1.
Akita Station
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Akita Station is a railway station in Akita, Akita, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company. Akita Station is served by the following lines, the station has a Midori no Madoguchi staffed ticket office and a View Plaza travel agency. Akita Station opened on 21 October 1902, the station was absorbed into the JR East network upon the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987. A new station building was completed in 1997, in fiscal 2012, the station was used by an average of 11,143 passengers daily. The passenger figures for years are as shown below
2.
Japanese folklore
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Japanese folklore encompasses the folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people. In Japanese, the term minkan denshō is used to describe folklore, folklorists also employ the term minzoku shiryō or folklore material to refer to objects and arts they study. Men dressed as namahage, wearing masks and traditional straw capes make rounds of homes. These ogre-men masquerade as kami looking to instill fear in the children who are lazily idling around the fire and this is a particularly colorful example of folk practice still kept alive. A parallel custom is the secretive Akamata-Kuromata ritual of the Yaeyama Islands, many, though increasingly fewer households maintain a kamidana or a small Shinto altar shelf. The Shinto version of the god is the Kamado kami, and the syncretic Buddhist version is the Kōjin. Japanese popular cults or kō are sometimes devoted to particular deities and buddhas, but many cults centered around paying respects to sacred sites such as the Ise Shrine or Mount Fuji. Pilgrimage to these meccas declined after the Edo Period, but recently, the Shikoku Pilgrimage of the eighty-eight temple sites has become fashionable. Popular media and cottage industries now extoll a number of shrines, there is a long list of practices performed to ward evil or expel evil, e. g. sounding the drums. In some areas it is common to place a small mound of salt outside the house, a stock routine in period or even contemporary drama involves a master of the house telling his wife to scatter salt after an undesirable visitor has just left. Contrarily, lighting sparks with flint just as a someone is leaving the house was considered lucky. No one now engages in the silent vigil required by the Kōshin cult, there are certain vestiges of geomancy introduced into Japan from China through Onmyōdō. There is also a Japanese version of Feng Shui known as kasō or literally house physiognomy, closely connected is the Yin-yang path or Onmyōdō, and its concepts such as katatagae also known as kataimi, which was widely practiced by nobles in the Heian Era. A widely known taboo advises against sleeping with your head faced north, as in most developed nations, it is increasingly difficult to find living storytellers of oral tradition. But there is a wealth of folktales collected through the ages, the name mukashi-banashi has been applied to the common folktale, since they typically open with the formula Mukashi. They also close with some set phrase like dotto harai and these tales had been told in their local dialects, which may be difficult to understand to outsiders, both because of intonation and pronunciation differences, conjugations, and vocabulary. Many folktales collected from the field are actually translations into standard Japanese, the versions retold by childrens story author Sazanami Iwaya had a strong hand in establishing the forms usually known today. Two creatures are known for their abilities to transform into humans or other beings and objects
3.
Mino (straw cape)
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A mino is a traditional Japanese garment, a raincoat made out of straw. Traditional mino are an article of outerwear covering the entire body, similar straw capes were also used in China, Vietnam and Korea. Rice straw has water repellent properties, raindrops striking a mat of straw will tend to flow along the fibers of the mat, rather than penetrate underneath it. For this reason, early Japanese rain gear was made of straw, which has the added benefits of being cheap to acquire, easy to weave and fasten. It is, however, bulky in size, and highly flammable, in earlier eras, straw clothing had an additional advantage, it afforded a significant degree of camouflage in certain terrain, including forests and wetlands, similar to modern Ghillie suits. As synthetic fibers and later plastics were introduced to Japan, mino lost much of their practicality, straw hat Conical Asian hat Grass skirt Thatching Media related to Mino at Wikimedia Commons
4.
Akita Prefecture
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Akita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita, the area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu. Akita was a region of hunter-gatherers and principally nomadic tribes, the first historical record of what is now Akita Prefecture dates to 658, when the Abe no Hirafu conquered the native Ezo tribes at what are now the cities of Akita and Noshiro. Hirafu, then governor of Koshi Province, established a fort on the Mogami River, in 733, a new military settlement—later renamed Akita Castle—was built in modern-day Akita city at Takashimizu, and more permanent roads and structures were developed. The region was used as a base of operations for the Japanese empire as it drove the native Ezo people from northern Honshū. During the Tokugawa shogunate it was appropriated to the Satake clan, throughout this period, it was classified as part of Dewa Province. In 1871, during the Meiji Restoration, Dewa Province was reshaped, the famous Heian period waka poet, Ono no Komachi, is said to have been born in Yuzawa City, Ogachi Town, located in the southeast of the prefecture. Akita Prefecture is rectangular in shape, roughly 181 km from north to south and 111 km from west to east, the Ōu Mountains mark the eastern border of the prefecture, and the higher Dewa Mountains run parallel through the center of the prefecture. Like much of northern Japan, the prefecture has cold winters, the Oga Peninsula is a prominent feature of the coastline. This has led many people to migrate to Tokyo and other large cities. Akita Prefecture is where declines in population are most severe in Japan and it also has the lowest number of children as a percentage of the population, at 11. 2%. As of 2010, it has a population of just over 1 million people, Akita is famous for rice farming and its sake breweries. It is well known for having the highest consumption of sake in Japan, the women of the region, referred to as Akita bijin, have also gained widespread renown for their white skin, rounded faces and high voices, all of which are considered highly desirable. Ono no Komachi is an example of an Akita bijin. Kiritanpo Nabe Gakko Rice – Akita komachi Sake Near Lake Tazawa and these are popular with tourists from all over Japan. In addition, its numerous seasonal festivals offer a glimpse of rural or traditional Japan, some famous examples are the Akita Kantō, the Omagari Fireworks, Namahage Festival, and the Yokote Kamakura Festivals. Kakunodate is a charming old town, known as the little Kyoto. The Aoyagi house is the residence of Odano Naotake, the man who illustrated Japans first modern guide to the human anatomy
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Honshu
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Honshu is the largest and most populous island of Japan, located south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Straits. The island separates the Sea of Japan, which lies to its north and west, from the North Pacific Ocean to its south and it is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian island of Java. Honshu had a population of 103 million as of 2005, mostly concentrated in the coastal lowlands, as the historical center of Japanese culture and political power, the island includes several past Japanese capitals, including Kyoto, Nara, and Kamakura. Much of the southern shore forms part of the Taiheiyō Belt. The island is linked to the three major Japanese islands by a number of bridges and tunnels. Its climate is humid and mild, the island is roughly 1,300 km long and ranges from 50 to 230 km wide, and its total area is 225,800 km2, 60% of the total area of Japan, making it slightly larger than Great Britain. Its land area has been increasing with land reclamation and coastal uplift in the north, Honshu has 5,450 kilometres of coastline. Mountainous and volcanic, Honshu experiences frequent earthquakes, the highest peak is the active volcano Mount Fuji at 3,776 m, which makes Honshu the worlds 7th highest island. There are many rivers, including the Shinano River, Japans longest, the northernmost point on Honshu is the tip of the Shimokita Peninsula in Ōma, Aomori, Cape Kure lies at the southern extreme in Kushimoto, Wakayama. The islands eastern extremity is Todogasaki in Miyako, Iwate, and its western one is Bishanohana in Shimonoseki, Honshu spans more than eight degrees of latitude and 11 degrees of longitude. Honshu is connected to the islands of Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku by tunnels or bridges, the island is divided into five nominal regions and contains 34 prefectures, including metropolitan Tokyo. Administratively, some islands are included within these prefectures, notably including the Ogasawara Islands, Sado Island, Izu Ōshima. Fruits, vegetables, grains, rice and cotton are grown in Honshu, niigata is noted as an important producer of rice. The Kantō and Nōbi plains produce rice and vegetables, yamanashi is a major fruit-growing area, and Aomori is famous for its apples. Rare species of the lichen genus Menegazzia are found only in Honshu, yields of zinc, copper, and oil have been found on Honshu
6.
