1.
Architecture of the Song dynasty
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The architecture of the Song dynasty was noted for its towering Buddhist pagodas, enormous stone and wooden bridges, lavish tombs, and extravagant palaces. The professions of architect, master craftsman, carpenter, and structural engineer did not have the status of the Confucian scholar-officials during the dynastic era. Architectural knowledge had been passed down orally for thousands of years, there were also government agencies and schools for construction, building, and engineering. The Song dynastys building manuals aided not only the private workshops. The outer city of ancient Bianjing was built during the reign of Emperor Shenzong to a plan, almost square in proportions. The south wall had three gates, with Nanxun Gate in the center, Chenzhou Gate to the east, and this method of using bracket assemblies to support superstructure was specified in Li Jies 12th-century building manual Yingzao Fashi as pingzuo. The city wall itself was built with rammed earth, a technique also detailed in Yingzao Fashi, vol. III, Standards for Moat, Stronghold and Masonry Work, Foundation, For every square chi, apply two dan of earth, on top of it lay a mixture of brick, tile and crushed stones. Following this, tamp the surface with pestles or stamp with feet randomly to even out the surface, every five-cun layer of earth should be compressed to three cun, every three-cun layer of brick and stone to one and a half cun. Rammed-earth walls during this time were tapered, the thickness of the wall is greatest at the base and decreases steadily with increasing height, as detailed in Li Jies book. During the Song dynasty, the city of Bianjing had three enclosures, the city wall, the inner city wall, and the palace at the center. The inner city was rectangular, with three doors on each side, the palace enclosure was also rectangular, with a watch tower on each of the four corners. It had four gates, Xihua Gate to the west, Donghua Gate to the east, Gongchen Gate to the north. There were also two glazed dragons, each biting an end of the ridge, its tail pointing to the sky. However, they misnamed it sparrow-hawk tail, running southward from Xuande Gate was the Imperial Boulevard, about two hundred paces wide, with the Imperial Corridors on either side. Merchants opened shops in the Corridors until 1112, when they were banned, two rows of black fencing were placed at the center of the boulevard as a barrier to pedestrians and carriages. Along the inner sides of the fences ran the brick-lined Imperial Water Furrows, about 400 m south from Xuande Gate, the Bian River intercepted the Imperial Boulevard, which crossed it over the stone Zhou Bridge, balustraded and flat-decked. This design of a boulevard with a bridge crossing a river was later imitated in the Forbidden City
2.
Zen
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Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty as Chan Buddhism. Zen school was influenced by Taoism and developed as a distinguished school of Chinese Buddhism. From China, Chan Buddhism spread south to Vietnam, northeast to Korea and east to Japan, the term Zen is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Middle Chinese word 禪 which traces its roots to the Indian practice of Dhyana. Zen emphasizes rigorous self-control, meditation-practice, insight into Buddha-nature, as such, it de-emphasizes mere knowledge of sutras and doctrine and favors direct understanding through zazen and interaction with an accomplished teacher. The Prajñāpāramitā literature and, to an extent, Madhyamaka have also been influential in the shaping of the paradoxical language of the Zen-tradition. Central to Zen is the practice of dhyana or meditation, during sitting meditation, practitioners usually assume a position such as the lotus position, half-lotus, Burmese, or seiza postures, using the dhyāna mudrā. To regulate the mind, awareness is directed towards counting or watching the breath or by bringing that awareness to the center below the navel. Often, a square or round cushion placed on a mat is used to sit on, in some other cases. This practice may simply be called sitting dhyāna, which is zuòchán in Chinese, in the Sōtō school of Zen, meditation with no objects, anchors, or content, is the primary form of practice. The meditator strives to be aware of the stream of thoughts, allowing them to arise, in the Japanese language, this practice is called Shikantaza. Intensive group meditation may be practiced occasionally in some temples, in the Japanese language, this practice is called Sesshin. While the daily routine may require monks to meditate for hours each day. In modern Buddhist practice in Japan, Taiwan, and the West, lay students often attend these intensive practice sessions and these are held at many Zen centers, especially in commemoration of the Buddhas attainment of Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. One distinctive aspect of Zen meditation in groups is the use of a kyosaku, at the beginning of the Sòng dynasty, practice with the kōan method became popular, whereas others practiced silent illumination. This became the source of differences in practice between the Línjì and Cáodòng schools. A kōan, literally public case, is a story or dialogue and these anecdotes give a demonstration of the masters insight. Koans emphasize the non-conceptional insight that the Buddhist teachings are pointing to, koans can be used to provoke the great doubt, and test a students progress in Zen practice. Kōan-inquiry may be practiced during zazen, kinhin, and throughout all the activities of daily life, kōan practice is particularly emphasized by the Japanese Rinzai school, but it also occurs in other schools or branches of Zen depending on the teaching line
3.
Buddhism in Japan
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Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since its official introduction in 552 AD according to the Nihon Shoki from Baekje, Korea by Buddhist monks. Though some Chinese sources place the first spreading of the religion earlier during the Kofun period, Buddhism has had a major influence on the development of Japanese society and remains an influential aspect of the culture to this day. In modern times, Japans most popular schools of Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, as of 2008 approximately 34% of the Japanese identify as Buddhists and the number has been growing since the 1980s. In 2009, a survey showed that over half the Japanese families had a butsudan or Buddhist altar in their homes. In 2009 data from the Agency of Cultural Affairs stated that there were 89 million Buddhists in Japan, in 2011, after the Tsunami, it was reported that 90% of the Japanese identified as Buddhist or Shinto or a combination of both. In 2013, official said there were over 87 million Buddhists in Japan. The arrival of Buddhism in Japan is ultimately a consequence of the first contacts between China and Central Asia, where Buddhism had spread from the Indian subcontinent. These contacts occurred with the opening of the Silk Road in the 2nd century BC and these contacts culminated with the official introduction of Buddhism in China in 67 CE. Historians generally agree that by the middle of the 1st century, according to the Book of Liang, which was written in 635, five Buddhist monks from Gandhara traveled to Japan in 467. In former times, the people of Fusang knew nothing of the Buddhist religion and they propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings, and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a result the customs of Fusang changed, the powerful Soga clan played a key role in the early spread of Buddhism in the country. Initial uptake of the new faith was slow, and Buddhism only started to spread some years later when Empress Suiko openly encouraged the acceptance of Buddhism among all Japanese people. On January 15,593, Soga no Umako ordered relics of Buddha deposited inside the stone under the pillar of a pagoda at Asuka-dera. In 607, in order to obtain copies of sutras, an envoy was dispatched to Sui China. As time progressed and the number of Buddhist clergy increased, the offices of Sōjō, by 627, there were 46 Buddhist temples,816 Buddhist priests, and 569 Buddhist nuns in Japan. These were not exclusive schools, and temples were apt to have scholars versed in several of the schools and it has been suggested that they can best be thought of as study groups. This kind of Buddhism had little to offer the illiterate and uneducated masses and their practice was a combination of Buddhist and Daoist elements and the incorporation of shamanistic features of indigenous practices. Some of these figures became popular, and were a source of criticism towards the sophisticated academic and bureaucratic Buddhism of the capital
4.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
5.
