Shinto sun goddess
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5 episodes with Amaterasu
5 episodes with Amaterasu
5 episodes with Amaterasu
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5 episodes with Amaterasu
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3 episodes with Amaterasu
2 episodes with Amaterasu
As we approach the Summer Solstice—the longest day and shortest night of the year—this episode explores how to tap into the profound wisdom of this sacred time for both your personal growth and client work. The solstice isn't just an astronomical event; it's a powerful invitation to step into your full radiance and help others do the same. This episode dives deep into what it truly means to shine without apology. We'll explore the symbolic meaning of the solstice as a time when the sun reaches its peak power, and how this mirrors our own journey toward full visibility and authentic self-expression. You'll discover why so many of us retreat into our metaphorical caves when life gets challenging, and more importantly, how to emerge again. In this episode, you'll learn: The deeper spiritual and emotional significance of the Summer Solstice and how to work with its energy The transformative Shinto myth of Amaterasu, the sun goddess who hid her light—and what it teaches us about reclaiming our radiance Practical ways to help clients reconnect with their inner light and overcome fears of being fully seen A powerful journaling process to identify where you're dimming your own brilliance Whether you're a coach looking to deepen your seasonal practice or someone ready to step more fully into your own light, this episode offers both ancient wisdom and practical tools for transformation. Get ready to explore what happens when we stop hiding our gifts and start shining as brightly as the summer sun itself. Resources Mentioned in the Episode Summer Solstice Ritual PDF FOLLOW JOANNA applieddepthinsitute.com instagram.com/joanna.lindenbaum The Coaching r(E)volution Facebook Group RATE, REVIEW, SHARE & FOLLOW (I so appreciate it!) If you love me and the podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! And also sharing it with others who would love it. It makes a difference and helps us reach more people who will find the podcast valuable. Be sure to give it 5 stars and post a comment and let us know what you loved most about the episode! Join our newsletter community and get a copy of 55 Effective Breakthrough Coaching Questions
En este fascinante episodio del podcast, nos sumergimos en uno de los mitos más enigmáticos del panteón japonés: el momento en que Amaterasu, la diosa del sol, se refugia en una cueva, dejando al mundo sumido en una oscuridad total. ¿Qué pudo provocar que la luminosa deidad abandonara el cielo? ¿Qué hizo su hermano Susanoo para desatar semejante caos? A través de un relato envolvente y lleno de simbolismo, el podcast reconstruye este antiguo mito con detalles que revelan no solo un conflicto divino, sino también profundas claves sobre la cultura y el orden cósmico en la tradición japonesa. Un episodio imprescindible para quienes buscan historias que trascienden el tiempo y el espacio.
Idag blir det en ny programpunkt i Japanpodden. Framöver kommer vi att väva in reseberättelser från olika platser. Först ut bland reseberättelserna är staden Ise i Mie län. Centralort för den japanska ursprungsreligionen shinto och därmed även djupt förbunden med den japanska kejsarfamiljen. Här hittar vi ett helt annat Japan. Långt ifrån storstädernas neon och puls. Här promenerar man längs grusade gångar i skuggan av majestätiska cypresser. Trots att det är en hel del besökare så råder nästan en andäktig tystnad. Samtalen förs på låg volym och besökarna tassar runt försiktigt mellan helgedomarna.Tradition och historia. Följ med på en vandring i det som man i Japans nationella historieskrivning hävdar är själva ursprunget till allt. Om solgudinnan Amaterasu och om hur Japan - den uppåtgående solens rike - en gång blev till. Dela gärna avsnittet med vänner och bekanta och passa även på att teckna dig för en prenumeration på Japanpodden. NYHETERMöte mellan Ishiba och Trump planeras innan G7-toppmötet i nästa veckaJapans premiärminister Shigeru Ishiba planerar att träffa USA:s president Donald Trump i Washington, D.C., inför årets G7-toppmöte som hålls den 15–17 juni i Kanada.Syftet med mötet är att diskutera bilaterala handelsfrågor, särskilt de amerikanska strafftullarna på japanska exportvaror som bilar, stål och aluminium.Båda ledarna har tidigare uttryckt en önskan om att stärka det bilaterala samarbetet inom handel och säkerhet, men Trump har hittills inte varit villig att dra tillbaka eller sänka tullarna på japanska bilar. Incident med Shinkansen stoppar tågtrafik i norra JapanTvå vagnar på Tōhoku Shinkansen kopplade isär under en färd nära Fukushima, vilket orsakade panik bland passagerare ombord.Ingen person kom till skada, men incidenten har lett till stora avbrott på tågtrafiken till Akita och Yamagata.Nu kommer tekniker att inspektera alla kopplingar i höghastighetstågen.Det är första gången som ett liknande tillbud drabbar Shinkansen som annars anses extremt säkert.Järnvägsbolaget JR East har bett om ursäkt och lovat gå till botten med incidenten. "My Number"-kortet kan användas som körkort från mars 2026Regeringen har beslutat att det nationella ID-kortet, "My Number", ska kunna användas som körkort från och med mars 2026.Därmed hoppas man kunna förenkla identifiering och digitalisering av offentliga tjänster.Användare kommer att kunna använda både ett fysiskt kort och en digital variant som app i mobilen. I och med detta hoppas regeringen kunna minska kostnaderna för utfärdande av separata körkort.Säkerheten i det nya systemet har ifrågasatts, men den ska garanteras genom stark kryptering och så kallad tvåfaktorsautentisering.De äldre körkorten kommer vara giltiga fram till slutet av 2029.Befolkningskrisen fördjupas – lägsta födelsetalet sedan 1800-taletUnder 2024 föddes endast 686 061 barn i Japan – den lägsta antalet sedan mätningarna började 1899. Födelsetalet sjönk till 1,15 per kvinna, vilket innebär att befolkningen kommer att fortsätta minska.Premiärminister Ishiba har kallat situationen för en "nationell kris i slow motion" och har utlovat omfattande reformer för att stötta barnfamiljer, inklusive gratis förskola och längre föräldraledighet.Men kritiker menar att strukturella problem som otrygga anställningar, bostadsbrist och könsroller också måste åtgärdas.Trenden påverkar även pensionssystemet och framtida arbetskraftstillgång.En särskild myndighet med ansvar för befolkningsfrågor kommer nu att inrättas.Sumostjärnan Onosato Japans 75:e yokozunaSumobrottaren Onosato har blivit utnämnd till Japans 75:e yokozuna, den högsta rangen.Detta efter att han i maj tog hem sin fjärde turneringsseger med den imponerande sviten 15 vunna och ingen förlorad. Onosato som bara är 24 år gammal, är känd för sin smidighet, teknik och styrka – en sällsynt kombination bland brottare på den högsta nivån. Han är därmed den första japan på sju år att nå yokozuna-status och en del bedömare talar om ett generationsskifte inom sumo, där unga japanska brottare nu utmanar tidigare dominansen av brottare med ursprung i Mongoliet.Mediet Ryo Tatsuki varnar för katastrof den 5 juliDen japanska mangatecknaren och sierskan Ryo Tatsuki håller fast vid profetian om att en stor katastrof kommer drabba Japan den 5 juli.Tatsuki har tidigare förutspått bland annat katastrofen i Fukushima 2011, och har uppnått något av kultstatus i Japan.Många japaner och även utlänningar har redan bokat om sina semestrar och handeln rapporterar ökad försäljning av nödproviant. Inom den etablerade vetenskapen är man dock skeptisk och anklagar Tatsuki för att sprida ogrundad rädsla bland allmänheten. Själv står hon fast vid spådomarna och varnar för ett skalv, en tsunami, eller “något annat” kommer att inträffa den 5 juli. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit japanpodden.substack.com
Kara and Tia are back to discuss the covers of issues #2-5 of The Wicked + The Divine!Issue 2:Jamie/Matt: Amaterasu head shotSDCC cover: Amaterasu head shot in ben-gay dots2nd printing: Amaterasu head shot in B&W with makeup in colorZdarsky variant: Trolling KG and Jamie?Jamie variant: Luci as David Bowie's mugshotIssue 3:Jamie/Matt: The Morrigan head shot (lol)Stephanie Hans variant: Amaterasu performanceJamie variant: Luci performanceIssue 4:Jamie/Matt: Baal head shotKevin Wada variant: The GothsIssue 5:Jamie/Matt: Tara head shotBecky Cloonan Variant: The Goths, fallingJamie variant: SakhmetMusic provided by Infinity Shred. Find them on Bandcamp.IRCB Avatars by @ICELEVELIRCB Logo by Kyle RoseProducer: Mike RapinProoflistener: Brian MurrayEditor: Zander Riggs Support us on Patreon to get access to our Patreon-only series: IRCB Movie Club, Saga of Saga, Giant Days of Our Lives, A Better Batmobile, and more! patreon.com/ircbpodcastEmail: ircbpodcast@gmail.comTwitter: @ircbpodcastInstagram: @ircbpodcastDiscord: discordapp.com/invite/E8JUB9sReddit: ireadcomicbooks.reddit.comIRCB GoodreadsMerch: ircbpodcast.com/shop
In this electrifying episode of Mythlok, host Nitten Nair dives headfirst into the whirlwind legend of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi—Japan's mythical Grass-Cutting Sword that once took on an eight-headed dragon and lived to slice again.From its jaw-dropping origin inside the belly of the monstrous Yamata no Orochi, to saving a prince from a fiery death, this is no ordinary piece of sharpened steel. We'll uncover how this wind-wielding blade became a symbol of divine authority, explore its mysterious powers, and ask the all-important question: Is it a blessing, or a beautifully crafted curse?Expect gods, monsters, windy showdowns, drunken dragons, and just enough historical conspiracy to make Indiana Jones raise an eyebrow. So unsheathe your curiosity, hit play, and let the legend slice through the fog of time!
Today, we're painting a picture of Ōkami, the 2006 action-adventure game that transformed Japanese mythology into a living watercolor masterpiece. We begin by exploring how Hideki Kamiya, fresh off titles like Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe, sought to create something more peaceful and healing—an idea that evolved into a game about the sun goddess Amaterasu, reborn as a white wolf. Then, we'll trace the game's journey from technical struggles and uncertain direction to the moment of inspiration that led to its unique art style and the creation of the Celestial Brush mechanic. Finally, we'll reflect on Ōkami's legacy, from its initial commercial struggles to its critical acclaim, cult following, and long-awaited sequel now in development. So, grab your brush and join us as we restore color to the world on today's trip down Memory Card Lane! Find out more at https://a-trip-down-memory-card-lane.pinecast.co
"This recording is from the Ferrara International Buskers Festival 2023. This is one of the biggest events in global street music. The performance happening in this recording is a troupe of masked Japanese drummers using large plastic oil containers as their instruments. As the microphone turns we can hear how a large castle wall behind us is reflecting the sound. The drumming sounds like traditional taiko drumming to me which was often used to motivate troops, call out orders or announcements, and set a marching pace. Additionally, taiko drumming is a very old tradition that has origins in Japanese mythology. "For this composition, I wanted to take this very old style of drumming and put it in a more modern Japanese music genre which is Japanese city pop. In the second half of this composition, I wanted it to transition into a more ambient piece that to me sounds like the church environment because of the airy synths and lots of revered vocal samples from the recording that reflect the voices bouncing off the church walls." Taiko drumming in Ferrara reimagined by Calla Richardson. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world's most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage
**SMASH** **BREAKS GLASS** Well folks, here we are with another emergency pod, reviewing another one of Heather Henson's Handmade Puppet Dreams films. This time we opted to forgo spinning the wheel to just go ahead and watch a film suggested to us by a friend over on the discord! (shout out to L_Troemel!) For the uninitiated, Handmade Puppet Dreams is a series of short films produced by Heather Henson and her puppet company Ibex Puppetry. Founded in 2004, Handmade puppet dreams has provided the means and exposure for smaller puppet artists to create some truly unique films straight out of their own imaginations. This week the boys will be watching a found object puppet piece based on a Japanese Shinto story called Amaterasu. This one is really special, with beautiful found objects telling a classic mythological story of feuding gods. We hope you enjoy the unique short film from Handmade Puppet Dreams! Join the discussion on our discord! https://discord.gg/JDtWJrhPF6Follow us on twitter @PMoNPodcast and on Instagram and Threads @puppetmastersofnoneFind out more about the puppet masters on our website: https://puppetmastersofnone.wixsite.com/puppetmastersofnoneOriginal Music Composed by Taetro. @Taetro https://www.taetro.com/Send us a text
[Series Finale] The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu have a perfectly normal planetary survey mission---Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US#StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu accidentally break the Prime Directive. Again. (Part Two) --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
Prepárate para un viaje lleno de tormentas ⛈, dioses enojados y serpientes con complejo de pulpo gigante . En este episodio, desmenuzamos la épica vida de Susano no Mikoto, el dios japonés que fue expulsado del cielo por pasarse de la raya (literalmente) . Desde destruir la casa de su hermana Amaterasu hasta enfrentarse a la temible Yamata no Orochi con barriles de sake , esta historia tiene de todo: drama familiar , redención ✨ y una espada legendaria que hizo historia ⚔. ¡Monstruos, dragones y héroes épicos, oh, por Dios! ⚔️ En este episodio nos adentramos en el mundo de Beowulf, la historia del héroe que arrancó brazos de monstruos , lidió con madres vengativas ♀️ y se enfrentó a un dragón porque, bueno, ser rey no era lo suficientemente emocionante . Prepárate para una dosis de sangre , gloria y tesoros enterrados mientras exploramos por qué esta leyenda sigue siendo uno de los relatos más épicos de la historia . Además, en esta parte nos fuimos un poco por las ramas con algunos datos más y comparando con otros mitos. ¡Esperamos que les guste! Acompáñanos en la aventura para descubrir que Beowulf... ¡ES HISTORIA! ️
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu meet "Me" after doing questionable things to a turkey (Part One) --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
Happy New Year everyone! Join me today as I share an inspirational message that captures the energy of the season as well as the Japanese Sun Goddess Amaterasu, Celtic Brigid's "motivational steam" and light as life. And please remember to go to Spreaker.com and hit the FOLLOW button for the show which soon will be fully migrated from Blog Talk to Spreaker and most other podcast platforms.
