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This episode we are looking at the early years of the official reign of Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tenno, including the building of a brand new capital on the shores of Lake Biwa. For more information, see: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-126 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 126:  New Beginnings The local farmers couldn't help but talk.  There was so much construction, but it wasn't entirely clear what was being built.  The land between the mountains and the lake had been neatly groomed fields, but now that the government workmen had moved in, all of those fields were being cleared.  This new construction was much larger than anything that people had seen before.  Rocks were coming in from far flung quarries, and local kilns were being set up to create tiles, while woodcutters were sent into the forests to bring logs to the site. There were various stories about what was going on—a new provincial government office, or perhaps a new temple, but perhaps the most outlandish was that this was going to be some kind of royal palace.  The sovereign himself was taking in interest in this little slice of Afumi, and he was going to abandon the Home Territories of Yamato and bring his entire court to the shores of Lake Biwa. What a far-fetched story!  …Wasn't it? Last episode we recapped a lot of the history of Prince Naka no Oe and how he had come to this point: the Isshi Incident, the Taika reforms, as well as the reigns of his uncle, Prince Karu, aka Koutoku Tennou, and his mother, Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tennou.  With Takara Hime's death, Naka no Oe was now – finally, as he might have thought -- running things officially.  He had prosecuted the war in Baekje, and with that loss, he had turned his focus back to the archipelago.  He now had refugees to settle, and defenses to set up.  And then there were the embassies that would be coming, in an apparent attempt to normalize relations post-conflict.  That could only go so far, however, given that Tang and Silla had simply turned their war efforts against Goguryeo.  So one imagines that any diplomatic discussions were held with the understanding that the international order was still in flux. And so we arrive in the 8th month of 665, as some of the first defensive castles were being erected.  That same month, Tamna—the kingdom on the modern island of Jeju—sent ambassadors to the Yamato court.  The diplomatic ties between Yamato and Tamna were a relatively recent occurrence, but with Baekje gone, one wonders if Yamato wasn't feeling out a new alliance on the continent.  That said, Tamna does not appear to have been a major player on the international stage.    They had been a tributary of Baekje, and may have even been one of the last holdouts of the proto-Japonic language for a long time.  Indeed, a 15th century Joseon history records a foundation myth of Tamna that emphasizes close early ties with the Japanese archipelago. The following month saw another visit by Tang ambassadors, only a year after Guo Wucong had come to the court.  Guo Wucong had been wined and dined, and things seem to have gone well, as this time he returned, but he wasn't the one leading the embassy this time.  That honor went to Liu Degao, sub-prefect of Yizhou, among his many titles.  Yizhou is the same location where the previous missions from Yamato to the Tang court had made landfall.  Presumably, Liu Degao would have had experience with the embassies that passed through Yizhou, so he seems a logical choice to be sent over to the archipelago. This seems like an escalation, with a more titled ambassador leading the party. It is possible that the Tang were trying to not only reset their relationship with Yamato, but also attempt to woo them to their side.  The Tang likely knew that if they defeated Goguryeo, then they would have another problem to work out:  The alliance with Silla.  At the moment both Tang and Silla were in a partnership of convenience, but the Tang empire didn't get where it was by just giving up territory. And Silla was, itself, ambitious.  It would be in the Tang dynasty's best interest to have Yamato on its side in case Silla became a problem.  At the very least, the Tang court could have just been trying to make sure that Yamato would stay out of any continental entanglements, such as by supporting Goguryeo. Within the Yamato court, it is unclear which way, exactly, they were leaning at this point.  The court was clearly building defensive positions—fortresses and more.  At the same time, there were likely those who welcomed any return to stable relations with the Tang.  After all, there were still Wa in Chang'an and elsewhere, and there was still a hunger in the archipelago for the books and other goods that the Silk Road could provide.  On the other hand, they may have felt more at home with Goguryeo, or even Silla.  The bonds with the Korean peninsula were older and likely stronger.  And, as long as the Tang Empire was busy with other states, then perhaps they would be too preoccupied to attack Yamato. Liu Degao and his entourage had arrived at Tsushima on the 28th day of the 7th month.  They would have been put up there for a time, and entertained.  If this embassy followed later conventions, they would have likely pulled into a harbor, like the one near Kofunakoshi.  This is a narrow spot between the two parts of Tsushima, where we know that in the 9th century, ships from the Tang empire would stop, register goods and people, and likely have them transferred to Japanese ships.  All of the checking and cataloging would happen  at nearby Bairinji temple. Even if they didn't have to transport everything to another ship, it is likely that they would held at Tsushima for a while for security purposes.  Tsushima was ideal, both for its distance, halfway between the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago, but also for its shape, with numerous places that ships could sit at anchor in secluded bays away from any weather or rough seas that could otherwise cause problems. We don't know exactly what the Tang embassy's stay was like, but we know that they were at Tsushima for roughly two months, which was probably the time it took to get a message to the Yamato court and back.  We know how long it was because we learn that it is on the 20th day of the 9th month that they finally made landfall at Tsukushi, or Kyushu, and two days later they forwarded a letter-case to the Yamato court. Two months later, we know they were at the court, as there was a banquet held for Liu Degao on the 13th day of the 11th month, and then a month after that, Liu Degao and the rest of the mission were presented gifts, after which they left and returned to the Tang court.  We are also told that Mori no Kimi no Ohoishi, along with Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwashiki and Kimi no Kishi no Harima all went to the Tang court that same month, no doubt traveling with Degao and Wucong. On the first month of the following year, Neungnu of Goguryeo was sent to the Yamato court to offer tribute.  On the same day, the 11th day of the first month, Tamna also sent someone identified as Prince Siyeo to offer presents.  Immediately, I'm wondering about the way that this is presented.  Both of these states – Goguryeo and Tamna - were allies of the former Baekje kingdom.  I have to wonder how the Goguryeo ships made their way—did they come down the western side of the peninsula, through the Bohai sea, and thus past possible Tang patrols between their peninsular and continental territories, or did they head through the East Sea, aka the Japan Sea, where they would have to pass by the coast of Silla, whom they were also not on great terms with?  The fact that both missions are mentioned at the same time suggests that maybe the Goguryeo embassy sailed down to Tamna, on Jeju Island, and then the two groups made their way over to Yamato together from there. Other things about this entry to note is that the Chroniclers use different terms for these visits to the Yamato court.  Goguryeo uses a term that Aston translates as “offering tribute” while Tamna uses a different term indicating that they were “offering presents”.  This may be as simple as the difference in the various relationships between the polities, as viewed by the Chroniclers.  After all, there was a long relationship between Yamato and Goguryeo, which was considered one of the three Han, or Samhan.  Whether true or not, I could certainly see the Chroniclers feeling that Goguryeo was in a subordinate relationship with Yamato.  Tamna, on the other hand, was a more recent addition to the Yamato diplomatic sphere.  As such, it would be understandable, to me if the Chroniclers still saw it as a more independent entity. It also may hint at different messages being communicated.  As far as we can tell, Tamna wasn't under direct threat by the Tang empire—though they may have been feeling a little bit of heat, given the fall of Baekje and the Tang empire's new outpost on the peninsula.  Goguryeo, however, was under more direct threat, and had been in conflict with the Tang for years.  On top of that, based on what we can tell, it seems that Yeong Gaesomun, the despot who had been ruling Goguryeo and helping it defend against the Tang, had just passed away.  It may have been that the Goguryeo court was seeking support against Tang and Silla, as they were in a moment of instability, themselves.  As such, “Tribute” might indicate that they were more formally petitioning Yamato for support. Goguryeo envoy Neungnu left about 5 months later, on the 4th day of the 6th month but then another envoy, this time Minister Eulsyang Oemchu, arrived a little more than four months later.  Much like with the Tang, this feels like Goguryeo was upping the ante, sending higher ranking officials to negotiate with Yamato.  That lends some credence to the theory that there was something of a bidding war going on for Yamato's involvement in international affairs.  For Yamato, however, it would seem that getting involved in continental affairs was hardly something they were itching to do.  Instead, they continued their moves to fortify. In local events, we know that on the 11th day of the 10th month of 665, while the Liu Degao delegation was still in Yamato, there was a great “review”, by which they seem to mean a sutra reading, at Uji.  It is unclear just where this was held, as I haven't found reference to any particular temple.  However, it does indicate that there was activity in the area. Uji is probably most popular, today, for its role as a setting in the Tale of Genji.  There indeed numerous reminders there of the Heian period, including the hall of Ujigami Shrine, and the famous Hou-ou-do, or Phoenix Hall, of the Byoudouin. In 1053, Fujiwara Yorimichi inherited the villa from his father, Fujiwara Michinaga, and he converted it into a Pure Land temple.  Michinaga is thought to have been one of the people on whom Murasaki Shikibu based the character of the Shining Prince, Hikaru Genji.  That's all too late for this moment in the Chronicles, of course., but we do have earlier references to Uji as a place, as well as in various names.  It seems to have been part of the territory of the Hata, who controlled much of the area of modern Kyoto and environs.  There is a temple, Houjouin, also known as Hashidera, which claims to date back to the 7th century, and may have been the site of the above-mentioned sutra reading in 665.  According to the Temple's own legend, it was built around 604, when Hata no Kawakatsu built the famous Uji bridge, or Hashi, on the orders of Prince Umayado, aka Shotoku Taishi.  Other sources give the date as 646.  The temple was rebuilt in the 13th century, and as far as I can tell, nothing remains of the original temple, but it is possible that it was the site of this review. The next non-Diplomatic record of the Chronicles is from the 3rd month in 666.  The Crown Prince went to the house of Saheki no Komaro no Muraji, paying a sympathy call as Saheki appears to have passed away after having been gravely ill.  Saheki no Komaro no Muraji was one of those who had helped Naka no Oe in the Isshi Incident.  He had been introduced to the plot by Nakatomi no Kamatari, and then critical in the literal execution at the court.  He later led forces against Furubito no Oe, assuming that “Sahekibe no Komaro” is the same as “Saheki no Muraji no Komaro”.  There is also a relative, possibly his son, Takunaha, who was one of the Yamato court's overseas envoys.  Thus, one can understand that he had some importance to the Royal family, and we can probably assume that he had been involved in much more.  The Crown Prince, we are told, lamented him on account of his loyal service from the very beginning. One of the confusing things in this part of the Chronicle is the term “Crown Prince”.  It doesn't help that the Chroniclers were pulling from different records, and sometimes using anachronistic titles for individuals.  Naka no Oe had been known as the Crown Prince since the time of Takara Hime, whether he actually was or not.  Now he was in charge of the government, but it isn't clear that he had been formally invested as tennou.  More than that, there is mention of an investiture in either 667 or 668, several years after his quote-unquote “reign” had begun.  This makes some sense.  After all, when Takara Hime passed away, there was a foreign war to prosecute, and that probably took a fair bit of resources.  Plus, Naka no Oe had been running things for a while before that, or so we are told.  It would make sense if things just kept on going as they had been, and they held the actual investiture when they got around to it. We also know that he was busy with building projects: not just for the defense of the archipelago, but even a new capital and a new palace.  We'll talk about it a bit more, later, but suffice it to say that he may have been taking his time and gathering everything together. All of this makes the Chronicles themselves somewhat confusing.  They throw around the terms “Crown Prince” and “Sovereign”—well, “Sumera no Mikoto”—almost interchangeably.  Meanwhile, they've also stated that the Crown Prince was Prince Ohoama, Naka no Oe's younger brother. Based on my read of things, I believe we can distinguish between the two by whether or not it specifically calls them out as just “Crown Prince”, or “Crown Prince, younger brother to the sovereign”.  The latter is clearly Prince Ohoama, and the first is most likely Naka no Oe.  After all, in this instance, why would Prince Ohoama be the one so struck by the death of Saheki no Muraji?  Based on the story the Chronicles have told us, wouldn't it make more sense that it was Naka no Oe lamenting the death of one who had helped put him on the throne, rather than sending his brother? So keep that in mind as we go through the narrative.  I'll try to point out whom I believe they are speaking about, at least until we reach the point where Naka no Oe actually is invested. Getting back to the Chronicles, in the 7th month of the year 666, some four months after the illness and death of Saheki no Komaro no Muraji, another disaster struck—this time a natural disaster.  Great floods were reported—how widespread we aren't told.  This is often a problem in a land with many mountains that often gets large rains.  It is especially problematic when much of your agriculture is based on being just at or below the level of the rivers and streams so that it can be flooded on purpose.  We are told that the government remitted the land-taxes and commuted taxes that year, likely as a form of disaster relief to those affected by the flooding. In 666, we are also told a story that actually links this reign to the previous.  We are told that a monk, named Chiyu, gave the sovereign something called a south-pointing chariot.  I'll talk about what this was in another episode.  What's important here is to note that there was a previous entry in the era attributed to Saimei Tennou, aka Takara Hime, where a monk named Chiyu, or something similar, using different characters, also created a south-pointing chariot.  Likewise, we are later told in this reign how Naka no Oe installed a clepsydra, a water clock.  This is also mentioned in the previous reign.  It is possible that these reference completely different accounts.  Or they could be connected in some way. The south-pointing chariot is probably not something that we'll have evidence of, as it would have been mobile and probably deteriorated over time.  However, the water clock would have been a fixed installation with some clear architectural remnants, and indeed we think we know where at least one was built in Asuka.  Both of the water clock entries say that it was the “first” time, so make of that what you will. Also in 666, we see that some 2000 people of Baekje were settled in the East, possibly meaning the Kanto region, though this could be anywhere between modern Nagoya out to the far eastern edge of Honshu.  They were maintained at the government expense for three years, after which they were expected to have built new lives for themselves. In later periods, there is much to be said about “Men of the East”.  There are those that point to this region as being the origin point of many of the warrior traditions that would arise and become the military samurai.  Some of the weapons and fighting styles, especially some of the horse-riding archery seems to point to continental influences that made their way to the Kanto region and beyond.  One has to consider just how much did they bring with them and how did it grow, often beyond the view of the court and the court chronicles.  For now, though, it seems to have largely been a form of a refugee program, since the Baekje no longer had a kingdom to return to. Finally, we have an omen.  In the winter of 666, the rats of the capital, in Asuka, headed north to Afumi.  As with previous entries about rats departing a capital for a direction, this is again meant as an omen.  It probably didn't happen.  But it does foreshadow an account in the following year, when, on the 19th day of the 3rd month, the capital, surprise-surprise, moved to Afumi. And perhaps I shouldn't be flippant.  It was a surprise to have the capital move to Afumi.  There are accounts of legendary sovereigns that had their palace outside of the Nara Basin or Kawachi area, but at this point Yamato had been really building up those areas.  So why would they suddenly relocate to Afumi, of all places? Well, probably because of the same thing that had been driving the rest of their large-scale building projects during this period—from the Water Castle protecting the Dazai to the various Baekje style fortresses from Tsushima down to the Nara Basin.  Afumi was a naturally defensive position.  And in such an uncertain time, having a well-defended capital must have seen like a very good idea.  In fact, though they didn't formally change the capital until the 3rd month of 667, they probably had started work on it as soon as they got back from the loss at Hakusukinoe. As far as locations go, it wasn't necessarily a bad choice.  There were still routes to the port at Naniwa, which could still house various delegations when they arrived.  There were also routes to the east, leading to Owari and the rest of central and eastern Honshu, as well as mountain passes to get to the Japan Sea.  The area where the new palace was located was in the district of Ohotsu.  Ohotsu means something like “Big Port” and I don't know if it was already a major port along the banks of Lake Biwa or if that was a name that came from having the capital there.  Ohotsu was a long-inhabited area, even well before the 660's, and an important site for trade.  In the southern end of modern Ohotsu city is Ishiyama-dera, the stone mountain temple, it which was built in the 8th century, but in front of the temple are the remains of the largest freshwater shellmound in Asia.  As you may recall from some of our earliest episodes talking about the prehistoric period in the Japanese archipelago, shell mounds are typically evidence of ancient settlements, remnants of dump sites where they could throw their detritus.  This probably included a lot more than just shells, but shells, bones, and sometimes things like pottery sherds, would remain.  And while much of the wood and waste of the period would have disintegrated over time, shells do not.    These shell mounds accordingly provide important insight into the lives of people back in that day, and the size can also help us understand things about how large a settlement might have been or how long it was there.  The sheer size of the shellmound at Ishiyama-dera likely indicates that the region had been settled for many centuries prior to the 600's. In addition to the shellmound, and more closely related to the current times we are discussing, is evidence of a rock quarry found at the temple site and showing evidence of techniques familiar to people of the 6th to 8th centuries. You see, Ishiyama is a source of a particular white stone called wollastonite.  The quarry sits below the main hall of the temple, and so it probably would not have been quarried after the hall was built, which was in the 700s, so the site is believed to have been active before that.  From the composition of the stone and the markings on the remnants, we can see similarities to stones in the base of one of the buildings at Kawaradera, in Asuka, which we've talked about before and which was one of the pre-eminent temples of its day.  So this demonstrates a link between the region and the court even before the construction of the new Ohotsu palace. Speaking of the palace, we've known of its exact position since 1974,  when archeologists found evidence of the foundation of a large complex in a residential district in Nishikori.  While some initially suggested it was an old temple, further evidence makes it pretty clear that it was the dairi, or inner sanctum, of a palace.  This is very much in the same mould as the Toyosaki Palace in Naniwa and the various palaces in Asuka from around the same period.  In front of the dairi would have been the actual government buildings, but that area has not been excavated. That brings up another question: was this a full-on capital city, Ohotsu-kyo, or just a palace, the Ohotsu-no-miya?  So far we have only found the palace, But since the area is fairly built up, it may take time to find more, assuming it hasn't been destroyed by previous urban development in the area.  There are some hints that there was more: while there were already at a couple of temples that had been built by the mid-7th century, we see several temples built in ways that not only borrow features from important Asuka temples, like the layout of Kawaradera, but they also match the alignment of the Otsu palace ruins, hinting that they were built at the same time.  For example, there is are the ruins of an abandoned temple in Shiga-Minami – actually once thought to have been the Otsu palace. There was also Soufukuji, a temple in the mountains nearby meant to protect the Northwest from malign influences, likely based on continental geomantic concepts, part of what we might today think of as Feng Shui. This same kind of protective temple building is what we see in later capital cities. Of course, we know that this would not be a permanent capital for the nation of Yamato or of Japan—we aren't that far off from the Nara period, and then, a century later, the capital at Heian-kyo.  But that couldn't have been known at the time.  There was no way to know how long tensions with the continent would last, and it was just as possible that people at the time expected this to be a permanent move.  Its preeminence lasted, too: we do have evidence that even centuries later, the region was still known as an ancient “capital”. No matter what Naka no Oe's intentions were in moving the capital to Afumi, however, it didn't exactly go over well.  It was apparently quite unpopular—so unpopular that the move was mocked in song of the time.  That said, Naka no Oe's mind was made up, and the move took place regardless.     Before moving the capital, however, there was still business to attend to.  Takara Hime and Princess Hashibito were reinterred together in the Misasagi on Wochi Hill.  We are told that men of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla all mourned along the processional route.  The Crown Prince—I'm assuming Naka no Oe, this time given his connection to both of these women—apparently had started the work on a stone sarcophagus.  By this was probably meant the actual stone vault of the tomb, rather than just the coffin, which was also likely made of stone.  This was in Kuramaki, in Takatori, in the Takaichi District of the Nara Basin. Three months after the move to the new capital, the district of Kadono, in the west of modern Kyoto, presented to the sovereign a white swallow—an omen of some sort. The following month, on the 11th day of the 7th month, Tamna sent another embassy, led by a Minister known as Cheonma, with presents for Yamato.  This may have been the first envoy to actually visit the new Ohotsu capital, but certainly not the last. Cheonma stuck around for a few months.  In the intercalary 11th month, which is to say the extra 11th month of 667, inserted to keep the lunar and solar calendars at least partially aligned, Cheonma and his companions were presented with brocade and other cloth, as well as axes, sickles, and swords, presumably to take home to Tamna. While Cheonma was at the court, there was apparently another bit of diplomatic ping-pong going on.  Liu Jenyuan, the Tang general in charge of Baekje, sent Szema Facong and others to escort Sakahibe no Iwashiki and those with him to the Dazai in Tsukushi.  They didn't stay long, though—we are told they arrived on the 9th day of the 11th month and left only 4 days later, on the 13th day of the same.  When they left, however, they, themselves, were given escorts of Yuki no Muraji no Hakatoko—the same one whose memoirs we relied on for that previous trip to the Tang court—as well as Kaso no Omi no Moroshi.  So I guess they were escorting the escorts?  At what point does it end?  Hakatoko and others made it back about three months later, on the 23rd day of the first month of 668, and reported on their own escort mission.  That suggests that they didn't escort them that far.  They may have just seen them back to the Korean peninsula and that was it. Hakatoko's escort mission did mean that he missed a rather important event—the Crown Prince assuming the dignity.  That is to say, Naka no Oe finally took the title of sovereign.  A note in the text suggests that there were other sources that said it was the third month of the previous year—the same time that the Otsu capital was built.  Four days later they held a banquet in the palace for all of the court ministers. A little over a month later, his wife, Yamato bime, was appointed queen.  We are then told of his other wives and consorts. To be clear, Naka no Oe had been collecting consorts for ages.  So let's talk about a few of them. To start with there was Yamatobime, the Yamato Princess, daughter of none other than Naka no Oe's half-brother, Prince Furubito no Oe, his former rival to the throne. Then there was Wochi no Iratsume, aka Princess Miyatsuko, the daughter of Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa Maro.  She had a son, Prince Takeru, who died in 651 at the age of 8.  That suggests that she and Naka no Oe had been together since at least 643, two years before the Isshi Incident.  Another one of her daughters, Princess Uno, would go on to marry Naka no Oe's younger brother, Prince Ohoama, the new Crown Prince. Wochi no Iratsume seems to have died of grief in 649, after her father and much of her family were destroyed on the orders of her husband, Naka no Oe.  We are told that Naka no Oe also married Wochi no Iratsume's younger sister as well, Mehi no Iratsume.  She had two daughters, Princess Minabe and Princess Abe.  At this point Abe was only about 7 or 8 years old, herself, but she would eventually be married to Prince Kusakabe, the son of Prince Ohoama and Princess Uno, whom we just mentioned. Naka no Oe also had two other consorts.  Tachibana no Iratsume was the daughter of Abe no Kurahashi no Maro no Oho-omi—he was the first Sadaijin, or Minister of the Left, at the start of the Taika reforms, immediately following the Isshi Incident.  And then there was Hitachi no Iratsume, the daughter of Soga no Akaye. Soga no Akaye is an interesting figure.  You may recall the name from Episode 118.  Soga no Akaye was the acting minister in charge in Yamato when Prince Arima tried to start up a revolt against Takara Hime.  It was in his house where Prince Arima laid out his plan, but a broken armrest convinced Soga no Akaye to turn against the conspirators and turn them in.  And so it is interesting to hear that his daughter was married to Naka no Oe. We are also told of four “palace women” that Naka no Oe is said to have had children with.  The implication seems to be that these were women at the palace but they were not formally recognized with the same status as that of the formal consorts and, of course, the queen, his primary wife.  This fits in with at least one theory I've seen that Naka no Oe was something of a ladies' man.  It seems he got around even more than Murasaki Shikibu's fictional “Shining Prince”, Hikaru Genji.  We are told that there were at least 14 children among the nine official wives—and one has to consider that they were unlikely to record many of the women whom he may have slept with that he didn't also have children with.  And there is a theory that one of those not mentioned, may have been his own sister, full blooded sister.  Specifically, his sister Princess Hashibito, who was married to none other than Naka no Oe's uncle, Prince Karu, aka Jomei Tennou. To be clear:  we have no clear evidence that they were anything other than close siblings, but as you may recall how we mentioned back in Episode 114 that there was something that caused a falling out between Prince Karu and Naka no Oe, such that Naka no Oe disobeyed the sovereign's direct order in moving himself and the royal family back to Asuka.  That meant Naka no Oe, his wives, his mother, AND his sister, Princess—now Queen—Hashibito.  So, yeah, he absconded with Prince Karu's wife who was Naka no Oe's full-blooded sister.  And, as we've noted before, ancient Yamato's concept of incest was pretty narrow.  It was only if you had the same mother that you were considered full siblings—even if the father were someone else.  I suspect that this is related to the matrilineal nature of succession as well, which is why it was so important to insist that the ancient sovereigns had a direct lineal connection to the royal line through their mother as much as through their father. So if Naka no Oe and his sister were having any kind of relationship that was considered wrong or scandalous, then that could also help explain why he didn't take the throne sooner, and why it passed over to his mother.  But now, both Takara Hime and Hashibito were quite literally dead and buried, and Naka no Oe had ascended to the throne. Of the so-called “Palace Women” that  are listed as being likewise married to—or at least in a relationship with—Naka no Oe, I'd like to focus on one:  Iga no Uneme no Yakako.  For one, she is specifically mentioned as an uneme—one of the women sent to the court specifically to serve in the palace.  But her parentage isn't further illuminated other than the name “Iga” which is probably a locative, possibly referring to the area of Iga. This is also interesting because we are also told that she gave birth to a son named Prince Iga, also known as Prince Ohotomo.  Despite his mother's apparently unremarkable status, Prince Ohotomo seems to have been quite the apple of his father's eye.  He was born in 648, so in 668 he was about 20 years old, meaning that around this time he was probably just coming into his own at court.  He was married to his cousin, Princess Touchi, daughter of his uncle, Crown Prince Ohoama.  He was also married to Mimotoji, who appears to have been a daughter of Nakatomi no Kamatari, meaning that he was pretty well connected. But we'll get into that in a future episode.  For now, I think we'll leave it here: with the move of the capital to Ohotsu and the formal ascension of Naka no Oe to the throne. We'll talk about what that might mean in the future.  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.

