Let’s take on the challenge! A multiple-choice history quiz for elementary school students. Review your history lessons.

shell midden

Shell middens where people of the Jomon period discarded food remnants such as shells and broken pottery. They were not only regarded like modern garbage dumps but also functioned as places of worship. They also provide clues for investigating what Jomon people ate and what kinds of pottery and stone tools they used.

Akechi Mitsuhide

On June 2, 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide led his forces in rebellion and attacked his lord, Oda Nobunaga, in the Incident at Honnō-ji. Surrounded at the temple by Mitsuhide’s troops, Nobunaga set the temple ablaze and took his own life. The event is known as the catalyst that brought about the end of the Oda regime.

Heijō-kyō

Heijō-kyō, established in 710 by Empress Genmei, was a capital city modeled after Chang’an of the Tang dynasty when the court moved from Fujiwara-kyō. It served both as the emperor’s residence and the seat of government. Located in present-day Nara City and Yamatokōriyama City in Nara Prefecture, it is known for representative examples of temple architecture from that era.

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With the Restoration of Imperial Rule in 1867, political power was returned from the samurai to the imperial court, bringing the Edo shogunate to an end. Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Seii Taishogun in history, rebelled against the Imperial Restoration decree and launched the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, but suffered a crushing defeat. He was the final shogun of the samurai government that had lasted for about 260 years.

Horyu-ji Temple

Horyu-ji Temple is said to have been founded in 607 by Empress Suiko and Prince Shotoku. It is the oldest wooden building in the world, and in 1993 it was registered as Japan’s first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Located in today’s Ikoma District of Nara Prefecture, the temple was originally called Ikaruga-dera when it was established.

Tokugawa Ieyasu

The answer is Tokugawa Ieyasu, who led the Eastern Army at the Battle of Sekigahara and defeated Ishida Mitsunari, who led the Western Army. In 1603, he was appointed shogun and founded the Edo Shogunate. This samurai government lasted for about 260 years, until the restoration of imperial rule in 1867.

Oda Nobunaga

The Battle of Okehazama, fought in 1560 in Owari Province between the forces of Oda Nobunaga and Imagawa Yoshimoto. Leading a massive army of 25,000, Imagawa Yoshimoto was slain by Oda Nobunaga’s troops through a combination of sudden assaults, ambushes, and frontal attacks. It is a historic battle that frequently appears in Taiga dramas and novels.

Kyoto

After defeating Kusunoki Masashige at the Battle of Minatogawa, Ashikaga Takauji was appointed shogun (Seii Taishogun) in 1338 and established the Muromachi shogunate. While inheriting the policies of the Kamakura shogunate, it also pursued active diplomacy, including trade with Ming China. The shogunate reached its zenith under the third shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and its rule continued for about 240 years.

Minamoto no Yoritomo

The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who triumphed in the Battle of Dan-no-ura, the decisive clash between the Minamoto and Taira clans. Through events such as the Jōkyū Disturbance and the Mongol invasions, it expanded its authority to become a nationwide military government. After Yoritomo’s death, the Hōjō clan—led by Hōjō Tokimasa and Hōjō Yoshitoki—rose to prominence and consolidated power amid struggles with influential warrior families.

Ono no Imoko

The answer was Ono no Imoko, an official of the Asuka period and a powerful clan member from Ōmi Province. According to the Nihon Shoki, a historical chronicle compiled in the Nara period, he was chosen as an ambassador during the era of Empress Suiko under the cap-rank system and was dispatched to the Sui dynasty. Although the name Ono no Imoko may lead some to think he was a woman, his gender was male.