Time and Tide

Starting with Ieyasu, the Tokugawa Shoguns made clever use of falconry beyond mere hunting. Uncover their deep connection with these majestic birds.

Always seeking the ideal master, samurai Todo Takatora was a skilled castle builder, a man of flexibility and rationality who saw the changes to come.

400-year-old Matsue Castle retains its original keep, a National Treasure. Black and imposing, it stands like a battleship. Why did the lord build such an enormous keep on such a small site?

Wakayama Castle was a crucial castle for Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu who both guided Japan to peace. Its location south of the economic center of Osaka near the Pacific Ocean was strategic.