In this episode, Jeongmin, John and Joon Ha discuss South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's ongoing martial law trial, where military commanders have given conflicting testimonies about whether Yoon ordered troops to detain opposition lawmakers and close the National Assembly. The team also breaks down the Constitutional Court's ruling against Acting President Choi Sang-mok's truncated judicial appointments, a decision welcomed by the Democratic Party and criticized by the ruling People Power Party. While Choi has acknowledged the ruling, he insists that a bipartisan agreement is necessary before finalizing the last judicial appointment. On the economic front, China has retaliated against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs by imposing export controls on tungsten and other rare earth metals essential for semiconductor production. Meanwhile, South Korean government ministries have banned the use of DeepSeek's R1 LLM on official computers, citing security concerns, aligning with similar measures taken by the U.S. government. In diplomacy, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul is set to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich, marking the first high-level U.S.-ROK engagement under the new Trump administration. This meeting follows a flurry of U.S.-Japan diplomatic interactions, including an upcoming summit between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Finally, South Korea's industry ministry has confirmed that while oil and gas reserves likely exist under the East Sea, there is little evidence to suggest they are economically viable — affirming long-standing expert assessments. About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday. This episode was recorded on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. Audio edited by Gaby Magnuson

Moscow says Ukraine has launched American-supplied long-range missiles into the country, a day after Washington gave its permission for such attacks.Also on the programme: we speak to the wife of one of the 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong who have been given long jail terms; and, Gisèle Pelicot, the woman at the centre of france's mass rape trial, makes her final statement to the court.(Photo: US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) firing a missile into the East Sea during a South Korea-US joint missile drill in 2017. Credit: Getty Images, file photo)

K-pop groups face dilemmas when confronted with political issues 진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor 기사 요약: JYP 엔터테인먼트 그룹 소속 Nmixx가 "독도는 우리땅" 노래를 불렀다가 일본 팬들에게 비난을 받고 있는데, 과연 아이돌들에 지리 정치학적 발언을 문제 삼는게 맞을까? [1] K-pop idols continue to grapple with navigating geopolitical controversies, as highlighted by a recent incident involving JYP Entertainment's K-pop group Nmixx. The group performed part of the “Dokdo is Our Land” song in a YouTube video on Aug. 22, sparking a heated dispute between Korean and Japanese fans. The incident raised a critical question: Should K-pop bands refrain from addressing political issues, or should they be candid about their political positions? grapple with: ~을 해결하려고 노력하다 address: 문제에 대해 얘기하다, 발언하다 candid: 솔직한 [2] Japan has claimed sovereignty over Dokdo, islets in the East Sea, since the early 20th century. It is taboo for K-pop idols to speak about Dokdo as Korea holds sovereignty over the islets, but Japan continues to claim the territory, and K-pop groups promote in both countries. sovereignty: 통치권 islet: 작은 섬 [3] Nmixx did not make a bold statement on the issue, nor did they choose to perform “Dokdo is Our Land” on their own. The group sang a portion of the song as part of a mix-pop medley that included three other songs, a decision made by the content producer. Japanese fans, however, went on to express their dissatisfaction on the girl band's X account last Friday, posting comments such as “Don't they care about Japanese fans?” “I regret spending money on Nmixx,” and “The company (JYP) needs to provide better history education." bold: 대담한 기사 원문: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240902050590

