• 01 Japanese History

    #24 The Momoyama Culture

    Click here to go to the YouTube video A wealthy and powerful culture emerged in the war-torn country, reflecting the spirit of warring feudal lords and wealthy urban merchants. It is called the Momoyama Culture after the name of the area around Fushimi Castle, which Hideyoshi built in Kyoto. 戦国武将や裕福な豪商の気風を反映した豪華で力強い文化が、戦乱の世に現れました。秀吉が京都に建てた伏見城のあたりの地名から「桃山文化」と呼ばれています。 There are only 12 castles with a castle tower still in existence in Japan. Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, also called White Heron Castle because of its beautiful white exterior, is a good example. It was registered as a World Heritage site in 1993. 日本には現存の天守閣を持つ城は12しかありません。外壁の美しさから「白鷺城」とも呼ばれる兵庫県の姫路城はその代表です。1993年には世界遺産に登録されました。 The halls of these castles were decorated with gorgeously colored folding screens and “fusuma-e”, or…