Podcasts about Hata

Viongozi wa dunia, wameendelea kutoa wito wa amani kwenye nchi  za Sudan Ukraine na Gaza hizo, ambako vita vimesababisha vifo vya maelfu ya raia na wengine kuwa wakimbizi. Hata hivyo licha ya wito huu, mapigano yameendelea kuripotiwa.

Viongozi wa dunia, wameendelea kutoa wito wa amani kwenye nchi  za Sudan Ukraine na Gaza hizo, ambako vita vimesababisha vifo vya maelfu ya raia na wengine kuwa wakimbizi. Hata hivyo licha ya wito huu, mapigano yameendelea kuripotiwa.

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

Kwa mujibu wa Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la elimu, sayansi na utamaduni UNESCO, sekta ya Teknolojia ya Habari na Mawasiliano TEHAMA, au ICT inaendelea kutawala na kuunda fursa mpya, lakini wanawake bado wanakumbana na changamoto kubwa ya upungufu wa uwakilishi. Hata hivyo, wanawake wanavuka mipaka na sasa Bi. Joy, msichana kutoka Nairobi Kenya, ambaye ni mtaalamu katika teknolojia ya kidijitali, amekalia nafasi muhimu katika kubadili mtindo wa maisha kupitia elimu ya ICT. Katika mahojiano na washirika wetu Radio Domus, alizungumzia umuhimu wa kuhamasisha wasichana kujiunga na masomo ya teknolojia ili kutengeneza mustakabali mpya wa kidijitali, na kubadili dunia kwa njia ya kidigitali na usawa. Sharon Jebichii na Makala zaidi

Hör av er till oss på instagram så kan vi svara på era frågor, hjälpa er med problem och dilemman: @johannanordstrm & @edvintornblom! ursäkta klipps och redigeras av Niklas Runsten @niklasrunsten

Rais wa zamani wa DRC, Joseph Kabila, Aprili 18, aliripotiwa kurejea nchini na kufikia jijini Goma, linalodhibitiwa na waasi wa M 23. Hata hivyo, taarifa hizi hazijathibitishwa rasmi. Serikali jijini Kinshasa, nayo imesitisha shughuli zote za kisiasa za chama chake cha PPRD. Kabila anashtumiwa na serikali kwa kuunga vitendo vya waasi hao.

Hii leo jaridani tunakuletea mada kwa kina ambayo inatupeleka Msasani nchini Tanzania kusikia namna vijana na serikali wanavyolinda Mama Dunia. Pia tunakuletea muhtasari wa habari ujumbe wa Katibu Mkuu, watoto kulinda mazingira DRC, na kifo cha Papa Francis.Ikiwa leo ni siku ya kimataifa ya Mama Dunia, ikilenga kuchagiza hatua ya kuhifadhi sayari dunia, Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa Antonio Guterres ametumia neno ‘homa' kuwa inakumba dunia hivi sasa kutokana na viwango vya joto vinavyoongezeka kila mwaka. Hata hivyo amesema majawabu ya kutibu homa hiyo yapo ikiwemo kutumia nishati rejelezi ambayo ni rahisi, ina afya na salama kuliko nishati kisukuku.Huko nchini Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo, DRC, kando ya mapigano yanayotikisa eneo la mashariki mwa nchi, watoto wamechukua hatua kulinda sayari dunia kwa kuhifadhi misitu kwenye taifa hilo ambako ukataji miti kiholela umefurutu ada.Kufuatia kifo cha Kiongozi wa Kanisa Katoliki duniani, Papa Francis hapo jana Jumatatu, ambaye maziko yake yamepangwa kufanyika Jumamosi wiki hii, mashirika ya Umoja wa Mataifa yameendelea kukumbuka mchango wake wa kutetea walio taabuni. Mathalani shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Kuhudumia wakimbizi, UNHCR limekumbuka wito wake wa kutaka kila mtu kukaribisha, kusindikiza na kujumuisha wale wote wanaobisha hodi kwenye milango yao.Na mashinani  kupitia video iliyoandaliwa na Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Chakula na Kilimo, FAO fursa ni yake Meena Poudel kutoka nchini Nepal, Kusini mwa Asia ambaye ni Katibu wa kikundi cha wanawake watumiaji wa msitu ambacho kinabadilisha takataka za misitu kuwa mbolea rafiki kwa mazingira huku pia wakijipatia kipato."Mwenyeji wako ni Anold Kayanda, karibu!  

Juma lililopita ripoti ambazo hazijathibitishwa rasmi zilieleza kuwa rais wa zamani wa DRC, Joseph Kabila alirejea nchini Mwake kupitia mji wa Goma unaokaliwa na waasi wa M23 wanaosaidiwa na Rwanda. Hata hivyo hatua yake imeifanya serikali ya Kinshasa, kusimamisha shughuli zote za chama chake cha PPRD, ikikituhumu kushurikiana na waasi hao.Unazungumziaje kurejea kwa rais Kabila?Ndilo swali tumekuuliza katika makala haya.Skiza maoni ya mskilizaji.

Juma lililopita ripoti ambazo hazijathibitishwa rasmi zilieleza kuwa rais wa zamani wa DRC, Joseph Kabila alirejea nchini Mwake kupitia mji wa Goma unaokaliwa na waasi wa M23 wanaosaidiwa na Rwanda. Hata hivyo hatua yake imeifanya serikali ya Kinshasa, kusimamisha shughuli zote za chama chake cha PPRD, ikikituhumu kushurikiana na waasi hao.Unazungumziaje kurejea kwa rais Kabila?Ndilo swali tumekuuliza katika makala haya.Skiza maoni ya mskilizaji.

Zambia inaendelea kuwahifadhi zaidi ya wakimbizi 106,000, wengi wao wakiwa kutoka Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo DRC, Burundi, pamoja na wakimbizi wa zamani kutoka Rwanda na Angola, kwa mujibu wa Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Kuhudumia Wakimbizi UNHCR, ambalo limesema kwa kuzingatia sera yake jumuishi, nchi hiyo inakuza mshikamano na wakimbizi na kuwawezesha kujitegemea kupitia makazi maalum na ushirikiano na jamii za wenyeji. Flora Nducha na taarifa zaidi  Shirika hilo la wakimbizi limesema katika makazi kama Mayukwayukwa na Maheba ambayo ni moja ya kambi kubwa zaidi ya wakimbizi nchini Zambia familia za wakimbizi zilizolazimika kukimbia makwao zinajumuishwa ili ziweze kujikimu na kuishi kwa utangamano na wenyeji wanaowahifadhi. Moulid Hujale, ni afisa habari msaidizi wa UNHCR anasema “Selikali ya Zambia inajumuisha wakimbizi katika huduma za kitaifa kama vile elimu na hata programu za msaada wa kilimo  ili kuongeza uzalishaji” Amebainisha kuwa kwa kufanya hivyo Zambia imeonesha mshikamano wa dhati kwa jamii hizo za wakimbizi kwa kuhakikisha kuwa wanapata fursa ya kujenga upya maisha yao, kujikwamua kiuchumi na kuishi kwa heshima.Hata hivyo, UNHCR inasema nchi hiyo ya Kusini mwa Afrika pamoja na ukarimu wake bado inakumbwa na athari za ukame mkali uliotishia uhakika wa chakula na kuyumbisha uchumi na katika hatua za kukabiliana na hali hiyo, Moulid ansema  “UNHCR inashirikiana na serikali ya Zambia kuunganisha makazi ya wakimbizi kwenye gridi ya taifa ya umeme. Tunajua muundo huu wa ujumuishwaji na maisha endelevu vinagharimu fedha, Lakini hiki ndicho hasa wakimbizi wanachokihitaji, hivyo tunahitaji msaada wako ili kufanikisha hili”. Licha ya mafanikio yaliyopatikana hadi sasa Zambia katika kuwakirimu wakimbizi,  UNHCR imeonya kuwa uhaba wa fedha inaokabiliwa nao  unatishia kuathiri mafanikio hayo na hasa utoaji wa huduma muhimu kwa familia hizo zilizolazimika kufungasha virago na kusaka usalama Zambia. Sasa limetoa ombi la msaada wa haraka wa kimataifa ili kuendelea kufanikisha huduma za kuokoa maisha zinazohitajika sana na wakimbizi hao.