An account of our recent tour of the sites mentioned in the Gishiwajinden, which is to say the Japanese portion of the Weizhi.  This episode we talk about our visit to Gimhae, site of ancient Geumgwan Gaya. For more see our podcast blog:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcasts/episode-geumgwangaya Rough Transcript   Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is Gishiwajinden Self-Guided Tour: Geumgwan Gaya. For the next several episodes we are taking a bit of a detour from the narrative of the Chronicles.  After all, with the coup of 645 that we covered a couple of episodes ago, we are about to dive into the period known as “Taika” or “Great Change”.  Prince Naka no Oe and Nakatomi no Kamako were not just assassins—they had plans that went beyond just cutting the head off the powerful Soga house.  It's an eventful time, with a lot of changes, though some of those would take time to really come to fruition and before I get into all of that there is a bit more research that I want to do to figure out the best way to lay that out for you.  And so I figured we would take a little detour for a few episodes, to share with you a special trip that Ellen and I recently took, reproducing – in a modern way – some of the earliest accounts we have about crossing over to the archipelago: the Gishiwajinden, the Japanese section of the Weizhi.  We talked about this chronicle back in episode 11: it describes all the places one would stop when leaving the continent, from kingdoms on the peninsula and across the smaller islands of the archipelago before landing in what we currently call Kyushu. And Ellen and I did just that: we sailed across the Korean straits, from the site of the ancient kingdom of Gaya in modern Gimhae, to the islands of Tsushima and Iki, then on to modern Karatsu and Fukuoka, passing through what is thought to be the ancient lands of Matsuro, Ito, and Na.  It was an incredibly rewarding journey, and includes plenty of archaeological sites spanning the Yayoi to Kofun periods—as well as other sites of historical interest.  It also gets you out to some areas of Japan and Korea that aren't always on people's list, but probably should be.  So for this first episode about our “Gishiwajinden Jido Toua” – our Gishiwajinden Self-Guided Tour – we'll talk about the historical sites in Gimhae, the site of ancient Geumgwan Gaya, but also some of the more modern considerations for visiting, especially on your own. By the way, a big thank you to one of our listeners, Chad, who helped inspire this trip.  He was living on Iki for a time and it really made me think about what's out there. This episode I'll be focusing on the first place our journey took us, Gimhae, South Korea.  Gimhae is a city on the outskirts of modern Pusan, and home to Pusan's international airport, which was quite convenient.  This is thought to be the seat of the ancient kingdom of Gaya, also known as “Kara” in the old records.  In the Weizhi we are told of a “Guyahan”, often assumed to be “Gaya Han”, which is to say the Han—one of the countries of the peninsula—known as Guya or Gaya.  This is assumed to mean Gaya, aka Kara or Garak, and at that time it wasn't so much a kingdom as it was a confederation of multiple polities that shared a similar material culture and locations around the Nakdong river.  This is the area that we believe was also referenced as “Byeonhan” in some of the earliest discussions of the Korean peninsula. By the way, while I generally believe this area was referred to as “Kara”, “Gara”, or even “Garak”, originally, the modern Korean reading of the characters used is “Gaya”, and since that is what someone will be looking for, that's what I'll go with. History of the Korean peninsula often talks about the “Three Kingdoms” period, referencing the kingdoms of Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo.  However, that is a very simplistic view of the ancient history of the archipelago.  Numerous small polities existed without a clear, persistent overlord outside of those three larger polities, and even they were not always quite as grand as the later histories would like to make them out to be. Gaya is often referred to as the “Gaya Confederacy” by modern historians, at least for most of its existence, and refers to a number of polities including Daegaya, Ara, etc., and may also include “Nimna”, though where exactly that was is a topic of great debate, with some claiming that it was just another name for what later was known as Geumgwan Gaya, and other suggestions that it was its own polity, elsewhere on the coast.  This isn't helped by the nationalist Japanese view that “Nimna” was also the “Mimana Nihonfu”, or the Mimana controlled by Japan, noted in the Nihon Shoki, and used as the pretext for so many of the aggressions perpetrated on the continent by Japan. These all appear to have been individual polities, like small city-states, which were otherwise joined by a common culture. Although the Samguk Yusa mentions “King Suro” coming in 42 CE, for most of its history there wasn't really a single Gaya state as far as we can tell.  It is possible that towards the 5th and early 6th centuries, Geumgwan Gaya had reached a certain level of social complexity and stratification that it would classify as a “kingdom”, but these definitions are the kinds of things that social scientists would argue about endlessly. Evidence for a “Kingdom” comes in part from the way that Geumgwan Gaya is referenced in the Samguk Sagi and other histories, particularly in how its ruling elite is referred to as the royal ancestors of the Gimhae Kim clan.  Proponents also point to the elaborate graves, a large palace site (currently under excavation and renovation), the rich grave goods found in the tombs thought to be those of the royal elites, etc.  Other scholars are not so sure, however, and even if there was a nominal kingdom, it likely did not last very long before coming under the rule of Silla in the 6th century. Unlike the other kingdoms—Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo; the “Samguk”, or three countries, of the “Samguk Sagi”—Gaya does not have its own record in the histories.  The Samguk Yusa, which is of interest but also problematic in that it was clearly more about telling the miraculous tales of Buddhism than a strictly factual history, does have a bit about Gaya.  The author of the Samguk Yusa, the monk  Ilyeon, claimed that the information there was pulled from a no longer extant record called the Gayakgukki, or Record of the Gaya Kingdom, but the actual stories are not enough to tell us everything that happened.  Most of what we know comes from members of the Gaya Confederacy popping up in the records of other nations, including Baekje, Silla, Goguryeo, and Yamato.  For example, there are references in the Gwangaetto Stele from the 5th century, as well as plenty of references in the Nihon Shoki and the records in the Samguk Sagi.  This is a little bit better than some of the other groups mentioned as being on the Korean peninsula that are often referred to only one time before being completely forgotten. For us, the importance of Gaya is its links with Yamato.  Although it would seem that Nimna, in particular, had close ties with Yamato it is noteworthy that the Japanese word for the continent and things that would come from there—including the later Tang dynasty—is “Kara”.  “Kara-fu” generally refers to something that comes from China, but only because those things originally came through the peninsula and through Kara, or Gaya.  The port on Kyushu where the goods likely arrived before continuing up to modern Fukuoka is even today known as “Karatsu”, or “Kara Port”.  This lends credence to the idea that Nimna was likely at least a member of the Gaya confederacy. There are also deep similarities in many material items found in the peninsula and in the area of the Nakdong peninsula, including pottery, armor, horse gear, etc.  At the very least this indicates a close trading relationship, and combined with the account in the Weizhi, emphasizes the idea that this was likely the jumping off point for missions to the archipelago and vice versa. Perhaps more controversial is the idea that at least some members of the Gaya Confederacy, or the Byeonhan cultural group before it, may have been speakers of some kind of proto-Japonic.  There are also some that suggest there may have been ethnic Wa on the peninsula at an early point as well.  However, I would note that the Weizhi refers to this area specifically as being part of the “Han”, and that it was the jumping off point to find the lands of the Wa and eventually the lands of Yamato (or Yamatai), so make of that what you will.  All of this is well after the introduction of rice cultivation in Japan, focusing on the 3rd century onward, roughly corresponding to what we think of as the Kofun Period in Japan, and which was also a period of ancient mound-building on the Korean peninsula as well. All that aside, it is clear that Gaya was an important part of the makeup of the early Korean peninsula, and that much of that history is on display in modern Gimhae. Gimhae is one of plenty of places on the Korean peninsula for anyone with an interest in ancient history.  Besides the various museums, like the National Museum in Seoul, there are sites like Gyeongju, the home of the tombs of the Silla kings and the ancient Silla capital, and much more. Gimhae itself is home to the Royal Gaya Tombs, as well as archaeological remnants of an ancient settlement that was probably at least one of the early Gaya polities.  As I noted, Gimhae is more accurately the site of what is known in later historical entries as Geumgwan Gaya.  The earliest record of the Weizhi just says something like “Gü-lja-han” which likely means “Gaya Han”, or Gaya of Korea, referring at the time to the three Han of Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan.  That may or may not have referred to this particular place, as there are other Gaya sites along the coast and in the upper reaches of the Nakdong river.  However, given its placement on the shore, the site at Gimhae seems to have a good claim to be the point mentioned in the Wei Chronicles, which is why we also chose it as the first site on our journey. The characters for “Gimhae” translate into something like “Gold Sea”, but it seems to go back to the old name:  Geumgwan, as in Geumgwan Gaya.  It is part of the old Silla capital region.  “Geum” uses the same character as “Kim”, meaning “Gold” or “Metal”.  This is also used in the popular name “Kim”, which is used by several different lineage groups even today.  The “Sea” or “Ocean” character may refer to Gimhae's position near the ocean, though I don't know how relevant that was when the name “Gimhae” came into common usage. The museums and attractions around Gimhae largely focus on the royal tombs of the Geumgwan Gaya kingdom, which in 2023 were placed, along with seven other Gaya tomb sites, on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites.  Since they're so newly added, we did not see the kind of omnipresent UNESCO branding that we are used to seeing elsewhere, such as Nikko Toshogu or Angkor Wat, but taxi drivers certainly knew the UNESCO site and museum. For anyone interested in these tombs and in Gaya's early history, there are two museums you likely want to visit.  First off is the National Museum, which covers a wide swath of history, with tons of artifacts, well laid out to take you through the history of the Gaya Confederacy, from early pre-history times through at least the 7th century.  There is also a separate museum that specifically covers the Daeseong-dong tombs, which lay upon a prominent ridge on the western side of the city, north of a Gaya era settlement with a huge shell midden found at Bonghwang-dong, to the south, nearby an ongoing excavation of a potential palace site. These museums have some excellent displays, including pottery, metalwork, horse gear, armor, and even parts of an ancient boat.  As I noted earlier, these show a lot of similarity to items across the strait in the archipelago, though it is clear that Gaya had a lot more iron than their neighbors —in fact, they had so much that they would often line the bottom of tombs with iron ingots.  The displays emphasize that Gaya was really seen as a kind of ironworking center for the region, both the peninsula and the archipelago. The tombs, likewise, have some similarity to those in the archipelago—though not in the distinctive, keyhole shape.  Early tombs, from the 1st to 2nd century, were simply wooden coffins dug in a pit with a mound on top.  This became a wooden lined pit, where bodies and grave goods could be laid out, and then, in the 3rd century, they added subordinate pits just for the various grave goods.  In the 5th century this transitioned to stone-lined pit burial, and in the 6th century they changed to the horizontal entry style stone chamber tomb, before they finally stopped building them.  These seem to be similar to what we see in Silla, with wooden chamber tombs giving way to the horizontal entry style around the 5th and 6th centuries.  Meanwhile, Baekje and Goguryeo appear to have had horizontal style tombs for some time, and that may have been linked to Han dynasty style tombs in the area of the old Han commanderies—which I suspect might have spread with the old families of Han scribes and officials that were absorbed into various polities.  It is interesting to see both the similarities and differences between Gaya and Wa tombs in this period, particularly the transition to the horizontal entry style tombs, which I suspect indicates an outside cultural influence, like that of Silla—something that would also influence the burials in the archipelago.  At first, in the 4th to 5th centuries, we just see these style tombs starting to show up in Kyushu, particularly in the area of modern Fukuoka—one of the areas that we will hit at the end of this journey from the peninsula to the archipelago.  That may be from contact with Baekje or Goguryeo, or even from some other point, it is hard to tell.  By the 6th century, though, just as Silla and Gaya were doing, it seems that all of the archipelago was on board with this style of internal tomb structure. Another tomb style you can find in Gimhae is the dolmen.  These are megalithic—or giant rock—structures where typically a roof stone is held up by two or more other large stones.  In some cases these may have been meant as an above-ground monument, much like a structure such as Stonehenge.  On the other hand, in some cases they are the remains of a mound, where the mound itself has worn away.  Unfortunately, there was not as much information on them—it seems that dolmens were originally used before the mounded tomb period, but just what was a free-standing dolmen and what was an internal mound structure exposed by the elements I'm not sure I could say. If you visit the Daeseong-dong tombs, one of the things you may notice is the apparent lack of a tomb mound.  The attached museum explains much of this, though, in that over time the wooden pit-style tombs would often collapse in on themselves.  That, plus erosion and continued human activity in an area would often mean that, without upkeep, there would eventually be no mound left, especially if it wasn't particularly tall to start with. In an example where something like this might have happened, there is at least one tomb in the group that was clearly dug down into a previous burial chamber.  The excavators must have realized they were digging into another tomb, given that they would have pulled up numerous artifacts based on what was later found at the site, but they still carried on with the new tomb, apparently not having any concern for the previous one.  After all, there was only so much room up on the ridge for burials, at least towards the later periods.  This pair of “interlocking” tombs is housed inside a building with a viewing gallery, so you can see their layout and how the grave goods would have been arranged in period. One tomb that apparently kept a mound of some kind would appear to be that attributed to King Suro.  King Suro is the legendary founder of Geumgwan Gaya, mentioned in the 13th century Samguk Yusa, which was using an older record of the Gaya Kingdom as their source.  The area where the tomb is found is said to match up with the description in the Samguk Yusa, but I could find no definitive evidence of a previous tomb or what style it was—let alone the question of whether or not it was the tomb of King Suro of Geumgwan Gaya.  It was still a very impressive compound, though it seems most of the buildings are likely from a much more recent era. I suspect that King Suro remained an important story for the Gimhae Kim clan.  That clan, as mentioned earlier, claimed descent from the Kings of Geumgwan Gaya, of whom King Suro was supposedly the first. It is noteworthy that the Kim family of Geumgwan Gaya, known as the Gimhae Kim clan, was granted a high rank in Silla because they claimed descent from the “Kings” of Geumgwan Gaya.  As such Munmyeong, the sister of Kim Yusin, the general who helped Silla take over the peninsula, was apparently considered an appropriate consort to King Muyeol, and her son would become King Munmu.  This brought the Gimhae Kim clan into the Gyeongju Kim clan of Silla. Kim Busik, who put together the Samguk Sagi, was a member of the Gyeongju Kim clan, which claimed descent from those same kings.  He had plenty of reason to make sure that the Silla Kings looked good, and may have also had reason to prop up the leaders of Geumgwan Gaya as well, given the familial connections.  That said, there do seem to be some impressive tombs with rich grave goods, so there is that. In 1580 we are told that Governor Kim Heo-su, who counted himself a descendant of the Gimhae Kim clan, found the tomb of King Suro and repaired it, building a stone altar, a stone platform, and a tomb mound.  It is unclear from what I can find, though, just what he “found” and how it was identified with what was in the Samguk Yusa.  Even if there was something there, how had *that* been identified?  There seems to be plenty of speculation that this is not the actual resting place of the legendary king, Kim Suro, but it is certainly the place where he is worshipped.  The tomb was apparently expanded upon in later centuries, and today it is quite the facility, though much of it seems relatively recent, and hard to connect with the actual past. More important for that is probably what was found at Bonghwang-dong.  On this ridge, south of the tomb ridge, were found traces of buildings including pit style dwellings along with post-holes, indicating raised structures of some sort.  Today you can go and see interpreted reconstructions, based in part on some pottery models that had also been found from around that period.  Reconstructed buildings sit on either side of a hill, which is the main feature of a modern park.  It is a good place to get a sense of what was around that area, and you can hike to the top of the hill, which isn't that difficult a journey.  The trees do obstruct the view, somewhat, but you get a great sense for what a community there might have been like.  As I mentioned before, there is also a large excavation being carried out on what is believed to be some kind of royal palace structure, but unfortunately we likely won't know much more until later. Also next to the settlement is a giant shell mound.  We are talking over a football field long and several stories high of shells and bone, along with discarded pottery and other such things.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the contents of the shell mound appear to have been mixed at various stages, but it is still impressive, and they have an excellent display where you can see the mound cut away to demonstrate what a shell mound might look like. The shell mound apparently existed from the 1st to the 4th centuries.  This feels odd to me, given that I normally think of shell mounds as more connected to Jomon and similar sites, but it also makes sense that a community—particularly one with easy access to the sea—would have a lot of shells and it isn't like they had trash collectors coming to take away their garbage. Which brings me to another point:  Back in its heyday, Geumgwan Gaya was clearly on or very near the sea.  In modern times you can certainly see islands off the coast from the tops of some of these hills—and from the top of a mountain one might even make out Tsushima on a clear day.  However, today that ocean is several miles out. Back in the time of the Geumgwan Gaya, however, things were likely different.  The Nakdong river would have emptied out to the east into a large bay, with Geumgwan Gaya sitting comfortably at its head, with mountains on three sides and the ocean on the fourth.  This would have made it a great as a port town, as it not only had access to the Korean straits and the Pacific Ocean, but it also sat at the head of the river that connected many of the sites believed to be related to the ancient Gaya confederacy. Over time, however, the bay silted up, and/or sea levels dropped, and the area that would become the heart of modern Gimhae would find itself farther and farther away from the ocean, through no fault of their own.  That must have put a damper on their trade relationships, and I can't help but wonder if that was one of the reasons they eventually gave in to Silla and joined them. With its place at the head of the Nakdong river, Silla's control of Geumgwan Gaya likely made the rest of the Gaya polities' absorption much more likely, as most of the Gaya polities appear to have been laid out around the Nakdong river.  That would have been their lifeline to the ocean and maritime trade routes.  Without a cohesive state, they may not have been able to resist the more organized and coordinated armies of groups like Silla and Baekje, eventually falling under Silla's domain. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much online in English about Gimhae beyond the ancient connection to Geumgwan Gaya.  Specifically, I didn't find a lot of clear historical information about the city after coming under Silla rule.  It was apparently one of the “capitals” of the Silla region under Later or Unified Silla.  Though Silla tried to form the people of the three Han of Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla into a unified state, its central authority would eventually break down.  Baekje and Goguryeo would be briefly reconstituted before the Later Goguryeo throne was usurped by a man who would be known as Taejo, from Gaesong.  He would lead the first fully successful unification effort, and from the 10th century until the 14th the state was known as “Goryeo”, from which we get the modern name of “Korea”.  Goryeo started in Gaesong, but also rebuilt the ancient Goguryeo capital at Pyongyang, both up in what is today North Korea.  It eventually came under the thumb of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, and when that dynasty was overthrown by the Ming, Goryeo experienced its own instability, resulting in the Joseon dynasty, which moved the capital to the area of modern Seoul.  Given modern tensions between North and South Korea, I suspect that there is a fair bit of politics still wrapped up in the historiography of these periods, especially with each modern state having as their capitals one of the ancient capital city sites. As for Gimhae, I have very little information about the city during the Goryeo period.  Towards the end of the 14th century, we do see signs of possible conflict, though: There was a fortress built on the nearby hill, called Bunsanseong, in about 1377, though some claim that an older structure was there since the time of the old Gaya kingdom, which would make sense, strategically.  This fortress was severely damaged during Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea in the late 16th century—a not uncommon theme for many historical sites on the peninsula, unfortunately—and repaired in 1871.  The walls can still be seen from the city below. Stone walls were placed around the city in 1434 and improved in 1451.  Excavations on the wall were carried out in 2006 and the north gate, which was first renovated in 1666, was restored in 2008.   You can still visit it, north of the international markets, which includes a wet market along with various restaurants offering specialties from around Northeast Asia, including places like Harbin, in China. Near the north gate there is also a Confucian school, or hyanggyo.  The first iteration was probably built during the Goryeo dynasty, but whatever was there in the 16th century was also destroyed during Hideyoshi's invasion.  It would later be rebuilt in 1688 and relocated to the east until it burned down in 1769.  The following year it was rebuilt in its current location, north of the city gate.  The school contains examples of the classrooms along with a central Confucian shrine, and there are some similarities with similar Edo period institutions in Japan, which also based themselves off of a Confucian model. For those interested in more recent history, you may want to check out the Gimhae Folk Life Museum.  This covers some of the more recent folk traditions, clothing, and tools and home goods used up until quite recent times.  It may not be as focused on the ancient history of the area, but it certainly provides some insight into the recent history of the people of Gimhae. Today, Gimhae is a bustling city.  Not quite as big and bustling as Pusan or Seoul, but still quite modern.  You can easily get there by train from Busan or Gimhae International Airport, and there are plenty of options to stay around the city such that you can walk to many of the historical sites. For those used to traveling in Japan, there are both similarities and differences.  Alongside the ubiquitous Seven Eleven chains are the CU chain, formerly known as FamilyMart, and GS25, along with a few others.  Trains are fairly easy to navigate if you know where you want to go, as well – there's a convenient metro line that connects the airport to Gimhae city proper, and has stops right by the museums.  The KTX, the Korean Train eXpress, the high-speed rail, includes a line from Seoul to Busan.  And don't worry, from our experience there are no zombies on the train to- or from- Busan. Of course, in Korea they use Hangul, the phonetic Korean alphabet.  It may look like kanji to those not familiar with the language but it is entirely phonetic.  Modern Korean rarely uses kanji—or hanja, as they call it—though you may see some signs in Japanese or Chinese that will use it here and there.  In general, though, expect things to be in Korean, and there may or may not be English signs.  However, most of the historical sites we visited had decent enough signage that we only occasionally had to pull out the phone for translation assistance, and the museums are quite modern and have translation apps readily available with QR codes you can scan to get an English interpretation. Speaking of phones, make sure that you have one that will work in Korea or consider getting a SIM card when you get in, as you will likely want it for multiple reasons.  That said, a lot of things that travelers rely on won't work in Korea unless you have the Korean version.  For instance, Google Maps will show you where things are but it can't typically navigate beyond walking and public transit directions.  For something more you'll want the Korean app, Naver.  We did okay, for the most part, on Google Maps, but Naver is specifically designed for South Korea. Likewise, hailing a cab can be a bit of a chore.  Don't expect your Uber or Lyft apps to work—you'll need to get a Korean taxi app if you want to call a taxi or you'll need to do it the old fashioned way—call someone up on the telephone or hail one on the streets, which can be a tricky business depending on where you are. On the topic of streets: In Gimhae, many of the streets we were walking on did not have sidewalks, so be prepared to walk along the side of the road.   We didn't have much trouble, but we were very conscious of the traffic. Another note in Gimhae is the food.  Korea is host to a wide variety of foods, and Gimhae can have many options, depending on what you are looking for.  Near our hotel there were traditional Korean restaurants as well as places advertising pizza, Thai, and burgers.  Up in the main market area, you can find a wide variety of food from around Asia.  Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Nepal, and many more were represented, as well as Russian and Chinese cuisines. That said, our breakfast options were not so bountiful.  Our hotel, which gave us our own private hot tub, like a private onsen, did not serve breakfast, but there were a few cafes around where you could get a drink and a light meal in the morning,  and there were some pork Gukbab places, where you would put cooked rice in a pork bone broth for a hearty and delicious morning meal.  That said, if you waited a little later, there is a Krispy Kreme for those craving donuts, and a few French-inspired Korean bakeries, such as the chain, Tous les Jours, which is always a tasty go-to spot. If you prefer a wider variety of food you can choose to stay in Busan proper, instead.  It isn't that far, and you can take the train over to Gimhae in the morning.  However, I would recommend at least two days to see most of the Gaya related sites, and maybe a third or fourth if you want to chase down everything in the city. There is also an interesting amusement park that we did not get the chance to experience but may be of interest:  the Gimhae Gaya Theme Park.  This appears to be a series of interpretations of different Gaya buildings along with a theme park for kids and adults, including rope bridges, light shows, and some cultural performances.  It looked like it might be fun, but since we had limited time we decided to give it a pass this time around. In Busan, there are many other things to do, including museums, folk villages, and an aquarium along the beach.  Busan station is also conveniently located next to the cruise port, where ships depart daily for Japan.  This includes typical cruise ships, as well as various ferries.  For instance, there is a ferry to Hakata, in Fukuoka city, as well as an overnight ferry that takes you through the Seto Inland sea all the way to Osaka.  For us, however, we had booked the jetfoil to Hitakatsu, on the northern tip of Tsushima island – a very modern version of the Gishiwajinden account of setting sail in a rickety ship. Unfortunately, as we were preparing for our journey, disaster struck—the kind of thing that no doubt befell many who would dare the crossing across the waters.  Strong winds out in the strait were making the water choppy, and it was so bad that they decided to cancel all of the ferries for that day and the next.  It made me think of the old days, when ships would wait at dock as experienced seamen kept their eye on the weather, trying to predict when it would be fair enough to safely make the crossing.  This was not always an accurate prediction, though, since on the open ocean, squalls can blow up suddenly.  In some cases people might wait months to make the crossing. Since we didn't have months, and had a lot to see in Tsushuma, we opted for another, very modern route: we booked airplane tickets and left from Gimhae airport to Fukuoka, where we transitioned to a local prop plane for Tsushima.  You might say: why not just fly to Tsushima? But Tsushima doesn't have an international airport, and only serves Japanese domestic destinations. Hence the detour to Fukuoka, where we went through Japanese immigration and had a very nice lunch while we waited for our second, short flight. Even that was almost cancelled due to the winds at Tsushima, with a disclaimer that the plane might have to turn around if the weather was too bad.  Fortunately, we were able to make it, though coming into Tsushima airport was more than a little hair-raising as the small plane came in over the water and cliffs and dodged some pretty substantial updrafts before touching down on a tiny airstrip. And with that, we made our crossing to Tsushima island.  Or perhaps it is better to call them “islands” now, since several channels have been dug separating the north and south parts of Tsushima.  It wasn't quite how we had planned to get there, but we made it – and that kind of adaptability is very much in keeping with how you had to travel in the old days! One more comment here about the Korean Peninsula and Tsushima:  while we never had a day clear enough, it seems obvious that from a high enough vantage point in Gimhae or Gaya, one could see Tsushima on a clear day.  This is something I had speculated, but as we traveled it became clear.  Tsushima is actually closer to the Korean Peninsula than to Kyushu, a fact that they point out.  And so it was likely visible enough to people who knew what they were looking for. And yet, I imagine being on a small boat, trying to make the journey, it must have been something.  You hopefully had a good navigator, because if you went off in the wrong direction you could end up in the East Sea—known in Japan as the Japan Sea—or worse.    If you kept going you would probably eventually reach the Japanese archipelago, but who knows what might have happened in the meantime.  It is little wonder that ships for the longest time decided to use Tsushima and Iki as stepping stones between the archipelago and the continent. And with that, I think we'll leave it.  From Gimhae and Pusan, we traveled across to Tsushima, which has long been the first point of entry into the archipelago from the continent, often living a kind of dual life on the border.  Tsushima has gotten famous recently for the “Ghost of Tsushima” video game, set on the island during the Mongol Invasion – we haven't played it, but we understand a lot of the landscape was reproduced pretty faithfully. From there we (and the ancient chroniclers) sailed to Iki.  While smaller than Tsushuma, Iki was likely much more hospitable to the Yayoi style of rice farming, and the Harunotsuji site is pretty remarkable. Modern Karatsu, the next stop, is literally the Kara Port, indicating that the area has deep connections to the continent.  It is also the site of some of the oldest rice paddies found on the archipelago, as well as its own fascinating place in later history.  Continuing north along the coast of Kyushu is another area with evidence of ancient Yayoi and Kofun communities in Itoshima, thought to be the ancient country of Ito.  Here you can find some burial mounds, as well as the site where archaeologists found one of the largest bronze mirrors of the ancient archipelago.  Finally, we ended up in Fukuoka, where the seal of the King of Na of Wa was found. We ended our trip in Fukuoka, but the historical trail from Na, or Fukuoka, to quote-unquote “Yamatai” then goes a bit hazy.  As we discussed in an earlier episode, there are different theories about where Yamatai actually was.  There is the Kyushu theory, which suggests that Yamatai is somewhere on Kyushu, with many trying to point to the Yayoi period site of Yoshinogari, though there are plenty of reasons why that particular site is not exactly a good candidate.  Then there are various paths taking you to Honshu, and on to Yamato.  Those are much more controversial, but the path to at least Na seems mostly agreed on, especially since that was largely the path that individuals would follow for centuries onwards, including missions to and from the Tang dynasty, the Mongols during their attempted invasion, and even the various missions from the Joseon dynasty during the Edo period.  Today, modern transportation, such as the airplane, means that most people just go directly to their destination, but there are still plenty of reasons to visit these locations.  It was a lot of fun to sail from place to place and see the next island – or kingdom – emerging on the horizon. Next episode we will talk about Tsushima and give you an idea of what that island has in store for visitors; especially those with an interest in Japanese history. Until then, thank you for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to Tweet at us at @SengokuPodcast, or reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

