War in the North: The Former Nine and Later Three Years Wars

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

This is a pretty long and complicated story, so for anyone who wants to hear a more simplified summary, either as a primer or as a review after watching, be sure to check out Japanese History: The Heian Period, Pt. 3 (kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIPUfHp3bZJqfs0) , specifically the segment from the 34 to 46 minute mark! Also, one correction to this video's content: at 47:15, I say that Kiyohara no Kiyohira didn't have a single drop of Kiyohara blood, but this was a bit of an overstatement. Kiyohira's maternal grandmother is actually thought to have been Abe no Yoritoki's Kiyohara wife, so Kiyohira did indeed have some Kiyohara heritage, and this probably helped convince the Kiyohara to "repatriate" him into their family. That being said, he was still very much an outsider and a black sheep in his adoptive family, so this error shouldn't substantially affect the narrative of the video!

[@victoraustria5763]

Why no updates?

[@MrEmperorApples]

Your channel is criminally underrated. Thank you for your gift to us

[@giancarlocosta4703]

Hello friend I would first like to congratulate you, your videos are incredible I'm speaking from Brazil and I just wish all the videos had subtitles in English, since KZbin has a way to translate I'm writing from Google translate I am very grateful and congratulations again

[@ValiantB2]

Nice to see you back. Regards from the Caribbean 🇵🇷

[@tremainetreerat5176]

You do an excellent job of presenting these stories in an approachable and appropriate manner, given the cultural "outsider" perspectives of your viewers & the inherent blend of myth and historical events woven into the folklore 👍🏻

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thank you! I sometimes worry that my scripts are too convoluted and hard-to-follow, so that means a lot.

[@MrBarnettcm]

I heard japs hate whit color and spit at you when you walk by

[@guiart4728]

The Japanese historical story is old and complicated. It is fairly unique in that there are numerous documents describing various interpretations. Thanks for sorting this out for us fans of Japanese culture! Taking us on a tour of these sites was a particularly cool vehicle. Your channel is amazing and your skill at presenting this story is appreciated!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thanks so much for the high praise! It was a pleasure to be able to bring this story to you all.

[@HakuYuki001]

That’s not unique actually. There’s so many obsessives who want by any means Japan to be regarded as “unique” solely to justify their obsession.

[@IreneSalmakis]

I hope this channel is still active. I'm still hoping for continuation of the textbook series.

[@TheMercilessEye]

Excellent. Truly one of the best series of videos available on KZbin.

[@horikyosuke4794]

Former Nine and Later Thrre years war lets go! Been waiting it for awhile and ironically found out about the upload after I rewatched Genpei War video of yours. Episode with Kamakura Kagemasa is both of the "ouchie" and funny moment. Kiyohira's story is quite emotional, especially if your a stern believer of him actually having degree of affection toward his former family... I think he may have hated the bond with Kiyohara but may have had some affection towards his wife and kid but who knows after nearly thousand of years after the events P.S MORE TOHOKU LOREEEEE (May also suggest that one day buying a drone and using it for more stunning footages assuming its allowed in Japan)

[@horikyosuke4794]

also the Game of Thrones pun/reference in the both the thumbnail and intro 😆

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Kiyohira is quite the mystery, isn't he! I also prefer the slightly more humanizing interpretation of him, as it makes his whole story a lot more poetic. As you said, though, it's been so long that we'll really just never know. I thought multiple times throughout the filming of the video how nice it would be to have a drone! If doing more on-location videos ever begins to seem like a realistic possibility, it's definitely something I will be thinking about purchasing.

[@MrWertheron]

Tohoku is gorgeous. Thanks for this wonderful video.

[@elgatto3133]

In this war you see the shrewdness behind the Genji's reputation as one of the most impactful families in all of japanese history. It's not hard to imagine Yoritomo took good notes on his great great grandfather's maneuverings.

