In the back alleys of Yoshiwara, the children played at being adults— Midori, soon to be sold to the pleasure quarter, Nobu, soon to be a priest, each on the brink of a fate not chosen. — Higuchi Ichiyō, Child's Play (1895), early modern masterpiece by Japan's first major modern woman writer.

At last he resolved to break the commandment his father gave him— to never reveal that he was of the outcast caste, and to live as a free man. — Shimazaki Tōson, The Broken Commandment (1906), naturalist novel of caste and conscience.

In an age when men still honored the noble virtue of foolishness, when life was not such a harsh affair, there lived a tattooer of consummate skill, named Seikichi. — Tanizaki Jun'ichirō, The Tattooer (1910), opening of the early decadent masterpiece.

News reached Rome that Father Ferreira, sent to Japan, had renounced his faith under torture— his disciples could not believe it. — Endō Shūsaku, Silence (1966), of hidden Christians and the silence of God in Edo Japan.

One August afternoon, a man disappeared on holiday— he had gone to collect insects in the dunes, and never came back. — Abe Kōbō, The Woman in the Dunes (1962), surreal parable of work and freedom.

Like a drop of dew I fell, like a drop of dew I vanish— even Osaka Castle is but a dream within a dream. — Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death poem (1598). The peasant who rose to rule all Japan, dying as he had begun.

Fifty years beneath the heavens are but a fleeting dream in the wider stream of time— what lives, in the end, does not fail to die. — Oda Nobunaga, dancing Atsumori before the battle of Okehazama, 1560. He won that day against impossible odds.

Tenka Fubu— 'The realm under heaven, unified by force of arms.' Four characters stamped on every seal. — Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582), the warlord who broke the medieval order and began Japan's reunification.

Life is like a long road walked with a heavy burden— do not hurry. Regard hardship as the natural state, and you will know no want. — Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), founder of the shogunate that ruled Japan for 265 years.

My mother told me that she dreamed of the sun entering her womb— so they call me the Child of the Sun. — Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598), the peasant-born unifier of Japan who claimed solar lineage to legitimize his rise.

He who knows only victory and never defeat will come to grief. Blame yourself, not others. — Tokugawa Ieyasu, on the wisdom of patience that let him outlast Nobunaga and Hideyoshi to win Sekigahara in 1600.

Swift as the wind, quiet as the forest, fierce as fire, immovable as the mountain. — Takeda Shingen (1521–1573), whose Fūrinkazan banner, taken from Sun Tzu, became the emblem of the strongest cavalry in Japan.

The people are the castle. The people are the stone walls. The people are the moats. Mercy is your ally, resentment your foe. — Takeda Shingen, on why he built no great fortress: he trusted human loyalty more than stone.

Fate is in heaven, the armor on the breast, the deed at the feet. Go forth, then, and do not look back. — Uesugi Kenshin (1530–1578), 'the god of war,' rival of Shingen at the four battles of Kawanakajima.

I fight with bows and arrows, not with salt and rice— when his rival's lands were cut off, Kenshin sent salt to Shingen, so his people would not suffer. — Uesugi Kenshin (1568), origin of the proverb 'send salt to the enemy'—an honorable rivalry that became Japan's ideal of bushidō chivalry.

I lost my right eye to smallpox as a child, and my mother turned from me— so I cut it from my own face and learned to wear my fate as a warrior wears his crest. — Date Masamune (1567–1636), the 'One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshū' and founder of Sendai.

Six red banners flew deep into Ieyasu's lines— 'Japan's number-one soldier,' they would later call him, as he died charging an emperor's army. — Sanada Yukimura (1567–1615), heroic last stand at the Siege of Osaka against Tokugawa rule.

If you do it, it can be done. If you do not do it, it will not be done— for nothing is impossible when the heart is set. — Uesugi Yōzan (1751–1822), reformer-lord who saved Yonezawa domain; later admired by John F. Kennedy.

Revere heaven, love the people. Be strict with yourself, gentle with others. This is the whole of my way. — Saigō Takamori (1828–1877), 'the last samurai,' leader of the Meiji Restoration and of the doomed Satsuma Rebellion.

Fall, then, when the time comes, like the camellia, whole and unbroken, rather than scatter petal by petal like the cherry. — Saigō Takamori, on the warrior's death; he fell at Shiroyama in 1877, choosing the sword over surrender.

Once more, with our own hands, we will wash the soiled land of Japan— so the young samurai swore, barely thirty, on the eve of revolution. — Sakamoto Ryōma (1836–1867), low-ranking samurai who brokered the alliance that toppled the shogunate.

