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Sakakibara Yasumasa (1548-1606) was a daimyo of the late Sengoku and early Edo Period serving under the Tokugawa clan. Yasumasa was considered one of the Tokugawa clan's greatest military commanders, and was labeled as one of its 'Four Guardian Kings' (Tokugawa-shitenno), bearing the court title of 'Shikibu-Sho'.<br/><br/> Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536/1538-1598) was a preeminent daimyo of the same era, and regarded as Japan's second 'great unifier'. He brought about the end of the Warring States Period, and ruled during a preiod known as the Momoyama Period, named after Hideyoshi's castle.<br/><br/> Japan went through various cultural advances under Hideyoshi's rule, such as the edict that only the samurai class could bear arms, as well as the construction and restoration of various temples in Kyoto. He also infamously ordered the execution of twenty-six Christians by crucifixion.
The production of silk originates in China in the Neolithic (Yangshao culture, 4th millennium BCE). Silk remained confined to China until the Silk Road opened at some point during the later half of the first millennium BCE. China maintained its virtual monopoly over silk production for another thousand years.<br/><br/> Not confined to clothing, silk was also used for a number of other applications, including writing, and the color of silk worn was an important guide of social class during the Tang Dynasty.
The Warring States Period was an era in ancient Chinese history following the Spring and Autumn period and concluding with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BCE as the first unified Chinese empire known as the Qin dynasty.<br/><br/> The Warring States Period derives its name from the Record of the Warring States, a work compiled early in the Han dynasty.
The Warring States Period was an era in ancient Chinese history following the Spring and Autumn period and concluding with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BCE as the first unified Chinese empire known as the Qin dynasty.<br/><br/> The Warring States Period derives its name from the Record of the Warring States, a work compiled early in the Han dynasty.
The Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (Chinese: Zeng Hou Yi) is an important archaeological site in Suizhou, Hubei, China, dated sometime after 433 BCE. The tomb contained the remains of Marquis Yi of Zeng, and is one of a handful of ancient Chinese royal tombs to have been discovered intact and then excavated using modern archaeological methods.<br/><br/> Zeng was a minor state subordinate to its powerful neighbor, Chu. The tomb was made around 433 BCE, near the start of the Warring States period. The tomb comes from the end of the thousand-year-long period of the burial of large sets of Chinese ritual bronzes in elite tombs, and is also unusual in containing large numbers of musical instruments, including the great set of bells for which it is most famous.
Chu was a hegemonic, Zhou dynasty era state. From King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE, the rulers of Chu declared themselves kings on an equal footing with the Zhou kings.<br/><br/> Though initially inconsequential, removed to the south of the Zhou heartland and practising differing customs, Chu began a series of administrative reforms, becoming a successful expansionist state during the Spring and Autumn Period. With its continued expansion Chu became a great Warring States period power, and its culture a major influence on the Han dynasty.
The Warring States Period was an era in ancient Chinese history following the Spring and Autumn period and concluding with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BCE as the first unified Chinese empire known as the Qin dynasty.<br/><br/> The Warring States Period derives its name from the Record of the Warring States, a work compiled early in the Han dynasty.
Chu was a hegemonic, Zhou dynasty era state. From King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE, the rulers of Chu declared themselves kings on an equal footing with the Zhou kings.<br/><br/> Though initially inconsequential, removed to the south of the Zhou heartland and practising differing customs, Chu began a series of administrative reforms, becoming a successful expansionist state during the Spring and Autumn Period. With its continued expansion Chu became a great Warring States period power, and its culture a major influence on the Han dynasty.
Chu was a hegemonic, Zhou dynasty era state. From King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE, the rulers of Chu declared themselves kings on an equal footing with the Zhou kings.<br/><br/> Though initially inconsequential, removed to the south of the Zhou heartland and practising differing customs, Chu began a series of administrative reforms, becoming a successful expansionist state during the Spring and Autumn Period. With its continued expansion Chu became a great Warring States period power, and its culture a major influence on the Han dynasty.
This grave figurine is abstract and modernistic in appearance. Traces of red paint, representing textile patterns, remain on the figure's carved robe.<br/><br/> Typically of costume in this period, the face is the only visible part of the attendant's body; even her hands are concealed and clasped beneath long sleeves, in the formal posture of waiting for orders.