*) US says ‘no way' to solve conflict without Palestinian state There is “no way” to solve Israel's long-term security challenges in the region and the short-term challenges of rebuilding besieged Gaza without the establishment of a Palestinian state, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference he had told Washington that he objected to any Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel's security. *) Israel's war on Gaza to hit economies across Middle East: Qatar The war in Gaza will hit economies across the Middle East if it is not resolved and the conflict urgently needs a non-military solution, Qatar's Finance Minister Ali al Kuwari said. He also noted that the solution is really to look for a permanent solution for the main issue in the Middle East which is the Palestinian problem. Al Kuwari added this cannot be fixed by military actions. *) North Korea says tested ‘underwater nuclear weapon system' North Korea has tested an “underwater nuclear weapon system” in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, which involved a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, state media said. The drills were “seriously threatening the security” of the North, so in response, Pyongyang “conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system in the East Sea of Korea,” according to the country's defence ministry. North Korea has been stepping up pressure on Seoul in recent weeks, declaring it the “principal enemy,” saying the North will never reunite with the South and vowing to enhance its military capabilities. *) Pakistan strikes show Iran not ‘well-liked' in region: Biden US President Joe Biden has said air strikes by Pakistan and Iran on each other's territory showed Tehran was not “well-liked,” as the White House warned against any escalation. The US president stressed that Washington was now trying to understand how the Iran-Pakistan situation would develop, adding: “Where that goes we're working on now – I don't know where that goes.” Tensions between Islamabad and Tehran have soared after Iran struck alleged militant targets in Pakistan and Pakistan responded in kind. And finally… *) Türkiye propels into space history with launch of country's first astronaut Colonel Alper Gezeravci, a fighter pilot in the Turkish Air Force, has blasted off to space for a two-week mission in the International Space Station, putting Türkiye among the group of nations that have successfully sent astronauts into space. Colonel Gezeravci told TRT World in an exclusive interview that “it's a very symbolic, important step. However, it's not the last. It's the beginning of a journey for our great country.” Gezeravci's highly anticipated first remarks in space were an echo from the early years of the Turkish Republic, as he quoted the country's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk: “İstikbal göklerdedir (meaning, the future is in the skies)!"

