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It is the first year of a new reign, so come and let's take a look at how it all begins. For more, check out our blog page at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-135 Rough Transcript   Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 135: Year One The officials of the Ministry of Kami Affairs bustled to and fro as they prepared the ritual grounds and the temporary buildings.  They were carefully erecting the structures, which would only be used for a single festival, and then torn down, but this would be an important festival.  It was the harvest festival, the Niiname-sai, the festival of the first-fruits.  Rice, from the regions of Tamba and Harima, specifically chosen through divination, would be offered to his majesty along with the kami who had blessed the land.  But this time, there was more. After all, this was the first harvest festival of a new reign, and they had orders to make it special.  The ascension ceremony had been held earlier in the year, but in some ways that was just a prelude.  There had been various rituals and ceremonies throughout the year emphasizing that this year was special—even foreign lands were sending envoys to congratulate him on the event.  But this wasn't for them.  This was the sovereign taking part, for the first time, in one of the most important ceremonies of the year.  After all, the feast of first-fruits was the culmination of all that the kami had done, and it emphasized the sovereign's role as both a descendant of heaven and as the preeminent intercessor with the divine spirits of the land. And so they knew, that everything had to be bigger, with even more pomp and circumstance than normal.  This wouldn't just be about the new rice.  This would be a grand ceremony, one that only happened once in a generation, and yet which would echo through the centuries.  As the annual harvest festival, it was an ancient tradition.  But as something new—as the Daijosai—it was something else all together. And it would have to be perfect!   Last episode we talked about the Kiyomihara palace and a little bit about what it was like in the court of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou.  After defeating the Afumi court supporting his nephew, Ohotomo, in 672, Ohoama had taken control of the government.  He moved back to Asuka, and into the refurbished Okamoto palace, building a southern exclave known to us today as the Ebinoko enclosure, which held one large building, which may have been a residence or a ceremonial structure—possibly the first “Daigokuden” or ceremonial hall. Ohoama's court built on the ideas that his brother, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou, had put forth since the Taika era.  This was a continuation of the form of government known as the Ritsuryo system, or Ritsuryo-sei, literally a government of laws and punishments, and Ohoama had taken the reins.  He seems to have taken a much more direct approach to governance compared to some of his predecessors. For instance, the role of the ministerial families was reduced, with Ohoama or various princes—actual or invented relatives of the throne—taking a much more prominent role.  He also expanded access to the central government to those outside of the the Home Provinces.  After all, it was the traditional ministerial families—the Soga, the Nakatomi, and even the Kose—who had been part of the Afumi government that he had just defeated.  Meanwhile, much of his military support had come from the Eastern provinces, though with prominent indications of support from Kibi and Tsukushi as well. This episode we are going to get back to the events documented in the Chronicles, looking just at the first year of Ohoama's reign.  Well, technically it was the second year, with 672 being the first, but this is the first year in which he formally sat on the throne.  There's plenty going on in this year to fill a whole episode: it was the year of Ohoama's formal ascension, and there were numerous festivals, ceremonies, and other activities that seem to be directly related to a fresh, new start.  We will also look at the custom of handing out posthumous ranks, particularly to those who supported Ohoama during the Jinshin no Ran, and how that relates to the various ranks and titles used in Ohoama's court.  We have envoys from three different countries—Tamna, Silla, and Goguryeo—and their interactions with the Dazaifu in Tsukushi.  Finally, we have the first Daijosai, one of the most important ceremonies in any reign. And so, let's get into it.   The year 673 started with a banquet for various princes and ministers, and on the 27th day of the 2nd month, Ohoama formally assumed the throne at what would come to be known as Kiyomihara Palace.  Uno, his consort, who had traveled with him through the mountains from Yoshino to Ise, was made his queen, and their son, Royal Prince Kusakabe, was named Crown Prince.  Two days later they held a ceremony to convey cap-ranks on those deemed worthy. We are then told that on the 17th day of the following month, word came from the governor of Bingo, the far western side of ancient Kibi, today the eastern part of modern Hiroshima.  They had caught a white pheasant in Kameshi and sent it as tribute.  White or albino animals were seen as particularly auspicious signs, and no doubt it was taken as an omen of good fortune for the reign.  In response, the forced labor from Bingo, which households were required to supply to the State, was remitted.  There was also a general amnesty granted throughout the land. That same month we are also told that scribes were brought in to Kawaradera to copy the Issaiko—aka the Tripitaka, or the entirety of the Buddhist canon.  That would include hundreds of scrolls.  This clearly seems to be an act of Buddhist merit-making:  by copying out the scrolls you make merit, which translates to good karma.  That would be another auspicious start to the reign, and we see frequently that rulers would fund sutra copying—or sutra recitations—as well as temples, statues, bells and all other such things to earn Buddhist merit.  As the ruler, this merit didn't just accrue to you, but to the entire state, presumably bringing good fortune and helping to avert disaster. However, it wasn't just the Law of the Buddha that Ohoama was appealing to.  In the following entry, on the14th day of the 4th month, we are told that Princess Ohoki was preparing herself at the saigu, or abstinence palace, in Hatsuse—known as Hase, today, east of modern Sakurai, along the Yonabari river, on the road to Uda.  Ohoki was the sister of Prince Ohotsu.  Her mother was Ohota, the Queen's elder sister, making her a grandchild of Naka no Ohoye as well as the daughter of Ohoama.  Princess Ohoki's time at the abstinence palace was so that she could purify herself.  This was all to get her ready to head to Ise, to approach none other than the sun goddess, Amaterasu Ohokami. With all of these events, we see the full panoply of ritual and ceremony on display.  The formal, legal ceremonies of ascension and granting of rank.  The declaration of auspicious omens for the reign.   There is the making of Buddhist merit, but also the worship of the kami of the archipelago.  This is not an either-or situation.  We are seeing in the first half of this first year the fusion of all of these different elements into something that may not even be all that sensational to those of us, today.  After all, anyone who goes to Japan is likely well-accustomed to the way that both Buddhist and Shinto institutions can both play a large part in people's lives.  While some people may be more drawn to one than the other, for most they are complimentary. That isn't how it had to be.  For a time, it was possible that Buddhism would displace local kami worship altogether.  This was the core of the backlash that we saw from groups like the Nakatomi, whose role in kami-focused ceremonies was threatened by the new religion.  Indeed, for a while now it seems like mention of the kami has taken a backseat to Buddhist temples and ceremonies in the Chronicles.  Likewise, as a foreign religion, Buddhism could have also fallen out of favor.  It was not fore-ordained that it would come to have a permanent place on the archipelago.  This tension between local kami worship—later called Shinto, the Way of the Kami—and Buddhist teachings would vary throughout Japanese history, with one sometimes seen as more prestigious or more natural than the other, but neither one would fully eclipse the other. One could say that was in part due to the role that Amaterasu and kami worship played in the court ceremonies.  However, even there indigenous practices were not necessarily safe.  The court could have just as easily imported Confucian rituals, and replaced the spiritual connection between the sovereign and the kami with the continental style Mandate of Heaven. And thus, the choices that were being made at this time would have huge implications for the Japanese state for centuries to come. I should note that it is unlikely that this spontaneously arose amongst the upper class and the leadership.  I doubt this was just Ohoama's strategy to give himself multiple levers of power—though I'm not saying he wasn't thinking about that either.  But the only way that these levers existed was through their continued life in the culture and the people of the time.  If the people didn't believe in Buddhist merit, or that the kami influenced their lives, then neither would have given them much sway.  It was the fact that these were a part of the cultural imaginary of the state, and how people imagined themselves and their surroundings, that they were effective tools for Ohoama and his government. And so it seems that Ohoama's first year is off to a smashing success.  By the fifth month he is already issuing edicts—specifically on the structure of the state, which we discussed some last episode. But the high could not be maintained indefinitely.  And on the 29th day of the 5th month we have what we might consider our first negative entry, when Sakamoto no Takara no Omi passed away. You may remember Sakamoto, but I wouldn't blame you if you didn't.  He was the commander in the Nara Basin, under general Wofukei, who took 300 troops to Tatsuta.  From there he advanced to the Hiraishi plain and up to the top of Mt. Takayasu, to confront the Afumi forces that had taken the castle.  They fled, and Takara and his men overnighted at the castle.  The next day they tried to intercept Afumi troops advancing from the Kawachi plain, but they were forced to fall back to a defensive position.   We covered that in Episode 131 with the rest of the campaign in the Nara Basin. Takara's death is the first of many entries—I count roughly 21 through this and the following reign—which, for the most part, are all similarly worded.  Sakamoto no Takara no Omi, of Upper Daikin rank, died.  He was posthumously granted the rank of Shoushi for service in the Year of Mizu-no-e Saru, aka Jinshin.  We are told the individual, their rank at the time of their death, and then a note about a posthumous grant of rank.  Upper Daikin was already about the 7th rank from the top in the system of 664, and Shoushi would be the 6th rank, and one of the “ministerial” ranks.  This is out of 26, total.  “Kin” itself was the fourth of about 7 categories, and the last category that was split into six sub-ranks, with greater and lesser (Daikin and Shokin), each of which was further divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower ranks.  There's a lot to go into, in fact a little too much for this episode, so for more on the ranks in use at the start of the reign, check out our blogpost for this episode.        The giving of posthumous rank is mostly just an honorific.  After all, the individual is now deceased, so it isn't as if they would be drawing more of a stipend, though their new ranks may have influenced their funerary rites and similar things. As I said, on a quick scan of the text, I counted  21 of these entries, though there may be a few more with slightly different phrasing or circumstances.  Some of them were quite notable in the record, while others may have only had a mention here or there.  That they are mentioned, though, likely speaks to the importance of that connection to such a momentous year.  The Nihon Shoki is thought to have been started around the time of Ohoama or his successor, along with the Kojiki, and so it would have been important to people of the time to remind everyone that their ancestors had been the ones who helped with that momentous event.  It really isn't that much different from those who proudly trace their lineage back to heroes of, say, the American Revolution, though it likely held even more sway being closer to the actual events. After the death of Sakamoto no Takara, we get another death announcement.  This is of someone that Aston translates as “Satek Syomyeong” of Baekje, of Lower Daikin rank.  We aren't given much else about him, but we are told that Ohoama was shocked.  He granted Syomyeong the posthumous rank of “Outer Shoushi”, per Aston's translation.  He also posthumously named him as Prime Minister, or Desapyong, of Baekje. There are a few clues about who this might be, but very little to go on.  He is mentioned in 671, during the reign of Naka no Oe, when he received the rank of Upper Daikin along with Minister—or Sapyong—Yo Jasin.  It is also said in the interlinear text that he was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Judgment—the Houkan no Taifu.  The Ministry of Judgment—the Houkan or perhaps the Nori no Tsukasa—is thought to have been the progenitor of the later Shikibu, the Ministry of Ceremony.  One of the major roles it played was in the selection of candidates for rank, position, and promotion. We are also told that in the year 660, in the reign of Takara Hime, one of the nobles captured in the Tang invasion of Baekje was “Desapyong Satek”, so perhaps this Syomyeong was a descendant or relative of the previous prime minister, who fled to Yamato with other refugees.  We also have another record from 671 of a Satek Sondeung and his companions accompanying the Tang envoy Guo Yacun.  So it would seem that the Sathek family was certainly notable The name “Satek” shows up once more, though Aston then translates it as “Sataku”, like a monk or scholar's name.  “Sataku” would be the Japanese on'yomi pronunciation of the same characters, so perhaps another relative. What we can take away from all of this is that the Baekje refugee community is still a thing in Yamato.  This Satek Seomyeong has court rank—Upper Daikin rank, just like Sakamoto, in the previous entry.  And we know that he had an official position at court—not just in the Baekje court in exile.  We'll see more on this as the community is further integrated into the rest of Society, such that there would no longer be a Baekje community, but families would continue to trace their lineages back to Baekje families, often with pride. The other odd thing here is the character “outer” or “outside” before “Shoushi”.  Aston translates it as part of the rank, and we see it show up a total of four times in some variation of “Outer Lesser X rank”.  Mostly it is as here, Outer Lesser Purple.  Later we would see a distinction of “outer” and “inner” ranks, which this may be a version of.  Depending on one's family lineage would denote whether one received an “outer” or “inner” rank, and so it may be that since Satek Syomyeong was from the Baekje community, it was more appropriate for him to have an “outside” rank. “Outer” rank would also be given to Murakuni no Muraji no Woyori, the general who had led the campaign to Afumi, taking the Seta bridge.  He was also posthumously given the rank of “Outer Shoushi” upon his death in 676.  Murakuni no Woyori is the only person of that surname mentioned around this time, so perhaps he wasn't from one of the “core” families of the Yamato court, despite the service he had rendered.  We also have at least one other noble of Baekje who is likewise granted an ”outer” rank. On the other side there are those like Ohomiwa no Makamuta no Kobito no Kimi, who was posthumously granted the rank of “Inner” Shoushi.  Here I would note that Ohomiwa certainly seems to suggest an origin in the Nara Basin, in the heartland of Yamato. The terms “Inner” and “Outer” are only used on occasion, however, and not consistently in all cases.  This could just be because of the records that the scribes were working off of at the time.  It is hard to say, exactly. All of these entries about posthumous ranks being granted tend to refer to cap ranks, those applying to members of various Uji, the clans that had been created to help organize the pre-Ritsuryo state. The Uji and their members played important roles in the court and the nation, both as ministers and lower functionaries.  But I also want to mention another important component of Ohoama's court, the members of the princely class, many of whom also actively contributed to the functioning of the state.  Among this class are those that Aston refers to as “Princes of the Blood”, or “Shinnou”.  These include the royal princes, sons of Ohoama who were in line for the throne, but also any of his brothers and sisters.  Then there were the “miko”, like Prince Kurikuma, who had been the Viceroy in Tsukushi, denying troops to the Afumi court.  Those princes claimed some lineal descent from a sovereign, but they were not directly related to the reigning sovereign.  In fact, it isn't clear, today, if they were even indirectly related to the reigning sovereign, other than through the fact that the elites of the archipelago had likely been forming marriage alliances with one another for centuries, so who knows.  And maybe they made their claims back to a heavenly descendant, like Nigi Hayahi.  Either way, they were the ones with claims—legitimate or otherwise—to royal blood.  Notably, the Princes did not belong to any of the Uji, , and they didn't have kabane, either—no “Omi”, “Muraji”, “Atahe”, et cetera. They did, at least from this reign forward, have rank.  But it was separate and different from the rank of the Uji members.  Members of the various Uji were referred to with cap rank, but the Princely ranks were just numbered—in the Nihon Shoki we see mention of princes of the 2nd through 5th ranks—though presumably there was also a “first” rank.  It is not entirely clear when this princely rank system was put into place, but it was probably as they were moving all of the land, and thus the taxes, to the state.  Therefore the court would have needed to know what kind of stipend each prince was to receive—a stipend based on their rank.  These ranks, as with later numbered ranks, appear to have been given in ascending order, like medals in a tournament:  first rank, second rank, third rank, etc. with fifth rank being the lowest of the Princely ranks. Many of these Princes also held formal positions in the government.  We saw this in Naka no Oe's reign with Prince Kurikuma taking the Viceroy-ship of Tsukushi, but during Ohoama's reign we see it even more. Beneath the Princes were the various Ministers and Public Functionaries—the Officers of the court, from the lowest page to the highest minister.  They were members of the elite noble families, for the most part, or else they claimed descent from the elite families of the continent.  Either way they were part of what we would no doubt call the Nobility.  Their cap-rank system, mentioned earlier, was separate from that used by the Princes. And, then at the bottom, supporting this structure, were the common people.  Like the princes, they did not necessarily have a surname, and they didn't really figure into the formal rank system.  They certainly weren't considered members of the titled class, and often don't even show up in the record.  And yet we should not forget that they were no doubt the most numerous and diverse group for the majority of Japanese history.  Our sources, however, have a much more narrow focus. There is one more class of people to mention here, and that is the evolving priestly class.  Those who took Buddhist orders and became Buddhist monks were technically placed outside of the social system, though that did not entirely negate their connections to the outside world.  We see, for example, how Ohoama, even in taking orders, still had servants and others to wait on him.  However, they were at least theoretically outside of the social hierarchy, and could achieve standing within the Buddhist community through their studies of Buddhist scripture.  They had their own hierarchy, which was tied in to the State through particular Buddhist officers appointed by the government, but otherwise the various temples seem to have been largely in charge of their own affairs. But anyway, let's get back to the Chronicles. Following closely on the heels of Satek Syomyeong's passing, two days later, we have another entry, this one much more neutral.  We are told that Tamna, aka the kingdom on Jeju island off the southern tip of the Korean peninsula, sent Princes Kumaye, Tora, Uma, and others with tribute. So now we are getting back into the diplomatic swing of things.  There had been one previous embassy—that of Gim Apsil of Silla, who had arrived just towards the end of the Jinshin War, but they were merely entertained in Tsukushi and sent back, probably because Ohoama's court were still cleaning house. Tamna, Silla, and Goguryeo—usually accompanied by Silla escorts—would be the main visitors to Yamato for a time.  At this point, Silla was busy trying to get the Tang forces to leave the peninsula.  This was partly assisted by the various uprisings in the captured territories of Goguryeo and Baekje—primarily up in Goguryeo.  There were various attempts to restore the kingdom.  It isn't clear, but I suspect that the Goguryeo envoys we do eventually see were operating largely as a vassal state under Silla. Tamna, on the other hand, seems to have been outside of the conflict, from what we see in the records, and it likely was out of the way of the majority of any fighting.  They also seem to have had a different relationship with Yamato, based on some of the interactions. It is very curious to me that the names of the people from Tamna seem like they could come from Yamato.  Perhaps that is related in some way to theories that Tamna was one of the last hold-outs of continental proto-Japonic language prior to the ancestor of modern Korean gaining ascendancy.  Or it could just be an accident of how things got copied down in Sinitic characters and then translated back out. The Tamna mission arrived on the 8th day of the 6th intercalary month of 673.  A Silla embassy arrived 7 days later, but rather than tribute, their mission was twofold—two ambassadors to offer congratulations to Ohoama and two to offer condolences on the late sovereign—though whether that means Naka no Oe or Ohotomo is not exactly clear.  All of these arrived and would have been hosted, initially, in Tsukushi, probably at modern Fukuoka.  The Silla envoys were accompanied by Escorts, who were briefly entertained and offered presents by the Dazaifu, the Yamato government extension on Kyushu, and then sent home.  From then on, the envoys would be at the mercy of Yamato and their ships. About a month and a half later, on the 20th day of the 8th month, Goguryeo envoys also showed up with tribute, accompanied by Silla escorts.  Five days later, word arrived back from the court in Asuka.  The Silla envoys who had come to offer congratulations to the sovereign on his ascension were to be sent onwards.  Those who had just come with tribute, however, could leave it with the viceroy in Tsukushi.    They specifically made this point to the Tamna envoys, whom they then suggested should head back soon, as the weather was about to turn, and they wouldn't want to be stuck there when the monsoon season came. The Tamna cohort weren't just kicked out, however.  The court did grant them and their king cap-rank.  The envoys were given Upper Dai-otsu, which Yamato equated to the rank of a minister in Tamna. The Silla envoys—about 27 in total—made their way to Naniwa.  It took them a month, and they arrived in Naniwa on the 28th day of the 9th month.  Their arrival was met with entertainments—musical performances and presents that were given to the envoys.  This was all part of the standard diplomatic song and dance—quite literally, in this case. We aren't given details on everything.  Presumably the envoys offered their congratulations, which likely included some presents from Silla, as well as a congratulatory message.  We aren't given exact details, but a little more than a month later, on the first day of the 11th month, envoy Gim Seungwon took his leave. Meanwhile, the Goguryeo envoys, who, like Tamna, had arrived merely with tribute, were still in Tsukushi.  On the 21st day of the 11th month, just over two months after they arrived, we are told that they were entertained at the Ohogohori in Tsukushi and were given presents based on their rank. The Ohogohori, or “Big District”, appears to mirror a similar area in Naniwa that was likewise known for hosting diplomatic envoys. With the diplomatic niceties over, there was one more thing to do in this first year of the new reign: the thanksgiving ritual always held at the beginning of a new reign, the Daijosai, or oho-namematsuri.  This is a harvest ritual where the newly enthroned sovereign offers new rice to the kami and then eats some himself.  At least in the modern version, he gives thanks and prays to Amaterasu Ohomikami, as well as to the amatsu-kami and kunitsu-kami, the kami of heaven and earth. The Daijosai shares a lot in common with another important annual festival, the Niinamesai, or the Feast of First Fruits.  This is the traditional harvest festival, usually held in November.  The Daijosai follows much the same form as the Niinamesai, and as such, in years where there is a new sovereign, and thus the Daijosai is held, the Niinamesai is not, since it would be duplicative. Many of the rituals of the Daijosai are private affairs and not open to the public. There are various theories about what happens, but only those who are part of the ritual know for sure, and they are sworn to secrecy. The first instance of the Daijosai in the Chronicles is during the reign of Shiraga Takehiko Kunioshi Waka Yamato Neko, aka Seinei Tennou, in the 5th century, but we should take that with a huge grain of salt.  Remember, one of the purposes behind the chronicles was to explain how everything came to be, and saying “we just made it up” wasn't really going to fly. I've seen some sources suggest that the Daijosai can be attributed to the first reign of Ohoama's mother, Takara Hime, aka Kougyoku Tennou.  The term used in her reign, though is Niiname, which seems to refer to the annual Niinamesai, though she is the first in the Chronicles that seems to celebrate it in the first year of her reign, sharing with the Crown Prince and Ministers. It is likely that the ritual is much older in origin.  After all, giving the first fruits of the harvest to the kami to thank them for their assistance seems like the core of harvest festivals around the world.  We see it mentioned as the Niinamesai in much of the rest of the Nihon Shoki, even back to the Age of the Gods, when it played an important part in the stories of Amaterasu and Susanowo.  It is in Ohoama's reign, though, that it seems to first take on its character as a true ritual of the state.  We see that the Nakatomi and the Imbe were involved.  Together these two families oversaw much of the court ritual having to do with kami worship.  We also know that the officials of the Jingikan, the Ministry of Kami Affairs, were also present, as they were all given presents for attending on the sovereign during the festival.  We also see that the district governors of Harima and Tamba, which were both in the area of modern Hyougo Prefecture, as well as various laborers under them, were all recognized with presents as well.  We can assume that this was because they provided the rice and other offerings used in the festival.  In addition to the presents they received, the two governors were each given an extra grade of cap-rank. Another Daijosai would be carried out in the first year of Ohoama's successor, and from there on it seems to have become one of if not *the* major festival of a reign.  It marks, in many ways, the end of the first year of ceremonies for the first year of a reign.  And even in other years, the Niinamesai is often one of the pre-eminent festivals. The Daijosai may have been the climax of the year in many ways, but the year was not quite done yet.  We have two more entries, and both are related to Buddhism.  First, on the 17th day of the 12th month, just twelve days after the Daijosai, Prince Mino and Ki no Omi no Katamaro were appointed Commissioners for the erection of the Great Temple of Takechi—aka the Ohomiya no Ohodera, also known as the Daikandaiji. The Daikandaiji was a massive temple complex.  It is thought that it was originally a relocation of Kudara Ohodera, and we have remains at the foot of Kaguyama—Mt. Kagu, in the Asuka region of modern Kashihara city.  Many of the ruins, however, seem to date to a slightly later period, suggesting that the main temple buildings were rebuilt after Ohoama's reign.  Still, it is quite likely that he had people start the initial work. In setting up the temple, of course it needed a head priest.  And so Ohoama called upon a priest named Fukurin and made him an offer he couldn't refuse… literally.  Fukurin tried to object to being posted as the head priest.  He said that he was too old to be in charge of the temple.  Ohoama wasn't having any of it.  He had made up his mind, and Fukurin was in no position to refuse him. A quick note on the two commissioners here.  First off, I would note that Prince Mino here isn't mentioned as having Princely rank.  Instead, he is mentioned with the ministerial rank of Shoushi.  Ki no Katamaro, on the other hand, is Lower Shoukin, several grades below.  Once again, a bit of confusion in the ranks, as it were. The final entry for the year 673 occurred 10 days after the erection of the great temple, and it was a fairly straightforward entry:  The Buddhist Priest, Gijou, was made Shou-soudzu, or Junior Soudzu.  Junior Soudzu was one of the government appointed positions of priests charged with overseeing the activities of the priests and temples and holding them to account as necessary.  Originally there was the Soujou and the Soudzu, but they were later broken up into several different positions, likely due to the proliferation of Buddhism throughout the archipelago. There doesn't seem to be much on Gijou before this point, but we know that he would go on to live a pretty full life, passing away over thirty years later, in 706 CE. He would outlive Ohoama and his successor.  And with that, we come to the end of the first year.  I am not planning to go year by year through this entire reign—in fact, we have already touched on a lot of the various recurring entries.  But I do think that it is worth it to see how the Chronicles treat this first year for a reign that would have been considered pretty momentous to the people of the time. Next episode we'll continue going through the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou.  There is a lot going on, which, as I've said, will influence the nation for centuries—even up until the modern day. Until then, if you like what we are doing, please 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 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.  