Xun Kuang was a Chinese Realist Confucian philosopher who lived during the Warring States period and contributed to one of the Hundred Schools of Thought.<br/><br/> A book known as the Xunzi, an influential collection of essays, is traditionally attributed to him. Xunzi witnessed the chaos surrounding the fall of the Zhou dynasty and rise of the Qin state – which upheld legalistic doctrines focusing on state control, by means of law and penalties. Xunzi's variety of Confucianism therefore has a darker, more pragmatic flavour than the optimistic Confucianism of Mencius, who tended to view humans as innately good. Like Shang Yang, Xunzi believed that man's inborn tendencies were evil, and that ethical norms had been invented to rectify mankind.
The Warring States Period was an era in ancient Chinese history following the Spring and Autumn period and concluding with the Qin wars of conquest that saw the annexation of all other contender states, which ultimately led to the Qin state's victory in 221 BCE as the first unified Chinese empire known as the Qin dynasty.<br/><br/> The Warring States Period derives its name from the Record of the Warring States, a work compiled early in the Han dynasty.
Chi You (蚩尤) was a tribal leader of the ancient nine Li tribes (九黎, jiǔlí). He is best known as the tyrant who fought against the then-future Yellow Emperor during the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors era in Chinese mythology. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Qin Shi Huang worshiped Chi You as the God of War, and Liu Bang worshipped at Chi You's shrine before his decisive battle against Xiang Yu.
Qu Yuan (Chinese: 屈原; pinyin: Qū Yuán; Wade–Giles: Ch'ü Yüan) (339 BCE – 278 BCE) was a Chinese poet who lived during the Warring States Period in ancient China. He is famous for his contributions to the poetry collection known as the Chu-ci (also known as Songs of the South or Songs of Chu). The Chuci together with the Shi Jing are the two great collections of ancient Chinese verse.<br/><br/> Historical details about Qu Yuan's life are few, and his authorship of many Chu-ci poems have been questioned at length. However, he is widely accepted to have written Li Sao, the most well-known of the Chu-ci poems, and possibly several others in the collection, as well. The first known reference to Qu Yuan appears in a poem written in 174 BCE by Jia Yi, an official from Luoyang who was slandered by jealous officials and banished to Changsha by Emperor Wen of Han. While traveling, he wrote a poem describing the similar fate of a previous 'Qu Yuan'. Eighty years later, the first known biography of Qu Yuan's life appeared in Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, though it contains a number of contradictory details.
Saigō-no-Tsubone, or 'Lady Saigo', was a concubine who advised Tokugawa Ieyasu before the 1575 Battle of Nagashino. Lady Saigo was an important and influential figure during the late Age of Warring States in Japan. She was the first consort and trusted confidant of Tokugawa Ieyasu and mother of the second shogun of the Edo Period, Tokugawa Hidetada.<br/><br/> During their relationship, Ieyasu often sought her counsel and followed her advice during his rise to power in the 1570s. Her influence on his philosophy, his choice of allies, and future policies indirectly influenced the course of events leading to the Tokugawa Shogunate and the beginning of the Edo Period. Although there is less known of her than other figures of the era, and sources are conflicted over some details of her early life, she is nonetheless regarded as the power behind the throne of Ieyasu.<br/><br/> Lady Saigo bore a total of four children: she had a son (Saigo Katsutada) and a daughter (Saigo Tokuhime) by her first marriage. She later bore two sons by Tokugawa Ieyasu: Tokugawa Hidetada (1579–1632) and Matsudaira Tadayoshi (1580–1607). Hidetada would become the second shogun of the new Tokugawa administration.
Qu Yuan (Chinese: 屈原; pinyin: Qū Yuán; Wade–Giles: Ch'ü Yüan) (339 BCE – 278 BCE) was a Chinese poet who lived during the Warring States Period in ancient China. He is famous for his contributions to the poetry collection known as the Chu-ci (also known as Songs of the South or Songs of Chu). The Chuci together with the Shi Jing are the two great collections of ancient Chinese verse.<br/><br/> Historical details about Qu Yuan's life are few, and his authorship of many Chu-ci poems have been questioned at length. However, he is widely accepted to have written Li Sao, the most well-known of the Chu-ci poems, and possibly several others in the collection, as well. The first known reference to Qu Yuan appears in a poem written in 174 BCE by Jia Yi, an official from Luoyang who was slandered by jealous officials and banished to Changsha by Emperor Wen of Han. While traveling, he wrote a poem describing the similar fate of a previous 'Qu Yuan'. Eighty years later, the first known biography of Qu Yuan's life appeared in Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, though it contains a number of contradictory details.