Podcasts about Emperor Ming

So the year 649 was so bad that they went and changed the whole calendar to forget about it!  In 650 a white pheasant is brought to the court, and they sieze on that as a chance to rename the era from Taika to Hakuchi.  That should make things better, right? This episode we talk about this event--their reasoning, as well as what is recorded as having happened.  We also take a look at the completion of the Ajifu no Miya and how it was renamed to the Naniwa no Toyosaki no Nagara no Miya, or the Toyosaki Nagara Palace of Naniwa.  This is thought to be what we know today as the Early Naniwa Palace, and it was a real change, and, in many ways, the physical manifestation of the Taika era reforms. For photos and more, check out https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-113 Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 113: The White Pheasant.   The officials of the court stood sentinel at the palace gates, a formidable line of authority draped in flowing, vibrant robes that signified their rank. Each step down the line revealed a cascade of colors, a living tapestry of power and prestige. Only the envoys from distant shores stood apart, their unique uniforms adding an exotic flair to the proceedings, as well as a certain legitimacy as outside witnesses.   The air crackled with anticipation as the crowd waited, their breath held, until four figures emerged, bearing aloft a magnificent litter adorned with intricate decorations that shimmered as they caught the sun's rays.   Upon that litter rested a cage, and within it,a dazzling white pheasant, plucked from the untamed wilds of Anato. Whispers rippled through the throng; some questioned the significance of this fragile creature, while others dared to see it as a divine omen. Was this bird as pure as the tales had promised? The capital had buzzed with rumors ever since its unexpected arrival, and those in the back stretched their necks, desperate for a glimpse of this rare marvel.   The past year had cast a shadow over the Yamato court, leaving the air thick with uncertainty. Yet, this ethereal bird, shimmering with the promise of renewal, seemed to herald a shift—an opportunity for rebirth that everyone craved.  At the very least it was a much needed distraction from everything that had previously occurred.   As the litter glided past, the courtiers bowed deeply in reverence, forming two disciplined lines that followed through the grand gates. Together, they marched into the palace, hearts pounding with hope. They were not just entering a building; they were stepping into a new era, one that, with a whisper of fate, could rise above the struggles of the past.     This episode we kick off the start of a new era—the Hakuchi era, or the era of the White Pheasant.  It followed the Taika era, and it does have a different feel.  It is less about new edicts and more about how things were shaking out and coming together.  And one of the things that was coming together was the Nagara no Toyosaki palace, which is believed to be the same one known to archaeologists as the “Early Naniwa Palace” unearthed in Ohosaka and dated to the mid-7th century.  We'll actually start with a look at this palace, continuing our discussion from last episode, as our sovereign, Karu, aka Koutoku Tennou, seems to have been a bit crazy about all of his palaces, and figuring out just which is which can be an issue in and of itself. We'll also touch on the start of this new era, and look at why and what it meant to come up with a new era name—a new “nengou”—in the middle of a reign like this.  And so we catch ourselves at the start of the year 650, still, technically, in the Taika era.  The year started well enough, with the sovereign celebrating the new year at the Ajifu palace and then coming straight back—the Ajifu palace was apparently yet another new palace and it seems construction had only recently begun.  Now, There is some confusion between the Ajifu palace and the Toyosaki palace.  The Ajifu palace is traditionally thought to have been located on the opposite side o f the Yodo river, in the area of modern Settsu city, on the site of what became the Ajifu Shrine.  Others have suggested that it was actually on the Kanimachi plateau, which is where the Toyosaki palace was.  Notably the “Toyosaki” palace is not located anywhere near the modern area of “Toyosaki” with which it seems to share a name.  From what little information we have, it seems to have been quite the complex.  As to why he would need yet another palace, I could not say.  And yet, later we see that the Ajifu Palace is eventually named the Nagara Toyosaki Palace.  So are they one and the same?  Did they move the Toyosaki Palace?  Or did they build the Toyosaki Palace and then *rebuild* it as the Ajifu Palace—aka the Nagara Toyosaki Palace? At this point the way that the Chronicles talk about it, the Ajifu palace site seems to have been almost purely conceptual, while previous accounts seem to indicate that the Toyosaki Palace was already in use.  That would have made for an interesting New Year's celebration, probably in temporary buildings erected quickly amongst the grass and fields, with some nearby tomb mounds that would need to be leveled or moved to make room, we are later told.  It seems they were still surveying the site, but I guess Karu really was looking for a change.  And so he celebrated the new year at the Ajifu palace, but quickly returned back to wherever the work of the government was actually occurring. As to where that was, well, we talked last episode about all of Karu's meanderings from one palace to the other.  The Nihon Shoki text itself is not exactly clear, as I read it.  It doesn't help that the term for palace, or “miya”, appears to refer to both a complex and a single residence, without a clear distinction given between the two.  And so, though I mentioned it last episode, let's recap what we know about the palaces this reign. So in 645, we are told that Karu decided upon Naniwa and we are told that this is the “Toyosaki” palace.  Then in 646, Karu took up residence in the “detached” palace of Koshiro in Sayabe, Naniwa.  This was likely him repurposing the Miyake, the government offices with the royal granaries.  He was only there for about two months, though, before he returned.  Then, in the third month of 646, he issues an amnesty claiming to have taken up residence in the new palace—but we aren't told which one. In 647, two years into the reign, the government offices at Wogohori are torn down and a palace was built there.  Now this is somewhat confusing because there appear to be two government districts:  Wogohori and Ohogohori.  You'll probably notice how similar these two sound, though it may have been more like “wogopori” and “opogopori”. Back in the day.  Wo-gohori, or the “Small District”, is mentioned once, but mainly just as a place name.  Ohogohori, or the “Big District” has previously shown up as the place with government offices for the envoys from overseas.   Confusing matters, in a later entry, Karu eventually moves out of the palace at Oho-gohori and into the palace that would be known as the Nagara Toyosaki palace.  So was he at Wogohori and then later at Ohogohori?  Or was there some scribal error such that the two got confused? And then in 648 we are told that Karu moved into the Toyosaki palace in Naniwa.  Two years later, in 650, and he is now celebrating New Year's at the Ajifu palace, which may refer to a location on the other side of the Yodo river, but is likely in the spot we now think of as the Nagara Toyosaki Palace.  We then know that in 651 they were still building a palace.  And it isn't until the last day of 651 that Karu would formally move from Ohogori into the Ajifu palace, which we are told was then renamed the Nagara no Toyosaki no Miya---the Nagara Toyosaki Palace. I have several thoughts on all of this.  One, is that there may have been two “Toyosaki” palaces—there was the Toyosaki palace that he first moved into, and then there is the Nagara Toyosaki Palace.  “Nagara” appears to mean something like “Long Handle”, but other than that, I don't know that there is a good translation.  It may refer to the fact that it was meant to last longer, or that it was even larger than the previous palace.  It may even be that the original Toyosaki Palace was just a few of the buildings, and that eventually it grew into the larger Nagara Toyosaki Palace, but if that is the case, what is up with term “Ajifu”?  Was that just one building in the larger palace?  Or are earlier mentions of “Toyosaki” anachronistic, and perhaps it wasn't until the entire thing was complete that they gave it that name?  Many modern accounts appear to conflate the Toyosaki palace with the Nagara no Toyosaki Palace, saying it just took that long to build.  That would imply that the Ajifu palace really was there on the Kamimachi plateau, at the known Naniwa palace site.  Alternatively, “Nagara” could possibly have been a reference to the fact that the Ajifu palace was an extension of the larger Toyosaki complex, possibly built out of the government offices of either Wogohori or Ohogohori. For all that we don't know exactly what was happening here, we have a pretty good idea in the archaeological record about at least one of the palace sites on the Kamimachi plateau.  This site has been identified as the Toyosaki palace of Karu, aka Koutoku Tennou, and it would actually be reused at a later date.  Sure enough, there are remains of at least two palace complexes on the site, with the one from our period known as the “Early Naniwa Palace” site. Based on its size and layout, this Early Naniwa palace was the first of its kind.  Previous palaces in Asuka had not dissimilar designs in terms of the general arrangement, but this clearly made use of the structure of continental style palace complexes, and was likely intended to be a new, permanent capital. The north of the palace complex consisted of a rectangular, walled section 185 meters east to west and 200 meters north to south, making up the “dairi”.  That's almost 10 acres of enclosed space, set aside as the sovereign's personal living quarters. South of that was a smaller area with the front hall, one of the largest for its time.  It was 36 meters east to west and 19 meters north to south.  This would have been the hall called the “Daigokuden” in later palaces, where official rituals would take place.  There was a gate between it and the Dairi, to the north, as well as a gate to the south, flanked by two octagonal buildings, which led to the Chodoin, the main working area of the court complex. This is part of what sets this palace apart from others, and why it likely took a while to build.  It may also explain all the different palace names as there was probably a lot of construction for a long time.  In previous instances, as far as we can tell, the sovereign's palace was both their home and the building where state business was conducted.  Think, perhaps, of the White House, in the US, and then imagine that the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Supreme Court were all part of the same compound, with only the barest of concessions to privacy between them.  In this new layout, the dairi was reserved to the sovereign, there was a small area for the official throne room, and then south of that was the Chodoin, the court hall complex. This was a huge change to how things had operated in the past.  While the main audience hall was still nominally part of the dairi, so the “private” areas of the palace weren't entirely “private”, it was still leaps and bounds more separated than in the previous palaces we've uncovered.  Sure, the idea of lining up buildings from the front gate to the larger buildings towards the back, making people approach successively larger and more impressive buildings, generally seems to have been a thing as far back as the Makimuku Palace near Mt. Miwa, back in the third century, but even then, there is no clearly defined separation between the public and private spaces of the sovereign.  There does seem to have been restrictions on who could enter what parts of the compound, with the sovereign's personal quarters being the most restricted, but now there were walls and gates and guards separating one area from another. The Chodoin itself, the main “business” or “public” area of the court, appears to have been about 262.8 meters north to south and 233.6 meters east to west—a little over 15 acres.  Most of that was open space between the 14 “choudou” halls lined up symmetrically, 7 on either side.  These were the individual buildings where the various government officials were to meet and conduct business, as well as conduct rituals, feasts, etc.  There was a southern gate that provided the entrance to the Chodoin and led to another large area with the Choshuden, the buildings where officials could change into and out of their formal court uniforms, and otherwise prepare for or close out the day.  South of that was the main gate for the entire compound, the Suzaku gate, named for Suzaku, the red bird of the south, one of the four directional guardian spirits. We know the buildings largely from their post holes.  They were made of wood, and it is likely that most of them were thatched.  They may have been painted white, vermillion, and green—classic paints that were based on continental styles and which were said to help prevent the wooden pillars from rotting too quickly.  It is unsurprising that this would have taken years—but it is also possible that they built some quarters for the sovereign and then built out from there.  This also would have been key to a lot of the governmental reforms, providing an actual location for the work that the reforms were directing. Of course, there was a lot of work to be done, and the halls in the palace were limited, so two areas to the east and west of the complex were set aside and appear to have been built up with other government offices, suitable for carrying out the day to day minutiae that was required. There is still a question of whether or not they also instituted the larger grid system city layout around the palace complex.  Currently we have no evidence for that, though perhaps they were considering it, eventually.  Unfortunately, with all of the construction in Osaka over time, I don't know if we could be able to find or discern such a layout if we did find it.  For now, we will stick with what we know:  an absolute unit of a court complex that took them several years to build. Getting back to the Chronicles: Our next entry in the Nihon Shoki, after the New Years celebration, tells us that in the second month, Kusakabe no Muraji no Shikofu, the governor of Anato Province, brought a white pheasant to the court.  The report claimed that it had been caught by Nihe, a relative of Obito, the Kuni no Miyatsuko of Anato, on the 9th day of the first month, on Mt. Wonoyama. For reference, the land of Anato was at the far western end of Honshu, part of the San'yodo, itself a designation for the lands along the Seto Inland Sea coast from Harima, modern Hyogo prefecture, out to Anato, modern Yamaguchi prefecture.  It was on the Honshu side of the Shimonoseki strait, which was the main entrance from the Korean Strait and the Japan Sea to the Seto Inland Sea.  The area would later be known as Nagato, which would eventually be called Choshu, an area which any students of the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate are sure to recognize. We discussed back in Episode 94 how white or albino animals—assuming they weren't normally white—were considered particularly auspicious.  So in 598, the land of Koshi sent a white deer they had found to the court of Kashikiya Hime, which is to say Suiko Tenno.  And so the white pheasant from Anato was clearly seen as an omen—but was it truly auspicious.  Here we see the court investigating this, and how exactly they go about that is somewhat enlightening as to how the court thought in general. First, they made inquiry of the lords of Baekje—I would suspect this referred to those recognized as Baekje nobility residing in the archipelago, rather than sending a correspondence to the peninsula and back.  That they went to someone from Baekje would seem to indicate the importance they placed on Baekje as a conduit for continental learning.  Indeed, the answer they got back—whether from a single, unnamed individual or a group of Baekje nobility—was that White Pheasants were recorded in the 11th year of Yongping, which would be 68 CE to us, during the reign of Ming of the later Han dynasty.  Han Mingdi, aka Emperor Ming of Han was born Liu Yang and also known as Liu Zhang, reigned from 57 to 75 CE.  Ming and his son, Emperor Zhang oversaw a period of particular prosperity for the Eastern Han dynasty.  On the other hand, there was an attempt to curse Emperor Ming in 67 CE, which ended with the death of the ambitious Prince Jing of Guanglin.  Then, in 70, Prince Ying of Chu was also convicted of using magic to try and secure blessings while he fomented revolution against the emperor, and he was exiled, where he committed suicide.  So I don't know if this marks the pheasant as particularly auspicious or not. Asking the Buddhist priests, who frequently studied not just Buddhist canon, but other continental texts, they mostly drew a blank—at least on the specifics of a white pheasant.  They did recommend that a general amnesty would not be amiss, as it would bring joy to the people.  I guess if you aren't sure about the nature of an omen you can certainly do something to help it out. And while they weren't specifically sure about a white pheasant in Buddhist scripture, a couple of priests did have suggestions. The Priest Doutou recounted a story from Goguryeo, when the court there wished to build a new Buddhist temple, but could not divine a suitable and auspicious site.  When someone witnessed a white deer, they chose that spot for the temple, which was then called the Temple of the Park of the White Deer.  According to Doutou, this temple established Buddhism in Goguryeo. Furthermore, he recounted, when a white sparrow was seen on the farmstead of another temple, or when a dead crow with three legs had been brought back from the Tang dynasty, the people had proclaimed both of these to be good omens.  So given all of that, Priest Doutou concluded, a white pheasant must be especially auspicious. The Priest Bin agreed.  Bin, you may recall, had been heavily relied upon for his knowledge in setting up the new governmental structure, which would seem to indicate that he was quite well-versed in continental ideas, and he had even traveled there himself.  