[@victorbolarsson]

Another great video! Liked this style of presentation where you actually visit the places. Thanks for your work!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Glad you enjoyed it! Visiting the places was a ton of fun for me too (minus all the sunburns and mosquito bites...)

[@giarenella]

I am extremely happy to see you back! You are my favorite japanese history channel and I was waiting very patiently for this video! I hope that in the future you will be able to make a deep dive video about the Genko War and the Northern and Southern Courts period or even about the Bakumatsu, because they all are extremely underlooked periods and they often get overshadowed by the Meiji and Showa periods!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Bakumatsu is absolutely on my bucket list for the channel!

[@giarenella]

​@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistoryThat is awesome to hear! Looking forward to it!

[@bhthereaper]

Very nice views of rural Japan, thank you

[@phwallen5054]

This is great, so good to see you back and I loved the presentation

[@z2ei]

Thanks for this! I've been waiting since you hinted about doing it before. These deep dives (like the Genpei War) are always really interesting stuff, and getting to see the actual locations they took place goes above and beyond.

[@dukeheavens9990]

Nice to be back . All the way from Nigeria 🇳🇬

[@LuisLopez-zh9kh]

Thank you for shedding light on a figure such as Yoshiie. I've always wondered why several clans of later years claimed blood ties with him.

[@jaquaviuspeterson8785]

Adamさん、久しぶりです！新しい動画を待ち望んでいました。 I was so happy when I say you community post and got this notification. The video was amazing and learning more detail about 源氏 and the history of 東北地方。I love seeing the places you went to and film it was really cool felt really different from the past videos. ところで流れての曲も好きでした、三味線の音がかっこいよくていい雰囲気を作られてと思います。お疲れ様でした次の動画を楽しみ

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

お待たせいたしました！Thanks for always here to watch! I'm glad you liked the music 😁 Since there were a lot of background nature sounds, I wanted to use something sparse, but (我ながら) I think it worked out really well!

[@svenkaahedgerg3425]

Thank you for another great video. Nice to see you visit the places for context too. 👍

[@Kiranoir]

thanks for uploading, welcome back

[@felixjaeger1635]

KZbin gold right there! As always- thank you kindly for your hard work and excellent show, Sir. I was especially impressed with the footage "from the field". With the mythological nature of said conflicts, it helped me with establishing deeper, emotional connection between myself and our heroes. The reference to the Iliad is very true. For me, the history of early Japanese conflicts brings about aura of heroism and mystery, somehow absent in later periods. It's as if you are reading Homer. Also it's a challenging topic if you are trying to view it as historian. I'm sure it was a difficult video to make on several levels. The end result is definitely worth the trouble though.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I definitely know what you mean! Japanese history even up through the end of the Heian period really does have this heavy veil of myth obscuring it, so it often does feel like you're reading some old Greek or Roman legend. (Then again, that's also what makes it so fun to learn about.) I too found it really grounding to actually visit the sites and try to reconcile my knowledge of the legendary narrative with these very real locations.

[@TalesofDawnandDusk]

Holy cow. I'm so glad I found this channel and this video in particular. Not only is the history actually really comprehensive for a general overview in its entirety, but I love that you've dedicated so much time to these often overlooked times and places from Japanese history. The stories of the warriors of the early Heian period, from Taira no Masakado to the Oshu Fujiwara and the Genpei War, there is a criminally large lack of material on these topics in English. Thank you so much for your work. A final question though, what are the stipulations surrounding using this music in other videos? I've heard a few pieces that I would absolutely love to add to my own but I'm so new to this whole KZbin thing that I'm nervous about a lot of the details. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

[@johnschlong5826]

Hell yeah brother just what I needed

[@Nottheknickyknacknoo]

Nice. Especially as I visited Tohoku in April this year. Loved Hiraizumi!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Excellent choice! Hiraizumi especially is a hidden gem. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@thedragonofechigo7878]

Ah, the rise of Minamoto no Yoriyoshi and his son Hachiman Taro Yoshiie, thanks for coming back. Seriously though, the idea of actually narrating with location of important events is a phenomenal idea. More to it, Minamoto no Yoriyoshi sounds like his times Tokugawa Ieyasu even if back then, retaining great power provinically was more important and realistic than anything Ieyasu or even Yoritomo a few centuries later would do. Its safe to say that from Minamoto no Yoriyoshi all the way to Sanetomo, the Kawachi Genji existence was quite tumultuous even with the exclusion of other houses established by sons from this line in other parts of the country.

