Strange Islands.

Title: Swans
Creator: Shoson, Ohara (1877-1945)
Date: Unknown

via Bibliodyssey: Japanese Woodblock Prints

Unceasing fascination with Japan, immersion in literary culture and the pleasures and sorrows of the “thrown” life: Colin Marshall talks to writer, translator, filmmaker and teacher John Nathan

Having relocated from the United States to Japan in the early 1960s to enroll as the first American regular student at the University of Tokyo, he became the translator of novels by such Japanese literary luminaries as Kenzaburo Oe and Yukio Mishima as well as a documentarian who revealed unseen corners of Japanese private life to America. He went on to write books on Mishima, the Sony corporation and Japan itself. His latest book is a memoir, Living Carelessly in Tokyo and Elsewhere.

Very interesting interview via 3quarks to be found here

“A severed samurai head buried in central Tokyo has struck fear and awe in the hearts of locals for over 1,000 years.

The head — supposedly buried in the Otemachi district — belongs to Taira no Masakado, a rebellious warrior who led an insurgency against the central government in the 10th century. At the height of his power, Masakado proclaimed himself emperor — an act that aroused the wrath of the government and ended in his decapitation.”

more via Pink Tentacle

Saigō star (woodblock print by Kunimasa Umedo)

“In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan ended centuries of isolation and entered a period of rapid modernization after opening its doors to the world. The ensuing social and technological changes inspired a number of interesting urban legends.”

via Pink Tentacle