Book Review: Samurai Revolution By Romulus Hillsborough

The Dawn of Modern Japan as seen through the eyes of the Shōgun’s Last Samurai!

This book, based on twenty-five years of research by Romulus Hillsborough who spent sixteen years living in Japan, joins his growing portfolio of his other works on the pivotal characters and themes of the Bakumatsu Period and the Meiji Restoration bringing many of them together in a welcome work that covers the pivotal period that heralded the end of the Japanese feudal era and the beginning of the industrial and political modernisation of Japan.

Something of a tome ‘Samurai Revolution’ is written as two books. The first covers the conflicting interests of the Tokugawa Bakufu in Edo (modern day Tōkyō) and the Imperial Court in Kyōto and the inter clan alliances which had been forged nearly three hundred years before in the triumphs and

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Sumo: The Traditional National Sport Of Japan

An introduction into the world of Japan’s oldest martial art!

The Founding of Sumo

Nomi no Sukune was a potter from Izumo and ancestor of Sugawara no Michizane. His famous fight with Taima no Kehaya under the patronage of Emperor Suinin resulted in the death of Taima no Kehaya and the founding of Sumo, the traditional national sport of Japan. An influential figure Nomi no Sukune also proposed to Emperor

Event: Hyper Japan 2015 In Pictures

The UK’s biggest celebration of Japanese culture!

Hyper Japan, the UK’s biggest and best-loved annual J-Culture convention, returned on 11th – 13th July for another weekend extravaganza of all things Japanese from the authentic and traditional to the contemporary. Thousands of Japanophiles descended upon London’s O2 in Greenwich over the three days for an exciting time of live music, fashion shows, videogames, manga/anime activities, martial arts demonstrations and

Film Review: Uzumasa Limelight (Uzumasa Raimuraito)

A homage to Charlie Chaplin’s LIMELIGHT!

Winner of the Cheval Noir Award and Best Actor Award at the 2014 Fantasia International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2014 New York Asian Film Festival and the 2014 Camera Japan Festival, and the official selection at both the 2014 Hawaii International Film Festival and the 2014 Shanghai International Film Festival. 

FestivalAsia 2015 – Three Days Of Exotic Fun & Excitement

London’s largest indoor festival on all things Asia!

Date: 15 – 17 May 2015

Venue: Tobacco Dock, 50 Porters Walk, London E1W 2SF

Tickets: Adult £12.50 adv – £15 door

Children (up to 10 years old, accompanied by one adult with an Adult Ticket) £8 adv – £10 door

Indulge your senses and experience the exotic cultures of Asia under one roof.

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist Competition Now Closed And The Winner Is…

A winner has been chosen!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist on DVD & Blu-Ray plus 2 randomly selected Manga UK DVD and/or Blu-Ray titles!.

Sadly there can only be one winner.

And the winner is…

WIN Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist On DVD & Blu-Ray Plus 2 Randomly Selected Manga UK DVD And/Or Blu-Ray Titles!

Hooray! It’s competition time again!

To celebrate the release of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist on DVD & Blu-Ray on Monday 27th October we have a Blu-Ray copy to give away, plus 2 randomly selected Manga UK DVD and/or Blu-Ray titles!

Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist tells the origin story of Street Fighter’s most famous duo, Ryu and Ken. Learning the way of the warrior at the secluded dojo of martial arts master Gouken, the pair are the last practitioners of an ancient fighting style known as Ansatsuken – ‘The Assassin’s Fist’. But the Ansatsuken style hides a dark and tragic secret; a legacy that is about to catch up with

The Art of the Japanese Sword Competition Now Closed And the Winner Is…

A winner has been chosen!

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win a copy of the book The Art of the Japanese Sword.

Sadly there can only be one winner.

And the winner is…

WIN The Art Of The Japanese Sword: The Craft Of Swordmaking And Its Appreciation Now Closed!

Hooray! It’s competition time again!

In The Art of the Japanese Sword (Diverse Japan’s review here), master swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshihara offers a detailed look at the entire process of Japanese sword making, including the finishing and appreciation of Japanese blades.

Japanese sword art stands out in many ways: functionality as a weapon, sophisticated metallurgy and metal smithing, the shape of the blade itself—all contribute to the beauty of these remarkable weapons. The Art of the Japanese Sword conveys to the reader Japanese sword history and

Event: Japan Matsuri 2014 London Trafalgar Square

The spectacular annual Japan festival returns for more fun and excitement!

Date: Saturday, 27th September 2014

Location: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN

Time: 11 am – 9 pm

Event: Seni 2014 Combat Sports Expo Weekend And The Re-Launch Of Eastern Heroes Magazine

Be prepared for the most exciting martial arts event of the year!

