eric ゑリｯ久
@shinobu_books
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Independent translator and publisher of rare and unusual Japanese books. Jujutsu, Ninjutsu, and other Samurai stuff自称翻訳家
Joined November 2021
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The absolute state of these lads
True story: In 1993, a tanuki and a fox snuck into a doburoku (unfiltered sake) festival, helped themselves to leftovers and passed out together. Locals captured the scene with a photograph, then watched over them until they woke up the next day and left. Real life folklore🤣
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Periodic reminder to check to see if your acquaintances have been possessed by using Kitsune no Mado 狐の窓 "Fox Window"
Bend your fingers as shown and look through the hole. This will eliminate any magic and you will see a person's true form (human or fox-disguised-as-human)
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Shipwrecked Russian sailors captured in Hokkaido in the Edo Era
On the left is a dude named Koifunekko(?) who is apparently 30 years old and 6’8”/204 cm tall. On the right is Uruhanka (?) who is 26 years old and a whopping 7 feet/210 cm tall.
Left: 19th c. Japanese depiction of an Englishman
Right: 18th c. Chinese depiction of an Englishman
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To resuscitate a drowning victim you can place him face down on the back of a cow and then walk the cow around for a bit. Will revive them no problem.
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Illustrations of an autopsy done on a woman who was decapitated in the Kansei era (1789~1801) Typically dissections were forbidden in Edo Era Japan.
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Mishima spent a lot of time getting in shape beforehand because he “didn’t want a bunch of blubber spilling out,” when he cut himself open.
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Tokyo fire department ambulance with license plate number that means “don’t die”
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Shi-na-na-i
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190% increase in bear habitat over the last 40 years.
Ainu "sending the bear" ceremony that was done in the traditional manner in 1985 after a long hiatus.
"Kimun Kamui yo Kami no Kuni he"
God of the mountains! we send you to the realm of the gods
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Got a raw horse meat vending machine down the street from me
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An illustration based on a picture of Mishima Yukio’s autopsy photo.
Note the cut on the shoulder where the first Kaishakunin, his lover, missed.
Mishima spent a lot of time getting in shape beforehand because he “didn’t want a bunch of blubber spilling out,” when he cut himself open.
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This book is amazing. Requires zero Japanese ability and you will be astounded at how fast you progress.
I spent a bazillion hours studying this book. It’s comically out of date w/ example sentences are like “so what did you do after the war?” “How often do you meet your war buddies?”and talks about how Kamishibai has “almost been completely replaced by TV in the big cities”
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I spent a bazillion hours studying this book. It’s comically out of date w/ example sentences are like “so what did you do after the war?” “How often do you meet your war buddies?”and talks about how Kamishibai has “almost been completely replaced by TV in the big cities”
A lot of people ask for good resources for studying Japanese so I’ll share the resources I have personally used! Because Japanese language education is my area of research, I’d also really like to hear about what has helped you as well. 🧵
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Reminder that someone made a straw doll of Putin and nailed it to a sacred tree within the grounds of a shrine with a 15cm/6in nail. This is the traditional way to curse someone.
There was a note tucked inside with Putin’s birthday, age and a wish that he be killed written on it
A priest at a shrine⛩ in Matsudo found a Wara-ningyo “straw doll”nailed to a sacred tree. The head of the shrine is showing where he found it
#Japan
#waraningyo
#curse
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@lostinhist0ry
Started Judo at the age of 45.
Here is the Friday page of Yamashita’s student logbook. General Lee’s granddaughter was also a student…
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What kind of hobbies will make you not want to date a guy?
1. Guys that follows girl groups (idols)
2. Guys that do Triathlons
3. Guys that run Marathons
4. Into anime
5. Golfers
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九相圖
Kuso-zu
Illustrated Guide to the 9 Stages of Decomposition
Illustrations showing the nine stages that a human body goes through after death. The earliest examples are from the 13th C. This overview is by Itoh Seiyu 伊藤晴雨 (1882~1961.)
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Tattooing was used as a punishment in early Japan, however after the Taika Reforms in 645 AD up through the Tokugawa Era 1600~, the practice was banished. During the Kamakura period (1185~1333) criminals had their foreheads branded. This shows a criminal being branded with 悪 bad
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Early in the Edo Era lovers would tattoo each other's name vertically on the inside of the arm. The final Kanji would be Inochi命 meaning "life." The final stroke of this Kanji would be long, indicating the vow was eternal and that they would die before breaking.
