The Tokugawa Shoguns

Ieyasu (1543-1616), the first shogun. A great warrior, he defeated his rival warlords at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and brought all Japan under his rule. Credited with bringing peace, unity and stability, he made Edo his capital, built Edo Castle and developed the city. He employed the British seafarer William Adams to build … Read more

Secrets of the Shogun’s Harem

November 1861. Sunlight glitters on the lances and pikes of hundreds of attendants and guards, as a procession winds slowly along a mountain road in central Japan. In all, there are 20,000 people – lords and ladies in palanquins, warriors on horseback and on foot, officials, ladies-in-waiting, maids and maids of maids. Then come shoe … Read more