Empress Kōmyō
(701 – 23 July 760), born Fujiwara Asukabehime (藤原 安宿媛), was the consort of Japanese Emperor Shōmu (701–756) during the Nara Period.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 57-58. Life A member of the Fujiwara clan, her father was Fujiwara no Fuhito and her mother was Agata Inukai no Michiyo (県犬養三千代). During her life she was also known as Asukabehime (安宿媛), Kōmyōshi (光明子), and Tōsanjō (藤三娘), literally the third Fujiwara daughter. In 716, Kōmyō married the future Emperor Shōmu when he was still the crown prince. Two years later, she gave birth to her daughter, Princess Abe, who would later rule as Empress Kōken and Empress Shōtoku. Her son was born in 727 and was soon named crown prince, but he died as an infant. Rumors circulated that Prince Nagaya cursed the infant prince using black magic, and Nagaya was forced to commit suicide in response. Kōmyō was named queens-consort or "kōgō" in 729 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools as well as modern Theravada Buddhism, a bodhisattva (Pali: ''bodhisatta'') refers to someone who has made a resolution to become a Buddha and has also received a confirmation or prediction from a living Buddha that this will be so. In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva refers to anyone who has generated ''bodhicitta'', a spontaneous wish and compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. Mahayana bodhisattvas are spiritually heroic persons that work to attain awakening and are driven by a great compassion (''mahakaruṇā''). These beings are exemplified by important spiritual qualities such as the "four divine abodes" (''brahmaviharas'') of loving-kindness ('' metta''), compassion (''karuṇā''), empathet ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kōkyū
is the section of a Japanese Imperial Palace called the where the Imperial Family and court ladies lived. Many cultured women gathered as wives of Emperors, and court ladies, as well as the maids for these women; court officials often visited these women for influence, literary charm, or romances. Significant contributions to the literature of Japan were created in the Kōkyū during this period: works such as '' The Tale of Genji'' by Murasaki Shikibu, ''The Pillow Book'' by Sei Shōnagon, and many anthologies of ''waka'' poems. Conflated definitions The term ''"Dairi"'' refers not only to the buildings in which the Japanese Imperial family resided; it also refers indirectly to the women of the Imperial family (the Kōkyū), to the Imperial court of Japan, or as an indirect (now archaic) way of referring to the Emperor himself. The names of the several gates in the walls surrounding the Imperial grounds refer not only to the specific wall-openings themselves; these names were ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Emperor Monmu
was the 42nd emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 文武天皇 (42) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Monmu's reign spanned the years from 697 through 707. Traditional narrative Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (''imina'') was Karu''-shinnō''.Brown, p. 270. He was a grandson of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jitō. He was the second son of Prince Kusakabe. Monmu's mother was Princess Abe, a daughter of Emperor Tenji. Monmu's mother would later accede to the throne herself, and she would be known as Empress Genmei. Events of Monmu's life Karu''-shinnō'' was only six years old when his father, Crown Prince Kusakabe, died. * 697: In the 10th year of Jitō''-tennō''s reign (持統天皇十年), the empress abdicated; and the succession (''senso'') was received by a grandson of Emperor Tenmu. Shortly thereafter, Emperor Monmu is said to have acceded to the throne (''sokui''). Emperor ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Izumi Province
:''The characters ''泉州'' are also used for the name of the Chinese city of Quanzhou''. was a province of Japan in the area of southern Osaka Prefecture. Tango bordered on Kii to the south, Yamato and Kawachi to the west, and Settsu to the north. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Izumi was one of the provinces of the Kinai circuit. Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Izumi was ranked as one of the "inferior countries" (下国) in terms of importance. The provincial capital was located in the Fuchi neighborhood of what is now the city of Izumi. The ''ichinomiya'' of the province is the Ōtori taisha also located in Sakai. History Early history According to the ''Shoku Nihongi'', the Izumi and Hine Districts were separated from Kawachi Province on 23 April 716; moreover, on 8 May that same year, the Ōtori District was also separated from Kawachi, and the three districts were made into a province named . The name "Izumi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Osaka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara Prefecture to the southeast, and Wakayama Prefecture to the south. Osaka is the capital and largest city of Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including Sakai, Higashiōsaka, and Hirakata. Osaka Prefecture is the third-most-populous prefecture, but by geographic area the second-smallest; at it is the second-most densely populated, below only Tokyo. Osaka Prefecture is one of Japan's two "Fu (country subdivision), urban prefectures" using the designation ''fu'' (府) rather than the standard ''Prefectures of Japan#Types of prefecture, ken'' for prefectures, along with Kyoto Prefecture. Osaka Prefecture forms the center of the Keihanshin metropolitan ar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kōmyōike Station