[@jaydugger3291]

A downloadable map would also help.

[@troyh8712]

Loved the style and content of this video. The mixture of images and locations worked really well. I have to say that the way you cover off topics with so many interwoven threads makes them pretty easy to follow. Kudos! I'm on way to Tohoku for a month in mid October, after a week and a bit in the Chubu region. This trip was originally supposed to happen a week after all the borders closed due to COVID, so seeing the images of the area has further wet my appetite. I promise I won't be one of those western tourists.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I hope you enjoy Tohoku! It should be really nice in mid-October. You'll miss the summer heat, but it shouldn't be too cold yet either, and if the timing works out you can enjoy the fall foliage too. Short list of cool places: Hiraizumi (no brainer), Morioka (lots of great shops and restaurants), Kakunodate (samurai houses), and Hirosaki (one of the few extant pre-modern castles). You probably know all these, but just in case!

[@troyh8712]

Thanks for the ideas on destinations. The original trip was planned so that I could get to Hirosaki for the sakura, but traveling in Autumn isn't a downgrade. I'm anticipating seeing some amazing scenery around Tohoku during October and November. Looking forward to your next video when you have time to make and post it.

[@Filippo5]

This is your best video essay yet ❤

[@ClarionMumbler]

This makes me hopeful. You say that this was your favorite project do far and i think it is the best work you have released to date. maybe that means some great things are ahead for this channel. Really well done!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I think it'll be hard to top this one for a while, but who knows where life will take us!

[@justletmebe870]

I just want to compliment your everything: your research, your script, your narration, your little animated touches to the historical images, your audio/video quality, your on site footage. All are of quality to rival or best documentaries from large production companies (nat geo, bbc, etc.) Hats off and a ticker-tape rain of gold stars to you!! Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to watching the rest of your channels backlog. :)

[@BuruIgeru]

This video is a massive level up for you (using archival/historical imagery and live footage); it's surprisingly even more focused than the NHK docus I've seen previously. I am curious if this will be a standard of your future videos (it might be expensive to do so), but if it's gonna be a special treat, I look forward to it! I also remember that you mentioned in the Genpei War videos that the Yoritomo army marching to punish Fujiwara no Yasuhira (the last of Kiyohira's descendants) was essentially a retread of the Genji marches against the squabbling Northern clans the way Yoshiie did it. I appreciate how their sense of honor and decency doesn't square with stereotypical notions of honor: ultimately, it's really power and centralization invoking "values" for legitimacy. Seeing the logic of power and imposition not changing for millennia is sobering.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I think that interpretation is spot-on. The times and the cultures change, but at their core, the people and the politicians don't. I would love to make this a standard for future videos, but sadly I don't think it's something I can realistically do too often. Every once in a while though!

[@Madhattersinjeans]

I really like this presentation, showing the sites of the battles and conflicts makes it much more real even if there's only some tombstones left behind.

[@jpossollo]

For someone like me, who from a very young age have always been fascinated by Japan and its culture, your channel is a real treat and this video one of the very best, although the chronological history of Japan is also brilliant! A pity you did not finish it … yet, I hope ! I hope I will be able to visit Japan before moving on. Cheers 🥂!!!

[@jamescad9978]

I've seen a few of your past videos and with enthusiasm decided to start binge watching. Just subscribed and starting your second episode.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Welcome to the channel! I hope you enjoy what you find!