Shimonoseki
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Shimonoseki is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the tip of Honshu, facing the Tsushima Strait. Nicknamed the Fugu Capital, it is known for the locally caught pufferfish and is the largest harvester of the pufferfish in Japan, as of October 1,2016, the city has an estimated population of 265,684 and a population density of 370 persons per km². The total area is 716.14 km², the Heike and Genji fought at Dan-no-ura near the present Kanmonkyo Bridge. The city prior to 1902 was commonly known as Bakan and formally Akamagaseki, on February 13,2005, Shimonoseki absorbed the towns of Hōhoku, Kikugawa, Toyota and Toyoura to create the new and expanded city of Shimonseki. Since October 1,2005, the city has designated as a core city by the Japanese Government. An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Shimonoseki as a port for trading with the United States. On January 7,2006, the station building at Shimonoseki station, which had dated back to 1942, was destroyed in a fire. Shimonoseki has a subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heavier in summer, Shimonoseki Shipyard and Machinery Works Yamaguchi Financial Group, Inc. Yamaguchi Shimbun Minato Shimbun The Kanpu ferry to Pusan in South Korea regularly, the Gwangyang Beech to Gwangyang in South Korea regularly. The Orient ferry to Shanghai in China regularly, the Orient ferry to Qingdao in China was suspended in November 2015. Shin-Shimonoseki Station - Shin-Shimonoseki Station is a station on the Sanyō Shinkansen Line. Intercity bus services go to the destinations, Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Airport. It formerly housed two other North Korean schools, Yamaguchi Korean High School and Shimonoseki Korean Elementary and Junior High School, Fugu uni Sea urchin Whale Anko Goosefish Kawara Soba Ganryu Yaki Mentaiko Roe Fuku Chochin Akamagaseki Suzuri Jourou Ningyo Shimonoseki is home to many festivals that are held throughout the year. Of these, the most famous are Shimonoseki Kaikyo Festival and Shimonoseki Bakan Festival, a designated yakuza group, the Goda-ikka is the largest yakuza syndicate in Yamaguchi Prefecture. S. Shimonoseki City Tourism Promotion Film Shimonoseki City Official Channel
6.
Kainan, Wakayama
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Kainan is a city located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on May 1,1934, as of 2016, the city has an estimated population of 51,112 and a population density of 510 persons per km². The total area is 101.18 km², on April 1,2005, the town of Shimotsu was merged into Kainan. Kainan was the hometown of the Japanese World War II holdout Hiroo Onoda, chōhō-ji Media related to Kainan, Wakayama at Wikimedia Commons Kainan City official website
7.
Japanese pagoda
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Pagodas in Japan are called tō, sometimes buttō or tōba and historically derive from the Chinese pagoda, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa. Like the stupa, pagodas were originally used as reliquaries but in many cases ended up losing this function. The famous Itsukushima Shrine, for example, has one, after the Meiji Restoration the word tō, once used exclusively in a religious context, came to mean also tower in the western sense, as for example in Eiffel tower. Of the Japanese pagodas many forms, some are built in wood and are known as mokutō. Wood pagodas are large buildings with two stories or an odd number of stories. Extant wood pagodas with more than two storeys have almost always either three storeys or five (and are called gojū-no-tō, stone pagodas are nearly always small, usually well below 3 metres, and as a rule offer no usable space. If they have more than one storey, pagodas are called tasōtō or tajūtō, a pagodas size is measured in ken, where a ken is the interval between two pillars of a traditional-style building. A tahōtō for example can be either 5x5 ken or 3x3 ken, the word is usually translated in English as bay and is better understood as an indication of proportions than as a unit of measurement. The stupa was originally a simple mound containing the Buddhas ashes which in time more elaborate. After reaching China, the stupa met the Chinese watchtower and evolved into the pagoda and its use then spread to Korea and, from there, to Japan. Following its arrival in Japan together with Buddhism in the 6th century, in Japan it evolved in shape, size and function, finally losing its original role as a reliquary. It also became common, while on the Asian continent it is rare. With the birth of new sects in later centuries, the pagoda lost importance and was relegated to the margins of the garan. Temples of the Jōdo sects rarely have a pagoda, during the Kamakura period the Zen sect arrived in Japan and their temples do not normally include a pagoda. Pagodas originally were reliquaries and did not contain sacred images, but in Japan many, for example Hōryū-jis five-storied pagoda, in that room are enshrined statues of the temples main objects of worship. Inside Shingon pagodas there can be paintings of deities called Shingon Hasso, on the ceiling and on the shaft there can be decorations. The edge of a pagodas eaves forms a line, with each following edge being shorter than the other. The more difference in length between stories, the solid and secure the pagoda seems to be
8.
Ueda, Nagano
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Ueda is a city located in central Nagano Prefecture, in the Chūbu region of Japan. As of 1 October 2016, the city had an population of 155,664. Its total area was 552.04 square kilometres, which makes it the fifth largest city in the Nagano Prefecture in terms of area, Ueda is located in central Nagano Prefecture, some 40 kilometers from the prefectural capital of Nagano City and 190 kilometers from Tokyo. The Chikuma River divides the city into two parts, the ruins of the Shinano provincial temple are also to be found within Ueda. However, the capital was shifted to Matsumoto during the early Heian period. During the Sengoku period, the area was the centre of the powerful Sanada clan, during the Edo period, Ueda was a castle town and headquarters of Ueda Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. During the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reform of April 1,1889, Ueda was elevated to city status on May 1,1919. On March 6,2006, Ueda absorbed the towns of Maruko and Sanada. Ueda is a commercial centre with a mixed agricultural and light industrial economy. The main crops include rice, apples, grapes, cabbage, the traditional industry of Ueda was cotton-weaving. The city now hosts automobile components and electronics manufacturing, the city has five public high schools operated by the Nagano prefectural Board of Education, and four private high schools. Ageo, Saitama Numazu, Shizuoka Ueda Castle Anraku-ji in Bessho Onsen, the pagoda has been designated as National Treasure
9.