is a passenger railway station located in Minami-ku, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Semboku Rapid Railway. It is station number SB05. It is named for Kōmyōike Pond, an artificial lake that dates from 1936 and is itself named for Empress Kōmyō. A small monument at the lake commemorates the work of the Korean laborers who constructed it Lines Kōmyōike Station is served by the Semboku Rapid Railway Line, and is located 12.1 kilometers from the opposing terminus of the line at and 25.5 kilometers from . Station layout The station consists of one elevated island platform with the station building underneath. Platforms Adjacent stations History Kōmyōike Station opened on August 20, 1977. Passenger statistics In fiscal 2019, the station was used by an average of 30,149 passengers daily (boarding passengers only). Surrounding area * Senboku New Town residential area * Sakai City Kamotani Gymnasium * Sakai City South Library Miki Tabunkan *Sakai ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kokan Shiren
Kokan Shiren (Japanese: こかんしれん, Kanji: 虎関師錬; 9 May 1278 – 11 August 1347), Japanese Rinzai Zen patriarch and celebrated poet. He preached Buddhism at the Imperial court, and was noted for his poetry in the Literature of the Five Mountains (''Gozan bungaku'') tradition. He was the compiler of a thirty-chapter Buddhist history, the '' Genko Shakusho'', the oldest extant account of Buddhism in Japan. Biography Kokan was the son of an officer of the palace guard and a mother of the aristocratic Minamoto clan. At age eight he was placed in the charge of the Buddhist priest Hōkaku on Mt. Hiei. At age ten he was ordained there, but later began study with the Zen master Kian at the Nanzenji monastery. Kokan Shiren's talents came to the attention of the Emperor Kameyama. At age seventeen he began extensive Chinese studies. Thus began a long career of travel and the establishment of Zen institutions all across Japan. He became abbot at many of the best Zen establishmen ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kannon
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She was first given the appellation of "Goddess of Mercy" or "Mercy Goddess" by Jesuit missionaries in China. Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World." On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's attainment of Buddhahood is celebrated. Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus, and then sent to the western pure land of Sukhāvatī. Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity" with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is mentioned in the ''Pumen chapter'' of ''Lotus Sutra'' and ''Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra''. Several large temples in East Asia ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergone several reconstructions since then, with the most significant reconstruction (that of the Great Buddha Hall) taking place in 1709. Its Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿 ''Daibutsuden'') houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese as ''Daibutsu'' (大仏). The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the Kegon school of Buddhism. The temple is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara", together with seven other sites including temples, shrines and places in the city of Nara. History Origins The beginning of building a temple where the Kinshōsen-Ji complex sits today can be dated to 728 CE, when Emperor Shōmu e ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kōfuku-ji
is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school. History Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 by Kagami-no-Ōkimi (), the wife of Fujiwara no Kamatari, wishing for her husband’s recovery from illness. Its original site was in Yamashina, Yamashiro Province (present-day Kyoto). In 672, the temple was moved to Fujiwara-kyō, the first planned Japanese capital to copy the orthogonal grid pattern of Chang'an. In 710, the temple was dismantled for the second time and moved to its present location, on the east side of the newly constructed capital, Heijō-kyō, today's Nara. Kōfuku-ji was the Fujiwara's tutelary temple, and enjoyed prosperity for as long as the family did. The temple was not only an important center for the Buddhist religion, but also retained influence over the imperial government, and even by "aggressive means" in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hokke-ji
, is a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara, Japan. Hokke-ji was built by Empress Kōmyō in 745, originally as a nunnery temple on the grounds where her father Fujiwara no Fuhito's mansion stood. According to records kept by the temple, the initial construction went on until around 782. It once had a large complex with several halls, gates, and two pagodas. Hokke-ji was heavily damaged in the fierce Siege of Nara in 1180. The complex was restored in the 12th and 13th centuries, but was again affected by civil conflicts during the Sengoku period. The current main hall, bell tower and the south gate are reconstructions of the 16th century, sponsored by Toyotomi Hideyori and his mother, Lady Yodo. The temple's main worship statue is the wooden 11-faced Kannon, a National Treasure. The temple houses an ancient bath building, originally built by Empress Kōmyō, which she opened to the public. See also * For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Bud ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |