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Siege Of Nara
The alternatively known as the Nanto Arson Campaign in Japan is an event which took place on January 15th 1181 (December 28th 1180 in the Jishō calendar), following Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa's defeat and subsequent death to the Taira clan, after which the Taira forces burnt down the Miidera temple (which had sheltered the anti-Taira forces), before moving on to Nara, where they "''set fire to the monastic complexes of Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji.''" Background In June, after the suppression of Mochihito's army, the Taira clan punished Mii-dera Temple, which had been involved in the rebellion, by prohibiting it from participating in court sessions, dismissing its priests, and confiscating the temple's territory. Kōfuku-ji (one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples in Nara) was not punished as severely as Mii-dera. At the end of the year, the people of Mii-dera and Kofuku-ji joined the uprising of the Ōmi Province, Ōmi Minamoto clan and others ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genpei War
The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself as ''Shōgun'' in 1192, governing Japan as a military dictator from the eastern city of Kamakura. It followed a ''coup d'état'' by the Taira in 1179 with the removal of rivals from all government posts, and subsequently banishing them, and a call to arms against the Taira, led by the Minamoto in 1180. The ensuing Battle of Uji (1180), Battle of Uji took place just outside Kyoto, starting a five-year-long war, concluding with a decisive Minamoto victory in the naval Battle of Dan-no-ura. However, it has been pointed out that the Battle of Ōshū in 1189 was the last battle during this period of civil war, as it completed Yoritomo's nationwide domination through the annexation of Tōhoku region, Northeast Japan. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanto Shichi Daiji
Nanto Shichi Daiji (南都七大寺), literally "the seven great temples of the southern capital (meaning the city of Nara)", is a historical common name generally referring to the powerful and influential seven Buddhist temples located in the Nara prefecture. There have been some changes as to which temples are included over the years, since there have been fluctuations in power. The following is a list as it stood at the early stage, all of which were originally built by imperial order: This book is a collection of travel records to the seven great temples in Nara, published in Heian Period. A copy of the 13th century is shown at Nara National Museum. Designated National Treasure. * Daian-ji (大安寺) * Gangō-ji (元興寺) * Hōryū-ji (法隆寺) (located close to the border of modern Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and docu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azuma Kagami
is a Japanese historical chronicle. The medieval text chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō (the 6th shōgun) and his return to Kyoto in 1266.National Archives of JapanFeng, Wang The work is also called after the Later Hōjō family of Odawara (Kanagawa prefecture), in whose possession it used to be before it was donated to Tokugawa Ieyasu. It originally consisted of 52 chapters, but the 45th is lost. In spite of its many flaws, the document is considered the most important existing document concerning the Kamakura period. History The ''Azuma Kagami'' was compiled after 1266 under the directive of the Hōjō shikken (officially a regent to a shōgun, but the ''de facto'' ruler) and is a record in diary form of events occurring in Japan. Written in a Japanized version of classical Chinese known as , the massive work was incomprehensible to most Japanese until an edition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emperor Shōmu
was the 45th Emperor of Japan, emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period. Traditional narrative Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name (''imina'') is not clearly known, but he was known as Oshi-hiraki Toyosakura-hiko-no-mikoto. Shōmu was the son of Emperor Monmu and Fujiwara no Miyako, a daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito.Varley, p. 141. Shōmu had five consorts and six Imperial sons and daughters.Brown, p. 272. Events of Shōmu's reign Shōmu was still a child at the time of his father's death; thus, his grandmother, Empress Gemmei, and aunt, Empress Gensho, occupied the throne before he acceded. * 724 (''Yōrō 8, 1st month''): In the 9th year of Genshō''-tennō''s reign (元正天皇九年), the empress abdicated; and her nephew received the succession (‘� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hannya-ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon Ritsu sect in Nara, Japan. Its foundation is variously dated, but mention in a document in the Shōsōin provides a terminus ante quem of the mid-eighth century. Name ''Hannya'' is a phonetic rendering of prajñā, the Sanskrit term for wisdom or insight. History According to temple tradition, Ekan, a monk from Goguryeo, founded the monastic complex of on the site in 629. Emperor Shōmu is then said to have bestowed upon it, in 735, six hundred volumes of the Daihannyaharamitta-kyō, in gold on indigo paper, along with a sotōba and the name Hannya-ji. According to ''The Tale of the Heike'', during the Genpei War, Taira no Kiyomori dispatched Taira no Shigehira to lead the attack on Nara, in 1180. The defenders, many of them monks, took up position on Narazaka and at Hannya-ji. When the fighting continued into the night, Shigehira ordered torches to be lit, and one of his men set fire to a nearby house. Fanned by strong winds, the fla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vairocana
Vairocana (from Sanskrit: Vi+rocana, "from the sun" or "belonging to the sun", "Solar", or "Shining"), also known as Mahāvairocana (Great Vairocana), is a major Buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the '' Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the Dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East Asian Buddhism ( Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese Buddhism), Vairocana is also seen as the dharmakāya (the supreme buddha-body, the body of ultimate reality), and the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of wisdom and purity. Mahāvairocana is often translated into East Asian languages as "Great Sun Buddha" ( Chinese: 大日如來, pinyin: ''Dàrì Rúlái'', Japanese: ''Dainichi Nyorai''). In the conception of the Five Jinas of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Vairocana is at the centre and is often considered a Primordial Buddha. In East Asian esoteric Buddhism, Mahāvairocana is considered to be a Cosmic Buddha whose body is th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tale Of The 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). 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] |
Shōsōin
The is the wikt:treasure house, treasure house of Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The building is in the ''azekura'' (log-cabin) style with a raised floor. It lies to the northwest of the Great Buddha Hall. The Shōsō-in houses artifacts connected to Emperor Shōmu (聖武天皇)(701–756) and Empress Kōmyō (光明皇后)(701–760), as well as arts and crafts of the Tenpyō, Tempyō (天平) era of History of Japan, Japanese history. History The construction of the Tōdai-ji Buddhist temple complex was ordained by Emperor Shōmu as part of a national project of Buddhist temple construction. During the Tenpyō, Tempyō period, the years during which Emperor Shōmu reigned, multiple disasters struck Japan as well as political uproar and epidemics. Because of these reasons Emperor Shōmu launched a project of provincial temples. The Tōdai-ji was appointed as the head temple of these provincial temples. Emperor Shōmu was a strong supporter of Buddhism and he tho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naginata
The ''naginata'' (, , ) is a polearm and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades ('' nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei (warrior monks). The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna-musha, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility. A common misconception is that the Naginata is a type of sword, rather than a polearm. Description A ''naginata'' consists of a wooden or metal pole with a curved single-edged blade on the end; it is similar to the Chinese guan dao or the European glaive. Similar to the katana, naginata often have a round handguard (''tsuba'') between the blade and shaft, when mounted in a koshirae (furniture). The ''naginata'' blade is forged in the same manner as traditional Japanese swords. The blade has a long tang (''nakago'') which is inserted in the shaft. The blade is removable and is secured by means of a wooden p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Tale Of The 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). 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] |
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 Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira no Tadamori. His mother, Gion no Nyogo, was wife of Tadamori and a palace servant according to '' The Tale of the Heike''. Family Father: Taira no TadamoriMother: Gion no Nyogo (d. 1147)Concubine(s): Taira no TokikoChildren: * Taira no Shigemori * Taira no Munemori * Taira no Tomomori * Taira no Tokuko * Taira no Shigehira Career After the death of his father in 1153, 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, suppressed the rebels in the Hōgen Rebellion. This established the Taira and Minamoto as the top samurai clans in Kyoto. However, this ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
