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Chikubushima SAKURAMA Kintaro II
''Chikubushima'' is an anonymous Noh play of the first category, celebrating the sacred volcanic island of that name in Lake Biwa. Plot During the reign of Emperor Daigo, a courtier goes to the island in the center of Lake Biwa: Chikubu Island. When he arrives at the lake shore, an old fisherman and a young woman are setting out in a fishing boat. He calls out and asks if he can go with them. After the boat arrives at Chikubu Island the old man gives the courtier directions to the shrine. As the young woman is going the same way, the courtier asks if there is a prohibition against women (like many other shrines). The old man and young woman reply that, as Benzaiten (Sarasvati) is a woman herself, she does not discriminate. They tell the tale of the formation of Chikubu Island's shrine. It becomes apparent that these two are not human. The old man dives into the ocean and the young woman disappears behind a door into the shrine. After a short while, Benzaiten appears and da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th oldest lake in the world. Because of its proximity to Kyoto, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles. Name The name ''Biwako'' was established in the Edo period. There are various theories about the origin of the name ''Biwako'', but it is generally believed to be so named because of the resemblance of its shape to that of a stringed instrument called the ''biwa''. Kōsō, a learned monk of Enryaku-ji in the 14th century, gave a clue to the origin of the name ''Biwako'' in his writing: "The lake is the Pure land of the goddess Benzaiten because she lives on Chikubu Island and the shape of the lake is similar to that of the ''biwa'', her favorite instrume ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chikubushima SAKURAMA Kintaro II
''Chikubushima'' is an anonymous Noh play of the first category, celebrating the sacred volcanic island of that name in Lake Biwa. Plot During the reign of Emperor Daigo, a courtier goes to the island in the center of Lake Biwa: Chikubu Island. When he arrives at the lake shore, an old fisherman and a young woman are setting out in a fishing boat. He calls out and asks if he can go with them. After the boat arrives at Chikubu Island the old man gives the courtier directions to the shrine. As the young woman is going the same way, the courtier asks if there is a prohibition against women (like many other shrines). The old man and young woman reply that, as Benzaiten (Sarasvati) is a woman herself, she does not discriminate. They tell the tale of the formation of Chikubu Island's shrine. It becomes apparent that these two are not human. The old man dives into the ocean and the young woman disappears behind a door into the shrine. After a short while, Benzaiten appears and da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Daigo
was the 60th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. Genealogy Daigo was the eldest son of his predecessor, Emperor Uda. His mother was Fujiwara no Taneko (or Inshi), daughter of the minister of the center, Fujiwara no Takafuji.Varley, p. 179. He succeeded the throne at the young age after his father, the Emperor Uda, abdicated in 897. His mother died before his ascension, so he was raised by another Uda consort, Fujiwara no Onshi, daughter of the former '' kampaku'' Fujiwara no Mototsune. Daigo's grandfather, Emperor Kōkō, had demoted his sons from the rank of imperial royals to that of subjects in order to reduce the state expenses, as well as their political influence; in addition, they were given the family name Minamoto. As such, Daigo was not born as a royalty and was named Minamoto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benzaiten
Benzaiten (''shinjitai'': 弁才天 or 弁財天; ''kyūjitai'': 辯才天, 辨才天, or 辨財天, lit. "goddess of eloquence"), also simply known as Benten (''shinjitai'': 弁天; ''kyūjitai'': 辯天 / 辨天), is a Japanese Buddhist goddess who originated mainly from Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of speech, the arts, and learning, with certain traits deriving from the warrior goddess Durga. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the sixth through eighth centuries, mainly via Classical Chinese translations of the ''Golden Light Sutra'' (Sanskrit: ''Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra''), which has a section devoted to her. During the medieval period onwards, Benzaiten came to be associated or even conflated with a number of Buddhist and local deities, which include the goddess Kisshōten (the Buddhist version of the Hindu Lakshmi, whose role as goddess of fortune eventually became ascribed to Benzaiten in popular belief), the snake god Ugajin (the combined form of the two bei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarasvati
Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a goddess is in the Rigveda. She has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic period through the modern period of Hindu traditions. She is generally shown to have four arms, holding a book, a rosary, a water pot, and a musical instrument called the veena. Each of these items have a symbolic meaning in Hinduism. Some Hindus celebrate the festival of Vasant Panchami (the fifth day of spring, and also known as Saraswati Puja and Saraswati Jayanti in many regions of India) in her honour, and mark the day by helping young children learn how to write the letters of the alphabet on that day. The goddess is also revered by believers of the Jain religion of west and central India, as well as some Buddhist sects. Etymology Saraswati, is a Sansk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royall Tyler (academic)
Royall Tyler (born 1936) is a scholar, writer, and translator of Japanese literature. Notable works of his include English translations of ''The Tale of the Heike'' (平家物語, ''Heike Monogatari'') which won the 201Lois Roth Award as well as '' The Tale of Genji'' (源氏物語, ''Genji Monogatari)'' which was awarded the Japan-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize in 2001. Tyler's first book of poetry was published in 2014, entitled ''A Great Valley Under the Stars'', and his published collection of poetry, ''Under Currockbilly'' which recounts his life during the year 2014, suggests he has spent periods of his life in France, Japan, the United States, Australia, and elsewhere. Academic career Tyler completed his B.A. in Far Eastern Languages at Harvard University in 1957. He then obtained a master's degree in Japanese history and PhD in Japanese literature at Columbia University where he was supervised by Donald Keene, a well known scholar of Japanese literature. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year."About Penguin – company history" , Penguin Books. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), Woolworths and other stores for Sixpence (British coin), sixpence, bringing high-quality fiction and non-fiction to the mass market. Its success showed that large audiences existed for serious books. It also affected modern British popular culture significantly through its books concerning politics, the arts, and science. Penguin Books is now an imprint (trade name), imprint of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noh Plays
is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and '' nōgaku'' are sometimes used interchangeably, ''nōgaku'' encompasses both Noh and ''kyōgen''. Traditionally, a full ''nōgaku'' program included several Noh plays with comedic ''kyōgen'' plays in between; an abbreviated program of two Noh plays with one ''kyōgen'' piece has become common today. Optionally, the ritual performance ''Okina'' may be presented in the very beginning of ''nōgaku'' presentation. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature with a supernatural being transformed into human form as a hero narrating a story. Noh integrates masks, costumes and various props in a dance-based performance, requiring highly trained actors and musicians. Emotions are primarily conveyed by stylized conventional gestures whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