Following the death of Takara Hime, and the war on the Korean peninsula, Naka no Ōe was taking hold--or perhaps keeping hold--of the reins of government.  He wasn't finished with his changes to the government.  He also had a new threat--the Tang Empire.  They had destroyed Yamato's ally, Baekje, and defeated the Yamato forces on the peninsula.  While the Tang then turned their attention to Goguryeo, Yamato could easily be next.  The Tang had a foothold on the Korean peninsula, so they had a place to gather and launch a fleet, should they wish to bring Yamato into their empire. For more, especially to follow along with some of the names in this episode, check out our blogpost at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-125     Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 125: The Sovereign of Heavenly Wisdom The people of Baekje looked around at the strange and unfamiliar land.  They had fled a wartorn country, and they were happy to be alive, but refugee status was hardly a walk in the park.  Fortunately, they still knew how to farm the land, even if their homeland was hundreds of miles away, across the sea, and occupied by hostile forces.  Here, at least, was a land where they could make a home for themselves. Some of them had to wonder whether this was really permanent.  Was their situation just temporary until their kingdom was restored?  Or were they truly the last people of Baekje, and what would that mean? Either way, it would mean nothing if they didn't work the land and provide for their families.  And so, as with displaced people everywhere, they made the best of the situation.  They had been given land to work, and that was more than they could have asked for.  They might never return to Baekje, but perhaps they could keep a little of it alive for themselves and their descendants. Greetings, everyone, and welcome back.  Last episode we talked about the downfall of Baekje and the defeat of the Yamato forces at the battle of Hakusukinoe, also known as the Battle of Baekgang, in 663.  And yet, something else happened as well: the sovereign, Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tennou, died as the Yamato forces were setting out.  Immediately Prince Naka no Oe took the reins of government.  He would be known to later generations as Tenji Tennou, with Tenji meaning something like “Heavenly Wisdom”. Now Prince Naka no Oe has been in the forefront of many of our episodes so far, so I'd like to start this episode out with a recap of what we've heard about him so far, as all of this is important to remind ourselves of the complex political situation.  I'm going to be dropping – and recapping – a lot of names, but I'll have many of the key individuals listed on the podcast website for folks who want to follow along.  I would note that this episode is going to be a summary, with some extrapolation by me regarding what was actually happening.  Just remember that history, as we've seen time and again, is often more messy and chaotic than we like, and people are more complex than just being purely good or evil.  People rarely make their way to the top of any social hierarchy purely through their good deeds.  To start with, let's go back to before the year 645, when Naka no Oe instigated a coup against Soga no Iruka and Soga no Emishi.  In the Isshi Incident, covered in Episode 106, Naka no Oe had Soga no Iruka murdered in court, in front of his mother, Takara Hime, when she sat on the throne the first time.  And yet, though he could have taken the throne when she abdicated in apparent shock, he didn't.  Instead, he took the role of “Crown Prince”, but this wasn't him just sitting back.  In fact, evidence suggests that he used that position to keep a strong hand on the tiller of the ship of state. Prior to the Isshi Incident of 645, the rule of the Yamato sovereign had been eroded by noble court families.  These families, originally set up to serve the court and its administration, had come to dominate the political structures of the court.  The main branch of the Soga family, in particular, had found its way to power through a series of astute political marriages and the support of a new, foreign religion:  Buddhism.  Soga no Iname, Emishi's grandfather, had married his daughters to the sovereigns, and thus created closer ties between the Soga and the royal line.  He also helped ensure that the offspring of those marriages would be the ones to take over as future sovereigns.  Soga no Iname, himself took the position of Oho-omi, the Great Omi, or the Great Minister, the head of the other ministerial families.  As Prime Minister, he held great sway over the day-to-day running of the court, and execution of much of the administration.  Much of this was covered in previous episodes, but especially episodes 88, 90, 91, 92, 95, 98, 99, and 103. Soga no Umako, who succeeded his father as Oho-omi, was joined in his effort to administer the government by his grand-nephew, Prince Umayado, also known as Shotoku Taishi, son of Tachibana no Toyohi, aka Youmei Tennou, and thus grandson of Umako's sister, Kitashi-hime, and the sovereign known as Kimmei Tennou.  Umayado's aunt, sister to Tachibana no Toyohi, was Kashikiya Hime, or Suiko Tennou.  The three of them:  Soga no Umako, Prince Umayado, and Kashikiya Hime, together oversaw the development of Yamato and the spread of Buddhism.  Buddhism was also controversial at first, but they turned it into another source of ritual power for the state—ritual power that Soga no Umako, Prince Umayado, and even Kashikiya Hime were able to harvest for their own use. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince, Umayado, died before Kashikiya hime, suddenly leaving open the question of who would take the throne.  Soga no Umako himself, passed away two years before Kashikiya Hime.  When she in turn passed away, there was another struggle for the throne, this time between the descendants of Crown Prince Umayado and Soga no Umako.  Eventually, Soga no Umako's son and heir, Soga no Emishi, made sure that a more pliant sovereign, Prince Tamura, would take the throne, and Prince Umayado's own son, Prince Yamashiro no Oe, was cut out of the succession.  Soga no Emishi, serving as prime minister, effectively ran things much as his father had.  When Tamura diedhis queen, Takara Hime, took the throne, rather than passing it back to Umayado's line—no doubt with Emishi's blessing.  He was careful, however, not to provoke direct action against Yamashiro no Oe, possibly due to the reverence in which Yamashiro's father, Prince Umayado, aka the Buddhist Saint Shotoku Taishi, was held.  Meanwhile, Emishi appears to have been cultivating his grandson by way of Prince Tamura, Furubito no Oe, to eventually succeed to the throne, trying to duplicate what his own father Umako and even grandfather had been able to accomplish. Soga no Emishi's son, Soga no Iruka, was not quite so temperate, however.   Who would have thought that growing up at the top of the social hierarchy might make one feel a bit arrogant and entitled?   When Soga no Emishi was ill, Soga no Iruka took over as Prime Minister, and he didn't just stand back.  He decided that he needed to take out Furubito no Oe's competition, and so he went after Yamashiro no Oe and had him killed. Unfortunately for him, he apparently went too far.  There were already those who were not happy with the Soga family's close hold on power—or perhaps more appropriately, this particular line of the Soga family.  This kind of behavior allowed a group of discontented royals and nobility to gain support. According to the popular story recounted in the Nihon Shoki, the primary seed of resistance started with a game of kickball, or kemari.  Nakatomi no Kamako, aka Nakatomi no Kamatari, was the scion of his house, which was dedicated to the worship of the traditional kami of Yamato.  The Nakatomi were ritualists: in charge of chanting ritual prayers, or norito, during court ceremony.  This meant that their powerbase was directly challenged by the increasing role of Buddhism, one of the Soga patriarchs' key influences on the political system. Kamatari was feeling out the politics of the court, and seemed to be seeking the support of royal family members who could help challenge the powerful Soga ministers.  He found that support in two places.  First, in Prince Karu, brother to Takara Hime, the current sovereign, who had been on the throne ever since her husband, Tamura, had passed away.  And then there was the Prince Katsuraki, better known to us, today, as Prince Naka no Oe.  A game of kemari, where a group of players tried to keep a ball in the air as long as they could, using only their feet, was a chance to get close to the Prince.  When Naka no Oe's shoe flew off in the middle of the match, Kamatari ran over to retrieve it.  As he offered the shoe back to its owner, they got to talking, and one of the most impactful bromances in Yamato history was born. The two ended up studying together.  The unification of the Yellow River and Yangzi basin regions under the Sui and Tang, and the expansion of the Silk Road, had repercussions felt all the way across the straits in Yamato.  Naka no Oe and Kamatari were both avid students and were absorbing all that the continent had to throw at them about philosophy and good governance.  As is so often the case, it seems like idealistic students were the fertile ground for revolutionary new thoughts. There were problems implementing their vision, however.  Although the Nihon Shoki claims that Naka no Oe was the Crown Prince, that honor was probably given to Prince Furubito no Oe, who would have no doubt perpetuated the existing power structures at court.  This is something that the Chroniclers, or perhaps those before them, glossed over and may have even tried to retconned, to help bolster the case that Naka no Oe was actually working for the common good and not just involved in a naked power grab for himself.  There is also the question as to where Yamashiro no Oe had stood in the succession, as he likely had a fair number of supporters. With the destruction of Yamashiro no Oe's family, however, the balance of power shifted.  Although Soga no Emishi had long been an influential member of the court, and not solely because of his role as Prime Minister, Soga no Iruka was relatively new to power.  Yamashiro no Oe's family, in turn, likely had a fair number of supporters, and even neutral parties may have been turned off by Iruka's violent methods to suppress an opponent who had already been defeated politically.  Naka no Oe and Kamatari seem to have seized on this discontent againt the Soga, but they needed at least one other conspirator.  They achieved this by offering a marriage alliance with Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro, a lesser member of the Soga household, whose own immediate family had been supporters of Yamashiro no Oe, and so likely had plenty of grievances with his cousins.  Naka no Oe married Ishikawa no Maro's daughter, Wochi no Iratsume, also known as Chinu no Iratsume.  Together, these three—Naka no Oe, Kamatari, and Ishikawa no Maro—brought others into their plot, and finally, in 645, they struck.  Soga no Iruka was killed at court, in front of a shocked Takara Hime and Prince Furubito no Oe.  By the way, this is another thing that suggests to me that Furubito no Oe was the Crown Prince, because why was he front and center at the ceremony, while Naka no Oe was able to skulk around at the edges, tending to things like the guards?  After the assassination at the court – the Isshi Incident -- Naka no Oe gathered forces and went after Soga no Emishi, since they knew they couldn't leave him alive.  With both Soga no Emishi and Soga no Iruka dead, and Takara Hime having abdicated the throne in shock at what had just occurred, Naka no Oe could have taken the throne for himself.  However, in what was probably a rather astute move on his part, he chose not to.  He recognized that Furubito no Oe's claim to the throne was possibly stronger, and those who had supported the Soga would not doubt push for him to take the throne.  And so, instead, he pushed for his uncle, Prince Karu, to ascend as sovereign.  Karu was Takara Hime's brother, and they could use Confucian logic regarding deference to one's elders to support him.  Plus, Karu's hands weren't directly bloodied by the recent conflict. As for Prince Furubito, he saw the way that the winds were blowing.  To avoid being another casualty, he retired from the world, taking the vows of a Buddhist monk.  However, there were still supporters who were trying to put him on the throne and eventually he would be killed, to avoid being used as a rallying point. Prince Karu, known as Jomei Tennou, ruled for around a decade. During that time, Naka no Oe and his reformers helped to cultivate a new image of the state as a bureaucratic monarchy.  Naka no Oe was designated the Crown Prince, and Nakatomi no Kamatari was made the “Inner Prime Minister”, or Naidaijin.  Ishikawa no Maro was made the minister of the  Right, while Abe no Uchimaro was made Minister of the Left, and they ran much of the bureaucracy, but the Naidaijin was a role more directly attached to the royal household, and likely meant that Kamatari was outside of their jurisdiction, falling into a position directly supporting Naka no Oe.  They instituted Tang style rank systems, and set up divisions of the entire archipelago.  They appointed governors of the various countries, now seen as provinces, and made them report up to various ministers, and eventually the sovereign.  After all, if you were going to manage everything, you needed to first and foremost collect the data.  This period is known as the Taika, or Great Change, period, and the reforms are known as the Taika reforms, discussed in episode 108. They even built a large government complex in the form of the Toyosaki Palace, in Naniwa, though this may have been a bit much—for more, check out episodes 112 and 113. Years into the project, though, things seem to have soured, a bit.  Rumors and slander turned Kamatari against his ally, Ishikawa no Maro, resulting in the death of Ishikawa no Maro and much of his family.  Naka no Oe and other members of the royal family eventually abandoned the Naniwa palace complex, leaving now-Emperor Karu and the government officials there to run the day-to-day administration, while much of the court made its way back to the Asuka area.  Karu would later pass away, but the throne still did not pass to Crown Prince Naka no Oe, despite his title.  Instead, the throne went back to Takara Hime.  This was her second reign, and one of only two split reigns like this that we know of.  The Chroniclers, who were creating posthumous titles for the sovereigns, gave her two names—Kogyoku Tennou for her reign up to 645, and then Saimei Tennou for her second reign starting in 655.   During her latter reign, Naka no Oe continued to wield power as the Crown Prince, and the Chroniclers don't really get into why she came back into power.  It may be that Naka no Oe, in his role as Crown Prince, had more freedom: although the sovereign is purportedly the person in power, that position can also be limiting.  There are specific things which the sovereign is supposed to do, rituals in which they are expected to partake.  In addition, there were restrictions on who was allowed into the inner sanctum of the palace, and thus limits on who could interact with the sovereign, and how.  That meant that any sovereign was reliant on intermediaries to know what was going on in their state and to carry out their orders.  As Crown Prince, Naka no Oe may have had more flexibility to do the things he wanted to do, and he could always leverage the sovereign's authority. When Baekje was destroyed, and Yamato decided to go to their aid, Naka no Oe appears to have had a strong hand in raising forces and directing movements, at least within the archipelago.  