Msikilizaji kwa majuma kadhaa sasa, kumekuwa na mjadala duniani kote kufuatia uamuzi wa rais wa Marekani, Donald Trump, kutangaza ushuru wa bidhaa zinazoingia kwenye taifa hilo, mataifa ya Afrika yakiwa miongoni mwa waathirika, baadhi wakiwekewa ushuru wa hadi asilimia 50. Hata hivyo juma lililopita, rais Trump alitangaza kusitisha kwa muda wa siku 90 utekelezwaji wa ushuru kwa baadhi ya mataifa isipokuwa Uchina, ambayo imewekewa ushuru wa zaidi ya asilimia 125.Katika sehemu hii ya pili ya makala ya wiki hii, tumezungumza na Ali Mkimo, mtaalamu na mchambuzi wa masuala ya uchumi na biashara.

Msikilizaji kwa majuma kadhaa sasa, kumekuwa na mjadala duniani kote kufuatia uamuzi wa rais wa Marekani, Donald Trump, kutangaza ushuru wa bidhaa zinazoingia kwenye taifa hilo, mataifa ya Afrika yakiwa miongoni mwa waathirika, baadhi wakiwekewa ushuru wa hadi asilimia 50. Hata hivyo juma lililopita, rais Trump alitangaza kusitisha kwa muda wa siku 90 utekelezwaji wa ushuru kwa baadhi ya mataifa isipokuwa Uchina, ambayo imewekewa ushuru wa zaidi ya asilimia 125.Katika sehemu hii ya pili ya makala ya wiki hii, tumezungumza na Ali Mkimo, mtaalamu na mchambuzi wa masuala ya uchumi na biashara.

Narsist bir partner, patron, arkadaş ya da aile üyesi… Hayatınızda böyle biri varsa bu bölümü mutlaka dinlemelisiniz. Bu bölümde, narsistlerle ilişkide en sık yapılan 3 büyük hatayı anlatıyorum. Bu hatalar sizi sadece duygusal olarak yıpratmakla kalmaz, özgüveninizi de yerle bir edebilir.

Följ Nella på Instagram ✨ I det här avsnittet pratar jag om varför lanseringar ofta känns som en berg-och-dalbana och vad du kan göra för att slippa få panik. Jag delar med mig av vad jag brukar säga till mina klienter när lanseringsångesten slår till, varför varje lansering är ett mind game och vad du behöver göra för att ändra ditt mindset. Om du vill känna dig tryggare inför dina lanseringar och bygga ett mer hållbart företagande, då är detta avsnitt för dig!

Mwezi Oktoba 2025, wananchi wa Tanzania, watashiriki kwenye uchaguzi Mkuu, kuwachagua madiwani, wabunge na rais. Hata hivyo, chama kikuu cha upinzani cha CHADEMA, kikiongozwa na Mwenyekiti wake, Tundu Lissu, kinashinikiza mageuzi kwenye sheria za uchaguzi kabla ya kufanyika kwa uchaguzi huo.Je, kitafanikiwa katika harakati zake ?

Msikilizaji takwimu zinaonesha kuwa, ifikapo mwaka 2050, idadi ya watu barani Afrika itaongezeka kufikia bilioni 2.5, ambapo zaidi ya nusu ya watu hawa watakuwa ni vijana walio na umri wa chini ya 25. Hata hivyo Ujasiriamali wa vijana unaonekana kama suluhisho linalowezekana kwa changamoto hii. Msikilizaji juma hili nimebahatika kuwa na mgeni studioni nae si mwingine bali ni Kenneth Ochien'g, ambaye yeyé anajihusisha na uchakataji upya wa taka za plastiki kwa matumizi mengine.

Msikilizaji takwimu zinaonesha kuwa, ifikapo mwaka 2050, idadi ya watu barani Afrika itaongezeka kufikia bilioni 2.5, ambapo zaidi ya nusu ya watu hawa watakuwa ni vijana walio na umri wa chini ya 25. Hata hivyo Ujasiriamali wa vijana unaonekana kama suluhisho linalowezekana kwa changamoto hii. Msikilizaji juma hili nimebahatika kuwa na mgeni studioni nae si mwingine bali ni Kenneth Ochien'g, ambaye yeyé anajihusisha na uchakataji upya wa taka za plastiki kwa matumizi mengine.

Msikilizaji takwimu zinaonesha kuwa, ifikapo mwaka 2050, idadi ya watu barani Afrika itaongezeka kufikia bilioni 2.5, ambapo zaidi ya nusu ya watu hawa watakuwa ni vijana walio na umri wa chini ya 25. Hata hivyo Ujasiriamali wa vijana unaonekana kama suluhisho linalowezekana kwa changamoto hii. Msikilizaji juma hili nimebahatika kuwa na mgeni studioni nae si mwingine bali ni Kenneth Ochien'g, ambaye yeyé anajihusisha na uchakataji upya wa taka za plastiki kwa matumizi mengine.

Msikilizaji takwimu zinaonesha kuwa, ifikapo mwaka 2050, idadi ya watu barani Afrika itaongezeka kufikia bilioni 2.5, ambapo zaidi ya nusu ya watu hawa watakuwa ni vijana walio na umri wa chini ya 25. Hata hivyo Ujasiriamali wa vijana unaonekana kama suluhisho linalowezekana kwa changamoto hii. Msikilizaji juma hili nimebahatika kuwa na mgeni studioni nae si mwingine bali ni Kenneth Ochien'g, ambaye yeyé anajihusisha na uchakataji upya wa taka za plastiki kwa matumizi mengine.

Kelli Hata founded the Haecceity Project to chronicle the birds who die by colliding with glass structures on the Yale University campus. The word haecceity was coined by John Duns Scotus, a Medieval scholar. Wikipedia defines haecceity as meaning “each individual entity has a unique, unrepeatable quality that makes it different from every other entity.” The bird care work which Hata has been involved with for years in California and in New Haven embodies the sacredness and innate value of each and every bird. We also discuss practicalities--(1) the preventability of glass collisions and (2) the responsibility of universities to conserve birds as they migrate through their campuses. —Follow the Haecceity Project, Yale @yale_haecceity.—Creator and Host: Georgia Silvera SeamansProducer and Editor: Pod for the PeopleVocalizations: Scrub Jay: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/225405191Mockingbird song: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/213457711Prothonotary Warbler song: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/99435531Dark-eyed Junco song: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/85243

Hii leo jaridani tunaangazia maadhimisho ya siku ya kimataifa ya wanawake, na hali ya wanawake wajawaito nchini Ukraine. Makala tunakwenda nchini Tanzania na mashinani tunakupeleka nchini Kenya, kulikoni?Kuelekea Siku ya Kimataifa ya Wanawake Machi 8, tathmini mpya ya Umoja wa Mataifa iliyowekwa wazi leo ikiangazia haki za wanawake miaka 30 baada ya Azimio la Beijing inaonesha uwepo wa maendeleo katika usawa wa kijinsia, kama vile sheria dhidi ya ubaguzi na sera jumuishi za kijinsia. Hata hivyo, ripoti hiyo inaeleza uwepo bado wa ubaguzi wa kijinsia uliojikita katika jamii, ukiendelea kuwazuia wanawake na wasichana kupata fursa.Zikiwa zimesalia siku mbili ya leo na kesho kufika tarehe 8 Machi Siku ya Kimataifa ya Wanawake, tunaendelea kuangazia hali ya wanawake duniani. Sharon Jebiichi anatupeleka Ukraine kutukutanisha na Mwakilishi wa muda wa Umoja wa Mataifa la Afya ya Uzazi na Idadi ya Watu UNFPA nchini humo ambaye anaangazia madhila wanayokutana nayo wanawake wajawazito wa Ukraine.Katika makala Assumpta Massoi anakupeleka kwenye maadhimisho ya siku ya wanawake kwenye mkoa mmoja ulioko katikati mwa Tanzania.Na mashinani kesho Dunia ikiadhimisa siku ya kimataifa ya wanawake duniani tunakwenda nchini Kenya kusikia ujumbe wa mwanaharakati wa wanawake kuhusu uswa wa kijinsia.Mwenyeji wako ni Anold Kayanda, karibu!  

