and share in the divine soul. Badness, impurity, or sin come later in life...
Shinto Rituals: Practices and Celebrations
Shinto rituals have survived in close connection with the lives of the Japanese people. They are strongly reflected in modern Japanese people’s lives and daily activities. Japanese people have passed down these...
Shinto Shrine History with Inseparable Partner, Buddhism
Although Japan has more than 8,000 Shinto shrines, the original shrine buildings did not exist as we know them today. So, then, when and why were they built? And how did they develop? This article explains the origins...
The Difference between Shinto Shrine and Buddhist Temple
Toro in the forest Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples have long been familiar to Japanese people as spiritual centers. They are places of faith and prayer and are frequently visited for festivals and annual events. The...