When Takara Hime passed away rather suddenly, he accompanied her funerary procession much of the way back, and then returned to Tsukushi—Kyushu—to direct the war.   This is the same thing that Toyotomi Hideyoshi would do when he sent troops to Korea in the late 16th century.  Moving headquarters closer to the continent would reduce the time between messages.  Theoretically he could have moved out to the islands of Iki or Tsushima, but I suspect that there were more amenities at Tsukushi, where they even built a palace for Takara Hime—and later Naka no Oe—to reside in.  It was likely not quite as spectacular as the full-blown city that Hideyoshi developed in a matter of months, but the court could also leverage the facilities previously created for the Dazaifu. The war took time.  This wasn't like some “wars” that were more like specific military actions.  This was a war that dragged on for several years, with different waves of ships going over to transport people and supplies.  Things came to a head in the 9th month of 663, roughly October or November on the Western calendar.  The Baekje resistance was under siege, and their only hope was a fleet of Yamato soldiers coming to their aid.  The Yamato fleet met with a much smaller Tang fleet at the mouth of the Baek River—the Hakusukinoe.  They attempted to break through the Tang blockade, but the Tang had positional advantage and were eventually able to counterattack, destroying the Yamato fleet.  Without their relief, the Baekje resistance fell. The remnants of the Yamato army, along with those Baekje nobles that were with them, headed out, fleeing back to the archipelago.  One presumes that there may have been other Baekje nobles, and their families, who had already made the trip. After the entry describing this rout, on the 24th day of the 9th month of 663, we have a gap in the Chronicles of just a little more than 4 months.  We then pick up with Naka no Oe's government starting to look at internal affairs.  For one thing, we are told that he selected his younger brother, the Royal Prince Ohoama, as Crown Prince, and he made updates to the cap-rank system, changing it from 19 ranks to 26 ranks.  The first six ranks remained the same, but the name “kwa”, or “flower”, for the 7th through 10th ranks was changed to “Kin”, meaning “brocade”.  Furthermore, a “middle” rank was added between the Upper and Lower ranks, further distinguishing each group, and adding 6 extra ranks.  Finally, the initial rank, Risshin, was divided into two:  Daiken and Shouken.  We aren't told why, but it likely meant that they could have more granular distinctions in rank. At the same time that was going on, the court also awarded long swords to the senior members of the great families, and short swords to the senior members of lesser families.  Below that, senior members of the Tomo no Miyatsuko and others were given shields and bows and arrows.  Furthermore, the vassals, or kakibe, and the domestic retainers, or yakabe, were settled, to use Aston's translation.  The kanji used in the text appears to refer to settling a decision or standardizing something, rather than settling as in giving a place to live.  It seems to me to mean that the court was settling servants on families: determining what kind and how many servants that various houses could have based on their position in the hierarchy.  I can't help but notice that all of these gifts were very martial in nature.  That does not mean, of course, that they were necessarily because of the war over Baekje, nor that they were in response to the concern about a possible Tang invasion -- we've seen in the past where swords were gifted to people who had served the court --but it is hard not to connect these gifts with recent worries.  We also know that this year, Naka no Oe turned his focus on building defenses, setting up guards and beacon fires on the islands of Tsushima and Iki.   Should any unknown fleet be seen coming to the archipelago, the fires would alert the forces at Kyushu, so they could send word and prepare a defense. In addition, the court built an impressive defense for Tsukushi—for the Dazai itself, the seat of the Yamato government in Kyushu.  It is called the Mizuki, or Water Castle, though at the time “castle” was more about walls and fortifications than the standalone fortress we tend to think of, today.  Along those lines, the Mizuki was an earthen embankment, roughly 1.2 kilometers long, extending from a natural ridgeline to the west across the Mikasa river.  Archeological evidence shows it had a moat, and this line of fortifications would have been a line of defense for the Dazai, should anyone try to invade.  This construction was so large and impressive that you can still see it, even today.  It stands out on the terrain, and it is even visible from overhead photographs. In the third month of 664, we are told that Prince Syeongwang of Baekje and his people, were given a residence at Naniwa.  In fact, even though Baekje was no longer an independent kingdom, there appear to have been thousands of Baekje people now living in Yamato, unable to return home.  Many of these were former nobles of the Baekje court, which Yamato treated as a foreign extension of its own.  Resettling these people would be a major theme for the Chronicles, but we will also see, as we read further on, how their talents were leveraged for the state. Also in the third month, a star fell in the north—it says “in the north of the capital”, but I suspect that anywhere north, south, east, or west of the capital would have seen the same thing “in the north”.  There was also an earthquake, which isn't given any particular significance, beyond its mention as a natural phenomenon. On the 17th day of the 5th month of 664, so roughly 2 months later, we are told that Liu Jen'yuan, the Tang dynasty's general in Baekje, sent Guo Wucong  to Yamato with a letter and gifts.  We aren't told the contents of the letter, but one imagines that this may have been a rather tense exchange.  Yamato had just been involved in open warfare against Tang forces on the peninsula, and they still weren't sure if the Tang empire would come after them next.  Their only real hope on that front was Goguryeo, since the Tang and Silla were still trying to destroy the Goguryeo kingdom, and that may have kept the Tang forces tied up for a while.  No doubt Guo Wucong would have seen some of the defenses that Yamato was constructing during his visit. Guo Wucong would hang around for about seven and a half months.  He was given permission to take his leave on the 4th day of the 10th month.  Naka no Oe had his friend and Inner Prime Minister, Nakatomi no Kamatari send the Buddhist Priest, Chisho, with presents for Guo Wucong, and he and his officers were granted entertainments  before they left as well. Finally, Guo Wucong and his people returned to the Tang on the 12th day of the 12th month. While the delegation from the Tang was in Yamato, we are told of several tragedies.  First was that Soga no Murajiko no Oho-omi had passed away.  Soga no Murajiko appears to have been another son of Soga no Kuramaro, and thus brother to Soga no Ishikawa no Maro.  Unfortunately, we don't have much more on him in the record. Just a month later, we are told that the “Dowager Queen” Shima passed away.  Aston translates this as the Queen Grandmother, suggesting that she was Naka no Oe's grandmother. We are also told, that in the 10th month of 664, around the time that Guo Wucong was given leave to depart, that Yeon Gaesomun, the Prime Minister—though perhaps more correctly the despotic ruler—of Goguryeo, died.  It is said that he asked his children to remain united, but, well, even if we didn't know how it all turned out, I think we would look somewhat skeptically on any idea that they all did exactly as they were told.  Sure enough, in 667 we are told that Gaesomun's eldest son, Namseng, left the capital city of Pyongyang to tour the provinces, and while he was gone his younger brothers conspired with the nobility, and when he came back they refused to let him back in.  So Namseng ran off to the Tang court and apparently helped them destroy his own country. This is largely corroborated by other stories about Goguryeo, though the dates do seem to be off.  Tang records put Gaesomun's death around 666 CE, which the Samguk Sagi appears to follow, but on his tomb the date would appear to be 665.  Confusion like this was easy enough given the different dates and trying to cross-check across different regnal eras.  Sure, there were some commonalities, but it was very easy to miscount something. One last note from the twelfth month of 664—it seems that there were omens of apparent prosperity that came to the court from the island of Awaji.    First, there was rice that grew up in a farmer's pig trough.  The farmer's name is given as Shinuta no Fumibito no Mu, and Mu gathered this rice and stored it up, and thus, every day his wealth increased.  Then there was the bridal bed of Iwaki no Sukuri no Oho, of Kurimoto district.  They claimed that rice grew up at the head of his brides' mattress during her first night's stay with him.  And this wasn't just some brand new shoot, but overnight it formed an ear, and by the morning it bent down and ripened.  Then, the following night, another ear was formed.  When the bride went out into the courtyard, two keys fell down from heaven, and after she gave them to her husband, Oho, he went on to become a wealthy man. The exact purpose of these stories is unclear, but it seems to be that the Chroniclers are choosing to focus on stories of wealth and growth, which speak to how they wanted this reign as a whole, including the sovereign, to be remembered. However, more tragedy struck the following year, in 665,  when Hashibito, another Dowager Queen – this time the wife of Karu, aka Koutoku Tennou - passed away on the 25th day of the 2nd month.  On the first day of the 3rd month, 330 people took Buddhist vows for her sake. We are also told that in the second month the ranks of Baekje were cross-referenced with the ranks of Yamato, and then ranks were given out to some of the Baekje nobles that had come over to Yamato.  Kwisil Chipsa, who was originally ranked “Dalsol” in Baekje, was accorded “Lower Shoukin”.  That was rank 12 of the 26.  In comparison, “Dalsol” seems to have been the 2nd rank of 16 in Baekje.  Along with handing out rank, over 400 Baekje commoners, both men and women, were given residence in the Kanzaki district in Afumi.  This appears to be an area along the Aichi river, running from the Suzuka Mountains, west towards Lake Biwa. The court granted them rice-lands in the following month.  At the same time, several high ranking Baekje nobles were put in charge of building castles at strategic points around the archipelago.  These included one castle in Nagato, as well as the castles of Ohono and Woyogi, in Tsukushi.  Two years later, in 667, we also see the building of Takayasu castle, in Yamato and Yashima castle in Yamada, in Sanuki—modern Kagawa, on Shikoku, facing the Seto Inland Sea passageway.  Kaneda castle in Tsushima was also a Baekje-built one. We mentioned something about these castles last episode.  They were in the Baekje style, and as I said, the term “castle” here is more about the walls, which were largely made of rammed earth ramparts.  This means that you pile up earth and dirt in a layer and then the laborers use tools specifically to tamp it down until it is thick and hard.  Then another layer is piled on top and the process is repeated.  These walls were often placed on mountain tops, and they would follow the terrain, making them places that were easy to defend.  Beyond that, they didn't necessarily have a donjon keep or anything like that—maybe a tower so that one could see a little further, but being at the top of a mountain usually provided all the visual cues that one needed. We know there were other castles made as well.  For example, I mentioned last week about Kinojo, in Okayama, the ancient Kibi area.  Kinojo is not mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, but it clearly existed back then, and matches the general description of a 7th century mountain castle as built in Baekje.  The name means Demon Castle, and there is a story about it that is connected to the local Kibitsu Jinja—the Shrine to Prince Kibi.  According to legend, Kibitsu Hiko, aka Prince Kibitsu or, perhaps more appropriately, the Prince of Kibi, came to the area around the time of the Mimaki Iribiko, so probably about the 3rd century, at the head of a large force.  Kibitsu Hiko had come to defeat the demon, Ura, who lived in the nearby castle, hence Kinojo, and legend says that he freed the people from the demon's rule. As I also mentioned, last week, this particular castle may have ended up in the Momotaro story.  There are those who believe that the story of Momotarou is based on the story of Prince Kibitsu Hiko, and his defeat of the so-called demon, “Ura”.   Certainly the story has grown more fantastical, and less connected to the ancient history of the Kibi region, but it still may have its origin in a much more standard legend of a founding prince of the ancient Kibi kingdom that was later changed into a fairy tale.   More likely, the castle was built by a Baekje nobleman, often thought to be a prince, who settled in the area.  There is the possibility that the demon's name “Ura” came from a mistranslation of his name, or it is also possible that he was unrelated to the story at all.  The Kibitsu Hiko legend may have incorporated the castle, Kinojo, at a later date, once people had forgotten when and why the castle was actually built. It would make sense if Kinojo had been built as part of the defenses for Yamato, as that area overlooks a large part of the fertile plains of Okayama and out beyond Kojima to the Seto Inland Sea -- it is perched over a key overland route from the western edge of Honshu to Yamato, and there would have been several ways to signal boats to put to sea to intercept forces on the water.  . This all suggests to me that Kinojo was probably part of Naka no Oe's castle-building effort, even if it isn't specifically remembered in the Chronicle.  But building castles wasn't enough to bring peace of mind that Yamato would survive a Tang invasion, and it is possibly as a defensive measure that Naka no Oe would go on to do something truly incredible—he would eventually move the capital from Asuka and Naniwa all the way to the shores of Lake Biwa itself, establishing the Ohotsu palace.  This was a truly extreme step that didn't endear Naka no Oe to the court, but it had several advantages.  For one thing, this move pulled the capital further away from the sea routes, meaning that if they were attacked, they had a more defensible position.  Even more so than Yamato, the Afumi region around Lake Biwa is surrounded by mountains, with a few narrow passes that restricted movement in and out. One of these is the famous Sekigahara, which remained a choke point even up to modern times.  The name even means the Field of the Barrier, indicating the barrier and checkpoint that had been set up there in ancient times.  Moving the capital also pulled the court away from some of the previous political centers, which may have been another feature that made it attractive to Naka no Oe.  Many capital moves have been made, at least in part, to get farther away from strong Buddhist temples, and this certainly would have moved things out of the Asuka region, which by now was a hotbed of Buddhist temple activity. But we'll talk about that all more, next episode.  Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please 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 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

