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

Made the sumo wrestler work

When Perry’s fleet arrived, the Japanese side tried to make an impression to counter them, having sumo wrestlers carry sacks of rice, among other things. It is also said that they wrestled people aboard the ships and won by a large margin. The Americans, it seems, could not hide their astonishment at these scenes.

Love letter

Yoshida Kenkō not only possessed high learning and discernment, but also worked as a proxy writer for waka poems and letters. Records remain indicating that he particularly excelled at ghostwriting love letters. His talent for expressing the dynamics of romance in beautiful prose that moved the recipient’s heart seems to have been highly valued by the aristocrats and warriors of the time. It is thought that his rich life experience and keen powers of observation of human nature were fully brought to bear in these romantic letters.

origami

In education during the Meiji era, origami was actively incorporated to cultivate manual dexterity, spatial awareness, and even creativity. When Western educational thought was introduced to Japan, it merged with traditional Japanese origami and became part of the educational curriculum in girls’ schools and kindergartens. It was taught not merely as a pastime, but as an important method of learning to develop an understanding of geometric figures and a refined aesthetic sense.

Meiji era

The unit “yen” was introduced by the New Currency Act during the Meiji era. As a result, the yen came to be used as a unified and new currency unit within Japan. Before that, units such as ryō, bu, and mon were used, but from this ordinance onward, yen, rin, and sen came into use.

Because they promised not to engage in Christian missionary activities.

One of the main reasons for the isolation policy was that the Christian system was incompatible with the shogunate’s system, leading to a desire to exclude Christianity. However, the Dutch prioritized commercial interests and promised not to conduct Christian missionary activities in Japan, so they were allowed to trade.

kimono worn casually (kinagashi)

The statue of Takamori Saigō erected in Ueno Park is known for depicting him in informal kimono attire, with a dog by his side. It was initially planned for him to be shown in official government dress, but it is said that the choice was changed to informal attire out of a desire to avoid emphasizing his image as a samurai.

cosplay

A culture equivalent to “cosplay” already existed in the Edo period. In the late Edo period in particular, during the popular movement known as Eejanaika, women dressed as men and men dressed as women. There was also an event called nerimono, in which geisha wore costumes matching their performances and walked through Gion.