PHG Blog

The Kikkawa, whose leader Hiroie had helped foil the Mori Clan's designs to betray Ieyasu at Sekigahara, were given 30,000 goku across Suo Province; much of what is now modern Iwakuni City.

When reading about this monument, and the story behind it, I can't help but think of the gesture of friendship, and how things would change between the two countries. In 1876, the Japanese were rapidly modernizing, rapidly industrializing and working harder than anybody to gain a seat at the international table; Imperial Germany was the inspiration behind many of these reforms.

Ready for combat by 1905 but too late to take part in the conflict with Russia, the ships were used as training vessels, and were later joined by no. 6 and 7, as Kawasaki Shipyard in Kobe bought plans directly from Holland and built them under the supervision of two of his assistants.

Perhaps best known for his 'sleeping giant' comment issued immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he has been somewhat sanitized in recent scholarship as an anti-war figure (he was not). Yamamoto was fated to preside over a series of quick victories in the early days of the Pacific War, only to be caught up in his own complicated plans at Midway.

The Meiji Emperor, in whose name the Meiji Restoration took place and Boshin War was fought, was on hand to witness six Japanese ships and one french vessel sail together on 26 March 1868. This was the first of 18 fleet reviews, the last of which was in 1940 in Yokohama.

The earthquake, the strongest in recorded Japanese history, set off a series of tsunamis that killed 18,000 throughout the northeast coast of the country. Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures had all but a hundred or so of the casualties. The tsunami that struck Fukushima knocked the power out in the Dai-ichi nuclear plant, which led to a partial meltdown.

Enomoto Takeaki 榎本 武揚 is one of the founding fathers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and a pivotal figure in the history of Japan. Enomoto was born in Edo, near what is now Taito-ku, Tokyo, in 1836.

Tropes and banners and slogans aside: could we do it again? Do we have the infrastructure, the know-how, frankly, the patriotism to rebuild a shattered fleet and take it to the enemy? Could we bring a broken DDG or LCS up from the mud and have it fighting in six months?

Whether or not Momotaro was born from a peach, or from a woman who ate the peach, is one area of disagreement. His age is another; some sources have him at 30 years old at the time of his expedition to defeat the oni; others have him at 15.

Here at Pacific History Guide, we are always looking for new and interesting ways to improve, and get folks connected to history, where they are. If you've used the Guide to find some historical monument or site, or have thought of better ways to reach people, let us know! Our inbox is always open.

Hello PHG fans, we're back today with another Japan post. I recently watched a YouTube video from the fantastic NaruMasa Travel youtube channel . One of the many reasons I watch their travel videos (aside from the beautfiul photography) is that they typically look for historic sites that are easily accessible but not necessarily well-known. In a recent video , they explore Tsumago-Juko, the 42nd of 69 stops on the Nakasendo Road. This town, and neighboring Magome-Juko, have b

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On the 15th August 1945, the people of Japan dutifully turned to their radios. It had been announced the day before via all NHK stations...

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Greetings all, I'm back with another blog post on historic Japan, another step in my mission to connect you with history, where you are....

Good evening everybody, I'm back today with a short post on an auspicious event in Second World War history: the fall of Corregidor....