Discussing his new book, The Intimate Way of Zen, Nondual spiritualist James Ishmael Ford joins Raghu for an exploration of our relationship to all things. Mindrolling is brought to you by Reunion. Reunion is offering $250 off any stay to the Love, Serve, Remember community. Simply use the code “BeHere250” when booking. Disconnect from the world so you can reconnect with yourself at Reunion. Hotel | www.reunionhotelandwellness.com Retreats | www.reunionexperience.orgThis time on Mindrolling, Raghu and James explore:James' upbringing and how his maternal grandmother was the spiritual orientation for his familyHaving an intimate relationship with all thingsThe goal of discovering what this life truly is Spiritual friendship which is deep, profound, and life-changing Unconditional love and considering our judgment of others Trying to see others as trees, as Ram Dass taught Combining Bhakti Yoga with the wisdom of Buddhism Flirting with nihilism, cynicism, and new-ageism Exploring the work of Carl Jung and James HillmanThe resurgence of psychedelics in today's culture The many paths and doorways into enlightenment Check out the books referenced in this episode: Zen at the End of Religion, If You're Lucky Your Heart Will Break, and of course, The Intimate Way of Zen. About James Ishmael Ford, Zen Buddhist Priest & Ordained Minister:James has walked the​ spiritual path for more than fifty years. He's danced with Sufis, studied with Christian mystics, lived in Buddhist monasteries, and eventually was ordained a Zen priest. Later, he was also ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister. James' path has taken him to a life "between" several traditions, bringing him into a nondual spirituality. Trying to unpack what that actually means in his life, and with a tip of the hat to Erasmus, James claims a physiology of faith; a Buddhist brain, a Christian heart, and a rationalist stomach. You can learn more about James on his website and keep up with his most recent project, the Unanswered Question Newsletter, HERE. “For me, the goal is to find 'what is'. I originally framed it as 'Is there a God?' I realized I had the question wrong, and at some point it was 'what is God?'. Today, I would say, 'what is this?'” – James Ishmael FordSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us a textEpisode 49 of the podcast takes us to the smallest of Japan's main for islands, Shikoku, and onto the Shikoku Henro. Associated with the life and teachings of legendary Buddhist monk Kūkai - also known as Kōbō Daishi – the Shikoku Henro is an 88 temple, 1200km / 745 mile pilgrimage circuit that circumambulates the island. Long-known by Japanese, “the Henro” is increasingly popular for international visitors with many people traveling to Japan specifically to walk a section or the complete trail. Our guide in exploring the Henro today is guest Kōei Ervin. Kōei is an ordained priest in the Shingon tradition of Japanese Buddhism, Shugendō practitioner, and tour guide with Shikoku Tours including accompanying guests along the Henro. Kōei's depth of knowledge of the Henro and Japanese Buddhism is self-evident, and as a guide, he weaves an engaging and accessible story regarding the history of the trail, why people walk it, what to expect, traditional clothing and basic logistics of accommodation and when to do it.For more information about the Shikoku Henro, visit the Henro.org website, Shikoku Tourism website or Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage website. For guided tours with Kōei, visit the Shikoku Tours website or contact him via his Scattered Blossoms blog or his Instagram. During the interview, Kōei makes several recommendations including the revised Shikoku Japan 88 Route Guide Book, Ohenro San Facebook Group, Shikoku 88 Ohenro Pilgrimage Facebook Group and Sumotoriya Asano supply store.A very big thank you to Kōei for making time to speak with me and for providing the images used in support of the episode. I hope you enjoy.Outland Japan is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Peter Carnell - a freelance tour guide based in northern Nagano – that transports you to rural, regional and the wilds of Japan in pursuit of stories that lie outside the neon hum of Tokyo and golden trimmings of Kyoto. Stories of travel, life and culture beyond the big cities. Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Please note, prior to October 2024, Outland Japan was named Snow Country Stories Japan.