Japanese New Year
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The Japanese New Year is an annual festival with its own customs. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, New Years Day. However, the celebration of the traditional Japanese New Year is still marked on the day as the contemporary Chinese, Korean. Prior to the Meiji period, the date of the Japanese New Year was based on the Chinese lunar calendar, as are the contemporary Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese New Years. However, in 1873, five years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar, Japanese people eat a selection of dishes during the New Year celebration called osechi-ryōri, typically shortened to osechi. There are many variations of osechi, and some foods eaten in one region are not eaten in other places on New Years Day, another popular dish is ozōni, a soup with mochi rice cake and other ingredients that differ based on various regions of Japan. Today, sashimi and sushi are often eaten, as well as non-Japanese foods, to let the overworked stomach rest, seven-herb rice soup is prepared on the seventh day of January, a day known as jinjitsu. Another custom is to create and eat rice cakes, boiled sticky rice is put into a wooden bucket-like container usu and patted with water by one person while another person hits it with a large wooden mallet. Mashing the rice, it forms a sticky white dumpling and this is made before New Years Day and eaten during the beginning of January. Mochi is made into a New Years decoration called kagami mochi, the name daidai is supposed to be auspicious since it means several generations. A major attraction is The Watched Night bell, in Tokyo, Japanese believe that the ringing of bells can rid their sins during the previous year. The bell is rung 107 times on 31st and once past midnight and it is also very common to eat buckwheat noodles called toshikoshi soba on the New Years Eve. The end of December and the beginning of January are the busiest times for the Japanese post offices, the Japanese have a custom of sending New Years Day postcards to their friends and relatives, similar to the Western custom of sending Christmas cards. Their original purpose was to give your faraway friends and relatives tidings of yourself, in other words, this custom existed for people to tell others whom they did not often meet that they were alive and well. Japanese people send these postcards so that they arrive on 1 January, the post office guarantees to deliver the greeting postcards on 1 January if they are posted within a time limit, from mid-December to near the end of the month and are marked with the word nengajō. To deliver these cards on time, the post office usually hires students part-time to help deliver the letters and it is customary not to send these postcards when one has had a death in the family during the year. In this case, a member sends a simple postcard called mochū hagaki to inform friends and relatives they should not send New Years cards. People get their nengajō from many sources, most of these have the Chinese zodiac sign of the New Year as their design, or conventional greetings, or both
7.
Chinese New Year
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Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival in modern Mainland China, is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. Celebrations traditionally run from the preceding the first day, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first calendar month. The first day of the New Year falls on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February, in 2017, the first day of the Chinese New Year was on Saturday,28 January, initiating the year of the Rooster. The New Year festival is centuries old and gains significance because of several myths, traditionally, the festival was a time to honor deities as well as ancestors. Chinese New Year is considered a holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese New Year vary widely, often, the evening preceding Chinese New Years Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to clean the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune. Windows and doors are decorated with red color paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of fortune or happiness, wealth. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes, in about one third of the Mainland population, or 500 million Northerners, dumplings feature prominently in the meals celebrating the festival. It is one of the worlds most prominent and celebrated festivals, the lunisolar Chinese calendar determines the date of Chinese New Year. In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese Lunar New Year begins at the new moon that falls between 21 January and 20 February, the median date of Chinese New Years Day is lichun on 4 or 5 February, the solar term next to Dahan. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, to determine whether a year has an intercalary month, one only needs to check whether Chinese New Year is within the month of January. The Gregorian Calendar dates for Chinese New Year from 1912 to 2101 are below, along with the years presiding animal zodiac, the traditional Chinese calendar follows a Metonic cycle, and returns to the same date in Gregorian calendar roughly. The names of the Earthly Branches have no English counterparts and are not the Chinese translations of the animals, alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a 10-year cycle of heavenly stems. Each of the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of Chinese astrology, namely, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, the elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are distinguished, Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire. These produce a cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occurred in 1936, many people inaccurately calculate their Chinese birth-year by converting it from their Gregorian birth-year
8.
Japanese language
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Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 125 million speakers, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic language family, whose relation to language groups, particularly to Korean. Little is known of the prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century recorded a few Japanese words, during the Heian period, Chinese had considerable influence on the vocabulary and phonology of Old Japanese. Late Middle Japanese saw changes in features that brought it closer to the modern language, the standard dialect moved from the Kansai region to the Edo region in the Early Modern Japanese period. Following the end in 1853 of Japans self-imposed isolation, the flow of loanwords from European languages increased significantly, English loanwords in particular have become frequent, and Japanese words from English roots have proliferated. Japanese is an agglutinative, mora-timed language with simple phonotactics, a vowel system, phonemic vowel and consonant length. Word order is normally subject–object–verb with particles marking the grammatical function of words, sentence-final particles are used to add emotional or emphatic impact, or make questions. Nouns have no number or gender, and there are no articles. Verbs are conjugated, primarily for tense and voice, but not person, Japanese equivalents of adjectives are also conjugated. Japanese has a system of honorifics with verb forms and vocabulary to indicate the relative status of the speaker, the listener. Japanese has no relationship with Chinese, but it makes extensive use of Chinese characters, or kanji, in its writing system. Along with kanji, the Japanese writing system uses two syllabic scripts, hiragana and katakana. Latin script is used in a fashion, such as for imported acronyms. Very little is known about the Japanese of this period, Old Japanese is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language. Through the spread of Buddhism, the Chinese writing system was imported to Japan, the earliest texts found in Japan are written in Classical Chinese, but they may have been meant to be read as Japanese by the kanbun method. Some of these Chinese texts show the influences of Japanese grammar, in these hybrid texts, Chinese characters are also occasionally used phonetically to represent Japanese particles. The earliest text, the Kojiki, dates to the early 8th century, the end of Old Japanese coincides with the end of the Nara period in 794
9.
Irori
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An irori is a traditional Japanese sunken hearth
10.
Oni
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Oni are a kind of yōkai from Japanese folklore, variously translated as demons, devils, ogres, or trolls. They are popular characters in Japanese art, literature, and theatre, depictions of oni vary widely but usually portray them as hideous, gigantic ogre-like creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part, but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd numbers of eyes or extra fingers and their skin may be any number of colors, but red and blue are particularly common. They are often depicted wearing tiger-skin loincloths and carrying iron clubs called kanabō and this image leads to the expression oni with an iron club, that is, to be invincible or undefeatable. It can also be used in the sense of strong beyond strong, in addition to this, it can mean to go overboard, or be unnecessarily strong or powerful. These nebulous beings could also take on a variety of forms to deceive humans, thus the Chinese character 鬼 meaning ghost came to be used for these formless creatures. They share many similarities with the Arabian Jinn. Another source for the image is a concept from China. The north direction was once termed the kimon, and was considered an unlucky direction through which evil spirits passed, temples are often built facing that direction, and Japanese buildings sometimes have L-shaped indentions at the northeast to ward oni away. Enryakuji, on Mount Hiei northeast of the center of Kyoto, the Japanese capital itself moved northeast from Nagaoka to Kyoto in the 8th century. Some villages hold yearly ceremonies to drive away oni, particularly at the beginning of Spring, during the Setsubun festival, people throw soybeans outside their homes and shout Oni wa soto. Monkey statues are thought to guard against oni, since the Japanese word for monkey. Folklore has it that holly can be used to guard against Oni, in Japanese versions of the game tag, the player who is it is instead called the oni. In more recent times, oni have lost some of their original wickedness, men in oni costumes often lead Japanese parades to ward off any bad luck, for example. Japanese buildings sometimes include oni-faced roof tiles called onigawara, which are thought to ward away bad luck, Oni are prominently featured in the Japanese childrens story Momotaro, and the book The Funny Little Woman. Many Japanese idioms and proverbs also make reference to oni, variants of this expression include oya ni ninu ko wa onigo and oya ni ninu ko wa onikko. There is also a well known game in Japan called kakure oni, which means hidden oni, or more commonly kakurenbo, hiroshi Aramatas award-winning, bestselling historical fantasy novel Teito Monogatari revolves around the exploits of an oni who is a lieutenant in the Japanese Imperial Army. Dr. Noriko Tsunoda Reider, professor of Japanese Language and Literature at Ohio State University, credits the novel with raising the onis status and popularity greatly in modern times
11.
Kami
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Kami are the spirits or phenomena that are worshiped in the religion of Shinto. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, as well as beings and the qualities that these beings express, and include the spirits of venerated dead persons. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans, traditionally, great or sensational leaders like the Emperor could be kami. In Shinto, kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, good and they are manifestations of musubi, the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards. Kami are believed to be “hidden” from this world, and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own, to be in harmony with the awe-inspiring aspects of nature is to be conscious of kannagara no michi. Though the word kami is translated in multiple ways into English, in this way, the ambiguity of the meaning of kami is necessary, as it conveys the ambiguous nature of kami themselves. Kami is the Japanese word for a god, deity, divinity and it has been used to describe mind, God, supreme being, one of the Shinto deities, an effigy, a principle, and anything that is worshipped. Although deity is the interpretation of kami, some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term. The wide variety of usage of the word can be compared to the Sanskrit Deva and the Hebrew Elohim, some etymological suggestions are, Kami may, at its root, simply mean spirit, or an aspect of spirituality. It is written with the kanji 神, Sino-Japanese reading shin or jin, in Chinese, the character means deity. In the Ainu language, the word refers to an animistic concept very similar to Japanese kami. In his Kojiki-den, Motoori Norinaga gave a definition of kami. any being whatsoever which possesses some eminent quality out of the ordinary, because Japanese does not normally distinguish grammatical number in nouns, it is sometimes unclear whether kami refers to a single or multiple entities. When a singular concept is needed, -kami or -kamisama is used as a suffix. The logograms for kami-sama are those used for shén yàng in Pŭtōnghuà, kami-sama can be used for a divinity, or for a human, such as Tezuka Osamu. The term generally used to refer to multiple kami is kamigami, gender is also not implied in the word kami, and as such it can be used to reference either male or female. The word megami, the use of female kami is a new tradition. The Kojiki also includes descriptions of various kami, in the ancient Shinto traditions there were 5 defining characteristics of kami. They can nurture and love when respected, or they can cause destruction, Kami must be appeased in order to gain their favor and avoid their wrath
12.
