Makiko Itoh on Quora

[lordameth]

I just came across a series of posts on Quora by a woman by the name of Makiko Itoh, addressing a number of questions about Japanese history. There are certainly some points where I might point out errors, or oversimplifications - e.g. where she states that the Tokugawa shogunate was opposed to opening up to the West, when in fact by 1858 it was quite the opposite, with the shogunate having made various agreements with certain Western powers, and the anti-shogunate sonno-joi factions being violently opposed to that. - Still, Ms. Itoh does a pretty good job, and answers a number of important topics, such as:

*Why did Japan end its isolation, in the 1850s? - a question she answers without using the word "sakoku." Hooray!

*How did Edo popular culture change after the Meiji Restoration?

*What should everyone know about the samurai warriors? - her answer begins with "Most of the mythos surrounding the samurai or bushi that you may know was codified and largely created during the Edo period." She doesn't go quite so far as to say perfectly explicitly that not all samurai knew about, let alone followed, any single code of honor, let alone one explicitly called "bushido." But, still, it's a fine start.

*What are the differences and similarities between Medieval England and Feudal Japan?

I don't know how popular this site is or how many hits it gets... I like to think we're making some kind of impact with our own Forums, Podcasts, Blog, etc. here on the Samurai-Archives, but it's wonderful to see another popularly accessible (i.e. non-scholarly) source putting (relatively) good information out there.
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My blog on Japanese art & history: http://chaari.wordpress.com

紫水晶殿 - The Amethyst Lord

[wicked iemon]

She would have to mention Musashi in the Samurai section ,that sort of diminished the article a but .
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"One mans washing machine is another mans music "

[lordameth]

Yeah.. there are a few points where she dips a little too much into these pop culture must-mentions, or, worse, popular misconceptions. But, for the most part, I'm enjoying seeing so many questions answered in a relatively solid, informed manner.
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My blog on Japanese art & history: http://chaari.wordpress.com

紫水晶殿 - The Amethyst Lord

[shikisoku]

[wicked iemon]

http://www.quora.com/Samurai/Who-was-the-greatest-samurai-warrior-in-history/answer/Makiko-Itoh-1

All the pics are from Taiga's , The question about "who was the greatest Samurai Warrior ?" is funny as she lists Nobunaga ,Yoshitsune ,Kiyomori and Yoritomo .The last two were of course more statesmen ,still its at least on the right track and fun to read .Thankfully no mention of Oishi .
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"One mans washing machine is another mans music "

[Hosokawa Gracia]

Wow, is the Samurai Archives becoming more polite towards women? Good to know.
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http://japanesehistoryenthusiast.wordpress.com/

[Tatsunoshi]

I like to think we've always been nice to women

[Hosokawa Gracia]