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Shirabyōshi
were Japanese female entertainers in the Heian and Kamakura periods who sang songs and performed dances. They danced dressed as men. The profession of became popular in the 12th century. They would perform for the nobility, and at celebrations. The word can also refer to the songs they sang and the dances they performed. They are sometimes referred to as courtesans in the English language, but by nature they were performers. Some did sometimes sleep with their patrons and give birth to nobles' children, but this was not their intended purpose as entertainers. The best known were Shizuka Gozen, Giō and Hotoke, who were featured in ''The Tale of the Heike''. History The name may be interpreted as "white beat" or "simple rhythm"; it may refer to the white robe they wore, or alternatively the rhythm of the songs that they sang and danced to, which were also performed by . means "white", although scholars believe that it should be interpreted as ; in this interpretation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asobi (ancient Japan)
(also sometimes known as 遊部, ''asobi-be'') were Shinto priestesses devoted to the goddess Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto during the Heian period (794–1185) in Japan. Originating as performers of shamanistic rituals performed to appease the souls of the dead, originally functioned as priestesses designed to deal with death. Though they played a role in conducting royal funerals, with the introduction of Buddhism and Confucianism in the 700s, the place of in royal funerals disappeared, and they instead became known for their songs. In combination with receiving gifts for sexual favors, became the source of wealth for . After the Taihō Reform Code in 701 and the Yōrō code of 718, the public began to develop unsavory views toward the practices of . Though they conducted business similarly to prostitutes, they were considered to be performers because of their musical talents. being the term for prostitute, the dictionary (compiled by Minamoto no Shitagō in the 930s) describe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shizuka Gozen
Shizuka GozenNote: ''Gozen'' is not a name, but rather an honorific title, usually translated as "Lady", though the title was bestowed upon men on rare occasions as well. (静御前) (1165–1211), or Lady Shizuka, one of the most famous women in Japanese history and literature, was a ''shirabyōshi'' (court dancer) of the 12th century, and a mistress of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Since she, like many others, are featured largely in the ''Heike Monogatari'' (Tale of Heike), ''Gikeiki'' (Chronicle of Yoshitsune), and a number of plays of various traditions, her story is quite well known, but it is difficult to separate fact from fiction within it. Life Her birthplace is generally accepted to have been the Iso (shoreline) district of the town of Aminochō in the historic Tango Province, where she is regarded as one of the "seven princesses of Tango". She still has a shrine in the town and represents its principal deity. Her mother, Iso no Zenji, was a ''shirabyōshi'' as well. Accordi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kusemai
''Kusemai'' (曲舞, くせまい) is a dance-like art form originating from medieval Japan (roughly, the Kamakura and Muromachi Periods). It was particularly popular during Japan's Nanboku Period (CE1336-1392) up through the end of the rest of the Muromachi Period (CE 1336–1573). Kusemai is sometimes simply characterized as a Japanese form of song and dance with a strong irregular beat - emphasis is placed on the beat at the expense of the melody. Kusemai is sometimes referred to in classical and medieval Japanese simply as ''mai'' (舞), or “dance.” While the modern Japanese kanji spelling of kusemai is 曲舞, written variants of the ''kanji'' are found in written records as 久世 舞 (kuse-mai) and 九世 舞 (kuse-mai). The “dance,” or pre-arranged physical movements of kusemai, are widely held to be the root of ''kōwakamai''’s dance-element. The type of music that accompanies the kusemai performance particularly flourished around Kyoto and Nara, in the 14th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geisha
{{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, date=24 May 2016, lang=ja, 芸者, also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko{{efn, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ko, ɡeː-, lang, {{citation needed span, in Kyoto and Kanazawa, date=May 2025 or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi{{efn, {{IPA, ja, ɡeꜜi.ɡi, ɡeꜜː-, -ŋi, lang , are female Japanese people, Japanese performing arts, performing artists and entertainers trained in performing arts#Japan, traditional Japanese performing arts styles, such as Japanese traditional dance, dance, Music of Japan, music and singing, as well as being proficient conversationalists and hosts. Their distinct appearance is characterised by long, trailing kimono, nihongami#geisha, traditional hairstyles and {{transliteration, ja, o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hakama