Kamakura period
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The Kamakura period is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo. The period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, the Kamakura period marks the transition to land-based economies and a concentration of advanced military technologies in the hands of a specialized fighting class. Lords required the services of vassals, who were rewarded with fiefs of their own. The fief holders exercised local military rule, once Minamoto Yoritomo had consolidated his power, he established a new government at his family home in Kamakura. He called his government a bakufu, but because he was given the ancient high military title Seii Tai-shōgun by the Emperor, Yoritomo followed the Fujiwara form of house government and had an administrative board Mandokoro, a board of retainers, and a board of inquiry. After confiscating estates in central and western Japan, he appointed stewards for the estates and constables for the provinces, as shogun, Yoritomo was both the steward and the constable general. The Kamakura shogunate was not a regime, however, and although it controlled large tracts of land. The regime continued warfare against the Northern Fujiwara, but never brought either the north or the west under complete military control, however, the 4th leader of the Northern Fujiwara Fujiwara no Yasuhira was defeated by Yoritomo in 1189, and the 100-year-long prosperity of the north disappeared. The old court resided in Kyoto, continuing to hold the land over which it had jurisdiction, despite a strong beginning, Yoritomo failed to consolidate the leadership of his family on a lasting basis. Intrafamily contention had long existed within the Minamoto, although Yoritomo had eliminated most serious challengers to his authority. When he died suddenly in 1199, his son Minamoto no Yoriie became shogun and nominal head of the Minamoto, but Yoriie was unable to control the other eastern warrior families. By the early century, a regency had been established for the shogun by Hōjō Tokimasa—a member of the Hōjō clan. Often the Shikken was also the Tokuso and Rensho, under the Hōjō, the shogun became a powerless figurehead. The Hōjō forces easily won the war, and the court was brought under the direct control of the shogunate. The shoguns constables gained greater powers, and the court was obliged to seek Kamakuras approval for all of its actions. Although deprived of power, the court retained extensive estates. Several significant administrative achievements were made during the Hōjō regency, in 1225 the third regent Hōjō Yasutoki established the Council of State, providing opportunities for other military lords to exercise judicial and legislative authority at Kamakura. The Hōjō regent presided over the council, which was a form of collective leadership
10.
Eisai
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Myōan Eisai/Yōsai was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with bringing both the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and green tea from China to Japan. He is often simply as Eisai/Yōsai Zenji, literally Zen master Eisai. Born in Bitchū Province, Eisai was ordained as a monk in the Tendai sect. He spent only six months in China on this first trip, but returned in 1187 for a stay as a disciple of Xuan Huaichang. After his certification as a Zen teacher, Eisai returned to Japan in 1191, bringing with him Zen scriptures and he immediately founded the Hōon Temple in remote Kyūshū, Japans first Zen temple. Eisai set about slowly propagating the new faith, trying to gain the respect of both the Tendai school and the Imperial court through careful diplomacy, hōjō Masako, Yoritomos widow, allowed him to build Jufuku-ji, the first Zen temple in Kamakura. Eisai founded Kennin-ji in Kyoto in 1202 on land gifted to him by Yoritomos son, Eisai died in 1215 at the age of 74, and is buried in Kennin-jis temple grounds. One feature of Eisais activity not often noted is his continued eclecticism and he never renounced his status as a Tendai monk, and until the end of his life continued to engage in Tendai esoteric practices. Though he is credited with transmission of the Rinzai line to Japan, among his notable disciples was Eihei Dōgen, who himself traveled to China and returned to found the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. Eisai is also credited with the beginning of the tea tradition in Japan, by bringing green tea seeds from China, back from his trip in 1191. Legend says that he planted the seeds “in the garden of the Ishigamibo at Seburiyama in Hizen. ”In addition to his book, Eisai also garnered attention from another act involving his tea, using it as treatment for Shogun Sanetomo. This is a record of his treatment from the Azuma Kagami, “The shogun was taken a bit ill and this was not so serious but was from overindulgence in wine the previous evening. The priest Yojo, who had come to perform incantations and learned the situation, brought a bowl of tea from his temple, saying it was good medicine. He also asked the attendants to give the shogun a scroll of writings about the virtues of tea, priest Yojo indicated he had written it recently during his breaks from meditation. Eisai claimed that the standard Japanese fare of the time contained abundant amounts of each, except for the bitter flavor and he asserted that his green tea was essential for providing the bitter flavor, and thereby keeping the heart healthy. During the Nara and Heian periods in Japan, Buddhism was used as a tool to unify the country, Eisai was a firm believer that it should be Zen Buddhism to aid the protection of the country. He identified previously established schools of Buddhism as responsible for contributing to Japan’s struggles, during this time, three major scriptures were created to promote this idea of a unified Buddhist Japan, the Lotus Sutra, Golden Light Sutra, and the Humane King Sutra. The writing promotes the Zen ideals to bring Buddhism back to its morals, eisai’s writing depends heavily on the idea that Buddhism is critical for a functioning society
11.
Rinzai school
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The Rinzai school is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism. Rinzai is the Japanese line of the Chinese Linji school, which was founded during the Tang Dynasty by Linji Yixuan, though there were several attempts to establish Rinzai lines in Japan, it first took root in a lasting way through the efforts of the monk Myōan Eisai. In 1168, Myōan Eisai traveled to China, whereafter he studied Tendai for twenty years, in 1187, he went to China again, and returned to establish a Linji lineage, which is known in Japan as Rinzai. Decades later, Nanpo Shōmyō also studied Linji teachings in China before founding the Japanese Ōtōkan lineage, the time during which Rinzai Zen was established in Japan also saw the rise of the samurai to power. Along with early support, Rinzai came to enjoy the patronage of this newly ascendant warrior class. During the Muromachi period, the Rinzai school was the most successful of the schools because it was favoured by the Shogun. The school may be said to have flowered and achieved a distinctly Japanese identity with Shūhō Myōchō and Musō Soseki. In the beginning of the Muromachi period, the Five Mountain System system was worked out. The final version contained five temples of both Kyoto and Kamakura, presided over by Nanzen-ji, a second tier of the system consisted of Ten Temples. This system was extended throughout Japan, effectively giving control to the central government, the monks, often well educated and skilled, were employed by the shogun for the governing of state affairs. Not all Rinzai Zen organisations were under strict state control. The Rinka monasteries, which were located in rural areas rather than cities, had a greater degree of independence. The Ōtōkan lineage, which centered on Daitoku-ji, also had a degree of freedom. It was founded by Nanpo Shōmyō, Shūhō Myōchō, and Kanzan Egen, a well-known teacher from Daitoku-ji was Ikkyū. Another Rinka lineage was the Hotto lineage, of which Bassui Tokushō is the best-known teacher, by the 18th century, the Rinzai school had entered a period of stagnation and decline. At that time, the monk Hakuin Ekaku became prominent as a revitalizer and organizer of Rinzai Zen, Hakuins systemization of the kōan training system serves today as the framework of formal Rinzai practice. All contemporary Rinzai-lineages stem from Inzan Ien and Takujū Kosen, both students of Gasan Jitō, Gasan is considered to be a dharma heir of Hakuin, though he did not belong to the close circle of disciples and was probably not even one of Hakuins dharma heirs. Through Hakuin, all contemporary Japanese Rinzai-lineages are part of the lineage, brought to Japan in 1267 by Nanpo Jomyo
12.
Kamakura
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Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about 50 kilometres south-south-west of Tokyo. Kamakura was designated as a city on November 3,1939, as of September 1,2016, the modern city has an estimated population of 172,302 and a population density of 4,358.77 persons per km². The total area is 39.53 km2, as a coastal city with a high number of seasonal festivals, as well as ancient Buddhist and Shinto shrines and temples, Kamakura is a popular tourist destination within Japan. Surrounded to the north, east and west by hills and to the south by the water of Sagami Bay. The natural fortification made Kamakura an easily defensible stronghold, to the north of the city stands Mt. Genji, which then passes behind the Daibutsu and reaches Inamuragasaki and the sea. From Kamakuras alluvional plain branch off numerous narrow valleys like the Urigayatsu, Shakadōgayatsu, Ōgigayatsu, Kamegayatsu, Hikigayatsu, Kamakura is crossed by the Namerigawa river, which goes from the Asaina Pass in northern Kamakura to the beach in Yuigahama for a total length of about 8 kilometres. The river marks the border between Zaimokuza and Yuigahama, in administrative terms, the municipality of Kamakura borders with Yokohama to the north, with Zushi to the east, and with Fujisawa to the west. North-west of Kamakura lies Yamanouchi, commonly called Kita-Kamakura because of the presence of East Japan Railway Companys Kita-Kamakura Station, Yamanouchi, however, was technically never a part of historical Kamakura since it is outside the Seven Entrances. Yamanouchi was the border of the city during the shogunate. Its name at the used to be Sakado-gō. The border post used to lie about a hundred meters past todays Kita-Kamakura train station in Ofunas direction. Although very small, Yamanouchi is famous for its traditional atmosphere and these three great temples were built here because Yamanouchi was the home territory of the Hōjō clan, a branch of the Taira clan which ruled Japan for 150 years. Among Kita-Kamakuras most illustrious citizens were artist Isamu Noguchi and movie director Yasujirō Ozu, Kamakuras defining feature is Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, a Shinto shrine in the center of the city. A1. 8-kilometre road runs from Sagami Bay directly to the shrine and this road is known as Wakamiya Ōji, the citys main street. Built by Minamoto no Yoritomo as an imitation of Kyotos Suzaku Ōji, Wakamiya Ōji used to be much wider, delimited on both sides by a 3 metre deep canal and flanked by pine trees. Walking from the beach toward the shrine, one passes through three torii, or Shinto gates, called respectively Ichi no Torii, Ni no Torii and San no Torii. Between the first and the second lies Geba Yotsukado which, as the name indicates, was the place where riders had to get off their horses in deference to Hachiman and his shrine. Approximately 100 metres after the second torii, the dankazura, a raised pathway flanked by trees that marks the center of Kamakura
13.
Minamoto no Yoriie
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Minamoto no Yoriie was the second shogun of Japans Kamakura shogunate, and the first son of first shogun Yoritomo. Before he was born, his father Yoritomo had Hōjō Tokimasa, when Yoriie later himself had an heir, Ichiman, the child was also born at the Hiki mansion to Hikis daughter Wakasa no Tsubone, a fact which further consolidated an already strong emotional bond. Yoriie showed when still very young great interest in military arts like fencing, after his fathers death in 1199, the 17-year-old became head of the Minamoto clan and was appointed seii taishogun in 1202. He was, however, criticized for his abandonment of his fathers policies, on June 30,1203 his remaining powers were formally taken from him and assumed by a council of 13 elders, headed by his grandfather Hōjō Tokimasa. Yoriie in turn plotted with the Hiki to subjugate the Hōjō clan, however, he failed, was put under house arrest and forced to abdicate, and was eventually assassinated on July 17,1204 in Izu. Yoriie was succeeded by his younger brother Sanetomo, the last of the Seiwa Genji line to rule, at least nominally, over Kamakura. Seriously ill, Yoriie proposed to both his younger brother Sanetomo, and his young son Minamoto no Ichiman to succeed him. It seemed natural to them that Hiki would then be the regent, even if unofficially, Hiki suggested to Yoriie, who would be assassinated shortly afterwards by a separate faction, that they arrange to have Sanetomo killed. Hōjō Masako, Yoriies mother and wife of the first shogun Yoritomo, on a pretext, Hōjō Tokimasa invited Hiki Yoshikazu to his home and assassinated him. A battle between the clans ensued, the Hiki were defeated by a coalition of the Hōjō, Wada, Miura, Yoriie died in Shuzenji, a small town in what was later called Izu Province, assassinated by his uncle Hōjō Tokimasa. But all of his son died of a violent death, victims of the struggle that followed Yoritomos sudden death. His mother Wakasa no Tsubone was Hiki Yoshikazus daughter, and the child was brought up by the Hiki clan, there are contrasting versions of his death, but in any case he died in the fire that destroyed the Hiki residence. Third son Senju-maru was 12 when Izumi Chikahira rebelled against the Hōjō to make the child shogun, after Chikahiras defeat, the child was forced to become a Buddhist monk like his older brother Yoshinari. A year later Wada Yoshimori also rebelled but, like Chikahira, was defeated, the years in which Yoriie was shogun are all within only one era name or nengō, Kennin. Fukaku Aruku - Kamakura Shiseki Sansaku Vol.1 &2, ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5, OCLC58053128 Papinot, Edmund. Dictionnaire dhistoire et de géographie du japon, tokyo, Librarie Sansaisha. Click link for digitized 1906 Nobiliaire du japon Titsingh, Isaac. Nihon Odai Ichiran, ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, paris, Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. Ōmachi, by the Kamakura Citizens Net, accessed on September 30,2008
14.
