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Heike Tsuruginomaki
''Heike Tsuruginomaki'' (平家剣巻 "Heike Sword Scroll"), also called ''Heike Monogatari Tsuruginomaki'' (平家物語剣巻) is a Japanese ''gunki monogatari''. Overview Passed down in top secret among the ''biwa hōshi''—blind monks who played ''The Tale of the Heike'' on the ''biwa'' lute—the scroll is meant to take place in the eleventh book of the ''Tale'', following the chapter "The Sacred Mirror Enters the Capital" (内侍所都入) and in place typically occupied by a short chapter similarly entitled "Swords" (剣). The common version of the "Swords" text collects anecdotes (''setsuwa'') about the sword Kusanagi, one of the imperial regalia, which had been lost at the Battle of Dannoura, and alleges that the great serpent Yamata no Orochi, slain in ages past by the storm god Susanoo no Mikoto who then retrieved the sword from the serpent's corpse, had taken the form of the boy emperor Antoku and reclaimed the sword. (This version of the text is believed to have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gunki Monogatari
, or "war tales," is a category of Japanese literature written primarily in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods that focus on wars and conflicts, especially the civil wars that took place between 1156 and 1568. Examples of this genre include the '' Hōgen Monogatari'' and the ''Heiji Monogatari.'' The most well known ''gunki monogatari'' is '' Heike Monogatari''. Authorship Unlike their Heian counterparts such as '' Genji Monogatari'', many of the medieval warrior tales have no identifiable authors and are generally composed by multiple people. The authors did not write the stories entirely from start to end but instead edited and re-wrote them multiple times. Distribution There were two forms in which ''gunki monogatari'' were transmitted: through ''yomimono'' (written texts) and through recitation by blind priests known as biwa hōshi. The oral practices had a ritual component, as they were thought to restore order to society and pacify the angry souls of warriors killed in batt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanboku-chō Period
The Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代, ''Nanboku-chō jidai'', "North and South court period", also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period), spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate of Japanese history.During the early period, there existed a Northern Imperial Court, established by Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and a Southern Imperial Court, established by Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 years, with the South giving up to the North in 1392. However, in reality the Northern court was under the power of the Ashikaga shogunate and had little real independence. The destruction of the Kamakura shogunate of 1333 and the failure of the Kenmu Restoration in 1336 opened up a legitimacy crisis for the new shogunate. Institutional changes in the estate system ('' shōen'') that formed the bedrock of the income of nobles and warriors altered the status of the var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumano Shrine
A is a type of Shinto shrine which enshrines the three Kumano mountains: Hongū, Shingū, and Nachi [].Encyclopedia of ShintoKumano Shinkō accessed on October 6, 2008 There are more than 3,000 Kumano shrines in Japan, and each has received its kami from another Kumano shrine through a process of propagation called or . The point of origin of the Kumano cult is the Kumano Sanzan shrine complex in Wakayama Prefecture, which comprises (Shingū, Wakayama), Kumano Hongū Taisha_(Tanabe,_Wakayama.html" ;"title="acred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" ... (Tanabe, Wakayama">acred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" ... (Tanabe, Wakayama) and Kumano Nachi Taisha (Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture). Kumano Sanzan The three Kumano Sanzan shrines are the ''Sōhonsha'' ("head shrines") of all Kumano shrines and lie between 20 and 40 km from each other. They are connected to each other by the pilgrimage route known as . The great Kumano Sanzan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bettō
is a term which originally indicated the head of an institution serving temporarily as the head of another one, but which came to mean also the full-time head of some institution.Iwanami Japanese dictionaryEncyclopedia of Shinto, Bettō The Kamakura period samurai Wada Yoshimori, for example, was the first ''bettō'' of the shogunate's Samurai-dokoro. Religious use of the term A ''bettō'' was a monk who performed Buddhist rites at shrines and jingūji (shrines part of a temple) before the ''shinbutsu bunri'', the Meiji period law that forbade the mixing of Shinto and Buddhism. A shrine had various ''bettō'', from the ''seibettō'' (head monk) to the ''shūri bettō'' (monk in charge of repairs). Those not associated with religious duties were called ''zoku bettō''. Among the shrines that appointed ''bettō'' are Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, and Hakone Jinja. They were particularly common at Hachiman and gongen A , literally "incarnation", was believed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto No Tameyoshi
was head of the Minamoto clan during his lifetime, and son of Minamoto no Yoshichika, son of Minamoto no Yoshiie. He led the Minamoto in the Hōgen Rebellion. Tameyoshi is also known as . Though he was most famous for his involvement in the Hōgen Rebellion, Minamoto no Tameyoshi is also said to have intervened in a number of other conflicts earlier in his life. Around 1113, the ongoing rivalry between the warrior monks of Mii-dera and Enryaku-ji erupted into outright violence in the streets of Kyoto. Though the palace guard mobilized quickly to protect the Emperor, it is said that Tameyoshi, with a handful of mounted samurai, drove the mobs away himself. Upon being defeated in the Hōgen Rebellion, Tameyoshi took the tonsure and was released into the custody of his son Minamoto no Yoshitomo who then had him beheaded. This was an unprecedented breaking of Buddhist values in Japan, yet no one in the court berated Yoshitomo for his actions at the time until after his death. Famil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Later Three Years' War
