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Taira No Atsumori
(1169–1184) was a ''samurai'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He was a member of the Taira clan. He fought in the Genpei War against the Minamoto. Career Atsumori was a warrior during the Genpei War. He is famous for his early death at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani. Atsumori during the battle engaged Kumagai Naozane, an ally of the Minamoto, and was killed. Kumagai had a son the same age as Atsumori. Kumagai's great remorse as told in ''The Tale of Heike'', coupled with his taking of a monk's vows, caused this otherwise unremarkable event to become well known for its tragedy. Battle of Ichi-no-Tani According to ''The Tale of the Heike,'' the Minamoto were scattered by Yoshitsune's attack from the Ichi-no-Tani cliff. Kumagai no Jirō Naozane, while scanning the beach for fleeing soldiers, spotted the young Atsumori swimming towards the fleeing vessels. Kumagai beckoned Atsumori with his fan, taunting Atsumori by saying, “I see that you are a commander-in-chief. I ...
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Battle Of Ichi-no-Tani
was a Taira defensive position at Suma-ku, Kobe, Suma, to the west of present-day Kobe, Japan. It sat on a very narrow strip of shore, between mountains on the north, and the sea to the south. This made it quite defensible, but also made it difficult to maneuver troops inside the fortress. The Taira suffered a crucial defeat to the forces of Yoshitsune and Noriyori. Battle Yoshitsune split his force in two. Noriyori's force attacked the Taira at Ikuta Shrine, in the woods a short distance to the east. A second detachment, no more than a hundred horsemen under Yoshitsune, attacked the Taira at Ichinotani from the mountain ridge to the north. At the chosen hour, the Minamoto forces attacked causing confusion among the Taira who neither deployed nor retreated. Only about 3000 Taira escaped to Yashima, while Tadanori was killed and Shigehira captured. Also killed from the Taira clan were Lord Michimori, Tsunemasa, Atsumori, Moromori, Tomoakira, Tsunetoshi, and Moritoshi. Ich ...
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Ichinotani Futaba Gunki
was a Taira defensive position at Suma, to the west of present-day Kobe, Japan. It sat on a very narrow strip of shore, between mountains on the north, and the sea to the south. This made it quite defensible, but also made it difficult to maneuver troops inside the fortress. The Taira suffered a crucial defeat to the forces of Yoshitsune and Noriyori. Battle Yoshitsune split his force in two. Noriyori's force attacked the Taira at Ikuta Shrine, in the woods a short distance to the east. A second detachment, no more than a hundred horsemen under Yoshitsune, attacked the Taira at Ichinotani from the mountain ridge to the north. At the chosen hour, the Minamoto forces attacked causing confusion among the Taira who neither deployed nor retreated. Only about 3000 Taira escaped to Yashima, while Tadanori was killed and Shigehira captured. Also killed from the Taira clan were Lord Michimori, Tsunemasa, Atsumori, Moromori, Tomoakira, Tsunetoshi, and Moritoshi. Ichi-no-Tani is ...
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Kanō Yasunobu
Kanō Yasunobu (, 10 January 1614 – 1 October 1685) was a Japanese painter of the Kanō school of painting during the Edo period. He was the third son of Kanō Takanobu, who had been head of the school, and succeeded Kanō Sadanobu as head of the Kyoto branch in 1623 until he joined his brothers in . Yasunobu was the youngest brother of Kanō Tan'yū, one of the most prominent painters of the Kanō school. His best remembered work is the ''Gadō Yōketsu'', a Kanō school history and training manual. He also worked under the art names Eishin () and Bokushinsai (). Life and career Kanō Yasunobu was born in Kyoto on the 1st day of the 12th month of the 18th year of Keichō (10 January 1614). His father was Kanō Takanobu (1571–1618) whose two elder sons Tan'yū and Naonobu moved to Edo (modern Tokyo) to become , an exclusive position painting for the Tokugawa shogunate. The Kyoto line continued after Takanobu's death in 1618 under Kanō Mitsunobu's son Sada ...
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Bunraku
(also known as ) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or ( puppeteers), the ( chanters), and musicians. Occasionally other instruments such as drums will be used. The combination of chanting and playing is called and the Japanese word for puppet (or dolls, generally) is . It is used in many plays. History 's history goes as far back as the 16th century, but the origins of its modern form can be traced to around the 1680s. It rose to popularity after the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1724) began a collaboration with the chanter Takemoto Gidayu (1651–1714), who established the Takemoto puppet theater in Osaka in 1684. Originally, the term referred only to the particular theater established in 1805 in Osaka, which was named the after the puppeteering ensemble of , an early 18th-century p ...
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1184 Deaths
Year 1184 ( MCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * May 20 – Diet of Pentecost: Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) organises a conference in Mainz. During the diet Frederick negotiates with Henry the Lion about an anti-French alliance with England. * June 15 – Battle of Fimreite: King Sverre of Norway defeats and kills his rival, Magnus V (Erlingsson) near Fimreite. Sverre takes the throne and becomes sole ruler of Norway (until 1202). * Summer – Almohad forces reconquer the Alentejo (except for Évora), and besiege Lisbon on land and blockade the port with their navy. A Portuguese soldier manages to swim to the largest ship of the fleet and to sink it. This ship was so tall, it would have allowed the Muslims to easily reach the walls of the city. The next day, the Almohads have to retreat, taking with them a number of civilian captives. * Siege of Santarém: ...
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1169 Births
Year 1169 ( MCLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Late Summer – Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) sends an embassy to Egypt to demand tribute, and threatens the country with war when they refuse to pay it. The Byzantine fleet under Admiral Andronikos Kontostephanos sets out from the Hellespont; 60 war galleys are sent to Palestine. with money for "the knights of Jerusalem". Andronikos with the rest of the fleet sails to Cyprus, at which he defeats a patrolling squadron of 6 Fatimid ships. Europe * Spring – Gerald the Fearless, Portuguese warrior and knight, receives the support of King Afonso I (the Great). The Almohad caliph, Abu Yaqub Yusuf, manages to broker an alliance with King Ferdinand II against Afonso. The allies manage to besiege Badajoz, and finally take both Afonso and Gerald prisoner. * King Henry II of England and Louis VII sign a peace ...
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Taira Clan
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 ...
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Samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They had high prestige and special privileges such as wearing two swords and ''Kiri-sute gomen'' (right to kill anyone of a lower class in certain situations). They cultivated the '' bushido'' codes of martial virtues, indifference to pain, and unflinching loyalty, engaging in many local battles. Though they had predecessors in earlier military and administrative officers, the samurai truly emerged during the Kamakura shogunate, ruling from 1185 to 1333. They became the ruling political class, with significant power but also significant responsibility. During the 13th century, the samurai proved themselves as adept warriors against the invading Mongols. During the peaceful Edo period (1603 to 1868), they became the stewards and chamberlains of ...
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The Tale Of Heike
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 styl ...
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Eight Million Gods
8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art *The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the Ashcan School *The Eight (painters), an avant-garde art movement of Hungarian painters Motor vehicles *Bentley Eight, Bentley's "entry-level" offering from 1984 until 1992 *Leyland Eight, a luxury car produced by Leyland Motors from 1920 to 1923 *Mercury Eight, a first Post War Mercury car design *Morris Eight, a small car inspired by the Ford Model Y *Standard Eight, a small car produced by Standard Motor Company 1938–59 *Wolseley Eight, a four-door, light saloon car produced by Wolseley Motors Limited from 1946 to 1948 *Straight eight, automobile engine *Eight cylinder, automobile engine Sports *Eight (rowing), rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing *Figure 8 (belay device), rock climbing equipment also known as an "eight ...
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Wen Spencer
Wen Spencer (born 1963) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer whose books center on characters with unusual abilities. In 2003, she was the winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Spencer was raised on a family farm in Evans City, Pennsylvania and attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a degree in Information science, and has been active in science fiction fandom. Her ''Ukiah Oregon'' series features a partly alien character with gentle nature, powerful abilities, and dangerous, werewolf like relatives. Her ''Tinker'' universe features a young woman of extraordinary brilliance who is turned into an elf. ''A Brother's Price'' posits a world where the gender birth ratio is skewed heavily toward baby girls. Published works Ukiah Oregon series #''Alien Taste'' (2001), Compton Crook Award winner #''Tainted Trail'' (2002) #''Bitter Waters'' (2003) #''Dog Warrior'' (2004) Tinker (Elfhome) series * Fantasy novels set in near-future Pittsbur ...
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Kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the spirits of venerated dead people. Many ''kami'' are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans (some ancestors became ''kami'' upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of ''kami'' in life). Traditionally, great leaders like the Emperor could be or became ''kami''. In Shinto, ''kami'' are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. They are manifestations of , the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards. ''Kami'' are believed to be "hidden" from this world, and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own: . To be in harmony with the awe-inspiring aspects of nature ...
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