Interesting facts about the tribes of Japan. Kabuki created by a woman dressed as a man

Japan is one of the few countries that can boast a vibrant, interesting and rich history. Almost everyone has heard about how the Mongol invasion of Japan was foiled by a tsunami, or how the Land of the Rising Sun became cut off from the rest of the world during the Edo period. However, in Japanese history There are many other incredible facts that you should definitely know about.

1. Eating meat was once illegal in Japan.

In the mid-7th century, the Japanese government introduced a ban on eating meat. This law was in effect for 1200 years. In 675, Emperor Temmu, who was probably influenced by Buddhist precepts against taking anyone's life, signed a decree banning the consumption of beef, as well as the meat of monkeys and domestic animals. Those who dared to break it were awaited death penalty.

Initially, the law was supposed to be observed between April and September, but later religious practices turned eating meat (especially beef) into a strict taboo. In the 16th century, eating meat began to gain popularity again in Japan, mainly due to the establishment of connections with Christian missionaries.

In 1687, the Japanese were again banned from eating meat, but many continued to do so anyway. After 185 years, the law was finally repealed.

2. Kabuki theater was created by a woman who dressed up as men.

Kabuki theater, one of the most famous cultural symbols Japan, is a colorful synthesis of singing, music, dance and drama. All roles in kabuki (both male and female) are performed exclusively by men. However, initially only women were actors in this type of theater.

The founder of kabuki is considered to be Izumo no Okuni, a priestess who became famous for her exquisite dances, parody skits and playing male roles. The energetic and sensual style that Izumo no Okuni developed became incredibly popular in Japan, and many courtesans began to imitate her. Daimyo (largest military feudal lords medieval Japan) even invited kabuki actresses to their castles to enjoy their performances, which the government, however, considered extremely indecent. In 1629, after a riot that occurred during a kabuki performance in Kyoto, women were banned from appearing on stage. From then on, only men could perform in kabuki troupes.

3. Japanese surrender in World War II

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced by radio Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers. This appeal was recorded in advance - on the very night when a group of Japanese soldiers who did not want to surrender attempted to carry out coup d'etat. Major Kenji Hatanaka, the leader of the conspirators, broke into the imperial palace with his men in order to find and destroy the record of surrender.

Hatanaka's soldiers searched the entire palace, but found nothing. Miraculously (despite a thorough search of everyone who left the palace), the recording managed to “get out” undetected in the laundry basket. However, Hatanaka refused to give up. He left the palace and rode his bicycle towards the nearest radio station. He wanted to make a statement, but technical problems ruined his plans. Hatanaka returned to the imperial palace, where he shot himself.

4. Samurai sometimes tested the sharpness of their swords by attacking random passers-by

In medieval Japan, it was considered a shame if a samurai could not cut the enemy’s body with one blow with a sword. Every samurai had to test the quality of his sword before rushing into battle with it. Samurai typically practiced on corpses and the bodies of criminals. But there was another method, known as “tsujigiri” - testing a new sword on the first person you met.

At first, cases of tsujigiri were rare, but eventually they became common. serious problem, and the authorities were forced to ban this practice in 1602. According to historical records dating back to the Edo period (1603-1868), victims of tsujigiri were found every morning in Tokyo at certain intersections.

5. Japanese soldiers cut off the ears and noses of their enemies as trophies.

Between 1592 and 1598, Japan invaded Korea twice. She eventually withdrew her troops from the country, but as a result of her brutal invasions, according to some estimates, at least one million Koreans died. At that time, Japanese warriors often cut off the heads of their enemies and took them with them as trophies. However, it was extremely inconvenient to deliver them home (due to their huge number), so Japanese soldiers decided to take ears and noses instead.

In Japan, these war trophies were used to create eerie monuments known as “ear tombs” and “nose tombs.” One such tomb was discovered in Kyoto; it contained tens of thousands of trophies. In another tomb, archaeologists found 20,000 noses, which were returned to Korea in 1992.

6. The “father of kamikaze” committed hara-kiri to atone for his guilt before the pilots he helped kill

Japanese Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi believed that the only way to win the Second World War was to conduct operations with the participation of kamikaze pilots, who were supposed to destroy Allied ships by crashing their planes into them. Onishi hoped that this unexpected move would discourage America and force it to withdraw from the war. He was in terrible despair and even declared his readiness to sacrifice 20 million Japanese lives for the sake of victory.

Upon learning of Japan's surrender in World War II, Onishi began to worry very much about those thousands of kamikaze pilots whose souls he had destroyed. On August 16, 1945, Onishi, unable to withstand the torment of his conscience, committed hara-kiri. In his suicide note he apologized to the families of the victims and called on the youth of Japan to strive for world peace.