Mochi
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Mochi is Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain japonica glutinous rice. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape, in Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold. Mochi is a multicomponent food consisting of polysaccharides, lipids, protein, Mochi has a heterogeneous structure of amylopectin gel, starch grains, and air bubbles. This rice is characterized by its lack of amylose in the starch and is derived from short or medium japonica rices, the protein concentration of the rice is a bit higher than normal short-grain rice and the two also differ in amylose content. In mochi rice, the content is negligible, which results in the soft gel consistency. The exact origin of Mochi has yet to be confirmed, the first mochitsuki ceremony occurred after the Kami are said to have descended to Earth, which was following the birth of rice cultivation in Yamato during the Yayoi period. Red rice was the variation used in the production of mochi. At this time, mochi was eaten exclusively by the Emperor, during the Japanese Heian period, mochi was used as a ‘Food for the Gods’ and religious offerings in Shinto rituals performed by aristocrats. In addition to good fortune, mochi was also known as a talisman for happy marriages, the first recorded accounts of mochi being used as a part of the New Year’s festivities was from the Japanese Heian period. The nobles of the Imperial Court believed that long strands of freshly made mochi symbolized a long life and good well-being, while dried mochi acted to make one’s teeth tough and more durable. Accounts of mochi have also read in the oldest Japanese novel, “The Tale of Genji. ”Mochi continues to be one of the traditional foods eaten around Japanese New Year, as it is sold. A special type of mochi, called kagami mochi is placed on family altars on December 28 each year, Kagami mochi is composed of two spheres of mochi stacked on top of one another, topped with an orange. Kagami mochi is a New Year decoration, which is broken and eaten in a ritual called Kagami biraki. Zōni is a soup containing rice cakes, zoni is also eaten on New Years Day. In addition to mochi, zoni contains vegetables like taro, carrot, honeywort and red, kinako mochi is a mochi dish that is traditionally made on New Years Day for luck. This style of preparation includes roasting the mochi over a fire or stove, then dipping it into water, finally coating with sugar. The cherry blossom, is a symbol of Japan and signifies the onset of full-fledged Spring, sakuramochi is a pink-coloured mochi surrounding sweet anko and wrapped in an edible salted cherry leaf that is usually made during the Spring season
13.
Sake
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Sake, also spelled saké in English, is a Japanese rice wine made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. The brewing process for sake differs from the process for beer in that, for beer, like other rice wines, when sake is brewed, these conversions occur simultaneously. Furthermore, the alcohol content differs between sake, wine, and beer, Wine generally contains 9%–16% ABV, while most beer contains 3%–9%, and undiluted sake contains 18%–20%. In the Japanese language, the word sake can refer to any alcoholic drink, under Japanese liquor laws, sake is labelled with the word seishu, a synonym less commonly used in conversation. The origin of sake is unclear, the making of Chinese alcoholic beverages predates recorded history. The earliest reference to the use of alcohol in Japan is recorded in the Book of Wei in the Records of the Three Kingdoms and this 3rd-century Chinese text speaks of the Japanese drinking and dancing. Alcoholic beverages are mentioned several times in the Kojiki, Japans first written history, bamforth places the probable origin of true sake (which is made from rice, water, and kōji mold in the Nara period. In the Heian period, sake was used for ceremonies, court festivals. Sake production was a government monopoly for a time, but in the 10th century, temples and shrines began to brew sake. The Tamon-in Diary, written by abbots of Tamon-in from 1478 to 1618, the diary shows that pasteurization and the process of adding ingredients to the main fermentation mash in three stages were established practices by that time. In the 16th century, the technique of distillation was introduced into the Kyushu district from Ryukyu, the brewing of shōchū, called Imo—sake started, and was sold at the central market in Kyoto. The work of writers was widely disseminated throughout Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. During the Meiji Restoration, laws were written that allowed anybody with the money and know-how to construct, around 30,000 breweries sprang up around the country within a year. However, as the years went by, the government levied more and more taxes on the sake industry, most of the breweries that grew and survived this period were set up by wealthy landowners. Landowners who grew rice crops would have left over at the end of the season and, rather than letting these leftovers go to waste. The most successful of these family breweries still operate today, during the 20th century, sake-brewing technology grew by leaps and bounds. The government opened the sake-brewing research institute in 1904, and in 1907 the very first government-run sake-tasting competition was held, yeast strains specifically selected for their brewing properties were isolated and enamel-coated steel tanks arrived. The government started hailing the use of tanks as easy to clean, lasting forever
14.
Emperor Wu of Han
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Emperor Wu of Han, born Liu Che, courtesy name Tong, was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of China, ruling from 141–87 BC. His reign lasted 54 years — a record not broken until the reign of the Kangxi Emperor more than 1,800 years later. His reign resulted in vast territorial expansion, development of a strong and centralized state resulting from his governmental re-organization and it was also during his reign that cultural contact with western Eurasia was greatly increased, directly or indirectly. Many new crops and other items were introduced to China during his reign, Emperor Wu successfully repelled the nomadic Xiongnu from systematically raiding northern China, and dispatched his envoy Zhang Qian in 139 BC to seek an alliance with the Yuezhi of Kangju. This resulted in further missions to Central Asia, michael Loewe called the reign of Emperor Wu the high point of Modernist policies, looking back to adapt ideas from the pre-Han period. His policies and most trusted advisers were Legalist, favoring adherents of Shang Yang and these reforms had an enduring effect throughout the existence of imperial China and an enormous influence on neighboring civilizations. Emperor Wu was also known for his employment of shaman advisers, the personal name of Emperor Wu was Liu Che. The use of Han in referring to emperor Wu is a reference to the Han dynasty of which he was a part. His family name is Liu, the family or clan of the Han dynasty shared the family name of Liu, the family name of Liu Bang. The character Di is a title, this is the Chinese word which in imperial history of China means emperor, the character Wu literally means martial or warlike, but is also related to the concept of a particular divinity in the historical Chinese religious pantheon existing at that time. Combined, Wu plus di makes the name Wudi, the posthumous name used for historical and for religious purposes. One of Han Wudis innovations was the practice of changing names every so many years. Thus, the practice for dating years during the reign of Wudi came to be the nth year of the, when they got close to Han borders, She assassinated the general and claimed to Emperor Wu that he had defeated Joseon in battle. Emperor Wu, unaware of his deception, made him the commander of the Commandery of Liaodong. King Ugeo, offended, made a raid on Liaodong and killed She, in response, Emperor Wu commissioned a two-pronged attack against Joseon. Initially, Joseon offered to become a vassal, but peace negotiations broke down by the Chinese forces refusal to let a Joseon force escort its crown prince to Changan to pay tribute to Emperor Wu, Han took over the Joseon lands in 108 BC and established four commanderies. Also in 109 BC, Emperor Wu sent a force against the Kingdom of Dian. When the King of Dian surrendered, it was incorporated into Han territory with the King of Dian being permitted to keep his traditional authority, Emperor Wu established five commanderies over Dian and the other nearby kingdoms
15.
Oga, Akita
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Oga is a city located in northern Akita Prefecture, in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. As of May 2015, the city has an population of 29,318. The total area was 240.80 square kilometres, much of the city is within the boundaries of the Oga Quasi-National Park. Oga is located on the Oga Peninsula in northwestern Akita Prefecture, bordered by the Sea of Japan to the north, west, the modern city of Oga was created on March 31,1954 by the merger of the town of Funagawaminato with four neighboring villages. On March 22,2005, the town of Wakami was merged into Oga, the economy of Oga is based on commercial fishing and agriculture. Oga has seven schools, four middle schools and two high schools. Livingston, California, USA since August 18,1984 Oga City official website
16.
