THE RISING SUN JAPAN

Japan is an island country and part of East Asia situated in the Pacific Ocean. It is
officially called Nippon or Nihon. The characters of the name of the country mean sun-
origin. There are 6,852 islands making up the entire archipelago. The capital city is Tokyo
and is one of the most populated cities with an estimated population of 30 million
inhabitants and considered the biggest urban area in the world. The flag of Japan is
formally called Nisshoki meaning sun-mark flag but it is generally known as Hinomaru
meaning sun disc. It has a plain white rectangular filed with a red circle in the center. The
red circle represents the sun.
The Chinese told Marco Polo of the island kingdom which they called Zipangu,
meaning sun-origin kingdom. This is how Europeans first learned it. Later, Zipangu became
Japan, the land of the rising sun.
SAMURAI

The samurai (or bushi) were the warriors of pre-modern Japan. They later made up
the ruling military class that eventually became the highest ranking social caste of
the Edo Period (1603-1867).
Samurai employed a range of weapons such as bows and arrows, spears and guns,
but their main weapon and symbol was the sword.
Samurai were supposed to lead their lives according to the ethic code of bushido
("the way of the warrior").
Strongly Confucian in nature, bushido stressed concepts such as loyalty to one's
master, self discipline and respectful, ethical behavior. Many samurai were also
drawn to the teachings and practices of Buddhism. The samurai trace their origins to
the Heian Period campaigns to subdue the native Emishi people in the Tohoku
Region. Around the same time, warriors were increasingly hired by wealthy
landowners that had grown independent of the central government and built
armies for their own protection.
DAIMYO
Daimyo were the powerful Feudal lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the
country from their vast, hereditary land holdings. In addition they were the largest and most
powerful landholding magnates in Japan from about the 10th century until the latter half of
the 19th century. The Japanese word daimyo is compounded from dai (large)
and my (for myden, or name-land, meaning private land).
CASTLES
Castles developed over the centuries from small defensive forts built high up on
mountains into massive complexes at the heart of cities, where they served as the status
symbol, administrative center and residence of the local lord. The lord's samurai vassals
resided in the town surrounding the castle: the higher their rank, the closer they were
allowed to reside to the castle.
Over a hundred castles exist in Japan today, including twelve original castles (that
survived the post-feudal years intact) and many modern reconstructions. Most of the castles
contain exhibits or entire museums that display samurai artifacts and lifestyle.
MUSEUMS
While most history museums in Japan display at least a few samurai swords or armors,
there are a few specialized museums that exclusively feature relics of the samurai.
Some of these include:
o the Sword Museum in Tokyo, which displays one of the largest public sword
collections in the country
o the Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya, which exhibits armor, swords, tea
utensils, artwork and household items
o Maeda and Honda Museums in Kanazawa, which display relics of the two
most prominent samurai families in the region.
NINJA
Ninja () were a type of warrior who specialized in unconventional warfare such
as infiltration, sabotage and assassination during the age of the samurai.
Another way of calling them is "shinobi", meaning "those who act in stealth". Ninja
employed deception and forgery tactics to take opponents out by surprise. Due to
their unorthodox methods which contradicted the way of the warrior (bushido), the
ninja were not credited with the same honor as the samurai.
The diverse range of skills practiced by the ninja is called ninjutsu - the art of stealth -
and includes training in armed combat, weapon techniques, military strategy,
meteorology, geometry and breathing synthesis. Ninjutsu was passed down through
generations within families or directly from teacher to a selected one or few
disciples. This secrecy in part explains why little factual information exists about the
ninja, giving rise to lots of stereotyping of them both within Japan and in the West.
The best places to appreciate the ninja today are Iga and Koka - the traditional
heartlands of the ninja, and Togakushi in Nagano - home of the Togakure school of
ninja. These respective regions offer some actual buildings used by the ninja in the
past and/or museums which house previously used tools and weapons, thus retaining
some level of authenticity.
Other ninja attractions include those found at theme parks and are relatively more
commercialized. Ninja scenarios are recreated and ninja shows are staged
according to popular conceptions for entertainment. Ninja mansions are a feature
at many ninja locations. They are houses built with trapdoors and secret passages,
forming mazes which visitors have to find their way through.
KARATE
Karate is primarily a stand up or striking martial art that emerged on the island of
Okinawa as a blend of native Okinawan fighting styles and Chinese fighting styles. Karate is
now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and
open hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. The term
karateka refers to a karate practitioner.
ATOMIC BOMBS