He provided the court several different reasons that a white pheasant might appear. First, it might appear when a ruler extended his influence to all four quarters. Second, it might appear when the sovereign's sacrifices are appropriate, and when his banquets and clothing are in due measure. Third, it might appear when the sovereign cultivates frugality. Finally, it might appear when the sovereign was humane. He didn't provide any specific examples of how he arrived as his conclusions—at least nothing was recorded—and so he may have been relying on his own expertise.  However, he did recount one tale in particular.  It was a story from the time of Emperor Cheng Wang of the Zhou dynasty.  Cheng Wang is said to have reigned in the 11th century BCE, from 1042 to 1021, and so take that how you will.  Important to us is not what happened so much as what the Yamato court believed had happened—what was the historical truth that they were workin with at the time? According to Bin, during Cheng Wang's reign, the Yuehshang family brought a white pheasant to the court.  Apparently it had been three years without any exceptional storms or rains, and neither the rivers nor seas had flooded.  Apparently the old men found this an extremely long time to go without some kind of disaster, indicating that the pheasant was clearly an auspicious omen in deed. Priest Bin also mentioned other accounts, but the Chroniclers omitted them from the record. Whatever they were, the court had heard enough.  The White Pheasant was declared auspicious, and a new era was declared:  the Hakuchi, or White Pheasant, era.  They let the white pheasant loose in the royal garden, presumably with clipped wings or otherwise kept from flying off, and then preparations were made  immediately to officially inaugurate the new era 6 days later, on the 15th day of the 2nd month of 650. Before we get into that, though, I want to pause and take a look at something here:  The authority of precedent.  Time, as conceived of in the continental model, was cyclical.  There was the cycle of day and night.  The cycle of the year and the repeating seasons.  Likewise the planets and heavens all had their own cyclical periods.  In addition, there was the idea that the Yin and Yang forces in the universe likewise cycled through predictable patterns—the sexagenary cycle, or cycle of 60 years, being an example of a longer term cycle.  And then there was the Buddhist cycle or death and rebirth, at least as long as one remained tied to this mortal plane of existence. If time is cyclical, then one can look to the past to predict the present.   Stories of the past were seen as holding authority over similar events in the present.  Understanding these historical stories and being able to pull from them provided its own kind of power and authority.  Rather than attempting to reason from first principles, precedent was often a more convincing argument. Being able to read and write and recall all of these stories gave scholars the ability to influence events.  Of course, who had time to do all that other than people like Buddhist priests or the doctors of the court? This is also one of the reasons that people would have had to write down histories and, eventually, to keep diaries and accounts of what happened.  Those accounts would, over time, become essential records to invoke for moments like this—and even a record like the Nihon Shoki or the Kojiki would have similar significance.  In many ways, it is propaganda, but not just in how it describes the past as the Chroniclers wished it to be, but it set the precedent for succeeding eras to look back on.  While we may challenge that view, today, for many from the 8th century onward the events described in the Nihon Shoki were considered the gospel truth in more ways than one. Of course, all that aside, we've had plenty of auspicious events before, but why, now, would they be enough to trigger a new era?  Why not just note them and move on? Well, to start with, let's face it, nobody is likely to name 649 as the greatest year ever, any time soon, and certainly not the Yamato court.  The Crown Prince, Naka no Oe, had been tricked into thinking that his co-conspirator, Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro, was a traitor.  To be fair, Maro had been more than complicit in the murderous takedown of his own relatives to set up the current government, and history has time and again suggested that those who put someone on the throne can just as easily take them off it.  That's why they are often either brought deeper into the inner circle, or removed—either physically or more euphemistically.  In this case, though, it seems that fears of Naka no Oe and others were unjustified, and they sent the royal troops after an innocent man; or at least a man as innocent as any of the other elites at that time.  After all, the wealth of the elites came from the rice fields that they owned—or that were at least designated for their stipends—and they certainly weren't working those fields themselves, so make of that what you will. All of that had led to the death of Maro, his family, and the rest of his household.  That, in turn, led to the death of his daughter, Miyatsuko Hime, who was married to Naka no Oe himself.  When they finally did realize what had happened, the best justice they could figure out was to send the scandal-mongering Soga no Musa out to Tsukushi in a form of luxurious banishment.  Demotion by promotion, as he was made the Viceroy of Tsukushi, the top man of the court at the edge of the archipelago. To say that the year 649 had been a bust is an understatement.  Don't get me wrong, it was a far cry from the worst year that the archipelago had ever experienced—or would in the future, for that matter.  But that was scant comfort to the folks living in it. And so it was with some relief, I suspect, that the court welcomed news from the far flung land of Anato, because they really needed a distraction. With that in mind, let us move on to the events of the 15th day of the 2nd month of the year 650, describing how they inaugurated the new era.  Now, if the Chronicles are to be believed, this is not the first time they inaugurated a new era—we are told that year 645 was considered the first year of Taika, or Great Change.  But, assuming that did happen, and that it wasn't just named after the fact, the era would have started at the same time as a new reign.  Previously, from everything we can tell, dates were based regnal years.  Things are recorded as happening in the X year of Y sovereign.  Some of the oldest accounts seem to even note it more as X year of the sovereign who reigned from the Y palace, as the palace was likely more distinct a feature than the names and titles that they used, and the posthumous names, like “Koutoku Tennou” were not actually used until the end of the 7th or early 8th century. It is possible that Hakuchi is actually the first true nengo—or era name—and the first one that appears in the middle of a reign—though even here some say that the instantiation of “Hakuchi” is anachronistic. Personally, I see no harm in taking it at face value, at least for now, while acknowledging that everything in the Nihon Shoki is suspect.  Still, we are approaching a time when the events being written down may have still been in the living memory of people alive at that time.  720 is only 70 years away, and the project started even before then, so unless there are obvious discrepancies or supernatural events, we can probably assume that the Chronicles at this point are largely truthful, if possibly embellished. And so it is we are told of what happened.  To begin with, the court lined the ministers of the left and right and all of the functionaries in four lines outside the “purple” gate, as they would during a New Year's reception, like the one they had just had at the Ajifu palace.  The “Purple” gate was probably a reference to the southern gate The fact that the courtiers lined up at the south gate in the same way that they would have during a New Year's reception would seem to indicate that this was seen as the start of a new year.  It was no longer a Taika year—starting on that day it was now the first year of Hakuchi.  The month and day would not change, however, so it was still the 15th day of the 2nd month.  That means that technically the first year of Hakuchi would only have ten and a half months in the year—maybe eleven and a half, if there was an extranumerary month.  Likewise, the last year of Taika would only have one and a half months.  And if you are thinking that must make Japanese dates really tricky around the start or end of year, you don't know the half of it.  Sometimes events will get placed in the wrong “era” because they happened a few months before or after the change, and people forget that when they are translating to and from western dates.  It also means era names can't just give you the years of the era, but really need to give you the month and date it starts and ends.  Fortunately, most people are quite understanding about the occasional mistake.  But anyway, I digress. The courtiers were lined up as though for new years, and then they watched as Ahata no Omi no Ihimushi and three others bore a litter with the pheasant on it and went ahead through the gates.  The others followed in rank order—with the Ministers of the Left and Right leading the various functionaries.  The Baekje prince Pungjang and his uncle, Sesyeong Chyungseung, whom we mentioned back in Episodes 105 and 107, as well as Mochi, the physician to the King of Goguryeo, a scholar attached to the court of Silla, along with other important persons all advanced as well into the Central court of the palace. The pheasants litter was taken up by Mikuni no Kimi no Maro, Wina no Kimi no Takami, Miwa no Kimi no Mikaho, and Ki no Omi no Maro, who brought it to the front of the hall.  There, the ministers of the left and right then took the front of the litter, while the Prince of Ise, Mikuni no Kimi no Maro, and Kura no Omi no Woguso took hold of the rear.  Together, they placed it in front of the throne.  The sovereign, Kura, and the Crown Prince, Naka no Oe, examined the pheasant together. The Crown Prince then backed away, and the new Minister of the Left, Kose no Omi, presented a congratulatory address. He gave thanks to the sovereign and claimed that the pheasant was a sign that the sovereign would rule for one thousand autumns and ten thousand years across the Great Eight Islands—the Ohoyashima—of the archipelago and the four quarters of the earth.  Effectively, this is a long-winded version of “Banzai”, the congratulatory wish of ten thousand years of life for an emperor. Karu responded to this address by quoting auspicious times that white animals had been omens of good rule.  He then gave credit to the ministers and functionaries, and urged them to continue to provide good service.  Then he declared a general amnesty, forgiving various offenses, and noted that the era name would change to “Hakuchi”. Karu then directed presents to be handed out to the Ministers, the Daibu, the officials of lower rank, all the way down to the clerks.  Each received gifts commensurate with their rank.  Finally, Kusakabe no Muraji no Shikofu, the governor of Anato, was commended, and granted the rank of Daisen along with what we are told were a goodly number of presents.  In addition, the commuted taxes and corvees of Anato were remitted for three years, meaning that Anato would be allowed to keep all of the rice and product for themselves—something that was likely quite significant, though it is unclear whether this means that it was felt down at the level of basic workers or it just meant that the governor was able to keep what he taxed from the people for himself. And with that, we enter a new era.  Forget the unfortunate bloodshed and regrettable decisions of the previous year, this was a new start.  And that is often how these eras were seen.  Whether it was a new reign or things were just going so poorly that the court felt there needed to be a new start, future nengo would often follow a similar pattern.   And there was no set time for how long an era would last.  In fact, here's a little trivia for you:  The shortest nengo in Japanese history was “Ryakunin”, and it lasted just under two and a half months from late 1238 to the start of 1239.  It really shows how important it was to come up with a good name of these eras, as “ryakunin”, which seems to mean something like “humane period”, could also be written with characters meaning “abbreviated person”.  So they decided to abbreviate the era, instead, changing the era name again. This first year of the new era of Hakuchi continued relatively normally.  In the fourth month there were envoys from Silla—another source, according to the Nihon Shoki, claimed that Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla sent envoys every year from this reign onward.  Then, in the tenth month, we see more work being done on the palace—presumably the Ajifu palace.  We are told that presents were given out in respect to tombs that had been demolished to make room for the new construction, as well as for the people who had been moved off their land.  Then Aratawi no Atahe no Hirafu was sent to place the boundary posts, no doubt marking out the outer extremities of the new palace precincts. In addition, that month work began—no doubt at the court's direction—on a giant tapestry, or mandala, with a sixteen foot tall Buddha image, attendant Boddhisatvas, and figures of all eight classes of beings according to the Buddhist cosmology.  That includes Heavenly beings, such as Devas; dragons; demonic Yaksha, Gandharva, and Asura; the bird-like Garuda and Kimnara; and the snake-like Mahoraga.  All told, there were some 46 figures.  It doesn't seem to say where it was to be installed, though it may have been made for the new palace complex. Also in that year we are told that the court ordered Aya no Yamaguchi no Atahe no Ohoguchi to carve one thousand images of Buddha—but once again, we aren't told where they resided.  We do know that the 16 foot tall embroidered Buddha was completed in the 3rd month of 651: it had taken them approximately five months.  The day after they were completed, the Dowager Queen, Takara no Himemiko, aka the former sovereign, Kougyoku Tennou, who had stepped down in 645, invited ten Buddhist teachers and prepared a feast and entertainment, likely to bless and show off the completed images. At the end of 651, the palace itself was finally complete.  We are told that over 2100 priests were invited to the Ajifu palace to read the Issaikyo on  the last day of the year.  The Issaikyo is the entirety of the Buddhsit canon, and so this was probably done in the abbreviated tendoku style, with priests just reading the chapter headings and flipping through the sutras, though with 2100 it is possible they just each red a different portion, all at the same time.  As it grew dark, the palace courtyard was kept bright with 2700 lights while we are told that the Antaku and Dosoku sutras were read.  Aston notes that these “sutras” of Antaku and Dosoku don't appear to reference any actual sutras that we know of, and posits that they may simply be rituals for home safety and the like.  Given what we know about the fate of so many of these old wooden palaces, it makes sense. After the sutras were read, the sovereign, Karu, formally moved from his residence in Ohogohori into the new palace, which was called Naniwa no Nagara no Toyosaki no Miya.  As I noted at the beginning, it is unclear if this was the Ohogohori or Wogohori, and it is even somewhat murky as to whether or not it was considered a palace.  Not to mention that after the New Year's ceremonies were completed, the royal chariot—which would have been carrying the sovereign—went back to Ohogohori.  I guess things weren't quite ready yet.  He would return on the 9th day of the third month, and even then we don't see a note that the palace was completed until the 9th month of 652.. There is a lot here where we see things that appear to be scheduled so that they can occur on auspicious days, even if everything else isn't quite ready.  So, for example, reading the sutras and formally “moving” into the palace on the last day of the year so that one could host the New Year's celebration there the next day.  That seems like something that was done purely for ceremonial purposes.  You may recall that in 650 they did the same thing. There are a few more references to the palace.  On the 15th of the 4th month of 652, the Buddhist ascetic E'on was invited into the Dairi to explain the Muryouju Sutra, also known as the Sukhavati Vyuha sutra.  E'on was made a lecturer, and there were said to be 1,000 ascetics in the audience, listening to his teachings.  That apparently went on for five days, being discontinued on the 20th day.  And the power of the sutras, and E'on's teachings, is shown in the weather, because the Chronicles claim that large rains began to fall in a monsoon that lasted for nine days.  This wasn't a gentle “water your crops” kind of rain.  This was more like a “demolish your buildings and destroy your fields” kind of rain.  There must have been massive flooding as men, horses, and cattle were caught up in the water and drowned. Given the way this is written, I'm not entirely certain of the takeaway.  Were the sutras that powerful that they brought rain, and E'on didn't understand his own strength?  Or was it a punishment for stopping E'on from continuing his lecture?  Or was it the rains that caused the lectures to stop, perhaps making it untennable for people to sit out in the courtyard and listen as the rains came down?  My rational brain suspects the latter, but I'm not sure how it was read by the people of the 8th century. On the last day of 652, priests and nuns from around the country were invited to the dairi, to the interior of the palace, and entertained and given a feast.  Alms were given and lights kindled to celebrate the new year. But that's the last entry I really see for the palace, as such.  There was plenty more happening through the era, and we'll touch on that.  We start to see Silla and Tang dynasty getting chummy, and we also see some of the reforms still working their way across the land.  We also have Yamato's own expeditions out to the Great Tang dynasty.  But we'll save that for the next episode, as we continue to dive into the Hakuchi era. And so, until next time, thank you 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.

