Anime, Jizo & Stone Lanterns Series Vol. 3 Samurai X — Japan
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story is one of Japan’s best-known samurai manga series. It was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 1994 to 1999.
The first TV anime adaptation began in 1996. For many people who watched Japanese anime in the 1990s, Rurouni Kenshin is remembered not only for its story, but also for its theme songs and ending sequences.
Among them, one ending sequence almost feels like a promotional video for Japanese stonework.
Stone paths, the atmosphere of temples and shrines, old streets, and quiet Japanese scenery appear throughout the video.
Together with the music, it feels less like a simple anime ending and more like a short visual introduction to Japanese culture.
The appeal of Rurouni Kenshin is not limited to sword-fighting action.
The story takes place just after the age of the samurai came to an end. The Edo period ended and the Meiji Restoration began in 1868. In 1876, the Haitorei Edict prohibited former samurai from wearing swords in public. Then, in 1877, the Satsuma Rebellion marked a major turning point for Japan’s former warrior class.
The main story of Rurouni Kenshin is set in Meiji 11, or 1878.
In other words, this was not a world where the samurai were already part of a distant past. It was a time when people who had lived by the sword were still trying to find their place in a new era. Himura Kenshin is a fictional character, but the story also includes historical figures such as Okubo Toshimichi, Saito Hajime, Kido Takayoshi, Takasugi Shinsaku, and Okita Soji.
That is why Rurouni Kenshin appeals not only to anime and manga fans, but also to people who enjoy Japanese history.
Although the main characters are fictional swordsmen, the world around them is rooted in the real transition from the late Edo period to the Meiji era. It was a time when old values were ending and a new nation was being built. That atmosphere naturally appears through images of stone paths, temples and shrines, old townscapes, swords, and traditional clothing.
Rurouni Kenshin is also well known outside Japan.
In some overseas markets, it was introduced under the title Samurai X. This title was easy for international audiences to understand. Even for viewers who did not know much about Japanese history or culture, the word “samurai” immediately suggested Japan, swords, and the atmosphere of the Meiji era.
The original TV anime aired in Japan from 1996 to 1998 and was later broadcast and distributed overseas. During the 1990s and 2000s, as Japanese anime became more popular around the world, Rurouni Kenshin became one of the works that introduced international viewers to Japan’s history, swordsmen, and Meiji-era scenery.
And the series is not only a nostalgic classic. A new TV anime adaptation began in 2023, followed by the Kyoto Disturbance arc in 2024. A third season has also been announced, showing that Rurouni Kenshin is still being introduced to a new generation of viewers.
This is important.
Rurouni Kenshin is not just an old anime from the 1990s. It is a Japanese cultural work that reached audiences overseas and continues to be retold today. The stone paths, temples and shrines, old streets, and quiet Japanese atmosphere shown in its visuals naturally connect with the beauty of Japanese stone culture and traditional stonework.
When you see a stone lantern or a Jizo statue in an anime, it can be interesting to look beyond the background scenery and imagine the stone carvers who may have created such objects.
Swords and samurai are not the only parts of Japanese culture.
Stone lanterns placed in temple and shrine grounds, Jizo statues quietly standing by the roadside, and stone paths supporting old townscapes have also shaped the landscape of Japan over many generations.
While watching the visuals of Rurouni Kenshin, it may be worth looking not only at the characters in the story, but also at the hands of the craftsmen who supported the atmosphere of that age.
Anime, Jizo & Stone Lanterns Series Vol. 1: Kasa Jizo and the Kindness Behind Jizo Statues — Japan
Anime, Jizo & Stone Lanterns Series Vol. 2: Ikkyu-san and Temple Scenery — Japan
Written on June 8, 2026 (JST)