|
Shunkan (play)
' is a Noh play, which was traditionally attributed to Zeami, but is now ascribed either to his son-in-law Zenchiku or his son Motomasa. The Kita school refers to this play as Kikaigashima. Background The play takes place in the aftermath of the Shishigatani Incident, several years before the final defeat of the Taira and the ascendancy of the Minamoto clan in the Genpei War of 1180-1185. It focuses upon the fate of a trio exiled to "Devil's Island" (''Kikaigashima'', 鬼界島), off the coast of Satsuma province, as punishment for a plot against the ruling Taira clan. When the imperial consort, pregnant with Antoku, the future emperor, falls ill, seers advise Taira no Kiyomori, the ''de facto'' head of government, to placate the spirits by pardoning and compensating some of his victims. He agrees to pardon Fujiwara no Naritsune and Taira no Yasuyori, but not the monk Shunkan. Plot summary The play begins with the dispatch of an envoy to the island, where Naritsune and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heike Monogatari
is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185). Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yomi'' reading of the first ''kanji'' and "ke" () means family. Note that in the title of the Genpei War, "hei" is in this combination read as "pei" and the "gen" () is the first kanji used in the Minamoto (also known as "Genji" which is also pronounced using ''on'yomi'', for example as in '' The Tale of Genji'') clan's name. It has been translated into English at least five times, the first by Arthur Lindsay Sadler in 1918–1921. A complete translation in nearly 800 pages by Hiroshi Kitagawa & Bruce T. Tsuchida was published in 1975. Also translated by Helen McCullough in 1988. An abridged translation by Burton Watson was published in 2006. In 2012, Royall Tyler completed his translation, which seeks to be mindful of the performance s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taira No Kiyomori
was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira no Tadamori, who was the head of the Taira clan. It has been speculated that Kiyomori was actually an illegitimate son of Emperor Shirakawa. His mother, Gion no Nyogo, was a palace servant according to ''The Tale of the Heike''. Family * Father: Taira no Tadamori * Mother: Gion no Nyogo (d. 1147) *Concubines and regents: **Wife: N/A *** Taira no Shigemori *** Taira no Munemori *** Taira no Tomomori *** Taira no Tokuko *** Taira no Shigehira Career After the death of his father in 1159, Kiyomori assumed control of the Taira clan and ambitiously entered the political realm in which he had previously only held a minor post. Before that though, in 1156, he and Minamoto no Yoshitomo, head of the Minamoto clan, suppress ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philoctetes
Philoctetes ( grc, Φιλοκτήτης ''Philoktētēs''; English pronunciation: , stressed on the third syllable, ''-tet-''), or Philocthetes, according to Greek mythology, was the son of Poeas, king of Meliboea in Thessaly, and Demonassa or Methone. He was a Greek hero, famed as an archer, and a participant in the Trojan War. Philoctetes was the subject of four different plays of ancient Greece, each written by one of the three major Greek tragedians. Of the four plays, Sophocles' ''Philoctetes'' is the only one that has survived. Sophocles' ''Philoctetes at Troy'', Aeschylus' ''Philoctetes'' and Euripides' ''Philoctetes'' have all been lost, with the exception of some fragments. Philoctetes is also mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', Book 2, which describes his exile on the island of Lemnos, his being wounded by snake-bite, and his eventual recall by the Greeks. The recall of Philoctetes is told in the lost epic ''Little Iliad'', where his retrieval was accomplished by Diomed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atsumori (play)
' is a Japanese Noh play by Zeami Motokiyo which focuses on Taira no Atsumori, a young samurai who was killed in the Genpei War, and his killer, Kumagai Naozane. Atsumori's death is portrayed tragically in the ''Heike monogatari'' (''Tale of the Heike''), from which this and many other works stem. Background Atsumori, roughly 16 years old at the time of the battle of Ichi-no-Tani (1184), was killed by the Minamoto warrior Kumagai Naozane. In the ''Heike monogatari'' and many works derived from it, this is focused upon as a particularly tragic episode. Atsumori is also, like many of his Taira brethren, portrayed as a courtier and poet, not truly prepared for battle. He is said to have carried a flute into battle, evidence of his peaceful, courtly nature as well as his youth and naïveté. Kumagai also notes that none of his fellow Genji (Minamoto) warriors were cultivated to a point where they would ride into battle with a flute. Royall Tyler's analysis, preceding his translation o ... [...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) 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 complex also includes two Buddhist temples, Seiganto-ji and Fudarakusan-ji. The religious significance of the Kumano region goes back to prehistoric times and therefore pred ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shunkan
