The Genpei War pt. 4

The Genpei War pt. 4

Congratulations on making it to the fourth and final part of this summary of the Genpei War. We’re on the home stretch now. Just three battles to go—arguably the three most epic battles of the entire war. The sheer number of ukiyo-e paintings depicting them is testament to that fact. What is it about them that makes them so epic? One word… Yoshitsune. Yoritomo’s legendary…

Japanese history overview Pt. 3: The Kamakura era

Japanese history overview Pt. 3: The Kamakura era

Welcome to part three of this overview of Japanese history. As always, if you haven’t read the previous parts, I suggest you do, as they’ll give you a background into the samurai culture we’re bout to explore. This part covers the Kamakura era, where the samurai came into their own, usurping power from the court and beginning what would turn out to be a 600-plus…