7. The first Japanese person to convert to Christianity was a fugitive.

In 1546, thirty-five-year-old samurai Anjiro was on the run. He was wanted for killing a man during a fight. He was hiding from the law in the commercial port of Kagoshima. Here Anjiro met the Portuguese, who took pity on him and sent him to Malacca. Here he learned Portuguese and was baptized, becoming the first Japanese Christian.

In Malacca he also met the Jesuit priest Francis Xavier. In the summer of 1549, they went together to Japan on a Christian mission, which, by the way, ended in failure. Their paths diverged, and Xavier decided to try his luck in China. He eventually became a saint and patron of Christian missionaries. In turn, Anjiro became a pirate and died into oblivion.

8. The Portuguese Slave Trade Led to the Abolition of Slavery in Japan

In the 1540s, the West began to improve relations with Japan. After this, Japanese slaves first appeared in Portugal. The trade eventually became enormous, and even Portuguese slaves in Macau could afford to own Japanese slaves.

Jesuit missionaries expressed their dissatisfaction with this activity. In 1571, they convinced the King of Portugal to end the enslavement of the Japanese; however, the Portuguese colonists still for a long time resisted and ignored the ban. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a Japanese leader and military commander, also opposed the slave trade from Japan. In the late 1580s he announced his intention to end this. Hideyoshi issued a decree abolishing slavery, but the trade in Japanese slaves continued for some time after the adoption this decision.

9. More than 200 Japanese nursing students died in the Battle of Okinawa

In April 1945, the Allies launched an offensive on Okinawa. As a result of the three-month bloody battle, more than 200 thousand people died (about half of them were civilians). The death toll included a group of 200 female students, ages 15 to 19, who were forced by Japanese soldiers to work as nurses during the Battle of Okinawa.

At first, these girls helped doctors in the army hospital. Later, when the bombing of the island intensified, they were forced to move into caves, where they fed wounded Japanese soldiers, took part in surgical operations and buried the bodies of the dead. When the American soldiers came very close, the students were ordered to blow themselves up with grenades if anything happened. In one incident, which became known as the “Cave of the Virgins,” more than 50 student nurses were killed by gunfire.

10. During World War II, Japan worked on its own nuclear program

In August 1945, Japan and the whole world were shocked by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but one Japanese scientist was not particularly surprised. Physicist Yoshio Nishina expressed his concerns about the possibility of a nuclear attack back in 1939. In April 1941, he became the head of Japan's first nuclear program. Two years later, a committee headed by Nishina concluded that the creation of nuclear weapons was possible, but too difficult, even for the United States.

The Japanese continued to work on the program, and soon another project, the F-Go Project, appeared, headed by physicist Bunsaku Arakatsu.

Neither program was successful, and who knows what the outcome of World War II would have been if Japan had been the first to create atomic weapons? According to writer Robert Wilcox, Japan had all the necessary knowledge to create nuclear bomb, however, she lacked resources. In May 1945, the US Navy intercepted a Nazi submarine that was supposed to deliver 540 kilograms of uranium oxide to Tokyo.

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Is this what you were looking for? Perhaps this is something you couldn’t find for so long?

Interesting facts Japan really makes everyone think, even the most sophisticated and experienced travelers. This state is very different from the corners of the globe that are familiar to us.

Having landed in Tokyo, from the first minutes you understand that fate has thrown you almost onto another planet. What exactly does it feel like? Yes, in almost everything. In culture, traditions, rules, laws, even in the landscapes opening from the windows of a hotel room.

However, not only interesting facts about Japan will be presented in this article. The reader will get a lot useful information O different areas life of ordinary residents of this country, get to know them in absentia so that in the future you will definitely want to visit the amazing Land of the Rising Sun.

Section 1. General information

It is not for nothing that modern Japan is considered the birthplace of the sun. This is where it begins new day. Today this amazing country combines modern nanotechnology and centuries-old traditions.

Skyscrapers of megalopolises peacefully coexist with ancient temples and sacred gates of spirits, luxury hotels with traditional Japanese ryokans, and expensive SPA salons with national

Such an unusual state, as a rule, attracts tourists with its unique atmosphere and architecture.

A map of Japan shows that everything here is located at a fairly modest distance from each other. For example, children can visit everything in one visit best parks entertainment: Disneyland, DisneySea, Mainland Osarizawa, etc.

By the way, it is worth paying attention to the fact that prices in the Land of the Rising Sun are off the charts, and there is no concept of tourist seasonality. Therefore, Japan is more loved by businessmen and wealthy tourists. Although there are no attractions here huge amount.