On the podcast this time, Steven and Sean are traveling through space to save the universe from the dreaded Emperor Ming. We watched the 1980 film from Mike Hodges, Flash Gordon.What do a former football player, a Swedish knight who challenges Death to a chess match, and a fiddler on the roof all have in common? They're all in this absolutely bonkers B-movie!I don't want to give too much of this one away. Rest assured, though, that watching this film at the right time in one's life could be a formative experience. By the time the credits roll, you won't be the same person.Listen in to discover what we ranked this month's B-movie. Will is be brilliant, a flunder, or the ever-dreaded blunder?(Recorded on April 17, 2024)Links to Stuff We Mentioned:Flash Gordon - The Movie Database (TMDB)Flash Gordon trailer - YouTubeStar Wars (1977) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Batman (TV Series 1966–1968) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Heavy Metal (1981) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Not Another Teen Movie (2001) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Sam J. Jones — The Movie Database (TMDB)Topol — The Movie Database (TMDB)Danilo Donati — The Movie Database (TMDB)(Danilo was the brilliant costume designer for this movie. A tip of the hat to his brilliant work!)Max von Sydow — The Movie Database (TMDB)Ted (2012) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) — The Movie Database (TMDB)The Girl Next Door (2004) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Caddyshack (1980) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Psycho Goreman (2020) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Turbo Kid (2015) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Sharktopus (2010) — The Movie Database (TMDB)Queen (band) - WikipediaFollow Us:Give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!Sean's Letterboxd profile!Steven's Letterboxd profile!Our Buzzsprout site!Our Instagram profile!flashgordon, scifi, comedy, action, adventure, bmovie, film, movieSupport the Show.

Welcome to the Munsons at the Movies podcast. Each episode we delve into the filmography and impact of a randomly selected actor. In this episode, we explore the legendary life and career of Max von Sydow. Best known for his roles as Antonius in The Seventh Seal (1957), Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon (1980), and Father Merrin in The Exorcist (1980), von Sydow is on the list for Halloween consideration given his status as a horror icon. Joined once again by Stephanie Malone of the Fear & Loathing Podcast and so much more, we recount a wild catfishing story, explore Ingmar Bergman's filmography through the lens of von Sydow, contemplate the amount of cultural appropriation in Flash Gordon, parse through the insane plot of Branded (2012), and complement his remarkable longevity as an actor. How does he rank on the Munson Meter? Listen to find out.

