In 1873, the newly-minted Meiji government banned the age-old practice of kataki-uchi: blood revenge. Seven years later, the son of a murdered samurai would take his vengeance nonetheless.
How Saigo Takamori led 30,000 samurai in the Satsuma Rebellion – a final, doomed mission against the modern government he helped create.
How the “last samurai” Saigo Takamori escaped exile and changed Japan forever – before he rebelled against the new state he helped create.
A popular city mascot resumes her vaunted role. Learn about Japan’s history of “discount banana hawking”, and how it gave birth to Princess Banana, the tourist symbol of Kitakyushu City.
Subscribe to our free newsletter for a weekly digest of our best work across platforms (Web, Twitter, YouTube). Your support helps us spread the word about the Japan you don’t learn about in anime.
Want a preview? Read our archives
You’ll get one to two emails from us weekly. For more details, see our privacy policy
