As a big fan of Japanese television, I have watched more than a historic drama or two. It is a rather Japanese style to introduce historic dramas by showing the films of historic places as they look today along with artifacts and scrolls. Think Ken Burns and The Civil War, if you are American. The other day I presented a map of the Isle of Unknown Fire, which today is called Kyushu and it the southern-most of Japan’s four main isles....
The armor was light, which allowed the warrior to move, and heavy enough to withstand arrows.
In historic fiction, places and time spans might not be strictly correct, but most people who write in that genre attempt to have some sense of geography. The home of the Taka clan is a mythical province called Great Bay. As seen today, the area in and around the mythical Taka compound. As a novel of fiction, but based on a historic person and historic setting, this device allows enough artistic license for the Sword of the Taka Samurai to hopefully not become too didactic....
Adulthood began at age 12 to 14.
While writing the Yamabuki series I have been inspired by various folk songs and dances, some of which I have shred with my alpha and beta readers. At their suggestion, I share one now . . . just for fun . . . which is part of Cold Heart. As I research the 12th century in Japan, I see that scholars have only a narrow window on the society and not a lot of things are known about the common people....