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu finally make it through Pandora's Gate only to encounter a problem as bad as "radioactive borg lava" (Part Two) --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
In this episode we continue our conversation with Isabella Dawis and Tidtaya Sinutoke about their new musical, Sunwatcher. https://sunwatchermusical.com/ In 1944, a young woman in Tokyo dares to stare at the sun. Though she lives in a city under attack from American bombs – and in a body limited to the role of housewife – Hisako is determined to become an astronomer. Her struggle leads her to the mighty Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu, who is in the midst of her own epic battle and needs a mortal's help. But can Hisako rise to the challenge? Performed by an all-Asian women and nonbinary cast, with an innovative score featuring electronic live looping and taiko drumming: SUNWATCHER is a new musical about one woman's extraordinary dedication to the power of observation. This episode features the song “Butterfly” performed by Isabella Dawis, Gemma Nha, and Anna Hashizume. Connect with Sunwatcher: Website: https://sunwatchermusical.com/ Connect with Isabella Dawis: Website: www.isabelladawis.com Connect with Tidtaya Sinutoke: Instagram: @tidtayasinutoke Website: www.tidtayasinutoke.com Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: newyorktheatrebarn.givingfuel.com/nytb-yea2024 Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Pauls's personal instagram: @paulsmacs Teresa's personal instagram: @terijoyeaux Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu finally make it through Pandora's Gate only to encounter a problem as bad as "radioactive borg lava" (Part One) --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
Goddesses line up to enjoy Dan's bed.Based on a post by DustinMidnight, in 9 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.In front of him were three beautiful women, each of them gorgeous in their own way. Annabelle went to give each of the girls a hug.She started with the blonde, who was wearing a pink tank top and a baseball cap, Plus a pair of short shorts that barely covered her ass. The woman smiled and hugged back.“Annabelle! It's so great to see you!” cooed the blonde “It's been what, 50 years?” After Annabelle broke the hug, the blonde gave her a kiss on the cheek.“Come on, Aphrodite. It's only been a few years. How had Hephaestus been?”“Oh, the usual. Working nonstop and hanging out in his forge. Though Aries always manages to take care of my needs. Right, honey buns?” She giggled, looking back at the man. He grunted and nodded with a thumbs-up.Annabelle moved on to hug the dark-skinned, dark-haired woman in the center who was wearing traditional-looking Indian garb.“Kali, how's it going?” she asked. “Been destroying anything?”“Not for a while. No one has given me a reason to truly destroy. Though I suppose it's good for the world. You know, I've heard you were married.” The woman looked past Annabelle, towards Dan, who gave a wave. It was then he noticed the woman who went by the name Kali had six arms, no, maybe it was ten. All he could tell was that she was very handy. He thought she was quite beautiful, although then he noticed she was wearing a necklace of small skulls. He gulped at that.The woman sneered. “He doesn't seem like much. Too skinny. And Shiva is more handsome.” She shrugged shoulders and patted Annabelle's back with one of her lower arms.The third woman looked Japanese and wore a pink silk robe with red trim.Annabelle moved to hug her and said, “Amaterasu, you're looking good. How's raising the sun going?”The woman kept her eyes down. “It has been fine. Though it's been quite a trip here today. Can we please begin our meeting? The day is young, just as I am.” She bowed her head.“Sure, come in,” said Annabelle, waving them in from the hallway. “We have a lot to talk about. Oh, and let me formally introduce my husband. His name is Dan.” Annabelle smiled as she gestured toward him, showing him off like he was a brand-new pet. Dan wondered if any of the visitors were going to pat him on the head.“He seems nice,” said Aphrodite, “But why go all the way and get married instead of just having a fling? I remember the last time I was married to a mortal.” The beautiful woman shuddered as she looked off into the distance.Dan couldn't help but ask,“What happened?”“It was horrible! I had to cook, I had to clean, no one paid attention to me, I was treated like a wench. He wasn't even great in bed!”Dan might have felt bad for her if she hadn't been sounding like a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills. He assumed she was overexaggerating.“So what did you do?” he asked.“Oh, I started the Trojan War and had him killed as soon as he went out into battle. Just like that, I was free, and I could get back with my handsome lug of a boyfriend.” Although she was wearing wedge sandals with tall platforms, she still had to get up on tiptoes to give the man behind her a kiss. He didn't show much expression, just nodded and grunted again.“Well, that's… nice.” Dan felt his head drop. He wasn't sure how to react to that. This was really a situation of utter weirdness, but he figured he'd just go with the flow.“Aphrodite, please don't scare my husband. I don't want him to run away from me just ‘cause you put crazy thoughts in his head.” Annabelle leaned over and kissed his neck. Dan's cheeks turned to a deep red in utter surprise as he smiled at his wife/goddess.Aphrodite smirked. “Oh, fine, heh. Besides, I'm just teasing the cutie. Hey, we better get down to business. I have a manicure appointment in Thessaloniki around six, and I don't want to be late. Then me and Aries-baby are gonna go out to get a drink. He wants to get in a bar fight tonight. He has to let out his anger since wars aren't happening as much as they used to.”Aries nodded as a small smirk crossed his stoic face, as though he couldn't wait to bust heads.“Well, okay,” said Annabelle, raising one eyebrow. “Yes, let's get started. Dan, can I ask you to head to another room? Not that I don't want you here, but this is a discussion between gods. And I don't think you'd enjoy hearing us speak in Celestial.” Annabelle smiled and lightly kissed his forehead. Dan was briefly annoyed, but thinking it over for a second, he decided going elsewhere would be the best option.He nodded and said, “Sure I'll just hang out with Gizzy or something, if I can find her.” He rubbed the back of his head. He was curious about what the Celestial language was, but he had a feeling if he heard it, something bad might happen. He imagined being driven to the point of madness, like maybe no mortal was supposed to truly hear the voice of gods.But then it made him wonder… Did Annabelle actually look like this, or was it just that his mind perceived her as a beautiful woman who looked very much human?. He sighed.“Thanks, sweetheart. I'll call you when we're finished.” Annabelle leaned over and kissed his cheek, and he nodded, heading off down the hallway toward the bedroom.Vanessa stumbled into her room. Her body was hurting. She wasn't sure what was going on. She felt as though she was dying. She couldn't eat and had barely slept. She felt like she was being dragged through a pasture filled with cow shit, and hitting every stinking load those cattle made. She was regretting life. She hated that she had ever met Joe Liesmith. She wished she could just flat-out die.But she was sure that if she tried killing herself, Liesmith would just bring her back. He wasn't human, he was a being, more like a demon in human flesh. But he was strange. He forced her to save people's lives, preventing their deaths, keeping them among the living. She was doing all sorts of good. Yet at the same time, it felt as though she was actually doing harm, like she wasn't supposed to be doing this. Every instinct told her to run, to hide, to get away from that man. But she couldn't, no matter where she went. No matter where Vanessa hid, Liesmith would find her. It was like they were bonded.Vanessa got down on her knees next to her bed. She hadn't done this for a long time, not since her mother died. She cried and began praying to God.“Please, God, help me, I'm in danger, I'm afraid, I'm afraid that I'm being attacked by a demon… or an angel. I don't know, but I feel like he's killing me. Please protect me. I'm begging you. H-He's scaring me, but I don't know why. Send help. Protect me. Just get this monster out of my life. I beg you, I'm begging you! I'll follow you. I'll go to church for you. Fuck, I'll become a nun if I have to! But please save me from this demon, this Joe Liesmith!”“Oh, come on now, I'm not that much of a demon, now, am I, darling?” Joe Liesmith purred. He was suddenly lying on the bed, an apple in one hand and a knife in the other. He slowly began peeling the skin off the fruit.Vanessa recoiled and weakly sank closer to the floor. “What are you?” she asked.“Hmm, I'm me. I'm Joe Liesmith. But if you must know what I am, well, it's clear you're not the sharpest tool in the shed. But how about this. I'll tell you, I'm not some insignificant demon, I'm not a monster, But I am a god.” He stood up on the bed as his body glowed. Vanessa felt herself stumbling backward, scooting a couple feet across the floor, coughing hard as she looked up to him, her body trembling in utter fear.“You're not a god. Gods are supposed to be good, not hurt people. Protectors.” She trembled even more. She wanted to run away, try and get away from this beast. But Liesmith smirked as he looked down at her. Oh, how he loved looking down at mortals; how small, how insignificant they are, only ready to be used when he wanted to use them.“But I am what I am,” he said. “The fact is, you're in my world. I'm just letting you live here.” He chuckled as he leaned down and reached to Cares her chin with his fingers.Vanessa backed away again. “What is it you want?”“Oh, nothing much, just to get your former boyfriend to leave his wife, my ex-wife. He took something that belongs to me, and as I've said once, and I'll say again, I don't like to share.”He growled as though something was pulsing in his head. It was almost as if anything that went wrong would drive this creature, this god off the rails, and nothing would sate him until he felt everything was restored.“Then why are you hurting me? Why am I in pain?” Her breathing was getting heavy as she felt her legs trembling underneath her.Liesmith chuckled more as he leaned down.“Because life is pain, it's chaos, it's unruly madness. My alignment is for creating and building, but at the same time, letting that creation destroy and run around like a pure monster.” He gave a sinister smile, his crooked smirk growing wider.“So I have something I need you to do, nothing too crazy. Just go to a bar. Drink till you throw up for all I care, but be there. Maybe seduce your old boyfriend. Dan Fremont, seriously, who names their kid that? It sounds like a name for a parody anchorman. Whatever. Just be there, and try to do what you can to get him to leave Annabelle.” He chuckled as he reached to cares her cheeks with the backs of his hands.“If you do this, I'll reward you. You can live forever and retain eternal youth. I can do that, let you live forever.” He reached down, kissing her forehead. Vanessa looked up at him and felt nothing but fear. Fear that If she didn't do this, he'd keep her alive anyway, live and suffering till the end of days, if that would ever arrive.“O-okay.” She reached to take the god's hand. She felt as if she was shaking the hand of the very devil himself. It made her sick to her stomach that she was even doing something like this, but what choice did she have?“Kick him in the balls! Kick him!” Gizzy the gremlin screamed as she raised her fist in the air, watching the television in one of the new rooms Annabelle had created in the apartment, this one done up like a man cave, complete with a bar and a pinball machine.“Gizzy, this is boxing. They don't do that. You're thinking of MMA fighting,” Dan explained as he sipped a beer. Aries was in the room, too, quietly sitting and nodding as he drank his own beer.The war god finally spoke up. “I miss the old fighting the Greeks did. No rules, no holding back. A fight till you were either knocked out or dead. Sometimes both. I remember watching Drákos báles fight the champion. The man lost an eye but won the battle. I mean, you should have seen it! The man's eye was hanging out of his skull!” Aries raised his beer in excitement. The two opponents on TV were beating the hell out of each other in the ring, with such power behind each of them. Dan and the others didn't know who was fighting, or where the fight was taking place. It had just appeared with the TV turned on.Mercifully, a bell rang and the boxers stopped and returned to their corners. While he had a chance, Dan asked, “So, since you are having an affair with Aphrodite. any advice I should have about being married to a goddess of lust?”“You need advice from me on being married to a goddess?” Aries grunted and took a swig of his beer. “Okay, one piece of advice I can give you is very important, ever stick it in the wrong hole. Did that once by accident with Pumpkin in there, and next thing, I knew she clawed my eyes out. I had to ask Hephaestus to replace them. The motherfucker started laughing his ass off. I ended up blind for a week while that fucker built new eyes for me. Though I will admit, they look cool as fuck.” As if Aries knew what Dan was about to ask, he pulled his sunglasses down, revealing two balls of flame that glowed like a pair of red suns, appearing to stare down deep into Dan's soul.“Well, that's something I never expected to deal with,” Dan muttered, taking another drink.Aries nodded and agreed,“Yep, though, hey, shit like being able to get new eyes is one of the few benefits of being a god But, fuck, it can suck at times. You mortals think it's so easy being a god. Going, ‘Oh, how I wish to be a god, how much fun It would be to have all that power doing so much, nothing could stop me.' Trust me, being a god is the most annoying thing out there. Gotta follow all the rules. And when we help out mortals, you get all pissy when one of your fellow humans fucks up our plans. I mean, yeesh. Then you run after the next new god who comes along. Take Jesus, for example. The guy walks on water and makes water into wine, and next thing I know, my temples and everyone else's get toppled by his nutty followers. I swear, if the wine the guy makes wasn't the best I've ever had, I'd kick his ass.”“Wait, so Jesus was real? Sorry, I was an atheist before all this.” Dan responded.Aries nodded and said, “Oh, yeah, he's basically a demigod, and he's still around. The guy's not as impressive as you think. I used to raise armies of the dead to fight my enemies. Aphrodite could make thousands fall under her spell. But a man from the Middle East just makes water into wine, walks on water, and heals the sick a few times, and suddenly he's super-hot. It's insane! I mean, I wasn't Mr. Popular, but come on!”Dan looked over towards Gizzy, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to the conversation. She was just watching the boxing match, throwing the old one-two with her little arms. Dan chuckled in spite of himself at the sight of the small female figure imitating the fighters. Aries continued, “Well, anyway, I'm still able to get some worshippers. Just some clever work needs to be done. But I'm more relaxed than some of the newer gods. Those guys can be assholes.”“How so?” Dan asked. He had his eyes on the fight, but his ears on the war god.“Well, basically, a bunch of them are like teenagers. Take this one guy I know. He's basically a god of the Internet. Super douchebag. Feels like he needs to be in control. Super control issues with wanting to bring on madness. It's like the worst aspects of Loki and Zeus rolled into one.”“Really? Any examples?”“Well, I can't get into too much detail, but the guy had a thing for a goddess, and she rejected him at first, before he went ahead and pulled a Zeus and tricked her into marrying him. Though unlike Zeus, this guy isn't even top shit. Just a side god. So they ended up separated, and the fucker has been bitter ever since. Hell, he was humiliated and laughed at.”“Damn. Well, guess the guy deserves it.”“Oh, yeah, but fuck, can the newer gods be a pain in the ass, especially the ones that don't need prayers. Honestly, you're lucky with Annabelle. She's the type that has a level head on her shoulders. Even Aphrodite wasn't as calm. She's really mellowed out over the years. But trust me, on a good Saturday night, the girl can be wild. I can put money on that.” He chuckled.“Yeah, yeah. Though it's been an interesting time. I mean, if anyone told me a month ago, I'd be married to a goddess today, I'd have called them crazy, or something like that.”Aries lowered his sunglasses. “Yeah, I guess so. Though, hey, it's a crazy world out there, even for us gods.”“Yep,” Dan agreed. “Hey, are you ready for another beer?” He realized his bottle was nearly finished.“Sure, sounds good. I can use a few before going off on my date with Aphrodite.” Dan got up to cross the room to the bar, and realized Gizzy was building something. He could see she had an assortment of scrap metal on the floor in front of her.“Gizzy, what are you doing?” he asked.Gizzy looked up as she tightened a screw.“Dilzooka…” was her response. Dan raised an eyebrow and said, “Okay, I have to ask. What's a dilzooka?” Aries crossed his arms and leaned forward, a scowl on his face. Gizzy rolled her eyes, rummaged briefly through the scrap metal and came up with a suction-cup-backed dildo in one hand, a long metal tube in the other. She put the dildo in one end of the tube and quickly counted down: “1; 2; 3; Fire!”A loud blast came from the dilzooka. Dan jumped for cover. The long rubber object bounced all over the place until it finally stopped. Dan raised his head to try to assess the damage. There didn't seem to be any major holes in the wall or ceiling. Gizzy looked triumphant, as if it had been a successful test of her device. Aries, though, was standing in the middle of the room with the dildo's suction cup attached right in the center of his forehead.Dan fought off the urge to laugh. The war god looked almost like a dick-headed unicorn, or maybe the word should be dildicorn. Aries just groaned as he reached up and ripped the dildo off. Gizzy was now giggling up a storm.“I'm going to see if they're done talking,” Aries muttered, stomping out of the room.Eventually, Aries came back to give Dan the all-clear. He went back to the living room to see the women sitting on the couches and smiling. Kali looked a bit bedraggled, her colorful garb torn in a few places. Dan couldn't help but ask,“Okay, what happened?”The Hindu goddess crossed her arms and looked away, clearly annoyed.Annabelle answered, “Oh, nothing much. She and Bast got into a disagreement. One thing led to another, and… well, Kali owes us a new dining room.”“I do not! It was the Egyptian pussy who was running in there while I was trying to destroy her!” Kali screamed in anger, her face turning darker, as if she was about to lose her temper.“Kali, you were throwing the fireballs. You don't want to be hit with karma, now, do you? Should I tell Shiva exactly what happened?” Annabelle lowered her glasses as she glared at the other goddess. Kali growled in annoyance, then just sighed and shook her head.“Fine, I'll have Shiva transfer the rubies and have them converted into American dollars to have your dining room repaired.”The gods soon began leaving. On their way out, Aphrodite couldn't help but ask Aries,“Sweetie pie, why is there a red circle on your head?”Aries responded with only a quiet grunt and groan. The goddess of love nodded as they began walking out the door. From the hallway, she turned around and smiled at Annabelle and Dan.“It was nice to meet you, Dan,” she said. “From what Annabelle says, you're pretty nice for a mortal. I'm sure she won't start a war and get you killed.” She giggled, and Dan wasn't sure whether or not she was joking.The front door shut, and Annabelle said, “I think Aphrodite likes you, Dan. Maybe I should keep a special eye on you.” She giggled and rested her head on his shoulder.“Heh, no need to worry. Aries can keep her. One goddess is enough for me.” Dan chuckled, but then a hand grabbed his shoulder.“Don't you mean two goddesses, boy? This kitty needs attention also.” He turned to see Bast, in her mostly-human form. She wore clothes that were in tatters, and she looked as though she had a black eye. Dan gulped.
This episode features a conversation with Isabella Dawis and Tidtaya Sinutoke about their new musical, Sunwatcher. (https://sunwatchermusical.com) In 1944, a young woman in Tokyo dares to stare at the sun. Though she lives in a city under attack from American bombs – and in a body limited to the role of housewife – Hisako is determined to become an astronomer. Her struggle leads her to the mighty Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu, who is in the midst of her own epic battle and needs a mortal's help. But can Hisako rise to the challenge? Performed by an all-Asian women and nonbinary cast, with an innovative score featuring electronic live looping and taiko drumming: SUNWATCHER is a new musical about one woman's extraordinary dedication to the power of observation. This episode features demo recordings of “Travel Song” performed by Gemma Nha and “Fight Song”performed by Anna Hashizume. Connect with Sunwatcher Website: https://sunwatchermusical.com Connect with Isabella Dawis: Website: www.isabelladawis.com Connect with Tidtaya Sinutoke: Instagram: @tidtayasinutoke Website: www.tidtayasinutoke.com Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Support us: newyorktheatrebarn.givingfuel.com/nytb-yea2024 Twitter: @nytheatrebarn Instagram: @newyorktheatrebarn Facebook.com/nytheatrebarn nytheatrebarn.org Pauls's personal instagram: @paulsmacs Teresa's personal instagram: @terijoyeaux Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu engage in a conspiracy about a conspiracy of a conspiracy before deploying biological weapons. Yeah, we don't know what happened either... --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu discover the true terror of being 2.54cm off as they investigate a strange synesthesia phenomenon occurring near Pandora's Gate (Part Two) --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu do their best to fix AIGIS after the attack by the mysterious aliens near Pandora's Gate --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
Step into a world where ancient legends come to life on your gaming console! In this episode, we explore the top mythology-inspired video games that let you wield the powers of gods, heroes, and monsters. From Kratos' rage-fueled battles in God of War to the cunning tactics of Greek gods in Hades, we dive deep into the mythical origins behind each game. Join us as we break down how these games reimagine the stories of Greek, Norse, Japanese, and Egyptian gods, along with many others. Get ready for an epic journey through the best video games where myth meets gameplay—and discover how these legends continue to captivate players in the digital age. Plus, don't miss our thought-provoking questions at the end—if you could be any mythological figure, who would you choose? Tune in, and let the mythic adventure begin!Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more legendary content!