[@wfcoaker1398]

That was worth the wait! Very well done! It ranks up there with your Genpei War video. I really love your work.

[@user-if4nx2jn8r]

Glad I found this channel, as a fan of history from all over the world it's always a huge boon to find someone who actually has familiarity with the language, culture, and land instead of having to play a game of telephone with people who don't actually speak the language and have never lived in the place about which they're talking. Not that none of those channels are worthwhile, but there's definitely a dearth of English-language places to learn about Asian history.

[@mksenglish]

I 100% recommend your videos to anyone that wants to learn Japanese history.

[@Benji-777]

Love the on site videography accompanying the dialogue, along with the art and maps. Captivating, insightful, and well done.

[@sengokusanada2690]

This is my most favorite one you have made so far! over the last month and a half this channel has become my favorite on youtube!

[@arseneken]

Thank you very much for this great video! I really loved both the storytelling and the shots on location! This may be the best one you made to date.

[@sesshomaru9512]

I'm absolutely blown away by your videos! They're high quality, well-researched and absolutely amazing as learning resources! I hope you find the time to continue the series someday.

[@harushinonomiya]

Great job! I love the historical depth videos, even more from the periods before the Muromachi Period's corrosion.

[@mehmetcancakt6241]

Your content is excellent and will be remembered for decades.

[@vichoffmeister1525]

Great video, thanks much for this. This is a period that I've always been very interested in, but the sources in English that I've found have given rather cursory narratives, so such a deep dive as this is very welcome. Narrating at the historic sites was very cool as well.

[@lillyclarity9699]

I watched all of your videos from oldest to newest, finishing last month! I'm really excited for your next one! Super glad I found your channel

[@Arcaryon]

This channel never disappoints. If you happen to read this comment dear stranger, please enjoy this gem you have discovered.

[@ImperialGit]

Great job! Glad I took my time for this one! Very nicely done :D

[@johannniebuhr3351]

I stumbled across your video by accident and i sure am glad i did. Thank you for your depth of detail in a part of history often not covered by english channels.

[@BenTrem42]

So glad I found your works! Hour and a half ... _a very pleasant evening!_ thanks --KC:

[@mikailkalashnikov1448]

Utterly addicted to this channel

[@TheCCBoi]

Amazing work - I really love how you go to the actual locations. Can’t wait to see what you create in the future.

[@gummycat3082]

Thank you for this video! I really appreciate that you went to the actual sites. Great video as always!

[@LordJordanXVII]

Fantastic channel. Instantly subscribed. I always found Northern Japan and other out of the way places in the Japanese archipelago fascinating! Love the obscure and overlooked aspects of Japanese culture, language, and history.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Welcome to the channel! There's still so much about this country that goes under the radar in the wider world, and I hope I can introduce people to even just a bit of that.

[@fulminatus6241]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am fascinated by early Japanese military history and there is precious little available in English on these early conflicts. This was a great video and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@michael.waddell]

Man, your content is next level. I see your channel growing for years to come

[@TomerHollander]

I just finished binging on all the videos you posted in this channel and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've been travelling through Japan for several trips way back when, before family and career made the prospect somewhat more challenging. Hopefully a Tohoku and perhaps Hokuriku trip is in store in the not too far future.

[@TurlasThe6]

Hey there, sensei! Any new lessons in the works? 😁

[@Sembrandt]

Ah I had a pleasant dinner watching this, it's always so nice to learn interesting takes on history!

[@victoraustria5763]

What happened to the channel, why no new updates?

[@RuthOlvera-oy5px]

would love for you to finish your Japanese history the text book series

[@ソロモンの聖櫃]

本当にビックリしました。 私の英語学習にも役立つと思い、じっくりと英語のみで味わいます。 とはいえ、既知の話とはいえ、先生のお話を完全に理解出来る時間は、短いｗｗ 疲れない程度に頑張ります。 実は、この物語は一番重要な日本史だと思います。 源氏と平氏、藤原の関係が後世の殺し合いの歴史に大きな影響を与えている。 平将門を殺した平氏が平清盛。 平将門を殺した藤原秀郷の子孫が奥州藤原氏。 奥州藤原氏に用済み扱いされた源義家の子孫が源頼朝。 寒気がする血縁です。

[@wischfulthinking]

This is the kind of content I’m planning on making!

