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Issun-bōshi
is the subject of a fairy tale from Japan. This story can be found in the old Japanese illustrated book '' Otogizōshi''. Similar central figures and themes are known elsewhere in the world, as in the tradition of Tom Thumb in English folklore. Synopsis The general story is: *A childless old couple prayed to the Sumiyoshi sanjin to be blessed with a child, and so they were able to have one. However, the child born was only one ''sun'' (around 3 cm or 1.2 in) in height and never grew taller. Thus, the child was named the "one-sun boy" or "Issun-bōshi". *One day, Issun-bōshi said he wanted to go the capital to become a warrior, so he embarked on his voyage with a bowl as a boat, a chopstick as a paddle, a needle as a sword, and a piece of straw as a scabbard. In the capital, he found a splendid big house and found employment there. When a girl of that family went on a journey to visit a palace, an ''oni'' kidnapped the girl. As Issun-bōshi attempted to save the girl, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uchide No Kozuchi
is a legendary Japanese "magic hammer" which can "tap out" anything wished for. This treasure is also rendered into English as "magic wishing mallet", "lucky hammer", "the mallet of fortune", etc. In popular belief, the magic wooden hammer is a standard item held in the hand of the iconic deity Daikoku-ten, who is often represented as figurines, statues, netsukes, and in architecture. It is also a stock item in popular tales. In ''Issun-bōshi'' ("''One-Inch Boy''"), the hero gains the mallet defeating an ogre ( oni) and amass wealth, while in modern embellishments, he even transforms himself into full adult-size. In ''Momotarō'' ("Peach Boy"), the mallet is captured from the ogres in Onigashima, alongside the ''kakure mino'' (raincoat of invisibility) and ''kakurekasa'' (hat of invisibility) The notion that ogres possessed this prized mallet dates much earlier than the tales, which are part of the ''otogi-zōshi'' collection from the Muromachi period. It can be traced at as far ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otogi-zōshi
are a group of about 350 Japanese prose narratives written primarily in the Muromachi period (1392–1573). These illustrated short stories, which remain unattributed, together form one of the representative literary genres of the Japanese medieval era. Overview is a general term for narrative literature written between the Muromachi period (approximately 1336–1573) and the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1867). The term originates with a mid-Edo collection of 23 stories, titled or . It later came to denote other works of the same genre and period. Modern scholarship sometimes distinguishes between "true" , covering only the 23 works included in the aforementioned collection, and other works that it instead terms or . List The 23 tales covered by the narrow definition are: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Under the broad definition, there are around 500 surviving examples of . Most are around 30–40 pages in length, and are of uncertain date. Their a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otogi-zōshi
are a group of about 350 Japanese prose narratives written primarily in the Muromachi period (1392–1573). These illustrated short stories, which remain unattributed, together form one of the representative literary genres of the Japanese medieval era. Overview is a general term for narrative literature written between the Muromachi period (approximately 1336–1573) and the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1867). The term originates with a mid-Edo collection of 23 stories, titled or . It later came to denote other works of the same genre and period. Modern scholarship sometimes distinguishes between "true" , covering only the 23 works included in the aforementioned collection, and other works that it instead terms or . List The 23 tales covered by the narrow definition are: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Under the broad definition, there are around 500 surviving examples of . Most are around 30–40 pages in length, and are of uncertain date. Their a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favourite of King Arthur. The earliest allusions to Tom occur in various 16th-century works such as Reginald Scot's ''Discovery of Witchcraft'' (1584), where Tom is cited as one of the supernatural folk employed by servant maids to frighten children. Tattershall in Lincolnshire, England, reputedly has the home and grave of Tom Thumb. Aside from his own tales, Tom figures in Henry Fielding's 1730 play ''Tom Thumb'', a companion piece to his ''The Author's Farce''. It was expanded into a single 1731 piece titled '' The Tragedy of Tragedies, or the History of Tom Thumb the Great''. In the mid-18th century, books began to be published specifically for children (some with their authorship attributed to "Tommy Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nihon Ryōiki