This episode we look at the transmission of Buddhism through the 1st to 5th centuries from India, to the Kushan Empire, and across the Silk Road to the Han and succeeding dynasties, and even to Baekje, on the Korean peninsula. For more, especially photos, please check out https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-84   Rough Transcript:   Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 84: The Middle Way through the Middle Kingdom. First things first, thank you to Bodil, Gabe, and Lauren for donating to support the show on Ko-Fi and Patreon.  If you'd like to join them, will have information at the end of the episode. Also an apology—if my voice isn't in tip-top shape, well, it seems that COVID finally found us after 3 years or so, and I'm on the tail end of it.  So thank you for your understanding. Last episode we talked about Siddhartha Gautama, aka Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha, and his teachings, and how they spread, at least through the Indian subcontinent, with the patronage of rulers like Ashoka the Great.  The original teachings, initially taught as an oral tradition, was eventually turned into a series of writings, called the Tripitaka. As for how those writings came about, it's worth talking about the languages involved. The native language of Shakyamuni was probably a language known as Maghadi, or something similar.  But the Indian subcontinent, including the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Afghanistan, is over three times the size of western Europe.  There are at eight south Asian language families, with hundreds of different languages, depending on how you count them.  The modern state of India counts 22 official languages, not including English.  I mention this to point out that as the Buddha's disciples spread his teachings, they were, by necessity, translating it into different languages. There is a story that a student suggested to the Buddha that they make Sanskrit the official language of Buddhism.  Even then, Sanskrit was considered a language of learning and education, much as Greek or Latin was in medieval Europe, but the Buddha rejected this and insisted that his teachings be taught in people's own tongue.  This proved great for reaching people, but over time there was a fear that the oral teachings might be lost, and so they were written down. The oldest written Buddhist canon is generally agreed to be texts in Pali, commissioned in Sri Lanka.  These are sometimes called the southern Tripitaka—or Tipitaka in Pali—and it is the primary canon for Theravada Buddhists.  In the north, however, Sanskrit remained the prominent language of learning, and texts written down and transmitted in the north—particularly those that made it to China and on to Japan—were typically Sanskrit or translations of Sanskrit texts.  This is what some refer to as the Northern Tripitaka.  Both of these were transcriptions of the oral teachings that Buddhist monks were otherwise memorizing and presenting to the Buddhist community.  That oral tradition, in fact, never really went away, and these early texts were more like a reference so that monks could check their memory.  Chanting the sutras—and especially chanting from memory—remained a highly prized skill of Buddhist orators. Now, the split between northern and southern texts is convenient, but it isn't necessarily as simple as all that.  We have plenty of examples of texts, particularly in the northern traditions, that don't necessarily have an extant Sanskrit counterpart.  In fact, the oldest extant sutras of any tradition that we have today are known as the Gandharan sutras, and written in the Ghandari language using a Karosthi script.  Gandhara refers to a region centered north and west of the Indus river, in modern Pakistan, stretching to the Kabul river valley in modern Afghanistan and north to the Karakoram mountains, which is one of the interlocking ranges that form the boundary between modern Pakistan and India and modern China and the Tibetan plateau.  It is believed to be the namesake of the city of Kandahar, in modern Afghanistan. This area was important, and not just to Buddhism.  For thousands of years it has been a crossroads between the Indian subcontinent, the area known as the Middle East, and the inner trade routes of central Eurasia.  It was part of the conquest by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE, becoming part of his kingdom, but then it was lost in battle to the Mauryan empire, which Ashoka the Great ruled in the 3rd century BCE.  The area later fell to Indo-Greek rule from members of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom to the north.  The most famous ruler during this period was probably Menander I, who is also remembered as a patron of Buddhism, building more stupas and monasteries in the region. The Hellenic Greco-Bactrians were eventually displaced by tribes of the Yuezhi, who themselves were being displaced by the Xiongnu, in central Eurasia.  In this epic game of musical chairs, a branch of the Yuezhi eventually settled in the area, ruling a large territory, including Gandhara, under what is known as the Kushan empire.  They had first moved into the area of Bactria and Sogdiana probably around the 1st or 2nd century BCE, and by the 1st century CE they were exerting authority over Gandhara.   Around the time the Gandharan sutras were written down, in the 1st or 2nd centuries, Buddhism—especially Mahayana Buddhism—was flourishing in the region, and Kanishka the Great—don't you love how all of these rulers are known as “the Great”, by the way?—ruled the Kushan empire, and hence Gandhara, in the early 2nd century.  He is said to have been a great patron of Buddhism, although it was one of several religions, including Zoroastrianism, that flourished in the region at this time. The Kushan empire is believed to be the same Yuezhi that we mentioned in episode 79, when we talked about the Han diplomat Zhang Qian, who had trekked through hostile Xiongnu, or Hunna, territory across much of what is now western China in the 2nd century BCE, seeking allies against the Hunna.  At that point, the Yuezhi had had enough of war, however, and they declined to fight, preferring to settle where they were and eventually growing into the Kushan empire.  That connection with the Han dynasty, however, likely was maintained through trade routes that continued to operate across the vast expanse of central Eurasia.  The Han dynasty itself continued to send out diplomatic missions to the various states of central Eurasia, and of course there were trade routes. As the Kushan empire expanded into the Tarim basin, it met once again with the Han, who had defeated the Hunna, and then claimed routes across the oasis towns of the desert regions.  While the routes would have high and low periods, often depending on the state of various conflicts, in general it seems that Buddhist missionaries probably made it to the Han dynasty and the Yellow River region, and founded monasteries, as early as the first century CE and certainly by the second century.  And, by our best understanding, the folks in these monasteries were already doing a lot of copying and translation of texts – both as a meritorious act, and to spread the word.  Since this is around the time the Gandharan texts were written, they were likely a part of this larger tradition of copying and translating that was going on, although many of those early documents did not survive intact to the modern day. One of the earliest records of Buddhism in the Han dynasty is a record dated to 65 CE.  Liu Ying, Prince of Chu and son of Emperor Guangwu of Han, sponsored Buddhism—as well as a school of Daoism—in attempts to better understand longevity and immortality.  While he was eventually accused of treason, putting something of a damper on his patronage of the religion, it is the first mention we have in the histories of Buddhism, and in some ways it speaks to something else about the initial acceptance of Buddhism. While there were likely those well-versed in Buddhism, particularly in the community of foreigners from the Western Regions, evidence suggests that for many lay people it was just as likely about what people thought that the religion could do for them in this life as anything else.  After all, there are many stories of miraculous events, and there was the concept of reincarnation and karma—the idea that by building merit, one could improve their lot in the next life.  There was even a belief that by building merit, one could improve their lot in the current life—and apparently extend their life or even, possibly, gain immortality. Sure, there were the more intellectual and philosophical endeavors, but for many people Buddhism was just as much about what it could do for them in the here and now.  Stories of monks and other holy men fit in right alongside stories of Daoist immortals.  In Han tombs, where Buddhist imagery is found, it is often found with or in place of the Queen Mother of the West—the same image that is found on many of the bronze mirrors that traveled across to the Japanese archipelago around this time.  It was likely that many of the early stories that the laypeople heard were probably fragments as much as anything.  Even with the Tripitaka written down, much of the transmission was still done orally.  Furthermore, it was in translation—and probably a translation of a translation. The earliest stories of Buddhism's transmission—particularly the translation of texts into Sinitic characters, the lingua franca of East Asia—claim that first the Theravada canon, and then later Mahayana texts, were translated in the second century, with foreigners from Parthia and Kushan credited with the early translations.  Others would continue the work, and at first it was mostly people from the Western Regions doing the translating. One of the earliest stories of sutras making their way to the Han dynasty comes from the time of Liu Ying, when his brother, Emperor Ming, sat on the throne.  The stories claim that the emperor saw an image of a golden Buddha, and that he requested either a statue or temple be erected.  So he sent people off to Kushan, where they found two monks who would come back with them in 68 CE, bringing portraits and scripture—specifically the “Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters”, which the two monks helped translate into a Sinitic version at Baimasi, or White Horse Temple.  As such, this “Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters” has been accorded a status as the first such Buddhist work to be brought to the area that is, today, modern China, and the White Horse Temple, located in Luoyang, is counted as one of the earliest temples in the Yellow River region.  That said, there are a lot of questions as to the authenticity of this tale, though it does mirror others about the arrival of Buddhism in the East, even if we cannot verify the actual first temple or work. Although Buddhism arrived during the Han dynasty, it wouldn't really begin to fully develop until after the dynasty's fall in the 3rd century.  During the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, the metaphysical and doctrinal beliefs of Buddhism began to penetrate the elite circles in a more tangible way.  Much of the philosophical underpinnings blended well with the interest at the time in “Dark Studies” and the school of “Pure Conversation”, which we discussed back in episode 72.  While Buddhist temples, much like their Daoist brethren, found some sanctuary from the chaos that created this period in the mountains and hills—not to mention a bit of added spiritual cachet—it was really the opportunity to gain greater state patronage that also helped. Monks like Zhi Dun began to reconcile Buddhist thought and doctrine with local beliefs.  In some cases, local religious figures—including gods and other spirits—were incorporated into the Buddhist framework, often by their “conversion” to the Buddha's teachings.  This was one of the strengths of Buddhism—although it carried with it a framework of Indian religious teachings and thoughts, it was not exclusive in its cosmological outlook.  Buddhism was more focused on helping one escape the suffering of this world, which would take you beyond all such things.  As the doctrines were meant for all beings—not just humans, but for animals, spirits, gods, and even demons—there was nothing to necessarily exclude other beliefs.  This helped some of the ethnic Han dynasties to accept and even promote Buddhism.  Meanwhile, some of the non-ethnic Han dynasties patronized Buddhism for either its miraculous powers or just because it was a foreign religion, much like they were foreigners in the Yellow River Basin.  In many cases, state-sponsorship was a two way street.  Dynasts would set themselves up as holy men, claiming to be Boddhisatvas.  They would even appropriate the concept of the Cakravartin, a Buddhist “Golden-Wheel-Turning-King”, which had overtones of cosmic overlordship.  I can see how that would fit in quite well with local concepts that a sovereign might lay claim to ruling “all under heaven” and be carrying out a “Heavenly mandate”. Along the Yangzi River, Buddhist monks gained a certain amount of independence.  They were not expected to bow to the sovereign, for example; an acknowledgment of their holy nature.  In the northern Wei dynasty, however, it was a different story.  There, the ruler was said to be no less than an incarnation of the Buddha, and a Chief Monk was selected to oversee the Sangha and no doubt ensure that the various Buddhist communities were in line with official dogma. At the same time, the government provided captured men and women to work fields to help pay for Buddhist temples and their work.  Likewise, people would make merit by donating wealth and land to temples, in hopes of blessings either in this current life or in the next life.  For their part, the temples were expected to act as storehouses or granaries—the wealth that poured into them would be used to help alleviate suffering, especially in the case of droughts or floods.  It soon became clear, however, that more wealth was going into the temples than was necessarily coming out.  There were attempts to reign in this Buddhist establishment, often by limiting the number of temples or even the number of monks, as well as limiting what people could donate.  These same edicts were undercut by the elites of the country, however, and often proved less than effectual. Along with sutras and Buddhist teachings, Buddhist images and architecture spread widely.  In India and the Western Regions, a key aspect of many temples was the stupa.  This was a mound containing a relic of some sort.  Originally these relics were said to be remnants of the Buddha, after he had been cremated.  Later, it was said that the remnants of the Buddha turned hard, like crystal, and that the original remains were gathered up and distributed to even more stupas.  Later they may contain other relics, as well. The stupa was an important part of the Buddhist temple, but over time, its character changed.  Instead of a mound like we still see in Southeast Asia, we start to see a building—a tower—which became a ubiquitous symbol of Buddhist temples in East Asia.  This multi-level pagoda originally started off with simply three levels, often made of brick and stone, but over time it grew with five or seven levels.  These towers were inspired by a description in the Lotus Sutra, a Mahayana text, that described a bejeweled seven-storey tower. Speaking of the Lotus Sutra, this was one of the many teachings that made its way to East Asia, and a hugely influential one.  It purports to tell the story of a sermon by the Buddha outside of those mentioned in the Theravada texts.  The teachings expounded upon in the Lotus Sutra had a great impact on Mahayana Buddhism and how people viewed the teachings of the Buddha.  For one, it also proposed the idea that the Buddha did not actually cease to exist when he attained nirvana, but is simply no longer visible. He still remains in the world to help all life find salvation from suffering.  That goes along with the concept of the Bodhisattva, a being who attains a Buddha-like understanding but out of compassion remains in the world to assist others. The Lotus Sutra also made claims such as the idea that anyone could attain Buddhahood, if they followed the teachings—and not just one particular set of teachings.  It opened the idea that there were multiple vehicles—that is to say different practices—that would all get you to the truth, to Englightenment.  Even the term “Mahayana” means the “Great Vehicle”, while Mahayana sees Theravada as “Hinayana”, the “Lesser Vehicle”.  Both will get you where you need to be, but Mahayana offers an exapansion of teachings and texts that Theravada Buddhism does not necessarily accept as authentic.  Indeed in Mahayana belief we also see a focus on multiple Buddhas with different specialties – not only the historical Buddha, but Vairocana, aka Dainichi Nyorai, the Great Solar Buddha, Amitabha, aka Amida Nyorai or Amida Butsu, and so on. In comparison, the Theravada school tend to be more dogmatic on various points of practice and belief, claiming that they focus on the actual teachings of the Historical Buddha and not necessarily looking for extra texts and practices.  There may have been Buddhas in previous ages that attained nirvana and departed this existence, but the Buddha of the current age is the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni.  Another Buddha, Maitreya, is not expected for another five to ten thousand years—not until the teachings of the Buddha have been forgotten and are once again required.  Acquiring freedom from this existence through nirvana is not necessarily one and the same with obtaining Buddhahood—the enlightened understanding required to save all beings. There is another school, “Vajrayana”, the “Lightning” or “Diamond” vehicle.  It focuses on tantric, or esoteric teachings, which practitioners believe provide a more direct, and faster method to enlightenment.  Many secret teachings, or mikkyo in Japanese, can trace themselves in some way to these practices, though it likely didn't make it to East Asia until the Tang dynasty or so in the 8th century, so we'll come back to it when we get to things like Kuukai and Saichou, who brought Shingon and Tendai, respectively, to Japan in the early 9th century—about four centuries from our current chronological position.  Both the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools included the teachings from the Lotus Sutra, which would become one of the most important sutras, certainly by the Tang dynasty, as well as in the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago.  Its widespread dissemination is often attributed to the famous monk Kumarajiva.  Kumarajiva was a citizen of Kucha, one of the oasis towns along the northern edge of the Tarim Basin, and site of a bustling metropolis and capital of one of the largest oasis kingdoms in the Tarim basin.  Even today, you can see remnants of the ancient city in the desert, and the dry conditions have preserved a number of artifacts, including plenty of texts referencing Buddhist and other beliefs. Kumarajiva traveled from the peripheral city of Dunhuang, another site renowned for its Buddhist roots, especially the famous Mogao caves—a series of Buddhist grottoes built into a cliff face which, along with the dry conditions, have exquisitely preserved the early sculpture and painting, as well as, again, numerous documents.  He came to Chang'an around 401, and he helped translated numerous Buddhist scriptures into Sinitic characters, which could then be shared and read by people across East Asia—everywhere in the ancient Sinic sphere of influence. Besides the Lotus Sutra, another famous text told of the Buddha Amithabha, aka Amida Butsu in Japan.  Amithabha's teachings claimed that any who would call on the name of Amithabha, or just picture them in their mind with a sincere heart, would, on their death, find themselves reborn in a Western Paradise—a “Pure Land” where there were no distractions other than to meditate on the Buddha's teachings and eventually attain freedom from this existence.  Whereas many of the teachings and theological discussions of the various Buddhist schools could get quite complex—thus almost requiring any serious student to join a monastery if they wanted to truly study a particular flavor—the teachings of Amithabha were appealing to those without necessarily a lot of time or resources.  It boiled down to a few practices that just about anyone could do.  It didn't require that you donate huge sums of money or land, or that you spend all your day copying scriptures.  One could chant the name of Amithabha in the fields as you were working, or picture them in your mind as you prepared for bed. These kinds of practices—the chanting of particular mantras or other such things—became a kind of thing people could do to help protect themselves or ward off evil.  A particular example of this practice is preserved in a text from Dunhuang, which has a colophon explaining its purpose.  According to Patricia Ebrey's translation, the text, which was copied by someone named Sun Sizhong, was an incantation that, if said 7, 14, or 21 times a day, with various somatic and material components (willow twig to cleanse the mouth, scattering flowers and incense before the image of the Buddha, and kneeling and joining the palms of the hands) it would clear away the four grave sins, the five wicked acts, and other transgressions.  “The current body would not be afflicted by “untimely” calamities, and one will be reborn into the realm of immeasurably long life.  Plus, reincarnation in the female form would be escaped forever.” On that last piece—yeah, Buddhism came with a little bit of baggage.  In ordering all of life, men were seen as inherently higher on the ladder than women.  This discrimination has been walked back or even abolished in some modern interpretations, but it was definitely present in older beliefs. Besides the power of the incantation if said 7, 13, or 21 times a day, Sun Sizhong went on to explain that if someone recited it 100 times in the evening and then at noon and it will ensure rebirth in the “Western Regions”, while 200,000 recitations gets you perfect intelligence, and 300,000 recitations, one will see Amitabha Buddha face to face and be reborn in the Pure Land. As you can probably start to see, there were many different beliefs and teachings that fell under the Mahayana teachings, and many of the texts were translations.  Even those that had been translated into Sinitic, it was often done by foreigners for whom the local Sinic language was not their native tongue, so there was always a kind of awareness that important pieces might have been lost in translation along the way.  In the 5th century, this led some monks to make the particularly long and dangerous journey all the way to Kushan and on to India, to access the original primary sources for themselves.  One of these was a monk by the name of Faxian. At the age of 62, Faxian decided to go to India to try to get to the heart of what the Buddha really taught.  He set out in 399, traveled across the Tarim Basin and into the Kashmir region and the Indus Valley—Gandhara, in modern Pakistan.  From there he traveled to central India and arrived at Patna, where he stayed and studied for three years.  He traveled around, seeking out works in Sanskrit on Buddhsit ethics and teachings, studying the local languages as well.  In 410 he made his way to the mouth of the Ganges and down to Sri Lanka, where he stayed for almost two years before boarding a ship and traveling home—traveling through the straits of Malacca and around Southeast Asia to take the sea route back to his home. The journey was perilous, and at least twice the boat lost its way.  According to the stories, some of his fellow travelers, who followed more Brahmanic teachings rather than Buddhist, believed that Faxian and his quote-unquote “heretical” teachings were what were leading them astray.  Faxian was able to maintain order and he and his books eventually made it safely to the Shandong peninsula in or around 412. He made his way down to Jiankang, aka modern Nanjing on the Yangzi river.  There he spent the rest of his life translating the scriptures he had brought back.  Others would make similar journeys, all to try to find more authentic versions of the texts—which usually meant finding the Sanskrit version—and then creating translations from those. With the growth in popularity in Buddhism, it is probably little wonder that it eventually made its way over to the Korean peninsula.  It is hard to say exactly when Buddhism arrived, but the Baekje annals in the Samguk Sagi claim that it was brought there by a monk of Central Asia descent in about 384.  One year later, we are told the king of Baekje erected a temple and caused ten men to become monks. The timing of this generally accords with some of the information in the Nihon Shoki, which claims that Buddhism first came from the Western Regions to the Han dynasty, and then to Baekje 300 years later, and then to Yamato about 100 years after that.  While the dates aren't exact, this generally accords with what we know of the way that Buddhism traveled to East Asia and to Baekje, at least. Although we have textual evidence, there isn't much archaeological evidence for Buddhism on the Korean peninsula in this time outside of urban centers.   That is where we find temple rooftiles and other indications that Buddhism was practiced, but at the time it was probably something more common amongst elites than the common people, at least in the 4th and early 5th centuries.  With the invasions by Goguryeo  and the loss of northern territory in about 475, it did gain increased patronage.  Still, it wasn't until the 6th century that it really left the urban centers, which is roughly the time we are talking about with the Yamato sovereign Ame Kunioshi, aka Kimmei Tennou. Next episode we'll get into just how Buddhism came over to the islands—or at least what is recorded and what we have evidence for—in the sixth century.  We'll also talk about its reception and its patronage by the famous Soga clan.  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.  And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

