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Shinsen
are offerings of foods given up to Shinto shrines or ''kamidana'' in Japan. The annual festivals carried out at different times of the year originated from Shinto rituals and festivals. As part of the ritual, locals would offer up food that had received a special blessing to welcome the ''kami'' ("gods" or "spirits"). Food offered up could range from their staple of rice to seafood, food foraged from the mountains, seasonal foods, local specialties, or food connected to the enshrined kami. At the end of the ritual, the offered food is eaten together to gain a sense of unity with the kami, and to gain their blessing and protection. The rite is known as ''naorai.'' Process Preparation There are shrines that have buildings dedicated to preparing ''shinsen,'' but for the shrines that do not, they separate their shrine office from the outside using a ''shimenawa'', and then priests or ''ujiko,'' someone who worships an ''ujigami,'' who have purified themselves by abstaining from m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meiji (era)
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by Western powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialized nation state and emergent great power, influenced by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas. As a result of such wholesale adoption of radically different ideas, the changes to Japan were profound, and affected its social structure, internal politics, economy, military, and foreign relations. The period corresponded to the reign of Emperor Meiji. It was preceded by the Keiō era and was succeeded by the Taishō era, upon the accession of Emperor Taishō. The rapid modernization during the Meiji era was not without its opponents, as the rapid changes to society caused many disaffected traditionalists from the former samurai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katori Shrine
The is a Shintō shrine in the city of Katori in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Shimōsa Province, and is the head shrine of the approximately 400 Katori shrines around the country (located primarily in the Kantō region). The main festival of the shrine is held annually on April 14, with a three-day Grand Festival held every 12 years. Enshrined ''kami'' The primary ''kami'' of Katori Jingū is * , the ''kami'' of swords and lightning, and a general of Amaterasu. History The foundation of Katori Jingū predates the historical period. Per the ''Hitachi-koku Fudoki'', an ancient record and per shrine tradition, it was established in 643 BC, the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Jimmu. During this period, the migrated from Higo Province in Kyushu, conquering local ''emishi'' tribes, and forming an alliance with the nearby Nakatomi clan, the progenitors of the Fujiwara clan at what is now Kashima Jingū. As the ''Hitachi-koku Fudoki'' dates from the e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinto Shinsen
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists'', although adherents rarely use that term themselves. There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheism, polytheistic and animism, animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the . The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshiped at household shrines, family shrines, and Shinto shrine, ''jinja'' public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and and to solicit the l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kagami Mochi
is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration. It usually consists of two round mochi (rice cakes),Kagami mochi FAQ from Tokyo Gas dictionary. Various Japanese dictionaries, including the , testify that the kagami mochi has two layers of mochi. Three or more layers is not mentioned. the smaller placed atop the larger, and a (a Japanese |
Crucian Carp
The crucian carp (''Carassius carassius'') is a medium-sized member of the common carp family Cyprinidae. It occurs widely in northern European regions. Its name derives from the Low German ''karusse'' or ''karutze'', possibly from Medieval Latin ''coracinus'' (a kind of river fish). Distribution The crucian carp is a widely distributed European species, its range spanning from England to Russia; it is found as far north as the Arctic Circle in the Scandinavian countries, and as far south as central France and the region of the Black Sea. Its habitat includes lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers. It has been established that the fish is native to England and not introduced. The crucian carp is a medium-sized cyprinid, typically in body length, and rarely exceeds in weight over , but a maximum total length of has been reported for a male,Koli, L. 1990 Suomen kalat. ishes of Finland Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. Helsinki. 357 p. (in Finnish). Fishbase Ref. 6114 and the hea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brine
Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In diverse contexts, ''brine'' may refer to the salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of that of solutions used for brining foods) up to about 26% (a typical saturated solution, depending on temperature). Brine forms naturally due to evaporation of ground saline water but it is also generated in the mining of sodium chloride. Brine is used for food processing and cooking (pickling and brining), for de-icing of roads and other structures, and in a number of technological processes. It is also a by-product of many industrial processes, such as desalination, so it requires wastewater treatment for proper disposal or further utilization (fresh water recovery). In nature Brines are produced in multiple ways in nature. Modification of seawater via evaporation results in the concentration of salts in the residual fluid, a characteristic geologic deposit call ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ayu Sweetfish
The ayu sweetfish (''Plecoglossus altivelis''), or sweetfish, is a species of fish. It is the only species in the genus ''Plecoglossus'' and family Plecoglossidae. It is a relative of the smelts and other fish in the order Osmeriformes. Native to East Asia, it is distributed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean along the coast of Hokkaidō in Japan southward to the Korean Peninsula, China, Hong Kong and northern Vietnam. It is amphidromous, moving between coastal marine waters and freshwater lakes and rivers. A few landlocked populations also exist in lakes in Japan such as Biwa. Original wild populations in Taiwan became extinct in 1968 due to pollution and present extent populations were reintroduced from Japan in the 1990s. The name "sweetfish" was inspired by the sweetness of its flesh. In reference to its typical one-year lifespan, it is also written as ("year-fish"). [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bonito
Bonitos are a tribe of medium-sized, ray-finned predatory fish in the family Scombridae – a family it shares with the mackerel, tuna, and Spanish mackerel tribes, and also the butterfly kingfish. Also called the tribe Sardini, it consists of eight species across four genera; three of those four genera are monotypic, having a single species each. Bonitos closely resemble the skipjack tuna, which is often called a bonito, especially in Japanese contexts. Etymology The fish's name comes from the Spanish ''bonito'' 'pretty'.''Oxford English Dictionary'', 3rd edition, 2018''s.v.''/ref> An older theory suggests that it comes from an Arabic word ''bainīth'', but that may have been derived from Spanish as well. Species * Genus '' Sarda'' ( Cuvier, 1832) ** Australian bonito, ''S. australis'' (Macleay, 1881) ** '' Sarda chiliensis'' (Cuvier, 1832) *** Eastern Pacific bonito, ''S. c. chiliensis'' (Cuvier, 1832) *** Pacific bonito, ''S. c. lineolata'' ( Girard, 1858) ** Striped b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Engishiki
The is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178. History In 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ''Engishiki''. Although previous attempts at codification are known to have taken place, neither the ''Konin'' nor the ''Jogan Gishiki'' survive making the Engishiki important for early Japanese historical and religious studies. Fujiwara no Tokihira began the task, but work stalled when he died four years later in 909. His brother Fujiwara no Tadahira continued the work in 912 eventually completing it in 927. After a number of revisions, the work was used as a basis for reform starting in 967. Contents The text is 50 volumes in lengths and is organized by department: *volumes 1–10: Department of Worship: In addition to regulating ceremonials including Daijyō-sai (the first Niiname-sai following the accession of a new emperor) a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sake
Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asian rice wine (such as huangjiu and cheongju), is produced by a brewing process more akin to that of beer, where starch is converted into sugars which ferment into alcohol, whereas in wine, alcohol is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in fruit, typically grapes. The brewing process for sake differs from the process for beer, where the conversion from starch to sugar and then from sugar to alcohol occurs in two distinct steps. Like other rice wines, when sake is brewed, these conversions occur simultaneously. The alcohol content differs between sake, wine, and beer; while most beer contains 3–9% ABV, wine generally contains 9–16% ABV, and undiluted sake contains 18–20% ABV (although this is often ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mochi
is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally made in a ceremony called . While eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year, and is commonly sold and eaten during that time. Mochi is a multicomponent food consisting of polysaccharides, lipids, protein, and water. Mochi has a heterogeneous structure of amylopectin gel, starch grains, and air bubbles. The rice used for mochi has a negligible amylose content and a high amylopectin level, producing a gel-like consistency. The protein content of the japonica rice used to make mochi is higher than that of standard short-grain rice. Mochi is similar to , but is made by pounding grains of rice, while dango is made with rice flour. History The process of steaming glutinous rice and making it into a paste is consid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