In this episode, we explore the incredible stories of seven powerful goddesses from world mythology, each representing unique strengths and qualities. From Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, to Oya, the Yoruba goddess of storms and winds, we dive deep into their myths, their roles in shaping their respective cultures, and the awe-inspiring powers they wield. Discover how Amaterasu illuminates the heavens, how Freya commands both love and battle, and why Pele fiercely rules the volcanic islands. Join us as we uncover the legacy of these formidable women and reflect on their significance throughout history. Don't miss this journey across mythologies, celebrating the might and wisdom of the divine feminine.Tune in, hit the subscribe button, and let these tales inspire your inner strength!
Ise Jingu is the preeminent shrine in Japan, providing sanctuary for Amaterasu, the sun goddess. In Jainism we find the Cosmic Mother, and in both South Arabia and Germany the ultimate deity was also female. In Catholicism it is Mary. In other examples we find a triune, dualistic, or all-encompassing force, again, sometimes male and sometimes female. These terms matter little, however, since what the story conveys is the key to understanding. Names and identities are just languages. Amaterasu dies for three days and is resurrected; she reflects in a mirror like the Hebrew God; her sanctuary is protected by a white veil not unlike the red veil of Isis; in myth the veil separates the earthly and spiritual planes, and the mirror is placed on a tree around which the other gods celebrate the sun goddess resurrecting and gifting life to the world - essentially a Christmas or Yule party. Her worship dates back 2,000 years to at least the time of Jesus, and before.-FREE ARCHIVE & RSS: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-secret-teachings Twitter: https://twitter.com/TST___Radio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesecretteachings WEBSITE (BOOKS, RESUBSCRIBE for early show access): http://thesecretteachings.info Paypal: rdgable@yahoo.com CashApp: $rdgable EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTRadio@protonmail.com
The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu discover the true terror of being 2.54cm off as they investigate a strange synthesia phenomenon occurring near Pandora's Gate (Part One) --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
[Series Premiere] The Middle Decks crew of the U.S.S. Amaterasu run into a problem when they start bouncing between the stars without any indication as to why... --- Titan by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/ Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US #StarTrek #StarTrekAdventures #TTRPG
fWotD Episode 2657: Flag of Japan Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Tuesday, 13 August 2024 is Flag of Japan.The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner bearing a crimson-red circle at its center. This flag is officially called the Nisshōki (日章旗, 'flag of the sun'), but is more commonly known in Japan as the Hinomaru (日の丸, 'Ball of the sun'). It embodies the country's sobriquet: the Land of the Rising Sun.The Nisshoki flag is designated as the national flag in the Act on National Flag and Anthem, which was promulgated and became effective on 13 August 1999. Although no earlier legislation had specified a national flag, the sun-disc flag had already become the de facto national flag of Japan. Two proclamations issued in 1870 by the Daijō-kan, the governmental body of the early Meiji period, each had a provision for a design of the national flag. A sun-disc flag was adopted as the national flag for merchant ships under Proclamation No. 57 of Meiji 3 (issued on 27 February 1870), and as the national flag used by the Navy under Proclamation No. 651 of Meiji 3 (issued on 27 October 1870). Use of the Hinomaru was severely restricted during the early years of the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II; these restrictions were later relaxed.The sun plays an important role in Japanese mythology and religion, as the Emperor is said to be the direct descendant of the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu, and the legitimacy of the ruling house rested on this divine appointment. The name of the country as well as the design of the flag reflect this central importance of the sun. The ancient history Shoku Nihongi says that Emperor Monmu used a flag representing the sun in his court in 701, the first recorded use of a sun-motif flag in Japan. The oldest existing flag is preserved in Unpō-ji temple, Kōshū, Yamanashi, which is older than the 16th century, and an ancient legend says that the flag was given to the temple by Emperor Go-Reizei in the 11th century. During the Meiji Restoration, the sun disc and the Rising Sun Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army became major symbols in the emerging Japanese Empire. Propaganda posters, textbooks, and films depicted the flag as a source of pride and patriotism. In Japanese homes, citizens were required to display the flag during national holidays, celebrations and other occasions as decreed by the government. Different tokens of devotion to Japan and its Emperor featuring the Hinomaru motif became popular among the public during the Second Sino-Japanese War and other conflicts. These tokens ranged from slogans written on the flag to clothing items and dishes that resembled the flag.Public perception of the national flag varies. Historically, both Western and Japanese sources claimed the flag was a powerful and enduring symbol to the Japanese. Since the end of World War II (the Pacific War), the use of the flag and the national anthem Kimigayo has been a contentious issue for Japan's public schools, and disputes about their use have led to protests and lawsuits. Several military banners of Japan are based on the Hinomaru, including the sunrayed naval ensign. The Hinomaru also serves as a template for other Japanese flags in public and private use.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:30 UTC on Tuesday, 13 August 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Flag of Japan on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Geraint.
Let's celebrate the North American summer with a dive (see what I did there?) into the history of women's bathing suits. It's as fascinating, and sometimes as absurd, as you'd imagine. I have a book coming out in August! FYREBIRDS, the sequel and conclusion to NIGHTBIRDS, is hitting shelves on August 27th, and I would love it if you'd pick up a copy. To find out all about it, go to my author website. If you're looking for a recap of NIGHTBIRDS before FYREBIRDS comes out, or are keen to read along with me for the very first time, go and listen to my four-part readalong over on my other podcast, Pub Dates. Ways to support The Exploress: Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS. You can also pre-order the sequel, FYREBIRDS Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about Tomoe Gozen, an infamous Japanese warrior, and a bonus about Japanese goddess Amaterasu. Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it over on my Patreon.) In June, I'm doing a NIGHTBIRDS readalong on my other podcast, Pub Dates. Whether you're looking for a recap before FYREBIRDS comes out or are keen to read along with me for the very first time, it's going to be a lot of fun! Ways to support The Exploress: Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS. You can also pre-order the sequel, FYREBIRDS, out Aug. 27. Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about Tomoe Gozen, an infamous Japanese warrior, and a bonus about Japanese goddess Amaterasu. Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it over on my Patreon.) In June, I'm doing a NIGHTBIRDS readalong on my other podcast, Pub Dates. Whether you're looking for a recap before FYREBIRDS comes out or are keen to read along with me for the very first time, it's going to be a lot of fun! And listeners have a chance to win a prize. Ways to support The Exploress: Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, which is already out in hardback, and coming out in paperback on June 4, 2024. You can also pre-order the sequel, FYREBIRDS, out Aug. 27. Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about Tomoe Gozen, an infamous Japanese warrior, and an upcoming bonus about Japanese goddess Amaterasu. Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it over on my Patreon.) In June, I'm doing a NIGHTBIRDS readalong on my other podcast, Pub Dates. Whether you're looking for a recap before FYREBIRDS comes out or are keen to read along with me for the very first time, it's going to be a lot of fun! And listeners have a chance to win a prize. Ways to support The Exploress: Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, which is already out in hardback, and coming out in paperback on June 4, 2024. You can also pre-order the sequel, FYREBIRDS, out Aug. 27. Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about Tomoe Gozen, an infamous Japanese warrior, and an upcoming bonus about Japanese goddess Amaterasu. Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop
In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it over on my Patreon.) Don't forget: In June, I'm doing a NIGHTBIRDS recap and readalong over on my other podcast, Pub Dates. Listeners have a chance to win a prize! Ways to support The Exploress: Buy Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, which is coming out in paperback on June 4, 2024. You can also pre-order its sequel, FYREBIRDS, out Aug. 27! Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including one about Tomoe Gozen, an infamous Japanese warrior, and an upcoming bonus about Japanese goddess Amaterasu. Check out the merch and art available at the Exploress shop
Filling in the rest of Takara's reign with the stories of the various envoys at court, the Baekje princes living in Yamato, and the story of a 7th century millenial cult. For more, check out https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-107 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 107: Winds Across the Straits Villagers gathered near the center of their community. In contrast to the clean, walled up compounds of the local elites, with their raised floor buildings, the buildings here were much simpler, often sitting directly on the ground, or dug down into the earth in the pit dwelling style that had been used for centuries. Mostly what anyone would notice were the thatched roofs, which had been used for centuries to keep out the rain and snow. A tall watchtower was currently unmanned as everyone had gathered around, curious at the news coming from the east. A wandering mystic had come to town, and she was spreading words of hope across the country of Yamashiro. Over the past few years there had been droughts, famine, earthquakes, and more. People had tried everything in conjunction with the advice of their local hafuri, or priests. They had petitioned the local kami of the rivers and lakes, they had tried imported practices like sacrificing horses, and at a nearby village they had changed the location of the marketplace to see if that would work. Even when the rains had come, the damage had been done. Food was scarce, and many of those who had survived were hardly in the best of situations. Life in the village, working the land, was quite different from the life of the elites. The wealthy had servants and slaves to tend to their needs, and they had access to stores of grain and other food in times of trouble. They also had charge of the mononofu—the warriors who worked for them and were often an implicit—if not explicit—threat of violence for anyone who didn't pay their expected taxes. This is perhaps what made the mystic's message so alluring. She told them about the teachings of a man from the River Fuji, in the East, named Ohofu Be no Ohoshi: he claimed to have discovered a new kami, the god of Tokoyo, the Everlasting world. It was said that those who worshipped this god, who appeared in the land in the form of a caterpillar that thrived on orange tree leaves, would earn great things in this new world, when it came. The poor would become rich and the old would become young again, when the promises of Tokoyo came to fruition. But it wasn't as easy as just saying some words. True devotees would need to prove themselves, casting out the valuables of their house and setting out any food on the side of the road. They would then yell out: “The new riches have come!” Then they were to worship these insects that were the kami's incarnation. They would put them in a pure place and worship them with song and dance. Many had already started doing this, the mystic said. Indeed, the people of Yamashiro had heard rumors of some of these new practices, but only now were learning about why they had arisen. It was a lot to ask, to give up their valuables and the little food they had — but then again, in this dew drop world, what was there to lose, for those already working themselves to the bone? Was this any more incredible than asking the hafuri to pray to the kami, or even relying on that new religion in Yamato, where they prayed to giant bronze and gold statues to bring about prosperity and happiness. Besides, if so many others had joined up already, perhaps there was something to these fantastic stories. And thus, village by village, a new religion began to take hold of the countryside, eventually making its way to the capital of Yamato, itself. Greetings, listeners! While the thing we covered last episode -- the Isshi Incident of 645, which is to say the assassination of Soga no Iruka in front of Her Majesty Takara, aka Kougyoku Tenno -- certainly dominates the narrative in the popular imagination for this particular point in Japanese history, there was a lot more going on over these last few years, both over on the continent in the archipelago. And so this episode we are going to cover some of that: From the missions from Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla, which were likely driven by conflict on the peninsula, to the Baekje Princes who resided in the Yamato court as political hostages as well as esteemed guests. And to finish it off we'll talk about the popular 7th century millennial cult that sprang up in Yamashiro around the worship of the God of Tokoyo, the Everlasting World. All in the reign of the Empress known to history as Kougyoku Tennou…. At least for now. Michael Como, in his book on Shoutoku Taishi, makes particular note of some of the overarching themes across the straits and how that affected what was happening—or at least what gets remembered—in Yamato. As we discussed back in episode 98, Como makes the point that the early, opposing Buddhist factions that placed Shotoku Taishi on a pedestal were largely connected with one or more continental factions. While the Soga were heavily connected with Baekje, other family groups, like the Hata, were more closely tied with Silla, at least according to later accounts. And on top of that, the area around Koshi and Tsunaga had ties with Goguryeo. As the Tang dynasty and Goguryeo were in contention on their own borders, no doubt both of them and their allies were looking to nearby nations for either support or at least neutrality. One can also see how peninsular enmities might also make their way across the strait to the archipelago with families of various ethnic backgrounds no doubt carrying on some of the continental prejudices with them even into a new land. A lot of the accounts for this reign that aren't dealing with the weather and natural disasters—topics of particular concern from the 642 to 643—are dealing with the continent. It started out in 642, with Baekje envoys arriving in the first month of that year, apparently to deliver their condolences on the death of the sovereign. They were accompanied by Yamato's envoy to Baekje, Azumi no Yamashiro no Muraji no Hirafu, who left them at Tsukushi to rush back to Yamato via post-horse, while the Baekje envoys took their time via the normal, ship-borne route. And right off the bat we have a few things of note. The first is this idea of post-horses. The various circuits around the archipelago had reportedly been set up some time back, even before horses were a thing. While a single horse would have been rather fast overland, the mention of post-horse system implies a method of travel more akin to the short-lived pony express in the American west, where various post stations were set up across the major highways so that officials could quickly traverse them, riding horseback from one station to the next, where a fresh horse would be waiting for them. This way the horses themselves could be properly fed and rested, since no single horse could cover all of the ground in a straight up gallop, just as no person could. Instead, this is something like a relay race, where the envoy Hirafu became the baton passed from horse to horse. The Pony Express used stations set up at intervals of approximately 5 to 20 miles, so that the horses could be changed out frequently. Of course, changing horses would also take some time—I've found some sources citing average speeds of only about 10 miles per hour for the Pony Express, but that beats by far the four miles per hour for a fast walker, not to mention the ability to keep going for much longer than just 8 hours a day. Of course, he would have had to take a boat for at least some of the journey, likely crossing from Kyuushuu over to Honshuu near Shimonoseki or something similar, at which point he could have caught another horse from there. The resonates with something that goes back to pre-Qin Dynasty times, when kingdoms on the continent would set up not just courier stations with horses, but systems of canal boats, and inns for people to stay overnight on long journeys. Still, it must have been a grueling experience. That such a means of conveyance could take Hirafu from Kyushu to Yamato, though, implies that Yamato's reach was fairly solid all the way out to the Dazai near modern Fukuoka, at least. It is unclear how these post stations were set up in regards to the local Miyake, or royal granaries, another government project we've talked about, but either way it demonstrates a certain degree of control over the region. And so Hirafu was able to make it back to the court in time for the ceremonies associated with the mourning of Tamura, aka Jomei Tennou, and the ascension of Her Majesty, Takara no Ohokimi. He likewise was able to inform the court of Baekje's condolence envoys' imminent arrival and give the court a head's up on the situation in Baekje, where he said that the country was “greatly disturbed”. When the Baekje envoys themselves arrived, Azumi no Hirafu, Kusakabe no Iwakane, and Yamato no Aya no Agata were sent to ask them about their news. From what we know in the Samguk Sagi, King Wicha of Baekje had just come to the throne. The previous king, King Mu, died in the third month of 641, so it hadn't even been a year since his death. Furthermore, we are told that his wife, the mother of King Wicha, had also passed away. The Baekje envoys asked for the return of prince Saeseong, possibly the younger brother of Prince P'ung, saying he had behaved badly and they wanted to convey him back to the King, but Takara refused. Presumably, based on context, this was one of the hostages that Yamato held from Baekje, but why they wouldn't turn them over to the Baekje envoys isn't explained. I suspect it had something to do with the politics of King Wicha coming to the throne, which seems like it may have not been accepted by everyone, as evidenced by his tour of the realm, mentioned in the Samguk Sagi, which was likely a political move to demonstrate his authority over the realm. This colors a lot of what we are going to talk about, so let's try to get some of it straight off the bat. Unfortunately, as we talked about in Episode 105, some of the Baekje related dates are questionable, and that means that there is a lot here that I'm going to give you where we may have to back track a bit and see if we can put it in the right order. I'm going to try to give you the information in largely chronological order according to the Nihon Shoki, but then I'll also try and place it where we think it might actually go, so apologies if this feels disjointed. Also, let me take a moment to talk a little bit more about the Baekje royal family, which will become rather important to our narrative. For one, there is King Wicha, son of King Mu. Mu passed away in 640 and Wicha came to the throne. Wicha already had several children of his own, one of whom, Prince Pung, or Prince Pungjang, will feature heavily in both the Japanese and Korean sources, though as we mentioned in episode 105, the dates around Prince Pung's arrival, which the Nihon Shoki has about 630, doesn't match up with what we know. We are fairly confident that Prince Pung returned to Baekje in 661, which accords with the Nihon Shoki, Samguk Sagi, and Tang records. However, Best makes a good case that he didn't actually come over to the archipelago until much later—probably 643. He wasn't the only royal prince of Baekje in Yamato, however. We are told of two others: Saeseong and Gyoki. Saeseong is mentioned as being a bit of a troublemaker, and requested to come home, but Yamato refuses to let him go. Gyoki is said to have caused trouble and been banished with some 40 others out to sea. I have a suspicion that much of this is misplaced in the Chronicle. Saesong may have been there first or perhaps came over with Prince Pung—I've seen him mentioned as the younger brother to Prince Pung, but I also wonder if he wasn't the younger brother to King Wicha. Gyoki, meanwhile, despite what we initially hear about him, is invited to Yamato shortly after that entry and treated like a real celebrity. It is unclear to me if he is a younger brother to Wicha or an elder brother to Prince Pungjang, but either way, he seems to have been a royal prince that wasn't quite in line for the throne. I suspect that in reality the mission that is listed as coming in 641 was actually much later—possibly in the 650s. That would explain some of it, including the gossip that the Senior Counselor, Chijeok, died in the 11th month of the previous year, Aston writes off most of this as an unreliable narrative by servants. Jonathan Best, in his translation of the Samguk Sagi, is a bit more generous and suggests that, much as with Prince Pung-jang, whom the Nihon Shoki records arriving in the 630s but who couldn't reasonably have arrived until the 640s, there was probably a dating issue. The scribes were using records with the branch and stem system of dates, and so it could easily have been off by a factor of ten or twelve years, at least. We know, for instance, that there is a record of Senior Counselor Chijeok in the Nihon Shoki in the 7th month of 642, though it says he died in 641. Furthermore, we have his name on a fragmentary inscription, likely dating to 654, noting him as a patron of a Buddhist monastery. So it would seem that word of his death was exaggerated or parts of this are coming from later accounts, and the scribes simply made a mistake. Hence my suggestion that this entire entry might be misplaced. If so, it would make more sense for Yamato to be asking about the fates of people that they knew, and hence hearing the fates of Chijeok and Gyoki, who had both visited Yamato and would have been known to the court. Regardless, it likely was the case, as recorded in the Nihon Shoki, that the envoys' ship was anchored in Naniwa harbor and the envoys were put up at the official government residence there, in modern Ohosaka. This may indicate that the mission mentioning Chijeok and Gyoki got conflated with other entries about the actual envoys of condolence and congratulations. Then, 19 days later, on the 22nd day of the 2nd month, another group of envoys showed up. This time it was Goguryeo. As mentioned, Goguryeo had a few things going on, but they still knew how to make an entrance. For example, the Chronicles mention that high ministers were sent to the district office in Naniwa to inspect the gold and silver that Goguryeo had sent with their envoys, along with other things from their country. This may have been them trying to get Yamato on their side. That said, Goguryeo had been going through a lot themselves, we are told. First off, based on the Samguk Sagi accounts, Goguryeo had sent envoys to the Tang in 640. In 641, the Tang court returned the favor, and in so doing their envoy, the Director of the Bureau of Operations in their Ministry of War, Chen Dade, used it as a chance to spy out the border region. At every walled town he would offer the local officials gifts of silk, and ask to be allowed to see the scenic spots. They let him roam freely, so by the time he went back he had an intimate account and understanding of Goguryeo's defenses along the Tang-Goguryeo border. Goguryeo seems to have been completely unaware of this touristic espionage, but then again, they may have been distracted dealing with their own internal problems. And so the Nihon Shoki reports that the envoys delivered news of this to the court: How the younger prince of Goguryeo died in the 6th month of 641. Then, in the 9th month, the