Katika kuelekea siku ya kimataifa ya wanawake ambayo huadhimishwa kila mwaka Machi 8 leo hapa katika Makao Makuu ya Umoja wa Mataifa kunafanyika hafla maalum ya kuadhimisha siku hiyo ambayo mwaka huu imebeba maudhui “Kwa wanawake na wasichana wote: haki, usawa, uwezeshaji.” Akizungumza kwenye hafla hiyo Mkuu wa shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la masuala ya wanawake UN Women Sima Bahous amesema ni wakati wa kutekeleza kwa vitendo ndoto ya azimio la Beijing miaka 30 iliyopita la kufanya usawa wa kijinsi kuwa hali halisiKwa upande wake Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa Antonio Guterres pamoja na kupongeza mafanikio makubwa yaliyopatikana katika kusongesha usawa wa kijinsia duniani amesemaNatts….“Hata hivyo, mafanikio haya yaliyopatikana kwa jitihada kubwa bado ni dhaifu na hayatoshi kabisa.Mateso ya muda mrefu, ukatili, ubaguzi na ukosefu wa usawa wa kiuchumi bado vinaathiri jamii zetu.Kila baada ya dakika kumi, mwanamke huuawa na mwenzi wake au mwanafamilia.”Ameongeza kuwa wanawake na wasichana milioni 612 wanaishi chini ya kivuli cha migogoro ya silaha ambapo haki zao mara nyingi huchukuliwa kama zisizo na thamani.Akitaja takwimu amesema chini ya theluthi mbili ya wanawake duniani wanashiriki katika soko la ajira na wale wanaoshiriki hulipwa mishahara ya chini kuliko wanaume.Hivyo ameonya kwamba“Kwa kasi hii, itachukua miaka 130 kutokomeza umasikini uliokithiri kwa wanawake na wasichana.Amemesema badala ya kuingiza usawa wa haki kama jambo la kawaida, dunia inashuhudia kuenea kwa ubabe na chuki dhidi ya wanawake.Kwa muktadha huo amesistiza kwamba “Hatuwezi kukaa kimya wakati maendeleo yanaporudishwa nyuma. Lazima tupambane.”Akizungumzia sauti za vijana kushiriki katika harakati za usawa na haki za wanawake, kwenye hafla iliyofanyika mjini Geneva Uswisi kuadhimisha siku ya wanawake mwanafunzi kutoka Kenya James Mumo Nyumu amesisitiza kuwa hakuna nchi yoyote iliyotekeleza ahadi yao ya dunia isiyo na ukatili dhidi ya wanawake.Amesema “Maono ya Beijing yalikuwa ramani ya siku zijazo ambazo bado hatujazifikia kikamilifu,” alisema akiongeza kuwa “Nguvu kwa wanawake si tishio ni zawadi kwa jamii.”Hivyo amesisitiza kwamba“Kizazi changu kinadai hatua zaidi,” akitoa wito wa kuchukua hatua zaidi ya Beijing kwani“Kazi yetu haijakamilika.”

This week, join Pencil and Cellar as they deep dive into the fifth track off Dumpin by the Psychopathic Rydas, "Ryda Hata." Sit back and listen as they dissect the history, lyrics and content of the song, discuss Ice Cube and Isaac Hayes, talk about stars across different generations, and tackle important topics like vulgar lyrics that aren't biologically accurate!        New gimmick: TIME STAMPS! 0:00:00 (Start)    0:06:25 (Movie Reviews/Previews)     0:21:33 (Tale of the Tape)    0:31:20 (Lyrical Deep Dive)     0:58:37 (90s Rewind)    1:03:33 (Wrapping Up)      The LinkTree can be found at https://linktr.ee/juggalorwd. Otherwise here are all of our links -  Youtube: @JuggaloRWD  Twitter/X: @JuggaloRWD  IG: @JuggaloRWD  Facebook: @JuggaloRWD  TikTok: @JuggaloRWD  Threads: @JuggaloRWD  BlueSky: @JuggaloRWD  The website is www.JuggaloRewind.com.  Join us on the ICPWWE Discord and talk to other listeners and podcast hosts about ICP, Twiztid and random juggalo nonsense.  Email us at juggalorwd@gmail.com or call/text us at (810) 666-1570.      Additional music provided by Steve O (aka Analog) of the IRTD and StirCrazy. Voiceover work provided by Christmas (aka Lil Krampus). The Rewind is forever powered by the 20x20 Apparel.   All music played is owned by the respective publishers and copywrite holders and is reproduced for review purposes only under fair use. Except for this season. Fuck your copyright. CopyWRONG, youknowwhatimsayin. #ForTheJuggaloCulture  #RydaRewind

Hii leo jaridani tunakuletea mada kwa kina ambapo Umoja wa Mataifa kupitia miradi mbalimbali ikiwemo mradi wa Pamoja wa Kigoma, KJP nchini Tanzania, unaolenga kuhakikisha wanawake na wasichana wanajumuishwa kwenye mipango ya kuhimili na kukabili mabadiliko ya tabianchi, kwa kuwajengea uwezo.Kuelekea Siku ya Kimataifa ya Wanawake Machi 8, tathmini mpya ya Umoja wa Mataifa iliyowekwa wazi leo ikiangazia haki za wanawake miaka 30 baada ya Azimio la Beijing inaonesha uwepo wa maendeleo katika usawa wa kijinsia, kama vile sheria dhidi ya ubaguzi na sera jumuishi za kijinsia. Hata hivyo, ripoti hiyo inaeleza uwepo bado wa ubaguzi wa kijinsia uliojikita katika jamii, ukiendelea kuwazuia wanawake na wasichana kupata fursa.Ripoti nyingine ya Umoja wa Mataifa iliyochapishwa leo ikiangazia Sudan imefichua vitendo vya watu kukamatwa kiholela, mateso, na unyanyasaji huko Khartoum vinavyotekelezwa na Vikosi vya wanamgambo wa Rapid Support Forces (RSF) na pia Jeshi la Serikali ya Sudan (SAF). Ripoti hiyo imearifu pia kuwa makumi ya maelfu ya watu wamewekwa katika mazingira duni tangu Aprili 2023.Kutokana na kupungua kwa ufadhili wa misaada ya kibinadamu duniani, Umoja wa Mataifa leo jijini Geneva, Uswisi kutenga dola milioni 110 ili kusaidia majanga yaliyopuuzwa katika nchi 10 barani Afrika, Asia, na Amerika Kusini, zikiwemo Niger, Somalia, Jamhuri ya Afrika ya Kati na Zambia.Na katika kujifunza lugha ya Kiswahili, mchambuzi wetu Dkt. Josephat Gitonga, kutoka Kenya ambaye ni mhadhiri katika Chuo Kikuu cha Nairobi kwenye kitivo cha tafsiri na ukalimani anatufafanulia maana ya methali “MCHAWI AKIFICHUA MIRIMO YA WACHAWI HU UAWA”.Mwenyeji wako ni Flora Nducha, karibu!

