These shrewd leaders led their armies to multiple victories on the battlefield that put the island nation closer to unification after decades of political turmoil. Three samurais helped to unify the ...

When feudal Japan's most powerful warlord Nobunaga Oda met Yasuke, a Black slave-turned-retainer, in 1581, he believed the man was a god. Oda had never seen an African before. And like the locals in ...

This module focuses on Japan’s medieval period, including the Kamakura (1185-1333), the Muromachi (1336-1573), and the Momoyama (1573-1603) shogunates. Photograph ...

The samurai warriors of medieval Japan are among the most coopted figures in history. Their legend has been used to do everything from rally popular support for military regimes to sell French fries.

Two swords once carried by samurai have been found during excavations in Ichijodani, one of medieval Japan’s largest cities. On the outskirts of Fukui, a city of a quarter of a million people in ...

Teachers are encouraged to read “Medieval Japan: An Introductory Essay,” by historian Ethan Segal, prior to conducting this lesson. The introductory essay may also be assigned to students with ...

Two of the stars of Japanese history are samurai and ninja, and the Samurai and Ninja Museum in Tokyo gives guests the opportunity to learn about, and even experience, different aspects of the two ...

This 1605 drawing of a Black sumo wrestler may depict Yasuke. Illustration by Meilan Solly / Photos via Wikimedia Commons under public domain Seconds into the first episode of the Netflix anime ...

When feudal Japan’s most powerful warlord Nobunaga Oda met Yasuke, a black slave-turned-retainer, in 1581, he believed the man was a god. Oda had never seen an African before. And like the locals in ...