Kyoto
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Kyoto is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a close to 1.5 million. Kyoto is also known as the thousand-year capital, in Japanese, the city has been called Kyō, Miyako, or Kyō no Miyako. In the 11th century, the city was renamed Kyoto, after the Chinese word for capital city, after the city of Edo was renamed Tokyo in 1868, and the seat of the Emperor was transferred there, Kyoto was known for a short time as Saikyō. Obsolete spellings for the name include Kioto, Miaco and Meaco. Another term commonly used to refer to the city in the period was Keishi. His last choice for the site was the village of Uda, the new city, Heian-kyō, a scaled replica of the then Tang capital Changan, became the seat of Japans imperial court in 794, beginning the Heian period of Japanese history. The city suffered destruction in the Ōnin War of 1467–1477. Battles between samurai factions spilled into the streets, and came to involve the court nobility and religious factions as well, nobles mansions were transformed into fortresses, deep trenches dug throughout the city for defense and as firebreaks, and numerous buildings burned. The city has not seen such widespread destruction since, Hideyoshi also built earthwork walls called odoi encircling the city. Teramachi Street in central Kyoto is a Buddhist temple quarter where Hideyoshi gathered temples in the city, throughout the Edo period, the economy of the city flourished as one of three major cities in Japan, the others being Osaka and Edo. The Hamaguri rebellion of 1864 burnt down 28,000 houses in the city, the modern city of Kyoto was formed on April 1,1889. The construction of Lake Biwa Canal in 1890 is one taken to revive the city. The population of the city exceeded one million in 1932, stimson, Secretary of War in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, the city was removed from the list of targets and replaced by Nagasaki. The city was spared from conventional bombing as well, although small-scale air raids did result in casualties. As a result, the Imperial City of Kyoto is one of the few Japanese cities that still have an abundance of prewar buildings, however, modernization is continually breaking down the traditional Kyoto in favor of newer architecture, such as the Kyōto Station complex. Kyoto became a city designated by government ordinance on September 1,1956, in 1997, Kyoto hosted the conference that resulted in the protocol on greenhouse gas emissions that bears the citys name. Kyoto is located in a valley, part of the Yamashiro Basin, in the part of the mountainous region known as the Tamba highlands
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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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Hidden roof
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The hidden roof is a type of roof widely used in Japan both at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. It is composed of a roof above and a second roof beneath, permitting an outer roof of steep pitch to have eaves of shallow pitch, jutting widely from the walls. Invented in Japan during the 10th century, its earliest extant example is Hōryū-jis Daikō-dō, Japanese Buddhist architecture and most Shinto architecture are not indigenous, but were imported from China and Korea together with Buddhism around the 6th century. Climate in Japan being different from that on the continent, several adaptations became necessary. During the previous Nara period, the elements of a roof were considered ornamental. The rafters supporting the eaves would enter the building and would then be visible from below. Above the rafters would be laid directly the roofing material, for example wood shingles and this is the structure of Hōryū-jis kon-dō or five-storied pagoda. Because the local climate is more moist than in either China or Korea, due the permeable nature of the walls, and the lack of channelled roof drainage, it was necessary that eaves project far from the walls. On a roof of pitch, the wide eaves were also deep, restricting light to the windows. The solution devised by Japanese artisans was to construct a hidden roof raised above a ceiling which had non-structural rafters as aesthetic elements, from the hidden roof projected the principal rafters of the shallow-pitched eaves. The structural elements of the roof were raised above this. The earliest extant example of hidden roof is Hōryū-jis Daikō-dō, built in 990 and was discovered only in the 1930s during repair work. This structure not only solved drainage problems, but eliminated deep shadows and it was as a consequence extremely successful and was widely adopted all over the country. Because the hidden roof allowed the structure of the roof to be changed at will with no impact on the underlying building, for example, Fuki-jis Ō-dō has a square roof over a rectangular footprint. Ways were also found to use of the space between the two roofs. For example, at Jōruri-ji in Kyōto part of the Hon-dōs ceiling was raised above the rest to space to the room. Later it would become common to raise the roof above the entire core of a temple building. The same evolution we have seen in Buddhist architecture can be seen in the roofs of several Shinto architectural styles it influenced, the kasuga-zukuri, nagare-zukuri, hachiman-zukuri, hie-zukuri all followed the evolution path we have seen
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Mokoshi
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In Japanese architecture a mokoshi, literally skirt storey or cuff storey, is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any division, the mokoshi gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are. It is usually a ken deep and is most commonly seen in Buddhist temples and pagodas. The mokoshi normally covers a hisashi, a walled aisle surrounding a building on one or more sides, the roofing material for the mokoshi can be the same or different as in the main roof. The name derives from the fact that it surrounds and hides the main building like the cuff of a pair of pants and its purpose was in fact to hide the thick sustaining pillars of the structure, making it look lighter and simpler. It has been used extensively by the Zen sects in various structures of its temple complexes, another name for a mokoshi is yuta, hence the name yuta-zukuri given to the style of a building featuring it. This name started being used during the Middle Ages, and stems from the idea that its presence offered protection from snow, the three storied east pagoda of Yakushi-ji seems to have six stories because of the presence of a mokoshi between each story. The first of the two stories at Hōryū-ji has a mokoshi, which was added in the Nara period with extra posts. These were needed to hold up the original first roof, which extended more than four meters past the building, hōryū-jis is the oldest extant example of mokoshi. The butsuden of a Zen temple usually has a mokoshi, and therefore looks like a two-story building, the following structures all have a mokoshi
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Tendai
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Tendai is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school. David W. Philosophically, the Tendai school did not deviate substantially from the beliefs that had created by the Tiantai school in China. However, what Saichō transmitted from China was not exclusively Tiantai, but also included Zen, the esoteric Mikkyō, the tendency to include a range of teachings became more marked in the doctrines of Saichōs successors, such as Ennin and Enchin. However, in years, this range of teachings began to form sub-schools within Tendai Buddhism. By the time of Ryōgen, there were two groups on Mt. Hiei, the Sammon Mountain Group who followed Ennin and the Jimon Temple Group who followed Enchin. The Tendai sect flourished under the patronage of the Imperial House, in 794, the Imperial capital was moved to Kyoto. Tendai Buddhism became the dominant form of mainstream Buddhism in Japan for many years, nichiren, Hōnen, Shinran and Dōgen—all famous thinkers in non-Tendai schools of Japanese Buddhism—were all initially trained as Tendai monks. Japanese Buddhism was dominated by the Tendai school to a greater degree than Chinese Buddhism was by its forebearer. Due to its patronage and growing popularity among the classes, the Tendai sect became not only respected. Enryaku-ji, the complex on Mt. Hiei, became a sprawling center of power, attended not only by ascetic monks. As a result, in 1571 Enryaku-ji was razed by Oda Nobunaga as part of his campaign to unify Japan, Nobunaga regarded the Mt. Hiei monks as a potential threat or rival, as they could employ religious claims to attempt to rally the populace to their side. The temple complex was rebuilt, and continues to serve as the head temple of the Tendai school today. Chih-i, founder of Tien-tai philosophy and practice attempted this synthesis on the basis of the doctrine of the Lotus Sutra. Tendai Buddhism has several philosophical insights which allow for the reconciliation of Buddhist doctrine with aspects of Japanese culture such as Shinto and it is rooted in the idea, fundamental to Mahayana Buddhism, that Buddha-hood, the capability to attain enlightenment, is intrinsic in all things. Also central to Mahayana is the notion that the phenomenal world and this notion poses the problem of how we come to have many differentiated experiences. Tendai Buddhism claims that each and every sense phenomenon just as it is is the expression of Dharma, for Tendai, the ultimate expression of Dharma is the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, the nature of all sense experiences consists in the Buddhas preaching of the doctrine of Lotus Sutra. The existence and experience of all unenlightened beings is fundamentally equivalent, more specifically, Shimaji used original enlightenment thought to designate the intellectual mainstream of medieval Japanese Tendai Buddhism