The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Last updated : 2023.08.31 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Last updated : 2023.07.19 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Last updated : 2023.07.12 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

One or two typhoons and tropical depressions may develop in or enter the East Sea during July, potentially affecting the northern and central regions of Vietnam, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Tian Guan Ci Fu/ Heaven Official's Blessing English audiobook chapter 118. https://youtu.be/SFdvfVNYBAE

APAC stocks initially opened lower but eventually traded mixed as the region pondered over the latest US CPI report and Wall Street losses.FOMC Minutes suggested several participants noted they considered whether it would be appropriate to leave rates unchanged at the meeting.DXY traded on either side of 101.50 after finding support at yesterday's low of 101.44, EUR/USD failed to breach resistance 1.1000.European equity futures are indicative of a mixed open, with Euro Stoxx 50 futures +0.2% (post-LVMH earnings) after cash markets closed flat on Wednesday.North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea, the missile is suspected to be an ICBM whilst reports suggested it was a new weapon systemLooking ahead, highlights include German Final CPI, UK GDP Estimate, EZ Industrial Production, US PPI, US IJC, OPEC MOMR, speeches from BoC's Macklem, BoE's Pill, supply from the UK, Italy, and the US.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

When studying mokuhanga, whether you're an academic, a creator, or for general interest, there are some scholars and academics that are mandatory in your studies.  Claire Cuccio is that particular scholar. Currently based in Seattle, and working in international education for 20 years, Claire has been a resident in Asia as an Asian print and handcraft culture specialist and cultural heritage educator. While also working for the International Mokuhanga Conference and conducting research on Nepalese woodblock print culture, Claire has been an asset to the mokuhanga community for some time.  On this episode I speak with Claire about how she got involved in studying print culture in Japan and Asia. We talk on the sensibility of mokuhanga and how Claire is driven by her personal relationships. We also discuss the economics of mokuhanga history and her work with Nepalese printmaker, Kabi Raj Lama.  Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me at theunfinishedprint@gmail.com  Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Claire Cuccio  - her International Mokuhanga Conference lecture from 2022 can be found, here. Claire's work with woodpaperhand can be found here which contains links to many of her projects and lectures.  The New Yorker -  is a weekly magazine which began publishing in 1925 in the United States. It is published by Condé Nast. It is a magazine that covers American and world politics, culture, and arts from around the world, and New York City.  Washington University in St. Louis - is an acclaimed private research university located in St Louis, Missouri, USA. It has an edownment of 13.3 billion. The school covers many subjects and career paths such as medicine and law. More information can be found on their website, here. Myōjō - (明星) was a monthly literary and arts magazine based in Japan. It began publication in 1900 but ended its run in 1908.  It was published by Shinshisha. It was revived twice from 1921-1927, and from 1947-49 by different publishers. The magazine was made famous because of the first sōsaku hanga print ever made by Yamamoto Kanae, “The Fisherman.”  Myōjō cover from February, 1901 Harpers - is a monthly magazine in the United States, published by Harper Collins and was founded in 1850. The magazine covers politics, culture, art, history amongst other subjects. More info can be found, here. Yosano Akiko (1878-1942) - was the pen name of Shō Hō, a Japanese poet, pacifict and feminist. Her work was in the tanka format of poetry, which is 5-7-5-7-7. The Masterclass website has an interesting article describing tanka poetry, here. Tekkan Yosano (1873-1935)- was the husband of Yosano Akiko. He too was a poet and activist in early Twentieth Century Japan. As Claire mentions in her interview, Tekkan founded Myōjō in 1900.  sōsaku-hanga - or creative prints, is a style of printmaking which is predominantly, although not exclusively, prints made by one person. It started in the early twentieth century in Japan, in the same period as the shin-hanga movement. The artist designs, carves, and prints their own works. The designs, especially in the early days, may seem rudimentary but the creation of self-made prints was a breakthrough for printmakers moving away from where only a select group of carvers, printers and publishers created woodblock prints.  Fujishima Takeji (1867-1943)  - was a Japanese painter. He studied Western painting (yōga) in the Romantic and impressionistic styles, but also painted Japanese themes. He made mokuhanga during the sōsaku hanga period of Japanese printing, carved and printed himself.  Dawn Drizzle at Kawaramachi (1934) Ishii Hakutei (1882-1958) - was a Japanese painter who studied Western style painting. He became editor of the first incarnation of Myōjō in 1900, helping to publish Kanae's “Fisherman” print. Hakutei is famous for his Twelve Views of Tōkyō prints which he printed himself.  Twelve Views of Tōkyō: Yanagibashi (1910) Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS) - located on the campus at Doshisha University, the KCJS is a fully immersive langauge school both culturally and linguistically. It has 13 member universities from the United States. More info can be found, here. Henry Smith II - is a professor emeritus at Columbia University. The article he wrote about the hanmoto system and Watanabe Shōzaburō (1885-1962) can be found, here.  Rebecca Salter - is the President of The Royal Academy of Arts, in London, England. She is also an artist who has written two books about Japanese woodblock printing, Japanese Woodblock Printing (2001), and Japanese Popular Prints (2006). She worked with the Satō Woodblock Print Workshop, documenting their process. Her interview with The Unfinished Print can be found, here.  shadow cast one (2015) Satō woodblock workshop - is a traditional Japanese woodblock production house based in Kyōto, Japan. Here is an article from The Journal of Modern Craft with Rebecca Salter regarding this workshop.  International Society for Education Through Art (InSEA) - is a non governmental, associated with the United Nations, organization which tries to promote creative education around the world via events. They work with 70 countries from around the world. Find out more about what they do at their website, here. Moya Bligh (1954-2009) - was an Irish mokuhanga printmaker based in Kyoto. She lived in Japan for 30 years, having moved there permanently in the 1980's. A graduate of Tama Art University, Moya studied with Akira Kurosaki (1937-2019) and regularly conducted mokuhanga workshops in Ireland and Japan. Ms. Bligh's legacy in mokuhanga continues to this day. Beyond Wood 1 (2002) Kyoto Seika University - is a private university based in Kyōto, Japan. It is a university focused on art and scholarship. More info, here.  Elizabeth Forrest - is an award-winning Canadian artist and mokuhanga prinmaker. She has been producing mokuhanga since the late 1980's when she lived and studied in Kyōto. She has studied with the late Akira Kurosaki. More info about Elizabeth's work can be found, here.  Glancing North II (2009) Keiko Kadota (1942-2017) - was the director of Nagasawa Art Park at Awaji City from 1997-2011, and then of MI Lab at Lake Kawaguchi from 2011 until her passing. Uchiwa fans - are a craft style of hand held fan commonly seen in the summer time in Japan. There are several types of uchiwa fans, according to Kogei Japan. First, is Chinese inspired, second, is Southern inspired, and lastly, Korean inspired. Uchiwa fans are shaped like a ping pong paddle. There are various styles of fans in Japan. More info about uchiwa fans and others can be found here at Japanobjects.com. New Year Card - called nengajo (年賀状) in Japanese, these cards have been traditionally passed from person to person since the Heian Period (794-1185). Mokuhanga practitioners make them as well, creating a new one every year focusing on the zodiac sign of the year as a theme. Kyōto Handicraft Center - opened  in 1967, it is a center dedicated to the traditional crafts of Japan. Located near the Heian Shrine in central Kyōto they offer work shops, food, a restaurant, and a bookshop for national and international tourists. On their website in English you can order from their online shop, shipping internationally. More info, here.  Kamigata Ukiyo-e Museum - is mokuhanga museum in Ōsaka that focuses on ukiyo-e era woodblock prints of actors. It is made up of four floors with a rotating exhibition and demonstration space. It's near the Dōntombori, a canal which runs from the Dōtonbori Bridge to Nipponbashi Bridge. It is a tourist hotspot in Ōsaka. More info, in Japanese, here.  Terry McKenna - is a mokuhanga printmaker based in Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan. He studied under Kyōto-based mokuhanga artist Richard Steiner. Terry also runs his own mokuhanga school in Karuizawa. His interview with The Unfinished Print can be found, here. Richard Steiner's interview with The Unfinished Print can be found, here.  Beyond Raging Waves (2017) David Bull - is a Canadian woodblock printmaker, and educator who lives and works in Japan. His love of mokuhanga has almost singlehandedly promoted the art form around the world. His company, Mokuhankan, has a brick and mortar store in Asakusa, Tōkyō, and online, here.  The Seacoast in Summer (2007-9) Doi Hangaten -  is a mokuhanga print publisher located in Tōkyō, Japan. Once a publisher of prints associated with the shin-hanga movement of the ealry twentieth century, the company continues to publish reproductions of famous Japanese prints, in the old ways. Most recently, the Doi family have collaborated with David Bull and Mokuhankan to publish new verions of some of the old blocks from almost 100 years ago. More info about the Doi Hangaten can be found here, here and here. The collaboration videos produced by Mokuhankan regarding the Doi family and the subsequant collaboration can be found, here.      Matsushima (1936)   Was designed by Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949), and printed by Mokuhankan with Shun Yamamoto, who is himself an accomplished printmaker.  The Adachi Institute of Woodblock Prints - is a print studio located in Tōkyō. Established in 1994 in order to promote and preserve the colour woodblock print of Japan. More information, in English and in Japanese.  Narita, Chiba, Japan - is a city located roughly 70km from the city of Tōkyō. Known predominantly as the home to Narita International Airport. The city and its environs have a long and rich history unto itself. For tourist information,  here. For the history of protest in the area, here. Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was an influential artist and filmmaker who ushered in the genre of art, considered as "pop art."     Sunset Series (1972) screen-print   Kabi Raj Lama  - is a Nepalese printmaker based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has lived and worked in Japan studying mokuhanga, has travelled the world involved in art residences, studying printmaking. Lama works in intaglio, screen-printing, lithography, and mokuhanga. See Claire's above video from the IMC about Kabi Raj Lama's life and history. HIs Instagram can be found, here.     Kabiraj 5 (2017)   The Kentler International Drawing Space - is an art gallery located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York. It has hosted several mokuhanga centred exhibitions. The most recent was Between Worlds as hosted by The Mokuhanga Sisters, from July 17 - July 31, 2022. More info, here.    The Mokuhanga Sisters - are a mokuhanga collective consisting of Yoonmi Nam, Mariko Jesse, Lucy May Schofield, Melissa Schulenberg, Kate MacDonagh, Katie Baldwin, Mia-O, Patty Hudak, and Natasha Norman. website,  Instagram   Between Worlds - was a mokuhanga specific show hosted by the Kentler International Drawing Space from July 17 - July 31, 2022.    Books Kinokuniya - is a Japanese chain of bookstores located throughout every Prefecture in Japan and around the world. More info, here.    Peter Ujlaki - is a gallerist and scholar based in Ashiya, Hyōgō, Japan. His website Osakaprints.com has been an asset when researching and discussing prints from the Kamigata (Kansai) region of Japan. His website buys and sells prints from the above region of Kyoto, Ōsaka, and Kobe. The history of woodblock prints from this region is different than of Tōkyō. You can find Peter's wesbite, here.   senjafuda - are the votive slips Claire brings up in her interview. These were hand printed slips pasted by the worshipper onto the Buddhist temple of their choosing. These slips had many different subjects such as ghosts, Buddhist deities, and written characters. Japan Experience has bit of history of senjafuda, here.   The Bai people - are an ethnic group located in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hunan Provinces of China. The Bai people have unique festivals, foods, and architecture.    Nishiki-e (錦絵) - is the Japanese phrase for multi-colour woodblock prints, otherwise known as brocade pictures.    Sea of Japan - is a body of water which lies beteween Japan, the two Koreas, and Russia. It is predominantly referred to as the Sea of Japan but is also known as the East Sea or Korean East Sea. The dispute of naming rights is on going.    International Mokuhanga Conference - is a bi-yearly conference dedicated to mokuhanga which started in 2011 by the International Mokuhanga Association. Each conference is themed. The latest conference was in 2021, delayed a year because of the pandemic. More information can be found, here.     Tuula Moilanen - is a Finnish mokuhanga printmaker and painter based in Finland. She lived and studied in Kyōto from 1989-2012,  where she learned her printmaking at Kyōto Seika University and from printmaker Akira Kurosaki (1937-2019). Her work can be found, here.   Return To Home (2014)   geidai (芸大) -  is the Japanese word for “arts college.”    Lauren Pearlman Sugita - is the owner and operator of the Japanese paper educator and supplier, Paper Connection. Based in Rhode Island, USA, Paper Connection has been supplying artists and educators with paper from many countries for over thirty years. More info can be found, here.  Echizen - is a region in Fukui Prefecture, Japan associated with Japanese paper making. It has a long history of paper making. There are many paper artisans in the area. One famous paper maker is Iwano Ichibei. He is a Living National Treasure in paper making, and the ninth generation of his family is still making paper today. More info can be found here in English, and here in Japanese.  hosho paper - is a handmade and machine made paper from Japan used for printmaking. Some information can be found here. Ibe Kyoko -  is a Japanese artist who works with washi, Japanese paper. She produces installations, prints, stage art, and Japanese folding screens (byōbu). You can find more information about her work on her website, here. An interview with the artist can be found here, at the Noyes Museum of Art in Stockton.   Recycling Washi Tales - is a performance piece by Kyoko Ibe and playwright Elise Thoron,  made about Japanese paper making and with washi. It is four stories, narrated,  taking the observer through different parts of Japanese paper history. More info can be found here on PBS.    Vietnamese paper (dó) - a great video from Business Insider,  here, about the history and modern production of Vietnamese paper in Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam. Vietnamese paper goes as far back as the 13th Century with book making and folk art. Information regarding the Zó Project, a non profit for preserving traditional Vietnamese paper, mentioned in the video can be found, here.   BlueCat Paper -  is a paper company based in Bangalore, India. They make various handmade paper in India, different shapes and colours. They upcycle their paper, meaning that everything is reused in the making of their paper. More info can be found, here.   handmade paper from Laos - South East Asia has had a tradition of papermaking for 700 years. Laotian paper is made of mulberry. More info can be found, here   handmade paper from Bhutan -  Bhutan has a history of handmade paper using the Daphne plant. Stemming from the eighth century, papermaking in Bhutan is made throughout the country. In 1990 the Bhutanese Travel and Tourist Agency wanted to preserve Bhutanese handmade paper. They sent Norbu Tenzin to learn papermaking in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. More info can be found at thre North Bengal Tourism site, here.   Lokta paper - is a Nepalese paper which also uses the bark of the Daphne tree. It is usually sold with various prints and designs.  More info can be found at Paper Connection, here.   © Popular Wheat Productions opening and closing musical credit - Stakes Is High, the instrumental by James Dewitt Yancey [J Dilla] (1974-2006). This beat was used by De La Soul, and released on the record Stakes Is High (1996) released by Tommy Boy Records. RIP David Jude Jolicoeur [Trugoy the Dove] (1968-2023) logo designed and produced by Douglas Batchelor and André Zadorozny  Disclaimer: Please do not reproduce or use anything from this podcast without shooting me an email and getting my express written or verbal consent. I'm friendly :) Слава Україну If you find any issue with something in the show notes please let me know. ***The opinions expressed by guests in The Unfinished Print podcast are not necessarily those of André Zadorozny and of Popular Wheat Productions.***      

