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Chikubu Island
is a small island in the northern part of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, in the Kansai region of Japan. It has been known since ancient times for the beauty of its scenery and for its small Shinto shrine and Buddhist temples. Administratively, the island is part of the city of Nagahama, Shiga. The island is both a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site. Geology Located about 2 kilometers south of Cape Tsuzurao, Chikubushima is the second largest island in Lake Biwa after . It has a circumference is about two kilometers and a maximum elevation of 197 meters. The entire island is a granite monolith with steep rock walls, with only one port located on the southern end. The bottom of the lake around the island is deep, and the western part is the deepest part of Lake Biwa (104.1meters). The temples, shrines and several souvenir shops are located near the harbor. Religious and store employees come from outside the island; the island is uninhabited at night. ...
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List Of Regions Of Japan
Japan is divided into eight regions. They are not official administrative units, though they have been used by government officials for statistical and other purposes since 1905. They are widely used in, for example, maps, geography textbooks, and weather reports, and many businesses and institutions use their home regions in their names, for example Kintetsu Railway, Kinki Nippon Railway, list of banks in Japan, Chūgoku Bank, and Tōhoku University. Each region contains one or more of the country's Prefectures of Japan, 47 prefectures. Of the four Japanese Archipelago, main islands of Japan, Hokkaido, Hokkaidō, Shikoku, and Kyushu, Kyūshū make up one region each, the latter also containing the Satsunan Islands, while the largest island Honshu, Honshū is divided into five regions. Okinawa Prefecture is usually included in Kyūshū, but is sometimes treated as its own ninth region. Japan has eight High Courts, but their jurisdictions do not correspond to the eight regions ...
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Ilex Integra
''Ilex integra'', the elegance female holly, also called mochi tree, is an ornamental tree of the holly genus, which is native to parts of Asia, including Korea; Taiwan; the mid-southern regions of China; and Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. Its flower is light yellow. The species was botanically described in 1784. Uses The bark of the ''Ilex integra'' is an ingredient in birdlime Birdlime or bird lime is an adhesive substance used in trapping birds. It is spread on a branch or twig, upon which a bird may land and be caught. Its use is illegal in many jurisdictions. Manufacture Historically, the substance has been prepa ..., and it is also sometimes planted as a sacred tree. Image:Ilex integra4.jpg, ''Ilex integra'' References External links ''Ilex integra'' integra Plants described in 1784 Flora of China Flora of Taiwan Flora of Japan Trees of Korea {{Ilex-stub ...
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Enoshima Shrine
Enoshima Shrine (江島神社) is a Shinto shrine in Enoshima, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. The shrine is dedicated to the worship of the ''kami'' Benten. Enoshima-jinja consists of three shrines, He-tsu-miya, Naka-tsu-miya and Oku-tsu-miya. Per legend, 12th century Japanese ruler Hōjō Tokimasa visited the shrine to pray for prosperity, and there received a prophecy from a mysterious woman, who also left behind three scales, which became his family crest. See also *Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten The Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten (日本三大弁天) are a group of Japanese shrines dedicated to the worship of the goddess Benzaiten. During the Meiji (era), Meiji Era Shinbutsu bunri, separation of Shinto and Buddhism the veneration of the B ... Beppyo shrines References {{Authority control Shinto shrines in Kanagawa Prefecture 552 establishments 6th-century establishments in Japan 6th-century Shinto shrines Shinbutsu bunri Ken-sha ...
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Shinbutsu-shūgō
''Shinbutsu-shūgō'' (, "syncretism of kami and buddhas"), also called Shinbutsu shū (, "god buddha school") Shinbutsu-konkō (, "jumbling up" or "contamination of kami and buddhas"), is the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism that was Japan's only organized religion up until the Meiji period. Beginning in 1868, the new Meiji government approved a series of laws that separated Japanese native kami worship, on one side, from Buddhism which had assimilated it, on the other. When Buddhism was introduced from China in the Asuka period (6th century) the Japanese tried to reconcile the new beliefs with the older Shinto beliefs, assuming both were true. As a consequence, Buddhist temples (, ''tera'') were attached to local Shinto shrines (, ''jinja'') and vice versa and devoted to both kami and buddhas. The local religion and foreign Buddhism never quite fused, but remained inextricably linked to the present day through interaction. The depth of the influence from Buddhism on local re ...
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Hōgon-ji
The Hogon-ji Temple is located on the sacred Chikubu Island in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It is part of a temple complex on the revered island. It is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten. Also, it is said to have first been built in 724 CE under the order of Emperor Shōmu.Watsky, A. M. (2004). ''Chikubushima: Deploying the sacred arts in momoyama japan.'' Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. The temple has been rebuilt a few times over the years, with a major rebuilding around 1602 CE by the Japanese court officials Toyotomi Hideyori and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The temple looks to be of Amida style architecture.Parent, M. N. (1983). ''The roof in japanese buddhist architecture.'' New York, NY: Weatherhill/ Kajima. The temple's gate is originally from the Toyokuni Shrine in Kyoto, but was moved to Chikubu Island during the renovations in 1602. The artwork on the temple's gate has features reminiscent of the Momoyama Period.Hickman, M. L., Carpenter, J. T., Coats ...