Akita, Akita
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Akita is the capital city of Akita Prefecture, Japan, and has been designated a core city since 1 April 1997. The city, which covers an area of 906.09 square kilometres, had a population in October 2016 of 314,662. The area of present-day Akita was part of ancient Dewa Province, the Jizōden ruins within the city limits are a major archaeological site with artifacts from the Japanese Paleolithic period through the Jomon and Yayoi periods. During the Nara period, the Yamato court established Akita Castle in 733 AD to bring the local Emishi tribes under its control. The area was ruled by a succession of local clans in the Sengoku period. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, a town developed around Kubota Castle. With the start of the Meiji period, Kubota Domain was abolished, Akita Prefecture was established in 1871, and Shima Yoshitake was named the first governor. Ancient Akita District was divided into Kitaakita and Minamiakita Districts in 1878, most of Akita town burned down in a great fire on 30 April 1886. With the establishment of the municipality system on 1 April 1889, the port area was separated into Tsuchizakiko Town, which became part of Minamiakita District. The first city hall was located inside the former Minamiakita District office, in September 1898, the Imperial Japanese Army’s IJA 17th Infantry Regiment was based in Akita. The first public library was opened in 1898, electrification of the city began in 1901, the Taisho period brought further development to Akita with Nippon Oil Corporation developing the nearby Kurokawa Oil Fields in 1914, and a branch of the Bank of Japan opening in Akita in 1917. In 1935, Nippon Kogyo began development of the nearby Yatsuhashi Oil Fields, Akita Bank was established in 1941. War devastated the city on 14 August 1945, during the Tsuchizaki air raid, over 250 people were killed when 134 USAAF B-29 Superfortress, attacked the city from midnight to the early dawn. A Nippon Oil oil refinery in the Tsuchizaki area was targeted, during the post-war period, the 16th National Sports Festival of Japan was held in Akita in 1961. During the tsunami following the 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake, three Akita residents were killed, on 1 April 1997, Akita was designated as a core city with increased autonomy. The Akita Shinkansen began operations the same year, in August 2001, the World Games were held in Akita, with the opening ceremony held in the Yabase Track and Field Stadium. In 2004, the city celebrated its 400th anniversary and its beginnings as Kubota Castle town, on 11 January 2005, the towns of Kawabe and Yūwa were merged into Akita. Kawabe District was dissolved as a result of this merger, the location of Akita City Hall did not change, and former Kawabe and Yūwa Town Halls are used as civic centers
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Noshiro, Akita
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Noshiro is a city located in northern Akita Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2016, the city had an population of 54,576. The total area was 526.95 square kilometres, Noshiro is located in the flat coastal plains northwestern Akita Prefecture, bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west. The Yoneshiro River flows through the city and empties into the Sea of Japan near Noshiro Port, the highest point is Mount Yakeyama at 963. Trade vessels from Balhae were calling at Noshiro Port as late as 771 AD, the area of present-day Noshiro was part of ancient Dewa Province, dominated by the Satake clan during the Edo period, who ruled Kubota Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The modern city of Noshiro was created on October 1,1940, by the merger of the town of Noshirominato, on March 21,2006, the town of Futatsui was merged into Noshiro. The economy of Noshiro is based on agriculture and commercial fishing, Noshiro has 12 elementary schools, seven middle schools and four high schools, and well as one special education school. Onagori Festival in Noshiro Kanto matsuri, Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, Samba Carnival and more
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Yamagata Prefecture
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Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on Honshu island. The aboriginal Ezo people once inhabited the area now known as Yamagata, Yamagata and Akita Prefecture were known as Dewa Province until the Meiji Restoration. During the Heian Period, the Fujiwara family ruled the area, Yamagata City flourished during the Edo Period due to its status as a castle town and post station, famous for beni. In 1689, the haiku poet, Matsuo Bashō visited Yamagata during his five-month trip to the northern regions of Japan. Yamagata Prefecture is located in the southwest corner of Tōhoku, facing the Sea of Japan and it borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture on the south, Miyagi Prefecture on the east, and Akita Prefecture on the north. All of these boundaries are marked by mountains, with most of the population residing in a central plain. Both spring and autumn are short, the often cold, the latter often warm. Yamagata Prefecture, along with parts of Miyagi and Iwate are the transition areas from humid subtropical climate to humid continental within the Japan mainland. Winter temperatures rarely fall below -10 °C in populated areas, they rise above 30 °C in July. Precipitation falls all year round and the remnants of one or perhaps two typhoons usually pass through between August and October, the winters see heavy snowfall especially at higher elevations, though the Japan Sea coast is milder and has more rain. Snowfall for Shinjō is typical of populated areas, snowfall for Yamagata City typical of the valleys. The central mountains around Gassan may see as much as 3000 cm of snow in a season with depths up to 8 metres at higher elevations, Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of such as grapes, apples, peaches. As of October 2012, Yamagata Prefecture had a population of 1,152,000, the prefecture also has one of the oldest populations in Japan. As of 2004,12. 8% of the population was aged between 65 and 74, and 12. 1% was over 75, over 40% of households in Yamagata contain one or more relatives aged 65 or over. Yamagata Prefecture has a number of festivals and events. Yamagata City is the home of the bi-annual Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in October, in February, a snow lantern festival is held in Yonezawa at the Uesugi Shrine. Hundreds of candle-lit lanterns light pathways dug into the snow around the shrine, Yonezawa is also the site of the Uesugi Festival in mid-spring
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Namahage
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In the pronunciation and accent of the local dialect. The practice has shifted over the years, the namahage visits nowadays take place on New Years Eve. But it used to be practiced on the so-called Little New Year and this is the 15th day of the first lunar calendrical year, which is not the same thing as January 15, it usually falls around mid-February, exactly two weeks after the Chinese New Year. The namahages purpose was to admonish laggards who sit around the fire idly doing nothing useful, one of the refrains used by the namahage in the olden days was Blisters peeled yet. Namomi signifies heat blisters, or more precisely hidako, a condition caused by overexposure to fire. Thus Fire rash peeling is generally believed to be the derivation of the name namahage, some of the namahages other spoken lines of old were Knife whetted yet. And Boiled adzuki beans done yet, the knife apparently signified the instrument to peel the blisters, and it was customary to have azuki gruel on the Little New Year. Although the namahage are nowadays conceived of as a type of oni or ogre, thus it is a kind of toshigami. The namahage would typically receive mochi from the households they visited, the legend of the Namahage varies according to an area. These oni, as they are most commonly called in Japan, stole crops, but if they failed the task they would have to leave. Just as the ogres were about to complete the work, a villager mimicked the cry of a rooster, an obvious purpose of the festival is to encourage young children to obey their parents and to behave, important qualities in Japans heavily structured society. Parents know who the Namahage actors are each year and might request them to teach lessons to their children during their visit. The Namahage repeat the lessons to the children leaving the house. Similar traditions in other regions are called, Yamahage in the former Yūwa, Akita, suneka, Anmo, Nagomi or Nagomihakuri in northern Iwate prefecture. He was killed by the Father of Ultra via Father Shot, in the 2006 video game Okami, Namahage appear as a sort of demon that plague the northern lands of Kamui. Unlike their real life incarnations, they appear to be considered the embodiments of loneliness in snowy lands, chōjin Neiger, a local hero in Akita Prefecture, was designed after the namahage. The Yo-Kai Watch video games feature a Namahage for the player to acquire, in 2014, the Japanese heavy metal band Ningen Isu released a video clip of a song named Namahage via Tokuma Japan Communications. List of Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties Setsubun or mamemaki, practice of casting roasted soy beans to ward ogres or ghouls, tsuina, a more ancient form of ghoul-warding passed down from China
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Ishikawa Prefecture
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Ishikawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. Ishikawa was formed in 1872 from the merger of Kaga Province, Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast. The prefecture also has some islands, including Notojima, Mitsukejima, Hegurajima, Ishikawa Prefecture has an area of 4,185 km² and as of April 1,2011 it has a population of 1,166,643 persons. The tea ceremony was introduced in 1666 when Maeda Toshitsune invited Senbiki Soshitsu of Urasenke to Kanazawa, kutani ware is a bright colored glaze like Chinese porcelain. Ohi teaware is a pottery with a unique to Kanazawa. Nyotaimori or naked sushi is said to have originated in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kaga silk is made with complicated silk print technique with an intentional rough look. Kanazawa lacquerware is high quality lacquerware traditionally decorated with gold dust, Kanazawa gold leaf is produced with a technique of beating gold into wafer-thin sheets. Kaga mizuhiki is ribbon-like decoration made from glued Japanese paper, Kaga inlay crafts are made with a combination of thin flat and thread metal inlays. Gojinjo Daiko is a Japanese drum, a Wajima city cultural heritage as well as an Ishikawa Prefecture intangible cultural heritage, abare Festival is reputed the most fierce festivals of Noto, Ishikawa. The most popular destination in Ishikawa is Kanazawa, tourists can get to Ishikawa by plane via either the Komatsu or Noto airports. Hideki Matsui, a current player for the New York Yankees, was born and raised in Neagari Town and he gained fame as a baseball player while attending high school in Kanazawa. Daisuke Nakata, a trampolinist who has competed in the Olympics in the past, is from Ishikawa, Ishikawa hosts a number of well-known universities. Hokuriku University—a small liberal arts university with a School of Pharmacy and a School of Future Learning that gives instruction in Business, Economics, tanimoto is currently one of two governors who are in their sixth term nationwide, the other being Masaru Hashimoto of Ibaraki. As of February 26,2014, the LDP prefectural assembly caucus has 25 members, in the National Diet, Ishikawa is represented by three directly elected members of the House of Representatives and two of the House of Councillors. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128 Ishikawa travel guide from Wikivoyage Official website Cultural assets of Ishikawa