Ordinary weapons could equip the little monkeys, but they were no match for Wu Kong's immense powers. In search of his dream weapon, the Monkey King looked to his next door neighbor - Dragon King of the East Sea. The Fifth Monkey presents: Journey to the West - an Audio Drama Series Bringing China's most influential fantasy adventure to your ears, with an original translation right from its source text. The Fifth Monkey is a multinational team dedicated to this project. ⁠⁠Follow us on Twitter⁠⁠ for the latest news. For full English subtitles, please visit ⁠⁠our Youtube Channel⁠⁠. Support us on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠our homepage⁠⁠ to find us on other platforms.

Shellos and Gastrodon, East Sea and West Sea.The Pokémon that challenged the world!Get in touch!twitter: https://twitter.com/LukeLovesPKMNfacebook: https://facebook.com/LukeLovesPKMNWatch my streams!twitch.tv/lukelovespkmnSupport the show!https://patreon.com/PodcastioPodcastius

Korea24 – 2022.11.18 (Friday) News Briefing: North Korea fired another intercontinental ballistic missile into the East Sea on Friday morning. South Korea and the US launched aerial exercises in response. (Koo Hee-jin) In-Depth News Analysis (Weekly Economy Review): One of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange platforms, FTX, filed for bankruptcy last week. It has renewed concerns about the safety and value of cryptocurrencies, with even financial authorities here in Korea expressing caution. We take a closer look with Economics Professor Yang Jun-sok from the Catholic University of Korea. We also discuss the situation concerning the rising price of milk in South Korea. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. More intercity buses in Gyeonggi province have adopted a no standing policy. (경기 광역버스 입석 중단 첫날…출근길 일부 승객 불편) 2. Residents in Incheon, Gimpo, and Seoul suffered from strong malodor on Thursday due to an odorant leak at the metropolitan landfill in Incheon. (“이상한 냄새가 나요” 인천 한 구청에만 민원 수백건...악취의 정체는) 3. The Korea Football Association revealed that the national team had been eating chicken and beef, but no pork, in Doha ahead of the Qatar World Cup. (대표팀 돼지고기 없는 식단 공개... 점심은 닭, 저녁은 소) Movie Spotlight: A remake of the hit melodrama, “Ditto (동감)”, hit cinemas this week. Critics Jason Bechervaise and Marc Raymond join us this week to give their thoughts on how it compares to the 2000 original. They also review “The Apartment With Two Women (같은 속옷을 입는 두 여자)”, a family drama, which won a record five awards at the Busan International Film Festival last year. Next Week From Seoul with Richard Larkin: - The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks off on Sunday. - Starting Monday, South Korea will enter a four week ‘intensive COVID-19 vaccination period’ with bivalent booster shots available without reservation. - The Bank of Korea will announce its last rate hike decision of the year on Thursday. - Emergency response officials will appear for questioning on Monday over the Itaewon crowd crush disaster.

Last updated : 2022.11.09 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Korea24 – 2022.11.03 (Thursday) News Briefing: North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday morning, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, which failed mid-flight, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Koo Hee-jin) In-Depth News Analysis 1: North Korea’s provocations have escalated to new heights after it launched dozens of missiles in the past two days, including a failed ICBM launch and a missile which landed past the de facto inter-Korean maritime border for the 1st time on Wednesday. To discuss why Pyongyang may be stepping up such action, Professor Brian Myers from Dongseo University joins us on the line. In-Depth News Analysis 2 (Korean Politics Digest): Discussions continue on who should be held responsible for the Itaewon crowd crush disaster. Opposition party lawmakers are calling for the sacking of national police chief Yoon Hee-keun and the interior minister Lee Sang-min. Law Professor Song Se-ryun from Kyunghee University and Affiliate Professor Kim Byoung-joo from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies joins us to discuss the political ramifications of the disaster, and comparisons on the fallout from the 2014 Sewol Ferry disaster. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. Seoul City has decided to review the safety of subway stations that draw large crowds following the Itaewon crowd crush incident. (서울시, 신도림역·사당역·종로3가역 '지옥철' 점검한다) 2. Fly Gangwon has extended the suspension of flights between Yangyang and cities in Vietnam until mid-November after some 100 foreign passengers who entered Korea have gone AWOL. (종적 끊긴 100여 명...불법 체류 통로 '양양 국제공항') 3. Son Heung-Min's participation at the Qatar 2022 World Cup is in doubt after confirmation that he needs surgery for a fracture around his left eye. (손흥민 '안면 골절' 결국 수술)

Korea24 – 2022.10.11 (Tuesday) News Briefing: President Yoon Suk Yeol responded to North Korea's announcement of its recent tactical nuclear weapons training, saying that the regime will gain nothing from its nuclear program. This comes as North Korean state media on Monday reported on massive military drills that lasted more than two weeks. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected the training, and noted that he has no plans to talk to enemies. The state-run media said that the ballistic missile tests included a "simulation of loading tactical nuclear warheads," hinting at the North's short-range nuclear striking capabilities. (Eunice Kim) In-Depth News Analysis: President Yoon Suk Yeol said North Korea has nothing to gain from nuclear weapons, as North Korea unveiled photos of missile drills with its leader, Kim Jong-un. The North Korean leader said the drills demonstrated the country’s nuclear ability while saying there is nothing to discuss with his enemies. Professor Robert Kelly from Pusan National University joins the show to discuss the escalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Korea Trending with Jenny Suh: 1. While we are seeing less cases of COVID-19 worldwide, another fatal virus is spreading in Africa. The Ebola virus, with an average fatality rate of 50%, has already claimed 30 livesin Uganda over the last month. (에볼라 확산 주의보) 2. A teenager in Ulsan called the police pretending he was talking to his mother on the phone. The police tracked his phone to get him out of a potentially dangerous situation. (“어머니, 어머니…” 떨리는 112전화, 경찰이 눈치챘다) 3.Shin Hye-sung, a member of the long-running idol group Shinhwa, has been apprehended for refusing to take a breathalyzer after driving under the influence. His management company officially apologized. (신혜성, 음주운전 체포 사과) Touch Base In Seoul: KBS WORLD Radio’s seventh Korean Language Speech Contest attracted participants from all around the world. Faith Lwayo, a medical student from South Africa who also goes by her Korean name 초미, is one of the finalists for this year’s contest. To tell us more about how she encountered the Korean language and how she became a finalist in this year’s Korean Language Speech Contest, Faith Lwayo joins us via video. Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin: - Choi Jae-hee from the Korea Herald writes about how some 30% percent of international schools in Korea were found to have been using textbooks that refer to the East Sea and the Sea of Japan. - In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Park Han-sol writes about next year's trends as predicted by the upcoming book “Trend Korea 2023.”

Last updated : 2022.10.07 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Last updated : 2022.10.06 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Last updated : 2022.10.05 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Trending Middle East brings you the latest social media and search trends from the Middle East and around the world. On today's episode, Tesla founder Elon Musk is going ahead with his offer to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share. The proposed deal matches the price Mr Musk made to the social platform in April.   South Korea and the US have fired missiles into the sea in response to North Korea's launch of a missile over Japan for the first time in five years. The missiles were fired into the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.   US actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie detailed abuse claims against Brad Pitt in a court filing. The descriptions were contained in a cross-complaint Jolie filed in their dispute over a French home and winery they co-owned.   A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near Khowy in Iran's West Azerbaijan, with no initial reports of damage. The quake was about 11.6 kilometres from the village of Khowy and at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Last updated : 2022.09.30 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Korea24 – 2022.09.28 (Wednesday) News Briefing: North Korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile into the East Sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday afternoon. This comes just three days after the regime's last provocation and amid ongoing South Korea-US naval exercises. (Eunice Kim) In-Depth News Analysis: Korean stock markets continued to freefall on Wednesday. The Korean won also continued to weaken against the US dollar, to the lowest point in 13 and a half years. Meanwhile, concerns of a global recession are mounting in the wake of aggressive monetary tightening around the world. To discuss the risks facing the local economy, Daniel Yoo, Head of Global Asset Allocation at Yuanta Securities and Professor Yang Jun-sok from the Catholic University of Korea join us on the line. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. Seoul city unveiled plans to allow only eco-friendly cars to operate within the capital from 2050 in order to improve the city’s air quality. (2050년, 서울에서 경유·휘발유 차량 완전 퇴출한다) 2. South Korea defeated Cameroon 1-0 in the final tuneup match before the World Cup, but fans were disappointed that two young talents did not play. (벤투호, 카메룬전 1-0 승리, 이강인은 결장) 3. Police have requested an arrest warrant for Korean composer and music producer Don Spike for drug use and possession. (‘마약 체포’ 돈스파이크, 필로폰 1000회 투약분 소지) Korea Book Club: Literary translator Beth Eunhee Hong takes over as our special contributor for the monthly edition of the club! In this first edition as a regular, she brings us “불편한 편의점 (Inconvenient Convenience Store)” by Kim Ho-yeon, a bestseller about everyday people Korea, that has already spurred a sequel.

Korea24 – 2022.09.26 (Monday) News Briefing: South Korean stock markets nosedived on Monday amid the weakening Korean won against the US dollar. The KOSPI and KOSDAQ plunged more than 3 and 5 percent respectively. (Eunice Kim) In-Depth News Analysis: North Korea fired one unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Sunday morning, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. It comes after the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group arrived in Busan on Friday to hold combined drills with the South Korean Navy. To assess the ramifications of the North's latest provocation, retired US Army Special Forces Colonel and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, David Maxwell, joins us in the studio. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. A girl believed to be the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared on stage at an official event in Pyongyang recently, according to the Daily Mail. ("北김정은 딸 추정 소녀, 정권 수립 기념 행사서 무대 올라") 2. Two Liberian officials visiting Busan for an international forum have been arrested for the alleged sexual assault of two minors. (부산서 여중생 성폭행한 라이베리아 공무원 구속) 3. Blackpink has become the first K-pop girl group to top the Billboard 200 albums chart with their second album “Born Pink”. (블랙핑크, K팝 걸그룹 최초 빌보드 메인 앨범차트 1위) Monday Sports Round-up: Sports journalist Yoo Jee-ho from the Yonhap News Agency joins us on the line to go over South Korea’s 2-2 draw with Costa Rica last Friday, as well as preview Tuesday’s match against Cameroon, the last of Korea’s World Cup tuneup matches. We also discuss the fight for the playoff spots in the KBO and how Korean golfers fared in the Presidents Cup. Morning Edition Preview with Chris Welsh: - Tomorrow’s Korea Herald features a report by Yoon Min-sik on the continuing influence of YouTube in Korean politics.