The capital of the country is Tokyo. The largest cities, in addition to the capital, include Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya. The largest seaside resort is located on the Okinawa archipelago.

Section 2. Traditions at home

Still, Japan is amazing and unique. Interesting things can open up here almost immediately, as they say, at the doorstep.

For example, when receiving an invitation, you should take into account the following information:

It is customary to walk indoors without shoes; they are left in front of the entrance to the house. In the toilet rooms there are always special slippers that you can change into.
When visiting, it is permissible to sit only in the seats offered by the hosts. Traditionally, the Japanese sit on the tatami on their knees with their legs crossed. But now these rules are not so strict. Sitting with your legs crossed or stretched out is considered bad manners. You cannot step on or step over anything in the house.
When going on a visit, you should take sweets or strong drinks with you. (Hashi) are intended for eating only. They should not be waved or pointed at anyone. It is also inappropriate to stick them into food, as it is associated with death.
At the end of the meal, it is customary to take the remaining food with you.

Section 3. Japanese gestures

Interesting facts about Japan, of course, do not end with the traditions of the house. Let's talk about facial expressions and gestures. This language among the local population is very peculiar and unusual for other people. To avoid misunderstandings when communicating, you should know some of them:

nodding your head does not at all mean the interlocutor’s agreement - this is how the Japanese show that they listen carefully and understand;
the V-shape gesture is used when taking photographs;
the thumb near the nose means “I”, and crossing the arms over the chest means “I’m thinking”;
index fingers placed on the head in the form of horns indicate dissatisfaction;
a figure of three fingers is considered an indecent sign; the usual “come here” gesture, but performed with both hands, will also be perceived poorly;
fist pressed to head open palm In Japanese, it means “stupid”, and waving your palm in front of your face expresses disagreement with something.

Section 4. Bows and behavior in society

Young and old Japanese in public places They are usually shy and less sociable, so it is better to ask middle-aged people with questions.

Smoking areas are not available everywhere; there are no trash cans on the street. The best solution is to buy a pocket ashtray.

Visitors (o-keksan) of restaurants, shops and other establishments are treated with respect and adhere to the rule “the customer is always right.”

In Japan, there is no ritual of shaking hands; bows are used instead. At the same time, return bows should be made with the same frequency and respect shown by the other party. Sometimes just a bow of the head is enough.

Section 5. Japan: facts from women's lives

On Valentine's Day in Japan, girls give gifts to show their affection for a guy.
The Japanese subway has special cars for women, which are attached to the train every morning. During rush hour, women can easily reach their destination.
Men are always served first. For example, in stores the man is greeted first, in restaurants they are the first to place an order.

Section 6. Social life

Many interesting facts about Japan directly or indirectly indicate that it actually unusual country, different from other powers:

despite the penchant for voyeurism, rape rates are minimal in Japan;
there is the most tolerant attitude towards smoking here - you can smoke everywhere (except airports and train stations);
The Japanese's favorite topic is food. At the table they praise the food, and during dinner they say the word “oishii” (delicious) several times;
prisoners do not have the right to vote in elections;
the Japanese are afraid to travel around the world; They consider the USA the most dangerous country;
Japan has expensive public transport, the most cheap ticket on the metro it costs 140 yen (50 rubles);
the country has low pensions and no pension insurance (you need to take care of your old age in advance);
the streets are clean and there are no trash cans, but only bottle boxes;
The Japanese constitution prohibits the country from having an army and taking part in wars.

Section 7. Improvement of the city

Not everyone knows that the capital of Japan is considered the safest city in the world; even children of six years old can travel independently on public transport.

The lack of trash cans on the streets is due to the fact that all waste is sorted and further processed. A specific day is allocated for the removal of each type of waste. Violation may result in a fine.

In snowy areas, the streets are heated, and because of this there is no ice and snowdrifts. The same will most likely await travelers if they go on an excursion to the mountains of Japan. But at the same time, there is no central heating in the houses, and all residents heat themselves.

Section 8. Features of the Japanese language

Japan is distinguished by its exceptional written language:

Japanese writing consists of three types of writing: Kanji (hieroglyphs), Hiragana (syllable alphabet) and Katakana (syllable system for writing words of non-Japanese origin);
many hieroglyphs include up to 4 syllables, but there are exceptions: for example, the hieroglyph 砉 includes 13 syllables and is read as “hanetokawatogahanareruoto”;
all months have a serial number; September (九月 kugatsu) means "ninth month";
there are practically no personal pronouns in the language, and words used in this capacity have additional meaning;
The Japanese language has a polite speech system consisting of several types of politeness (colloquial, respectful, polite and modest); men communicate in a conversational manner, and women in a respectful manner;
in Japanese speech there is a word 過労死 (Karoshi - “death by overwork”); annually in Japan from sudden death thousands of people die;
Before Japan was discovered by the West, the Japanese used a single word to describe romantic attraction, 恋 (koi), meaning “an irresistible attraction to the unattainable.”