A man should live with the world for his stage— so he gathered ships and sailors, and founded Japan's first trading company, dreaming of an open sea. — Sakamoto Ryōma, founder of the Kaientai (1865), forerunner of a modern Japanese navy and merchant marine.

If the powerful will not act, then those without power must act for them. To know and not to act is not yet to know. — Yoshida Shōin (1830–1859), thinker and teacher whose students became the architects of the Meiji Restoration.

Though my body may decay on the plain of Musashi, my Yamato spirit will live on, undying— this I leave behind. — Yoshida Shōin's death poem (1859), written before his execution at age 29 for plotting against the shogunate.

What makes an uninteresting world interesting is the way you live in it— you cannot wait for the world to amuse you. — Takasugi Shinsaku (1839–1867), Chōshū samurai who founded the irregular Kiheitai militia and helped end the shogunate.

When two great forces meet, the braver thing is sometimes to lay down the sword— so Edo, a city of a million, was spared the torch. — Katsu Kaishū (1823–1899), the shogunate naval commander who negotiated the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle in 1868.

Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world— so were laid the foundations of a new and modern state in the spring of the boy emperor. — Kido Takayoshi (1833–1877), drafter of the 1868 Charter Oath, one of the three great architects of the Meiji Restoration.

I am the demon vice-commander of the Shinsengumi— the sword that defends the old order, even as the new dawn rises against us. — Hijikata Toshizō (1835–1869), vice-commander of the Shinsengumi police force, killed fighting for the shogunate at Hakodate.

Loyal unto death— these were the four words stitched into our blue and white haori as we walked the Kyoto night, swords drawn against the new times. — Kondō Isami (1834–1868), commander of the Shinsengumi police corps that defended the shogunate in Kyoto.

I gave back the realm to the Emperor because to fight on would have been to drown my own country in blood— so I retired, and was forgotten. — Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1837–1913), the 15th and last shogun, who restored imperial rule in 1867 and lived out his days quietly.

Maeda Toshiie, called 'the Spear,' rose from Nobunaga's page to lord of a million koku, guardian of the boy Hideyori— loyal in three generations of war. — Maeda Toshiie (1538–1599), spearman of three unifiers and founder of the Kaga Maeda house, second only to the shogun in Edo Japan.

He fought in fifty-seven battles, and never once was wounded— his spear, Tonbo-giri, was said to cleave a dragonfly that alighted on its blade. — Honda Tadakatsu (1548–1610), one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ieyasu, called by foes 'a warrior beyond this world.'

One eye, one leg, scarred all over— yet he saw further than any general of Kai: at Kawanakajima he walked into death by his own design. — Yamamoto Kansuke (1501–1561), legendary strategist of Takeda Shingen, fell at the fourth battle of Kawanakajima.

His mind, men said, was worth a thousand spears. Black-robed, lame from imprisonment, he walked beside Hideyoshi from Bizen to the throne. — Kuroda Kanbei (1546–1604), the brilliant Christian strategist behind Toyotomi Hideyoshi's rise.

One arrow snaps easily. Bind three together, and none can break them— so he taught his three sons, and the Mōri held the western seas. — Mōri Motonari (1497–1571), the cunning lord of western Japan and his parable of three arrows.

From a wandering rōnin he rose to take Izu, then Odawara— the first man to seize a province in the age of warring states. — Hōjō Sōun (1432–1519), prototype of the Sengoku daimyō and founder of the late Hōjō line.

Why do Japanese students spend more time in club activities than in actual classes — and does that make them better prepared for society? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Japan's university entrance exams determine your entire career path. Is that fair, or just efficient? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Japanese students rank among the highest in math and science globally, yet report among the lowest levels of academic enjoyment. What does that tell us? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

In Japan, which school you graduate from still shapes your job prospects decades later. Should education systems work this way? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Club activities in Japanese schools are often mandatory. Does forcing participation build character, or just compliance? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Japanese high school students sleep less than almost anyone in the world. Is this sacrifice worth it? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Is Japan's culture of never leaving before your boss about respect, or fear? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Japan introduced 'Premium Friday' to encourage workers to leave early. Almost no one did. Why can't policy alone change culture? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

If Japan's work culture is so harmful, why do so many Japanese people still defend it? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Is the concept of lifetime employment in Japan a safety net or a trap? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Japan has one of the world's lowest immigration rates and a shrinking workforce. Which would be harder to change — the birthrate or the immigration policy? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Can you truly understand Japanese culture through anime, or does anime give you a distorted version of it? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Why does Japan celebrate overwork as dedication, while other cultures see it as poor time management? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇

Why is Japan's pop culture globally beloved while its foreign policy is largely ignored? What do you think? Drop your opinion in the comments 👇