Kwenye kikao cha 58 cha Baraza la Haki za Binadamu la Umoja wa Mataifa kinachoendellea mjini Geneva Uswisi, Kamishna Mkuu wa Haki za Binadamu wa Umoja wa M ataifa, Volker Türk , amezungumzia hali ya kuzorota na kutoeleweka inayohusu haki za binadamu duniani kote akielezea wasiwasi mkubwa kuhusu kudhoofika kwa makubaliano ya kimataifa kuhusu haki za binadamu,na kuonya kwamba ushawishi wa viongozi wa kiimla, matajiri wakubwa, na viongozi wa kimabavu unatishia kuvuruga maendeleo ya miongo kadhaa. Anold Kakayanda na taarifa kamili.Asante Flora katika taarifa yake Türk  amesisitiza umuhimu wa kuhifadhi haki za binadamu na utawala wa sheria ili kuzuia kurudiwa kwa ukatili wa zamani.Moja ya masuala ya dharura yaliyotiliwa mkazo na Türk  ni mgogoro wa kibinadamu unhaoendelea huko Gaza. Amelaani uharibifu uliosababishwa na hatua za kijeshi za Israeli dhidi ya mashambulizi ya Oktoba 7, 2023 yaliyofanywa na Hamas na makundi mengine ya wapiganaji wa Kipalestina.Türk  amesisitiza haja ya kudumisha usitishaji mapiganona kutoa wito wa mchakato wa amani unaozingatia haki za binadamu, ikiwa ni pamoja na haki ya kujitawala na uwajibikaji. Ametaka kuachiliwa kwa mateka, kukomeshwa kwa vizuizi vya kiholela, na kuanza tena kwa msaada wa kibinadamu mara moja ndani ya Gaza.Kuhujsu mgogoro unaoendelea nchini Ukraine amersema bado ni suala la kutia wasiwasi, huku raia wakiishi kwa hofu ya mara kwa mara kutokana na mashambulizi yasiyokoma.Türk  amekemea vikali vikwazo vya Shirikisho la Urusi juu ya haki za msingi katika maeneo yanayokaliwa kwa mabavu na kuelezea masikitiko yake kuhusu ripoti za mauaji ya kiholela na mateso ya kimfumo ya wafungwa wa vita wa Kiukraine.Almeihimiza jumuiya ya kimataifa kufanya kazi kuelekea amani endelevu inayoheshimu haki na matarajio ya watu wa Ukraine.Türk  pia ameelekeza mawazo kwenye maeneo mengine yenye migogoro, ikiwa ni pamoja na Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo DRC, Myanmar, Haiti, na Sudan.Alielezea jinsi watawala wa kiimla, wanasiasa wahubiri wa chuki, na walanguzi wanavyotumia machafuko kwa faida zao binafsi.Amesema Athari za migogoro huenea zaidi ya mstari wa mbele, zikiathiri minyororo ya usambazaji duniani na nafasi za kidijitali.Ametoa  wito kwa watu binafsi kutambua jukumu lao la pamoja kwa kufanya maamuzi ya kimaadili ya ununuzi, kushiriki kisiasa, na kuunga mkono uwajibikaji kwa ukiukwaji wa haki za binadamu.Hata hivyo amesema demokrasia zilizoimarika haziko salama dhidi ya kudorora kwa haki za binadamu. Türk  ameelezea wasiwasi mkubwa kuhusu mwelekeo nchini Marekani, ambako maendeleo kuhusu usawa wa kijinsia na sera za kupinga ubaguzi yanarudi nyuma.Pia amekosoa Shirikisho la Urusi kwa ukandamizaji wake wa jamii za kiraia na vyombo vya habari huru, ambapo wapinzani wanakabiliwa na unyanyasaji, kukamatwa, au kufurushwa.Kudhoofika kwa haki za binadamu katika mataifa yenye nguvu, Türk  alionya kwamba kunaweka mfano hatari kwa ulimwengu mzima, akisisitiza hitaji la dharura la mshikamano wa kimataifa na uwajibikaji kuhusu haki za binadamu.

Brita Zackaris fenomenala livsregler! Bestämda, tydliga och effektiva (ej BARA på franska hantverkare). Spice Girls-livsregeln. Dessutom: Mosaik-trenden, kom igår var du hörde det först. Därför ska du blir en ”ringare”. Cissans älsklingsmänniska - och totala brist på lunchlåde-skam. Johanna är sugen på RIS! Ebba har däremot kunglig gröt i munnen… Veckans fråga: Hus-svin eller husvin? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hör vad Karlavagnens lyssnare tycker är bäst och sämst på tv just nu! Christian Olsson är programledare i radions Karlavagnen. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Mello är i full gång – en riktig vattendelare bland de svenska tv-tittarna. Utöver det så sänds det kärleksprogram, matlagning, krim, drama, soffor och bryggor där kändisar delar med sig av sitt inre och mycket, mycket mer. I Karlavagnen får du ta del av svenska folkets känslor och åsikter kring TV-utbudet av idag.Tankar om TV i Karlavagnen med Christian OlssonRing oss, mejla på karlavagnen@sverigesradio.se eller skriv till oss på Facebook och Instagram. Slussen öppnar klockan 21:00 och programmet börjar klockan 21:40.

Hata yapma korkusu olan kişiler hatalarından öğrenmesi ve değiştirmesi gerekenleri göremez, bu nedenle aynı hataları yapmaya devam eder...