are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Originally stemming from Ku (), the trousers worn by members of the Chinese imperial court in the Sui and Tang dynasties, this style was adopted by the Japanese in the form of in the 6th century. are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. They are worn over a kimono specially adapted for wearing , known as a . There are two types of : divided and undivided . The type have divided legs, similar to trousers. Both of these types appear similar. A "mountain" or "field" type of was traditionally worn by field or forest workers. They are looser in the waist and narrower in the leg. are secured by four straps (): two longer attached on either side of the front of the garment, and two shorter attached on either side of the rear. The rear of the garment may have a rigid trapezoidal section, called a . Below that on the inside, there may be a (a spoon-shaped component sometimes referred to as a ) which is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto No Yoshitsune
was a commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period, Heian and early Kamakura period, Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles that toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-brother Minamoto no Yoritomo, Yoritomo consolidate power. He is considered one of the greatest and the most popular warriors of his era, and one of the most famous samurai in the history of Japan. Yoshitsune perished after being betrayed by the son of a trusted ally and was labelled as a tragic hero. Early life Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older half-brother Minamoto no Yoritomo (the third son of Yoshitomo) would go on to establish the Kamakura shogunate. Yoshitsune's name in childhood was or ''young bull'' (). He was born just before the Heiji Rebellion in 1160 in which his father and two oldest brothers were kil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Concubine
Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar, but mutually exclusive. During the early stages of European colonialism, administrators often encouraged European men to practice concubinage to discourage them from paying prostitutes for sex (which could spread venereal disease) and from homosexuality. Colonial administrators also believed that having an intimate relationship with a native woman would enhance white men's understanding of native culture and would provide them with essential domestic labor. The latter was critical, as it meant white men did not require wives from the metropole, hence did not require a family wage. Colonial administrators eventually discouraged the practice when these liaisons resulted in offspring who threatened colonial rule by producing a m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hotoke
The Japanese noun is a word of Buddhist origin and uncertain etymology. It has several meanings, all but a few directly linked to Buddhism. It can refer to: *A person who has achieved ''satori'' (state of enlightenment) and has therefore become a "buddha".Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version (In Buddhism, the term "buddha" in the lower case refers to a person who has become enlightened (i.e., awakened to the truth).)New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd edition, 2005, Oxford University Press, Inc.The term is also sometimes used to represent Buddhism as a whole. For example, the expression {{nihongo, "''kami'' and ''hotoke''", 神と仏 draws a distinction between Japanese ''kami'' and the enlightened beings of foreign Buddhism. *The historical Gautama Buddha himself *The statue or the name of a buddha *The laws of Buddhism *Figuratively, the performing of a Buddhist memorial service. The '' Eiga Monogatari'' for example contains a sentence in which the term ... [...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). It has been translated into English at least five times. The first translation was by Arthur Lindsay Sadler, in 1918–1921. A complete translation in nearly 800 pages by Hiroshi Kitagawa & Bruce T. Tsuchida was published in 1975. It was 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, he says, seeks to be mindful of the performance style for which the work was originally intended. Historical novelist Eiji Yoshikawa published a prose rendering in the '' Asahi Weekly'' in 1950, under the title ' (''Shin Heike Monogatari''). Background Title Heike () refers to the Taira (), ''hei'' being the ''on'yomi'' reading of the first ''kanji'' and "ke" () meaning "family". However, in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hōjō Masako
was a Japanese politician who exercised significant power in the early years of the Kamakura period, which was reflected by her contemporary sobriquet of the "nun shogun". She was the wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, and mother of Minamoto no Yoriie and Minamoto no Sanetomo, the first, second and third Shogun, shoguns of the Kamakura shogunate, respectively. She was the eldest daughter of Hōjō Tokimasa and sister of Hōjō Yoshitoki, both of them ''shikken'' of the Kamakura shogunate. Early life and marriage (1157–1182) Hōjō Masako (her real name is unknown; she was called Masako after her father's name Tokimasa by later researchers) was born in 1157, eldest child of Hōjō Tokimasa, leader of the influential Hōjō clan of Izu Province, Izu province, and his wife, Hōjō no Maki. Masako's parents were still in their teens, so she was raised by many ladies-in-waiting and nannies. Masako was born into a world of war and strife. In Kyoto, the capital of Japan, the Hōgen Rebel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