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Fukui Prefecture
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Fukui Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui, Fukui originally consisted of the old provinces of Wakasa and Echizen, before the prefecture was formed in 1871. During the Edo period, the daimyō of the region was surnamed Matsudaira, during World War II, the city was heavily bombed and its palace, surrounded by a moat, was demolished. The Fukui Prefectural government buildings were built on the site, the province lays within Japans Snow country. Nine cities are located in Fukui Prefecture, These are the towns in each district, there are several nuclear power plants located along Wakasa Bay in Tsuruga which supply power to the Keihanshin metropolitan region. It has 14 reactors, the most of any prefecture, Fukui is one of the less populated prefectures of Japan, in September 2015 there were an estimated 785,508 people living in 281,394 households. Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins is one of the most important cultural sites in Japan. Eihei-ji is a serene temple offering training and education to Buddhist monks, founded by Dogen Zenji in 1244, Eiheiji is located on a plot of land covering about 33 hectares. Myōtsū-jis Three-storied Pagoda and Main Hall are National Treasures of Japan, Fukui is home to Maruoka Castle, the oldest standing castle in Japan. Many dinosaur fossils have been excavated in Fukui and they can been seen at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, residents of Fukui Prefecture have a distinctive accent, Fukui-ben. Fukui has long been a center for papermaking in Japan and its Echizen Papermaking Cooperative is a world-famous collection of papermakers making paper in the traditional Echizen style. Fukui is also renowned for its water and crops, which result in delicious sake, rice. In August 2010 Fukui launched its own dating website entitled Fukui Marriage-Hunting Café in hopes of helping the population growth of Japan increase. Couples who meet in the site and continue on to receive monetary aid from the government as well as gifts. Echizen crabs are a local delicacy available year-round, though the season is during the winter. Another traditional sea-side Fukui dish is genge, a small fish that when eaten raw as sashimi. Awara is an onsen in the north of the prefecture. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128 Official Fukui Prefecture homepage Echizen Papermaking Cooperative
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Iwate Prefecture
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Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu island and contains the islands easternmost point, Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido. There are several theories about the origin of the name Iwate, but the most well known is the tale Oni no tegata and these rocks are said to have been thrown down into Morioka by an eruption of Mt. Iwate. According to the legend, there was once a devil who often tormented and harassed the local people, when the people prayed to the spirits of Mitsuishi for protection, the devil was immediately shackled to these rocks and forced to make a promise never to trouble the people again. As a seal of his oath the devil made a handprint on one of the rocks, thus giving rise to the name Iwate, even now after a rainfall it is said that the devils hand print can still be seen there. Bashō visited and wrote about Iwate in the journey described in Oku no Hosomichi and he was especially inspired by Hiraizumi. Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Iwate prefecture was part of Mutsu Province, Iwate Prefecture was created in 1876 in the aftermath of the Boshin Civil War which heralded the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. The area now known as Iwate Prefecture was inhabited by the Jomon people who left their artifacts throughout the prefecture, for example, a large number of burial pits from the Middle Jomon Period have been found in Nishida. Various sites from the Late Jomon Period including Tateishi, Makumae and Hatten contain clay figurines, masks and ear, the Kunenbashi site in Kitakami City has yielded stone swords, tablets and tools as well as clay figurines, earrings and potsherds from the Final Jomon Period. The earliest mention of a Japanese presence dates to about 630 when the Hakusan Shrine was said to have built on Mt. Kanzan in what is now Hiraizumi. At this time various Japanese traders, hunters, adventurers, priests, in 712 the province of Mutsu, containing all of Tohoku, was divided into Dewa Province, the area west of the Ou Mountains and Mutsu Province. In 729 Kokuseki-ji Temple was founded in what is now Mizusawa Ward, More fighting occurred the next and following years but mostly in Dewa and the area south of present-day Iwate prefecture. This situation continued until March 787 when the Yamato army suffered a defeat in the Battle of Sufuse Village in what is now Mizusawa Ward. There the Emishi leaders More and Aterui leading a cavalry force trapped the Yamato infantry. Over 1,000 soldiers drowned that day, the Japanese general Ki no Asami Kosami was rebuked by the Emperor Kanmu when he returned to Kyoto. Since the Japanese could not win on the battlefield they resorted to means to conquer the Emishi. Trade for superior quality iron wares and sake made the Emishi dependent on the Japanese for these valuable goods, bribes were offered to the Emishi leaders in the form of Japanese citizenship and rank if they would defect. Finally a campaign of burning crops and kidnapping the Emishi women and children, many a stout warrior gave up the fight to join his family again
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Ehime Prefecture
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Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime Prefecture was known as Iyo Province, since before the Heian period, the area was dominated by fishermen and sailors who played an important role in defending Japan against pirates and Mongolian invasions. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa shogun gave the area to his allies, including Kato Yoshiaki who built Matsuyama Castle, the name Ehime comes from the kuniumi part of the Kojiki where Iyo Province is mythologically named Ehime lovely princess. In 2012, a group from the University of Tokyo. Located in the part of Shikoku, Ehime faces the Seto Inland Sea to the north and is bordered by Kagawa and Tokushima in the east. The prefecture includes both high mountains in the region and a long coastline, with many islands in the Seto Inland Sea. The westernmost arm of Ehime, the Sadamisaki Peninsula, is the narrowest peninsula in Japan, chemical industries, oil refining, paper and cotton textile products also are a feature of the prefecture. Rural areas mostly engage in agricultural and fishing industries, and are known for citrus fruits such as mikan and iyokan. Ikatas nuclear power plant produces a portion of Shikokus electricity. Ehime University Ehime Prefectural University of Health Science St. Catherine University Matsuyama University Matsuyama Shinonome College The sports teams listed below are based in Ehime, baseball Ehime Mandarin Pirates The oldest extant hot spring in Japan, Dogo Onsen, is located in Matsuyama. It has been used for two thousand years. Iyo dialect, one of the Shikoku dialects, is the dialect spoken in Ehime Prefecture, ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128 Official website
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Shikoku
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Shikoku is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshu and east of the island of Kyushu. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima, Iyo-shima, and Futana-shima, the current name refers to the four former provinces that made up the island, Awa, Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo. Shikoku island, comprising Shikoku and its islets, covers about 18,800 square kilometres and consists of four prefectures, Ehime, Kagawa, Kōchi. Across the Inland Sea lie Wakayama, Osaka, Hyōgo, Okayama, Hiroshima, to the west lie Ōita and Miyazaki Prefectures on Kyushu. The 50th largest island by area in the world, Shikoku is smaller than Sardinia and Bananal, by population, it ranks 23rd, having fewer inhabitants than Sicily or Singapore, but more than Puerto Rico or Negros. Mountains running east and west divide Shikoku into a narrow northern subregion, fronting on the Inland Sea, most of the 4.5 million inhabitants live in the north, and all but one of the islands few larger cites are located there. Mount Ishizuchi in Ehime at 1,982 m is the highest mountain on the island, industry is moderately well developed and includes the processing of ores from the important Besshi copper mine. Wide alluvial areas, especially in the part of the zone, are planted with rice and subsequently are double cropped with winter wheat. Fruit is grown throughout the area in great variety, including citrus fruits, persimmons, peaches. Because of wheat production Sanuki udon became an important part of the diet in Kagawa Prefecture in the Edo period, the larger southern area of Shikoku is mountainous and sparsely populated. The only significant lowland is an alluvial plain at Kōchi. The areas mild winters stimulated some truck farming, specializing in growing out-of-season vegetables under plastic covering, two crops of rice can be cultivated annually in the southern area. The pulp and paper industry took advantage of the abundant forests, the major river in Shikoku is the Yoshino River. It runs 196 km from its close to Mount Ishizuchi, flowing basically west to east across the northern boundaries of Kōchi and Tokushima Prefectures. The Yoshino is famous for Japans best white-water rafting, with trips going along the Oboke Koboke sections of the river, gamōda in Anan, Tokushima is the easternmost point on the island, and Sada in Ikata, Ehime the westernmost. Muroto in Muroto, Kōchi and Ashizuri, the extreme of Shikoku, in Tosashimizu, Kōchi. The islands northernmost point is in Takamatsu, Kagawa, unlike the other three major islands of Japan, Shikoku has no volcanoes. Shikoku is connected to Honshu by three expressways, which form the Honshū–Shikoku Bridge Project
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Koshikijima Islands
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The Koshikijima Islands in the East China Sea are an island chain that belongs to the city of Satsumasendai, Kagoshima, Japan. They are located 38 km west of the city of Ichikikushikino. Area,45.08 km² Naka-Koshiki-jima, located near center, area,7.29 km² Shimo-Koshiki-jima, located southward. Area,66.27 km² No-jima Chika-jima Futago-jima Total area,118.68 km² The islands once consisted of 14 villages, belonging to Shikijima-gun, in 1889, the islands were consolidated into Kami-Koshiki and Shimo-Koshiki villages. In 1897, the islands were merged with Satsuma-gun, later, Kashima village and Sato village broke off, totalling in 4 villages. In 2004, during the great Heisei merger, the villages were merged with Sendai, a city that exists on the main island of Kyūshū
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Kagoshima Prefecture