Though it may not seem like it on first glance, across Asuka there are various remnants of a much grander period.  Postholes tell the story of palaces built over and over on the same spots.  In addition, there are the various temples and various carved stone statues and other features.  This episode we'll talk about some of the stonework and palace complexes built during Takara Hime's reign, as well as the deadly politics that were still the currency of the court. For more, check out our blogpost at:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-118 Rough Transcription Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 118: Stonework and Treason Before we dive into the episode, a quick shout out to thank Bodil for supporting us on Ko-Fi.com.  For information on how you can also help support the show, we'll have information at the end of the episode or go check out our podcast page at SengokuDaimyo.com. And now, on with the episode:   Soga no Akaye's mansion was busily quiet.  There was plenty of chatter, but it was mostly in hushed tones as servants busied themselves with their work, but wondered what was going on.  They couldn't help but notice the high ranking visitors that had come.  It was to be expected, though.  After all, their master was in charge while the rest of the court was away on a retreat, comforting the sovereign in her grief.  And so why wouldn't people be showing up to meet with him? But nobody was quite sure what all of these visitors were discussing.  They had all gone into an upper story of the building, but the crowd included some powerful figures, including, some said, a royal prince.  Who's who and where people stood in the court were always topics of discussion, but especially now.  After all, what they were dealing with was unprecedented:  who had heard of a sovereign stepping down in the first place, let alone stepping back up because they then outlived their successor?  But she was no spring chicken, either.  Surely it would be her son that would finally ascend the throne next, right?  But that was never guaranteed. Either way, some of the servants grumbled, a change would be nice.  Ever since the royal family had moved back to Asuka, formally making it the capital again, there had been a flurry of activity. Sure, it meant that a certain amount of prestige returned to that region, and houses that had been in disrepair were suddenly occupied again.  But there was so much more.  Just about all of the available labor pool that wasn't working the fields was working on this project or that—there was almost nothing left for anyone else.  How was anyone else supposed to get things done when all of the able-bodied people were already toiling on the sovereign's own vanity projects?  And after building that giant government complex in Naniwa, no less! Such was, I imagine, the hushed rumor-mongering going on in the house when suddenly there came a loud “crack” as of a piece of wood snapping in two.  Later they would learn that an old wooden rest had broken, but that wasn't immediately obvious.  The servants did notice that shortly thereafter, their visitors began to depart, heading back to their own mansions. As for Soga no Akaye, he said nothing, but he seemed drained.  He had a heavy look, as though he was bearing an incredible weight.  Soon thereafter, he requested a brush and some paper, and he began to write out a letter…   So we are talking about the second reign of Takara Hime, who came back to the throne in 655, following the death of her brother, Prince Karu, known as Koutoku Tennou.  For the first time she reigned, the Chroniclers gave her the name “Kougyoku Tennou”, but for her second reign she would be known in the Chronicles as “Saimei Tennou”. We already discussed some of what was recorded as happening in the north during Takara Hime's second reign, with the Emishi and the Mishihase and the expeditions by Abe no Omi no Hirafu.  This episode we are going to focus more on what was going on in the Home Provinces of Yamato—and most specifically the impact that Takara Hime's reign would have on Asuka. I've noted in the past how modern Asuka can seem like your typical rural Japanese town.  Roads weave between rice fields, flanked by densely packed neighborhoods at the foot of the green hills or lining the shores of the Asuka river.  To the north, the valley opens onto the vast Nara basin—a largely flat region that is much more heavily populated but still would be considered “inaka”, or rural country, by anyone from a metropolis like Tokyo or Ohosaka.  To the south, the land rises up into mountain peaks.  Beyond that ridge, the land drops into the Yoshino River Valley, but otherwise the rest of the Kii peninsula, to the south, is covered in a sparsely populated mountain range, where small villages carve out a life in the nooks and crannies between the numerous ridges, finding the rare spot of flat land to build houses and plant their fields.  Looking at it today, Asuka might seem idyllic, rural, and calm.  And yet, back in Takara Hime's day, it was anything but. When Takara Hime moved back to Asuka, she went on a building spree.  In fact, the Chronicles actually complain about all of the building that she was doing, and we'll get to that.  Much of this episode is going to revolve around her building projects, as well as her comings and goings.  While we'll talk about what the Chronicles say, I also want to talk about some of what still remains in Asuka.  Certainly the grand palaces are gone, for the most part leaving little more than post-holes, lying beneath the rice fields.  A bit more obvious are the various kofun, scattered across the landscape, but beyond that there we also see stone works, including numerous carved stones, which range from crude statues, which may have been minimally worked, to elaborate fountains, which would have used natural water pressure to create impressive waterworks.  These latter works demonstrate the sophistication of the masons of the time, and hint at the grandeur of the various palaces, gardens, and mansion complexes that once populated the landscape.  And if you want a little feeling of what it is like, I talked a bit about walking through Asuka in a bonus episode back in March of 2024—if you are interested, look up “Traveling Through the Ancient Nara Basin, Part 2.   So along with what we see in the Chronicles, I want to talk about some of these other features, even if we aren't entirely sure of when, exactly, they were built.  There are a few, though, that we do suspected were built in this period, by Takara Hime, or at least at her order.  So we'll talk about those as we get there. Her reign wasn't all about building things, though.  Politics in the Yamato court remained as cutthroat as ever.  Although Prince Naka no Oe, Takara Hime's son, had been designated as “Crown Prince” he had not taken the throne, despite being of age, and we aren't told why, though the fact that Takara Hime had previously abdicated because of the events of the Isshi Incident, back in 645 (see Episode XX) may have meant that she was still considered the senior eligible member of the royal line.  Then there was the case of Prince Arima.  Prince Arima was the son of Karu, aka Koutoku Tenno, which made him Naka no Oe's cousin.  This wouldn't have meant anything had his father not ascended to the throne.  And under the succession practices of the time, although Naka no Oe was designated as the Crown Prince, that wasn't a guarantee that he would be next in line, so Prince Arima may have been a potential candidate.  However, there is at least one source that says Prince Arima was not yet of age, but still a teenager.  Still, that was no doubt old enough for some in the court to support him—and as we'll see in later centuries, age limits could be negotiable.  So we'll also discuss that, as well. So let's get into it. When the royal family first moved back to Asuka, in 653,  they took up residence in the temporary palace of Kahabe no Miya.  Unfortunately, this name doesn't tell us much about where the palace was located.  There is one theory that the Kawabe no Miya might be at what is known as the Asuka Inabuchi Palace site, up in the Asuka river valley, in the modern Iwaido district, a little south of the famous Ishibutai kofun site.  This is believed to have been a palace—or at least the mansion of some very wealthy family—given its layout, including what appears to be a cobblestone courtyard, and the lack of any roof tiles, which would have been reserved for temples, at that time. The term “temporary” palace comes up a lot in the Chronicles.  In most of the cases where it is used, it suggests that there was already a building in place and the sovereign took up residence there, hence the term “temporary” palace.  Often times we see that a temporary palace is said to have been “built”, at which point I have to wonder if that is truly the case—did they actually build a brand new structure to temporarily house the sovereign and the royal family—or does it just refer to the fact that they may have taken an existing compound and perhaps made some slight changes to accommodate the royal dignity?  Unfortunately, the Chronicles don't really go into much detail. Wherever the Kawabe no Miya happened to be, it does seem to have been temporary, as we later see Takara Hime back at the Itabuki palace, and indeed she reascended the throne there in 655.  The Itabuki palace first shows up in Takara hime's first reign, and seems to be one of at least two royal palaces in Asuka at the time, the other one being the Woharida Palace.  The Woharida palace had been around for a while – it was noted as early as 603, in the reign of Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tenno, and there is the suggestion that it was still around in the time that Karu, aka Kotoku Tenno, was reigning.  We know that Takara Hime took up residence there at some point during her own reign as well.  But in 643 she had the Itabuki palace built, though apparently that didn't mean that the Oharida palace was completely torn down and abandoned – it just was no longer the primary site of court ritual.  Of course, the Itabuki palace wouldn't be the seat of the government for long, either, as the Isshi Incident took place there in 645, and Karu would subsequently move the capital to Naniwa, building the Toyosaki palace. And so the Itabuki palace remained, but was not exactly kept up, so that when the royal family returned to Asuka, it wasn't ready for them to inhabit, and likely required extensive renovation.  Nonetheless, it was being inhabited two years later, when Takara hime again ascended the throne. A quick note here about the name “Itabuki”, because we think that this likely referred to a very specific style of construction that was used.  Up to this point, as far as we can tell, the primary roofing material for all major buildings was a kind of local thatching – we still see this today on some shrines and other buildings.  “Itabuki”, in contrast, refers to a roof made with wooden boards.  Today, we have buildings with rooves where the roof shingles are overlapping boards of wood or bark from the cypress tree: thin layers stacked one on top of the other.  Even today, the modern Imperial Palace in Kyoto uses wood shingles rather than the curved roof tiles that many people think of when they think of Asian architecture. So that's the Itabuki palace, all spruced up and ready for Takara hime to occupy again.  That said, remember the older Woharida palace, the other one in Asuka? Later in 655, a project was started to update that palace as well.  We are told that as of the 13th day of the 10th month there had been a plan to add roof tiles to one of the buildings at the Woharida palace, but unfortunately much of the timber from the mountains and valleys that was designated for the project was found to be too weak from rot, and so they decided to not go forward with that plan.  I would note here that tiled rooves, while they might seen somewhat easier to put together—after all, you only need a layer of interlocking and overlapping tiles—are extremely heavy.  They are known to deform the wooden structures underneath them, and can weigh hundreds of pounds per square foot.  Much of the classic shape of these tiled rooves developed over time to compensate for some of that weight, so this makes me wonder if the wood the palace craftspeople brought in was really that rotten, or if it was just not strong enough for the work that they were trying to do.  After all, were they applying the same techniques as for a temple, or were they simply trying to replace traditional thatching or shingles with clay tiles?  Either way, the project failed, even after all of the work that had gone into it.  This is a small entry in the Chronicles, but it would have meant levying corvee labor that had to go out to the designated regions to source the timber, not to mention setting up the kilns to make the tiles, as well as other preparations that would have been necessary.  In other words, a lot of work, for apparently no payoff. On top of that, we are told that around that time, in the winter of that year—which would have been the 10th, 11th, or 12th month, roughly corresponding from late November to February of the following year—the Itabuki palace caught fire and burned down, and so the sovereign and her retinue decamped to the temporary palace of Kawara – the River Plain or Field. “Kawara” could theoretically refer to just about any flat area by a river. Aston points out that “Kawara” can also mean “rooftile”, which is interesting given what we just talked about, the entry immediately before that deals with attempting to add new rooftiles to a part of the Oharida palace. However, there is some thought that this refers to the Kawara Temple, Kawaradera, and you can find claims that Kawaradera was built on the site of the temporary palace.  There is a reference to Kawaradera in the previous reign, in the year 653, though another source apparently says it was talking about Yamadadera, instead.  There isn't another mention of “Kawaradera” that I can find until 673, so it is entirely possible that the temple started its life off as a mansion or even a temporary royal palace of some kind, and was later turned into a temple. Kawaradera itself is rather interesting.  If you visit the site, today, you can see large stone bases that help to demonstrate the size of the ancient temple.  It was one of the four Great Temples of Asuka, along with Asukadera, Kudara Ohodera, and Yakushiji.  And yet, unlike the other three, we don't have clear indications about its founding in the Chronicles.  When the capital eventually moved to Heijo-kyo, in Nara city, many of the other temples were removed to the new capital, but not, as far as I can see, Kawaradera.  Donald McCallum suggests that this is because it was replaced, instead, by Koufukuji, a temple with deep ties to the descendants of Nakatomi no Kamatari, the Fujiwara clan.  He suggests that mention of the temple in the official records may have even been suppressed by individuals such as Fujiwara no Fubito.  Kawaradera remained in Asuka.  Eventually it fell to ruin, but there is still a small temple on the site, known as Gu-fuku-ji. As for the Kawara Palace, if Kawaradera really was in operation by 653, it is possible that the sovereign took over some of the buildings at Kawaradera, or perhaps the temporary palace was simply somewhere nearby. In any case, they don't seem to have stayed there for too long—they started work on a new palace the following year.  This was the later Okamoto Palace, and from what we can tell it was built on the same site as the Itabuki Palace, south of Asukadera.  This site would see multiple palaces over the years, and even today you can go and see some of the post-holes that they have found, indicating the size of the complex through the years. Based on the layout and size of the Asuka palaces, it seems that these early palaces focused on the “dairi”, the private quarters of the sovereign.  This seems to have ignored the reforms made with the Toyosaki palace design in Naniwa in the early 650s.  That palace, which was built on an incredibly grand scale, consisted of both the private quarters and the public government offices.  But in Asuka the royal family's “palace” appears to have only consisted of the private quarters, for the most part.  So where was the actual bureaucracy happening?  Were there other facilities we don't know about?  Or perhaps, the Toyosaki palace itself was overly ambitious, and there wasn't actually the staff for such a grand complex?  After all, they were just setting up the bureaucracy and perhaps their reach had exceeded their grasp.  Or was it the case that things werestill being run out of the palace complex in Naniwa while the sovereign lived in Asuka?  That seems to have been roughly 10 hours away, by foot, though perhaps only half that by horse. The northern end of the Asuka valley is not as well suited to a large palace complex.  Not only was it already full of temples and the like, but the ground itself rises to the south, and the hills on either side start to come together.  It certainly isn't the kind of place to layout a grand city.  But perhaps that was not the intent—at least not immediately.  It didn't matter much, though, because the Later Okamoto palace, as it came to be known, was not long for this world.  Scarcely had it been built and occupied but that it caught fire and burned down—another expenditure of funds and labor that were once more counted as nothing. In fact, Takara hime was apparently on a tear, and went ahead and initiated quite a few projects that happened in 656.  We are told that nearby Tamu Peak was crowned with a circular enclosure, close to where two “tsuki” trees grew.  A “lofty” building was erected and called both Futatsuki no Miya (the Palace of the Two Tsuki) and Amatsu Miya (the Palace of Heaven).  She also had a new palace erected in Yoshino, possibly as a seasonal retreat.  And with this she was just getting started. She also had laborers dig a canal all the way from the western end of Mt. Kaguyama all the way to Mt. Isonokami.  We are told that 200 barges were then loaded with stone from Mt. Isonokami and hauled to the mountain east of the palace, where the stones were piled up to form a wall.  This last one had people up in arms.  They called the canal the “mad canal” and said that it wasted the labor of over 30,000 people.  On top of that, she used 70,000 men to build the wall.  To top it all off, the timber for the palace rotted away and the top of the mountain where they were building collapsed.  We are told that people cursed it all, crying out: “May the mound built at Iso no Kami break down of itself as fast as it is built.” So, yeah, people weren't too happy.  We, however, just might be – because all of this building work? It leaves traces in the landscape. We aren't always sure about locations in the Chronicles, as it is very easy for names to shift over time or for things to be renamed at a later date. But what we do know is that there are quite a few examples of stone work in the Asuka region.  There is the kame-ishi stone that looks only vaguely carved—it appears to have two carved eyes, but otherwise appears to use the natural shape of the stone to evoke a tortoise—that sits near the site of Kawaradera and Tachibana-dera.  There are the various saruishi—carved figures that are purportedly based on saru, or monkeys, but are likely meant to represent people.  They may have once adorned an elite family's garden or similar, and they were since moved to the tomb of Kibitsu hime.  There are various fountains and waterworks.  And then there are the Sakafune-ishi ruins, sitting along a ridge east of the palace site.  This consists of a large stone up on the hill, with carved channels that appear to be made to channel water poured into the grooves.  At the bottom of the hill there is a turtle shaped stone basin, filled from a boat-shaped water tank.  Across the hill is example of stone work, including possible walls. Given the apparent age of everything, and its location, it is thought that this may all be part of the Futatsuki no Miya complex that Takara hime built.  Unfortunately, it is still not clear how it was meant to operate.  After Asuka was abandoned as the capital, knowledge of the site also disappeared.  There were some stories that arose about the stone that it was used for some kind of sake-brewing, hence the name, but nothing truly concrete has arisen.  There may have been other structures, perhaps made of wood, that are no longer present, and the stone itself appears to have broken and eroded away over the years.  It may have been meant as a ritual site, or perhaps it was just built as some kind of wonder for the people.  It doesn't fit into any clear model of any Buddhist or even ancient Shinto practice, nor is it clearly connected to other continental practices.  We certainly know that they did plenty with water, given the number of waterworks and other carved stones, including a model of Mt. Sumera, we are told was built to the west of Asukadera on the 15th day of the 7th month of the following year—657. Maybe these are remnants of that project Whatever its purpose, the Sakafune-ishi site does seem to compare favorably with what is described in the Nihon Shoki, and perhaps it was considered such a waste of resources just because it didn't fit in with the prevailing ritual culture.  Maybe Takara hime was too artistically avant-garde for her time. “Wasting resources” would, in fact, become a chief complaint against Takara Hime during her time on the throne.  And that takes us from seemingly harmless construction projects into the court politics of the day.  Now as you should recall, Prince Naka no Oe, Takara Hime's son, was the Crown Prince at this point, and quite influential.  He was supported by various courtiers, such as Nakatomi no Kamatari, the Naidaijin, but his eventual ascendancy to the throne was not entirely assured.  We've seen plenty of examples where someone would seem to be in line for the throne and they didn't ever make it.  We know that there were several other royal princes at this time.  One of the youngest was Prince Takeru, a grandson of Takara Hime, who was born around 651.  Then there was Prince Naka no Oe's brother, Prince Ohoama.  He was also one of Takara Hime's sons, and while we haven't heard much of him in the narrative, we will definitely see more of him in the future.  On top of the two of them, there is Prince Arima, whom I talked about at the beginning of the episode.  Prince Arima was mentioned as the son of Karu and Wotarashi Hime, but his mother was not Karu's Queen—that was Hashibito, daughter of Okinaga Tarashi-hi Hironuka, aka Jomei Tennou, and Takara Hime.  Yup, Karu basically married his own niece, though that may have been an attempt to keep the most direct connection possible to the royal line.  Arima's mom Wotarashi Hime, on the other hand, was the daughter of Abe no Kurahashi no Oho-omi—the Minister of the Left, or Sadaijin, during Karu's reign.  Strictly speaking, based on the way that the succession has been depicted so far, Prince Arima wouldn't technically meet the requirements.  That said, we've seen where that has been bypassed in the past, and no doubt people were aware just how easily it would be to rewrite the history, if they had to.  He was young—but not so young that he couldn't be involved in the politics of the court. Other than a note about his parentage at the start of Karu's reign, Prince Arima isn't mentioned again until the ninth month of 657, and right off the bat you can tell where the Chroniclers fall on his personality.  They describe him as deceitful, and claim that he pretended to be insane—a term that doesn't really show up elsewhere, so it is hard to know what exactly is meant.  Is he the Hamlet of his age?  Arima used this as an excuse to go to Muro Onsen—thought to be modern Shirahama Hot Springs, on the southwestern end of the Kii Peninsula.   When he came back he sang its praises, claiming that “scarce had I seen that region, when my complaint disappeared of itself.”  The Queen wanted to go and see for herself. Overall, this hardly seems to be very “deceitful”, though it is suspected that Arima may have feigned an illness to avoid some of the politics around the start of the new reign.  Given his father Karu's recent death, it would likely have been easy enough to claim that he was greatly depressed.  We aren't told how long he stayed at Muro Onsen, but presumably it was for some time. At the start of the following year, on the 13th day of the first month, Kose no Tokuda no Omi, the Sadaijin, or Minister of the Left, passed away.  This would have no doubt created some ripples, but little more is said—we don't even have the name of who succeeded him in the position, at least not in the Nihon Shoki.  Four months later, which is to say in the fifth month of that same year, 658, Prince Takeru passed away.  He was only 8 years old, but as the grandson of Takara Hime a temporary tomb was constructed in the Imaki valley.  Takara Hime lamented his death greatly, and in the 10th month, she took Arima's advice and went to visit the Ki Onsen.  She had several poems composed and handed them to Hata no Ohokura no Miyatsuko no Mari to record them for posterity. While she was away, Soga no Akaye no Omi was the acting official in charge.  And several weeks in, he addressed Prince Arima.  He noted that there were three problems with Takara Hime's government. First – She builds treasuries on a great scale, collecting the riches of the people. Second – She wastes the public grain revenue in digging long canals. Third – She loads barges with stones and transports them to be piled up into a hill. This may have been popular opinion, but it was also rather treasonous talk.  Prince Arima simply smiled and said: “I have only now come to an age where I am fit to bear arms.” So, yeah, he was basically saying that he was old enough to take up arms—and presumably lead others in a rebellion, if that was the case. Two days later, on the fifth day of the 11th month, Prince Arima met Akaye at his mansion.  They went into one of the upper stories, where they wouldn't be interrupted, and there they conspired together.  Others were also involved, it seems—Mori no Kimi no Oho-ishi, Sakahibe no Muraji no Kusuri, and Shihoya no Muraji no Konoshiro.  There are a few different books that claim to record what the plans were.  One says that Soga no Akaye, Shihoya no Konoshiro, Mori no Oho-ishi, and Sakahibe no Kusuri divined the future of their conspiracy by drawing slips of paper, to see how it would turn out.  Another book states that Arima claimed he would burn down the palace and take 500 men to march down south.  There he would waylay Takara Hime at the harbour of Muro.  They were going to exile her to Awaji island, setting up a fleet of ships to ensure she could never leave. As they were discussing what to do—no doubt talking about how the Prince could take the throne, a leg-rest that they were using broke.  Another book claims it was an arm-rest, instead, but otherwise the details are the same.  They both agreed that was a bad omen, and decided not to proceed any further with their plans.  Prince Arima returned home, but apparently Soga no Akaye had a change of heart.  He apparently figured that his only way out was to turn in the others and admit everything.  And so, that night, Akaye sent Mononobe no Enowi no Muraji no Shibi, who was in charge of the labourers working on the palace.  They surrounded the palace and then Akaye sent a mounted courier to inform Takara Hime. That letter must have laid everything out.  Takara hime had the conspirators arrested and brought to Ki Onsen.  Arima's servant, Nihitabe no Muraji no Yonemaro, followed them.  Prince Naka no Oe himself questioned Arima about why he plotted treason.  Arima's answer is a bit cryptic:  “Heaven and Akaye know.” He responded, “I do not understand at all.” In the end, all of the conspirators were found guilty, and executed.  Tajihi no Wosaha no Muraji no Kuniso was sent to do the task.  Prince Arima was strangled at the Fujishiro acclivity, along with Shihoya no Konoshiro and Nihitabe no Yonemaro.  Before being executed, Konoshiro made a rather macabre request, asking that—presumably after he was dead—they cut off his right hand and make it a national treasure.  The other two conspirators, Mori no Oho-ishi and Sakahibe no Kusuri, were merely banished, presumably having played less of a role. Once again, we must remember that we are only getting one side of the story.  It is definitely convenient for Naka no Oe to have a potential rival out of the way.  At the same time, it is certainly plausible that there was more than a little bit of consternation about how Takara Hime had been spending so much on all of these construction projects.  And yet… were these Takara Hime's projects, alone? Remember, Prince Naka no Oe seems to have had a fair bit of clout.  He orchestrated the original coup, where he killed Soga no Iruka and his father.  And then he declined the throne, but became a major part of the new government.  He was apparently powerful enough that he organized the move back to Asuka against the wishes of Karu no Ohokimi. So would all of these projects have been done without his involvement? This is an area where I have to admit that I probably need to check my bias.  On the one hand, it is rare enough in patriarchal accounts to see women with agency and in positions of power, and so it is easy enough to make an assumption that any agency they are given in the record, they likely had more than is mentioned.  At the same time, in this particular instance, at least, Takara Hime's role in this could just as easily be a cover to preserve the image of Naka no Oe, who is certainly portrayed as a hero figure, bringing much needed change and modernization—such as it was—to Yamato.  His enemies are always shown to be in the wrong, and even if he is accused of something horrible—such as the death of Soga no Ishikawa no Maro—it turns out that it was actually the fault of someone else, such as the person who slandered Maro to him in the first place.  So could it be that these unpopular construction projects were actually his doing, all along?  Was the conspiracy simply to overthrow Takara Hime, or was it focused on both her and Naka no Oe, together? To be honest, I couldn't say for certain.  All we have to go on is what the Chroniclers tell us, and they lay the blame fairly firmly at the feet of Takara Hime.  But do remember that Naka no Oe is not necessarily the Shining Prince that he is often made out to be, and that people rarely come to or stay in power in a society like Yamato's by being nice all the time.  We certainly know what he is capable of from the Isshi Incident, and we shouldn't forget that in the narrative. Now when Takara Hime returned from Ki Onsen after winter ended, in the new year.  We are told that she got back on the third day of the first month of 659.  A couple of months later, on the first day of the third month, she went to Yoshino and held a banquet there—no doubt at the palace she had had constructed.  This may have been at the site of Miyataki Ruins, where excavations have revealed numerous examples of roof tiles and other artifacts that may have come from a building from the Asuka or Nara era. The visit to Yoshino must have been quick, however, as we are told that two days later she visited Hira-ura in Afumi, on the shores of Lake Biwa.  Perhaps this only means she left two days later, since that must have been quite the journey back in the day.  Would she have traveled on horseback, or in a carriage or something similar?  No doubt a full procession would take time, and I doubt that the sovereign would push herself.  We also don't have a reason for her to go, that I can see.  It is an odd entry, to say the least. And I think it may be best to end it there.  I do encourage anyone who can to get down to Asuka and plan to spend a couple of days if you really want to get around.  You may want to rent a bike or even a car to get to everything, though you can walk to most things.  There are several museums and cultural centers set up to expound upon Asuka culture, with a focus on the history and archaeology specifically of that period. The palace site where Takara Hime ruled would continue to be the location of at least two more palaces, which we'll talk about in time.  Before that, though, we'll want to cover a few more things.  Most importantly, we'll want to talk about the relationship with lands outside of the archipelago.  We'll discuss the man from Tukhara—who may have simply been from the Ryukyu islands, or possible from as far aways the Dvaravati Kingdom, in modern day Thailand, or even from the western edge of India and Pakistan, having traveled the Silk Road.  Some have even suggested that he may be a Tocharian, and we'll talk about what that means.  And then, before we finish, we'll have to talk about everything else going on, including the conclusion of the Tang-Baekje war. Until then 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.    

Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia watoto UNICEF linaisaidia serikali ya Burundi katika kuunganisha taarifa za watu katika mifumo inayosomana ya kiraia na ya huduma ya afya. Euphrasie Butoyi mama akiwa amembeba mtoto wake mchanga, amekuja katika ofisi za msajili za eneo la Busoni jimboni Kirundo kaskazini mwa Burundi, anasema,“kabla ilikuwa vigumu kumwandikisha mtoto. Umbali ulikuwa mrefu. Tulikuwa tunalazimika kulipia tiketi ya safari kwa ajili yetu na mashahidi. Tulikuwa tunaweza kwenda kule hata mara mbili bila kupata cheti cha kuzaliwa.” Damien Ndayisenga ni msajili wa kijamii anathibitisha hilo kwa kusema, “ukweli kabla ya hatua hii, ofisi ya usajili wa raia ya Busoni ilikuwa imezidiwa na idadi kubwa ya watu wanaokuja kusajili watoto wao ili kupata vyeti vya kuzaliwa. Lakini huduma hii imerahisisha.” Hakika mradi huu umekuwa mkombozi kama anavyoendelea kueleza Euphrasie Butoyi. Anaposema faranga elfu 10 fedha ya Burundi hiyo ni takribani dola nne za kimarekani, “leo tofauti ni kuwa kituo cha afya kiko karibu na sisi kwa hiyo si lazima tena kulipa nauli kwa ajili ya mashahidi. Sasa ni rahisi kwetu kusajili watoto wetu baada tu ya kuzaliwa. Hata mume wangu hajui kama niko naandikisha hapa wakati huu. Anadhani nitapata tu chanjo ya mtoto lakini nitakapomuonesha cheti cha kuzaliwa cha mtoto wetu, atafurahi sana. Hatalazimika tena kwenye ofisi za serikali na kulipa faranga za Burundi 10,000 kwa ajili ya usafiri. Ni faida kwetu.” UNICEF pia inasaidia katika kuandikisha watoto ambao walichelewa kusajiliwa katika umri mdogo na hiyo imesaidia sana watoto walio katika mazingira magumu kupata huduma za msingi za kijamii ambazo hapo awali walikuwa nazikosa kwa kuwa hawana utambulisho wowote unaotambuliwa kiserikali. Katika mkoa wa Bugabira jimboni Kirundo kaskazini mwa Burundi, tunakutana na Jean Baptiste Mutaniyonka baba wa mtoto mwanafunzi Karerwa Olivier anaeleza changamoto walizokuwa wanakumbana nazo hapo awali kabla ya huduma ya usajili kuletwa karibu. “Mara ya kwanza nilipoenda kwenye ofisi za mkoa kusajili ilikuwa imefungwa kwa sababu ya sikukuu. Mara ya pili, mashahidi walitutaka kuwapatia faranga za Burundi elfu kumi nila mmoja. Sikuwa na fedha hiyo kwa hiyo ilibidi tuahirishe hiyo miadi ili tutafute pesa.” Mzazi huyu ili kuonesha namna cheti cha kuzaliwa kilivyo na umuhimu mkubwa katika maisha ya mtoto nchini Burundi anasema, “bila cheti cha kuzaliwa mtoto hana haki ya kupata kupata huduma ya bure katika hospitali. Tulikuwa tunaondoka bila bila kupata matibabu. Na katika hali kama hiyo tuligeukia katika tiba za asili au katika maduka ya dawa. Ilikuwa hivyo hivyo katika shule. Watoto wangu walikuwa wanarejeshwa nyumbani kwa kukosa cheti cha kuzaliwa.” Huyo ni Olivier Karerwa mwenyewe, mtoto wa Jean Mutaniyonka. Olivier amesajiliwa kupitia mradi huu wa UNICEF na anasema anataka kuwa mwalimu atakapohitimu masomo yake. Anne Rwasa ni bibi anazungumzia ilivyo rahisi sasa kumuhudumia mjukuu wake akisema, lakini leo mtoto  awe na homa au kuumwa tumbo tunakimbia katika kituo cha afya ambako anapata huduma ya bure ya afya.” Mradi huu wa UNICEF Burundi wa kuunganisha taarifa za watoto za serikali ili ziweze kusomeka pia katika taasisi nyingine kama vile vituo vya afya umepata  pia usaidizi kutoka kwa kamati ya UNICEF ya Uingereza.  

