Japanese Portraits: Images Across the Ages

Explores the history & culture of Japan by narrating the biography of notable people from different walks of life & different periods in history. Features major figures from Japanese history, ancient to modern: the Prince of Sacred Virtue -- Shotoku Taichi; female authors Murasaki Shikibu & Sei Shonagon; the brother warriors (samurai) Yoritomo & Yoshitsune; Buddhist leader Nichiren; tea ceremony master Sen No Rikyu; Okuni, founder of Kabuki theater; Mitsui Shuho, a bride from a wealthy merchant family; haiku poet Basho; Zen painter Hokusa; Saigo Takemori, the last samurai; feminist Hani Motoko; & Akio Morita, founder of Sony Corp.