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Runaway Horses
is a 1969 novel by Yukio Mishima, the second in his ''Sea of Fertility'' tetralogy. Mishima did much research to prepare for this novel, visiting locations recorded in the book and studying historical information about the Shinpūren Rebellion collected by previous researchers, including Ishihara Shikō.The Yukio Mishima Cyber Museum Village Yamanaka. Accessed May 22, 2008. Japanese critics initially reviewed ''Runaway Horses'' negatively. Plot Set between June 1932 and December 1933, ''Runaway Horses'' tells the story of young Isao Iinuma, a rightist reactionary trained in the code by his father. Isao becomes the instigator of a plot to topple the < ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Gallagher (translator)
Michael Gallagher (born 1930) is an author and translator of Japanese literature. His translation of Yukio Mishima's ''Spring Snow'' was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1973, while his nonfiction work ''Laws of Heaven'' was the winner of the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Book Award in Theology. As a Society of Jesus, Jesuit scholastic, he spent three years teaching English at St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati), St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he directed several plays, including ''The Teahouse of the August Moon (play), The Teahouse of the August Moon''. He left the Jesuit order and served briefly as a paratrooper in Korean War, Korea. Translations *''Japan Sinks (novel), Japan Sinks'' by Sakyo Komatsu *''The Sea and Poison'' by Shusaku Endo *''Spring Snow'' by Yukio Mishima *''Runaway Horses'' by Yukio Mishima *''The Pornographers'' by Akiyuki Nosaka Books *''Dust and Gingko Leaves'' (published in Japanese translation by Kodansha) *''Laws of Heaven'' (1992) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ukehi
is a Japanese Shinto divination ritual. Function and performance Hayashi Oen, a nineteenth-century practitioner of ''ukehi'', identified six functions of the rite. He claimed it could be used to: * ask for information or messages from the ''kami'' * establish the will of the ''kami'' * predict the outcome of an event * enervate or animate living beings * manipulate weather conditions * kill one's enemies The dictates of ''ukehi'' can come as a dream, but more commonly the petitioner would use the ritual to ask a question of the ''kami'' and then await an omen of some sort to confirm their response. If nothing happened, it was assumed that the ''kami'' did not favour the proposed course of action. The questioning of the ''kami'' took the form of an oath or vow. Sometimes the ritual involved inscribing the choices available on bamboo slips, which were then shaken in a container; whichever slip fell out dictated the appropriate course of action. Notable ''ukehi'' * An ''ukehi'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hayashi Ōen
was a Japanese nationalist, priest, scholar of kokugaku, and Shinto fundamentalist. He was also a physician and military strategist. He is most often known by the pseudonyms or, rarely, . Biography A samurai by birth, Ōen was born the third child of , a retainer of the Kumamoto Domain. He studied under Nagase Masaki, and was noted for his scholarly studies of the Japanese classics of Higo as well as the writings of earlier scholars of the kokugaku movement. Among these, he was particularly influenced by the spiritual and cosmological writings of Hirata Atsutane. A deeply religious man, Ōen placed substantial emphasis on the use of the ''ukehi'' ritual in divination, calling it, "the most wondrous of all Shinto rites". In 1853, Ōen became aware of the arrival of the American naval squadron off the coast at Uraga. He immediately armed himself and, shouldering a votive image of Yahata, traveled to the scene, evidently with the intention of directly engaging the Americans. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ōtaguro Tomoo
was a Japanese Nationalist and the leader of the Shinpūren Rebellion. A sickly child, Ōtaguro was raised by his mother's family after the death of his father. In his early years, his health was so fragile that the family's physician even forbade him from reading. Disgusted by the ''ukiyo'' lifestyle of contemporary Edo, Ōtaguro became involved with the movement of Takechi Hanpeita. Concerned that his ''sonnō jōi'' activism would have negative repercussions for his family, he had himself stricken from the records of the Iida clan and was adopted into the Ono family (who later disowned him on charges of negligence). He became a disciple of Hayashi Ōen's school of classical Japanese literature and theology, and followed his mentor into the Shinto priesthood, becoming ''shikan'' of the Isa Ote Jingu shrine at Shinkai. Shinpūren After the death of Ōen, Ōtaguro, together with some of his contemporaries, founded the Shinpūren movement, a xenophobic nationalist organisatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Divination
Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact or interaction with a supernatural agency. Divination can be seen as a systematic method with which to organize what appears to be disjointed, random facets of existence such that they provide insight into a problem at hand. If a distinction is to be made between divination and fortune-telling, divination has a more formal or ritualistic element and often contains a more social character, usually in a religious context, as seen in traditional African medicine. Fortune-telling, on the other hand, is a more everyday practice for personal purposes. Particular divination methods vary by culture and reli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, Miyazaki Prefecture to the southeast, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south. Kumamoto is the capital and largest city of Kumamoto Prefecture, with other major cities including Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Yatsushiro, Amakusa, Kumamoto, Amakusa, and Tamana, Kumamoto, Tamana. Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyūshū on the coast of the Ariake Sea, across from Nagasaki Prefecture, with the mainland separated from the East China Sea by the Amakusa Archipelago. Kumamoto Prefecture is home to Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan and among the largest in the world, with its peak above sea level. History Historically, the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 2022, Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is a core city located in the northern part of Nara Prefecture bordering the Kyoto Prefecture. Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period from 710 to 794 as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Kyoto. Nara is home to eight temples, shrines, and ruins, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Etymology By the Heian period, a variety of different characters had been used to represent the name Nara: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . A number of theories for the origin of the name "Nara" have been pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Miwa
or is a mountain located in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It has been an important religious and historical mountain in Japan, especially during its early history, and serves as a holy site in Shinto. The entire mountain is considered sacred, and is home to one of the earliest Shinto shrines, Ōmiwa Shrine. Several burial mounds from the Kofun period can be found around the mountain. The kami (spirit) generally associated with Mount Miwa is Ōmononushi (''Ōmono-nushi-no-kami''), a rain kami. However, the '' Nihon Shoki'' notes that there was a degree of uncertainly when it came to naming the principal kami of Mount Miwa, but he is often linked to Ōkuninushi. Name Mount Miwa was first described in the Kojiki as Mount Mimoro (). Both names were in common use until the reign of Emperor Yūryaku, after which was preferred. has been held to mean something like "august, beautiful" () and "room", or "hall" ( corruption of ). The current kanji () and () are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cryptomeria
''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' L.f.). It used to be considered by some to be endemic to Japan (see remark below under 'Endemism'), where it is known as . The tree is called Japanese cedar or Japanese redwood in English. It has been extensively introduced and cultivated for wood production on the Azores. Description ''Cryptomeria'' is a very large evergreen tree, reaching up to tall and trunk diameter, with red-brown bark which peels in vertical strips. The leaves are arranged spirally, needle-like, long; and the seed cones globular, diameter with about 20–40 scales. It is superficially similar to the related giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum''), from which it can be differentiated by the longer leaves (under in the giant sequoia) and smaller cones ( in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama Prefecture to the southwest, and Mie Prefecture to the east. Nara is the capital and largest city of Nara Prefecture, with other major cities including Kashihara, Ikoma, and Yamatokōriyama. Nara Prefecture is located in the center of the Kii Peninsula on Japan's Pacific Ocean coast, and is one of only eight landlocked prefectures. Nara Prefecture has the distinction of having more UNESCO World Heritage listings than any other prefecture in Japan. History Nara Prefecture region is considered one of the oldest regions in Japan, having been in existence for thousands of years, and is widely viewed as the Japanese cradle of civilization. Like Kyoto, Nara was one of Imperial Japan's earliest capital cities. The current form of Nara Prefec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sakurai, Nara
is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 58,386, and 24,629 households. The population density is , and the total area is . History Sakurai was briefly the capital of Japan during the reign of Emperor Yūryaku. The life of the Imperial court was centered at ''Hatsuse no Asakura'' Palace where the emperor lived in 457–479.Koch, W. (1904) ''Japan; Geschichte nach japanischen Quellen und ethnographische Skizzen. Mit einem Stammbaum des Kaisers von Japan,'' p. 13 Other emperors also built palaces in the area, including * ''Iware no Mikakuri'' Palace, 480–484 in reign of Emperor Seinei * ''Nimiki'' Palace, 499–506 in reign of Emperor Buretsu * ''Iware no Tamaho'' Palace, 526–532 in reign of Emperor Keitai * ''Hinokuma no Iorino'' Palace, 535-539 in reign of Emperor Senka * ''Osata no Sakitama'' Palace or ''Osada no Miya'', 572–585 in reign of Emperor BidatsuPonsonby-Fane, p. 18. The modern city was found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