Kila mwaka, mamia ya wanawake nchini Papua New Guinea, taifa la visiwani katika bahari ya Pasifiki, hushutumiwa kimakosa kuwa ni wachawi. Matokeo yake hukumbwa na ukatili miongoni mwa wanajamii. Hata hivyo Umoja wa Mataifa kupitia shirika lake la Mpango wa Maendeleo duniani, UNDP nchini humo, limechukua hatua.Kiongozi mkubwa wa Kijiji chetu alifariki dunia, na tulipoenda kwenye maziko, ambapo kila mtu alisema sisi ni wachawi na tulikula moyo wake. Ni kauli ya Annabele, jina lake halisi limehifadhiwa kwa ajili ya usalama wake akielezea tuhuma zilizowakabili kwenye jamii yao ya jimbo la Enga nchini Papua New Guinea, hadi kushambuliwa kwa nondo za moto na nyumba zao kuteketezwa kwa moto. Video ya UNDP inamnukuu akisema kuwa walikuwa 9, ambapo wanne walifariki dunia na watano akiwemo Annabele, walinusurika, “kesho yake asubuhi Askofu na wenzake walifika, halikadhalika jeshi na polisi, na ndio walituokoa.” Askofu huyo Justine Soongie Dayosisi ya Wabag jimboni Enga anasema walipowachukua waliambiwa wahakikishe hawarudi kijijini, “sababu kubwa ya mtu kutuhumiwa ni jamii kukosa uelewa kuhusu chanzo cha kifo. Watu wengi hawafahamu kuwa mtu anaweza kufa kutokana na kiharusi. Watu wetu wa Enga watauliza ni nani amesababisha?” Annabelle baada ya kuokolewa alipelekwa hospitali na kupatiwa matibabu ambayo hata hivyo bado ana kovu na maumivu. Kisha walipelekwa nyumba salama zinazoendeshwa na Kanisa Katoliki kwa ufadhili wa UNDP, ambako waliishi kwa miezi takribani mitano wakipatiwa mavazi, malazi na chakula. Askofu Justine Soongie anasema,“baada ya miezi kadhaa hospitalini, tunarudi kwa familia na jamii na kuzungumza nao mara kadhaa. Tunawaelimisha kuwa ni kosa kumtuhumu mtu uchawi, kuna sheria, na hana pahala pengine pa kwenda, hivyo atarudi.” Jamii ilieleweshwa na Annabelle kwenye video anaonekana tayari yuko kijijini na sasa analima shamba na hata anasema hata mazao anayolima akivuna, anapika na wanajamii wanakula pamoja naye. 