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I've seen this on the train before. When looking for a job, don't be fooled by "Two days off a week system."
❌週休2日制 At least once a month, two days off.
⭕️完全週休2日制 Every week two days off.
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There were 6 different death penalties in Edo Era Japan.
1/6 Geshunin下手人 Criminal Punishment
The "least severe" execution. After being beheaded your body wouldn't be used for test cutting and could be buried. Typically used on commoners who killed someone while drunk.
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With the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in 538 AD, the eating of meat was discouraged. In 1685 the Tokugawa Shogun banned, on pain of death or banishment, the eating of meat. Exceptions were made for birds and, for reasons not entirely clear, rabbits were classified as birds.
Fun fact.
Capybaras are eaten during Lent in Venezuela because they are considered “fish” by the Vatican.
Sometime between the XVI and XVIII centuries, Venezuelan clergymen wrote to the Vatican with a special request. They had discovered an animal that lived in water, had
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They started cleaning all 1001 statues in 1973 and finally finished in 2017. They cleaned about 15~40 a year. Cost 6~7000$ per statue
Buddhist statue of the day
#19
:
The 1,001 Thousand-armed Avalokiteshvaras (Senju Kannons) of Sanjusangendo in Kyoto.
Senju Kannon is a form of Kannon who manifests 1,000 arms in order to save countless sentient beings at once. This form is particularly prevalent in Esoteric
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The oldest graffiti in Japan is at Horyuji Temple 法隆寺When they removed the ceiling boards they found all manner of drawings. They date to the 5th century AD. Anyway, I hope they catch this guy and clap him in irons for 50 days like they did Santo Kyoden.
The Instagram account of American spray paint vendor Sprayplanet shared this video of a person in Tokyo vandalizing convenience stores and shoplifting. The clip is going viral on Twitter, with Japanese netizens calling for the arrest of the culprit.
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Ainu armor is made of small lacquered seal leather plates bound by cord. It resembles both old-style Japanese armor & Tibetan armor.
Interestingly there doesn't seem to be a source of lacquer in Hokkaido and any lacquer-wear dishes were imported from Japan and highly prized.
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In the early 1700s a commoner in Yamagata Prefecture killed a samurai. After the murder he fled to a temple and asked for sanctuary. He became Shinnyokai 真如海 and dedicated the rest of his life to intensive training. In 1783 at the age of 96 he completed his self mummification.
Manga introducing Sokushinbutsu即身仏 self-mummification. The purpose was to enter a permanent state of meditation in order to assist the populace in achieving in enlightenment. “Texts suggest that hundreds of these cases are buried in the stupas and mountains of Japan.”
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Takeda Kotsugai 武田物外 (1795–1867) was a Zen priest and martial artist from the Edo period. He founded the Fusen-ryū school of jujutsu.
In this scene he is trapping the sword of a Shinsengumi member with two tea bowls/ begging bowls (because monks don't use weapons.)
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Pre-war Japan and eating human sashimi
According newspapers articles from the Meiji-Taisho era (1868~1912) there was a belief that eating human brains and other parts of the body were cure-alls for disease. The trade in such meat was done by the proprietors of crematoriums.
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Due to the overgrown grass this sign says
“We need everyone’s power for violence”
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How to defend your house against Ninja
④Tie a thin cord extending from the front gate to your bed. If an enemy ninja tries to enter, the cord on the door will make noise, both surprising the enemy and awakening you.
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Ainu "sending the bear" ceremony that was done in the traditional manner in 1985 after a long hiatus.
"Kimun Kamui yo Kami no Kuni he"
God of the mountains! we send you to the realm of the gods
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Amazing things are happening under Fuji
Apparently there is a cave inside Mt. Fuji that resembles a womb and you can be reborn.
You can check it out on google maps:
"The cave is open daily from 9:00 ~ 17:00 except on Mondays. Admission is 200 ¥ ($1.30) for adults and 100 ¥ ($0.65) for children"
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Demonstration of Seppuku at the Women’s Sword-master conference
Early 1970s
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At a drinking party, the host heard one man was an expert calligrapher, so he set up a blank folding screen & asked for a poem.The man wrote "Don't pee here"
As the host was becoming enraged,another poet took up a brush adding "mountain flowers don't need it"
此所小便無用→花乃山
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Apparently there is a cave inside Mt. Fuji that resembles a womb and you can be reborn.
