Bronze statue of Havana's 1st Japanese envoy unveiled

Bronze statue of Havana's 1st Japanese envoy unveiled

HAVANA, Cuba - A bronze statue of Japan's first official envoy to visit what is now Cuba in 1614, while on his way to Europe on a mission with a Japanese delegation, is unveiled at a park in Havana on April 26. The 1.6-meter statue was erected in memory of Hasekura Tsunenaga (1571-1622), a retainer of Date Masamune, a ''daimyo'' or feudal lord of Sendai in northeastern Japan. Standing in samurai attire (3rd from R) is Norimasa Hasekura, 60, Tsunenaga's descendant.

Bronze statue of Havana's 1st Japanese envoy unveiled

Bronze statue of Havana's 1st Japanese envoy unveiled

HAVANA, Cuba - A bronze statue of Japan's first official envoy to visit what is now Cuba in 1614, while on his way to Europe on a mission with a Japanese delegation, is unveiled at a park in Havana on April 26. The 1.6-meter statue was erected in memory of Hasekura Tsunenaga (1571-1622), a retainer of Date Masamune, a ''daimyo'' or feudal lord of Sendai in northeastern Japan. Standing in samurai attire (3rd from R) is Norimasa Hasekura, 60, Tsunenaga's descendant.

Feudal leader Hideyoshi's letter of 1582 donated to castle museum

Feudal leader Hideyoshi's letter of 1582 donated to castle museum

A letter bearing the handwritten signature in June 1582 of warlord Hashiba Hideyoshi, who later became feudal ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to thank a retainer is shown to the press at the Nagahama Castle Historical Museum in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, on Oct. 29, 2015. A descendant of the retainer, Hirose Hyogonosuke, donated the letter to the museum in September. The letter expressed gratitude to Hirose for helping to evacuate his wife Nene and other Hashiba family members from their residence in Nagahama Castle on the occasion of an attempted coup d'etat at Kyoto's Honno-ji Temple. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A distant view of the city of Kobe

A distant view of the city of Kobe

View of Kobe harbour from Mt. Suwa. Mid-Meiji Period. This is the same as photograph #4485, although the tinting of the buildings is different. The house surrounded by walls on the right of the main street running north-south is the residence of Kodera Yasujiro. The City of Kobe acquired this house in 1941 and named it Sorakuen. Yasujiro was a retainer of the Kuki family in the Sanda feudal domain. His first son, Kenkichi, became the first elected mayor of Kobe City in 1947.==Date:unknown, Place:Kobe, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number96‐46‐0]