On August 6, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was the target of the first atomic bomb used
against civil population in history. Three days later, the United States dropped a
second atomic bomb over the city of Nagasaki. In total, about a quarter of a million
people were killed by the two bombs.
Today, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the country of Japan are strongly engaged in
banning nuclear weapons and their testing worldwide.
GOVERNMENT
The current Japanese constitution was promulgated in the year 1946 during
the occupation by the Allied powers:
Legislature:
The Japanese parliament is called the Diet (also called (18891947) Imperial Diet,
Japanese Kokkai (National Assembly), or Teikoku Gikai (Imperial Assembly). Diet is the
national legislature of Japan. It consists of the House of Representatives (480 members) and
the House of Councilors (242 members). The members of the Diet are elected by the
Japanese people.
Executive:
The cabinet is headed by the Prime Minister. The cabinet further consists of
the ministers which are appointed by the prime minister and are usually members of the
Diet. The prime minister is elected by the Diet.
Judiciary:
The highest court is the Supreme Court. Other courts are district courts, high courts, family
courts, and summary courts. Judges are appointed by the cabinet.
Elections:
The minimum voting age is 20 years. Women received the right to vote with the postwar
constitution. Elections for the House of Representatives are carried out every four years, and
half of the House of Councilors is elected every three years. Beside the national elections
there are prefectural and municipal elections.
The Emperor does not have any effective power but is only the symbol of the state.
GEISHA
Geisha (or geiko in Kyoto dialect) are professional entertainers who attend to guests
during meals, banquets and other occasions. They are trained in various
traditional Japanese arts, such as dance and music, as well as in the art of
communication. Their role is to make guests feel at ease with conversation, drinking
games and dance performances.
Geisha can be found in several cities across Japan, including Tokyo and Kanazawa,
but the former capital of Kyoto remains the best and most prestigious place to
experience geisha, who are known there in the local dialect as geiko.
Five major geiko districts (hanamachi) remain in Kyoto. Four of them, Gion Kobu,
Gion Higashi, Miyagawacho and Pontocho, are located in or around the Gion
district in central Kyoto, while the fifth, Kamishichiken, is located near Kitano
Tenmangu Shrine.
Geiko and geiko aspirants live in special houses (okiya) in the geiko districts. In Kyoto,
young girls move there typically at age 15 to be taught communication and
hospitality skills and various traditional Japanese arts. After an introductory training
and examination, the talented and determined will go on to become a maiko
(geiko apprentice) and eventually a geiko a few years later.


SUMO
Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport. It originated
in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto deities. Many rituals with
religious background, such as the symbolic purification of the ring with salt, are still
followed today. In line with tradition, only men practice the sport professionally in
Japan.
The rules are simple: the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground with
any part of his body besides the soles of his feet loses. Matches take place on an
elevated ring (dohyo), which is made of clay and covered in a layer of sand. A
contest usually lasts only a few seconds, but in rare cases can take a minute or more.
There are no weight restrictions or classes in sumo, meaning that wrestlers can easily
find themselves matched off against someone many times their size. As a result,
weight gain is an essential part of sumo training.
The governing body of professional sumo is the Japan Sumo Association.
Six tournaments are held every year: three in Tokyo (January, May and September)
and one each in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka(November).
Each tournament lasts for 15 days during which each wrestler performs in one match
per day except lower ranked wrestlers who perform in fewer matches.
All sumo wrestlers are classified in a ranking hierarchy (banzuke), which gets
updated after each tournament based on the wrestlers' performance. Wrestlers with
positive records (more wins than losses) move up the hierarchy, while those with
negative records get demoted. The top division is called "Makuuchi" and the second
division is called "Juryo". At the pinnacle of the sumo hierarchy stands the yokozuna
(grand champion). Unlike wrestlers in lower ranks, a yokozuna cannot be demoted,
but he will be expected to retire when his performance begins to worsen.
YAZUKA
Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia, is one of the most powerful organized crime syndicates
in the world. The Yakuza were itinerant gamblers, peddlers, renegade warriors and roving
bandits. It traced their roots back to 17th century Samurai warriors.

/encyclopedia britannica