Tag Archives: Kumamoto

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,Continue reading “Field Report: Kyū Hosokawa Gyōbu-tei, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)”

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 capableContinue reading “Field Report: Kumamoto Castle, Japan (27 March 2015)”

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) – wasContinue reading “Field Report: Suizen-ji Jōju-en, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)”