It's Episode 109, and the highlight is Elisabeth & Tracy's interview with Dan Zigmond, ordained Buddhist Priest, tech professional, and author of The Buddha's Office. He's seen his share of offices, so he's in the best position to describe how mindfulness alleviates workplace suffering. For Book Buzz, we'll cover a guide that lays out the steps to designing fully transformative workshops. It shakes up the notion that experiential workshops are the pinnacle. And then for Q&A, we asked, when does describing a feeling mask blame, judgment, or criticism? We're taking a deep dive into the emotional underpinnings of modern work life. Although we may not discuss emotions in the workplace, we ignore them at our peril. Let's get mindful! 00:00 - Intro 01:28 - What's on the Menu? 02:27 - Book Buzz Designing & Leading Life-Changing Workshops 13:40 - Q&A "When does describing a feeling mask blame, judgment, or criticism?" 20:06 - Featured Guest Dan Zigmond 47:58 - Upcoming Events LinkedIn Live Event: "From Page to Sound: The Making of a Leadership Audiobook" with Katie Anderson, featuring Elisabeth Swan Resources: Multiple-award-winning book, "Picture Yourself A Leader" "5S Baby!" Ms. Fix-a-Lot's latest Lean Rap Video Ready or not, here we come!   Thanks for Listening! Listen to more podcasts at JITCafe.com. Link to the video version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/u628h_nLgN4 - Apple Podcasts - Podbean - Spotify - RSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/JITCafe/feed.xml

