How many can you solve? Fascinating history trivia quizzes that spark intellectual curiosity

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.

courier

Crossing a daimyo procession, which was seen during the Edo period, was prohibited, but midwives and express couriers were exceptions. Midwives were allowed due to the urgency of childbirth, and couriers were permitted to cross in order to deliver urgent messages quickly.

Edo period

The words “maji” and “yabai” aren’t actually modern youth slang; they were already in use back in the Edo period. “Maji” is said to have started as an abbreviation of majime (serious) and was used as cant by entertainers and thieves in Edo times. Similarly, “yabai” is believed to derive from yakuba, a piece of underworld slang among Edo-era bandits and street peddlers meaning that something was bad or dangerous. It’s a fascinating bit of trivia that words we use in everyday life originated as cant in the underworld of the Edo period.

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.

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.

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.

To prevent stuffiness

The origin of the chonmage 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 portion of hair that was shaved as part of the chonmage was called sakayaki, and this hairstyle helped prevent stuffiness. By the Edo period, it had spread beyond the warrior class to commoners as well.