Shunkan (俊寛) (c. 1143 – 1179) was a Japanese monk who, after taking part in the Shishigatani plot to overthrow Taira no Kiyomori, was exiled along with two others to Kikai-ga-shima. His story is featured in the '' Heike monogatari'', and in a number of traditional derivative works, including the Noh play ''Shunkan'' and '' jōruri'' play '' Heike Nyogo-ga-shima''. Twentieth century authors Kan Kikuchi and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa also produced works entitled ''Shunkan''. Biography Shunkan was a member of the Murakami Genji branch of the Minamoto samurai clan, and the son of Hōin Kanga, a priest of the Buddhist temple Ninna-ji. He served Emperor Go-Shirakawa as a close aide and was associated with the Hōsshō-ji. In 1177, he met with a number of others in secret in his mountain villa in Shishigatani (some sources, such as the ''Gukanshō'', say the villa belonged to someone else), and plotted to overthrow '' Daijō Daijin'' Taira no Kiyomori who, along with other members o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taira No Yasuyori
The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided into four major groups, named after the emperor they descended from: Kanmu Heishi, Ninmyō Heishi, Montoku Heishi, and Kōkō Heishi. The clan is commonly referred to as or , using the character's On'yomi for ''Taira'', while means " clan", and is used as a suffix for "extended family". History Along with the Minamoto, Taira was one of the honorary surnames given by the emperors of the Heian Period (794–1185 CE) to their children and grandchildren who were not considered eligible for the throne. The clan was founded when the Imperial Court grew too large, and the emperor ordered that the descendants of previous emperors from several generations ago would no longer be princes, but would instead be given noble surnames and ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fujiwara No Naritsune
was a Japanese courtier of the Heian period who, after plotting against the Taira clan, was exiled along with his father, Fujiwara no Narichika, and a number of other co-conspirators to Kikai-ga-shima. He and his companions in exile, Taira no Yasunori and the monk Shunkan, feature prominently in a number of traditional Japanese dramas, including the Noh play ''Shunkan'' and the '' jōruri'' puppet play ''Heike Nyogo-ga-shima'' which was later adapted for kabuki as well. The lord of Tanba province, Naritsune was married to a niece of Taira no Kiyomori,Brazell, Karen, ed. "Shunkan." ''Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. pp179-192. chief minister in the Imperial government. He features prominently in early chapters of the ''Heike Monogatari'' as it relates the tale of the plot and subsequent exile. According to that text, shortly after his father was exiled to Kikai-ga-shima, Naritsune was, in the sixth lunar month of 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Antoku
was the 81st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1180 through 1185. During this time, the Imperial family was involved in a bitter struggle between warring clans. Minamoto no Yoritomo with his cousin Minamoto no Yoshinaka, led a force from the Minamoto clan against the Taira, who controlled the emperor. During the climactic sea Battle of Dan-no-ura in April 1185, Antoku's grandmother Taira no Tokiko took him and plunged with him into the water in the Shimonoseki Straits, drowning the child emperor rather than allowing him to be captured by the opposing forces. The conflict between the clans led to numerous legends and tales. The story of Emperor Antoku and his mother's family became the subject of the Kamakura period epic poem ''The Tale of the Heike'' (Heike is an alternative reading of the Japanese characters for "House of the Taira"). Antoku's tomb is said to be located in a number of places around western ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shunkan NOGUCHI Kanesuke
Shunkan (俊寛) (c. 1143 – 1179) was a Japanese monk who, after taking part in the Shishigatani plot to overthrow Taira no Kiyomori, was exiled along with two others to Kikai-ga-shima. His story is featured in the ''Heike monogatari'', and in a number of traditional derivative works, including the Noh play ''Shunkan'' and '' jōruri'' play '' Heike Nyogo-ga-shima''. Twentieth century authors Kan Kikuchi and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa also produced works entitled ''Shunkan''. Biography Shunkan was a member of the Murakami Genji branch of the Minamoto samurai clan, and the son of Hōin Kanga, a priest of the Buddhist temple Ninna-ji. He served Emperor Go-Shirakawa as a close aide and was associated with the Hōsshō-ji. In 1177, he met with a number of others in secret in his mountain villa in Shishigatani (some sources, such as the ''Gukanshō'', say the villa belonged to someone else), and plotted to overthrow '' Daijō Daijin'' Taira no Kiyomori who, along with other members of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taira No Tokuko
The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divided into four major groups, named after the emperor they descended from: Kanmu Heishi, Ninmyō Heishi, Montoku Heishi, and Kōkō Heishi. The clan is commonly referred to as or , using the character's On'yomi for ''Taira'', while means " clan", and is used as a suffix for "extended family". History Along with the Minamoto, Taira was one of the honorary surnames given by the emperors of the Heian Period (794–1185 CE) to their children and grandchildren who were not considered eligible for the throne. The clan was founded when the Imperial Court grew too large, and the emperor ordered that the descendants of previous emperors from several generations ago would no longer be princes, but would instead be given noble surnames and ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