Another great episode from the Exploring God series covering Buddhism. We get the opportunity to sit down with Buddhist Priest, Tom, who breaks down Buddhism for us and we learned so much. We got to do this with video inside the temple, so we hope you enjoy watching and listening to this new episode. As always, thank you for listening and don't forget to grab some merch at the merch shop emeraldexpressions.bigcartel.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thechristianandathiest/support

To play free Jazz, you have to monitor what your fellow musicians are doing. So says Dave power, the percussionist of Buddhist Priest, along with bassist Cody McKinney and keyboardist Dean Granros. Buddhist Priest performs 6 till 8:30 at Icehouse in Minneapolis on June 23. When Power talked with Phil Nusbaum, Dave first addressed how the group kicks off tunes.

Hey Guys!  I am back from my west coast trip and it was AMAZING. I got to meet 4 guys who have been listening to the show for a long time and we all hung out and had a great time and went for a hike that was unforgettable. I LOVE San Francisco. I also went to stay with Peter Coyote for a night and it was simply amazing and wonderful and enlightening. I just love the guy. Here is our latest talk from his him about an hour north of San Francisco Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more PETER COYOTE began his film career at 39, after living nearly a dozen years in the counter-culture during the 1960s and 70s. Since then, he has performed as an actor for some of the world's most distinguished filmmakers, including: Barry Levinson, Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodovar, Steven Spielberg, Walter Hill, Martin Ritt, Steven Soderberg, Diane Kurys, Sidney Pollack and Jean Paul Rappeneau. To date he has made over 150 films. In 2006 he had a major role in three televison series: The Inside on Fox-TV, the 4400 on USA Channel and played the Vice-President to Geena Davis's President on Commander in Chief for ABC-TV until the show's end. In 2011 he starred as the District Attorney in the new version of Law and Order – LA. In 2000 year he was the on-camera announcer of the Academy Awards Ceremony, taking the heavy-lifting off co-host Billy Crystal's shoulders for the detailed announcements and data which played live to an estimated one billion listeners. In 2007 he was prominently featured as an old boxing promoter in Rod Lurie's “Resurrecting the Champ” with Samuel. L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett, and also as Sally Field's disreputable writing teacher on the television series, “Brothers and Sisters.” He recently completed a six hour series called The Disappearance which aired last year. Most recently, he played Robert Mueller to Jeff Daniel's Jim Comey, and Brendan Gleeson's Donald Trump. The series is called The Comey Rule and will be released this year on SHOWTIME.   Mr. Coyote has written a memoir of his counter-culture years called Sleeping Where I Fall which received universally excellent reviews, appeared on three best-seller lists and sold five printings in hardback after being released by Counterpoint Press in 1999, it was re-released in November of 2010 and has been in continuous release ever since. It is currently in use as a source text for Sixties Studies in a number of universities including Harvard where he was invited to teach “The Theater of Protest” last year.   An early chapter from that book, “Carla's Story, won the 1993/94 Pushcart Prize for Excellence in non-fiction. His new book, The Rainman's Third Cure, released in April, 2015 is a study of mentors and the search for wisdom and he is currently readying a new book for publication in 2021-(TITLE) The I Behind the Mask: The Lone Ranger and Tonto meet the Buddha.   Mr. Coyote is well-known for his narration work, and has voiced 150 documentaries and TV specials, including the nine-hour PBS Special, The West. In 1992 he won an EMMY as the “Host” for a nine-hour series, called, The Pacific Century which also won the prestigious duPont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.   In 2010 he recorded the12 hour series on The National Parks for Ken Burns and has recently completed the voice-work on Mr. Burns most recent series—a 16 hour special on The History of Country Music. He won a second Emmy for his narration on The Roosevelts, and has also done Prohibition, The Dust Bowl, and an 18 Hour series on Vietnam with Ken Burns. Mr Coyote and Mr Burns just completed a long series on Ernest Hemingway. In 2011 he was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest and in 2015 received “transmission” from his teacher, making him an independent Zen teacher. He makes his home on a farm in Northern California, and considers working on his 1952 Dodge Power-Wagon his longest lasting addiction. He has 40 fruit trees and loves to make jam and walk with his two dogs.   Peter Coyote Episode 276 Peter Coyote Wikipedia Peter Coyote Movies IMDB Peter Coyote Books Peter Coyote with me on Episode 14   Check out all things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page  

Hi there Kim and apparently Melanie who also reads the show notes. These show notes are for you 2 unless someone else wants to show themselves! I will see you at our next secret meeting and I will invite your favorite guest to join us! How about that for a bonus!  I wanted today's conversation with Peter Coyote to be evergreen or always relevant whenever you decide to listen to it so I eschewed the normal production elements and news and got right to my chat with the legend. Special thanks to Mark Nolte and his ban City Park in Iowa City who wrote this song for Peter. Please go listen or stream it! My previous conversations with Peter are linked below Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more PETER COYOTE began his film career at 39, after living nearly a dozen years in the counter-culture during the 1960s and 70s. Since then, he has performed as an actor for some of the world's most distinguished filmmakers, including: Barry Levinson, Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodovar, Steven Spielberg, Walter Hill, Martin Ritt, Steven Soderberg, Diane Kurys, Sidney Pollack and Jean Paul Rappeneau. To date he has made over 150 films. In 2006 he had a major role in three televison series: The Inside on Fox-TV, the 4400 on USA Channel and played the Vice-President to Geena Davis's President on Commander in Chief for ABC-TV until the show's end. In 2011 he starred as the District Attorney in the new version of Law and Order – LA. In 2000 year he was the on-camera announcer of the Academy Awards Ceremony, taking the heavy-lifting off co-host Billy Crystal's shoulders for the detailed announcements and data which played live to an estimated one billion listeners. In 2007 he was prominently featured as an old boxing promoter in Rod Lurie's “Resurrecting the Champ” with Samuel. L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett, and also as Sally Field's disreputable writing teacher on the television series, “Brothers and Sisters.” He recently completed a six hour series called The Disappearance which aired last year. Most recently, he played Robert Mueller to Jeff Daniel's Jim Comey, and Brendan Gleeson's Donald Trump. The series is called The Comey Rule and will be released this year on SHOWTIME.   Mr. Coyote has written a memoir of his counter-culture years called Sleeping Where I Fall which received universally excellent reviews, appeared on three best-seller lists and sold five printings in hardback after being released by Counterpoint Press in 1999, it was re-released in November of 2010 and has been in continuous release ever since. It is currently in use as a source text for Sixties Studies in a number of universities including Harvard where he was invited to teach “The Theater of Protest” last year.   An early chapter from that book, “Carla's Story, won the 1993/94 Pushcart Prize for Excellence in non-fiction. His new book, The Rainman's Third Cure, released in April, 2015 is a study of mentors and the search for wisdom and he is currently readying a new book for publication in 2021-(TITLE) The I Behind the Mask: The Lone Ranger and Tonto meet the Buddha.   Mr. Coyote is well-known for his narration work, and has voiced 150 documentaries and TV specials, including the nine-hour PBS Special, The West. In 1992 he won an EMMY as the “Host” for a nine-hour series, called, The Pacific Century which also won the prestigious duPont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.   In 2010 he recorded the12 hour series on The National Parks for Ken Burns and has recently completed the voice-work on Mr. Burns most recent series—a 16 hour special on The History of Country Music. He won a second Emmy for his narration on The Roosevelts, and has also done Prohibition, The Dust Bowl, and an 18 Hour series on Vietnam with Ken Burns. Mr Coyote and Mr Burns just completed a long series on Ernest Hemingway. In 2011 he was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest and in 2015 received “transmission” from his teacher, making him an independent Zen teacher. He makes his home on a farm in Northern California, and considers working on his 1952 Dodge Power-Wagon his longest lasting addiction. He has 40 fruit trees and loves to make jam and walk with his two dogs.   Peter Coyote Episode 276 Peter Coyote Wikipedia Peter Coyote Movies IMDB Peter Coyote Books Peter Coyote with me on Episode 14   SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUPPORTING  one of the sponsors of the show!   Indeed.com/StandUp   Check out all things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe Follow and Support Gareth Sever  Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page

On this episode of Comes A Time, you'll hear from a voice that you've certainly heard from on TV before, Peter Coyote. Peter tells the guys about his two new books that he just released, what Haight-Ashbury was like before the hippies moved in, and how he got away with smuggling 8 kilos of weed from Mexico into America. Peter also talks about the Diggers and how they won important cultural battles, capitalism dying from its own internal contradictions, and he even reads a letter that he's writing to the New York Times that addresses how to fix some of America's shortcomings. Peter Coyote is an actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He is perhaps best known for his work in classic films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jagged Edge, and Erin Brockovich. He was known as the "Voice of Oscar" for the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, and was the first Oscars announcer to be seen on-camera. Peter was one of the founders of the Diggers, an anarchist improv group active in Haight-Ashbury during the mid-1960s, including the Summer of Love. He is an accomplished actor in more than 130 films, an Emmy Award-winning narrator of over 200 documentaries and 17 audiobooks, a singer-songwriter, and Buddhist Priest.-----------*DISCLAIMER: This podcast does NOT provide medical advice. The information contained in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. No material in this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen*-----------This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please leave us a rating or review on iTunes!Comes A Time is brought to you by Osiris Media. Hosted and Produced by Oteil Burbridge and Mike Finoia. Executive Producers are Christina Collins and RJ Bee. Production, Editing and Mixing by Eric Limarenko and Matt Dwyer. Theme music by Oteil Burbridge. Production assistance by Matt Bavuso. To discover more podcasts that connect you more deeply to the music you love, check out osirispod.com-------Visit SunsetlakeCBD.com and use the promo code TIME for 20% off premium CBD products See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Comes A Time, you'll hear from a voice that you've certainly heard from on TV before, Peter Coyote. Peter tells the guys about his two new books that he just released, what Haight-Ashbury was like before the hippies moved in, and how he got away with smuggling 8 kilos of weed from Mexico into America. Peter also talks about the Diggers and how they won important cultural battles, capitalism dying from its own internal contradictions, and he even reads a letter that he's writing to the New York Times that addresses how to fix some of America's shortcomings.   Peter Coyote is an actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He is perhaps best known for his work in classic films such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jagged Edge, and Erin Brockovich. He was known as the "Voice of Oscar" for the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony, and was the first Oscars announcer to be seen on-camera. Peter was one of the founders of the Diggers, an anarchist improv group active in Haight-Ashbury during the mid-1960s, including the Summer of Love. He is an accomplished actor in more than 130 films, an Emmy Award-winning narrator of over 200 documentaries and 17 audiobooks, a singer-songwriter, and Buddhist Priest. ----------- *DISCLAIMER: This podcast does NOT provide medical advice. The information contained in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. No material in this podcast is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen* ----------- Visit SunsetlakeCBD.com and use the promo code TIME for 20% off premium CBD products Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Note: I bought a new Mic Blue Yeti USB Microphone for Recording (PC and MAC) Avabalie to read on Book Walker: https://global.bookwalker.jp/deed6731a8-c12b-4e68-93e8-ec8af7e6c61b/buddhist-priest-a-spider-yaoi-manga-volume-1/ Haji also did Love in limbo. (Love in limbo by Haji | Episode 24) I already did a podcast episode of this manga. It has been published in English by Sublime Manga. It's a fantasy/ romance story. And I have two vols of Love In Limbo. I have been wanting to read this manga for a while. Then I discovered it was available on Book Walker. I bought a few mangas along with this manga and I plan to read and get a review. It appeals to me because it is a relationship between a Spider and a Priest. And I like the fantasy BL genre. I say, I actually really enjoy it. It is a sweet story, a romantic story between and Buddhist priest and a spider (beastman). The spider is clinging to the priest and he is possessive but in a cute way and is sensitive. He wants to be with his priest for the rest of his life and wants him to be his husband. Sogen worries about his own life and sometimes finds the spider beast man annoying. But he slowly falls for him. The bedroom scene is kinky. Sogen is the bottom and the spider is the top. I like the spider design, he looks really cool. I am not a fan of spiders in general, I have a phobia of spiders. I get frightened easily when I see a spider that is slightly bigger and beefy. The drawing is well drawn. Art Books mentioned in this episode: Toboso Yana Art Book: Black Butler 1 (CD JAPAN) Hon Toku Art Book: IDEAL (KiRcomics) (CD JAPAN)

In this episode, I talk with Buddhist Priest and Somatic Attachment Repair Specialist, Bunan Brown. We discuss all things Attachment Theory and the underlying framework of our nervous system that impacts all areas of our life: love, relationships, sex, money, work, parenting and so much more. This episode has some crucial information in it so don't miss out! You can learn more about Bunan and his offerings at www.BunanBrown.com. If you would like to contact Bunan directly, you can email him at BunanBrown@gmail.com.To offer feedback on this episode, submit a question or if you would like to hear more on any of these subjects on a future episode, click on this link. Your input is very appreciated!