The is an early Heian period setsuwa collection. Written by Kyōkai between 787 and 824, it is Japan's oldest collection of Buddhist setsuwa. It is three volumes in length. Title Commonly abbreviated as ''Nihon Ryōiki'', which means "Record of Miraculous Events in Japan," the full title is . It may also be read as ''Nihon Reiiki''. The book has been translation, translated into English under the title ''Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition'', but this does not represent a literal translation of the Japanese title. Contents The work is composed of three parts contained within three volumes. Each volume begins with a preface, and the final volume contains an epilogue. There are a total of 116 tales all dealing with Buddhist elements. There are also a total of nine poems. Manuscripts There are five existing manuscripts, two of which are designated National Treasures: * Kōfuku-ji, 904 (List of National Treasures of Japan (writings: Japanese books), National Tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muromachi Period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ''shōgun'', Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kenmu Restoration (1333–1336) of imperial rule was brought to a close. The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun of this line, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga. From a cultural perspective, the period can be divided into the Kitayama and Higashiyama cultures (later 15th – early 16th centuries). The early years from 1336 to 1392 of the Muromachi period are known as the '' Nanboku-chō'' or Northern and Southern Court period. This period is marked by the continued resistance of the supporters of Emperor Go-Daigo, the emperor behind the Kenmu Restoration. The Sengoku period or Warring States period, which begi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sukunabikona
Sukunabikona or Sukuna bikona (少彦名神, also known as Sukuna-biko, Sukuna-biko-na, Sukuna hikona) is the Shinto kami of the ''onsen'' (hot springs), agriculture, healing, magic, brewing sake and knowledge. His name means "the small lord of renown." He is often described as being a dwarf and is frequently paired with Ōkuninushi.Handbook of Japanese Mythology by Michael Ashkenazi, ABC-CLIO, 2003 Adventures with Ōkuninushi One day while Ōkuninushi was at the Cape of Miho, he saw a small boat on the whitecap waves. The boat was made of a Metaplexis pod. Inside was a small dwarf, no bigger than a thumb. Ōkuninushi picked him up, and Sukuna-biko bit him on the cheek. Ōkuninushi asked him his name, but he wouldn't reply. Then a nearby toad said to bring Sukuna-biko to Kuebiko the kami of agriculture, as the scarecrow god would know. When Kuebiko saw the dwarf, he said "That is Sukuna son of Kami-Musubi." Kamimusubi is part of the primordial creator trinity with Takami musumi a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of years of contact with Korea, Ainu, and Okinawan myths are also key influences in Japanese mythology. Japanese myths are tied to the topography of the archipelago as well as agriculturally-based folk religion, and the Shinto pantheon holds countless ''kami'' (Japanese for " god(s)" or "spirits"). This article will discuss cosmogony, important deities, modern interpretations, cultural significance, and the influence of these myths. Two important sources for Japanese myths as they are recognized today are the ''Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki''. The ''Kojiki'', or "Record of Ancient Matters," is the oldest surviving account of Japan's myths, legends, and history. Additionally, the ''Shintōshū'' describes the origins of Japanese deities from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tale Of Issun Bōshi From Otogi-zōshi
Tale may refer to: * Narrative, or story, a report of real or imaginary connected events * TAL effector (TALE), a type of DNA binding protein * Tale, Albania, a resort town * Tale, Iran, a village * Tale, Maharashtra, a village in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra state, India * River Tale, a small river in the English county of Devon * ''The Tale'', 2018 American drama film See also * Tale-e Rudbar, a village in Iran * Taleh Taleh ( so, Taleex, ar, تليح) is a historical town in the eastern Sool region of Somaliland. As of September 2015, both Puntland and Somaliland had nominal influence or control in Taleh and it's vicinity. The town served as the capital ..., a town in Somalia * Tales (other) {{disambiguation, geo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sugawara No Michizane
was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in Kanshi poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the poem anthology ''Hyakunin Isshu'', he is known as , and in kabuki drama he is known as . Biography He was born into a family of scholars, who bore the hereditary title of which predated the Ritsuryō System and its ranking of members of the Court. His grandfather, Sugawara no Kiyotomo, served the court, teaching history in the national school for future bureaucrats and even attained the third rank. His father, Sugawara no Koreyoshi, began a private school in his mansion and taught students who prepared for the entrance examination to the national school or who had ambitions to be officers of the court, including his own son Michizane. Michizane passed the entrance examination, and entered Daigaku, as the national academy was called at the time. After graduation he began his career ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edo Period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies, a stable population, perpetual peace, and popular enjoyment of arts and culture. The period derives its name from Edo (now Tokyo), where on March 24, 1603, the shogunate was officially established by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration and the Boshin War, which restored imperial rule to Japan. Consolidation of the shogunate The Edo period or Tokugawa period is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's regional '' daimyo''. A revolution took place from the time of the Kamakura shogunate, which existed with the Tennō's court, to the Tok ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