[@DyllanJewell]

I love the artwork. Great content, thank you

[@exoar2619]

Thank you for making these videos!

[@AtamiskxIx]

So awesome to see all the different sites in as they are now! I am a big fan of how you did this video!

[@Lenskee]

Damn! This is massive step up in the series! Great you went out to show us all these amazing places. All the best in New Year and see you soon. Thank you for all hard work. Love your channel. 🙌👍😉

[@decem_sagittae]

Good presentation. Very thorough. Your best work so far.

[@jasse803]

Awesome. Absolutely AWESOME! Big thanx!

[@TheBigMclargehuge]

I love these videos but my God that eye rolling musical intro

[@angels2online]

Oh man, I've been expecting a new video on Sengoku but I'm not complaining. I loved the location shooting, it's sad it's probably out of budget for most videos.and northern Japan looks really nice and homely. Also is that an Ikko banner xD?

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

It's actually a banner for northern Japan's Nanbu Clan! And yeah, the current budget is probably going to keep on-site filming limited to my immediate area, sadly...

[@Okami164]

your videos are always a pleasure to watch , keep up the great work

[@JiggaMan1297]

Love the video by the way my friend, I’m currently on my 4th viewing 🤣 I definitely feel like all of your works will have millions of views within foreseeable future. Great work!

[@b_rob3318]

These are excellent. Please make more about feudal Japan.

[@shaynedavidson7087]

It’s fantastic to see the actual locations where many of the events you describe in the video took place! Although it requires a lot of imagination to visualize the stabbings and beheadings occurring in those beautiful, peaceful sites!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Yeah, it is a bit hard to reconcile those two aspects.

[@lucanic4328]

Keep it up!! Amazing work, research and edit. Looking forward to see more of these conflicts covered!

[@Zakuznapper]

Great video, and an impressive effort!

[@RobertSmith-gn7hf]

Cool vid man. Much appreciated.

[@zachthompson9976]

I'd love to know how many people started this video thinking it was about game of thrones lol. I imagine its a decent number lol. Hopefully many of them stuck around for this incredible doc! Absolutely one of my favorite Japanese history channels! If anyone has recommendations for other great history channels i would be eternally grateful! 🙏 I mean lesser known gems, already watch the big one like kings and generals and epic history. Ive no doubt that theres MANY channels, ive not found yet, that are making fantastic historical videos id love. So i hope my fellow history nerds will help me out, since the damn youtube algorithm doesnt take into account quality when making its recommendations 🙏✌️

[@Hvajndall]

While the main series in itself is already fantastic, I always feel like I would like to get to know more about basically everything, from cultural achievements of given periods to battle details (these - while probably not as important and given little attention in the textbooks themselves - are always so stimulating when you can read about them from comfy 21st century chair!). So after I have finished the main line, I'm now watching these side videos one by one and I'm finding these more detailed explanations so interesting I usually leave headphones on when I return home to listen to the very end. The bit with the convoluted war durations was super insightful, too! On an unrelated note, I'm so going through the sites presented next time I'm in Japan!!!

[@sukitron5415]

I love the change of recording on location but if you do it again, would you mind maybe showing the map of where the location is for a little bit?

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I will absolutely keep that in mind for next time! (If there is a next time...)