Prime Minister murdered the king, along with some 180 people. He then put the son of the younger prince on the throne as king. In the Samguk Sagi, these events appear to happen a year later. Yon Gaesomun killed King Keonmu in the 10th month of 642 and put Prince Chang, aka Pojang, on the throne. The Samguk Sagi says he was the younger brother of King Keonmu, the son of King Taeyang—who was the younger brother of King Yeongnyu, so that may be where the Nihon Shoki gets that he was the “son of the younger prince”. Still, the gist is correct, even if it seems to be off by a year or so. From here, Goguryeo would be at war with the Tang dynasty for much of the next thirty years, all under the reign of King Pojang. They were able to fend the Tang off for a while, but the Tang would eventually ally with Silla, and though Baekje seems to have supported Goguryeo in general, Baekje itself was also caught between the Tang and Silla. They no doubt hoped for Yamato's aid, but while the archipelago may have had warriors, they were still a good ways from the continent, and would likely need to avoid confrontation with Silla, who now controlled all the way to the Nakdong river basin. Not that they wouldn't try. Insert dramatic sound effects alluding to a later episode. All that prognosticating aside, at this point, at least from the envoys' point of view, all of the future was unwritten. Both Goguryeo and Baekje guests were entertained at the Naniwa district office, and envoys were named to Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and to the no longer extant Nimna—the latter seems to have been, at this point, a not-so-polite fiction between Silla and Yamato that Nimna was still at least semi-independent. It was at this time that Gyoki was also brought to Yamato and lodged in the house of Azumi no Hirafu, the previous envoy to Baekje. Gyoki likely knew Hirafu from his time at the Baekje court. This was probably the actual arrival of Gyoki, I suspect. A week or so later, the Silla envoys of congratulations and condolence arrived: congratulations on Takara's ascension and then a group of envoys expressing condolence for her husband's death. They left after less than two weeks—apparently they simply delivered their message and left, unless there was some other reason having to do with the Baekje and Goguryeo envoys being there at the same time. No mention is made in the Nihon Shoki of exactly why they turned around so quickly. Meanwhile, Gyoki was living it up. He's referenced as the Chief Envoy from Baekje at this point—probably the highest ranking individual from the court present. On the 8th day of the fourth month he attended an audience with Her Majesty, Takara, and then two days later he was partying with Soga no Emishi out at his mansion in Unebi. Soga no Emishi had good conversations and presented a good horse and twenty bars of iron, but curiously the hostage crown prince, Sesaeng, was not invited to any of this. Given that we know what the Chroniclers think of Soga no Emishi, I'm wondering if there isn't a little bit of that same feeling towards Gyoki. After all, we were previously told he and some 40 others were exiled, so perhaps this is just leading up to that? Gyoki and his companions were later invited to witness an “archery hunt” in front of the Yosami Miyake in Kawachi. This is glossed as “Uma-yumi” or “Horse-Bow”, leading one to wonder if this was similar to yabusame, the traditional horsed archery, performed at various shrines each year. Or perhaps it was one of the other archery games from horseback, many of them much less savory, often using a live animal as the target, usually staked or confined to an area, and the archers circle around and shoot at them. By the 5th month of 642 – a little over three months after Baekje had first arrived with envoys of condolences, we are told that a shipp of Baekje envoys anchored together along with the ship of the Kishi family. This is likely Naniwa no Kishi, as Naniwa no Kishi no Kuhina had been assigned as envoy to Baekje. The envoys delivered their goods and Kuhina reported on their mission. Once again, the dates look to be slightly off. Had Kuhina really traveled to Baekje and back in just three months? It is possible, but not typically how things were done at the time. Ships often had to take their time, navigating the Seto Inland Sea and then checking in at modern Fukuoka before following the island chains out to Tsushima. At that point they could sail around Tsushima, or cross at a narrow part of the island, known today as Kofunakoshi. We know that this was used from at least the 9th century as a place where ships coming to and from the islands would stop, often transmitting their goods to a local ship on the other side, with a crew that presumably better knew the waters and was under the command of the appropriate government. In addition, as the ships reached various checkpoints they would stop for a while, and often another ship would be sent ahead to prepare the way for an official delegation. Since they didn't have phones, something like this would have been required to inform the next post to be ready to receive the visitors. More likely, this would have been Kuhina finally ready to depart to take on his mission with Baekje. Shortly after this, we are told that one of Gyoki's companions died, and then his own child died—we aren't told if it was from disease or something else. It did provide an opportunity to see some of the cultural differences between Baekje and Yamato at the time, as Gyoki and his wife refused to attend the ceremonies for their late son. The Chroniclers explained that, in Baekje and Silla, when someone dies, the parents, siblings, and spouse were not supposed to look on them again. For what it's worth, I could find no relationship between this and any contemporary Korean practice. This may have been something in Baekje and Silla that eventually went away. Then again, it is possible there was something else going on, and it was misinterpreted by the Wa. Given that the Chroniclers are dismissive of the practice, it is entirely possible that this was just slanderous rumor, too. The Chroniclers make a point of saying that the people of Baekje and Silla who practice these kinds of death rites are without feeling, and thus no better than animals. So, yeah, clearly the Chroniclers were presenting just the facts, right? Gyoki's child was buried in Ishikawa in Kawachi, and Gyoki moved his family to a house in Ohowi, in Kudara—which is to say the area of Kawachi named for Baekje. Two months after he lost his son, on the 22nd day of the 7th month, Senior Counsellor Chicheok and colleagues were entertained at the Yamato court. This is that same Senior Counsellor previously thought to be dead. Again, Aston simply treats it as gossip, while I tend to wonder if the records aren't out of order—unless Chijeok was some kind of Baekje Benjamin Button. Entertainment at the Yamato court apparently included havingvarious people wrestle for their entertainment. Even Prince Gyoki himself entered the contest. When the banquet was finished they went to pay their respect's at Gyoki's compound, likely stopping by and having a bit of a nightcap. Two weeks later the Baekje envoys tried to leave, but the storms kicked up. One of the ships was wrecked on the shore. Fortunately, it seems like those on the boat survived and they were placed on another boat a couple weeks later. A day after that, the Goguryeo envoys left for their own country. The Baekje envoys finally made it back, we are told, 11 days later, on the 26th day of the 8th month. Not bad given the journey they had to undertake, and actually a bit hard to believe. In contrast, the Silla envoys, who left in the 3rd month, apparently only made it as far as the island of Iki, between Kyushu and Tsushima, by the 10th month of 642. Perhaps they were just going at a more leisurely pace, but it does make it hard to trust that all the records were rearranged in precisely the correct order. As for this period, outside of the Silla envoys, the entire episode, starting on the 2nd day of the 2nd month of 642, finally concluded—mostly—over six months later. It occupies most of that part of Chronicle, with the exception of the accounts of the weather, drought, and famine. After all of these people had returned to the peninsula, the Nihon Shoki focuses on a few local things from the archipelago. Soga no Emishi was ordered to raise a levy in Afumi and Koshi to build a temple, the court levied various provinces to make ships—we aren't told why but previously this was often something done in preparation for war—and then Takara ordered Soga no Emishi to build a new palace with levies on various provinces and workmen from Toutoumi and Aki. That was all in the 9th month, at the end of which, we are told that several thousand Emishi from the Koshi region, where Soga no Emishi had been ordered to levy workers for a temple earlier in the month, submitted to Yamato and were entertained at court. Soga no Emishi himself entertained them at his house and asked them about their welfare. This is all a bit confusing, but let's try to understand some of what might be going on. First, you may recall in the previous reign there was a mention with General Katana who went to the east to subdue an uprising of Emishi there, so it is possible that this is a continuation of that. At the same time, these Emishi, we are told, are from the land of Koshi. It is likely that this is evidence of Yamato's increased presence in the northern region of the island of Honshi, which stretched along the northern edge of the Chubu, or middle Honshu, region, including the Noto peninsula and eastward to Tohoku, or the Northeast region. This had been an important area for various resources, including the source of jade magatama, since at least the early days of the Yayoi period, judging from artifacts discovered at various sites. It is also a region connected to the current dynasty, in that Wohodo no Ohokimi, aka Keitai Tennou, generally seen as the progenitor of the current line of sovereigns, is said to have come from that region. Furthermore, this region is closely connected to various overseas trade routes. While the most common route we hear about, at least at this point in the chronicles, is the Seto Inland Sea route, there was also a route along the Japan Sea side of Honshu, which included the areas of Izumo and the port of Tsunuga—modern day Tsuruga—which includes the Kehi shrine, purportedly for a kami who came over from the peninsula. At least one Goguryeo mission explicitly used this route—whether intentionally or otherwise—to get to Yamato, crossing over to Afumi, aka Lake Biwa, and then taking the rivers south to Naniwa. Michael Como suggests that there is enough evidence to suggest a fairly heavy Goguryeo influence in the region. He also suggests that the Soga had a good deal of interactions and influences themselves with Goguryeo, pointing out that Shotoku Taishi's teacher had supposedly been a monk from Goguryeo, and that the plan for Asukadera, the Soga temple, with three golden halls around a central pagoda, is extremely similar to temple plans found in Goguryeo and not in Silla and Baekje. I do feel it is worth pointing out that it is very possible that this was not Asukadera's original layout, and it is hard to say how much of the stories surrounding Shotoku Taishi we can trust. Still, Koshi was an area that had a long history of trade with the continent, and the ease of the waterways from Yamato to the Japan Sea would have made it at least strategically useful to the growing state. There is another aspect here, but it is a bit more tenuous. There are some that suggest that Soga no Emishi's own name, or at least the name as it is handed down to us today, comes from his dealings with the Emishi people. Here we see him intimately involved in Koshi, in the Emishi coming to submit, and him then hosting them in his own house. So even if his name is coincidental, there does appear to be some connection there. And we are still in the first year of Takara's reign. It was in this twelfth month that Okinaga no Yamana no Kimi finally pronounced a eulogy for the entire royal line. As you may recall, Takara's husband, Tamura, aka Jomei Tennou, had been a member of the Okinaga royal line, so this was likely part of the ceremonies around his death and burial. There is more here about the placement of palaces, which we touched on a lot in the last episode. There is also a lot about storms, weather, and peach blossoms blooming. Then on the thirteenth day of the third month of 643, the second year of Takara's reign, there was a terrible fire in Naniwa. The official guest quarters for Baekje burned down, and the houses of the common people also caught fire. This is also around the time that Best suggests that Prince Pungjang, son of King Wicha of Baekje, may have actually arrived, as we discussed earlier. That actually could be tied to events a month later, when the Dazai in Tsukushi—the government outpost on Kyushu—sent a mounted messenger to Her Majesty, Takara, to let her know that Gyoki's younger brother, the son of the King of Baekje, had arrived. The Baekje ships, which had arrived in the area of modern Fukuoka around the 21st day of the 4th month finally arrived in Naniwa two months later. Presumably the Baekje envoys' official guest quarters had been repaired or rebuilt at this point, and several high ministers went to inspect the tribute. They couldn't help but notice that the tribute this time was less—fewer items and of lower quality that previously. The Envoys promised that they would make up the shortfall. Around all of this, the drama between the Soga, Prince Naka no Oe, and others was playing out, with Iruka attacking and eventually killing Yamashiro no Oe, all of which was discussed in the last episode. Meanwhile we get a small line about Prince Pung keeping four hives of bees on Mt. Miwa, but apparently they didn't grow large enough to multiply, so that doesn't seem to have taken off. We'll return to Prince Pungjang later. For now, we have seen much of the disturbances that were caused and eventually led up to the Isshi Incident in 645, and 644 is full of many long entries about everything that happened, but I don't want to worry about that—we covered most of that last episode. What I do want to concern ourselves with is the story I started the episode with – the curious tale of a man named Ohofube no Ohoshi, who started up his own millennial cult. Now there has been quite a bit of speculation around this episode, especially given that all we really have is a single entry, dated to the 7th month of 644, and here I'll quote Aston's translation: “A man of the neighbourhood of the River Fuji in the East Country named Ohofu Be no Oho urged his fellow-villagers to worship an insect, saying: "This is the God of the Everlasting World. Those who worship this God will have long life and riches." At length the wizards and witches, pretending an inspiration of the Gods, said:--"Those who worship the God of the Everlasting World will, if poor, become rich, and, if old, will become young again." So they more and more persuaded the people to cast out the valuables of their houses, and to set out by the roadside sake, vegetables, and the six domestic animals. They also made them cry out: "The new riches have come!" Both in the country and in the metropolis people took the insect of the Everlasting World and, placing it in a pure place, with song and dance invoked happiness. They threw away their treasures, but to no purpose whatever. The loss and waste was extreme. Hereupon Kahakatsu, Kadono no Hada no Miyakko, was wroth that the people should be so much deluded, and slew Ohofu Be no Oho. The wizards and witches were intimidated, and ceased to persuade people to this worship. The men of that time made a song, saying: Udzumasa Has executed The God of the Everlasting World Who we were told Was the very God of Gods. This insect is usually bred on orange trees, and sometimes on the Hosoki. It is over four inches in length, and about as thick as a thumb. It is of a grass-green colour with black spots, and in appearance entirely resembles the silkworm.” This is remarkable in several ways. For one, we get a glimpse of how a popular cult might get started. Since it is at this same time the cult of Shotoku Taishi is taking hold in some temples, it is interesting to draw parallels between the two. Como points this out in his book on Shotoku Taishi, and notes several other things. For one is the discussion of this “ever-lasting world”, or Tokoyo. We've heard of Tokoyo before – the term is found in the Chronicles in the section around the Age of the Gods. Sukuna Bikona himself leaps off to Tokoyo from a blade of grass in one story, much like an insect himself. Tokoyo is a bit mysterious. It isn't the land of the dead, where Izanami goes to live when she dies in childbirth. Neither is it the Great Plain of Heaven, Takama no hara, where Amaterasu dwells. We have the gods of the Heavens and gods of the Earth, but no gods of Tokoyo. Indeed, Tokoyo is mentioned, but not well described. By all accounts it would appear to be a place that spirits go after death to an unchanging world, rather than coming back to this one. This fits in with various other continental ideas starting to come over at the time, especially as part of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, which included a search for effective ways to reach enlightenment. There had been feelings for some time that humans were already in the latter days of the law, or Mappo: the concept that the further we get from the time of the Buddha, the more morality would decline and the harder it would be for people to break the chains of materialism and desire that hold them to this plane of existence. As such, some sects and teachers taught simpler and more expedient methods, in an effort to save all of the sentient beings. Things like an abbreviated mantra that would help you get into a paradise where you could eventually attain enlightenment certainly had its adherents, especially amongst those who might not have the time or inclination to join the monastery themselves. The idea of a Pure Land, or Joudo, took off early, This Pure Land, is most commonly connected with Amida Butsu, the Amithaba Buddha. Sutras referencing Amida and the Pure Land were translated by Kumarajiva as early as the 5th century, and may have been part of the larger corpus of scrolls brought over to the archipelago. According to the sutra, they say that if you honestly chant Amida Butsu's name just once—often through the phrase “Namu Amida Butsu”—then rather than being reborn again into the world on your death, you would instead be reincarnated in a Pure Land, where you could focus entirely on your own enlightenment for however long it would take, removing yourself from the pain and suffering of this world. This practice was taught by the Sanron school as well as by the Hossou school in the 7th and 8th centuries, along with other practices. It would continue to be taught, especially developing in the Tendai sect. Of course chanting “Namu Amida Butsu” was something you could do while working the fields, or doing any other number of profane, yet necessary tasks. So you can see why this was an attractive idea to many people, even if they didn't have the ability to start a temple or study the scriptures or become monks or nuns themselves, at least in this life. Pure Land belief and practices continued to grow and develop in various Buddhists sects, but really took off as an independent practice in Japan in the Kamakura Period, appealing to warriors and commoners alike with its seemingly simple mantra. Shotoku Taishi himself is closely connected to the Pure Land concept, as Como points out. He and his teacher, Eija, are both said to have attained the Pure Land upon their deaths. The famous embroidery, commissioned after Shotoku Taishi's death, known as the Tenjukoku Mandala, presumably also describes a country of Heavenly Long Life. “Tenjukoku” does not have an immediate connection to any particular continental sect or philosophy, but it does seem to be at least a cognate for some of these other ideas such as the Joudo Pure Land OR the Tokoyo of Ohofube no Ohoshi. Whether Ohoshi was, in fact, influenced by other continental ideas is unclear. We're not even sure if his was the first use of the concept of “Tokoyo” or if that was an idea already planted in the public consciousness by that time—though if so, I would think it would be a bit more widespread. One could understand, however, how people who had been through famines, floods, earthquakes, disease, and more might find the idea of an eternal ever-after where they could be rich and young again quite inviting. Enough people found it so that they apparently were willing to give up everything they owned and place it out on the streets. Even if this wasn't just a scheme to go and scoop up all the goods and skip town, one can see how this may have been viewed as disruptive and unhealthy for the community, at least by those comfortably seated in power, whose workforce was being pulled away from their labors to this new belief system. The ones who were spreading this good news, while called wizards and witches by Aston, use characters that one could just as easily ascribe to Shinto priests and sacred Miko. Since Shinto wasn't fully formed as we know it today, I think it might be better to say various ritualists and diviners. Whether they were true believers or simply “pretending” to be inspired, as the Nihon Shoki says, who can say for certain. What makes one vision more objectively “true” than another, beyond your own belief and faith? And it should be remembered that bringing in new spiritual ideas wasn't, well, new. That's how Buddhism got started, and likely was one of the ways that Yamato itself expanded its own influence. How many other quote-unquote “cults” like this existed, and how many were absorbed into the establishment and how many were cast aside? In this case, it would seem that Ohoshi's main problem was likely that he was attracting the wrong sorts of people, which is to say he was appealing to commoners. In the Warring States period, we would see a not dissimilar dynamic with the independent Joudo Shinshu, a sect of Pure Land Buddhism, supporting commoners in what became known as the ikkou ikki. They formed communities that helped each other, but at the same time bucked the yoke of the local daimyo and others. This would bring about violent retribution from warlords like Oda Nobunaga, who wasn't having any of it. Similarly, as the Tokoyo sect spread into Yamashiro and down into the capital region, Kadono no Hata no Miyatsuko no Kawakatsu decided to take matters into his own hands. Ostensibly, he was upset that people would be so deluded, and under that pretext, he had Ohoshi killed and his followers intimidated. Cutting the head off the snake, as it were, caused the body to wither, and apparently the Tokoyo cult was not so everlasting after all. And here's where we bring things back around. You may recall Hata no Kawakatsu, or at least his family. The progenitor of the Hata family was called Uzumasa, and even today their name is affixed to an area of Kyoto, which was built in the old Hata territory. Hence the poem about Uzumasa executing the God of the Everlasting World. That area, from Lake Biwa down to Naniwa, is on that corridor from Yamato to Koshi. The Hata themselves are connected with the continent—especially with Silla. The Hata temple of Kouryuuji even has a Silla image said to have been obtained by Shotoku Taishi and given to them. Along with Shitennoji, it is one of several Silla-influenced temples that helped promote the cult of Shotoku Taishi. It is, of course, possible that we are reading way too much into this. Some of these things could just be coincidence, but then again, why was it written down and why did the Chroniclers feel that it was important to spend ink on the process? That's the real question here. And what more was going on that never got written down, or at least not clearly? It is likely that we will never truly know the answer to all of these questions. Unless some ancient documents are found from the period that miraculously survived, with significantly different stories, it would be hard to say much more, but that doesn't mean we can't wonder. But that's all we'll do for now. At this point, I think we've covered these years from 642 to 645 as best we could, and it is probably time to move on. I'm not going to prognosticate on next episode just yet, other than to say that we will eventually need to talk about the Taika Reforms—the Great Change. But that may take a little more time to research so that we can do it properly, but we'll see. Until then, thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to Tweet at us at @SengokuPodcast, or reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
Esports podcast specializing in feeding and Overwatch. Support Plat Chat and become a member today! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC38VAZEq3chAIPf4i2AIq7Q/join Featuring Matt "Mr.X" Morello, Joshua "Sideshow" Wilkinson, Jonathan "Reinforce" Larsson, Brennon "Bren" Hook and Connor "Avast" Prince, Scott "Custa" Kennedy, and Jack "Jaws" Wright, Kevin "AVRL" Walker, and more!
