meiji restoration Archives

Amidst the backdrop of World War II's start, one last survivor of the old Edo period order died. Who was Hayashi Tadataka,…

In western Fukushima Prefecture, an odd salient of territory extends, wedged between Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures. So why is it there?

The story of a little-know artist-turned-warrior during the waning days of the samurai -- and who just might have been a queer…

Hundreds of years before Red Bull, the samurai of the house of Date were drinking a powdered concoction said to replenish a…

Learn about how a low-ranking samurai, Sakamoto Ryoma, helped bring down the Shogunate - and why he lost his life for it.

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…

Saigo Takamori would ultimately tear down the samurai system he so dearly loved. But first, he had to survive an ordeal that…