cultural heritage
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: Japanese Folktale Overview
**The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter** (*Taketori Monogatari*) is an anonymous Heian-period masterpiece widely regarded as Japan’s earliest surviving prose narrative. Blending courtly romance, Buddhist and celestial imagery, and a poignant supernatural plot, it introduces Princess Kaguya and invites readers to explore how this classical tale shaped Japanese literature and culture.
Kusanagi No Tsurugi: The Sacred Sword of Japan
Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the sacred sword of Japanese tradition, is one of the Three Imperial Regalia and a powerful symbol of imperial legitimacy, divine favor, and the continuity of the throne. Rooted in myths of Susanoo, Yamato Takeru, and Amaterasu, its story blends ritual, politics, and legend, inviting closer examination of how a hidden object can shape national identity.