Section 9. Strange and unusual facts about Japan

In Japan, all rulers are descendants of the first who founded the Japanese Empire in 711 BC.
Almost 99% of Japanese people are ethnic population. Post-war Japan in 1945 had significantly more guests from near and far abroad, then it was only 68%.
Mount Fuji belongs to Hongyu Sengen Temple. Ownership rights are confirmed by a deed of 1609 signed by the Shogun.
In Japan, dolphin meat is eaten. However, such dishes are practically not ordered by tourists from other countries.
Traditional snowmen are made from two snow globes.
The Japanese are big car lovers.

Mysterious and unpredictable for a European, Japan is a tasty morsel for those tourists who want to spend their vacation in perhaps the most unusual places on the planet. The homeland of samurai, anime and spectacular martial arts is annually among the most popular countries for tourism.

But what is it that more and more tourist groups find so attractive about Japan? For many, the reason is a unique and authentic culture that has developed over millennia; others are attracted by the modern world of skyscrapers, robotics and futuristic cars. And all this is one country occupying several small islands in Pacific Ocean.

The Vipgeo portal has selected unusual and interesting facts about Japan for those planning a trip to this country.

Mentality and characteristics of the population

99.9% of the local population is Japanese, so the attitude towards foreigners here is completely special. European appearance is considered very unusual; on the street, teenagers can run up to a person with blond hair and blue eyes to take a photo with him.

However, foreigners are very reluctantly allowed into the internal life of the country - they are loved as tourists, but have difficulty being accepted as Japanese citizens.

The famous samurai honor, Bushido, is still alive in Japan - there are known cases when politicians resigned from their positions due to the fact that they did not fulfill their election promises.

The Japanese are generally considered a very hardworking nation - it is not customary to take vacations here, and they often stay late at work.

There is no concept of “senior” in Japan. By law, everyone employment contract is concluded with a person for life, and the employee can hold the position as long as his health allows him to perform his duties.

Etiquette is sacred for the Japanese; non-compliance with the rules of good manners by a foreigner can cause a storm of indignation among local residents.

In homes and a number of public institutions in Japan, it is customary to take off your shoes. Having taken off your shoes, they must be turned with their toes towards the exit - this is the requirement ancient custom.

The Japanese believe that it is almost impossible for a foreigner to learn their language, so the minimum knowledge of the language delights them.

Curses in Japanese very little. Sometimes the word “fool”, said with a special intonation, can cause a storm of indignation if it was uttered in polite society.

"Cat" cafe

Important: The most dangerous place in Japanese cities considered a metro. It is during the rush hour rush hour that sexually anxious individuals regularly appear in such places. Every year, hundreds of thousands of women and even men turn to the police after such harassment.

In the subways, there is one of the most specific Japanese professions - pushers. These are specially trained people who literally push people into crowded carriages so that the doors of the train close and it moves off.

The Japanese are a social nation. Here it is customary to live like everyone else and not stand out, although modern youth rejects these rules too.

The Japanese really don’t like to say a categorical “no,” so the answer “maybe” can be regarded as “no.”

Japanese people are very shy, sometimes they cannot admit their feelings directly.

Despite the formal constraint, they are very popular among the Japanese public baths, saunas and hot spring pools. Some of these establishments do not have women's and men's rooms - everyone washes together.

The American occupation after World War II left a big mark on Japanese culture. The Japanese even invented katakana - a special hieroglyphic system that is used to record English borrowings in the language.

Attitude to food and cuisine

The cheapest food in Japan is seafood. It is a common joke here that as long as there are fish in the ocean, no one in Japan will die of hunger.

And the most expensive products are fruits and melons. For some varieties of peaches you will have to pay $5 per piece, and “elite” varieties of square watermelons or melons can reach $1000 per kilogram.

The Japanese's favorite breakfast is steamed rice with natto soybeans.

Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese do not overuse spices, as they consider them harmful to the stomach. Instead, several dozen soy sauces are used.

The word “sushi,” which is popular in Russia, is rarely used by the Japanese. Each type of rice and fish roll has its own name - uramaki, futomaki, nigirizushi, etc.

Animal meat has long been banned in Japan due to religious beliefs. Now in most restaurants you can safely order pork or beef prepared in a way that is not prepared anywhere else in the world.