"Flash, Flash, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!" We invited over Trek Culture's Seán Ferrick back on the podcast to watch the camp extraveganza Flash Gordon (1980). Like the renegade cousin strung out on psychedelics to George Lucas's more successful Star Wars Flash, Gordon is one of our favorite cult classics to come out of the early 1980s. Nobody knew how to put on a show like Italian movie mogul Dino De Laurentiis, and Flash Gordon has it all. Playgirl coverboy Sam J. Jones as our sincere beefcake protagonist, the wooden tour de force performance of Melody Anderson as Dale, Max von Sydow chewing the scenery as Emperor Ming the Merciless (culturally insenstive is an understatement here).  All political correctness aside, Flash Gordon is still a good time. We talk about Timothy Dalton doing the most with the least amount of character of the bunch, Brian Blessed playing his performance to the back row with his army of  harness clad Winged Hawk-Men. Not to mention the rocking score by Queen. This movie went onto be a huge inspiration to Seth McFarland, Taika Waititi, and Edgar Wright for it's insanly fun imagry. FLASH Ah-ah He'll Save Every One of Us!  Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay (http://www.patreon.com/moviesthatmadeusgay) Facebook/Instagram: @moviesthatmadeusgay Twitter: @MTMUGPod Scott Youngbauer: Twitter @oscarscott / Instagram @scottyoungballer Peter Lozano: Twitter/Instagram @peterlasagna

On today's intro we dive into the early story of Buddhism and its early practices/beliefs, oh, and the end of Emperor Ming.

Buddhism is here...sort of. And Emperor Ming does not take kindly to people hiring warlocks to curse him.

In this week's episode of Would You Watch Jeremy drops into REM sleep to pull out as many details of "Dreamscape" as possible. This episode has Aliens, Jimmy Morries, Emperor Ming, Arthur Case and SO much more. Gen-Xers, come for the nostalgic revisit of "The 1980s Present: Inception", everybody else, buckle up, press play and slip away into the "Dreamscape".

Flash Gordon, the character, was created back in the 1930's specifically as a space opera.  Space opera is the old science fiction that takes place in outer space but doesn't necessarily follow the knowledge behind the science.  George Lucas brought it all back in the 1970's with STAR WARS (1977).  With it being a huge subgenre once more, in 1980 the film FLASH GORDON as the next big budget film to set off a franchise. New York Jets quarterback Flash Gordon (Sam J. Jones), during space Emperor Ming's (Max von Sydow) invasion of Earth, flies a space rocket with travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) and scientist Hans Zarkov (Topol) to Ming's palace where they are captured.  With the help of Princess Aura (Ornella Muti) and others, Flash escapes and tries to start an intergalactic rebellion to free all those oppressed by Ming. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, directed by Mike Hodges, and written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr., based off Alex Raymond's iconic character, the movie gained much press as the band Queen joined as the main composer along with Howard Blake.  Released world wide, the film's retro look and strange story gained it mediocre reviews.  Yet years later fans found the film and gave it the rightful cult following that it has.  Your co-hosts discuss this wonderful film.

Del is a musician, being a guitarist in the tribute band, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Carpets, and in this episode, we talked about more RAF detachment antics, gigging with his former band, Definitely Oasis and how he became the most powerful evil emperor on 111 squadron. I also deal with a minor technical issue. You can find the High Flying Carpets Facebook page at, www.Facebook.com/nghfc. Here you can find gig and ticket details for upcoming shows. Hope you enjoy!

In this week's episode of Would You Watch Jeremy drops into REM sleep to pull out as many details of "Dreamscape" as possible. This episode has Aliens, Jimmy Morries, Emperor Ming, Arthur Case and SO much more. So press play and slip away into the "Dreamscape" with your favorite Wingmen.