Date: 13th & 14th September

Venue: The London Soccerdome, E Parkside, Greenwich Peninsula, London SE10 OJF

Opening times: 10am (go to Seni 2014 website to check the times of each event)

Book Review: The Art Of The Japanese Sword: The Craft Of Swordmaking And Its Appreciation

Like people and snowflakes, no two Japanese swords are the same!

Written by Yoshindo Yoshihara (a third generation swordsmith) with Leon and Hiroko Kapp, The Art of the Japanese Sword is a beautiful large format book (effectively printed on glossy black paper with white text) that focuses on the production and understanding of the symbolic steel weapon once used by samurai and now admired by art collectors all round the world as an object of perfection, although many people use them to practice traditional Japanese martial arts like Iaido (the art of drawing the sword).

‘Terracotta Film Club’ Presents Samurai Masterpiece Lady Snowblood

Venue: Prince Charles Cinema London

Date: Wednesday 24 April

‘Terracotta Film Club’ will present a Japanese classic from legendary director Toshiya Fujita for its 4^th edition.

This blood-splattered Samurai masterpiece from the golden age of Japanese cult cinema is credited as the main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL series. LADY SNOWBLOOD is a 1973 Japanese film based on a manga and set in

Koichi Sakamoto Directs Nao Nagasawa And Ayumi Kinoshita In Travelers: Dimension Police

Sexy Nagasawa and Kinoshita kick ass in new action-packed sci-fi drama!

You may recall in February 2012 when Diverse Japan interviewed Nao Nagasawa (Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger, GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka, Playgirls 2012) that she mentioned she was going to Taiwan the following month to begin shooting her next action movie. DJ can now reveal that the film she spoke of is a sci-fi action adventure called Travelers: Dimension Police directed by

Film Review: Dead Sushi – A Film By Noboru Iguchi Starring Rina Takeda

More pandemonium from the director of Machine Girl!

The unrelenting filmmaker Noboru Iguchi (TOMIE Unlimited) has presented audiences around the globe with part mechanical geisha that shoot ninja throwing stars from their buttocks; vengeful schoolgirls with lethal weaponry in place of certain limbs; and a motorcycle that transforms into a karate robot. As wacky as these concepts may be, they actually seem quite credible when compared to his latest offering Dead Sushi, an outrageous cinematic feast that has a cute karate girl taking on

Event Report: Japan Matsuri 2012 At Trafalgar Square London

Londoners get a taste of Japanese culture!

On Saturday 6^th October, under a blissful (almost) clear blue sky, Trafalgar Square in London played host to Japan Matsuri 2012. 70,000 people were expected to come and go throughout the day and it’s quite possible that number was met. Since the first matsuri festival started in 2009, the event’s popularity has grown year after year spreading the rich and vibrant culture of Japan and gaining new fans. Unquestionably this year was

Japan Matsuri 2012 Trafalgar Square London

When: Saturday 6 October 2012
Time: 11:00 – 21:00

The much-loved JAPAN MATSURI returns to London on SATURDAY 6 OCTOBER and this year it’s in Trafalgar Square in the centre of London. This dynamic annual event brings the Japanese community and Londoners together to enjoy Japanese food, music, dance and much more. Its new venue in Trafalgar Square will offer a fantastic chance to experience Japan in the

FREE Prizes: WIN Lady Snowblood 1 & 2 Blu-ray Limited Edition Steelbook – 2 Copies To Giveaway – NOW CLOSED!

Competition is now closed!

Arrow Films is pleased to announce that Monday September 24th will see the hugely influential Lady Snowblood films lovingly restored and released on Blu-ray (Region 2) for the very first time, anywhere in the world and will be available as both a Limited Edition Blu-ray SteelBook™ and a 3-disc Blu-ray & DVD Dual Format Set.

Limited Edition Steelbook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Snowblood-Limited-Edition-SteelBook-Blu-Ray/dp/B007XRX88E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348227792&sr=8-1

3-disc Blu-ray & DVD Dual Format Set: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lady-Snowblood-Format-Edition-Blu-Ray/dp/B007XRX9AG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348227792&sr=8-2

DVD Review: Crows Zero II – A Sequel By Takashi Miike

A very different beast from its predecessor!

Takashi Miike returns to the Suzuran High School for Boys for a second slice of all-action fighting in this sequel to his 2007 hit Crows Zero. Having fought their way to the top of the tree in the first film, Genji (Shun Oguri) and his GPS alliance struggle to hold the school together in the face of an all-out attack by the students of the Hosen Academy, the ‘Army of Killers’. There is a long-lived hatred between the two schools, but also an uneasy truce.  However, in his desire to rule Suzuran completely, Genji mistakenly breaks the truce and has to prepare for all-out war between the two schools.  Meanwhile,