In Her Image: Finding Heavenly Mother in Scripture, Scholarship, the Arts, & Everyday Life
In this week's episode, professor and goddess researcher Colette Numajiri joins Meg to share her knowledge of the Japanese Goddess Amaterasu. Amaterasu Omikami ('the Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven') is the most high deity of the Shintō religion. Regarded as the Queen of Heaven, she is embodied as the sun and is depicted as such in Japan's flag. This idea of the sun as a goddess, rather than a god, is rare and may survive from the most archaic of world mythologies. Listen in as Colette and Meg share portions of Her story and reflect on modern iterations and applications as they travel back in time and space to the mythical and religious origins of the land of the rising sun. Colette is on Instagram as @coco_niji Find her blog with articles on the goddesses and models from The Goddess Project: Made in Her Image at www.FreeSophia.com For more from Colette visit https://niji.world/ Love, Jess and Meg --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/inherimage/support
Season 3 continues with the Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu
So folks, it's been a while! On today's episode Crofty and Charles journey to the land of the rising sun, to examine the head of the Japanese pantheon and mythical ancestress of it's Imperial family, Amaterasu. Together they examine her earliest appearances in Japanese myth, along with wider theories as to her origin and evolving significance in Japan's culture. https://www.patreon.com/theHistocrat https://www.twitter.com/The_Histocrat Mythillogical logo by Ettore Mazza. You can find more of Ettore's excellent artwork below: https://www.instagram.com/ettore.mazza/ https://ettoremazza.tumblr.com/ Suonatore di Liuto Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Tonight, for our monthly Snoozecast+ Deluxe bonus episode, we'll read an original story about a mysterious cosmic ray that has baffled scientists around the globe. Where did it come from? What exactly was it? In our story, the phenomenon turns out to carry good fortune to the people of earth. Although the story begins and ends in science fiction, most of the science discussed including cosmic rays, interstellar distances and special relativity are not among other things. Cosmic Rays are high energy particles, usually protons, that originate from various sources within the Milky Way as well as from extragalactic sources . An international team of scientists use specialized equipment to detect, and study these rays which provide insight into the most energetic processes occurring in the universe. These processes include supernova explosions, active galactic nuclei and other astrophysical phenomena. — read by 'N' — Sign up for Snoozecast+ to get expanded, ad-free access by going to snoozecast.com/plus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Enjoy this seasonal presentation as we are in the darkness of the year awaiting the return of the light. I'll present on the stories of the Sun Goddesses who teach us about Light as Life. I'll delve into Amaterasu and Uzume, Demeter and Baubo, Brigid and why this is the perfect time of year for making resolutions, including some tips to help stick to our promises made to ourselves for a better tomorrow.
Scientists Report Second Highest-Energy Cosmic Ray Ever DetectedAround 30 years ago, scientists in Utah were monitoring the skies for cosmic rays when they detected a surprising particle. It struck the atmosphere with much more energy than they had previously seen—enough energy to cause the researchers to dub it the “Oh My God Particle.”Over the years, a collaboration of researchers in Utah and Japan has detected other powerful rays—about 30 a year—but none that rival the OMG. In 2021, however, a second particle was detected. It was only slightly less powerful than OMG, but still many times more powerful than can be created on Earth. That 2021 particle was named “Amaterasu,” after a sun goddess from the Japanese Shinto religion. The researchers described their observations in a recent issue of the journal Science.The researchers believe the particle must have come from relatively nearby, cosmically speaking, as otherwise it would likely have collided with something in space and lost its energy. However, when they tried to trace the particle back to its origin in space, they were unsuccessful. Both the OMG particle and the new Amaterasu particle seem to have come from empty regions of space, with no violent events or massive structures to create them.Dr. John Matthews, a research professor in physics and astronomy and manager of the Cosmic Ray Physics Program at the University of Utah, joins Ira to talk about cosmic rays, how they're detected, and the challenges of finding the origin of particles like Amaterasu.These Penguins Are The Masters Of MicrosleepingDo you know that feeling when you're just so tired that your head starts to droop? Your eyes feel heavy? And you drift off for just a moment … before snapping back to alertness, wondering what just happened.Sleep comes in a variety of snoozes and sizes. We humans are not going to get a full night's rest by nodding off here and there, but that's pretty much what some chinstrap penguins do: They doze off more than 10,000 times a day, for just a few seconds at a time. And when you do the math, it can add up to 11 hours of sleep each day, according to a recent study in the journal Science.Ira talks with study author Dr. Paul-Antoine Libourel, a sleep biologist at the Neurosciences Research Center of Lyon in France, about how the penguins do this and the advantages of microsleeps.Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com. To stay updated on all things science, sign up for Science Friday's newsletters.
durée : 00:04:50 - Avec sciences - par : Alexandra Delbot - Les rayons cosmiques sont des particules accélérées, généralement en provenance de notre galaxie. Un rayon particulièrement énergétique nommé Amaterasu vient d'être détecté mais il ne semble venir de nulle part.
Finally, the unbiased look at child soldiery that the lamestream media doesn't want you to see. Only for Funhaus+ and RT First members! Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/jameswillems https://twitter.com/_JacobFullerton https://twitter.com/handsomemaster2 https://twitter.com/mc_lotta Tshirts n stuff: https://store.roosterteeth.com/collections/funhaus Welcome to Funhaus, the internet's ONLY comedy, gaming, and variety channel since 2015! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
¿Por cuanto tiempo te le desapareciste a tu pareja? Si eres como el feo que no ve nada de malo perderte tres días con amiguitas, escucha estos oyentes con las historias descaradas más sorprendentes.¡Escucha toda la diversión y el entretenimiento del Podcast de El Bueno, La Mala y El Feo.Disponible en la App de Uforia, nuestro canal de YouTube: Uforia Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify o donde prefieras escucharnos.
El papel de los astrónomos aficionados ha sido y es fundamental para el desarrollo de esta ciencia. Con instrumentos menos avanzados que los que hay en los grandes observatorios, pero con mucha pasión y paciencia, han logrado grandes descubrimientos y cada vez es mayor la colaboración con los profesionales. En la noche del 11 al 12 de diciembre, el asteroide (319) Leona va a ocultar la estrella Betelgeuse, una de las estrellas más brillantes del firmamento, y se ha puesto en marcha un proyecto de ciencia ciudadana para que astrónomos aficionados puedan ayudar a los profesionales en la observación de este eclipse tan particular. Hemos hablado con Sergio Alonso, profesor titular del Departamento de Lenguajes y Sistemas Informáticos de la Universidad de Granada y miembro de la Sociedad Astronómica Granadina, y con Juan Luis Rizos García, investigador del Departamento de Sistema Solar del Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía. Enrique Sacristán nos ha informado de la mayor explosión de rayos gamma registrada hasta la fecha. Su origen se sitúa a casi 2.000 millones de años luz, y dejó su huella en la ionosfera terrestre. Hemos informado de la detección del segundo rayo cósmico con más energía observado hasta ahora, 244 Exaelectronvoltio (Eev), procedente de una fuente desconocida. Ha sido bautizado con el nombre de Amaterasu en honor a la deidad japonesa del Sol. El rayo cósmico más potente fue registrado en 1991 con el nombre de “Oh-My-God”, con una energía de 320 EeV. Con Fernando de Castro hemos hablado del importante papel de la Neurociencia de Ramón y Cajal y de su discípulo Lorente de Nó en el nacimiento de la cibernética. Fernando Blasco nos ha recordado como es la famosa cinta de Moebius pero sobre todo, la relación que tiene que haber entre sus lados para poder confeccionarla. Un reciente estudio asegura que esa relación tiene que ser por lo menos raíz de 3. Con Jesús Zamora hemos analizado las cuestiones filosóficas suscitadas en los últimos ocho años, coincidiendo con su cargo como decano en la facultad de Filosofía de la UNED, y como la pandemia ha provocado un aumento del 60 por ciento de las matriculaciones. Escuchar audio
Amaterasu is the sun goddess, the queen of the kami, and the center of Shinto and Japanese spiritual life. As an embodiment of the sun, she is also an embodiment of Japan itself. She holds an important role in the country's history, as the imperial family traces their lineage back to her. For Further Reading: Amaterasu Shinto: The Kami Way Amaterasu: Return of the Sun See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This episode, we look at the rise of the Sui Dynasty and the famous interactions between Yamato and the Sui Dynasty, recorded in the histories of each state. For more, check out the podcast webpage: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-96 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua and this is Episode 96: From the Land Where the Sun Rises. Once again, we are still talking about the reign of Kashikiya Hime, from the late 6th to early 7th century. This time, though, we are going to take a quick diversion from Yamato and first look at what was going on over on the continent, in the area of the Yellow and Yangzi River Basins—the area of the so-called “middle country”. This is, after all, where a lot of the philosophy and other things that the archipelago was importing came from, so what was going on over there? Back in Episode 73, ee talked about the various northern and southern dynasties in the Yellow and Yangzi River Basins. To sum up, during that period, the eastern area of modern China was split between a variety of dynasties, many of them short-lived, and many of them—especially in the north—were dynasties from outside of the main Han ethnic group. Up through the early 580's, the dynasty in charge of the Yellow River region was the Northern Zhou, one of the many dynasties in the north descended from the nomadic Xianbei ethnic groups. Though their aristocracy was a mix of multiple ethnicities that had intermarried over the years, the Northern Zhou celebrated their Xianbei roots, often to the detriment of ethnic Han groups. They had inherited the territory of the Western Wei, including much of the central Yangzi region down to Sichuan. They then defeated the Northern Qi in 577 and claimed dominion over all of the Yellow River region in the north of modern China. Their only rival was the Chen dynasty, along the eastern reaches of the Yangzi river, but the Chen themselves were relatively weak, and it was only the power struggles within the Northern Zhou court that kept them from wiping out the Chen completely. In 581, the Northern Zhou suffered a coup d'etat. Yang Jian was a Northern Zhou general, and his family, the Yang clan, had Han origins but had intermarried with the Xianbei as well, creating a truly mixed lineage. Jian also held some sway at court, and was known as the Duke of Sui—his daughter was the Empress Dowager, and her stepson was the young Emperor Jing. In 581 Yang Jian usurped power from his step-grandson, the child emperor Jing, and placed himself on the throne, taking the name Emperor Wen of Sui, using his previous title as the name of the new dynasty. He killed off fifty-nine princes of the previous Northern Zhou, and began to consolidate his power. By 587, he had strengthened his position, and by 588 invasion of the Chen territories began under Prince Yang Guang. By 589, the Chen were defeated and any attempts at rebellion were put down, giving the Sui dynasty full control of northern and southern regions—from the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers down to the Sichuan basin. Although, as I noted, the Yang family had intermarried with the Xianbei families of the Northern Zhou, they still retained some connection with their Han roots, and Emperor Wen won over the Han Confucian scholars with reforms to the rank system and at least a nod towards getting rid of nepotism and corruption that had taken hold in the Northern Zhou and previous dynasties. He reinstituted Han dynasty titles and restored the nine rank system. He also reinstituted a system of impartial judges to seek out talent and moved towards the idea of an examination system—something that would really take hold in later centuries. Furthermore, while he set himself up in the northern capital of Daxingcheng, aka Chang'an, he helped rebuild the southern capital, naming it Dayang. He also supported Buddhism and Daoism. He became a patron of southern Buddhist monasteries, and recognized major temples as state-sponsored institutions—a far cry from the suppression attempts in the north in 574 and 578. Emperor Wen also worked on repairing canals along the Yellow River. These canals, which allowed easy transport of goods, regularly silted up without maintenance, and the dikes on either side could break, flooding the land on either side. They had been neglected during many of the short-lived reigns up to this point, with perhaps a few exceptions when things got really bad. However, Emperor Wen began work to fix these old canals and thus improve the flow of goods and services. Given all of this - his patronage of Buddhism and Daoism, as well as his attempt to resurrect the Han dynasty and the Confucian principles that underlay its government, as well as the public works that he instituted, Yang Jian, aka Emperor Wen of Sui, is remembered as the Cultured Emperor—despite that fact the had started out as a blood-soaked general who had secured his usurpation with a not inconsiderable amount of murder. Sima Guang, writing from the Song dynasty, centuries later, praised Emperor Wen for all he did to grow the Sui, uniting north and south, supporting the people, and helping the country to prosper as it rarely has before. And yet, Sima Guang also says that in his personal life he was mean and stingy and paranoid—afraid that everyone was out to get him. Given the life he'd lived, that would make some sense. Still, he seems to have been good for his people, in the long run. But this wasn't to last. In 604, Emperor Wen fell ill and died. Or at least that is the official story. Another says that he had grown angry over some event and was about to disinherit the crown prince, Yang Guang, who sent someone to kill his father. That is a very abbreviated version of the story, and, as I said, it is not without controversy. However he died, his son, Yang Guang, succeeded him to the throne and became known as Emperor Yang. Emperor Yang continued to expand the empire, and under his dynasty the Sui would attain their greatest extent yet. He rebuilt parts of the Great Wall, and expanded the borders south, into modern Vietnam, as well as up to the borders with Goguryeo. He also continued the work his father had begun on canals, eventually undertaking the creation of the Grand Canal, which would connect the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers. No longer would the two be separate, forced to send goods out to sea or over treacherous land routes to get from one river basin to another. Now they could sail ships straight from one river to the other—an impressive feat that you can still see today in parts of modern China. The project would forever change the landscape of China, both literally and figuratively. It connected the north and south, leading to greater political, economic, and cultural unity between the two regions. It would connect the culture and economic resources of the south with the military institutions of the north. Unfortunately, for all that this expansion may have been good for commerce, it came at a price. The wars in Champa, in Southern Vietnam, saw thousands of Sui soldiers die from malaria. And then, in the north, though they continuously pushed against Goguryeo, they were never quite able to overthrow them. Finally, there was the Grand Canal. Although it would truly be a wonder of the world, and become a part of the lifeblood of dynasties for centuries to come, it was built at a huge price both monetarily and in human lives. We can assume a large number of people died as conscript labor working on the canals or on refurbishing the Great Wall, but also we are told that the monetary price largely bankrupted the empire, and for which later historians castigated the Sui dynasty But that was still to happen. For our purposes, we should rewind a bit, to the very beginning of the 7th century. As we touched on last episode, Yamato was just adopting their own twelve rank system and a seventeen article constitution shortly after Emperor Wen passed away and Yang Guang took the throne. Now these 17 articles were almost all based on Confucian or Buddhist philosophy; clearly the Court was looking to the continent more and more for inspiration on how to govern, especially as it further expanded and solidified its grasp across the archipelago. Up to this point, much of that innovation had come through the Korean peninsula, by way of Silla, Goguryeo, and, most prominently, their ally Baekje. But no doubt they knew that much of what was influencing those kingdoms had, itself, come from even farther away. And so, this reign, the Chronicles record that Yamato once again sent envoys beyond their peninsular neighbors all the way to the Middle Country itself. This is significant as they were making direct contact with the mighty empire, the source of so many of the philosophical and scientific innovations that Yamato was trying to adopt. This wasn't the first time this had happened, of course—we know of the cases of state of Na contacting the Han court, and then Himiko of the Wa during the Wei period, as well as several missions immediately after Himiko's death. We also know of the five kings of Wa who reached out to the Liu Song court, though the Chronicles themselves are often silent on actual embassies, making it hard to tell exactly which reigns that occurred in, though it is generally agreed that one of those “Five Kings” was none other than Wakatakiru himself, Yuuryaku Tennou. There may have been other missions. There seems to be some discussion amongst the Liang dynasty records that may indicate greater contact with Japan, but again, we don't necessarily see that in the records themselves. Furthermore, with the fractured nature of the various dynasties since the Han period, and the various conflicts on the peninsula and in the archipelago, it would be understandable if there hadn't been much direct diplomatic contact since about the time of Wakatakiru. And so it is a pretty big thing that we not only have an envoy around the year 608, but that there appears to be agreement for it in the Sui history—though there is one glaring mistake: in the Nihon Shoki they clearly say that they sent envoys to the “Great Tang”, and not the Sui. However, this is fairly easily explained. By the 8th century, as the records were being compiled, the Tang dynasty was, indeed, in control of the Chinese court. In fact, the Tang dynasty was so admired by the Japanese