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Shingon Buddhism
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For that reason, it is often called Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, or Orthodox Esoteric Buddhism. The word Shingon is the Japanese reading of Chinese, 真言 Zhēnyán True Words, Kūkai returned to Japan as Huiguos lineage- and Dharma-successor. Shingon followers usually refer to Kūkai as Kōbō-Daishi or Odaishi-sama, the name given to him years after his death by Emperor Daigo. Before he went to China, Kūkai had been an independent monk in Japan for over a decade and he was extremely well versed in classical Chinese prose, calligraphy and Buddhist texts. Esoteric Buddhism was not considered to be a different sect or school yet at that time, Huiguo was the first person to gather the still scattered elements of Indian and Chinese Esoteric Buddhism into a cohesive system. When Kūkai was 22, he learned this mantra from Gonsō and he persevered in this mantra practice for seven years and mastered it. According to tradition, this brought him siddhis of superhuman memory retention. Kūkai would later praise the power and efficacy of Kokuzō-Gumonjiho practice, kūkais respect for Ākāśagarbha was so great that he regarded him as his honzon for the rest of his life. It was also during this period of intense mantra practice that Kūkai dreamt of a man telling him to out the Mahavairocana Tantra for the doctrine that he sought. The Mahavairocana Tantra had only recently made available in Japan. He was able to obtain a copy in Chinese but large portions were in Sanskrit in the Siddhaṃ script, which he did not know, and even the Chinese portions were too arcane for him to understand. He believed that teaching was a door to the truth he sought. Thus, Kūkai resolved to travel to China to spend the necessary to fully understand the Mahavairocana Tantra. When Kūkai reached China and first met Huiguo on the month of 805, Huiguo was age sixty. Huiguo exclaimed to Kūkai in Chinese, At last, you have come, I have been waiting for you. Quickly, prepare yourself for initiation into the mandalas, Huiguo had foreseen that Esoteric Buddhism would not survive in India and China in the near future and that it was Kukais destiny to see it continue in Japan. In the short space of three months, Huiguo initiated and taught Kūkai everything he knew on the doctrines and practices of the Mandala of the Two Realms as well as mastery of Sanskrit and Chinese. Huiguo declared Kūkai to be his disciple and proclaimed him a Dharma successor
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Sanmon
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It can be however often found in temples of other denominations too. Most sanmon are 2- or 3-bay nijūmon, but the name by itself does not imply any specific architecture and its importance notwithstanding, the sanmon is not the first gate of the temple, and in fact it usually stands between the sōmon and the butsuden. The sanmons size is an indicator of a Zen temples status, structurally, the sanmon of a first rank temple as Nanzen-ji in Kyoto is a two-storied, 5x2 bay, three entrance gate. Its three gates are called kūmon, musōmon and muganmon and symbolize the three gates to enlightenment, or satori, entering, pilgrims can symbolically free themselves from the three passions of ton, shin, and chi. The fact the gate has entrances but no doors, and cannot therefore be closed, a temple of the second rank will have a two-storied, 3x2-bay, single entrance gate. The second story of a first or second rank temple usually contains statues of Shakyamuni or of goddess Kannon, and of the 16 Rakan, and hosts periodical religious ceremonies. The side bays of sanmon of the first two ranks may also house statues of the Niō, wardens who are in charge of repelling evil, a third rank temple will have a single-storied, lx2-bay, single entrance gate. Some images of the story of Kōmyō-jis sanmon in Kamakura. It is a high rank Jōdo sect sanmon, the largest of the Kantō region, case 1 Chion-ins sanmon - The most important sanmon in Japan. Review of Daitokuji, The Visual Cultures of a Zen Monastery by Gregory P. A. Levine, sanmon from the Japanese Art Net User System online dictionary accessed on May 2,2009 Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten, CD-Rom Version
21.
Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)
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Main hall is the term used in English for the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound which enshrines the main object of veneration. Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English term translates several Japanese words, among them Butsuden, Butsu-dō, kondō, konpon-chūdō, and hondō. Hondō is its exact Japanese equivalent, while the others are more specialized words used by particular sects or for edifices having a particular structure, the term kondō, literally golden hall, started to be used during the Asuka and Nara periods. A kondō is the centerpiece of an ancient Buddhist temples garan in Japan, the origin of the name is uncertain, but it may derive from the perceived preciousness of its content, or from the fact that the interior was lined with gold. This is the used by the oldest temples in the country. The second story has the dimensions as the temples core at the first story. Some temples, for example Asuka-dera or Hōryū-ji, have more than one kondō, because of its limited size, worshipers were not allowed to enter the building and had to stand outside. The kondō and a pagoda were usually surrounded by a corridor called kairō, the use of kondō declined after the 10th century, when it was replaced by a hondō divided in naijin and gejin. The term remained in use even up to the Edo period. The term hondō, literally means hall and it enshrines the most important objects of veneration. The term is thought to have evolved during the 9th century to avoid the early term kondō and it became common after the introduction of the two Mikkyo sects to Japan. Various new types of buildings, including the hondō, were built during the Heian period. Different buildings were called hondō depending on the sect, for example, the kondō, the chudō, mieidō, a notable evolution of the hondō during this period is the inclusion of a space for worshipers inside the hondō itself, called gejin. Other names such as Konpon-chūdō, literally cardinal central hall are used as well, the Tokugawa funeral temple of Kanei-ji, which had been built explicitly to imitate Enryaku-ji, also had one, though it has not survived. Yama-dera in Yamagata is another example of a temple using this name, the Butsuden or Butsu-dō, literally Buddha Hall, is the main hall of Zen temples of schools such as the Sōtō 曹洞 and Rinzai 臨済. This architectonic style arrived together with Zen during the Kamakura period and it is also known that during the 13th and 14th centuries very large butsuden measuring 5x5 bays square having a mokoshi were built, but none survives. Large size 3x3 bay butsuden with a mokoshi however still exist, in the case of the Ōbaku Zen school that arrived late in Japan, the architecture retained the Ming Chinese style. The hondō of Ōbaku Zen temples is usually called daiyū-hōden, literally ‘the Treasured Hall of the Mahāvīra ’, an example can be found at Mampuku-ji
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Cantilever