Very often the Japanese resort to food coloring. For example, pink ginger is obtained only after coloring - its natural color is pale yellow. And flying fish caviar, which is so popularly used for various types of sushi, is generally colorless.

On the shelves of Japanese grocery stores there are very strange products - horseradish-flavored chocolate, potato chips blueberry flavored and even carbonated tomato juice.

The attitude towards drinks in Japan is very specific. Here you can try cucumber-flavored Pepsi or coffee-flavored Coca-Cola.

Sake rice vodka is actually not vodka at all. They're preparing it unique method from wort and malt, pasteurizing and fermenting. In terms of production technology, sake is closest to beer.

Well, beer itself in Japan is sold only in glass bottles of the same shape, which the buyer must return to the store for reuse.

Pepsi with cucumber flavor

Other facts

Japan is the only Empire today.

The dynasty of emperors in Japan has never been interrupted - the current Emperor Akihito is a direct descendant of Jimmu, who founded Japan in 711 BC.

Japan is prohibited from having a standing army or participating in wars.

Tokyo is the safest metropolis in the world - here six-year-old children can safely use public transport on their own.

Academic year in Japan, unlike most countries, it begins in April, with the cherry blossoms.

Anyone can get a higher education in Japan - you just need to score the required number of points. entrance exams. Tests are carried out in special certification centers, and in most specialties they resemble our Unified State Exam - applicants take tests, and with the result obtained they can apply to any university.

Japanese traffic lights used to use blue instead of green. The color was changed long ago, but the habit of calling traffic lights blue (“aoi”) remains.

In street vending machines in Japan you can buy anything from Bibles to pencils.

Japan is home to a huge number of martial arts - karate, judo, aikido and many others were invented here.

Japan is considered a very traditional country - it is still not so difficult to meet a woman in a kimono, and local traditional houses remain a normal alternative to apartment housing. However, young people are increasingly influenced by the West, so that many traditions are losing their influence, although they are not forgotten.

If a Japanese person laughs, this is the first sign that he is nervous. It is customary here to respond to sad news with a smile, and long and continuous silence is the first sign of respect for a person and even some degree of admiration.

The thinness of the Japanese - common reason very serious complexes about appearance. In Japan, it is customary to look at sumo wrestlers almost with admiration.

Another reason to feel complex is the lack of body hair among Japanese men. Often young guys use false chest hair, thereby emphasizing their “masculinity.”

The attitude towards marriage in Japan is very serious. People rarely get married here and get married before the age of 30, and middle age childbearing Japanese women– 34 years old.

Japanese youth are distinguished by great extravagance - there are a huge number of subcultures and movements that stand out with bright clothes, crazy hairstyles and various accessories.

Most Japanese do not play games on the computer, preferring Sony Play Stations and others. This is explained by the high level of piracy on the Internet and strict copyright laws. For distributing illegal copies of video games, you can get a very real prison sentence.

Anime is a thing for many Japanese people. national pride. Famous characters, including the Pokemon Pikachu, can be seen on board national airlines.

Formally, prostitution is prohibited in Japan, but brothels have not gone away. Officially, Japanese call girls charge clients for massages, pleasant company, and even kisses - for everything except sex.

By the way, not all brothels employ Japanese women - local pimps prefer to send emigrants from the Philippines and China to this work. In brothels with Japanese girls tourists may not be allowed in - they are only for their own people.

Favorites television programs the Japanese are cooking shows. According to statistics, 70% of all TV channels in the country must have at least one such program in their broadcast schedule.

Japan has its own superstitions about body reactions. For example, if a person sneezes, they say that someone just remembered him, and if someone has a nosebleed, this is a reason for a joke with sexual overtones.

The number 4, when talking about superstitions, is actually considered unlucky. The hieroglyphic outline corresponds to the spelling of the word “death”, therefore in schools, hospitals and any institutions there is never an office with a number where this figure would be present.

Important: The most dangerous place in Japanese cities is the subway. It is during the rush hour rush hour that sexually horny people regularly appear in such places

It is not so easy to get to Japan on your own, so the best way out here would be to travel through travel agency. Fortunately, today many travel agencies offer trips to the Land of the Rising Sun. You don’t even need to look for tours on your own - just contact travel agencies in your city or call 8-800-100-30-24 to select a tour.

It's no secret that the Japanese are now considered quite strange people: They have a very unique culture, music, cinema, and everything in general.

After reading the facts from this article you will understand where the roots of these oddities come from.

It turns out that the Japanese have always been like this.