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more Robert “Rob” Serra's first day as a New York City firefighter was Sept. 11, 2001. Having completed the FDNY training on Sept. 10, the 2001 Hobart graduate expected to have the day off. On his way to try out for a FDNY hockey team, Serra crossed the Verrazano Bridge and saw the World Trade Center's twin towers on fire. He immediately grabbed his gear and made his way downtown – where he checked in with the first “white helmet” he saw, an identifier of FDNY Fire Chiefs. Despite having no experience, Serra says, “it never crossed my mind not to go.” The day changed his life forever. “Pretty much as soon as I got down there, I started to bleed from my nose.” Like thousands of first responders, emergency workers and civilians on Sept. 11, Serra suffers from illnesses as a result of exposure to toxic ash and debris on the day of the attacks and in the months following, when he worked at the Staten Island recovery site to search for the personal effects of victims. Having undergone surgery to remove nasal polyps, Serra now faces neurological damage– including neuropathy and fibromyalgia, which has led to intense bouts of shaking, nerve pain and trouble walking. Learn more about Rob Serra  The Firefighters Podcast is the hottest podcast in America, literally. Host Rob Serra, FDNY (ret.) is a 9/11 First Responder, an advocate, a dad and an all around great guy. Recored in Staten Island the pod will inform and connect a hungry audience and create a home for the country's 1.15 million firefighters — and their friends, families and fans. And they've got a lot of fans. Host Rob Serra is authentic as it gets. Born and raised in Staten Island, New York, his first day on the job was September 11th. He's been directly involved advocating for the health issues first responders have experienced as a result ever since. The show will include interviews with firefighters and first responders, celebrities, and the always popular and delicious Firehouse cooking segment. Everybody loves firefighters. Now they have a podcast. PETER COYOTE began his film career at 39, after living nearly a dozen years in the counter-culture during the 1960s and 70s. Since then, he has performed as an actor for some of the world's most distinguished filmmakers, including: Barry Levinson, Roman Polanski, Pedro Almodovar, Steven Spielberg, Walter Hill, Martin Ritt, Steven Soderberg, Diane Kurys, Sidney Pollack and Jean Paul Rappeneau. To date he has made over 150 films. In 2006 he had a major role in three televison series: The Inside on Fox-TV, the 4400 on USA Channel and played the Vice-President to Geena Davis's President on Commander in Chief for ABC-TV until the show's end. In 2011 he starred as the District Attorney in the new version of Law and Order – LA. In 2000 year he was the on-camera announcer of the Academy Awards Ceremony, taking the heavy-lifting off co-host Billy Crystal's shoulders for the detailed announcements and data which played live to an estimated one billion listeners. In 2007 he was prominently featured as an old boxing promoter in Rod Lurie's “Resurrecting the Champ” with Samuel. L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett, and also as Sally Field's disreputable writing teacher on the television series, “Brothers and Sisters.” He recently completed a six hour series called The Disappearance which aired last year. Most recently, he played Robert Mueller to Jeff Daniel's Jim Comey, and Brendan Gleeson's Donald Trump. The series is called The Comey Rule and will be released this year on SHOWTIME.   Mr. Coyote has written a memoir of his counter-culture years called Sleeping Where I Fall which received universally excellent reviews, appeared on three best-seller lists and sold five printings in hardback after being released by Counterpoint Press in 1999, it was re-released in November of 2010 and has been in continuous release ever since. It is currently in use as a source text for Sixties Studies in a number of universities including Harvard where he was invited to teach “The Theater of Protest” last year.   An early chapter from that book, “Carla's Story, won the 1993/94 Pushcart Prize for Excellence in non-fiction. His new book, The Rainman's Third Cure, released in April, 2015 is a study of mentors and the search for wisdom and he is currently readying a new book for publication in 2021-(TITLE) The I Behind the Mask: The Lone Ranger and Tonto meet the Buddha.   Mr. Coyote is well-known for his narration work, and has voiced 150 documentaries and TV specials, including the nine-hour PBS Special, The West. In 1992 he won an EMMY as the “Host” for a nine-hour series, called, The Pacific Century which also won the prestigious duPont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.   In 2010 he recorded the12 hour series on The National Parks for Ken Burns and has recently completed the voice-work on Mr. Burns most recent series—a 16 hour special on The History of Country Music. He won a second Emmy for his narration on The Roosevelts, and has also done Prohibition, The Dust Bowl, and an 18 Hour series on Vietnam with Ken Burns. Mr Coyote and Mr Burns just completed a long series on Ernest Hemingway. In 2011 he was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest and in 2015 received “transmission” from his teacher, making him an independent Zen teacher. He makes his home on a farm in Northern California, and considers working on his 1952 Dodge Power-Wagon his longest lasting addiction. He has 40 fruit trees and loves to make jam and walk with his two dogs.   Peter Coyote Episode 276 Peter Coyote Wikipedia Peter Coyote Movies IMDB Peter Coyote Books Peter Coyote with me on Episode 14   SUPPORT THE SHOW BY SUPPORTING  one of the sponsors of the show!   Indeed.com/StandUp TrueBill.com/standup     Check out all things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe   Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram

Victoria Yoshimura is originally from Peterborough, England in the UK, originally came to work in Kyushu as a JET in the early 1990's and has stayed in the area ever since. She has lived and worked as a Buddhist priest at Shonenji temple in Miyazaki for many years working alongside her head priest husband who has inherited the temple responsibilities through his bloodline. Shonenji Temple has a history longer than 400 years. Victoria is breaking barriers as a woman and as a non-Japanese woman working as a priest, designing and decorating the facilities and lodge, as well as teaching and raising a family. The Shonenji temple is in a beautiful area of Japan near Mt.Aso and stunning natural scenery and hot-springs to enjoy. Victoria recommended some of the beautiful sights in the area in addition to sharing the beautiful design of her temple lodge which was perfect for #traveltuesday Links + Shonenji Temple & Lodge in Miyazaki, Japan (Kyushu) https://shonenjitemplelodge.com/ (https://shonenjitemplelodge.com/) JJWalsh is founder of InboundAmbassador - a sustainability-focused travel & business & lifestyle consultancy based in Hiroshima, Japan - InboundAmbassador.com Support this podcast

Join Japan Experts PRIVATE Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/japanexperts ---------------- This is a sutra that's often recited by Shin Buddhists, which accounts for the largest population of all Buddhism followers in Japan. Let's listen to the end…. Please listen carefully to the very last after the bell sound. You get it? Most Japanese have probably heard of it somewhere, even if they are not a follower of Shin Buddhism. But what does it mean? And why do Japanese people recite it? Before that, do you know anything about Shin Buddhism? Don't worry… even if you have no idea! Since you are here already, let's learn it together from scratch, shall we? Buddhism has greatly influenced Japanese society and culture, so it's definitely a good idea to know the basics! To dive into the topic, I would like to invite Kenneth Tanaka who is an ordained Jodo Shinshu priest. With his unique academic and professional backgrounds in Japan and the US, he has played a major role in enlightening people in Japan and elsewhere about the teachings of Buddhism through his books and other activities. His books include Ocean and Jewels, which are available online for free of charge. More information about Shin Buddhism priest Kenneth Tanaka and his work can be found in the following sites: Ocean: An Introduction to Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism in America: http://www.yamadera.info/ocean/ocean-index.htm - A related article: https://tricycle.org/magazine/buddhist-diversity-in-america/ - A video about the Ocean story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iymiZIqvOwQ Jewels: An Introduction to American Buddhism for Youth, Scouts and the Young at Heart: https://www.bdkamerica.org/book/jewels-introduction-buddhism-youth-scouts-and-young-heart ----------------- Join Japan Experts EXCLUSIVE dojo community: patreon.com/japanexperts The Japan Experts dojo community is a place for you to get access to the secrets, mysteries and everything else that even the Japanese cannot explain in detail, for less than the money you pay for a single cup of coffee! So, save the money today and invest it into your learning! I can promise you that you will gain so much knowledge on how to explore, appreciate and understand Japan. Here is the link: patreon.com/japanexperts Extra bonuses are also available if you want to take your learning to a deeper level. Please make sure you check out the page carefully and choose what would benefit you the most. I look forward to meeting you inside the dojo community! ------------------ Please follow Japan Experts social media channels to receive the latest updates! Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jpexperts Twitter: https://twitter.com/Japan_Experts Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/japan.experts/ YouTube: bit.ly/JpExperts

In the narrative of Kashmir, what often lies forgotten is the origin story. What could a Naga king who ruled thousands of years ago, have in common with a humble Gujjar-Bakrwal man, and what did they have to do with the origin of Kashmir? This week, in the eighth episode of Kashmir Diaries, Utsav narrates the story of a deadly hike at Sheshnag lake, which ended in a rather peculiar way. Tune in, to understand the thousand year old tradition which connected the Naga King and the Gujjar-Bakrwal man, and what lessons it holds for us as travellers today.Check out the other episodes of "The Kashmir Diaries"Kashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Life:- https://ivm.today/3o0jE1GSrinagar, Ancient Carvings and Supernovas:- https://ivm.today/3hECuatKargil, Hundarman and the Museum of Memories:- https://ivm.today/3xuayw9You can reach out to our host Utsav on Instagram: @whywetravel42(https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42)You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

In this episode, Karen and Sherri invite guest, Greg Sherburn a Dharma Instructor at Muddy Water Zen, a Taego temple onto the show. They discuss Greg's experiences as a Buddhist Priest and the feelings we hold as humans of being unworthy. Seeking out peace and worthiness is a challenge for all, and we are dedicating a whole episode to this emotion. Show Links Learn more about our magazine, podcast, and upcoming events by visiting goodfatlife.com For a subscription to the Inspired Good Fat Life magazine you can Text “InspiredGFL” to 55678 and send a SMS Message/Text to receive a digital subscription! Guest Links Greg Sherburn Website: http://www.muddywaterzen.com/ Email: greg.sherburn@gmail.com Sponsors This week's episode was sponsored by Hands on Health Chiropractic Find out more about Dr. Adam N. Rushford. Website: www.HoHChiro.com Facebook: @HandsonHealthChiroBrighton

In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to a Buddhist priest about how our thoughts are the cause of so much suffering. We discuss the Buddhist Four Noble Truths, how the mind causes troubling thoughts and social justice. This is a great talk on how we can see the world from a different perspective. Heather says "Hurt People, Hurt People". She shares why she changed from a practicing catholic and became a Buddhist Priest. Heather Shoren Iarusso first moved to Tassajara in June 2008 thinking she'd stay for six months. Her spiritual sabbatical morphed into a way of life, residing amid the peace and beauty of the monastic valley for seven years aggregate. Heather was ordained as a Zen Priest in October 2015 by Teah Strozer, who served as the guiding teacher for Brooklyn Zen Center (BZC) for many years. Heather worked at BZC for two years as the Ino (Head of Meditation Hall), program director, communications coordinator, and the interim executive director. Heather has served in various practice roles at Tassajara including the Ino, Tenzo (Head Cook), Shika (Guest Manager), and the Shuso (Head Student) with Senior Dharma Teacher Paul Haller. She's completed twelve, 90-day practice periods at Tassajara and has also participated in meditation intensives with Pema Chodron, Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, Shohaku Okumura Roshi, and Shodo Harada Roshi. Heather holds master's degrees in communications, creative writing, and English literature. https://www.sfzc.org/teachers/heather-shoren-iarusso https://www.sfzc.org/about-san-francisco-zen-center  

Justin introduces the Ultimate Reality of Mindfulness segment where he'll explore various belief systems connected to Mindfulness. On this episode Justin talks with Vonn Magnin about mindfulness and his journey from the United States Marine Corps to becoming a Buddhist priest. > Learn more about Vonn's Temple: www.azbuddhisttemple.org > Join the Mindful X community www.MindfulX.net > IG/Twitter/Clubhouse linktr.ee/MindfulX > Connect with Justin linktr.ee/mindfuljustin   Mindful X is an endeavor for good by Social Profit Initiative. Learn more at www.SocialProfit.org.