You can check it out on google maps:
"The cave is open daily from 9:00 ~ 17:00 except on Mondays. Admission is 200 ¥ ($1.30) for adults and 100 ¥ ($0.65) for children"
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In the Edo Era the literacy rate was 60% overall, much to the surprise of foreign visitors upon witnessing average Joe’s picking up books from book vendors. In Edo city the rate was closer to 70%. In 1894 the rate for men 78% / women 45% by 1900 the overall literacy rate was 100%
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敵討ち
Kataki-uchi
Revenge Killing
While revenge killings were legal (for Samurai) in the Edo Era, you still had to apply for a Kyokasho許可書, permit, to legally avenge yourself. A permit had to be obtained from your lord.
🧵
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Brief history of Curry in Japan:
1871: Exchange student sees curry served aboard a steamship ship headed to America (but didn’t eat any)
1872: Japanese cookbook w/ Curry
1873: Appears in school lunches
1893: Quick curry & rice recipe
1905: First curry powder made in Japan
Within this last 10 years, the production volume of retort curry in Japan hit the highest level in 2020, with approximately 25 million pouches produced.
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Most of the casualties in Japanese battles in the 15th & 16th centuries were from arrows.
Injuries and deaths 1467～1638年
矢arrows 38.2%
鉄砲matchlocks 23.7％
槍spears 20.0％
石rocks12.4％
刀sword 3.7%
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Publisher Miyatake Gaikotsu got into a heap of trouble when he published this parody of the Meiji Emperor issuing the constitution in 1889. Both the publisher and artist were fined and imprisoned for disrespect.
The magazine was :
Journal of the Society of Ready Wit 頓智協会雑誌
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While tearing down an old shop that sold seaweed in Iwate Prefecture they found a curious box.
It has "Mitsumine Shrine" written on the top and inside is a mummified wolf/dog skull, an ear stone of a whale (otolith) and three stone tools from the Jomon era (14000-1000 BC.)
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"When barbarians (Ainu) practice the bow, they do so with one arrow clamped in their mouth, three in their left hand and one in their right. This is so they are ready to shoot five arrows at a bear. They have to be fast enough to stop a charging wild animal."
蝦夷訓蒙図彙
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竹槍術訓練ノ参考
How to Fight With a Bamboo Spear:
A Reference Manual For Training
Japanese Army
1943
This manual was for instructing women, the elderly and children in the fundamentals of spear fighting. It was to prepare the populace for the expected invasion of Japan.
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Nyujo入定typically means a state of intense meditation however in Shingon Mikkyo Buddhism this describes doing intense fasting & training in order to enter a permanent state of meditation that will last past death.Mummies of people who achieve this state are called Sokushinbutsu.
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@Kaiyes_
This was definitely part of it
he also had a suicide fetish. the entire thing was an elaborate sex act.
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小牧長久手合戦図屏風
Getting decapitated whilst decapitating
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Shimizu Sadakichi (1837~1887) was the first person to commit armed robbery with a gun in Japan. The story of the eighty robberies and five murders he committed was the first drama movie made in Japan 'The pistol robber Sadakichi Shimizu' (1899)
He used a Smith & Wesson New Model
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@Matt_Alt
I thought animals would shy away from lapping up Sake, must’ve been a sweeter batch?
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According to this neuroscientist
"After the age of 50 there is no scientific evidence showing men have a reason to continue living."
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What an Edo era traveller would carry. Collapsable candle stand and a writing set on the top right along with a multitude of pouches.
Translation of a travel advice book from 1810: Includes information on what to pack and how to not be fooled by foxes.
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鋸引刑 Nokogiri Biki Kei
Slow sawing of the head with a bamboo saw execution method
From:
Recreating death penalty and torture from the Edo Era
1972
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The aftermath
Newspaper
“He charged into the self-defense force headquarters armed with a Japanese katana”
“Scene of where the Tatenokai楯の会shield society barricaded themselves in”
Just past noon on November 25, 1970
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国民築城必携
Building Fortifications : The Citizen’s Essential Guide 1945
A visual guide to building fortifications prepared by the Japanese Army. This pamphlet was distributed as part of the plan to defend the nation against the presumed Allied assault.