For more than two and a half centuries, Japan was a closed country

In 1600, after a long period feudal fragmentation and civil wars, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first head of the shogunate in Edo, came to power in Japan. By 1603, he finally completed the process of unifying Japan and began to rule with an iron fist. Ieyasu, like his predecessor, supported trade with other countries, but was very suspicious of foreigners. This led to the fact that in 1624 trade with Spain was completely prohibited. And in 1635, a decree was issued banning the Japanese from leaving the country and banning those who had already left to return. Since 1636, foreigners (Portuguese, later Dutch) could only stay on the artificial island of Dejima in Nagasaki harbor.

The Japanese were short because they didn't eat meat

From VI to XIX century average height Japanese men were only 155 cm. This is due to the fact that it was in the 6th century that the Chinese “neighborly” shared the philosophy of Buddhism with the Japanese. It’s not clear why, but the ruling circles liked the new worldview Japanese society. And especially the part that vegetarianism is the path to the salvation of the soul and better reincarnation. Meat was completely excluded from the Japanese diet and the result was not long in coming: from the 6th to the 19th centuries, the average height of the Japanese decreased by 10 cm.

Trade in "Night Gold" was widespread in ancient Japan.

Night gold is a phraseological unit that denotes a product of human activity, his feces, used as a valuable and balanced fertilizer. In Japan, this practice was used quite widely. Moreover, the waste of rich people was sold for more high price, because their diet was plentiful and varied, so more nutrients remained in the resulting “product”. Various historical documents dating back to the 9th century detail procedures for toilet waste.

Pornography has always flourished in Japan

Sexual themes in Japanese art arose many centuries ago and go back to ancient Japanese myths, among which the most famous is the myth about the emergence of the Japanese islands as a result of the sexual relationship of the god Izanagi and the goddess Izanami. There is no hint of a disapproving attitude towards sex in the ancient monuments. “This frankness in talking about sex and literary materials“, writes Japanese cultural anthropologist Toshinao Yoneyama, “has survived to this day... In Japanese culture there was no consciousness of original sin in relation to sex, as was the case in Christian cultures.”

Fishermen in ancient Japan used domesticated cormorants

It all happened something like this: at night, fishermen went out to sea in a boat and lit torches to attract fish. Next, about a dozen cormorants were released, which were tied to the boat with a long rope. At the same time, the neck of each bird was slightly intercepted by a flexible collar so that it could not swallow the caught fish. As soon as the cormorants had full crops, the fishermen pulled the birds onto the boat. For their work, each bird received a reward in the form of a small fish.

In ancient Japan there was a special form of marriage - tsumadoi

Full small family- in the form of cohabitation - in Ancient Japan was not a typical form of marriage. The basis family relations constituted a special Japanese marriage - tsumadoi, in which the husband freely visited his wife, maintaining, in fact, separate residence from her. For the bulk of the population, marriage took place upon reaching adulthood: at 15 for a boy and at 13 for a girl. Marriage presupposed the consent of numerous relatives, including grandparents on the wife’s side. Tsumadoi marriage did not imply monogamy, and a man was not forbidden to have several wives, as well as concubines. However, a free relationship with their wives, leaving them without a reason to marry a new wife, was not allowed by law.

There were and still are quite a lot of Christians in Japan

Christianity appeared in Japan in the mid-16th century. The first missionary to preach the Gospel to the Japanese was the Basque Jesuit Francis Xavier. But the missionary work did not last long. Soon the shoguns began to see Christianity (as the faith of foreigners) as a threat. In 1587, the unifier Toyotomi Hideyoshi banned the presence of missionaries in the country and began oppressing believers. To justify his actions, he pointed out that some Japanese converts had desecrated and destroyed Buddhist and Shinto shrines. The repressive policy was continued by Hideyoshi's political successor, Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1612, he banned the practice of Christianity in his domains, and in 1614 he extended this ban to all of Japan. During the Tokugawa era, about 3,000 Japanese Christians were martyred, while the rest suffered imprisonment or exile. Tokugawa policy obliged everything Japanese families register with your local Buddhist temple and receive evidence that they are not Christians.

Japanese prostitutes were divided into several ranks

In addition to the well-known geishas, who by and large were simply the leaders of ceremonies, in Japan there were also courtesans, who, in turn, were divided into several classes depending on cost: tayu (the most expensive), koshi, tsubone, santya and the cheapest - street girls, bath attendants, servants, etc. The following agreement existed unspoken: once you had chosen a girl, you had to stick with her, “settle down.” Therefore, men often kept their own courtesans. Girls of Tayu rank cost 58 momme (about 3,000 rubles) at a time, and this does not count the obligatory 18 momme for servants - another 1,000 rubles. Prostitutes of the lowest rank cost approximately 1 momme (about 50 rubles). In addition to direct payment for services, there were also associated expenses - food, drink, tips for many servants, all this could reach up to 150 momme (8000 rubles) per evening. Thus, a man supporting a courtesan could easily shell out about 29 kemme (about 580,000 rubles) in a year.