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Tsukubusuma Shrine
Tsukubusuma Shrine (都久夫須麻神社, ''Tsukubusuma Jinja'') is a Shinto shrine on Chikubu Island in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Its is a National Treasure of Japan. The shrine's main festival is held annually on June 15. It is also called Chikubushima Shrine (竹生島神社, ''Chikubushima Jinja''). See also * List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines) The number of Shinto shrines in Japan today has been estimated at more than 150,000. Single structure shrines are the most common. Shrine buildings might also include oratories (in front of main sanctuary), purification halls, offering halls called ... References *Joseph Cali with John Dougill, ''Shinto Shrines: A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion'' (University of Hawai'i Press, 2013). Religious buildings and structures completed in 710 Shinto shrines in Shiga Prefecture 8th-century establishments in Japan 8th-century Shinto shrines {{Shinto-stub ...
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Four Heavenly Kings
The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom is believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese mythology, they are known collectively as the "Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn" () or "Sìdà Tiānwáng" (). In the ancient language Sanskrit, they are called the "Chaturmahārāja" (चतुर्महाराज) or "Chaturmahārājikādeva": "Four Great Heavenly Kings". The Hall of Four Heavenly Kings is a standard component of Chinese Buddhist temples. Names The Kings are collectively named as follows: The Four Heavenly Kings are said to currently live in the Cāturmahārājika heaven (Pali: Cātummahārājika, "Of the Four Great Kings") on the lower slopes of Mount Sumeru, which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas of the Kāmadhātu. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma. File:Guardian of Phra Meru Mas of Bhumibol Adulyadej - Vessav ...
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Gyōki
was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Nara period, born in Ōtori county, Kawachi Province (now Sakai, Osaka), the son of Koshi no Saichi. According to one theory, one of his ancestors was of Korean descent. Gyōki became a monk at Asuka-dera, a temple in Nara, at the age of 15 and studied under Dōshō as one of his first pupils. Gyōki studied Yogacara (唯識), a core doctrine of Hosso, at Yakushi-ji. In 704, he returned to his birthplace to make his home into a temple, then started to travel around Japan to preach to commoners and help the poor. He formed a volunteer group to help the poor mainly in the Kansai region, building 49 monasteries and nunneries that also functioned as hospitals for the poor. Gyōki and his followers roamed the countryside, teaching common people about Buddhism, building temples that were more like community centers and organizing irrigation and other public works projects. Since regulations at the time strictly prohibited activities by priests ou ...
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Nara Period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kanmu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784, before moving to Heian-kyō, modern Kyoto, a decade later in 794. Japanese society during this period was predominantly agricultural and centered on village life. Most of the villagers followed Shintō, a religion based on the worship of natural and ancestral spirits named ''kami.'' The capital at Nara was modeled after Chang'an, the capital city of the Tang dynasty. In many other ways, the Japanese upper classes patterned themselves after the Chinese, including adopting the Chinese writing system, Chinese fashion, and a Chinese version of Buddhism. Literature Concentrated efforts by the imperial court to record its history produced the ...
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Heron
The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus'' are referred to as bitterns, and, together with the zigzag heron, or zigzag bittern, in the monotypic genus ''Zebrilus'', form a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae. Egrets do not form a biologically distinct group from herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes in breeding plumage. Herons, by evolutionary adaptation, have long beaks. The classification of the individual heron/egret species is fraught with difficulty, and no clear consensus exists about the correct placement of many species into either of the two major genera, '' Ardea'' and ''Egretta''. Similarly, the relationships of the genera in the family are not completely resolved. However, one species formerly considered ...
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Phalacrocorax Carbo
The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds. The genus name is Latinised Ancient Greek, from φαλακρός (''phalakros'', "bald") and κόραξ (''korax'', "raven"), and ''carbo'' is Latin for "charcoal". It breeds in much of the Old World, Australia, and the Atlantic coast of North America. Taxonomy and etymology The long white-breasted cormorant ''P. c. lucidus'' found in sub-Saharan Africa, has a white neck and breast. It is often treated as a full species, ''Phalacrocorax lucidus'' (e.g. , ). In addition to the Australasian and African forms, ''Phalacrocorax carbo novaehollandiae'' and ''P. c. lucidus'' mentioned above, other geographically distinct subspecies are recognised, including ''P. c. sinensis'' (western Europ ...
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