Prince Shōtoku

Prince Shōtoku is said to have popularized chopsticks in Japan. Until then, people ate with their hands, but upon learning that Chinese dynasties used chopsticks—and anticipating hosting envoys from those dynasties—he studied chopstick etiquette. The earliest chopsticks were reportedly shaped like tweezers.

Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu was a female writer of the Heian period, famous as the author of The Tale of Genji and The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu. Her real name is unknown, and it is said that the name “Murasaki Shikibu” was derived from her father’s official post title and from the character Murasaki no Ue who appears in The Tale of Genji.

Cookie

It is said that cookies back then were made using nuts like acorns, and they have even been found at archaeological sites. This shows that acorns weren’t eaten as they were, but were processed and cooked. Incidentally, acorns themselves were a staple food at the time.

Uesugi Kenshin

The warlord who inspired the phrase “sending salt to one’s enemy” was Uesugi Kenshin. When Takeda Shingen faced difficulties obtaining salt, Uesugi Kenshin sent him salt, saying that they were not fighting over necessities of daily life. This episode is the origin of the expression.

cat

It is said that when Buddhism was transmitted to Japan from China, cats came along as well to protect important books from mice. Since cats have long been useful as mousers, they were also kept as “guards” in places like warehouses where grain was stored.

To prevent stuffiness

The origin of the chonmage hairstyle dates back to the Nara period, but the reason it became popular among samurai in the Kamakura period was that wearing a helmet in battle made their heads sweaty and itchy. The chonmage, which involved shaving part of the head, was called sakayaki, and this style helped prevent stuffiness. In the Edo period, it spread beyond the warrior class and became common among ordinary people as well.

courier

Crossing a daimyo procession, which was seen during the Edo period, was prohibited, but midwives and couriers were exceptions. Midwives were allowed due to the urgency of childbirth, and couriers were permitted so they could deliver urgent messages swiftly.

Hiroshima

When the First Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1884, the National Diet was convened in Hiroshima only once. One reason cited is that a place called Ujina Port in Hiroshima was used for transporting supplies. The provisional Diet building erected in Hiroshima was constructed in around 20 days and was dismantled in 1889, four years after its construction.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

The first warlord to host a cherry blossom viewing banquet in Japan was Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the hanami held at Daigo-ji Temple in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, about 700 cherry trees were gathered from various regions, and around 1,300 women were also brought together. In keeping with this history, Daigo-ji still holds an event each spring called the Toyotakō Hanami Procession.

Goto Shojiro

The first person to buy a Louis Vuitton bag in Japan was Gotō Shōjirō, a samurai from the Tosa Domain who also excelled as a politician and businessman. Records show that when he traveled to France in 1883, he purchased a large trunk measuring 110 centimeters.