of the day that even now the term “Karafu”, or “Chinese style”, uses the character for the Tang dynasty, rather than the Han. On the one hand it seems as though the scholars of the 8th century would surely have known of the Sui dynasty coming before the Tang, but it is also understandable that anyone would have just thought of the successive courts as a single continuity. Either way, I'll talk about the Sui dynasty, and it is in the Sui dynasty records that we find the corresponding description of this embassy. It starts on the 3rd day of the 7th month of 607. The Chronicles tell us that Wono no Omi no Imoko was sent to the Sui court, taking along Kuratsukuri no Fukuri as an interpreter. You may recall that the Kuratsukuri, or saddle-makers, claimed a descent from Shiba Tattou, himself from the continent. It would make sense to take someone on this diplomatic exhibition who could actually speak the language or, failing that, read and write it - a peculiar function of the Chinese language, since the various dialects, though often mutually unintelligible, still use the same characters. Imoko, by the way, may have also had important connections, but in this case it was to the Soga. We are told in the Nihon Shoki that Imoko was known in the Sui Court as “So Imko”, and the “So” character is the same as the first character in the name “Soga”. It is possible that Imoko was, indeed, a Soga family member, and the name Wono no Omi may have come later. Or it is possible that he was forgotten for some reason. On the Sui side, we are told that in the year 607 there was an envoy sent with tribute from King Tarashihoko, which may have been another name for Kashikiya Hime, or perhaps it was simply an error caused by the problems with attempting to record foreign names in Sinitic characters. The arrival of the embassy must have been something else, especially as they came upon the capital city. Wen's capital city, that of Daxingcheng, was a new city, built just southeast of the ancient city of Chang'an, which was in a sad state of decay, despite hosting so many rulers over the centuries, including the Northern Zhou themselves. Wen had laid out a new plan of a permanent, rectangular city, with the royal palace taking up the northern central district. Buddhist and Daoist temples were scattered throughout the city. The city itself was five to six miles a side, and so it would take time to truly build it out. However, first the walls were set up, and then the palace area, so that Wen effectively moved into an empty city when he arrived in 583. Many people were forcibly resettled, and members of the new royal family were encouraged to set up their own palaces, but it would take time to truly fill up—by the end of the Sui dynasty, and the beginning of the Tang, the city was still being built, and it wouldn't see its ultimate heyday as a vibrant urban capital until the Tang dynasty. And so when the Yamato delegation arrived in 608, they would have seen the impressive walls and the immense palace, but in all likelihood, much of the city was still being built, and there was likely construction on every block. Nonetheless, the sheer size would have to have made an impression on them—nothing like this existed in the archipelago in the slightest. On the other hand, the Sui had their own curiosities about Yamato. The history of the Sui, written only twenty to thirty years afterwards, starts out its account with a description of the Land of Wa. Some of it is taken directly from the Wei histories, recounting what was previously known about these islands across the eastern sea—we talked about that back in episodes 11 to 13. The Sui history summarizes these previous historical accounts, including mention of envoys that came over during the Qi and Liang dynasties—between 479 and 556—though little more is said. Then the Sui history mentions an envoy that is said to have arrived in the early part of the Sui—the Kaihuang era, between 581-600. We are told that this was for a “King” whose family name was Ame and his personal name was Tarashihiko, with the title of Ohokimi—at least, assuming we are transliterating correctly, as the characters used have slightly different pronunciations. That could easily be attributed to just mistranslations. Even the family and personal name are familiar, but not exactly attributed in the Chronicles—though we have seen the elements elsewhere in the royal family, and it may be that they were also titles, of a sort. Also, they mention a King, but that could also just be due to the fact that the Ohokimi was not a gendered title, and as such the Sui simply assumed a male ruler. There is no evidence of this in the Chronicles for this, however it is said that at that time they looked into the ways of the Wa and they were told that “The King of Wa deems heaven to be his elder brother and the sun, his younger. Before break of dawn he attends the Court, and, sitting cross-legged, listens to appeals. Just as soon as the sun rises, he ceases these duties, saying that he hands them over to his brother.” This is likely a misunderstanding, once again, but it rings with some truth. Even if we discard some of the legends about Amaterasu as later additions, there is plenty of linguistic and cultural evidence that the sun held a special place in Wa culture. There is also the article in the new constitution about starting early to work that might just be referenced here. We aren't sure when, exactly, the Sui collected this information—though given that it was written within living memory of many of the events, a lot of the information is considered to at least be plausible, if perhaps a bit misunderstood at times. The Sui history specifically mentions the twelve court ranks—in fact, it is possible that the Chronicles, compiled in the 8th century, were actually referencingthis earlier history about the ranks, though we know that ranks continued in one way or another. It also makes the comment that there were no regulated number of officials in each rank—that would certainly be the case later, and makes sense when the ranks also dictated how much of a salary that one could expect from the court. Then, outside of the court they mention the “kuni”—the kuni no miyatsuko—and then claimed that each kuni no miyatsuko oversaw about 10 inaki, officials in charge of the royal granaries, who each oversaw 80 families. It is doubtful that these numbers were that precise, but it gives an interesting concept of scale. The Sui history also tells us about other things that the Chronicles tend to leave out. We are told that the men wore both outer and inner garments, with small (likely meaning narrow) sleeves. Their footgear was like sandals, painted with lacquer, which sounds not unlike geta, which we do have evidence for going back into the Yayoi, at least, though this was only for the upper crust—most people just went barefoot, wearing a wide piece of cloth tied on without sewing. We do get a hint at the headgear that was instituted along with the court rank system, by the way, but only a glimpse. We are told that it was made of brocade and colored silk and decorated with gold and silver inlaid flowers, which does correspond to some of what we know from the Chronicles. As for the women of Yamato, we are told that they arrange their hair on the back of the head, and they wear outer garments and scarves with patterns. They have decorative combs of bamboo as well. They also wore tattoos, as did the men. Much of this, including the tattoos, accords with what we have evidence of in the Haniwa from the 6th century and later. For sleeping arrangements we are told that they weave grass into mattresses—possibly the origin of the later tatami that would originally just be woven mats but eventually turned into a type of permanent flooring. For covers we are told they used skins lined with colored leather—a curious blanket, and one wonders if this was for everyone or just the upper crust. We are given some discussion of their weapons and armor, including their use of lacquered leather and the fact that they made arrowheads out of bone. We also know they used metal, but bone was likely the more prevalent material, as losing a metal arrowhead was much more costly than losing a bone one. Interestingly we are told that, though there is a standing army, wars are infrequent—which may have been accurate in relation to what the Sui themselves had gone through and seen, since it seems like they were almost constantly fighting somewhere along their borders. But Yamato was far from peaceful, and it is telling that the court was accompanied by music and displays of military might. As for the justice system, we talked about this a little bit in previous episodes, based on various punishments we've seen in the archipelago, though the Sui history gives us a slightly more direct description. It claims that there were some high crimes punished by death. Others were punished with fines, often meant to make restitution to the aggrieved. If you couldn't pay you would be enslaved to pay for it instead. They also mention banishment and flogging. All of this is in line with some of what we've seen in the Chronicles, though it also seems like some of this may have also depended on other factors, including the accused's social status. After all, not everyone had rice land that they could just turn over to wipe out their misdeeds. Then there were the various judicial ordeals. We've mentioned this idea , with the idea that somehow the righteous would be protected from injury. These included things like pulling pebbles out of boiling water, or reaching into a pot to grab a snake and hoping he doesn't bite you. There are also various tortures designed to get one to confess. In discussing literacy, the Sui histories mention that the Wa have no written characters—and at this point, the writing would have been some form of Sinic characters, assuming one could read and write at all. Instead, the Sui anthropologists said that the Wa used notched sticks and knotted ropes as a means of conveying messages. How exactly that work, I'm not sure, but there are certainly cultures that we know used things like knotted rope for various math and conveying numbers, etc. In regards to religion, the Sui noticed that Buddhism had taken hold, but it had not gotten rid of other practices. Thus we know they practiced forms of divination and had faith in both male and female shamans. In their free time, people would enjoy themselves. On New Year's day, they would have archery tournaments, play games, and drink—the Sui said that it was very much like how they themselves celebrated. Coromorant fishing and abalone diving—well, diving for fish—are both noted already. Again, these are activities that continue into the modern day. At dinner we are told that the people do not eat off of dishes or plates, but instead use oak leaves. We've seen mention of this kind of practice, and that may have just been a particular ritual or ceremony that made its way back. Finally, there are the rituals for the dead. We are told people wear white—white is often considered the color of death in Japan, even today. They would have singing and dancing near the corpse, and a nobleman might lay in state—in a mogari shelter or temporary interment—for three years. Certainly, we've sometimes seen it take a while, especially if the kofun isn't ready to receive the body, yet. Commoners apparently would place the body in a boat which was pulled along from the shore or placed in a small palanquin—though what happens after that is somewhat of a mystery. The Sui envoys writing about this also apparently experienced an active period of Mt. Aso—or another mountain so-named—as they said it was belching forth fire from the rocks. As we've mentioned, the archipelago is particularly active, volcanically speaking, so I'm not surprised that an envoy might have had a chance to get to know a little more about that first hand. Having described the country thus, the Sui Chronicles go on to describe the embassy that came over in the year 607. According to the history as translated by Tsunoda Ryusaku and L. Carrington Goodrich, the envoy from Yamato explained the situation as such: “The King has heard that to the west of the ocean a Boddhisattva of the Sovereign reveres and promotes Buddhism. Accompanying the embassy are several tens of monks who have come to study Buddhism.” This is great as we see some of the things that the Japanese scholars left out—that there were Buddhists on this mission. For many, getting to the monasteries and temples of the Middle Kingdom was almost as good as making the trip all the way to India. Over all, the embassy appears to have been largely successful in their mission. The ambassador, Imoko, came back with an envoy from the Sui, Pei Shiqing, along with twelve other individuals. It is thought that this may have been the same embassy that then reported back to the court all of the various details that the later Sui history captured. According to the Sui dynasty history, the embassy first headed to Baekje, reaching the island of Chiku, and then, after seeing Tara in the south, they passed Tsushima and sailed out in to the deep ocean, eventually landing on the island of Iki. From there they made it to Tsukushi, and on to Suwo. They then passed through some ten countries until they came to the shore. Now, Naniwa no Kishi no Wonari had been sent to bring them to court and they had a new official residence erected for them in Naniwa—modern Ohosaka. When they arrived, on the 15th day of the 6th month of the year 608, Yamato sent out thirty heavily decorated boats to meet them—and no doubt to make an impression as well. They met them at Yeguchi, the mouth of the river and they were ensconced in the newly built official residence. Official entertainers were appointed for the ambassadors—Nakatomi no Miyatoko no Muraji no Torimaro, Ohohoshi no Kawachi no Atahe no Nukade, and Fume no Fumibito no Oohei. Meanwhile, Imoko continued on to the court proper to report on his mission. Unfortunately, for all of the goodness that came from the whole thing, the trip had not been completely flawless. The Sui court had entrusted Imoko with a letter to pass on to the Yamato court, but the return trip through Baekje proved… problematic, to say the least. We are told that men of Baekje stopped the party, searched them, and confiscated the letter. It is unclear whether these were Baekje officials or just some bandits, but the important thing was that Imoko had lost the message, which was a grave offense. The ministers suggested that, despite all of his success, Imoko should be banished for losing the letter. After all, it was the duty of an envoy to protect the messages between the courts at all costs. In the end, it was agreed that, yes, Imoko should be punished, but that it would be a bad look in front of their guests. After all, he had just represented them to the Sui Court, and so Kashikiya Hime pardoned Imoko of any wrongdoing. A couple months later, on the 3rd day of the 8th month, the preparations had been made and the envoys formally approached the palace. There were met on the Tsubaki no Ichi road by 75 well-dressed horses—the Sui history says two hundred—and there Nukada no Muraji no Hirafu welcomed them all with a speech. After finally reaching the location of the palace, it was nine more days before the Sui envoys were formally summoned to present themselves and state their reason for coming. Abe no Tori no Omi and Mononobe no Yosami no no Muraji no Idaku acted as “introducers” for the guests, announcing who they were to the court. Then Pei Shiqing had the various diplomatic gifts arranged in the courtyard, and then presented his credentials to the court. Then, bowing twice, he gave his own account of why he had been sent—he announced greetings from the Sui emperor, recognized the work of Imoko, and then provided an excuse that the emperor himself could not make it due to his poor health. That last bit I suspect was a polite fiction, or perhaps an erroneous addition by the Chroniclers. After all, it isn't like the Sui emperors were in the habit of just gallivanting off to an unknown foreign land—especially one across the sea. After delivering some polite niceties, Shiqing also provided a detailed list of all of the diplomatic gifts that they had brought. The dance that happened next is telling. In order to convey Pei Shiqing's letter to the sovereign, it wasn't like they could just hand it. There were levels of protocol and procedure that had to be observed, and so Abe no Omi took the letter up and handed it to Ohotomo no Kurafu no Muraji, who in turn placed it on a table in front of the Great gate where Kashikiya Hime could then get it. This setup is similar to the later court, where only certain individuals of rank were actually allowed up into the buildings of the palace, whereas others were restricted to the ground. After that formal introduction, there was a month or more of parties for the envoys, until finally they had to return to the Sui court. When they departed, they were sent with eight students and Imoko, who was bringing another letter back to the Sui Court. The students were all scheduled to study various disciplines and bring the knowledge back to the Yamato court. But that wasn't quite so special, or at least we aren't given much more on the specifics of what the students brought back.. What really stands out in the Sui histories is the contents of the formal letter that Imoko was carrying, as it had a phrase that will be familiar to many students of this period of history, and which really connects across the Japanese and Sui histories, despite other inconsistencies. It read: “The Son of Heaven in the land where the sun rises addresses a letter to the Son of Heaven in the land where the sun sets. We hope you are in good health.” Or at least, that is how the Sui histories record it. In the Nihon Shoki they say something similar, “The Emperor of the East respectfully addresses the Emperor of the West.” Here, rather than using “Child of Heaven”, the author made use of the term “Tennou” when referring to the Yamato sovereign, and then different characters were used for the Sui emperor. At the same time, that is one of the reasons that I give more credence to the Sui history. Of course, however you slice and dice this thing, there are some major airs being taken by the Yamato sovereign. Thus it is no wonder that, when the Sui emperor heard this, he was displeased, to say the least, and he told his minister that the letter was discourteous and should never again be brought to his attention. So that's a whole mood. The reason for this offense may be obvious, as the letter paints the sovereign of Japan as equal to the emperor of the Sui dynasty. That was indeed a bold claim. As we mentioned towards the top of the episode, the Sui were just about at their zenith. They had defeated their enemies, taken control of both the northern and southern regions, expanded to their south and north, and they were using their vast reserves on massive public works. They were a large, established and still growing empire. Comparatively Yamato had, what, 100,000 households? No writing system. They were eating off of oak leaves. And yet they were taking on airs and claiming that they were equal to the Sui. That had to garner more than a few eyerolls, and I really wonder at the temerity of the officer who presented it up the chain, especially as they would have seen what the Sui was really like—a reality that most of envoys to the Sui court would have seen firsthand. There is also the fact that they claim to be the land where the sun rises while the Sui are the land where the sun sets, which may have just been referencing east and west in a poetic fashion, but on another level it is almost as if they were talking about the rise of Yamato and the fall, or setting, of the Sui. I would note that we still don't see the term “Land of the Rising Sun”, or “Nihon”, used for the name of the country yet—one of the reasons I continue to refer to Yamato and not just “Japan”. However, all of this is in keeping with the traditions of the Wa people as we know them—the sun was given a special place in their worldview, as demonstrated linguistically, and not just through the legends curated in the 8th century. By the way, this exchange is mentioned in both the Sui History and the Nihon Shoki, but they place it in slightly different contexts. According to the Sui History, this was one of the first things that envoys said, whereas the version in the Nihon Shoki it was actually sent with the second mission. In either case, however, the content is relatively the same. Certainly, as Japan continued to take on more and more trappings of the continental courts, they would eventually even take on the term Tennou—also read in Japanese as Sumera no Mikoto—to refer to the sovereign. This is basically saying that the sovereign is, indeed, a Heavenly Son, and which they would come to translate as “emperor”, in English. There would be other terminology and trappings that would reinforce this concept, which placed the sovereign of Japan in a position that at least locally seemed to be much more prestigious. Imoko came back from this last diplomatic mission and was well beloved—some later sources even suggest that he may have been promoted for his diplomatic efforts. Oddly, however, we don't really hear more, if anything, about Imoko, and he fades back into the past. And so that covers much of the story of what Yamato was borrowing from the Sui and others during this period. Next episode—well, I'm honestly not sure what we'll be covering next, as there is just so much going on during Kashikiya-hime's reign. But stick around. Until next time, then, thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to Tweet at us at @SengokuPodcast, or reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