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Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture corresponds to the ancient Japanese provinces Ōsumi and Satsuma, including the northern part of the Ryukyu Islands. This region played a key role in the Meiji Restoration, and the city of Kagoshima was an important naval base during Japans 20th century wars and this became known only recently under the Koizumi administration. Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu on the Satsuma Peninsula and this prefecture also includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest of Kyushu for a few hundred kilometers. The most important group is the Amami Islands, surrounded by the East China Sea to the west, Okinawa Prefecture in the south, Kumamoto Prefecture to the north, and Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, it has 2,632 km of coastline. It has a bay called Kagoshima Bay, which is sandwiched by two peninsulas, Satsuma and Ōsumi and its position made it a gateway to Japan at various times in history. While Kyushu has about 13 million people, there are less than 2 million in this prefecture, the prefecture boasts a chain of active and dormant volcanoes, including the great Sakurajima, which towers out of the Kagoshima bay opposite Kagoshima city. A steady trickle of smoke and ash emerges from the caldera, on active days in Kagoshima city an umbrella is advisable to ward off the ash. Sakurajima is one of Japans most active volcanoes, major eruptions occurred in 1914, when the island mountain spilled enough material to become permanently connected to the mainland, and a lesser eruption in 1960. Volcanic materials in the soil make Sakurajima a source for record daikon radishes, many beaches around the Kagoshima Bay are littered with well-worn pumice stones. A crater lake in the tip of the prefecture, near the spa town of Ibusuki, is home to a rare species of giant eel. Most of the sector is focused in Kagoshima City and the surrounding area. The eastern part of the prefecture, the former Ōsumi Province, is mostly rural, the prefecture has strong agricultural roots, which are reflected in its most well-known exports, green tea, sweet potato, radish, Pongee rice, Satsuma ware and Berkshire pork. Kagoshima prefectures production of bonito flakes is second only to that of Shizuoka, in addition it produces Japans largest volume of unagi eels. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has several facilities within the prefecture, including the main launch facility on Tanegashima. The prefectures gross domestic product is approximately 4.834 trillion yen. League, Kagoshima United FC, a soccer team, was founded in 2014 and competes in the J3 League. High-speed craft route to Ibusuki, Tanegashima and Yakushima, ISBN 0-674-01753-6, ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128. Kagoshima travel guide from Wikivoyage Official Kagoshima Prefecture website National Archives of Japan
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Yaeyama Islands
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The Yaeyama Islands are an archipelago in the southwest of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and cover 591.46 square kilometres. The islands are located southwest of the Miyako Islands, part of the Ryukyu Islands archipelago, the Yaeyama Islands are the remotest part of Japan from the main islands and contains Japans most southern and most western inhabited islands. The city of Ishigaki serves as the political, cultural, the Yaeyama Islands are home to numerous species of subtropical plants and mangrove forests. The islands produce sugarcane and pineapples, coral reefs around the islands are ideal habitats for dolphins, sea turtles, and larger fish such as manta rays and whale sharks. Before being wiped out by humans, whales and dugongs were common as well, the islands form the southern part of the volcanic Ryukyu Islands. The administrative division of Yaeyama District covers all of the Yaeyama Islands, except Ishigaki, the Yaeyama language is the indigenous language of the rest of the islands. Japanese is widely spoken as a second language, the Yaeyama Islands are home to the production of traditional Okinawan textiles. On Hateruma Island, this harvest festival is celebrated during Obon and it features a parade of the local fertility god Miruku and his children, shishi dances, and staff dances. Category, Yaeyama islands on Wikimedia Commons Photo gallery of Yaeyama Islands
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Okinawa Prefecture
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The larger are mostly high islands and the smaller ones are mostly coral islands. The largest of the islands is Okinawa, the climate of the islands ranges from humid subtropical climate in the north to tropical rainforest climate in the south. Precipitation is very high, and is affected by the rainy season, the islands beyond the Tokara Strait are characterized by their coral reefs. The Amami, Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands have a native population collectively called the Ryukyuan people, the varied Ryukyuan languages are traditionally spoken on these islands, and the major islands have their own distinct languages. In modern times, the Japanese language is the language of the islands. The northern islands are called the Satsunan Islands, while the southern part of the chain are called the Ryukyu Islands in Japanese. Following are the grouping and names used by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard, the islands are listed from north to south where possible. Nansei Islands Satsunan Islands Ōsumi Islands with, Tanegashima, Yaku, Kuchinoerabu, Mageshima in the North-Eastern Group and they agreed on February 15,2010, to use Amami-guntō for the Amami Islands, prior to that, Amami-shotō had also been used. The English and Japanese uses of the term Ryukyu differ, in English, the term Ryukyu may apply to the entire chain of islands, while in Japanese Ryukyu usually refers only to the islands that were previously part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom after 1624. Nansei-shotō is the name for the whole island chain in Japanese. Japan has used the name on nautical charts since 1907, based on the Japanese charts, the international chart series uses Nansei Shoto. Nansei literally means southwest, the direction of the chain from mainland Japan. Some humanities scholars prefer the uncommon term Ryūkyū-ko for the island chain. In geology, however, the Ryukyu Arc includes subsurface structures such as the Okinawa Trough, the name of Ryūkyū is strongly associated with the Ryūkyū Kingdom, a kingdom that originated from the Okinawa Islands and subjected the Sakishima and Amami Islands. The name is considered outdated in Japanese although some entities of Okinawa still bear the name. In Japanese, the Ryukyu Islands cover only the Okinawa, Miyako, the northern half of the island chain is referred to as the Satsunan Islands in Japanese, as opposed to Northern Ryukyu Islands in English. Humanities scholars generally agree that the Amami, Okinawa, Miyako, there is, however, no good name for the group. The native population do not have their own name, since they do not recognize themselves as a group this size, Ryukyu is the principal candidate because it roughly corresponds to the maximum extent of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
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Setsubun
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Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan. The name literally means seasonal division, but usually the term refers to the spring Setsubun and this special ritual is called mamemaki. Setsubun has its origins in tsuina, a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the eighth century, the custom of mamemaki first appeared in the Muromachi period. It is usually performed by the toshiotoko of the household, or else the male head of the household, roasted soybeans are thrown either out the door or at a member of the family wearing an Oni mask, while the people say Demons out. Luck in. and slam the door and this is still common practice in households but many people will attend a shrine or temples spring festival where this is done. The beans are thought to purify the home by driving away the evil spirits that bring misfortune. The gestures of mamemaki look similar to the Western custom of throwing rice at newly married couples after a wedding, at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines all over the country, there are celebrations for Setsubun. Priests and invited guests will throw roasted soy beans, small envelopes with money, sweets, candies, in some bigger shrines, even celebrities and sumo wrestlers will be invited, these events are televised nationally. At Sensō-ji in the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo, crowds of nearly 100,000 people attend the annual festivities. This custom started in Osaka, but in recent years eho-maki can be purchased at stores in the Kanto area, charts are published and occasionally packaged with uncut makizushi during February. Some families put up small decorations of sardine heads and holly leaves on their house entrances so that bad spirits will not enter, ginger sake is customarily drunk at Setsubun. Other customs during this time included religious dance, festivals, and bringing tools inside the house that might normally be left outside, because Setsubun was also considered to be apart from normal time, people might also practice role reversal. Such customs included young girls doing their hair in the styles of women and vice versa, wearing disguises. This custom is practiced among geisha and their clients when entertaining on Setsubun. Traveling entertainers, who were normally shunned during the year because they were considered vagrants, were welcomed on Setsubun to perform morality plays and their vagrancy worked to their advantage in these cases because they could take the spirits with them. In the Tohoku area of Japan, the head of the household would take roasted beans in his hand, pray at the family shrine, peanuts are sometimes used in place of soybeans. There are many variations on the famous Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi chant, for example, in the city of Aizuwakamatsu, people chant 鬼の目玉ぶっつぶせ！, lit. Holidays of Japan Ehōmaki, a sushi roll often eaten for good luck on setsubun, taoism in Japan Risshun Rikka Risshū Rittō Feast of the Lemures Zvončari Exorcism Japan-guide – Setsubun Bean scatterer calculator Japanlinked – Setsubun Setsubun Miscellaneous Notes on Setsubun
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Kaminoyama, Yamagata
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Kaminoyama is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. As of October 2015, the city had an population of 31,476. The total area was 240.93 square kilometres, Kaminoyama is located in southeast Yamagata Prefecture, in the Murayama Basin, bordered by Miyagi Prefecture to the east. Mount Zaō is located within its borders, precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The area of present-day Kaminoyama was part of ancient Dewa Province and it was also a post station on the Ushū Kaidō highway. After the start of the Meiji period, the became part of Minamimurayama District. The modern town of Kaminoyama was established on April 1,1889, the economy of Kaminoyama is based on agriculture, light manufacturing, forestry and tourism. Masaru Akiba – professional soccer player Toshiaki Endo – politician Takeshi Koike – anime movie director, illustrator Gosaku Ota – manga artist Mokichi Saitō – poet Official website
31.