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A cantilever is a rigid structural element, such as a beam or a plate, anchored at only one end to a support from which it is protruding. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs, when subjected to a structural load, the cantilever carries the load to the support where it is forced against by a moment and shear stress. Cantilevers are widely found in construction, notably in cantilever bridges and balconies, in cantilever bridges the cantilevers are usually built as pairs, with each cantilever used to support one end of a central section. The Forth Bridge in Scotland is an example of a truss bridge. A cantilever in a timber framed building is called a jetty or forebay. In the southern United States a historic barn type is the barn of log construction. Temporary cantilevers are used in construction. The partially constructed structure creates a cantilever, but the structure does not act as a cantilever. This is very helpful when temporary supports, or falsework, cannot be used to support the structure while it is being built. So some truss arch bridges are built each side as cantilevers until the spans reach each other and are then jacked apart to stress them in compression before final joining. Nearly all cable-stayed bridges are built using cantilevers as this is one of their chief advantages, many box girder bridges are built segmentally, or in short pieces. This type of construction lends itself well to balanced cantilever construction where the bridge is built in both directions from a single support and these structures are highly based on torque and rotational equilibrium. In an architectural application, Frank Lloyd Wrights Fallingwater used cantilevers to project large balconies, the East Stand at Elland Road Stadium in Leeds was, when completed, the largest cantilever stand in the world holding 17,000 spectators. The roof built over the stands at Old Trafford Football Ground uses a cantilever so that no supports will block views of the field, the old, now demolished Miami Stadium had a similar roof over the spectator area. The largest cantilever in Europe is located at St James Park in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, less obvious examples of cantilevers are free-standing radio towers without guy-wires, and chimneys, which resist being blown over by the wind through cantilever action at their base. Another use of the cantilever is in fixed-wing aircraft design, pioneered by Hugo Junkers in 1915, early aircraft wings typically bore their loads by using two wings in a biplane configuration braced with wires and struts. They were similar to bridges, having been developed by Octave Chanute. The wings were braced with crossed wires so they would stay parallel, the cables and struts generated considerable drag, and there was constant experimentation for ways to eliminate them
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Transom (architectural)
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In architecture, a transom is a transverse horizontal structural beam or bar, or a crosspiece separating a door from a window above it. This contrasts with a mullion, a structural member. Transom or transom window is also the customary U. S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece. In Britain, the light is usually referred to as a fanlight if of a semi-circular shape. A well-known example of this is at the entrance of 10 Downing Street. In the later Gothic, and more especially the Perpendicular Period, the phrase over the transom refers to works submitted for publication without being solicited. The image evoked is of a writer tossing a manuscript through the window over the door of the publishers office. Similarly, the phrase is used to describe the means by which confidential documents, architectural details called ranma are often found above doors in traditional Japanese houses and buildings. These details can be anything from simple shōji-style dividers to elaborate wooden carvings, roof lantern Sidelight Skylight Fortochka Media related to Transom at Wikimedia Commons
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Mon (architecture)
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Mon is a generic Japanese term for gate often used, either alone or as a suffix, in referring to the many gates used by Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and traditional-style buildings and castles. In many cases, for example that of the sanmon, a gate has purifying, cleansing properties. Gate size is measured in ken, where a ken is the interval between two pillars of a traditional-style buildings, a temples rōmon for example can have dimensions from a maximum of 5x2 ken to a more common 3x2 ken, down to even one ken. The word is translated in English as bay and is better understood as an indication of proportions than as a unit of measurement. As the temples belong to, gates can be in the wayō, daibutsuyō, zenyō or setchūyō style. They can be named after, Their location, as the chūmon or of the omotemon or the karametemon, the deity they house, as the Niōmon, a gate enshrining two gods called Niō in its outer bays. Their structure or shape, as the nijūmon and the rōmon and their function, as the sanmon, which is the most important gate of a Zen or Jōdo temple. Not all such terms are mutually exclusive and the gate may be called with different names according to the situation. For example, a Niōmon can also be called a nijūmon if it has two stories. Very different structurally from the others is the toriimon, a gate in stone or wood regularly associated with Shinto. As prominent a temple as Osakas Shitennō-ji, founded in 593 by Shōtoku Taishi, the origins of the torii are unknown, although several theories on the subject exist, none has gained universal acceptance. It most often marks the entrance of a Shinto shrine. For this reason, it is never closed, hakkyakumon or Yatsuashimon - so called because of its eight secondary pillars, which support four main pillars standing under the gates ridge. It therefore really has twelve pillars altogether, heijūmon - A gate in a wall consisting in just two square posts. Kabukimon - A gate in a formed by two square posts and a horizontal beam. Chinese gate - A gate characterized by a karahafu, an undulating bargeboard peculiar to Japan, karamon are used at Japanese castles, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Kōraimon - Used at castles, temples and daimyō residences, it consists of a tiled, gabled roof on two pillars, plus two smaller roofs over the pillars on the rear of the gate. Masugata. - A defensive structure consisting in a courtyard along the wall of a castle with two gates set at an angle, one giving access to the castle and one facing the outside
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Ken (unit)
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The ken is a traditional Japanese unit of length, equal to six Japanese feet. The exact value has varied over time and location but has generally been a shorter than 2 meters. It is now standardized as 1 9/11 meter, in this context, it is commonly translated as bay. The length also appears in contexts, such as the standard length of the bō staff in Japanese martial arts. As these are used to cover the floors of most Japanese houses, floor surfaces are commonly measured not in square meters. Among English loanwords of Japanese origin, both ken and ma are derived from readings of the same character 間 and this kanji graphically combines 門 door and 日 sun. The earlier variant character 閒 was written with 月 moon rather than sun, unlike most Japanese units, the ken is not based on a Chinese original but is a local development. A buildings proportions were measured in ken, as for example in the case of Enryaku-jis Konponchū-dō, inside buildings, available space was often divided in squares measuring one ken across, and each square was then called a ma, term written with the same Chinese character as ken. Traditional buildings usually measure an odd number of bays, for example 3×3 or 5×5, a type of temples gate called rōmon can have dimensions going from 5×2 bays to the more common 3×2 bays down to even 1×1 bay. The Zen butsuden in the illustration measures 5×5 ken across externally because its 3×3 ken core is surrounded by a 1-ken aisle called hisashi, the value of a ken could change from building to building, but was usually kept constant within the same structure. Kasuga Taishas tiny hondens dimensions, for example, are 1×1 in ken, in the case of Izumo Taishas honden, a ken is 6.32 m, well above its standard value. The distance between pillars was standardized very early and started being used as a unit of measurement, land area in particular was measured using the ken as a basis. The unit was born out of the necessity to measure land surface to calculate taxes, at the time of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ken was about 1.97 m, but around 1650 the Tokugawa shogunate reduced it to 1.818 m specifically to increase taxes. After the Edo period, the ken started to be called kyōma, Japanese Art Net User System Dictionary of Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology, articles Kasuga-zukuri, Ken and Kondō. Accessed on May 6,2009 Iwanami Kōjien Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition, DVD version
26.
Shinto shrine
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A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house one or more Shinto kami. Its most important building is used for the safekeeping of sacred objects, structurally, a Shinto shrine is usually characterized by the presence of a honden or sanctuary, where the kami is enshrined. The honden may however be completely absent, as for example when the stands on a sacred mountain to which it is dedicated. There may be a haiden and other structures as well, however, a shrines most important building is used for the safekeeping of sacred objects rather than for worship. Miniature shrines can occasionally be found on roadsides, large shrines sometimes have on their precincts miniature shrines. The portable shrines which are carried on poles during festivals enshrine kami and are therefore true shrines. in 927 CE and this work listed all of the 2,861 Shinto shrines existing at the time, and the 3,131 official-recognized and enshrined Kami. Certainly, that number has grown and greatly exceeded this figure through the following generations, in Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan placed the number of shrines at 79,467, mostly affiliated with the Association of Shinto Shrines. Some shrines, such as the Yasukuni Shrine are totally independent of any outside authority, the number of Shinto shrines in Japan is estimated to be around 100,000. This figure may, or may not, include private shrines in homes and owned by groups, abandoned or derelict shrines. Ancestors are kami to be worshiped, yayoi-period village councils sought the advice of ancestors and other kami, and developed instruments to evoke them. Yoshishiro means approach substitute and were conceived to attract the kami to allow them physical space, village-council sessions were held in quiet spots in the mountains or in forests near great trees or other natural objects that served as yorishiro. These sacred places and their yorishiro gradually evolved into todays shrines, whose origins can be seen in the Japanese words for mountain and forest. Many shrines have on their grounds one of the original great yorishiro, the first buildings at places dedicated to worship were surely huts built to house some yorishiro. A trace of this origin can be found in the term hokura, deity storehouse, which evolved into hokora, true shrines arose with the beginning of agriculture, when the need arose to attract kami to ensure good harvests. These were, however, just temporary structures built for a particular purpose, Ōmiwa Shrine in Nara, for example, contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve the mountain on which it stands. Those images or objects are therefore unnecessary, for the same reason, it has a worship hall but no place to house the kami. Archeology confirms that, during the Yayoi period, the most common shintai in the earliest shrines were nearby mountain peaks that supplied water to the plains where people lived. Besides the already mentioned Ōmiwa Shrine, another important example is Mount Nantai, significantly, the name Nantai means mans body
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Japanese castle
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Japanese castles were fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such as ports, river crossings, or crossroads, and almost always incorporated the landscape into their defenses. Though they were built to last and used more stone in their construction than most Japanese buildings, castles were constructed primarily of wood. This was especially true during the Sengoku period, when many of these castles were first built, however, many were rebuilt, either later in the Sengoku period, in the Edo period that followed, or more recently, as national heritage sites or museums. Today there are more than one hundred castles extant, or partially extant, in Japan, some castles, such as the ones at Matsue and Kōchi, both built in 1611, remain extant in their original forms, not having suffered any damage from sieges or other threats. Hiroshima Castle, on the end of the spectrum, was destroyed in the atomic bombing. The character for castle, 城, by itself read as shiro, is read as jō when attached to a word, thus, for example, Osaka Castle is called Ōsaka-jō in Japanese. Originally conceived as fortresses for military defense, Japanese castles were placed in locations, along trade routes, roads. Though castles continued to be built with these considerations, for centuries, fortresses were built as centres of governance. By the Sengoku period, they had come to serve as the homes of daimyōs, to impress and to intimidate rivals not only with their defences but also with their sizes, architecture, and elegant interiors. Azuchi served as the center of Odas territories, and as his lavish home. Before the Sengoku period, most castles were called yamajirō, though most later castles were built atop mountains or hills, these were built from the mountains. Trees and other foliage were cleared, and the stone and dirt of the mountain itself was carved into rough fortifications, ditches were dug, to present obstacles to attackers, as well as to allow boulders to be rolled down at attackers. Moats were created by diverting mountain streams, buildings were made primarily of wattle and daub, using thatched roofs, or, occasionally, wooden shingles. Small ports in the walls or planks could be used to deploy bows or fire guns from, the main weakness of this style was its general instability. Thatch caught fire more easily than wood, and weather. Eventually, stone began to be used, encasing the hilltop in a layer of fine pebbles
28.
Nanzen-ji
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Nanzen-ji, or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly Zenrin-ji, is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace and it is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. The precincts of Nanzen-ji are a nationally designated Historic Site and the Hōjō gardens a Place of Scenic Beauty, Nanzen-ji was founded in the middle Kamakura period. It was destroyed by fire in 1393,1447, and 1467, rebuilt in 1597, a large complex, it has varied over time between nine and twelve sub-temples. Zenkei Shibayama, who provided a commentary on the Mumonkan, was an abbot of the monastery. Nanzen-ji is not itself considered one of the five great Zen temples of Kyoto, however, tenryū-ji is considered to be one of the so-called Kyoto Gozan or five great Zen temples of Kyoto, along with Shōkoku-ji, Kennin-ji, Tōfuku-ji, and Manju-ji. The head temple presiding over the Gozan in Kyoto is Nanzen-ji, after the completion of Shōkoku-ji by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1386, a new ranking system was created with Nanzen-ji at the top and in a class of its own. Nanzen-ji had the title of First Temple of The Land and played a supervising role, the temples Sanmon gate was originally constructed in the 13th century, destroyed in 1369 at the order of the government, and reconstructed in 1628. The hōjō of Nanzen-ji is notable both for its gardens and its art, the garden of the hōjō is considered one of the most significant examples of karesansui gardens, and was built in the 1600s by Kobori Enshu. The garden mirrors natural forms, and is seventy percent gravel and it has been designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty. The hōjō itself, also known as the Seiryo-den, was given to the temple by the Emperor Go-Yōzei and it contains a variety of important screen paintings on gold backgrounds, including two of tigers by Kanō Tanyū. It has been designated a National Treasure
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Daitoku-ji
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Daitoku-ji is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. It is located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan, the mountain name by which it is known is Ryūhōzan. The Daitoku-ji temple complex today covers more than 23 hectares, Daitoku-ji originated as a small monastery founded in 1315 or 1319 by the monk Shūhō Myōchō, who is known by the title Daitō Kokushi given by Emperor Go-Daigo. In 1325, the monastery was converted into a hall for the imperial court at the request of the retired Emperor Hanazono. Like many other temples in Kyoto during that time, the buildings were destroyed by fire. In 1474, which was when Kyoto was the scene of the Onin War, with the help of merchants of the city of Sakai, Ikkyū contributed significantly to the temples rehabilitation. From its earliest days, the temple experienced alternating periods of fortune and decline and this can be attributed to the rivalries and conflicts between Daitoku-ji and other well-known Zen temples, as well as between Daitoku-ji and the political authorities. In 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi buried his predecessor, Oda Nobunaga and he also contributed land and built the Sōken-in. Around this period in history, Daitoku-ji became closely linked to the master of the Japanese tea ceremony, Sen no Rikyū, and consequently to the realm of the Japanese tea ceremony. After the era of Sen no Rikyū, another figure in the history of the Japanese tea ceremony who left his mark at this temple was Kobori Enshū. List of National Treasures of Japan List of National Treasures of Japan List of National Treasures of Japan List of National Treasures of Japan List of National Treasures of Japan Levine, daitokuji, The Visual Cultures of a Zen Monastery. Daitoku-ji - halls, sub-temples Photos of Daitoku-ji and its sub-temples
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Engaku-ji
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Not to be confused with Enryaku-ji in Kyoto. Zuirokuzan Engaku Kōshō Zenji, or Engaku-ji, is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakuras Five Mountains and it is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa prefecture to the south of Tokyo. The temple was founded in 1282 by a Chinese Zen monk at the request of the ruler of Japan. The fortunes of the temple have waxed and waned over the centuries and its present form is owed to the Zen priest Seisetsu, who reconstructed and consolidated it towards the end of the Edo era. Zazen courses are held in the temple. Fire has damaged many of the buildings at different times, there are altogether 18 temples on the site.5 metres tall the largest of all the many temple bells of Kamakura. Grave of film director Yasujirō Ozu, marked mu Of these, the Shari-den, there is an admission fee for visitors to enter the temple complex, and additional similar charges to enter a few of the buildings. For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, list of National Treasures of Japan Richmond, S. & Dodd, J. Rough guide to Japan, 3rd edn. Information leaflet issued by the temple authorities Kamakura travel guide from Wikivoyage Official website Engakuji Temple at Kamakura, History & Historic Sites Engakuji
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