This week on Heroes Three podcast we are joined by Swimfans host Alex Hocking to discuss the 1963 Japanese creationist myth animated feature by Toei Animation, The Little Prince and the Eight Headed Dragon! Full cast and credits at ANN Find us online - https://linktr.ee/Heroes3Podcast Find SWIMFANS online - https://linktr.ee/swimfans Check out some H3 art and merch! - https://www.teepublic.com/user/kf_carlito Email us! - heroes3podcast@gmail.com Full blogpost with gifs here! Animation Obsessive takes a look at the Dance Sequence in Little Prince! Sadao Tsukioka Discusses Animating on the Film! Timestamps (0:00) Intro (1:22) Why this movie (4:28) Big video game influence (5:15) Famous staff (6:51) Wind Waker and Samurai Jack (7:47) Move looks real good (10:57) Releases of the movie (13:13) Japanese mythology (21:57) Susano and Tsukuyomi (23:04) Ifukube is real good (25:57) The Fire god (29:59) Amaterasu and Takamagahara (34:56) Dance sequence (39:41) Orochi and the Village (47:46) Art quality isn't a linear progression over time (52:05) The value of "I could do that" (54:05) Alex's thoughts (57:56) Aspect ratios, letterboxing, and pan and scan (1:00:23) Final thoughts (1:02:19) Plugs and training for next week
Witness the creation of the world through old stories of Japanese mythology and folklore. Fall asleep with 12 Shinto gods and goddesses: Izanagi, Izanami, Kagutsuchi, Amaterasu, Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, Ame-no-Uzume, Raijin, Fujin, Inari, Kitsune and Ukemochi - as you follow their joys and sorrows across mystical mountains, rivers, and valleys of ancient Japan.
This episode we set the stage for one of the most momentous conflicts of the 6th century. A lot of change is coming to the islands, and the outcome of the power struggles would determine just what shape that change would take. For more see our podcast webpage: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-90 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 90: Setting the Stage So when last we left off, the sovereign Nunakura Futodamashiki, aka Bidatsu Tennou, had passed away, and there had been some early flirting with Buddhism, which largely ended up pitting members of the relatively new Soga family against the powerful forces of the ancient Mononobe, as well as their allies, the Nakatomi. It even got so bad that the heads of the two houses, Soga no Umako and Mononobe no Moriya, were openly mocking each other at the sovereign's funeral. And unfortunately, things weren't getting better any time soon. In fact, I should probably warn you that around this point in the narrative we are really going to get all Game of Thrones on the archipelago. Family against family, sibling against sibling, with deadly political intrigue. And as we get into it, we should talk about a few things up front to help put everything in context. So let's come back up to speed on the situation, shall we? In the late 6th century, the royal court was in its third dynasty. The sovereign, Nunakura Futodamashiki, aka Bidatsu Tennou, died from a plague that settled on the land. Across the straits, the once small kingdom of Silla was on the rise, having gobbled up the small polities around it, including Yamato's apparent ally, Nimna. Now the southern peninsula was largely divided between two kingdoms, Silla and Baekje. Both were in contact with the Yamato court. And then there is the far distant northern power of Goguryeo, pressing southward themselves. Yamato's involvement on the peninsula meant there was quite a bit of cross-strait intercourse—in more ways than one. There were Wa on the peninsula, but there were also groups of Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo men and women who settled in the archipelago. They brought with them various innovations and ways of thinking. One of these things was the concept of corporate “Be” families. Now, don't get me wrong, there clearly were families in the archipelago and had been for some time, but at some point we see the literal creation of the official families, the Uji: Groups of people who shared a similar job, gathered together under a family head, who in turn was given a place in the Yamato court. The family then regulated the business of its members to the benefit of the court. These created families, usually marked with the suffix of “Be”, became an outgrowth of the court's power, and they were in turn ranked with a collectivist title, or “kabane”. The highest ranking uji were given the titles of “Muraji” and “Omi”, and the heads of those households were known as the “Ohomuraji” and the “Ohoomi”. One of the oldest of these families, on one side of this growing interal conflict, was known as the Mononobe. They claimed a likely fictional descent from Nigi Hayahi, a “Heavenly grandchild”, similar to the ancestor of the royal family, Ninigi no Mikoto - an illustrious backstory that no doubt helped justify their position. As for the rest, well, “Mononobe” literally translates to “the be of things” … and in this case, those things were weapons, reflecting a historical role of this important family as the enforcers and the heavyweights of the Yamato court. Of course, they weren't the only ones with access to troops and weapons, as we've seen various families raising troops to go fight on the continent, and one can only assume that most powerful individuals at least had those they could call upon in case things got physical. For all that administrative power was rooted in spiritual authority, physical power was also important, and we see this in the way that armor and swords were important elite grave goods, and not just for a single family. But few groups were so clearly tied to the exercise of martial power as were the Mononobe. And they wielded that power on the behalf of the sovereign and the State. Whether it was punishing rebels, or just executing the cruel whims of a violent and entitled ruler, the Mononobe were the ones, more often than not, knocking down your door in the middle of the night and dragging off those deemed enemies of the state. This position was such that you can see evidence of it in the earliest parts of the Chronicles. For example, the Mononobe are connected to their ancestral shrine of Isonokami, one of the oldest shrines mentioned. It was said to be the home of the sword that Susanoo no Mikoto, the wild brother of Amaterasu, used to slay the giant, 8-headed serpent, Yamata no Orochi, generally seen as a metaphor for Yamato conquering parts of Izumo. Then there were the piles of swords made and stored at the shrine, which make it sound less like a place of spiritual worship and more like an armory—though let's face it, for some people those are basically one and the same. Add to that all of the times that the Mononobe were called upon to unalive some opponent to the throne, and we get a pretty clear picture of how they had for so long held a place at the very top of the court structure. On the other side is the Soga family, currently personified with Soga no Umako at their head. While the Soga certainly traced their lineage back a respectable distance, including to Takechi no Sukune and others, at this point they are clearly relatively new, with their earliest mention coming in the reign of Wakatakiru, aka Yuryaku Tenno, in the late 5th century, about 100 years before, and they had no clear spiritual center of note, at least in the Chronicles. One source of their power and authority came through their connections with the continent, primarily with Baekje, and related families. The other part was through their marriages, especially the daughters of Soga no Iname. Up to this point, the descendants of Wohodo no Ohokimi, aka Keitai Tennō, had been ensuring that their queens were members of the previous dynasty. This gave them and their offspring connections back to those other lineages helping bolster their claims to an unbroken lineage and their right to rule over Yamato. While the sovereigns might marry daughters of other houses, those wouldn't typically be named as queens, although they might be expected to raise royal princes and maybe future queens. Often these were political marriages that enhanced the court's connections to various regions. A few particularly influential family names also appear, such as Katsuraki, Okinaga, and the Wani no Omi. Still, the success of those families pales next to what Soga no Iname enjoyed in a single reign. Soga no Iname had achieved what few others had. He was the head of his family, one of the few of the Omi, or ministerial, kabane; and he had the personal title of Sukune, one of the highest honorifics attainable by an individual. Both of those spoke to his power at court. And when he passed away, he was succeeded in his post by his son, Soga no Umako, who was also made Ohoomi and who also held the honorific of Sukune. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, Soga no Iname married two of his daughters (Umako's sisters), Kitashi Hime and Wonane Gimi, to Ame Kunioshi, that is, Kimmei Tennou. Both of them had a number of sons who were also royal princes. And one of Kitashi Hime's daughters, Kashikiya Hime, then went on to marry Ame Kunioshi's son and successor (and her own half-brother), Nunakura Futodamashiki, aka Bidatsu Tennou – and when Nunakura's own wife passed on, he elevated Kashikiya Hime to the rank of queen. Long story short, the immediate children and grandchildren of Soga no Iname were in a great position. Soga no Umako was a powerful person at court, and brother and uncle not just to a number of the royal princes of Ame Kuniyoshi's line, but to Nunakura's queen as well, which gave him some powerful sway. We are also told that he had taken as his wife the younger sister of Mononobe no Moriya, likely as an attempt to bring the two families closer together. Spoiler alert: it didn't. All of those royal princes of Soga descent would not have been eligible for the throne under normal circumstances. But here's where things get a little dicey. Nunakura had been the son of Ame Kunioshi and Ishi Hime, who was, herself, the daugther of former sovereign Takewo Hiro Kunioshi. Of course Takewo's mother had come from the Owari no Muraji, a sister clan to the Mononobe, but the Nihon Shoki glosses over that by claiming Takewo was just holding the throne until his more legitimate brother was ready. Still, long story short, Nunakura was the direct descendant of at least two previous sovereigns, so one would imagine that he would be succeeded by his son, Hikobito no Ohine, son of Nunakura and his previous Queen, Hiro Hime. And yet, Hikobito was probably relatively young, and besides Nunakura there were numerous other sons of Ame Kunioshi – conveniently, for the Soga, through his Soga descended wives. One was Kashikiya Hime's brother, Tachibana no Toyohi, and there were also her half-brothers from her aunt, Wonane Gimi, including Princes Hasetsukabe Anahobe no Miko and Hatsusebe—or just Hasebe—no Miko. Remember that there is no such thing at this point as primogeniture—it doesn't matter if you are the oldest son of the previous sovereign, and the throne commonly passed to brothers before it went to sons and nephews. Finally, there is Kashikiya Hime herself, niece of Soga no Umako and newly elevated queen of Nunakura. While some women may have been content to simply raise the future generation of sovereigns, there is plenty to indicate that Kashikiya Hime was a highly political animal in her own right. On top of that, although her grandfather had passed away, her uncle, Soga no Umako, had taken his place at one of the top spots in court. She was around 34 years old when she became queen, and 42 when Nunakura passed away. She knew the ins and outs of the court, and she seems to have favored her uncle and her Soga family. And so, when Nunakura, aka Bidatsu Tennou, died of plague, the stage was set for a political challenge – to determine just who will be the next sovereign, and more than that, which family – and even which branch of which family – will take the reins in directing matters on the archipelago going forward. Now, before we get much further, I have to warn you, the sources we have are clearly biased when it comes to the events they were recording. I mention this because many of the stories in this highly dynamic period and I don't want to keep caveating everything all the time. So let me get a lot of it out of the way now, before we get into the really juicy bits. This also goes for some of the stuff in the last few episodes as well. While the Chronicles were built from records that survived into the 8th century it is clear that not every family is equally represented, and it is also clear that the Chroniclers, who knew the outcome, were massaging the narrative in certain ways. And so we get a narrative of how the Mononobe were enemies of Buddhism, attempting to stop it from spreading and trying to protect the indigenous worship of the kami. They were assisted in this by the Nakatomi, a family of court ritualists, who no doubt were also out to stop Buddhism's progress. As for the sovereigns, Ame Kunioshi, and Nunakura, while they weren't necessarily Buddhist, they are portrayed as essentially neutral, going back and forth between the advice of their ministers as they fought, internally. Most of this comes from the Nihon Shoki. The Sendai Kuji Hongi gives a much more abbreviated version of the actual history, and the Kojiki is pretty much focused just on the lineages at this point. By that point, a lot had happened, and neither the Soga nor the Mononobe were necessarily running things anymore. Michael Como, in his book, “Shotoku”, suggests that, in all probability, Ame Kunioshi and Nunakura were likewise hostile to this new religion, and I think I can see that. After all, they had to realize it was a threat to their own authority as the dedicated interpreters of the will of their ancestral kami. It may be that the positions put forth by the Mononobe and the Nakatomi were, indeed, their actual thoughts on the matter, but it isn't as if the Mononobe just went ahead and destroyed the Soga temples—twice!—on their own. They first made sure to get an order from the sovereign, an order that may not have taken much arm twisting to issue. Como and others also point out that there is a problem with another often overlooked aspect of the struggles as they are portrayed. The typical narrative pits the “foreign” religion of Buddhism against the “indigenous” religion of the way of the kami—what would eventually be known as Shinto, but at this point really didn't have any particular name. The usual way of telling this story is that native religionists were simply pushing back against a foreign incursion, and even though Buddhism would thrive in the Japanese archipelago, and even come to be another tool of the state, there was a certain conflict that always remained, due in large part to the ceremonial role that the sovereign was supposed to inhabit. The problem is that there is nothing that clearly indicates that the so-called indigenous religions were appreciably less foreign to the islands. Even the earliest stories that were recorded in the Nihon Shoki, which depicts Japan as a special place, formed by the kami themselves, there are clear connections to the continent. In some cases, like with Ame no Hiboko and Himegoso, we have deities coming over directly from the continent as princes and princesses of foreign lands. In others, like with some of the stories of Susano'o, we see the kami coming down from Heaven and first setting foot in the world on the Korean peninsula. Combined with a plethora of other clues, at the very least we can assume that the ways of the kami, including stories and rituals, were heavily influenced by continental thoughts and ideas, some of which may have arrived more than a century earlier. On the other hand, the use of horizontal tomb chambers is a pretty clear archaeological change that we can see happening. We first saw this tomb design back in the 5th century in Kyūshū, and in the 6th century it had spread across the archipelago, becoming the dominant form. But how does that connect to continental influence on indigenous spiritual and religious practice? I think we can generally agree that tombs, beyond the practical idea of not allowing corpses to just sit around above ground, rotting and breeding disease, were largely concerned with what we consider religious concepts about the afterlife. Sure, there is the political capital achieved by reminding everyone just who's in charge, but it is designed around the needs of the rituals surrounding the treatment of the deceased. Hence the grave goods, as well as the clay, stone, or even wood pillars and statues erected around them. So when the burials go from relatively simple pits, dug in the top of these massive burial mounds to more complex chambers of giant stone blocks, which show evidence of people using multiple times, then we can gather that something changed in the rituals surrounding death and the afterlife. Those changes are reflected in the stories about the kami, including stories about Izanagi and Izanami, about Susano'o, and even about Amaterasu in the Heavenly Rock Cave, which all have imagery associated with this new kind of burial practice. That suggests that these stories either originated in a time when the horizontal burial chambers were prevalent, or at least they were changed and updated as ritual life also changed. And most of these changes can be traced back to the continent. We can see evidence, there, of horizontal stone chambers, and then trace that influence as it makes its way to Kyūshū and then the rest of the archipelago. This isn't to say that there weren't elements that were conceived of on the archipelago itself. Certainly local traditions evolved to meet the needs of the people, but not without outside influence. Even today, modern Shintō includes concepts from Daoism, geomancy, and general Yin-Yang theory, among other things, while retaining its own character. The point is that the argument that the resistance to Buddhism was purely because of is foreign nature seems