[@sukitron5415]

​@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistorymaybe you could do it if you make a Nanboku-cho Jidai video

[@y11971alex]

I have a new theory regarding the origin of the Onikiribe place name: it is a corruption of onigiri-be, which refers to the shape of the mountains surrounding 😅

[@BaronVonHobgoblin]

More videos like this please! I am an old infantry soldier, former martial artist and I'm an owner of a rather weak BA in Asian Studes (no Asian language and it was mostly comparative politics) with an interest in historical conflict. Any content on the Warring States Period or any historical conflict in Japan are of great interest to me. I am admittedly not a fan of the Hagakure or of the, as I see it, uncritical translations by William Scott Wilson or Alexander Bennett and I have my doubts about who exactly Tsunetomo was as a soldier. My own judgements aside I really appreciate the work you are doing please keep up your longform videos especially those that involve field trips to the battlefield or forts.

[@hoolemere7584]

Great video I wanted to ask did Minamoto no Yoshitsune go to Hiraizumi for help because of Minamoto no Yoshiie being a close ally of Fujiwara no Kiyohira? Because the way I see it this war Yoshitsune and Yoritomo got benefited from it later down the road because of Yoshiie’s deeds

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I have heard that the old bond between the Minamoto and the Ôshû Fujiwara may have played a role in Yoshitsune's choosing to go to Hiraizumi! However, it seems like the main connection which led Yoshitsune there was a guy named Fujiwara no Motonari (who was actually not an Ôshû Fujiwara). Motonari was the half-brother of Fujiwara no Nobuyori, the main ringleader of the Heiji Rebellion whom Yoshitsun's dad Yoshitomo had served. After the rebellion, Motonari, who had actually been governor of Mutsu a couple times, was sent into exile in Mutsu, where he became tight enough with the Ôshû Fujiwara that his daughter married Fujiwara no Hidehira. Not only that, but Motonari's cousin, Ichijô Naganari, went on to have a relationship with Yoshitsune's mom, so Yoshitsune got another family connection there as well. It has been suggested that there connections with Motonari were what convinced the Ôshû Fujiwara to take Yoshitsune in. Whew, rabbit hole. Thanks for giving me a reason to look into that, haha

[@OtherRealmProductions]

Would love to see a detailed video like this one on the Onin War.

[@hyperkaiju9721]

under rated channel

[@jankramolis8658]

Very nice video, thank you

[@yofu3048]

I love your intro music, not as much as the stories themselves but is there anywhere I can find that specific music?? Keep up the awesome videos 👏🏻

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Thank you! Yes, I've got the full beat up on my (very half-assed) music sub-channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIizqYGwjK2Jm68

[@JiggaMan1297]

Do you know anything about the infighting and turmoil within the Kawachi-Genji that led to the downfall of the Minamoto after Yoshiie’s death ? It would be great for somebody to go into that also as it’s definitely an important series of events in Samurai & Japanese history.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

I've read a bit about it before, but I don't remember most of the details anymore. It would definitely be interesting to do! The only problem is I am fairly sure no one has ever really illustrated any of those events, so I'd be in a bit of a bind over what to do for the visuals. Maybe I should make a Buyuuden podcast for stuff like this...

[@JiggaMan1297]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory​​⁠I agree that would be very interesting and please do make a Buyuuden podcast, that would be great!

[@ruthradford897]

Well done!

[@5555petros]

Tohoku is my favorite region in Japan and nothing catches people's attention like an old-school military epic!

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

You have excellent taste!

[@jonathanhill2737]

One of your cooler videos!

[@cat-tzu1234]

Thanks for doing this. Very interesting. Especially since I too live in Tohoku. I'm wondering if you any material in English-print or video-connected with Kasai Kiyoshige. He was supposedly the one given the order to burn Hiraizumi and then was appointed Mutsu Shugo (governor?) and ruled from a castle in Ishinomaki. Hiyoriyama Castle I think.

[@なつちゃ-v2h]

I would like to share with you the fact that a descendant of this Abe family can be said to be the recently assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

[@ranro7371]

an introduction to the clans in the beginning wouldve been appreciated/

[@zackakai5173]

36:10 - homeboy pulled an 11th century Japanese Letterkenny

[@hobokoala2623]

I’m picturing an 80s style sitcom were Kiyohira and Iehira divide up the house with a line through the middle.

