[For Elementary Students] Japanese History Quiz Learned in Elementary School

Tokugawa Ieyasu

The answer is Tokugawa Ieyasu, who led the Eastern Army at the Battle of Sekigahara and defeated Ishida Mitsunari, the leader of the Western Army. He was appointed shogun in 1603 and established the Edo shogunate, a samurai government that lasted for about 260 years until the Restoration of Imperial Rule in 1867.

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.

Germany

The Japanese constitution promulgated in 1889 and enforced in 1890. It was drafted with reference to the German constitution of the time, in which the monarch held strong powers. Under it, the Emperor possessed sovereign authority as the head of state, and citizens were granted freedoms—such as residence and movement, speech, assembly, and association—so long as they were within the bounds of the law.

15

With the 1867 Taisei Hokan, political power was returned from the samurai to the imperial court, bringing the Edo Shogunate to an end. Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun in history, rebelled against the Restoration of Imperial Rule 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.

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.

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.

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.