Japanese Culture

Bijin-ga (Japanese: 美人画, "paintings of beautiful people," the term bijin (美人) of Chinese etymology, meaning morphologically "beautiful person," but applying primarily to...

Seiza (正座, "correct sitting"), is the Japanese term for the traditional way of sitting in Japan. Seiza Form To sit in seiza...

Bōsōzoku (Japanese 暴走族; literally 'brutal running tribe') are a Japanese subculture similar to Western tuning clubs: groups of mostly young men who...

A yakuza (ヤクザ) is a member of an organized crime group in Japan (mafia). The yakuza are represented by four main syndicates,...

Yubitsume (jap. 指詰め, engl. "finger shortening"), also called yubi o tobasu, describes a ritual in Japanese culture that is performed for the...

Taikomochi (太鼓持) or hókan (幇間), was the name of the Japanese male geisha. Taikomochi History The Japanese equivalent of the court jester,...

Namahage (生剥) is a Japanese ritual currently practiced on New Year's Day in the Oga Peninsula near Akita, a prefecture in the...

Kumadori ( 隈取 ) is a type of stage makeup used by kabuki actors, especially when performed in the bold and grandiloquent...

Japanese castles (城 shiro) were fortifications built primarily of stone and wood. These evolved from the wooden buildings of earlier centuries to...

The terms Japanese martial arts refer to a wide variety of martial arts originating in Japan. They translate at least three commonly...

A torii (Japanese: 鳥居) is a traditional Japanese arch most commonly found at the entrance or inside a Shinto shrine, where it...

Ukiyo-e, ukiyo-ye or ukiyo-ê (浮世絵, "portraits of the floating world" in a literal sense), commonly also known as Japanese print, is a...

The art of Japan (日本美術 Nippon bijutsu) is an expression of Japanese culture, developed over time in various periods and styles that...

A geisha (芸者), also known as a geiko (芸子／芸妓) or geigi (芸妓), is an artist and lady-in-waiting in Japan, who devotes her...

Chashitsu (Japanese: 茶室;) is a "tea house" which in the Japanese tradition is an architectural space designed exclusively to be used for...

Butoh is a dance born in Japan in the 1960s. This "dance of the dark body" breaks with the traditional live arts...

Setsubun (節分) is a Japanese celebration held the day before the start of a new season of the year. The name literally...

Irezumi (入れ墨, 刺青 or タトゥー) refers to a particular form of traditional tattooing in Japan, which covers large parts of the body,...