Our guest this week has many descriptors, humanitarian, conservationist, fine art large format photographer, book publisher, lecturer, legendary photographer and national treasure. Clyde Butcher has been making photographs for over 60 years, the last 35 in Big Cypress National Park which is in the Western Everglades of Florida State. Clyde’s stunning 8ft wide darkroom prints are made to fully immerse the viewer and communicate on a level to help raise awareness of the fragility of this endangered landscape. Thank you Clyde for finding the time to talk with us.   Clyde’s links  Clyde’s website is a great place to find out more https://clydebutcher.com/   Clyde is on IG https://www.instagram.com/clydebutcher/   and on FB https://www.facebook.com/clydebutcher/     Things we chatted about on the show:   Simon and Clyde got off to a great start with a slight disagreement about the origins of something called a Flektogon, Klingon or Emperor Ming, I can’t really recall to be honest.   Simon of course couldn’t admit defeat so later came up with this article which demonstrated that they were both right, apparently. https://casualphotophile.com/2019/04/02/zeiss-flektogon-lens-review/?fbclid=IwAR0bIZVpJTceea6uJ0KmupZwygqeCDfO7ngphngQU3pTsukkihMAMNKgxSY   Simon and I both missed the presentation that Clyde made this week at the B&H Optic 2020 – here is a YouTube link to hear Clyde and see his work. https://casualphotophile.com/2019/04/02/zeiss-flektogon-lens-review/?fbclid=IwAR0bIZVpJTceea6uJ0KmupZwygqeCDfO7ngphngQU3pTsukkihMAMNKgxSY   We both continued to demonstrate our ignorance when we admitted to not knowing who Jerry Uelsmann was. https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/105/jerry-uelsmann   Clyde mentioned Everglade photographer Oscar Thompson. https://evergladesonline.com/photos-oscar.htm       Other News The inaugural LFPP Gathering in the forest 2020 was cancelled but you can catch up with the virtual meeting we had recently where we were honoured to have Dave Shrimpton and Kate Miller-Wilson present their work and ideas to over 20 of us on line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQQtnpFib8s&t=113s   You can see Dave and Kates work on IG   https://www.instagram.com/dave_shrimpton/ https://www.instagram.com/katemillerwilson/     And….   Much to Simon’s dismay the Six Towns Darkroom remains in lock down for the time being.         LFPP links -   https://largeformatphotographypodcast.podbean.com/   ko-fi.com/largeformatphotographypodcast   You can join in the fun at our Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2296599290564807/   Get Twitter updates for the show from Andrew – https://twitter.com/warboyssnapper   Or from Simon – https://twitter.com/simonfor   Email feedback, ideas and questions for the podcast largeformatphotographypodcast@gmail.com   Podcast Hosts Social Media presence   Simon Forster www.classiclensespodcast.com   www.simonforsterphotographic.co.uk   https://stores.ebay.co.uk/itsfozzyphotography   https://www.flickr.com/photos/125323761@N07/   https://www.facebook.com/SimonForsterPhotographic/   https://www.instagram.com/simonforsterphotographic/   https://twitter.com/SimonFor   Andrew Bartram https://anchor.fm/thelenslesspodcast   https://andrewbartram.wordpress.com   https://www.instagram.com/warboyssnapper   https://www.imstagram.com/warboyssnapper_pinholes   https://www.flickr.com/photos/warboyssnapper/   https://twitter.com/warboyssnapper

Bloody Episode 71 Movie TOPICS   James Bond is running scared from the CoronaVirus as ‘No Time To Die’ has been pushed back to a November release date.  Turns out there is plenty of time to die.  Peter Rabbit sequel also pushed back because of the virus but who cares about that right? JAMES WAN is next on the list for producing Monster movies for Universal. Only Producing though… because he’s a super mega alpha male in Hollywood now while he's busy with Malignant and Aquaman 2. Emperor Ming and Blofeld (Max von Sydow) has passed away at 90 years of age. Did you see TCTP Hit List Legend Kumail Nanjiani recreate famous Movie Scenes for a photo shoot with Men’s Health?! Oh my lord… talk about moist!  After the success of ‘The Invisible Man’, Blumhouse is set to tackle another ‘Universal Pictures’ monster movie with a new ‘Dracula’ adaptation in the works! Gaming TOPICS   The Last of Us HBO TV show in development from guys who made Chernobyl. E3 2020 is happening soon, 2020 Electronic Entertainment Expo will begin on Tuesday, 9 June and ends on Thursday, 11 June BUT. Rumours indicate it may not happen due to virus concerns. 2020 is a massive year for gaming with new titles plus next gen consoles - RELATED - Twitch cancelled ‘Twitchcon’ in Amsterdam because of the virus. Call of Duty: Warzone a free to play battle royal with crossplay. PS online subscription apparently not needed but you’ll still need Xbox live. Massive 101 gigabyte download Film: ‘Guns Akimbo’    Directed by: Jason Lei Howden Written By: Jason Lei Howden  Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Samara Weaving, Ned Dennehy and Natasha Liu Bordizzo.  Distributed by: Madman Entertainment Budget: Cannot find it anywhere on the internet.  Box Office (as of review): Due to limited information, the most I could find is $393,839.  Premise:   @2c3pod Aussie Pop Culture Podcast ~ 2 Episodes every Wednesday and Friday + YOUTUBE bonus content. Podbean, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & Youtube Join our Patreon and support the show to gain exclusive access to other goodies!PATREON Check out our socials to keep in contactTwitter, Facebook & Instagram Twitchwww.twitch.tv/mitchell_tctpwww.twitch.tv/dylan_tctp

Flash Gordon, Thun, Prince of the Lionmen, Prince Barin, a former member of Emperor Ming's court, and Dr. Zarkov, plot to overthrow the government of Emperor Ming and rescue Dale Arden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flash Gordon, Thun, Prince of the Lionmen, Prince Barin, a former member of Emperor Ming's court, and Dr. Zarkov, plot to overthrow the government of Emperor Ming and rescue Dale Arden.

Whilst imprisoned Flash met Boon, the powerful, huge, bearded prince of the Lionmen and Prince Barron a former member of Emperor Ming's court. Joined by Dr Zarcov, these four friends joined together to overthrow the government of Emperor Ming and rescue Flash's sweetheart, Dale Arden. They were almost successful but at the last moment, they were recaptured by Emperor Ming's soldiers and were condemned to a fate far worse than death…

For this early O’Brien adventure, Eric Deutsch of Flash Gordon Minute comes straight from Emperor Ming’s court to the far flung frontier reaches of the Alpha Quadrant to discuss the first alien who came from the wormhole.  And in so doing, realizes that he is in fact, Tosk.  In a way, we are all Tosk.  But we’re doing far more than talking about Alva nodes, pieces of cake, and ramscoops.  We’ve got Stevie Wonder songs, (non-Spider-Man 2) Spidey films, nonsensical alien technology, Slowdo, and another one of those giant-sized early season one Trek Checks to talk about!   Don’t worry, this podcast will save every one of us!

Flash...ah aaahhh...savior of the universe! Mike (Get Carter, Omen II) Hodges brought Flash Gordon from the Alex Raymond comic strips to the big screen in 1980 in big budget, campy fun. Starring Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon, Melody Anderson as Dale Arden, Max Von Sydow as Emperor Ming, Topol as Dr. Hans Zarkov, Ornella Muti as Princess Aura, Timothy Dalton as Prince Barin, Brian Blessed as Prince Voltan, and Peter Wyngarde as Klytus. Join the Invaders as they re-imagine Alex Raymond's classic character and propose a remake they would love to see including fantasy casting and not including terrible lizard men costumes. If you like the podcast please support us by sharing it with your friends, subscribing, giving us a 5-star rating and writing a review. Follow us on Twitter: @InvasionRemake Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/invasionoftheremake/ Email us: invasionoftheremake@gmail.com  

Adventist History - Fighting the cult label THIS DAY IN HISTORY - October 29 * 1929 - The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday", ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression | Great Depression * 1942 - Bob Ross, American painter and television host (d. 1995) * 1960 - In Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay (who later takes the name Muhammad Ali) wins his first professional fight * 1997 - Anton LaVey, American occultist and Emperor Ming impersonator, died on this day. He is famous for founding the Church of Satan. * 1998 - Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year-old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space | John Glen SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY * Atoms can't move while being watched * Blackest material ever made * GreenWave, Winner of 2015 Buckminster Fuller Challenge develops multi-species aquafarming POLITICS AND RELIGION * Hobby Lobby's Green under investigation for illegal Iraqi artifacts * Faith-healers lose in Oregon Supreme Court * Satanic Temple offers to hold invocations after next Bremerton football game * Ben Carson wants abortion banned in all cases, compares it with slavery * Bernie Sanders asked if he believes in God * Opal Covey promises destruction if not elected FEEDBACK Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or call us at (541) 203-0666. This episode is brought to you by: Nuclear Sponsor - US$20.00 - US$35.00 per month * Russ from the Kitsap Atheists & Agnostics * Travis Megee * Vernware * Frank * Darryl Goossen * Robert Ray from the Humanists of the North Puget Sound Platinum Sponsor - US$8.00 - US$19.00 per month * Virginia Dawn * Paul Burkey * BT Motley Gold Sponsor - US$4.00 - US$7.00 per month * Mark * Gary from Idaho Atheists * The Flying Skeptic * Renee Davis-Pelt * Alex * Mike Price * Mark * LaTonya * Duncan Margetts Bronze Sponsor - US$10 per year/ US1.00 per month * Mark * Hugh Mann * Peter * Archway Hosting provides full featured web hosting for a fraction of the cost of traditional shared hosting. You get all the benefits of shared hosting, without the sticker shock or extra fees. Check them out at archwayhosting.com. You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice mail message at (541) 203-0666. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

Adventist History - Fighting the cult label THIS DAY IN HISTORY - October 29 * 1929 - The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday", ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression | Great Depression * 1942 - Bob Ross, American painter and television host (d. 1995) * 1960 - In Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay (who later takes the name Muhammad Ali) wins his first professional fight * 1997 - Anton LaVey, American occultist and Emperor Ming impersonator, died on this day. He is famous for founding the Church of Satan. * 1998 - Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year-old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space | John Glen SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY * Atoms can’t move while being watched * Blackest material ever made * GreenWave, Winner of 2015 Buckminster Fuller Challenge develops multi-species aquafarming POLITICS AND RELIGION * Hobby Lobby's Green under investigation for illegal Iraqi artifacts * Faith-healers lose in Oregon Supreme Court * Satanic Temple offers to hold invocations after next Bremerton football game * Ben Carson wants abortion banned in all cases, compares it with slavery * Bernie Sanders asked if he believes in God * Opal Covey promises destruction if not elected FEEDBACK Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or call us at (541) 203-0666. This episode is brought to you by: Nuclear Sponsor - US$20.00 - US$35.00 per month * Russ from the Kitsap Atheists & Agnostics * Travis Megee * Vernware * Frank * Darryl Goossen * Robert Ray from the Humanists of the North Puget Sound Platinum Sponsor - US$8.00 - US$19.00 per month * Virginia Dawn * Paul Burkey * BT Motley Gold Sponsor - US$4.00 - US$7.00 per month * Mark * Gary from Idaho Atheists * The Flying Skeptic * Renee Davis-Pelt * Alex * Mike Price * Mark * LaTonya * Duncan Margetts Bronze Sponsor - US$10 per year/ US1.00 per month * Mark * Hugh Mann * Peter * Archway Hosting provides full featured web hosting for a fraction of the cost of traditional shared hosting. You get all the benefits of shared hosting, without the sticker shock or extra fees. Check them out at archwayhosting.com. You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice mail message at (541) 203-0666. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

The fates have not been kind to the Liu Song Dynasty. It keeps rolling the monarchy dice, and they keep coming up crazy-eyes. Emperor Ming will start strong, but descend into cruelty and paranoia. His successor seems to have just been born bad, and the final monarch of the dynasty won’t have enough time fall one direction or the other before a rising star will unseat him, and Liu Song altogether, as the true power of Southern China. Period Covered: 465 – 479 CE Major Figures: Emperor Ming of Liu Song (née Liu Yu, r. 465-472) Emperor Houfei (née Liu Yu, r. 472-477) Emperor Shun (née Liu Zhun, r. 477-479) General Xiao Daocheng General Shen Youzhi Yang Yufu, Imperial Attendant  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wesley Chu joins us for a literal shake-up of our structure for one episode. We had loads of fun with this one. The I Ching is a collection of poems which you consult with numbered sticks. You ask a question, shake a random stick from the cup, and the corresponding poem holds your answer. In writing The Man in the High Castle, Phillip K. Dick used the I Ching to make plot decisions at crucial points. We decided to turn that, and our format, on its head, so we used the I Ching to ask us questions.  Understanding exactly what the I Ching was asking was at least as much fun as answering the questions we inferred. Here are the I Ching's questions. Although he reached a great position, Wise Liu did not care for earthly things. He brewed instead the pills of heaven, forging immortality in his earthly crucible. Marriage is a blessed union indeed, when done in accordance with Yin and Yang. The dragon and the phoenix coil together, uniting in a sweet dream of love. All names in Heaven are unique, and even earthly things cannot be the same. Your future is set within the book of fate, which never confuses praise and blame. Emperor Ming slew his one true love, but a shaman took pity, and eased his heart with dreams of roaming upon the moon, his beloved mistress forever at his side. Two scholars went to the capitol for examinations. One passed, and stayed. One failed and returned, carrying a letter from his friend. He fell ill, but eventually, thank Heaven, came home.   Important Cultural Note: The I Ching is far more complex than we've been able to describe in this podcast, and is worthy of a lot more attention than we were able to present to you in this 'cast. Want more Wes Chu? Wes didn't say a whole lot in this episode, possibly because he was exhausted from the grilling we gave him earlier. This episode was recorded directly it AFTER recording a guest episode with him that will be airing in coming weeks. Audio Notes: Many of you have complained about the audio quality of the show, especially in the last few months. We went to significant additional effort and expense to make this latest set of sessions sound better. If you like the changes, please let us know.  

