History10 min
Korean Dynasties: From Goguryeo to Joseon
A survey of Korea's great dynasties, from Gojoseon to the Three Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, then Goryeo, Joseon and the Korean Empire.
Read
JournalKorea Korea
Korea
China
Korea
Korea
China
Japan
Japan
China
China
Japan
China
The Kotoba Interactive journal.
Editorial features on the cultures, history and languages of Asia. Filter by culture, by topic, or search for what inspires you.
15 articles
History11 min
The Goryeo Kings: Where the Name Korea Comes From
The word Korea comes not from Joseon but from Goryeo, the dynasty of 918 to 1392: Wang Geon, celadon, the Jikji, and the caravans that carried the name west.
Read
History11 min
Sejong the Great: The Scholar-King Who Invented Hangeul
A portrait of Sejong the Great (1397-1450), 4th king of Joseon: his accession, the scientific golden age of his reign, and the invention of hangeul.
Read
History10 min
The 36 Stratagems: the handbook of Chinese cunning
The 36 Chinese stratagems (三十六计), their origins, their six categories and their famous chengyu. Military ruses turned into an art of negotiation.
Read
History13 min
Gwangju 1980: The Uprising That Awakened Korean Democracy
From May 18 to 27, 1980, the city of Gwangju rose against martial law. The story of the massacre, its cover-up, and its democratic legacy.
Read
History14 min
The Japanese Occupation of Korea (1910-1945)
The 1910 annexation, the March 1st Movement, forced assimilation, forced labor: thirty-five years of Japanese colonial rule that still haunt Korea today.
Read
History9 min
Macau: where Portugal married China
Discover Macau, a former Portuguese trading post turned Special Administrative Region of China. Colonial architecture, Macanese cuisine, casinos and a unique cultural heritage.
Read
History12 min
Yasuke: The African Samurai Who Served Nobunaga
The documented story of Yasuke (弥助), the African man who entered Oda Nobunaga's service in 1581. Sources, debates and the legacy of a legend.
Read
History15 min
Sakoku: How Japan Closed Itself to the World
The history of sakoku, Japan's closure under the Tokugawa. Edicts, Dejima, Christian persecution, Perry's black ships, and the nuance historians now stress.
Read
History6 min
The Silk Road: the history of a network that linked two worlds
History of the Silk Road: opening under the Han, Zhang Qian's mission, the silk trade, the exchange of ideas and religions, decline and legacy.
Read
History6 min
The Great Wall of China: History, Myths and Truths
The history of the Great Wall of China: not a single wall but 2,000 years of fortifications, from Qin Shi Huang to the Ming, its true length and the myth of visibility from space.
Read
History13 min
The 47 Rōnin: history and legend of a revenge
The true story of the 47 rōnin and its legend, the Chūshingura. From the 1701 Akō incident to the seppuku at Sengaku-ji: facts, dates and the myth of samurai Japan.
Read
History6 min
The Forbidden City: the imperial palace at the heart of Beijing
History of Beijing's Forbidden City: its construction under the Ming, its nine thousand rooms, its cosmic symbolism, its emperors and its rebirth as a museum.
Read