Korea24 – 2022.05.25. (Wednesday) News Briefing: North Korea launched three ballistic missiles in quick succession toward the East Sea on Wednesday morning, including one believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). (Eunice KIM) In-Depth News Analysis: South Korea's first-ever lunar orbiter, recently named ‘Danuri’, is set to lift off in the U.S. in August. Meanwhile, it was confirmed on Wednesday that South Korea’s first homegrown space rocket, ‘Nuri’, will get a second chance for a successful launch on June 15th. To learn more about the significance of these launches, Professor Kwon Se-jin (권세진) from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) joins us on the line. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. A shooting at a US elementary school in Texas has left at least 22 people dead, including 19 children and the gunman. (美 초등학교 총기난사 참사…어린이 19명 등 최소 22명 사망) 2. The South Korean Navy is preparing to allow female soldiers to serve in submarines for the first time. (여군도 잠수함 탄다…내년부터 선발, 내후년 탑승) 3. The presidential office revealed a commemorative watch, the first presidential souvenir of Yoon’s government. (尹대통령 기념시계 공개…'취임식 참석' 국민대표 20인에 전달) Korea Book Club: A new quarterly magazine that celebrates and promotes speculative fiction has been published in South Korea. “The Earthian Tales (어션 테일즈)” includes shorts stories, reviews, graphic short stories, essays and more by some of Korea’s leading SF writers. Literary translator Anton Hur joins us on the line to introduce this new publication. Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin: - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Yuna writes about the growing influence of celebrities on the Korean art scene. - Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Dong Sun-hwa on the Yoogeum Museum, a museum dedicated to ancient roof tiles from East Asian countries.

Last updated : 2022.05.25 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Korea24 – 2022.05.04. (Wednesday) News Briefing: North Korea has launched another ballistic missile into the East Sea. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it flew 470 kilometers with a maximum altitude of 780 kilometers and top speed of Mach Eleven. It marks the regime's 14th show of force this year alone. (KOO Hee-jin) In-Depth News Analysis: A recent editorial in an Iranian newspaper has raised concerns that Tehran is looking to raise the pressure on Seoul to release seven billion dollars of Iranian funds that are frozen in Korean banks under US sanctions. The chief editor of the Kayhan called for the Strait of Hormuz to be closed to South Korean cargo ships and oil tankers, until the assets are released. This has alarmed Seoul, especially after a South Korean ship was seized by Iran last year. To assess the situation, Professor Park Hyondo from the Sogang Euro-MENA Institute joins us on the line. Korea Trending with Jenny Suh: 1. Authorities in China have launched an investigation after a South Korean man was found dead in his apartment in Shanghai, amid the city's COVID-19 lockdown. (‘봉쇄 한달’ 상하이, 한국인 주재원 아파트서 숨진채 발견) 2. Hyundai Development Company has announced it will demolish and rebuild all eight buildings of two apartment complexes under construction in Gwangju. (현대산업개발, 광주 화정 아이파크 8개동 전면 철거후 재시공) 3. South Korean football star Son Heung-min has created an official Twitter account. (손흥민, 트위터 열고 "저 맞아요"…3시간만에 팔로워 14만 육박) Korea Book Club: “Losing a Sister (언니를 놓치다)” by Lee Kyung-ja (이경자) tells the heartbreaking story of two sisters who become separated during the Korean War, and then get the opportunity to briefly see each other again over five decades later through the state sanctioned ‘separated families reunion’ event. Literary critic Barry Welsh introduces this powerfully tragic and angry work. Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin: - Tomorrow’s Korea Times features a report by Kwon Mee-yoo on Mariia Chernozhukova, a Ukrainian artist and model who is taking part in a charity art exhibition to raise awareness of her country and the conflict with Russia. - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Ga-young reports on the protests by traditional Korean musicians over the exclusion of Gugak from the new music curriculum for schools.

Korea24 – 2022.03.24. (Thursday) News Briefing: North Korea has fired what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile towards the East Sea, according to the South Korean military. President Moon Jae-in has condemned the launch, saying it violates the regime’s self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile tests. (KOO Hee-jin) In-Depth News Analysis (Korean Politics Digest): President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol has been butting heads with the incumbent Moon Jae-in administration on a number of issues since he won the election two weeks ago, most notably over the relocation of the presidential office. We delve into this issue in more detail, as well as talk about the significance of former President Park Geun-hye’s return to civilian life after she was discharged from hospital today. Affiliate Professor Kim Byung-joo from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies joins us in the studio and we connect with Law Professor Cho Hee-kyung from Hong-ik University on the line. Korea Trending with Titi Aiyanyo: 1. The Cultural Heritage Administration has announced its plans to designate the culture of wearing Hanbok as a national intangible cultural heritage. (한복 입기만 해도, 나는 국가무형문화재) 2. The Seoul Museum of Art opened an exhibition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of sculptor Kwon Jinkyu, which includes works lent by BTS member, RM. (방탄소년단 RM 소장품이 서울시립미술관에) 3. A near sell-out crowd, the largest in three years, is expected at the Seoul World Cup Stadium for the World Cup qualifier between South Korea and Iran on Thursday. (3등석 빼고 모두 매진…이란전, 6만 관중 현실이 됐다) Explore Korea: Our arts contributor Ahn Jae-woo joins us in the studio to tell us all about artist You Hyeonkyeong (유현경). The highly acclaimed painter was chosen among Forbes Korea’s “2030 Power Leaders Top 20” list this year, and currently there are two exhibitions in Seoul featuring her works, including her 16th solo exhibition. Morning Edition Preview with Richard Larkin: - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Lee Gyu-lee writes about Apple TV’s ‘Pachinko.’ Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Min Jin Lee, is it being reported as one of the most anticipated series of the year.

North Korea rang in the lunar new year with a dramatic fireworks display this week, testing a ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam in its longest-range launch since 2017. The firing of the Hwasong-12 into the East Sea capped a busy January in which Pyongyang set a new record by conducting […]

*) Biden warns Kiev of 'distinct possibility' of Russian invasion next month US President Joe Biden warned Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that there is a “distinct possibility” Russia could take military action against Ukraine in February. Biden warned that the US believed there was a high degree of likelihood that Russia could invade when the ground freezes and Russian forces could attack Ukrainian territory from north of Kiev. Biden reiterated American and allied support, including recent deliveries of US military aid, and told Zelenskyy he was “exploring additional macroeconomic support to help Ukraine's economy”. The recent Russian build-up of tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's borders has sparked fears of an invasion. *) N Korea confirms missile tests, Kim praises 'important' munitions factory North Korea has test-fired two different weapons systems this week, part of a record-breaking streak of launches, state media confirmed. The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday's launch involved long-range cruise missiles flying over the East Sea, and hitting "the target island 1,800 km away". Pyongyang has conducted six weapons tests in January, including hypersonic missiles, as it doubles down on Kim's military-boosting plans and ignores US offers of talks. *) Turkish Cypriot govt slams UNSC for extending Cyprus mission The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has blasted the UN Security Council for extending the international peacekeeping mission on the long-divided island for six more months. The Prime Ministry of the TRNC called the UN decision a "violation of the UN's own principles and rules" because the international body failed to obtain the consent of the Turkish Cypriots. Turkiye also called the UN decision "contrary" to the world body's rules. *) Military promises normalcy in Burkina Faso when 'conditions are right' Burkina Faso's new military leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba has claimed that the West African country will return to constitutional order "when conditions are right". Damiba also promised to retake control of areas witnessing years of uprising while speaking for the first time on national television since leading a mutiny that ousted President Roch Marc Kabore earlier this week. "When the conditions are right, according to the deadline that our people will define in all sovereignty, I commit to a return to a normal constitutional order," Damiba said. And finally … *) Qatar, Turkiye, Taliban agree on 'key issues' over Kabul airport management Qatar, Turkiye, and the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan have agreed on "several key issues" over how to manage and operate Kabul's international airport, the landlocked country's main air link to the world. The meeting in Doha came as a continuation of previous talks, the latest round of meetings which took place in Kabul last week. The sides will have a final round of negotiations next week. In late December, Turkiye and Qatar had agreed to jointly operate the Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan on the basis of equal partnership.

*) US rejects Russia demand on Ukraine, offers ‘diplomatic path' out of crisis The United States has rejected Russia's key demand to bar Ukraine from NATO, reiterating its belief that Moscow is ready to invade, but it set out a diplomatic path to address the crisis in eastern Europe. “NATO's door is open, remains open, and that is our commitment," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, adding that allied military deployments in Eastern Europe are nonnegotiable. There was no immediate response from Russia but Russian officials have warned that Moscow would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the US and its allies reject its demands. *) UN urges nations to release frozen assets, increase aid to Afghanistan The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged nations to urgently boost humanitarian aid for millions of Afghans living in “a frozen hell” and release nearly $9 billion in frozen assets. “Time is of the essence,” and liquidity must be immediately restored to the Afghan economy to pull it back from the brink of collapse, the UN chief added. He said that possible solutions are freeing up the country's frozen currency reserves, re-engaging with its Central Bank and finding other ways to inject money, including allowing international funds. *) North Korea fires two more missiles in latest testing blitz North Korea has fired two suspected ballistic missiles, marking its sixth weapons test this month in one of the most intense spates of launches on record. The short-range ballistic missiles were reportedly fired from the Hamhung city area towards the East Sea from around 2300 GMT, flying 190 kilometres at an altitude of 20km. North Korea has not fired this many missiles in a month in decades, and some suggest this marks the most recorded missile launches by Pyongyang in a month. The barrage could be part of North Korea's regular military training, or linked to ongoing celebrations of Kim's decade in power or upcoming domestic anniversaries. *) Erdogan sees warming of Turkiye-Israel ties with Israeli President Herzog's visit Israeli President Isaac Herzog will pay an official visit to Turkiye in February in a major step towards repairing fragile relations between both countries. "The visit could pave the way for a new era in Israel-Turkiye relations," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that Ankara is ready to work with Tel Aviv in all fields, including natural gas. Ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv had nosedived during ex-Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rule, who Erdogan called "unfriendly" towards Turkiye. And finally … *) Object found in the Milky Way surprises astronomers Australian researchers have discovered a strange spinning object in the Milky Way that is unlike anything astronomers have ever seen. The object, first spotted by a university student, releases a huge burst of radio energy three times each hour, pulsing every 18.18 minutes. While there are other objects in the universe that switch on and off, 18.18 minutes is a frequency that has never been observed before. Researchers are now working to understand what the object is. So far, they have been able to establish that the object is about 4,000 light-years from Earth, is incredibly bright and has an extremely strong magnetic field.

Korea24 – 2022.01.27. (Thursday) News Briefing: North Korea fired two apparent short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Thursday morning according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, in its sixth show of force this month alone. (KOO Hee-jin) In-Depth News Analysis (Korean Politics Digest): Local courts this week sided with two minor presidential candidates to stop a one-on-one TV debate between the two leading candidates, but they could still hold a non-televised debate. Affiliate Professor Kim Byung-joo from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies joins us to help us look at the implications of this development, as well as the ruling Democratic Party’s efforts for reform, and the differences that seem to remain in the main opposition People Power Party. Korea Trending with Jenny Suh: 1. Denmark has announced that it will lift all COVID-19 restrictions starting February. (덴마크, 코로나19 모든 방역규제 해제 예정) 2. A six-month pilot program of a digital driver’s license, that will be available to use on smartphones, has begun. (오늘부터 '모바일 운전면허증' 시범 운영‥전국에서 사용 가능) 3. An interview with the Korean-American Olympic snowboarding champion Chloe Kim in Time Magazine is making waves, after she admitted to struggling with depression. (평창 금메달리스트 클로이 킴 타임지 인터뷰) Explore Korea: Travel contributor Hannah Roberts takes us to some lesser known K-Drama filming locations, such as Hantangang River Geopark featured in ‘Kingdom’ and ‘Crash Landing On You’, and Donggwang Cinema featured in ‘Reply 1988’. Goguryeo Blacksmith’s Village is also a theme park that was originally built as the filming location for the historical drama ‘The Legend’. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: - In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Kwak Yeon-soo has a feature on Seohyun, member of K-pop group Girls’ Generation, and her upcoming film debut in “Love and Leashes.” - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Jie Ye-eun writes about how South Korea’s counterfeit luxury goods market is very much alive.

Last updated : 2022.01.27 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Last updated : 2022.01.25 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Korea24 – 2022.01.17. (Monday) News Briefing: Starting Tuesday, the COVID-19 pass will no longer be required for entry into facilities deemed as low-risk, including department and large discount stores, movie theaters, museums, study rooms, libraries, and cram schools. (Eunice Kim) In-Depth News Analysis: North Korea test fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea on Monday morning, according to South Korean military authorities. This marks the fourth missile test launch in two weeks. For analysis on this sudden flurry of missile activity, and what it could mean for negotiations with the US and the inter-Korean peace process, Dr. Bruce Bennett, senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation, joins us on the line. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. Chairman of the Hyundai Development Company, Chung Mong-gyu, has announced that he is stepping down, after two buildings under construction by the company collapsed with fatal consequences over the last year. (정몽규 HDC 회장 “사고 아파트 완전철거·재시공…회장직 사퇴”) 2. An underwater volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga last Saturday, which initially led countries nearby to issue tsunami warnings. (통가 인근 화산서 대규모 분화) 3. A couple residing in Changwon discovered a large pearl, 1.3cm in diameter, inside an oyster that they had bought to eat at home. (굴찜 먹다 발견한 커다란 진주…"행운의 징조 되길") Monday Sports Round-up: In football, the Korean men’s national team swept aside Iceland 5-1 in a friendly match on Saturday, despite the absence of their Europe-based stars. Meanwhile, the ‘royal family of Korean hoops’ lit up the KBL All-Star game on Sunday. And disgraced short track speed skater Shim Suk-hee is set to find out her fate for Beijing 2022. Sports reporter Yoo Jee-ho from the Yonhap News Agency brings us the updates. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: - In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Kwon Mee-yoo writes about foreign missions showing support for those behind the Seoul Queer Culture Festival(SQCF). - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Ga-young writes about the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK), requesting historical errors made in popular U.S. publications be corrected.