A lot of anti-masker news from a tiny segment of the population

On this week's episode of TheFallenState TV, host Jesse Lee Peterson is joined by Buddhist Priest, Rev. Gyokei Yokoyama, of Sozenji Buddhist Temple in Montebello, California.  Jesse has a lot of questions about Buddhism, and Rev. Yokoyama is deeply rooted in the Japanese Buddhist tradition.  You don't want to miss this fascinating and wide-ranging discussion!

Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. I have one sponsor which is an awesome nonprofit GiveWell.org/StandUp for more but Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls. This week I am taking a break from the more robust version of the podcast which includes a great daily news recap so I can get away from the news and do a little less work this week. I have been going pretty much nonstop for over 60 weeks but I wanted to wait to take time off until Joe Biden was our President.  Peter Coyote and I spoke via zoom on January 4. We had another great talk. I asked him about his role in the counter culture, politics, ego, wealth, sustainability having regrets and much more. I love speaking and learning from my conversations with Peter. He has become a valued friend and mentor.  Peter Coyote Wikipedia Peter Coyote Movies IMDB Peter Coyote Books Peter Coyote with me on Episode 14 Pete Dominick on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page Please consider a paid subscription to this daily podcast. Everyday I will interview 2 or more expert guests on a wide range of issues. I will continue to be transparent about my life, issues and vulnerabilities in hopes we can relate, connect and grow together. If you want to add something to the show email me StandUpwithPete@gmail.com Join the Stand Up Community Stand Up is also brought to you this month by GiveWell.org GiveWell is a nonprofit dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities and publishing the full details of our analysis to help donors decide where to give. GiveWell.org/Standup

Dharma talk by Duncan Ryūken Williams, an ordained Buddhist Priest and scholar. In his new book, American Sutra, Professor Williams reveals the little-known story of how, in the darkest hours of World War II when Japanese Americans were stripped of their homes and imprisoned in camps, a community of Buddhists launched one of the most inspiring defenses of religious freedom in our nation’s history, insisting that they could be both Buddhist and American.

In today's show, I'm bringing back one of my favorite interviews I did for the Mindful Mama Movement podcast.  Karen Maezen Miller is a wife, mother, author and Zen Buddhist priest at the Hazy Moon Zen Center in Los Angeles, California. Maezen has written three books and several anthologies about spirituality in everyday life. She leads retreats around the country and we feel blessed that she's with us today to share her valuable insights on motherhood and life from a Zen Buddhist perspective. Maezen became a mother at 42 years old and prefers to call the transition into motherhood more of a cotastrophe and she explains why in this episode. Maezen shares how important it is to be very clear about your life, and what is actually happening, at each moment in time. Without doing so, she feels you can never truly be open to the answers life provides, understand the energy you project onto those around you, or be able to handle situations that don't go your way without becoming depressed. Maezen uses this philosophy when parenting her own child, and admits that it's easier said than done, in order to not make herself the center of her daughter's life. Maezen also uses her expertise to offer tips for those looking to start meditating. Maezen's ability to step into herself and take full responsibility for her thoughts and feelings are an inspiration. I adore Maezen and know you will as well. Some quotes from the show: "Your life brings to you exactly what you don't want, because you need it. You need to be able to learn and grow... As many parents realize, our children are their teachers."   "Understand that your power lies in that moment of response and reaction. That's where your power and responsibility lies."   "We hear so much talk about living in the moment, so I'm going to bring it back to this... We really have to be so clear where that moment is. It's always right where you are. Although in our mind we think so much is happening at once, but actually not that much is happening at once.   If we slow down our thinking we will see more clearly that there is a flow to things. And the things we might be hyperventilating about right now, we can probably give them more time and more information will appear. Especially these decisions that have to do with our children's lives. I think we are so smart and have so much information but we have all made, and certainly I have, a critical error in placing ourselves at the center of our children's lives, instead of our children at the center of their lives. Thanks so much for listening. Warmly, Shannon   www.afreespiritlife.com

This episode's guest is Satyavani Robyn. Satya is a writer, psychotherapist and Buddhist Priest who runs the Amida Mandala temple in Malvern. She is the author of 11 books including "The Most Beautiful Thing", "What Helps" and "Coming Home" and her biggest wish is that others can find what she has received. Recorded at the Amida Mandala temple, Malvern, UK.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/stevexoh)

Keith and I have long considered doing an episode on meditation. What held us back was our goal (as it is with every episode) to answer these two questions: how would the episode specifically benefit you, the physicians and medical professionals in our audience, and how would we avoid simply rehashing a well worn topic explored elsewhere? As you know, we're not big on chasing trends here. So we tabled it, until just recently, when we came across today's guest. Dr. Patrick Codd earned his M.D. in the Harvard Medical School/MIT Health Science & Technology Program. He then completed his residency in Neurosurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Patrick then served as the Director of the North Neurosurgical Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School before joining the neurosurgery staff at Duke University Medical Center where we find him today. [Read more…] Not only is Patrick a solidly credentialed neurosurgeon at a world class institution, he's also, get ready for this, an ordained Buddhist priest. Not a combination you find everyday but just the kind of person we knew we had to invite on the program. We'll explore Patrick's uncommon path and his unique perspective on meditation. After-all, the brain isn't just the focal point of Patrick's meditative practice, it's also something he actually operates on every week. We'll learn how meditation initially helped him manage the daily encounters with stress and patient suffering he experienced as a resident. Then we'll see how a busy neurosurgeon fits meditation into his daily workflow, becoming a critical element of his life and practice. Maybe you already have a meditation routine, maybe you've tried it but found little benefit, or maybe you're still highly skeptical of the whole thing. Wherever you're coming from, this episode will have something for you. With that said, let's get started...

What it meditation? Is meditation part of our human nature? Is there a potential dark side to meditation? Listen in to hear the perspective of Andy Acker a resident Buddhist Priest at Jikoji Zen Center. Andy is a self-described “purveyor of curiosities” whos journey has taken him from a Catholic upbringing in Minnesota to becoming […]

Is Buddhism a life path, a philosophy, or a religion? The short answer is, "Yes." The longer answer is, "It depends."Joshua Hill, from the Tiep Hien Zen order shares his own path, and how he helps prisoners, addicts, and mental health patients to detach from the turmoil of a troubled mind and find peace in observing experiences, including suffering, from a quieter place. It's information and a practice we can all use, whatever our beliefs.  

Is Buddhism a life path, a philosophy, or a religion? The short answer is, "Yes." The longer answer is, "It depends." Joshua Hill, from the Tiep Hien Zen order shares his own path, and how he helps prisoners, addicts, and mental health patients to detach from the turmoil of a troubled mind and find peace in observing experiences, including suffering, from a quieter place. It's information and a practice we can all use, whatever our beliefs.

Venerable Shih Jingang, or Sifu is a Buddhist Priest who was first ordained as a monk at 6 years of age. He was trained by his Heart Guru Venerable Lama Senge Tashi.In this podcast we find out about Sifu’s three year solitary retreat, his training and practice of over 45 years particuluary from the Mahayana Buddhist lineage.Sifu regularly holds classes, retreats, and is asked to speak at public and private events. He is known for his calmness, gentle compassion and good humoured teaching style which you will here.He shares much wisdom and insight in this podcast particularly around how we create suffering for ourselves with our thoughts.I could have quoted almost all of his answers – particularly “wisdom teaches us that we don’t have control over others. The best we can do is try and learn more about ourselves and to try and be the vest version we can be.”He also dives in to the suffering our ego can create: “Identifying with thoughts, and identifying with the feelings created by those thoughts can reate a lot of suffering So “I am..” can lead to all soughts of suffering.”Sifu also generously leads two guided meditations for you to use to help cultivate your own practice for personal and spiritual growth.The first: is a silent awareness meditation, designed to help us relate in a wiser way to our thoughts and the second is a loving-kindness or metta practice. The metta practice is one he uses with cancer patients and it can be useful if you are experiencing a difficulty in your life at the moment.There are also some extremely insightful questions that he asks to help us with our own self-awareness, such as “that person pushes my buttons”, but actually maybe the question we should ask ourselves is “who created those buttons?”I feel honoured to be presenting with him at our Weekend Retreat “The Awakened Heart” in Stanley Tasmania on March 17th and 18th.This event is now waitlist only but if you’d like to add yourself to this list please email hello@cominghometoyourbodyretreats.comIf you are interested in attending a retreat to get started with learning to meditate please visit cominghometoyourbodyretreats.com and click on the retreats tab. The oceans mind-set retreat will cover learning to relate to our thoughts and feelings with greater awareness and wisdom.So ladies and gentlemen, without any further ado I bring you Venerable Shih Jingang.

Want to learn the best, most relaxing way to meditate? Dennis Paul Merzel, also known as Genpo Roshi, is a Zen Priest and teacher in the Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen Buddhism. Since his initial awakening over 45 years ago, his passion and purpose has been to assist others to realize their true nature, and to continuously deepen his own journey to enlightenment. In this truly fascinating and intimate conversation, the author of “Spitting Out the Bones: A Zen Master’s 45 Year Journey” demonstrates his meditation method right down to the breath, so that everyone can experience the relaxing nature of this ancient practice. Genpo and Dave also dig into his Big Mind/Big Heart Process, his spiritual awakenings, his five stages of development, and his views on celibacy, monogamy/polyamory, and honesty. The ultimate guide to meditation and illumination is right here in this hour, so don’t miss it!

Want to learn the best, most relaxing way to meditate? Dennis Paul Merzel, also known as Genpo Roshi, is a Zen Priest and teacher in the Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen Buddhism. Since his initial awakening over 45 years ago, his passion and purpose has been to assist others to realize their true nature, and to continuously deepen his own journey to enlightenment. In this truly fascinating and intimate conversation, the author of “Spitting Out the Bones: A Zen Master’s 45 Year Journey” demonstrates his meditation method right down to the breath, so that everyone can experience the relaxing nature of this ancient practice. Genpo and Dave also dig into his Big Mind/Big Heart Process, his spiritual awakenings, his five stages of development, and his views on celibacy, monogamy/polyamory, and honesty. The ultimate guide to meditation and illumination is right here in this hour, so don’t miss it!

Creating an extraordinary life is a process of finding rich magic in the ordinary. Buddhist Priest, wife, mom and author, Karen Maezen Miller shares her insights for living and loving life.