Cristafurion and Friends made a wish. Did it come true? Find out in our "TED" movie review! Grab your thunder buddy and renew your hatred for Emperor Ming with Seth Mac Farlane's new comedy featuring a Teddy Bear that in no way sounds like Peter Griffin!

An evil army is approaching, and a lead character is lamenting the power and flexibility of evil in the world...the monologue draws to a pivotal moment...the actor's voice swells...and..."All we have is Steel!...Wizardry! All we have is defense!"This line, from a character played by the actor Steve Guynn in an upcoming Jerry Williams fantasy film, is just one of many, many examples of the great lines that one encounters in a Jerry Williams film!Jerry Williams is an indie filmmaker extraordinaire. He is a guy who usually has multiple films in various stages of production, and has crafted a style that can only be described as his very own, unique genre. He definitely pushes the envelope with his work, and elicits alot of reactions, ranging from those that love his signature style (count me in this group), to others less inclined, such as a film reviewer that actually called for someone, somewhere to punch Jerry for making the film that the guy was reviewing (true story!).One thing that is indisputable is that you will be hard-pressed to find someone who is more passionate about independent film. You will also be sorely challenged to find someone who is more gracious in the goodwill and support that Jerry regularly extends to other filmmakers of all genres and styles.From cardboard sets and creative uses of his cat (note to Humane Society: the cat has never been harmed and is, in fact, quite spoiled!), to voluptuous actresses leaving little to the imagination, to cult independent film stars such as Debbie Rochon, Conrad Brooks, and Troma's Loyd Kaufman, Jerry's works always have the unexpected and the original. What most people don't realize is that underneath all of the onscreen insanity, Jerry actually injects a serious literary undercurrent, an example of which he discusses in this interview concerning his feature "Misadventures in Space".Jerry is a playright, poet, and prose writer as well, and we wanted to bring a little of that aspect out in this interview, and encourage the reader to look into his excellent poetry collection that is in print, called Mirrors and Portraits.It is my intention that this interview gives the reader a little insight into the craziness, humor, work ethic, committment, talent, dedication, and other characteristics that Jerry possesses. (The genius right alongside the offbeat and insane, so to speak!) You will also hopefully get a sense of his collaborative spirit, as well as get to meet a few of his regular cohorts such as Pat Bowling and Eric Butts.The indie filmmaking world is not an easy one, and Jerry puts his heart and soul into his work. With all the things stacked against the no-budget indie filmmaker, Jerry's progress, success, and prolific filmmaking nature gives inspiration to all of us; the "Steel, Wizardry, and Defense!", if you will, to keep fighting the good fight for independent film.So here it goes! Buckle up, hold on to your seat! Now...Ladies and Gentlemen...the long-awaited IMM interview with Goatboy Films' legendary and controversial director, Jerry Williams!!!-Stephen Zimmer, for Indie Movie Masters, June 25, 2009SZ: We know you are a brilliant, genius filmmaker, but give us a little idea as to your background, education, that kind of thing.JW: I've always been a writer, first and foremost, and I got a masters degree in creative writing from MSU....two things from that time have always influenced my cinema work are my love of hidden messages in writing and my love of the grotesque...Lovecraft, Tolkien, and my personal favorite Clive Barker. In literary criticism, one of the things of Hemingway that struck me was he was very direct in his writing, but if you peered deeper in...there was hidden meanings in such simple direct sentence structures. I like the idea of my films, no matter how simple or silly it appears should have some deeper levels. I had read once that Gene Roddenberry made star trek a vehicle where he could talk about the human condition under the guise of a 'sci fi' show....I wanted to take that idea and apply it to indie or cult cinema, and place hidden messages or motifs in crazy surreal films. Misadventures in Space on one level is a silly send up of the sci fi genre in general and star trek in particular, but it is also a satire of the Iraqi war...when I wrote it...I was constantly watching the cable news shows, and the character Brother Bishop Tucker(Billy W. Blackwell) was named after conservative TV host Tucker Carlson. That biting satire buried in sci fi nonsense interested me...a form of commentary that hopefully some people got when they saw the film.SZ: What got you into movies so passionately, and what type of movies or what movies are your favorites?JW: I got into cinema as an extension of what I was trying to do with my poetry and coffeehouse performances. I have tons of favorite filmmakers...passion about the film is what I respond to....regardless of the genre. I took an art motif of homegrown 'slacker Dada' to my films. I like surreal films, and I love the idea of marrying cartoons, surreal, and junkfood low brow culture into sci fi or horror films. I love older cinema, and since I never had a color TV until I was into my teens, the idea of a black and white film never seemed weird to me... I watched all of the crazy shows from the 70's in black and white. Older movies seemed, to me at least, filled with beautiful women and films that needed plot and characters in them. When I see the CG inspired madness and MTV inspired 'slick shots' in films...I wonder how dated they will look in twenty years. I would rather watch an Ed Wood, Russ Meyer, or Ray Dennis Steckler film anyday over glossed over candy that passes for films these days.....the female lead from 'creature of the Black Lagoon' seems much more beautiful to me than some of these tacky celebrities out of hollywood of late.....Bela Lugosi was Dracula, and Flash Gordan fought Emperor Ming's evil empire give me more enjoyment than most current films.SZ: Do you have some favorite directors? And why are they your favorites?JW: Ed Wood, Clive Barker, Lloyd Kaufman, Ray Dennis Steckler, Kevin Smith and Russ Meyers. Each director had a unique vision of what they were shooting for, and some (Ed Wood, Ray Dennis Steckler) did great with limited or no budgets. I also love my friend Conrad Brooks and his films....definitely worth a look for fans of surreal horror and 'offbeat' films. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention local filmmakers George Bonilla, Jacob Ennis, Cherokee Hall, Stephen Zimmer, Matt Perry, Daniel Roberts, Mark Poole, Jason Crowe and my favorite Tim Ritter. I did several films with George Bonilla as an AD, and all of his films are surreal horror and worth a look for psychotronic film fans.....I did a nod to him and named several characters after him in Ectovision!Jacob Ennis produced my film Purvos, and I learned a lot...a lot from him on making films...Stash is a 70's slasher horror film much better than anything that Hollywood puts out there...I love Stephen Zimmer's films...his Shadows and Light movie is a fantasy film that really had a unique vision, and I really liked Matt Perry's film murderer. Tim Ritter is still a favorite director of mine, and definitely influenced Purvos.SZ: Do you have a day job? Or do you just sit back and collect royalty checks from the Goatboy films Empire?JW: I'm a working stiff, and fund my films myself which gives me freedom and headaches at the same time. Perhaps one day goatboyfilms will help fuel that run for the whitehouse or Senate. Vote Williams!SZ: How in the world did you come up with the name Goatboy films? What is the story behind the name of your studio?JW:From my friend Chadwell, we were kicking around ideas for a film company name in early 2001. It was Chadwell's nickname in college by a tripped out hippy chick. The name fit what I shooting for, and we kept it. It's not related to that saturday night live skit.SZ: Tell us about Pat Bowling and others in the Goatboy Films empire, as I know you work regularly with a few particular renegades like Pat.JW: I've known Pat from college, and our differences work out for the best. I'm a 'head in the clouds dreamer' sometimes, and Pat is a 'nuts and bolts' guy and that combination helps get projects done. Trust me, Pat is worth his weight in gold when it comes to the UFO film. Pat is also a damn good actor as well, I think he likes production much more... his acting swan song will be in Queen of the Cursed World. Pat is briefly in the medieval thing I'm cooking up...Insomnia and Dragon Witch. He did a fantastic job editing 'The Cursed Doll' which is now with Echelon StudiosSZ:How in the world would you describe a “Jerry William’s Film”? It seems to me you defy classification, but I had to ask, if only to know how best to describe your stuff myself. You perplex me!JW: Live action cartoon energy slacker dada satire comedy horror show....I guess my films move to their own heartbeats....I like the idea of crossing genres...high brow motives with junk food pop culture. I have some notes about doing my version of Alice in Wonderland called at this point 'Alice Caligari'...I like the idea of bringing in older actors since our culture is so youth obsessed, and Lewis Carroll's book lends itself easily to symbolic and freudian intrepretations...I read several biographies and literary criticisms of his creative work, and agree it was his only outlet in a repressed and solitary existence. It's still up in the air at this point.SZ: You have incredible women in your films. How do you convince them to be involved in no-budget projects without shelling out big bucks?JW: Well, my films usually have strong female character roles...most films you have a finite amount of what and who you can play. Slasher films usually have two roles in them...hero or victim, and sci fi films are even more restrictive. My films may be out in left field, but the female characters have power and command respect. I like that the actresses bring something to the table. Leslie Rogers was a fanastic Fiona in Soul Robbers, and Heather Price does a fantastic turn in Ectovision. Stephani Heise and Natasha Roberts who played the lovers in Purvos did great.I wanted Purvos to be a little different. Actors will at least listen to you, if your film isn't the 'slasher-on-the loose' fare, and I don't cut off roles at 24 years old....I find the youth obsessed culture out of tinseltown is shallow to my taste, but of course that's just my opnion.SZ: What is your largest budget to date? What is a typical budget on a Goatboy project? (In US Dollars, Yen, or Euros, you can pick)JW: Zeppo definitely, but I'm not sure about the final budget...that's more with Eric Butts and Moodswing Entertainment. I work with various budgets, but I joke with Pat that some of my films cost a six pack of beer and a song! I will say that at the end of the day, folks won't care about your budget if you engage them and entertain them. I've seen several modest budgeted films and felt great whereas I've seen CGI laden films that cost more than the gross national budget of small Africian countries and though they were slick emotionally dead pieces of eye fluff.SZ: You have a knack for casting, such as using the regal William Schaeffer Tolliver, the insane Steve Guynn, the Bruce Campbell-esque Daniel Roberts, the larger than life Cherokee Hall, etc. How do you approach casting such colorful characters? Do you bribe them?JW: I bribe them with my personality! No seriously, I usually connect with actors and crews working on other films for friends....I met several talented actors on film sets by local filmmakers such as Cherokee Hall, George Bonilla, Daniel Roberts, Jacob Ennis, Eric Butts, and Cineline's Matt Perry ....you find out more about a person working with them in long period of time than someone who wows you in an audition, and are a complete pain in the ass afterward. People who want to work on my films are a pretty passionate group, and I've been very lucky to get actors like Steve Guynn, Jason Crowe, Nathan Day, Billy Blackwell, Roni Jonah, Stepahni Heise, Natasha Roberts, Claude Miles, Kat Carney and others in the regional area. I also got to mention that Chad Hundley is a fanastic