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Field Report: Kokura Castle, Kitakyūshū, Japan (27 March 2015)
It’s a fact that needs no repeating, but I’ll repeat it anyway: I love Japanese castles. And with a tiny sliver of sunlight still left after my day trip to Kumamoto, I seized upon the chance to add another one to my “been there” list.
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Field Report: Kyū Hosokawa Gyōbu-tei, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)
Close relatives of the Lords of Kumamoto once lived within a stone’s throw of the enormous castle that loomed over the heart of this southern domain. But when the sweeping reforms of the ascendant Meiji government deprived them of both power and property, it became necessary to trade their old home for humbler accommodations. Humbler,…
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Field Report: Kumamoto Castle, Japan (27 March 2015)
Traditional stroll gardens, such as the splendid specimen we visited in the previous post, are all well and good for reinforcing your typical Edo-period daimyō‘s reputation as a man of refined taste. However, where visual manifestations of a Japanese warlord’s wealth and power are concerned, one would be hard pressed to find anything more capable…
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Field Report: Suizen-ji Jōju-en, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)
Show-offery was serious business amongst the ruling class of Edo-period Japan. Since this was an age long before sports cars or private jets, one culturally refined way to outdo the neighbouring daimyō – short of setting fire to his castle and enslaving his entire household (which would have been just a tad uncouth) – was…
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Field Report: Night View of Nagasaki from Mount Inasa, Japan (26 March 2015)
The Japanese are fond of making lists, and tourist attractions aren’t exempt from categorisation. Think of the near-legendary Three Views (which dates from the 17th century and probably started the whole set-of-threes mania), the Three Famous Gardens, the Three Famous Castles … you name it, there’s probably a list somewhere for it. And amongst those…
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