Last updated : 2022.01.11 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Korea24 – 2022.01.11. (Tuesday) News Briefing: North Korea fired off another suspected ballistic missile into the East Sea. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said that it traveled at a speech of Mach 10 and appeared to be a ‘more advanced missile’ than the one Pyongyang tested last Wednesday. (Eunice Kim) In-Depth News Analysis: North Korea claimed to have successfully launched a “hypersonic” missile last week. South Korea has, however, expressed doubt over those claims, saying it appeared to be a slightly upgraded version of a ballistic missile. For further analysis on the missile and the implications of the latest launches, Ankit Panda, a Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace joins us on the line. Korea Trending with Jung Ye-won: 1. The Jeju District Court has sentenced 7 teenagers to up to 4 years in prison for attempting to blackmail men with underage prostitution. ("불쌍한 척하면 돼" 낄낄 댄 10대…판사는 "천만에" 징역형 줬다) 2. Shin Yu-bin, the rising table tennis star, has been ruled out of the 2022 Asian Games, after she missed the national team qualification match due to an injury. (제2의 신유빈 찾으려 바꾼 룰…신유빈이 막혔다) 3. US biopharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Moderna will be releasing a specific COVID-19 vaccine to combat the omicron variant this year. (3차 접종 필요없다? 화이자 3월에 오미크론 전용 백신 출시한다) Touch Base in Seoul: This week we meet Jinyoung Lee, a journalist in Hawaii telling the stories of the local Korean community through a documentary series, called ‘Words of Wisdom from the Rainbow State’. She joins us via video to tell us why she quit her job to pursue this project and what she learned along the way. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: - In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Jon Dunbar writes about “Collective Behavior”, a collaborative dance performance between South Korea and Denmark. - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Song Seung-hyun reports on the conspicuous absence of female leads in the top Korean films of 2021.

Last updated : 2022.01.05 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Korea24 – 2022.01.05. (Wednesday) News Briefing: The South Korean military confirmed that North Korea fired a projectile – believed to be a ballistic missile – into the East Sea on Wednesday morning. The presidential office said that while the National Security Council committee members expressed concern, they also reaffirmed the need to resume dialogue with the North. (Eunice KIM) In-Depth News Analysis: Wednesday marked the 30th year of weekly rallies in Seoul that calls on Japan to formally apologize and compensate victims of the Japanese military's sexual slavery program during World War Two, also known as comfort women. The rallies have been a powerful symbol in the on-going struggle to find justice for the victims. But with Seoul-Tokyo relations remaining frosty, there seems little hope of significant progress in the near future. To reflect on the significance of the rallies and the future of Seoul-Tokyo relations, South Korea’s former Ambassador to the United Nations Oh Joon joins us on the line. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: 1. The CEO of South Korea’s largest dental implant manufacturer, Osstem Implant, has apologized for one of its employees embezzling 188 billion won in company funds. (오스템임플란트 직원, 1880억원 횡령 뒤 잠적) 2. Controversy is growing about a popular shampoo, over the use of an ingredient which the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has decided to ban in cosmetic products. ("머리만 감아도 염색, 신기술인데…" 식약처 제동 논란) 3. A Korean-American TV anchor’s response to a racist message she received after she mentioned on air that she ate dumpling soup on New Year’s Day has gone viral. (미국 한인 앵커, ‘만둣국’으로 인종차별 화두 던졌다) Korea Book Club: For the Club’s first return in 2022, Barry Welsh introduces us to a poetry collection called 'Feeling Never Stops' (느낌은 멈추지 않는다) by Ahn Joo-cheol (안주철). These melancholic poems explore the hardships and darkness of life, raising questions about the meaning of existence and dealing with painful memories. The collection was translated by Brother Anthony of Taize, and published in 2020 by Asia Publishers as part of their K-Poet series. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: - In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Kang Seung-woo features Kim Dong-hwa, a young tattoo artist, who began her trade in 2017. - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Park Ga-young writes that renowned South Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun(정명훈) is expected to be appointed as honorary music director of the KBS Philharmonic Orchestra.

Korea24 – 2021.10.19. (Tuesday) News Briefing: The Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) reported that North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Tuesday morning, adding that they suspect it may have been a short-range submarine-launched ballistic missile(SLBM). South Korea’s National Security Council(NSC) has expressed regret over the latest firing, and the U.S. military denounced the launch, but assessed that it doesn’t pose an immediate threat. (Koo Hee-jin) In-Depth News Analysis: Recent data has shown that the wealth gap is widening among young Koreans. According to Statistics Korea, among Koreans in their 20s and 30s, those in the upper 20 percent wealth bracket had accumulated 35 times more wealth than the lower 20 percent in 2020. A year earlier, that gap was 33 times. Experts say that the reason for this gap is due to more parents passing down their wealth to those in the top 20 percent. To discuss the data and what it could mean for Korean society, Professor Lee Seung-yoon (이승윤) from the Department of Social Welfare at Chung-ang (중앙) University joins us on the line. Korea Trending with Jung Ye-won: 1. An interview for actor Kim Seon-ho (김선호) has been cancelled, amid rumors that he urged his ex-girlfriend to have an abortion. ('여친 낙태 종용' K배우는 김선호?… 벌써 '손절' 나선 광고계) 2. Revisions to a law concerning the duties of apartment security guards will come into effect on Thursday to help prevent ‘gapjil’ abuse. (경비원에 주차-택배배달 시키면 과태료 1000만원) 3. iHeartRadio have announced that K-Pop phenom BTS will be performing at the KIIS FM Jingle Ball on December 3 in LA. (BTS, 美 연말 축제 '징글볼' 참여...12월 3일 LA 공연) Touch Base in Seoul: Korean-Australian singer-songwriter Dami Im broke out in the music world when she won the fifth season of X Factor Australia in 2013. She went on to release four studio albums, all charting in the nation’s top 10. She also gained further international attention when she represented Australia in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, coming second overall. She joins us via video call to talk about her new album, ‘My Reality’, and to look back on her career. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: - In tomorrow’s Korea Times, Lee Hae-rin writes about a survey that found 6 out of 10 people Seoulites would like to work in metaverse offices. - In tomorrow’s Korea Herald, Sanjay Kumar writes about South Korea and Estonia celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations.

Last updated : 2021.10.19 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Last updated : 2021.09.28 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

In the early hours of the morning news broke that North Korea had launched missiles from its east coast towards Japan. Japan's Coast Guard confirmed that two objects landed just outside their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Now images of the launch have been released by Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper and propaganda mouthpiece of North Korea's ruling party. The terrifying images, which show the deadly missiles taking off in a cloud of fire and smoke from the back of a train, were accompanied by a statement. It revealed that Park Jeong-cheon, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and a leading member of the Politburo, oversaw the testing of the “railway-borne missile regiment”. The statement read: “The 8th Congress of the Party… organized a railway-borne missile regiment to increase the capability of dealing an intensive multi-concurrent blow at the forces posing threats to us at a time of conducting necessary military operations. “The regiment finished rapid movement and deployment according to the norm of the operation and action procedures of the railway-borne missile system, and accurately struck the target in the East Sea of Korea according to the firepower mission. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/global-reportage/support

Last updated : 2021.09.15 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

Korea24 – 2021.09.15. (Wednesday) News Briefing: North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. This comes just two days after the regime announced that it had carried out test launches of a new type of long-range cruise missile. Meanwhile South Korea has confirmed that it has successfully tested the launching of a ballistic missile from a submarine. (Eunice Kim) In-Depth News Analysis: Environmental, social and corporate governance or ESG management is becoming a key concern for companies around the world, and President Moon Jae-in has vowed to provide support so that more Korean companies can participate in ESG activities. But resistance among Korean companies remain and a recent report by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) showed that domestic companies are more vulnerable to ESG risks than their European counterparts. To find out more about ESG, and the challenges facing Korean companies, we speak to Moon Jungbien (문정빈), professor of International Business and Strategy from Korea University. Korea Trending with Walter Lee: First graders at an elementary school were evacuated from the grounds after a man barged into the classroom bleeding from stab wounds (흉기에 찔린 남성이 초1 교실 난입… 보건교사가 응급처치). Meanwhile, a middle schooler has received a lifetime ban from the archery world after shooting and injuring another student with an arrow (후배 등에 활쏜 '학폭 중학생', 양궁계에서 퇴출 당했다). And an incident in Gyeonggi province is showing how taxi drivers are increasingly helping to prevent voice phishing scams (“현금 들고 장거리 이동”…택시기사 신고로 보이스피싱 덜미). Korea Book Club with Barry Welsh: Barry introduces us to a murder mystery short story first published in 1999 by the celebrated writer Kim Young-ha (김영하) called ‘Photo Shop Murder’ (사진관 살인 사건). The story draws on the conventions of crime fiction to set up a compelling detective story set in Seoul. Morning Edition Preview with Mark Wilson-Choi: Mark previews a piece by Park Han-sol in the Korea Times about writer Kim Young-ha’s book ‘Black Flower’, about the hardships faced by Korea immigrants who settled in Mexico in 1905, has now been translated into Spanish and published in Mexico.

In this week's episode, our own co-host, Kevin, shares a harrowing tale of survival on a tiny, rocky island in the East Sea. Equipped with only his wet suit, some instant noodles, and a documentary film crew, he endured nine nights of lousy weather, decreasing rations, and limited data. If you like travel adventures, you're in for a hell of a ride. So, pop in your air pods, grab yourself a drink, and listen to the craziest Dokdo story I've ever heard!Check out the link to some footage of Kevin in the documentary here:Dokdo 3D - YouTubeIntro/Outro Music: Eaters, song Tuck's Love Party (eatersmusic2000) https://freemusicarchive.org/music/eaters/an-evening-with-tuck-pendleton/tucks-love-partyEmail: theseoulpatch@gmail.comWebsite: http://theseoulpatch.com

The Stormriders stumble upon a mighty discovery beneath the waves of the East Sea.   Featuring: Einar played by Dan Stephens Ulric played by Ronnie Shenks Vadir played by Quinn Beard Wren played by Laura Wagner Ulthaar played by Chuck Knight John the Red by John Mclay Illyria played by Jessica Stephens Wilson played by Kyle Wall Ove played by Ryan Ladner Tony Stephens as the Narrator   Credit: Black Dragon of the East - Tony Stephens Music: Dark Hollows by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

News Briefing -South Korea's plans for COVID-19 vaccine purchase -Scrapped plans for new Gimhae airport -Additional real estate measures to tackle housing shortages -International Hydrographic Organization's decision to rename the East Sea -한국 정부 백신 5개 해외제품 구매 협상중 -김해신공항 검증 결과 후속 조치 -정부 전세대책으로 공공임대 10만호 공급안 유력 -국제수로기구(IHO) 해역지명 대신 고유식별 번호 합의 Guest: Seo Misorang, Reporter

The president of an Cultural Arts organization ‘La Mer et L'Île', LEE Ham-joon joins us to talk about the association's role in promoting the East Sea and Dokdo Island to the world through art.

yé yé nǎi nǎi guò nián hǎo ！wǒ men lái bài nián le A: 爷爷奶奶过年好！我们来拜年了！ Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma! We are here to say Happy New Year to you. hǎo dǒng shi de hái zi，guò nián hǎo ！zhè shì gěi nǐ de yā suì qián B: 好懂事的孩子，过年好！这是给你的压岁钱！ Good kid! Happy New Year! This is your gift money. xiè xiè yé yé nǎi nǎi ！zhù nín èr lǎo shēn tǐ jiàn kāng ，fú rú dōng hǎiA: 谢谢爷爷奶奶！祝您二老身体健康，福如东海！ Thank you, grandpa and grandma! Wish you good health and May your fortune be as boundless as the East Sea. yě zhù nǐ xué xí jìn bù ，xiào kǒu cháng kāi B: 也祝你学习进步，笑口常开！ May you make progress in your studies and be joyous always!

yé yé nǎi nǎi guò nián hǎo ！wǒ men lái bài nián le A: 爷爷奶奶过年好！我们来拜年了！ Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma! We are here to say Happy New Year to you. hǎo dǒng shi de hái zi，guò nián hǎo ！zhè shì gěi nǐ de yā suì qián B: 好懂事的孩子，过年好！这是给你的压岁钱！ Good kid! Happy New Year! This is your gift money. xiè xiè yé yé nǎi nǎi ！zhù nín èr lǎo shēn tǐ jiàn kāng ，fú rú dōng hǎi A: 谢谢爷爷奶奶！祝您二老身体健康，福如东海！ Thank you, grandpa and grandma! Wish you good health and May your fortune be as boundless as the East Sea. yě zhù nǐ xué xí jìn bù ，xiào kǒu cháng kāi B: 也祝你学习进步，笑口常开！ May you make progress in your studies and be joyous always!

This time on the K League United Podcast we preview what could be Korea's final match day in AFC Champions League as Suwon Samsung Bluewings host the second leg of the ACL Semifinal down 3-2 to J.League's Kashima Antlers. To get perspectives from both sides of the East Sea, our Editor in Chief Ryan Walters spoke with J Talk Podcast's Ben Maxwell and interviewed Suwon midfielder Elvis Sarić. Their interviews and more in this episode of the K League United Podcast.

Mario Vetori Poscast ist ein neuer Sender der Deep House, Tech-House und Electro-Deep allen Musikliebhaber der elektronischen Musik näher bringen soll.

If the East Sea is known for its clear water and the South Sea for its multitude of islands, the Yellow Sea in the west of the Korean Peninsula is famous for its rich tidal flats. This week's trip is to the mud flats of Seokmodo Island in the Yellow Sea. After digging for clams on the vast tidal flats, visitors de-stress and relax in the seawater hot spring right next to the sea. Watching the glowing sun dip below the horizon while relaxing in a warm spa is one of the magical moments that can be enjoyed only on the western seashore.