comedic actor, and his timing especially with Cherokee Hall reminds me of the old Bowery Boys. If I missed anyone, trust me there are some great actors out there working.SZ: What is it like working with The Bob Cooke?JW: He was awesome in Misadventures, as was Belinda. Bob's passionate about any and all things cinema....there was one line from misadventures that makes me smile...Bob's character says 'Our heroes will come like rain to a parched desert!' Bob did the line, but swore he'd beat me if I sent him another script like that again! People should check out his site www.Kymovie.net, Bob Cooke is like Coca Cola...he's the real thing baby! Belinda is a damn good producer on films like Hellephone, and Monstrosity among others and a passionate actress(she was fantastic in STASH as the sleazy mother).SZ: Give me an idea of your filmography (Yes, I understand that we might need a couple pages worth of space for this one.)JW:Completed films:Mint condition -writer/director (a Clerks type comedy) 18 minutes 2003Manic / Happy Anniversary - producer for Jacob Ennis's shortsPurvos - 72 minutes, writer/director 2004Zeppo - writer/director, feature film 90 minutes (2007)Misadventures in space, feature film 74 minutes (2007) and 53 minutes (2009)Soul Robbers from Outerspace, feature 61 minutes.Major Power and the flying saucer from Mars (and other tales of the hero) compliation 53 minutes (2009)Pirate Candy Sampler, comedy film 49 minutesDinner for two, short 5 minutesPumpkin Joe, short 5 minutesTwin sisters of Desire and Death! (The 'lost' episode of Misadventures in Space) 10 minuteAlien Conspiracy Murders, short 34 minutesIn production:Ecto-vision!, Insomnia and the Dragon Witch, Saucer sex from beyond, and the UFO documentary film I'm working with Pat Bowling. I'm also starting an edit of'Queen of the Cursed World', and have several projects in the planning stages.As Assistant director on ZP movies:Edison Death Machine, Monstrosity, and Hellephone.SZ: Speaking of Zeppo, which is arguably your “biggest budget” project to date—what’s going on with it at the moment? Will it ever be released? Rabid fans want to know!!!! (Or will the boxed set version be out before the regular version?)JW: I'm dating myself with this admission, but when I was a kid in the late 70's there was live action TV shows like Shazam!, Isis, and Jason of Star Command. Zeppo was a homage of sorts to that crazy saturday morning craziness crossed with a surreal midnight movie like Liquid Sky and Looney Tunes cartoons. Zeppo in a nut shell is a black and white cartoony sci fi adventure with non pc humor, naked zombies, cruel sexy aliens, and cardboard tombstones! Eric brought a lot his humor, and production skills for the film (not only did he edit and produce the film, but supervised the music and special efx shots for the film). We're currently shopping the film out to distributors, so hopefully folks will get to see it soon. Debbie Rochon was fanasttic in it, and Lloyd Kaufman still cracks me up...editing Lloyd was the hardest thing since he brings so much to the table...I'd love for Lloyd to do more serious dramatic roles...the local actors Stacey Gillespie, Elysse, Amanda Kaye, Casey Miracle, etc. did a fanastic job under some crazy shoots, and I have to say we had great production help from Casey Miracle, William Schaeffer Tolliver, and makeup was done by Julia Caudill.If Eric and I were the heads of Zeppo, Eric's mom, Patsy Butts, who helped produced the film and was its biggest booster was the heart of it. Sadly she passed away last year, but her legacy lives on in the film.(Movie Trailer for Zeppo)SZ: Will there be a sequel to Zeppo? And will the sequel be released before the original?JW: Never say never, but for me it would depend on how the first film fares out with the folks out there.SZ: How do you pull off working on multiple film projects at the same time? Are you simply crazy? Or is there a method to this obvious madness?JW: Part craziness, and part necessity. I shoot fast on my solo films, but it is also cause a lot of the actors are only available for a finite amount of time, so I have to move fast. The shooting multiple films at the same time is a nod to Roger Corman's methods. He would shoot a scene for a movie for AIP, then he would move the props about and change costumes to shoot a scenefor his own film which he would sell to AIP or to other film distributors. Pure genius, but maddening at the same time.SZ: Loyd Kaufman, Conrad Brooks , Debbie Rochon…what is it like working with cult figures that you have been a fan of yourself? How in the world do you keep Loyd contained and under control on the set?JW: I worked with Conrad on my horror film Purvos, and he and I are good friends. I love classic cinema, and movie serials of Conrad's youth so we talk about his films, and his experiences. A nice man, but pretty set in his convinctions which I understand and emulate myself. I always look forward to working with Conrad on any film...a good actor, he brings a lot to the table. He's an older actor and still working...check out his Jan-Gel films. Expect more film madness from Conrad in the future. I loved working with Debbie Rochon. A beautiful and talented lady, she was fantastic to work with on Zeppo...committed to the script, and worked her butt off on it...an artistic lady with a huge heart, and I can see why guys (and gals) fall for her like a ton of bricks. Whenever I think of Debbie, I imagine she is taking her ten minutes free from Fangoria radio and production work to paint on canvas...an earth elemental, timeless and beautiful like the moonlight in June.Lloyd is great actor, and very committed to cinema on all levels. I was very nervous meeting him. His toxic Avenger films are a part of my youth, so it was great and surreal to work with him. Like Debbie, a committed actor who busted his butt on the film. He really is a genius of indie cinema, and his books on making films should be taught in schools. Even if you don't 'get' the Troma films, it does my heart good that they can be out there. I think Lloyd can say more in a 90 minute film about the current state of affairs and the universal prejudices we have in say Poultrygeist than hours upon hours of PBS programming. I think Troma and Lloyd are the best parts of Americana like the hot dog and baseball, which is why I think people respond it worldwide. If you're into films, do yourself a favor and pick up his books and see that there is a method to the madness. I kept Lloyd contained by a harem of nubile women who fed him grapes and fanned him in between scenes....just kidding...he was a pleasure to work with, although I'm sure he wouldn't have protested that grape feeding scenario.SZ: I happen to own a poetry book by you, called Mirrors and Portraits, which not many people may know about. At the risk of incurring your wrath, I would like to shed a little light on this side of you. Talk about the poetry book and any other literary projects you might have coming out?JW: In college, I hung out with the literary crowd and loved writing poetry. I also got over my shyness by reading poetry at coffehouses, although I preferred doing it at places you wouldn't think about poetry.In Morehead, it was the local bar called Spanky's....you'd get these high and drunk professors, along with bikers and rednecks playing music and reading their poetry. A rough hole in the wall, but it was fun and definitely a place of my youth. In Lexington, it was High on Rose....unfortunately these places don't exist anymore...I guess I'm more Charles Bukowski 'live life fully dammit' than hanging out at staid coffeshops talking about writing. I had written poetry from that time period, and finally got a book of verse together called Mirrors and Portraits. In a sense it a portrait of me as an angry young guy who loved everything to the fullest. It's like the first time you finally 'hear' Mozart and it moves in your heart...same thing with literature and poetry with me. Passion fuels literature, and hopefully if people see the book, and see me...flaws and all. I'm working on a new book of poetry. I love writing verse, and never want that to leave my heart or my life. I try to put poetry and some poetic ideas in my scripts as well.SZ: On that note, rumor has it that you might be developing something theater related? Is there any truth to this rumor?JW: I wrote the Halloween murder myster play, Green Ghost of the Tracks, for Kathy Hobb's theater company, Fantastical theatricals, and it was great to see a play of mine on stage. Theater is the ultimate high wire act. I have a couple of plays written together, that may or may not hit the stage. A lot of folks don't realize that I was actually more interested in forming a theater company to stage my work at the beginning, but went with films instead. I would still love to make a theater company, so maybe one day down the road when the stars are in place, it may happen. I would also like folks to check out Kathy and her wonderful Fantastical Theatricals, a wonderful experience for me as a writer.SZ: Where can people find and buy some Jerry Williams movies?JW: Purvos is available at Brain Damage films. Major Power and the Flying Saucer from Mars DVD is available at indieflix. Misadventures in space the original version is on google video and hungry flix. That film has a tight new edit, and should be in a DVD package soon with mint condition. I have a comedy film, Pirate Candy Sampler, which is a comedy in the style of 'Amazon Women on the moon' on google video as well. The Cursed doll is now with Echelon Studios, so it should be out soon. You can also see Purvos on netflix and get it off Amazaon.com. My book of poetry is also available on Amazon and other book seller sites.Links to buy Purvos, Major Power, and Mirrors and Portraits.Purvoshttp://www.amazon.com/Purvos-Conrad-Brooks/dp/B0012OTVCGPurvos on netflixhttp://www.netflix.com/Movie/Purvos/70093406?&mqso=70002140&trkid=129129Major Powerhttp://www.indieflix.com/Films/MajorPowerandtheFlyingSaucerfromMarsMirrors and Portraitshttp://www.amazon.com/Mirrors-Portraits-Jerry-Williams/dp/1413765807/ref=cm_cr-mr-titleMisadventures in space (original cut on google video)http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=895029670631039342&ei=qiE_SpqxA4WkqwLPruTKAQ&q=misadventures+in+spacePirate Candy Samplerhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7192095349227927623&ei=5CU_SoasK5HwrgK-lIHLAQ&q=pirate+candy+samplerSZ: Will your cat be appearing in future projects, and will there be any parts available for other people’s cats, such as mine? Your cat’s performance was awesome as the Wizard Merlin in Major Power, and in the heavy-duty SFX sequence in the engine room in Misadventures in Space!JW: I actually jotted down an idea for 'Major Power and the Ghost train!', so if Major Power shows up...I think the Wizard would confer with the great wizards of yore...you always got to look out for ...evil ectoplasm!

Flash Gordon and the Terror of the Hawkmen part 3 of 3 Adapted by Richard Frohlich and Bruce Humphries The Conclusion of Texas Radio Theatre's Flash Gordon experiment - After escaping the Radium furnaces, rescuing Dale and fighting King Vultan, Zarkov repairs the city's levitation beams earning the friendship of King Vultan.  While everyone celebrates their new friendship, they are shocked to see Emperor Ming's airship closing in on the cloud city.  With no escape Flash, Dale and Zarkov come face to face with their destiny in this adventure based on the original radio series! Produced by the Texas Radio Theatre Company in cooperation with the Arlington Museum of Art Executive Producer:  Shannan Frohlich     Director:  Richard Frohlich Production Manager:  Ken Raney   Featuring the Voice Talents of: Tim Wardell...........Flash Gordon Dona Safran...........Dale Arden Bill Flynn............Dr. Zarkov Rich Baker............Prince Barin Spencer Prokop........Ming the Merciless Mitch Carr............King Vultan the Mighty Mary Ann McCarty......Princes Aura Gary Layton...........Prince Thun Ken Raney.............Announcer 1 Larry Groebe..........Announcer 2 Live Sound Effects by Jennifer Parson and Ken Raney Engineering and Sound Patterns by Richard Frohlich Length:  22:55 min, Size: 10.8 MB The Texas Radio Theatre Company is dedicated to preserving the art of audio theatre where audience members are invited to create the story's imagery within their own mind. visit us on line at texasradiotheatre.com and Our Weblog