History of Samurai – 15 things you should know about the Japanese warrior class
There is a certain sense of almost fantastical fascination when it comes to the popular scope of Samurai warriors. But if we dissociate popular culture…
Japan
Mysterious 500-year old Samurai scroll mentions how to use blinding powder and fight in stealth
Last year, we talked about how a Samurai handbook taught a flurry of martial skills to Japanese cops. Well a mysterious Samurai text known simply…
6th century AD tomb yields the longest sword from ancient Japan
Excavations conducted in the years 2014 and 2015 inside an early 6th century tomb in Shimauchi district, in the southern part of Kyushu, Japan, have…
Ancient Roman coins discovered in early 14th century era Japanese castle in Okinawa
Japanese archaeologists have announced that they had unearthed ancient Roman coins at the ruins of the medieval Katsuren castle in Okinawa. Suffice it to say,…
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan: The oldest hotel in the world has been operating for 1,300 years in Japan
Earlier in the month, we harped about the oldest continuously operating library in the world, an honor belonging to Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt. Well…
New study suggests that not all of our ancestors were predisposed towards violence and warfare
A few days ago, we talked about how researchers were perplexed by the sheer scale of violence in Bronze Age northern Europe, as was recently…
Late 19th century Samurai written handbook teaches martial arts to cops
A recently translated book from 1888 provides insights into the Samurai scope of fighting and martial arts, and that too with a societal angle. That…