[@user-tm8jt2py3d]

man what is that intro song lol it's wild

[@felixborges7440]

Wow… not only smart but he’s handsome too 😍

[@dick_richards]

They said the same thing about Justin Trudeau. Look how that's gone....

[@TurlasThe6]

​@@dick_richardsWell, he's a world leader, not a history youtuber. Not really a fair comparison 😂

[@dick_richards]

@@TurlasThe6 *Country destroyer, hardly does he lead anything except wicked agendas of destruction.

[@dick_richards]

@@TurlasThe6 your point still stands, tho... lol

[@TurlasThe6]

@@dick_richards my point? 🤔

[@TravelNotesVlogs]

This is a fantastic channel. Thank you for making this series aimed at casual listeners. I have a couple of generic questions (not related to this specific episode): 1) Why do some old Japanese names have a "no" in them and some don't? For example Fujiwara no Michinaga and Minamoto no Yoritomo vs Hojo Tokimasa and Ashikaga Takauji? 2) Is there any connection at all between the emperor Shirakawa and the village Shirakawa-Go in the Gifu prefecture? Although the kanji are different, the kawa in 白河 (the emperor) and 白川 (the village) both means river. Wondering if there is any connection between the two names. Thanks in advance.

[@5555petros]

Not the best answer but the "no" meant "of" in old Japanese names. I guess it simply wasn't worth the effort to keep writing or referring it once the Samurai started calling the shots and didn't feel like with keeping up all this aristocratic pomp and took the simple route.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

1) @5555petros is right that "no" means "of." My understanding of its use in connecting family names and first names is that it had to do with the *type* of family name in question. In premodern Japan, there were basically two types of family names: those that were given by the Emperor (called uji・氏), and those that developed more organically, usually based on places of residence, etc. The former category includes the really big famous names like Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, etc. Since these names were given by the emperor, the term "family name" isn't even really completely accurate, as there were lots of Minamotos, for example, running around who were hardly related to one another at all. It was almost a symbol of status more so than a family designation. Anyway, these elite, imperially-bestowed "uji" names are always followed by a "no" -- think, "Yoritomo of the esteemed Minamoto." The latter category is more along the lines of what we think of today as a real "family name" or "last name," as these tended to be smaller-scale and refer to actual family units. Many famous samurai actually possessed both the former and the latter; for example, the Ashikaga Shogun family fell under the Minamoto umbrella, but they also have the Ashikaga name which is derived from a piece of territory which they owned. By the mid-late middle ages, the famous old warrior families had split off into so many branches that it's not really practical to use their "uji" names when we talk about them, which is why names with "no" in them seem to disappear as the centuries progress. The families themselves, however, still often conceptualized themselves as members of those "uji" groups (Minamoto, Taira, etc.), though. 2) A quick search of the Japanese side of the internet doesn't indicate any connection between Emperor Shirakawa and Shirakawa-go, but I'm no expert on the subject, so I can't really say for sure! My gut tells me that "shirakawa" is just kind of a common place name. (In the emperor's case, it was derived from the name of his residence in Kyoto.)

[@TravelNotesVlogs]

@@5555petros Thank you for the response

[@TravelNotesVlogs]

@@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory Thanks for the detailed response.

[@5555petros]

@@TravelNotesVlogs It was nothing. I'm honored that Mr Buyuuden himself confirmed that I wasn't talking nonsense and lent us his expertise on the matter.

[@worthymartin4008]

superb!

[@larrywave]

So good 😄

[@kwakuamankwaa9888]

You going live feels like an abrupt change. It'll take time for me to adapt to it.

[@BuyuudenJapaneseHistory]

Don't worry, I think I'm still mostly going to be making narration-style videos! This one just felt like the perfect opportunity for the live style.