The Japanese often committed couple suicides out of unrequited love.

After the “reorganization” of prostitution in 1617, all non-family intimate life of the Japanese was moved to separate quarters like the “red light district”, where girls lived and worked. The girls could not leave the quarter unless wealthy clients bought them as wives. It was very expensive and more often than not it happened that lovers simply could not afford it together. Despair drove such couples to “shinju” - couple suicides. The Japanese did not see anything wrong with this, because they had long revered rebirth and were completely confident that in the next life they would definitely be together.

Torture and execution have long been written into law in Japan.

To begin with, it should be said that in the Japanese legal system of the Tokugawa era there was no presumption of innocence. Every person who went to trial was considered guilty in advance. With the rise of the Tokugawa, only four types of torture remained legal in Japan: scourging, squeezing with stone slabs, tying with a rope, and hanging by a rope. Moreover, torture was not a punishment in itself, and its goal was not to cause maximum suffering to the prisoner, but to obtain sincere confession in a perfect crime. It should also be noted here that torture was allowed only to those criminals who faced the death penalty for their actions. Therefore, after a sincere confession, the poor fellows were most often executed. Executions were also very different: from the banal beheading to the terrible boiling in boiling water - this was the punishment for ninjas who failed a contract killing and were captured.

Since the Country Rising Sun first appeared in ancient Chinese chronicles, its history and cultural traditions never ceases to amaze. While almost everyone has heard about how the Mongol invasion of the country was disrupted by tsunamis or how Japan was cut off from the rest of the world during the Edo period, there are many other strangely interesting facts about Japanese history, and technological advances that are still amazing today.

1. Prohibition of eating meat

Beginning in the mid-7th century, the Japanese government imposed a ban on meat consumption that lasted for more than 1,200 years. Probably inspired by the Buddhist precept not to take the life of others, Emperor Tenmu in 675 AD. issued a decree that prohibited the consumption of beef, monkey meat and domestic animals on pain of death. The original law prohibited eating meat only between April and September, but later laws and religious practices led to a complete taboo on meat.

After Christian missionaries arrived in the country, eating meat was again popularized in the 16th century. Although another ban was declared in 1687, some Japanese continued to eat meat. By 1872, the Japanese authorities officially lifted the ban and even the emperor began to eat meat.

2. Kabuki was created by a woman dressed as a man.

Kabuki, one of the most famous and iconic phenomena in Japanese culture, is a colorful form dance theater, in which male and female characters are played exclusively by men. However, at the dawn of its inception, in kabuki it was the other way around - all the characters were played by women. The founder of kabuki was Izumo no Okuni, a priestess who became famous for performing dances and skits while dressed as a man. Okuni's energetic and sensual performances were a huge success, and other courtesans adopted her style, imitating her performances.

This “female kabuki” was so popular that dancers even began to be invited by daimyos (“feudal lords”) to perform on stage in their castles. While everyone was enjoying the new explicit art form, the government was not happy with what was happening. In 1629, after a riot broke out during a kabuki show in Kyoto, women were banned from appearing on stage. Female roles male actors began to play and kabuki turned into the theater as it is known today.

3. Japan's surrender almost fell through

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers during a nationwide radio broadcast known as the Jewel Voice Broadcast. The radio program was not actually broadcast in live, but was recorded the previous night. Moreover, it was not conducted from the imperial palace. On the same night that Emperor Hirohito recorded his message, a group of Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender launched a coup d'état. The leader of this coup, Major Kenji Hatanaka, and his men captured the Imperial Palace for several hours.

Hatanaka wanted to disrupt the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Although his soldiers thoroughly searched the entire palace, the recording of the surrender was never found. Miraculously, despite the fact that everyone leaving the palace was thoroughly searched, the recording was taken outside in a laundry basket. However, Hatanaka did not give up. He rode his bicycle to the nearest radio station, where he wanted to announce live that there had been a coup in the country and Japan was not giving up. For technical reasons, he was never able to do this, after which he returned to the palace and shot himself.

4. Samurai tested their swords by attacking random passers-by

In medieval Japan, it was considered shameful if a samurai's sword could not cut through the enemy's body with one blow. Therefore, it was extremely important for a samurai to know the quality of his weapon in advance and test each new sword before real battles. Samurai usually tested swords on criminals and corpses. But there was another method called tsujigiri (“crossroads killing”), in which the targets were random commoners who had the misfortune of walking into an intersection at night. At first, cases of tsujigiri were rare, but eventually it became such a problem that authorities felt it necessary to ban the practice in 1602.