The Gosannen War (後三年合戦, ''gosannen kassen''), also known as the Later Three-Year War, was fought in the late 1080s in Japan's Mutsu Province on the island of Honshū. History The Gosannen War was part of a long struggle for power within the warrior clans of the time. The ''Gosannen kassen'' arose because of a series of quarrels within the Kiyohara clan (sometimes referred to as "Kiyowara"). The long-standing disturbances were intractable. When Minamoto no Yoshiie, who became Governor of Mutsu province in 1083, tried to calm the fighting which continued between Kiyohara no Masahira, Iehira, and Narihira. Negotiations were not successful; and so Yoshiie used his own forces to stop the fighting. He was helped by Fujiwara no Kiyohira. In the end, Iehira and Narihira were killed. During the Siege of Kanezawa, 1086–1089, Yoshiie avoided an ambush by noticing a flock of birds take flight from a forest. In art Much of the war is depicted in an '' e-maki'' narrat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Former Nine Years' War
The , also known in English as the Former Nine Years' War or the Early Nine Years' War, was fought between the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial Court and the Abe clan in Mutsu Province, in Tōhoku region, Northeast Japan, from 1051 to 1063. It resulted in Imperial Court victory and the surrender of Abe no Sadato. Like the other major conflicts of the Heian period, such as the Gosannen War and the Genpei War, the Zenkunen war was a struggle for power within the samurai clans. Background While most provinces of Japan, provinces were overseen by just a Governor, Mutsu, in what is now the Tohoku region, had a military general in charge of controlling the Emishi natives, who had been subjugated when the Japanese took over the area in the ninth century. Historically, this post was always held by a member of the Abe clan, and there were many conflicts between the Abe general and the Governor over administrative control of the province. In 1050, the general overseeing the Ainu was Abe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto No Yoshiie
Minamoto No Yoshiie (源 義家; 1039 – 4 August 1106), also known as Hachimantarō, was a Minamoto clan samurai of the late Heian period, and '' Chinjufu-shōgun'' (Commander-in-chief of the defense of the North). The first son of Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, he proved himself in battle with the Abe clan in the Zenkunen War (Early Nine Years' War) and the Kiyohara clan in the Gosannen War (Later Three Years' War). Subsequently, he became something of a paragon of samurai skill and bravery. The Zenkunen War In 1050, Abe no Yoritoki wave the post of ''Chinjufu-shōgun'', as the Abe clan had for many generations. Effectively, however, Yoritoki commanded the entire region, denying the official Governor any true power. As a result, Yoshiie's father was appointed both ''chinjufu shōgun'' and governor, and Yoshiie traveled north with him to resolve the situation. The campaign against the Abe clan lasted twelve years. Yoshiie fought alongside his father in almost every battle, includi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto No Yoriyoshi
was a Japanese samurai lord who was the head of the Minamoto clan and served as '' Chinjufu-shōgun''. Along with his son Minamoto no Yoshiie, he led the Imperial forces against rebellious forces in the north, a campaign called the Zenkunen War, which would be followed some years later by the Gosannen War. He was also the predecessor of Takeda ryu. Biography His childhood name was Odaimaru (王代丸). He held the title, passed down from his father, of '' Chinjufu-shōgun'', Commander-in-chief of the Defense of the North. Yoriyoshi accompanied his father Minamoto no Yorinobu on his own missions to defend the Empire, quelling rebellions and disturbances. Thus he gained much of his knowledge of tactics and strategy. He fought in the Zenkunen War for twelve years starting in 1051, including the Battle of Kawasaki. In 1063, Yoriyoshi founded Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yama-gumo
is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore. Alternative names for the mythological Tsuchigumo include and . In the ''Kojiki'' and in '' Nihon Shoki'', the name was phonetically spelled with the four kanji (for the four morae ''tsu-chi-gu-mo''), and these words were frequently used in the fudoki of Mutsu, Echigo, Hitachi, Settsu, Bungo and Hizen as well as others. The Japanese name for large ground-dwelling tarantulas, ōtsuchigumo, is due to their perceived resemblance to the creature of the myth, rather than the myth being named for the spider. Japan has no native species of tarantula, and the similarities between the mythical and the actual creature—huge wandering spiders with an obvious face that like to hide in burrows—were entirely coincidental. The fact that the later iterations of the myth specifically refer to the body being that of a tiger, however, does imply tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto No Yorimitsu
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his military exploits, and is known for quelling the bandits of Ōeyama. His loyal service earned him the governorships of Izu Province, Kozuke and a number of others in turn, as well as a number of other high government positions. Yorimitsu served as commander of a regiment of the Imperial Guard, and as a secretary in the Ministry of War. When his father Minamoto no Mitsunaka died, he inherited Settsu Province. Yorimitsu is usually accompanied by his four legendary retainers, known as the Shitennō (The Four Heavenly Kings). They were Watanabe no Tsuna, Sakata no Kintoki, Urabe no Suetake, and Usui Sadamitsu. Legends Yorimitsu featured in a number of legends and tales, including the legend of Kintarō (Golden Boy a.k.a. Sakata no Kintoki), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maru (other)
Maru may refer to: People * Maru (given name), a Spanish given name, a shortened form of Maria Eugenia * Maru (surname), a surname of Indic origin * Maru (mythology), a Māori war god * Ngāti Maru (other), several Māori tribes of New Zealand Places * Maru, Shwegu, a village in Kachin State, Burma * Maru, Estonia,a village in Halliste Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia * Maru, Iran (other) * Maru (Irbid), a village in Irbid, Jordan * Maru, Kathmandu, a market and ceremonial square in Kathmandu, Nepal * Maru, Nigeria, a Local Government Area in Zamfara State * Maru-Aten, a palace or sun-temple in Armarna, Egypt * Maru Pradesh, a region in the Indian state of Rajasthan * Mount Maru (other) (丸山), the name for several mountains on Hokkaidō, Japan Language * In Japanese ''maru'' (kanji: , hiragana: ), means ''circle''; see ** ''Marujirushi'' (, correct mark); the opposite of ''batsu'' (×) ** Handakuten (, a Japanese diacritical mark ( ゜) * Maru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