Krampus
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Krampus is one of the companions of Saint Nicholas in regions including Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Northern Italy. The origin of the figure is unclear, some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated its pre-Christian origin, in traditional parades and in such events as the Krampuslauf, young men dressed as Krampus participate, such events occur annually in most Alpine towns. Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten, the history of the Krampus figure has been theorized as stretching back to pre-Christian Alpine traditions. The birch – apart from its phallic significance – may have a connection with the rites of certain witch-covens. The chains could have introduced in a Christian attempt to bind the Devil. Nicholas himself became popular in Germany around the eleventh century, a large literature, much of it by European folklorists, bears on these subjects. Austrians in the community we studied are quite aware of heathen elements being blended with Christian elements in the Saint Nicholas customs and they believe Krampus derives from a pagan supernatural who was assimilated to the Christian devil. The Krampus figures persisted, and by the 17th century Krampus had been incorporated into Christian winter celebrations by pairing Krampus with St Nicholas, Countries of the former Habsburg Empire have largely borrowed the tradition of Krampus accompanying St Nicholas on 5 December from Austria. In the aftermath of the 1923 election, the Krampus tradition was prohibited by the Dollfuss regime under the Fatherlands Front, in the 1950s, the government distributed pamphlets titled Krampus Is an Evil Man. Towards the end of the century, a resurgence of Krampus celebrations occurred. The Krampus tradition is being revived in Bavaria as well, along with an artistic tradition of hand-carved wooden masks. There has been debate in Austria in modern times about whether Krampus is appropriate for children. Although Krampus appears in many variations, most share some physical characteristics. He is hairy, usually brown or black, and has the cloven hooves and his long, pointed tongue lolls out, and he has fangs. Krampus carries chains, thought to symbolize the binding of the Devil by the Christian Church and he thrashes the chains for dramatic effect. The chains are sometimes accompanied with bells of various sizes, of more pagan origins are the ruten, bundles of birch branches that Krampus carries and with which he occasionally swats children. The ruten may have had significance in pre-Christian pagan initiation rites, the birch branches are replaced with a whip in some representations. Sometimes Krampus appears with a sack or a basket strapped to his back, some of the older versions make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and taken away
32.
Saint Nicholas
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Saint Nicholas, also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor. Because of the miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker. The historical Saint Nicholas is commemorated and revered among Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, in addition, some Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other Reformed churches have been named in honor of Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas is the saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers. The historical Saint Nicholas, as known from history, He was born at Patara. In his youth he made a pilgrimage to Egypt and the Palestine area, shortly after his return he became Bishop of Myra and was later cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian. He was released after the accession of Constantine and was present at the Council of Nicaea, in 1087, Italian merchants took his body from Myra, bringing it to Bari in Italy. Nicholas was born in Asia Minor in the Roman Empire, to a Greek family during the century in the city of Patara. He lived in Myra, Lycia, at a time when the region was Greek in its heritage, culture and he was the only son of wealthy Christian parents named Epiphanius and Johanna according to some accounts and Theophanes and Nonna according to others. He was very religious from an age and according to legend. His wealthy parents died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young and he tonsured the young Nicholas as a reader and later ordained him a presbyter. In the year AD305, several monks from Anatolia in Asia Minor came to the Holy Land to Beit Jala, Judea and this was before St. Sava’s Monastery was founded in the desert east of Bethlehem on the Kidron Gorge near the Dead Sea. These monks lived on the mountain overlooking Bethlehem in a few caves, in the years 312–315, St. Nicholas lived there and came as a pilgrim to visit the Holy Sepulchre, Golgotha, Bethlehem, and many other sites in the Holy Land. The Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is located on the site of his cave in Beit Jala where today there are stories about Nicholas still handed down from generation to generation. A text written in his own hand is still in the care of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, in 317 he returned to Asia Minor and was soon thereafter consecrated bishop in Myra. In 325, he was one of many bishops to answer the request of Constantine and appear at the First Council of Nicaea, there, Nicholas was a staunch anti-Arian, defender of the Orthodox Christian position, and one of the bishops who signed the Nicene Creed. Tradition has it that he became so angry with the heretic Arius during the Council that he struck him in the face. The modern city of Demre, Turkey is built near the ruins of the home town of ancient Myra
33.
Christmas
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In several countries, celebrating Christmas Eve on December 24 has the main focus rather than December 25, with gift-giving and sharing a traditional meal with the family. Although the month and date of Jesus birth are unknown, by the fourth century the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25. Today, most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar and this is not a disagreement over the date of Christmas as such, but rather a preference of which calendar should be used to determine the day that is December 25. Although it is not known why December 25 became a date of celebration, December 25 was the date the Romans marked as the winter solstice, the shortest, and therefore darkest day of the year. Jesus was identified with the Sun based on an Old Testament verse, the date is exactly nine months following Annunciation, when the conception of Jesus is celebrated. Finally, the Romans had a series of pagan festivals near the end of the year, so Christmas may have been scheduled at this time to appropriate, or compete with, one or more of these festivals. The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pre-Christian, Christian, the economic impact of Christmas has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world. Christmas is a form of Christs mass. It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, crīst is from Greek Khrīstos, a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ, Messiah, meaning anointed, and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form Christenmas was also used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal, it derives from Middle English Cristenmasse. In addition to Christmas, the holiday has been known by other names throughout its history. The Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as midwinter, or, more rarely, Nativity, meaning birth, is from Latin nātīvitās. In Old English, Gēola referred to the corresponding to December and January. Noel entered English in the late 14th century and is from the Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis, the canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew both describe Jesus as being born in Bethlehem in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Gospel of Luke account, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census and it says that angels proclaimed him a savior for all people, and shepherds came to adore him. In the Matthew account, magi follow a star to Bethlehem to bring gifts to Jesus, King Herod orders the massacre of all the boys less than two years old in Bethlehem, but the family flees to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth. The Nativity stories of Matthew and Luke are prominent in the gospels, the first recorded Christmas celebration was in Rome in 336. Christmas played a role in the Arian controversy of the fourth century, the feast regained prominence after 800, when Charlemagne was crowned emperor on Christmas Day
34.
Netherlands
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The Netherlands, also informally known as Holland is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom. The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, Amsterdam is the countrys capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the worlds largest port outside East-Asia, the name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. Netherlands literally means lower countries, influenced by its low land and flat geography, most of the areas below sea level are artificial. Since the late 16th century, large areas have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes, with a population density of 412 people per km2 –507 if water is excluded – the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country. Only Bangladesh, South Korea, and Taiwan have both a population and higher population density. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is the worlds second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products and this is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate. In 2001, it became the worlds first country to legalise same-sex marriage, the Netherlands is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G-10, NATO, OECD and WTO, as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. The first four are situated in The Hague, as is the EUs criminal intelligence agency Europol and this has led to the city being dubbed the worlds legal capital. The country also ranks second highest in the worlds 2016 Press Freedom Index, the Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy, ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom. It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund, in 2013, the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the seventh-happiest country in the world, reflecting its high quality of life. The Netherlands also ranks joint second highest in the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, the region called Low Countries and the country of the Netherlands have the same toponymy. Place names with Neder, Nieder, Nether and Nedre and Bas or Inferior are in use in all over Europe. They are sometimes used in a relation to a higher ground that consecutively is indicated as Upper, Boven, Oben. In the case of the Low Countries / the Netherlands the geographical location of the region has been more or less downstream. The geographical location of the region, however, changed over time tremendously
35.
Ogoh-ogoh
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Ogoh-ogoh are statues built for the Ngrupuk parade, which takes place on the eve of Nyepi day in Bali, Indonesia. Ogoh-ogoh normally have form of mythological beings, mostly demons, as with many creative endeavours based on Balinese Hinduism, the creation of Ogoh-ogoh represents spiritual aims inspired by Hindu philosophy. The main purpose of the making of Ogoh-ogoh is the purification of the environment of any spiritual pollutants emitted from the activities of living beings. The forms of Ogoh-ogoh represent the Bhuta-Kala, according to Hindu teachings, the imperceptible potentials of nature cannot be thoroughly explored by anyone. Philosophically, civilized men are required to manage the natural resources without damaging the environment itself, aside from being the symbol of Bhuta-Kala, Ogoh-ogoh is considered a symbol of modes of nature that form the malicious characters of living beings. Each village usually build one Ogoh-ogoh mainly built by each villages Seka Truna Truni, some artist also usually build one. After being paraded on a convoy around the town, finally it is burnt to ashes in a cemetery as a symbol of self-purification, an Ogoh-ogoh is normally standing on a pad built of timber planks and bamboos. The pad is designed to sustain the Ogoh-ogoh while it is being lifted and carried around the village or the town square, there are normally eight or more men carrying the Ogoh-ogoh on their shoulders. This procession is accompanied by music performed by the youth. The use of flares is also a part of the parade. During the procession, the Ogoh-ogoh is rotated three times. This act is done at every T-junction and crossroad of the village, rotating the effigies during the cremational parade and the eve of Nyepi represents the contact of the bodies with the spirits. It is intended to bewilder the evil spirits so that they go away, the Ogoh-ogoh is a very recent addition to the Nyepi ceremonies, first appearing in Denpasar in the early 1980s. At that time, they were monitored for any criticism of the Suharto regime. Namahage — demons in Japan celebrated on new year
36.
International Standard Book Number
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The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
37.
Japanese folktales
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Japanese folktales are the folktales of Japan. In commonplace usage, it signifies a certain set of classic tales. The admixed imposters are literate written pieces, dating back to the Muromachi period or even earlier times in the Middle Ages and these would not normally qualify as folktales. In a more stringent sense, Japanese folktales refer to orally transmitted folk narrative, systematic collection of specimens was pioneered by folklorist Kunio Yanagita. Yanagita disliked the word minwa, a coined term directly translated from folktale and he therefore proposed the use of the term mukashibanashi to apply to all creative types of folktales. These stories just named are considered genuine folktales, having received those auspices by folklorist Kunio Yanagita, the text gives reference, for example, to the flame-proof fire rat s fur robe, which attests to considerable degree of book-knowledge and learning by its author. Other examples of pseudo-folktales which have been composed in the Middle Ages are the Uji Shūi Monogatari that includes the nucleus of classics as. This and the Konjaku Monogatarishū also contains a number of type of tales designated setsuwa, both works, it might be noted, are divided into parts containing tales from India, tales from China, and tales from Japan. In the Konjaku Monogatarishū can be seen the developments of the Kintarō legend. The Japanese word used to correspond to folktale has undergone development over the years, from the Edo Period, the term used was otokibanashi, i. e. tales told by the otogii-shū who were professional storytellers hired to entertain the daimyo lord at the bedside. That term continued to be in currency through the Meiji era, in the Taisho era, the word dōwa was used. Then Yanagita popularized the use of tales of long ago. The familiar forms of stories are embellished works of literature by writers, or retooled for the kabuki theater performance. The famous collection Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn also consists of original retellings, Yanagita published a collection Legends of Tohno which featured a number of fanatastical yokai creatures such as Zashiki-warashi and kappa. In the middle years of the 20th century storytellers would often travel from town to town telling these stories with special paper illustrations called kamishibai. Below is a list of well-known Japanese folktales, Tongue-cut sparrow, the sparrow had been fed regularly by the washer woman’s neighbors, so when the sparrow didn’t come, they went in the woods to search for it. They found it, and after a feast and some dancing, the neighbors picked the small box, and it was filled with riches. The washer woman saw these riches and heard where they came from and she too was entertained and given the choice between two boxes
38.
Awa Tanuki Gassen
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The Awa Tanuki Gassen is a Japanese legend that takes place in the Awa Province. The legend is about a war between two tanuki powers. There are several tales about tanuki in Shikkoku, and this one is said to be the most famous among all of the ones in Tokushima. This story was first seen to appear near the end of the Edo Period and it took place around the tenpō period near Higaino in Komatsushima. A dyer named Moemon running the shop called Yamatoya saved a tanuki who was being bullied by people. Eventually, the tanuki came to serve as the angel of Mankichi, who worked at the shop. This tanuki was called Kinchō and was a chief around 206 years in age. While around Mankichi, Kinchō performed great services such as cure customers diseases perform divinations, after much training, Kinchō displayed great accomplishedments and almost achieved the rank of Senior First Rank. Rokuemon, loathe to let go of Kinchō, tried to make him stay as a son in law by marrying his daughter, however, Kinchō felt obliged to return to Moemon, and furthermore disliked Rokuemons cruel personality, so he refused. Unsatisfied with this, Rokuemon thought that Kinchō would eventually become his enemy, Kinchō, together with a tanuki that came from Higaino named Fuji no Kidera no Taka, counterattacked. However, Taka died in battle, and only Kinchō was able to escape to Higaino, Kinchō attempted to recruit followers in order to take revenge for Taka, and started a battle with Rokuemon and his followers. In this battle, Kinchōs army won and Rokuemon was bitten to death, around the time of this battle, it was rumored that Kinchōs army was gathering at the Chinju Forest in prepration for battle against Rokuemon. The exact story varies depending on the source, which is seen to be the result of being influenced by a certain kōdan. She was greatly in love with Kinchō, and criticized Rokuemon for trying to attack Kinchō, however, Koyasuhimes death only increased Rokuemons hatred. Also, Kinchō, upon hearing the death of Koyasu who loved him, the battle took place around Katsuura River, Kinchōs and Rokuemons army were both more than 600 tanuki, and the battle lasted for 3 days and nights. Shibaemon-tanuki from Awaji Island also took part in the battle, despite receiving a mortal wound, Kinchō desperatly returned to Higaino and told thanks to Moemon before losing his final strength. Moemon, moved by seeing this and how he lived, deified Kinchō as a daimyōjin. On the verge of death, Kinchō became a spirit and served as Mankichis guardian spirit, Moemon, moved by this, deified Kinchō as a daimyōjin
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Bunbuku Chagama
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Bunbuku Chagama is a Japanese folktale about a raccoon dog, or tanuki, that uses its shapeshifting powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness. Bunbuku Chagama roughly translates to happiness bubbling over like a tea pot, the story tells of a poor man who finds a tanuki caught in a trap. Feeling sorry for the animal, he sets it free and that night, the tanuki comes to the poor mans house to thank him for his kindness. The tanuki transforms itself into a chagama and tells the man to him for money. The man sells the tanuki-teapot to a monk, who takes it home and, after scrubbing it harshly, unable to stand the heat, the tanuki teapot sprouts legs and, in its half-transformed state, makes a run for it. The tanuki returns to the man with another idea. The man would set up a roadside attraction and charge admission for people to see a teapot walking a tightrope. The plan works, and each gains something good from the man is no longer poor. In a variant of the story, the tanuki-teapot does not run, the shocked monk decides to leave the teapot as an offering to the poor temple where he lives, choosing not to use it for making tea again. The temple eventually becomes famous for its supposed dancing teapot, an animated movie based on the tale was produced in 1928 by Yokohama Cinema Shoukai. There is also a reference to this story in Studio Ghiblis 1994 animated film Pom Poko, a character in the manga To Love-Ru is seen holding the book and commenting that she is taking an interest in Japanese folklore. In the Naruto series, Shukaku the One-Tail, who is modeled after a tanuki, is mentioned to have originally been sealed into a teapot and it is revealed later that his former jinchūriki was an old man named Bunbuku. In Ichiro by Ryan Inzana, the legend of the teapot is woven into the story of an American teenager who is the son of a Japanese immigrant mother. The Accomplished and Lucky Tea-Kettle, translation by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford in Tales of Old Japan The Magic Kettle adaptation by Andrew Lang in The Crimson Fairy Book
40.
Hanasaka Jiisan
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Hanasaka Jiisan, also called Hanasaka Jiijii, is a Japanese folk tale. Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford collected it in Tales of Old Japan, as The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom, rev. David Thomson translated it as The Old Man Who Made the Dead Trees Blossom for Hasegawa Takejirōs Japanese Fairy Tale Series. Andrew Lang included it, as The Envious Neighbor, in The Violet Fairy Book, an old childless couple loved their dog. One day, it dug in the garden, and they found a box of gold pieces there, a neighbor thought the dog must be able to find treasure, and managed to borrow the dog. When it dug in his garden, there were only bones and he told the couple that the dog had just dropped dead. They grieved and buried it under the fig tree where they had found the treasure, one night, the dogs master dreamed that the dog told him to chop down the tree and make a mortar from it. He told his wife, who said they must do as the dog asked, when they did, the rice put into the mortar turned into gold. The neighbor borrowed it, but the rice turned to foul-smelling berries and that night, in a dream, the dog told his master to take the ashes and sprinkle them on certain cherry trees. When he did, the trees came into bloom. English Wikisource has original text related to this article, The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower