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An Ainu woman describes her experience being tattooed
"I started Shinuye, tattooing, when I was a young girl,it really hurt...I was crying and thought I would die...it was as if I was going to die (she holds her hand to her chest) I couldn’t stand it, they splashed water on me...
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Still in absolute awe of this scene.
Happy Birthday to Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo who turns 70 years old today! 🎉🎉
Reminder that a new Akira anime adaptation is currently in production from studio Sunrise
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Top five hobbies that a girl doesn't want to have to participate in, even if their boyfriend does.
1. Following a girl group (idols)
2. Doing Triathlons
3. Running Marathons
4. Anything to do with anime
5. Playing golf
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One Kanji that says
“You should favor studying [the works of] Confucius and Mencius”
このんで まなぶ こうもうを
好 學 孔 孟を
Confucius and Mencius
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Might be referencing the Tsuchigumo 土蜘蛛 "dirt spiders." Tsuchigumo referred to both renegade local clans and also spider-like Yokai.
This is part of a 14th c. scroll showing a Samurai battling one, though early Japanese emperors had to deal with them in the years around 70AD~
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Remember in Hard to Kill when Steven Seagal wrote a grocery list in Chinese
Chinese characters as imagined by 19th century Europeans look like those generated by AI today
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Japanese anti Communist propaganda map of East Asia
1936
"Behold! The state of the furious advance of Russia against Japan!"
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Temple Arson
Kinkakuji 1950
Set on fire by a Buddhist monk fire for a “hatred of beauty.”
Kazahi Nomi no Miya 風日祈宮1975
Burned down by left wing communists who threw a Molotov cocktail at it
Heianjingu平安神宮放火事件 1976
Arson by a New Left in Japan member (still alive!)
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殺人罪の例外
In the Edo Era these were not considered to be murder:
・If the head of a Samurai household orders a retainer or subject to be killed
・If a Samurai is ordered by his lord to kill everyone in his household
・If a Bushi kills a rude peasant(This requires a witness)
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傷害 Injury
Injuring a person of higher status brought severe penalties
・Injuring your parents: crucifixion
・Injuring your lord: Parading around the city & crucifixion
・Injuring grandparents/ teacher: Decapitation
・Causing permanent disability in any person: Banishment
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Copy machine at a 7-11 has a sign saying “please stop using this machine to photocopy fish” which sounds like a joke but people are scanning them and labeling em for their collection.
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@BoundingComics
When I first moved to Japan I went to a used book store to try and find a manga to get into. The clerk grabbed the first four issues of this and handed em to me.
I was like
"Im not really into boxing..."
He was like
"This is the soul of Japan, its a very important manga."
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"Anyone responsible for a person who has gone insane and who allows them to wander around the road is in violation."
Rules for Living in Osaka
1882
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@LegoRacers2
Couple years back I saw a turtle fighting a snake as I was riding my bike to work. You know like the picture in the 7th century tomb in Nara.
They sort of rolled off into the drainage ditch between the road and a rice field so I didn't get a pic. Prolly doesn't mean anything.
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@mckena94
Nah, it's legit hard to remember. Like the 12 animals of the zodiac include 11 common animals...and a dragon
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Series of illustrations about a dissection done in the fall of 1837
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If the Edo era police wanted to question you closely they would sit you in Seiza on top of Soroban Ita十露盤板 (abacus) a wedged wooden platform and tie you to a post.
They would then then begin stacking cinderblocks on top driving the wooden corners into your shins. While the
The lightest punishment in the Edo Era was Shikari 叱 a reprimand.
There were two levels of this, a regular reprimand and Kitto急度叱 a severe scolding. Both of these could mean your relatives and friends were all called down to the police office and given a group tongue lashing.
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天竺徳兵衛妖術伝
Tale of the Sorcerer Tenjiku Tokubei
Japanese sailor Tenjiku Tokubei (1612 –1692) wrote a book about his travels to India in the 17th century. His story of being shipwrecked was made into a Kabuki play that added supernatural elements.This is a version from 1887
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According to an October 1869 New York Times article, there is a giant statue of "a noted Japanese warrior, named Daiboots" in Yokohama.
Sounds like a tough character...The picture is from 1904.
(Daibutsu大仏= a large statue of the Buddha)
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Takeda was known as Genkotsu Osho 拳骨和尚 "Fist Monk" due to the strength of his hands. Here he is holding a stack of Go boards that probably weigh 25 kilograms/ 55 pounds. His friends would ask him to strike a pillar in their house or a Go board as a proof of their friendship
Takeda Kotsugai 武田物外 (1795–1867) was a Zen priest and martial artist from the Edo period. He founded the Fusen-ryū school of jujutsu.
In this scene he is trapping the sword of a Shinsengumi member with two tea bowls/ begging bowls (because monks don't use weapons.)
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薬師如来Yakushi Nyorai
国玉神社 Kunitama Jinja
Statue of Yakushi Nyorai "Medicine Buddha" who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.
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A hanging scroll with a matchlock (?) pistol and a poem. Ishikawa Jozan is the artist 1583-1672.
The poem says,
The gateway to the fire is concave,
the illuminating star convex,
the howl of the firing mechanism,
down the long cave of the barrel,
penetrating
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An Illustrated Book of Ghost Stories and Supernatural Tales
Edo Era
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@PumpkinPaean
Some of the girls commented, “He would probably try to get me to train as well and that sounds exhausting, so no”
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漂流
Hyoryu-Adrift: 484 Days at Sea🧵
Fifteen year old Oguri Jukichi's (1785~1853) boat was struck by a storm while on its way to Edo, forcing it far from the regular shipping lanes. Though loaded with food, the crew began to despair. Jukichi spent a year and a half adrift.
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Fugu
☞Toxicity varies among species, from fish to fish, the part of the fish,as well as the season & area caught
☞Poison does not break down even when heated to 300°C
☞ 1,000 X more toxic than potassium cyanide
☞1 tiger puffer has enough poison to kill 10 people
☞No antidote
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生首考“Regarding Severed Heads”
It talks about the history of severed heads in Japan & the world.
It transcribes the note attached to the head of Eto Shinpei (1834~1874)who was tracked down & killed for participating in the Saga rebellion. His head was displayed with this note↓
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Scene inside an Edo Era prison. The guards basically let the prisoners manage themselves. All the tatami mats have been pulled off the ground (leaving a wooden floor beneath) and the higher ranked prisoners sit on top of stacks based on seniority/ power-level. Newer prisoners
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A couple years back, an automatic camera captured this Higuma 羆 brown bear on a tiny island called Rishiri 利尻off the coast of northwestern Hokkaido.
Experts were unsure how it got to the island, but surmised it swam (20km!) from the mainland, poked around a bit and swam back.
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Nezumi Otoko rat-boy from Kitaro is chilling with a guy wearing a ベトナム戦争反対 no war in Vietnam shirt
Tezuka Osamu, the father of modern Japanese manga, created this political cartoon opposing the US war in Vietnam for the January 29, 1967 edition of Akahata (Red Flag), the newspaper of the Japan Communist Party. [
@Edo_Granpa
's tweet shows Tezuka at a JCP meeting]
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摩利支
Marishiten is a god of protection and accumulation of wealth through conquest.
Old images are rare as they were only 半寸~一寸 (1.5~3cm/0.5~1 inch) in size and worn secretly against the skin. If another person knows you have one, its power is lessened.
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An early Meiji era (1880s?) illustration of a Junsa 巡査patrol officer scolding a man for wearing women’s clothing
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@HegelwCrmCheese
Literally distributed this guide to everyone
竹槍術訓練ノ参考
How to Fight With a Bamboo Spear:
A Reference Manual For Training
Japanese Army
1943
This manual was for instructing women, the elderly and children in the fundamentals of spear fighting. It was to prepare the populace for the expected invasion of Japan.
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Naked meth addict who has climbed onto the roof of a temple and is in the process of ripping up roof tiles and throwing them
Post below: Statue was found to be full of marijuana (1980)
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Rasotsu邏卒 Patrolling (low level) soldiers began in 1871.
They initially carried a spear or sword, however this was later forbidden and instead they carried a Konbo 棍棒 club.
"It is shameful in this enlightened era to walk around naked (from the bath) where foreigners can see."
An early Meiji era (1880s?) illustration of a Junsa 巡査patrol officer scolding a man for wearing women’s clothing
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