laughably false, and yet that has been the view reinforced within the cultural imaginary of the Japanese for centuries, and it would go on to define the separate roles of Shintō and Buddhism in relation to the State for most of that time. As we look at what takes place, however, just keep in mind that this was much more about sheer, naked, political power, regardless of how later generations tried to make it look. Also, it is unlikely that were any clear villains or heroes, either. Real people are complex, and motivations are rarely straight forward. And with that, let's get back to the funeral of Nunakura. The throne was empty, except for the presence of the Queen, Kashikiya Hime, who continued to reside in the palace presumably receiving guests and whatever the Yamato version of funeral potatoes was—probably some kind of dried fish. The succession at this point wasn't exactly clear. Nunakura had a son, Hikobito, who was no doubt the heir presumptive, but there is nothing explicitly stating as much. Ame Kunioshi had been quite prolific, and many of Nunakura's brothers or half brothers were still running around. In addition, though unstated in the Chronicles, Hikobito was not the son of Kashikiya Hime, and so it remains unclear just how motivated she was to help him ascend the throne. The first to act to resolve this uncertainty was a Prince that was neither a direct sibling of Nunakura nor of Kashikiya Hime. It was Hatsusekabe Anahobe no Miko. Like Kashikiya Hime, he was a grandchild of the illustrious Soga no Iname, except that he descended through Iname's younger daughter, Wonane Gimi. Anahobe seemed to have clear designs on the throne. He marched straight up to the Palace of interment, and demanded entry to see his half sister. This was the location, it would seem, where Nunakura's body was lying in state, prior to burial. However, given some of the accompanying statements, I suspect they may have been using Nunakura's own Palace for this purpose, and his queen, Kashikiya Hime, was likewise residing there, possibly out of loyalty and expectations, but also because where else was she to go on short notice? The steward in charge of the Palace at that time was a man by the name of Miwa no Kimi no Sakahe, also just known as Sakahe no Kimi. He was suspicious of Anahobe, and his intentions. After all, it wouldn't take much for Anahobe to force his way in, force himself on Nunakura's queen, claim they were married and therefore he deserved to rule. It wouldn't be the first time that a sovereign had married the queen, out at least a consort or daughter, of the former ruler to strengthen their own claim. Kashikiya was double prized as she was born the daughter of Ame Kunioshi and the Queen of Nunakura. Sakahe no Kimi want about to let that happen, however. We are told that he had faithfully served the royal family up to that point, and it didn't look like he was about to just lay down now, not even for a prince of the blood. This pissed off Anahobe to no end. He left, incensed, and started talking smack about Sakahe no Kimi to anyone who would listen. In particular, he complained to the two Great Ministers, which I can only assume to mean Soga no Umako and Mononobe no Moriya, the Ohomi and Ohomuraji of the court. He mentioned how, at the eulogy, Sakahe had said that the court of Nunakura would not be left desolate, and that he, Sakahe, would keep it pure as the surface of a mirror. Who was he to make such a bold claim to be the defender of Nunakura's virtue, especially when there were so many total princes and the court Ministers themselves? And on top of that, he had the temerity to deny Anahobe access to the Palace of interment seven times. For such insolence, he demanded the authority to put Sakahe no Kimi to death. They both agreed, and next thing you know, prince Anahobe grabbed a bunch of troops, along with Mononobe no Moriya, the King's Hand of the ancient Yamato Court, and put together a posse to go bring justice, in the form of a quick sword to the back of the neck, to Sakahe no Kimi. This was not exactly a quiet affair, however, and when the assembled forces of the aggrieved princes rolled up on the home of Sakahe no Kimi, in Ikenobe, in Iware, he had already split, hightailing it up Mt. Miwa. He then climbed down in the night and made straightaway for Kashikiya Hime's country house in Tsubaki-ichi. There he went to hide out and lay low, as Kashikiya Hime still had his back. However, it wasn't only the royal family that had some people with divided loyalties, and two of Sakahe's own relatives, Shiratsutsumi and Yokoyama, decided to turn him in, apparently trying to cozy up with Anahobe, whose star appeared to be on the rise. Knowing where Sakahe was hiding out, Anahobe and his brother, Hasebe, ordered Mononobe no Moriya to head out and treat Sakahe as though he were being played by none other than Sean Bean himself. Not only that, they were to kill his sons as well, ending his direct line. Moriya accepted this duty without hesitation, once again gathering a large force and setting out. I would point out at this point that Sakahe was clearly a close confidant of the previous sovereign, Nunakura, and he was seeking refuge at Queen Kashikiya Hime's summer cottage—we aren't told if she was there, or still at the palace of interment, but either way, Moriya's forces were moving against her property. As Soga no Umako heard about this, he quickly came to the conclusion that going after Sakahe, and invading the Queen's residence to do so, was one of those Really Bad Ideas. Sure, he may have initially agreed to Sakahe being punished, because there was an order to things, and no doubt Sakahe's actions threatened that order—though it is also possible that the two “Chief Ministers” mentioned in the text were others, as nobody is specifically named, so it is possible he was just learning about this for the first time, but doubtful. Still, he was now against it. Perhaps it was the clear involvement of Kashikiya Hime, or maybe it was the thought of killing the innocent kids. Or possibly Umako had come to realize the truth—that this was simply an excuse for Anahobe to take the throne for himself. Whatever the reason, Umako went to his nephew Anahobe and pleaded with him not to go out with Moriya. He suggested that, at the very least, it would be unseemly for him to go himself. Anahobe was determined, however, and so he headed out to meet Mononobe no Moriya and to see to Sakahe's end, personally. Here the Chronicles diverge, giving us two slightly different accounts. In one story, Umako tagged along, and eventually he was able to persuade Anahobe not to go himself, and Anahobe finally relented. However, shortly thereafter, Moriya returned with news that he had executed Sakahe no Kimi and the others. In the other account, it is Anahobe himself who ended Sakahe no Kimi and his line, demonstrating that he was not afraid to get his hands dirty. Either way, Soga no Umako realized that this was not the end of it, and that there would likely be more violence. He was clearly upset that Anahobe hadn't listened to him to call the whole thing off, and Kashikiya Hime, well, I think we can see why she may not have been happy. The Chronicles say they both conceived enmity against Prince Anahobe, even though he was their nephew and cousin, respectively. Now this was all happening shortly after Nunakura's death—Nunakura died in 585, and this is all taking place between then and late 586 – and clearly it's related to a question of succession. However, the Chronicles try to claim that there was, in fact, a sitting sovereign at that time. That honor went to none other than Kashikiya Hime's own full brother, Tachibana no Toyohi, aka Youmei Tennou. So given what we've discussed about Anahobe's antics in trying to marry Kashikiya, what's up with that, and where did Toyohi come from? Why Toyohi was selected, or even how he was selected, is a bit strange. We are told that he was the fourth child of Ame Kunioshi, and as I mentioned, he was the full brother of Kashikiya Hime, making him a son of Kitashi Hime and a grandson of Soga no Iname. We are also told that he believed in the Law of the Buddha and also Revered the Way of the Kami. Finally, we are told that his capital was set in Iware—specifically at the Ikenobe no Namitsuki no Miya. If that sounds familiar, it is because Ikenobe, in Iware, was also the location of our Sean Bean stand-in, Miwa no Kimi no Sakahe's, house as well—a strange coincidence in a tumultuous time. Toyohi wasn't long on the throne. During the feast of first fruits, the Niinamesai, which was performed on a riverbank in Iware, Toyohi took ill. The Niinamesai is typically observed on or about the 23rd day of the 11th month of the old lunisolar calendar, which could have been as late as December or even early January, meaning that it was likely cold, and possibly even cold and wet, especially along a riverbank. It brings to mind the story of US President William Henry Harrison, who gave his inaugural address on a cold and wet day, and ended up catching pneumonia weeks later, passing away shortly thereafter. In a similar vein, Toyohi's illness grew worse and worse, and so he requested that he be able to give worship to the Three Precious Things, which is to say Buddhism, likely hoping that worshipping the Buddha would cure him. Obviously, Soga no Umako was in favor of this, having tried to get his own temple started in the previous reign, but both Mononobe no Moriya and Nakatomi no Katsumi both opposed it, claiming he would be turning his back on the kami of the Japanese archipelago. It was déjà vu all over again. The tie breaker in this case came from what might seem an unusual source. It was Prince Anahobe himself who found a priest and brought him to his elder half-brother's side. The records simply state that it was Toyohi's “younger brother”, but a note in the Nihon Shoki explains that Prince Anahobe is assumed to be the one they mean. This is bolstered, somewhat, by the fact that Toyohi is said to have been married to *Princess* Hasetsukabe Anahobe no Himemiko. That's right, Toyohi had married Anahobe's sister, which may have also made them closer than even normal bonds of kinship would account for. Thus, whatever designs Anahobe had on the throne seem to have been overcome by his desire to help his half-brother, an apparently touching moment. Unfortunately, it didn't help. Toyohi grew worse and worse and eventually it was clear that he wasn't going to make it. Kuratsukuri Be no Tasuna, a son of Shiba Tattou, offered to become a monk on Toyohi's behalf and help make merit for him. Shiba Tattou had been the one to help Soga no Umako with his first attempt at setting up a temple, including having his daughter ordained as a nun, so this seems rather on brand for him. It is interesting that Tasuna is mentioned as a member of the Kuratsukuri Be, however—the guild of saddle makers. Once again, related to horses and thus back to Baekje and the continent. Tasuna offered to make a Buddha image that was about 16 feet high, and to build a temple. The Chronicles say that this temple, along with its attendant Boddhisatvas, was still around several centuries later at the temple of Sakata in Minabuchi, which would appear to place it in the region of Asuka, the Soga family stronghold. Toyohi's reign was extremely short—assuming, of course, that he reigned at all. As we've already discussed with Anahobe's Game of Thrones antics, it seems like things were generally still up in the air, though it is quite possible that since Toyohi was Kashikiya Hime's full brother, she deferred to him and helped him take the throne as everything else was going on. It is just as likely, though, that the Chroniclers needed someone to fill the space, and he fit the bill. There are a couple of things that suggest this interpretation. First off are his offspring, specifically two. One was Nukade Hime, who he made the Ise Princess, which is to say the Royal Princess, or Himemiko, who was assigned to the shrine of Amaterasu in Ise. There is some question about the actual importance of Ise at this point, but there wouldn't be by the 8th century, and so to the Chroniclers this would have been an important point to make, even though there is some scholarly thought that Ise really wasn't that big of a deal until around the time of the Temmu dynasty. The other child of Tachibana no Toyohi is very important – someone we've touched on briefly, and I'll probably go into a whole episode on in not too much longer: Prince Umayado. Aka the Prince of the Kamitsu Palace, or Kamitsumiya. He's better known as Shotoku Taishi, and he holds a special place in Japan's cultural identity about itself and Buddhism. For anyone who hasn't heard of Shotoku Taishi, I'll try to break it down quickly. As I said, we need to do at least one episode on him at some point. “Shotoku Taishi” is the single individual most credited with spreading Buddhism in Japan – the most mentioned, though he wasn't the first. The problem is that this means there are a lot of stories around him and his accomplishments, such that it is hard to pull out fact from fiction. Much like Yamato Takeru, Shotoku Taishi's legend had already grown by the time the Nihon Shoki was being written, to the point that different temples were almost fighting over who got to write the narratives about him and whose stories were taken as factual. Think about George Washington chopping down the cherry tree and you get the picture of the kinds of cultural imaginaries that get attached to Prince Shotoku. And so it is little wonder that this very important figure's father, Tachibana no Toyohi, gets credited with at least a few years on the throne, whether or not he ever actually sat as the ruler. It provides even that much more legitimacy to Prince Umayado's later accomplishments—or at least the accomplishments that were attributed to him. It also might explain why Toyohi's own story centers so much on his belief in Buddhism as well. There is a point made of talking about the fact that Toyohi believed in Buddhism, and he is the first sovereign we have to actively seek out the worship of Buddhism. Once again, it is hard to know if he was truly sovereign—I tend to feel like this whole period was one of the periods where the court couldn't initially get united behind a single person, and what we are seeing is more after-the-fact ascensions to boost the lineage. But the dispute over Buddhism is clearly the centerpiece here for something much greater. But we haven't gone full family-on-family war yet, which brings us back to Mononobe no Moriya. He was clearly not happy about the whole situation with the sovereign ignoring his advice and performing more Buddhist worship, and it didn't help that the powerful prince Anahobe had stepped in on the side of the pro-Buddhist faction. They had just been out murdering people together, and now Anahobe turned his back on him. Moriya likely felt tossed aside. I've seen some suggestion that the Mononobe house and the Soga house at this time were equals. Sure, the Nihon Shoki uses the “Omi” and “Muraji” kabane, with “Omi” having a distinctly more prominent feel, but it is possible that the two families were actually of equal rank. There's the fact that the text at one time references “The Two Oho-omi”, which is generally taken to just mean the two “Chief Ministers”, Umako and Moriya, but which could also be seen as acknowledging that Moriya stood on equal footing with Umako. There is also a note in the Sendai Kuji Hongi that suggests that Moriya was made both Ohomuraji—that is, head of the house—and also a high Minister, or Omi. It is unclear what this means, but probably similarly placed him on equal footing with Umako. Certainly in the discussions up to this point, the Mononobe often had the favor of the court over the wishes of the Soga, especially when it came to burning down their Buddhist establishments. Now, however, the Soga were clearly ascendant. The grandsons of Soga no Iname were Royal Princes, and that shifted the power dynamics. Even Anahobe was a Soga descendant. It is easy to see how Moriya was likely feeling isolated and even belittled by the court. Enter Iago… I mean Oshisakabe no Kekuso, who bent Moriya's ear and convinced him that all of the other ministers were now plotting against him. More than that, they were about to ambush him and take him out of the picture altogether. And was that so strange? Hadn't something similar just happened with Sakahe no Kimi when the powerful people of the court found him too troublesome? Moriya himself had helped carry that out and bring it about. This was not exactly a time where one was innocent until proven guilty, and if you wanted someone out of the picture, well, it was hard for them to tell their story from inside a massive burial mound. This was a dangerous time to be on the political outs. And so we are told that Mononobe no Moriya retired. He left the court and went to Ato, where he had his own country-house. This would have been in a Mononobe stronghold. It is often thought to have meant somewhere on the Kawachi plain, around Yao, on southeastern edge of the modern metropolis of Ohosaka, and outside of the Nara Basin. There he gathered a force of troops around him, presumably for his own protection. Allies, such as Nakatomi no Katsumi, came to his aid. As Umako had predicted, this whole thing was not going to end well. The two most powerful ministers at court had been feuding since the death of the previous sovereign. They had broken on policy, on religion, and even on threats to the throne. And now one of them had holed up in their own stronghold and was building an army. Meanwhile you still had a bunch of princes running around, all of them possibly eligible to ascend and take the throne of Yamato for themselves. The storm clouds of war had gathered, and people were taking sides. Whatever happened, its clear that it would have momentous consequences for everyone involved—at least, if they lived to see it through. Until next time, thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to Tweet at us at @SengokuPodcast, or reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
Most mythologies are stories that come from the ancient world. As we continue to explore these tales, interestingly enough, we'll find that many of them cross over to other mythologies, cultures and religions. As we travel they are carried to new places where they are adopted, but there seems to be a parallel across the world with the mythology and stories of creation. At the basis of it all these tales are recounted to help us make sense of the world around us and to both explain and fill that spiritual side of us that so many of us can feel. Amaterasu is the Japanese goddess of the sun and is a prominent deity in the Shinto faith of Japan. Through her origin story we'll notice there are many similarities to Egyptian and Greek mythologies and also to a biblical story involving Jesus Christ. If this topic interest you, join us and listen. Also, Do you have a story to share? If you email me and share your story I will gladly, with your permission of course, feature it on a future episode for the rest of us to listen and enjoy. Check out our website at www.MysteriesBeyond.com and/or email us at LauraLavender.mb@gmail.com Check us out on social media on Instagram @LauraLavender.mb and/or on TikTok @LauraLavender.mb and/or on Facebook at Mysteries Beyond Website: www.mysteriesbeyond.com Email: lauralavender.mb@gmail.com Instagram: @lauralavender.mb TikTok: lauralavender.mb Facebook: Mysteries Beyond My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/LauraLavender.mb Intro Music by: Mystery by GoSoundtrack http://www.gosoundtrack.com/Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/mystery-gosoundtrackMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/8TKy9bzrk24 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mysteriesbeyond/message
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