Please respond to my questions via email:

6)

5)

4)

3) Kabuki, its historical background and development.
Will wait for your email

Tachibana's finding <-日本人向きかな。でも中身はイギリス人のお話！

Thanks Erik
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2090.html
http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/kabuki.shtml
http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japanesetheater/a/kabukitheater.htm
Of the things that I learned, I originally thought that kabuki play was for the upper class, but was somewhat surprised
to learn that it was made from merchants as a way for them to express their emotions.
I was most interested about the part of the kabuki where there is a momentary pause and fans can shout out the names
of their favorite characters. Maybe I have something to look forward to…..
-Erik

Thanks, Juliana
Here are some web sites I found about kabuki.
http://www.fix.co.jp/kabuki/about/history/overview.html
This is a brief history of Kabuki in Japan.
http://www.bridgewater.edu/~dhuffman/soc306/I99grp8/index1.html
This site briefly covers kabuki as well as bunraku and noh drama.
http://www.theatrehistory.com/asian/kabuki001.html
This site covers the beginnings of Kabuki in more detail, including two songs from early Kabuki preformances.

-Juliana

2) Himeji Castle

Thanks, Erik
This site is from Columbia University. It gives a brief description on the history, design, military function, and cultural significance of the castle.
-Erik Gordon 2.7.05

1) Nara

Thanks, Alycia!

Dear Sensei

While doing research on Nara's history, I found out that there are several ancient burial mounds there, called "kofun". I didn't know that the
construction of burial mounds was ever employed in Japan, much less that some of them were preserved, so I decided to do a bit of research on the
Kofun period of Nara history.

The Kofun period, so called because of the burial mounds built during the time, lasted from roughly 300-538 A.D. During this period Nara was becoming
a political center for Japan, and the tombs are thought to have been constructed in important areas, though their construction was not confined
to Nara alone. The kofun were built in several different shapes, but the most distinct is the "zempo-koen-fun" or key-hole shaped mound because it is
entirely unique to Japan. Only powerful people, namely the Imperial family, were buried in kofun. Here are some websites that contain more detailed
information about kofun:

record of the meetings