5. Trophy noses and ears

During the reign of legendary leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japan invaded Korea twice between 1592 and 1598. Although Japan eventually withdrew its troops from the country, its invasions were very brutal and resulted in the death of one million Koreans. During this time, it was not uncommon for Japanese warriors to cut off the heads of their enemies as trophies of war. But since it was quite difficult to take the heads back to Japan, the soldiers began cutting off ears and noses instead.

As a result, entire monuments were created in Japan for these macabre trophies, which were known as “ear tombs” and “nose tombs.” One such tomb in Kyoto contains tens of thousands of trophies. Another in Okayama stored 20,000 noses, which were eventually returned to Korea in 1992.

6. Kamikaze father committed hara-kiri

By October 1944, Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi believed that the only way to win World War II was through the infamous Operation Kamikaze, in which Japanese suicide pilots crashed their planes into Allied ships. Onishi hoped that such attacks would shock the United States so much that they would force the Americans to abandon the war. The vice admiral was so desperate that he once even said that he was ready to sacrifice 20 million Japanese lives for victory.

Upon hearing of Emperor Hirohito's surrender in August 1945, Onishi was distraught when he realized that he had sent thousands of kamikazes to their deaths in vain. He believed that the only acceptable atonement was suicide and committed seppuku on August 16, 1945. In his suicide note, Onishi apologized to “the souls of the dead and their inconsolable families,” and also asked young Japanese to fight for world peace.

7. The first Japanese Christian

In 1546, 35-year-old samurai Anjiro was a fugitive from justice for killing a man in a fight. Hiding in the commercial port of Kagoshima, Anjiro met several Portuguese who took pity on him and secretly transported him to Malacca. During his time abroad, Anjiro learned Portuguese and was baptized under the name Paulo de Santa Fe, becoming the first Japanese Christian. He also met Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest who went with Anjiro to Japan in the summer of 1549 to found a Christian mission.

The mission ended unsuccessfully, Anjiro and Xavier went their separate ways and the latter decided to try his luck in China. Although Francis Xavier failed to evangelize Japan, he was eventually made a saint and patron of Christian missionaries. Anjiro, who is believed to have died as a pirate, was completely forgotten.

8. The Slave Trade Led to the Abolition of Slavery

Soon after Japan first made contact with Western world in the 1540s, Portuguese slave traders began purchasing Japanese slaves. This slave trade eventually became so large that even the Portuguese slaves in Macau had their own Japanese slaves. Jesuit missionaries were not happy with such activities and in 1571 convinced the King of Portugal to end the enslavement of the Japanese, although the Portuguese colonists resisted this decision and ignored the ban.

Japanese warlord and leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi was furious with the slave trade (though, paradoxically, he had nothing against the enslavement of Koreans during the raids of 1590). As a result, Hideyoshi banned the trade in Japanese slaves in 1587, although this practice continued for some time after that.

9. 200 schoolgirl nurses of the Battle of Okinawa

In April 1945, the Allies launched their invasion of Okinawa. The bloodshed, which lasted 3 months, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people, 94,000 of whom were Okinawa civilians. Among the dead civilians There was the Himeyuri Student Corps, a group of 200 schoolgirls aged 15 to 19 who were forced by the Japanese to work as nurses during the battle. At first, the Himeyuri girls worked in a military hospital. But then they were moved to dugouts as the island was increasingly bombarded.

They fed wounded Japanese soldiers, helped perform amputations, and buried the bodies of the dead. As the Americans advanced, the girls were ordered not to surrender and, if captured, to commit suicide with a hand grenade. Many girls actually killed themselves, others died during the fighting. The “Dugout of the Virgins” is known, when 51 girls died in a littered room during shelling. After the war, a monument and museum were built in honor of the Himeyuri girls.

10. Nuclear weapons program

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shocked Japan and the world in August 1945, but one Japanese scientist may not have been surprised at all. Physicist Yoshio Nishina has been worried about the possibility of such attacks since 1939. Nishina was also the director of Japan's first nuclear weapons program, which began in April 1941. By 1943, a committee led by Nisin concluded that the creation of nuclear weapons would be possible, but very difficult, even for the United States.

After this, the Japanese continued to explore the possibility of creating nuclear weapons through another project, the F-Go Project, led by physicist Bunsaku Arakatsu. Japan actually had all the knowledge to create atomic bomb, she simply lacked the resources. Proof of this is the fact that in May 1945, the United States Navy intercepted a Nazi submarine that was heading to Tokyo with a cargo of 540 kg of uranium oxide.

Japan amazes not only with its history, but also with its achievements scientific and technological progress. We will tell our readers about.