Mwaka 2024 ukielekea ukingoni, shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia wakimbizi UNHCR  nchini Uganda limetoa rai kwa jumuiya ya kimataifa kutolisahau taifa hilo la Afrika Mashariki ambalo ni maskani ya idadi kubwa zaidi ya waomba hifadhi na wakimbizi barani Afrika. Rai hiyo iliyotolewa mwishoni mwa wiki inataka ufadhili wa fedha uongezwe ili liweze kuendelea kukirimu watu hao ambao wengi wanakimbia machafuko. Huyo ni Moulid Hujale afisa wa UNHCR nchini Uganda akitoa wito kwa jumuiya ya kimataifa kushikamana na Uganda akiwa  kwenye makazi makubwa ya wakimbizi ya Kiryandongo Magharibi mwa nchi hiyo. Anasema kuna mambo matatu muhimu ambayo dunia inapaswa kufahamu kuhusu Uganda na wakimbizi.“Mosi Uganda inahifadhi idadi kubwa zaidi ya wakimbizi na waomba hifadhi Afrika ikiwa na zaidi ya watu milioni 1.7 wengi wao wakitoka Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo DRC na Sudan Kusini.”Zaidi ya hapo ukarimu wa Uganda anasema hauna kipimo“Pili, Uganda ina sera ya kufugua mlango kwa wakimbizi na pia kwa miongo mingi imekuwa ikiwakaribisha watu wanaokimbia machafuko bila kujali utaifa wao. Kitu ambacho ni kikubwa na cha kipekee kuhusu nchi hii ni kwamba wakati wakimbizi wanapowasili hapa hupewa ardhi, mahali pa kuishi na hata kulima mazao kwa ajili ya kujikimu. Wana uhuru wa kutembea na haki ya kuajiriwa. Hawajatengwa lakini wanaishi  ndani ya jamii inayowahifadhi. Sera hii ya Uganda inawaruhusu wakimbizi kujumuishwa katika huduma za kitaifa ambapo wanafaidika na elimu na huduma za afya.”Lakini Kutokana na changamoto za fedha Moulid anasema ukarimu huo sasa uko njia panda"Tatu: Ukarimu wa Uganda uko hatarini kwani wakimbizi zaidi wanaingia kutoka nchi jirani. UNHCR, shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia wakimbizi, liko mashinani kufanya kazi na Serikali ya Uganda kusaidia kutoa msaada wa kuokoa maisha kwa watu hawa. Hata hivyo, rasilimali ni chanche. Tunahitaji msaada wenu ili Uganda iendelee kuwa mfano wa kuigwa kwa dunia nzima.”Kwa nyjibu wa UNHCR licha ya idadi kubwa ya watu na rasilimali kidogo, sera za Uganda zinammanisha kwamba wakimbizi ni sehemu ya maisha ya kijamii na kiuchumi na ongezeko la rasilimali litakidhi haja za waliopo sasa na watakaokuja.

HT2102 - The Multi-exposure Image For some time now I've been an advocate of the multi-image presentation like Seeing in SIXES, or Trilogies. A variation on that idea has just as much potential and that is the multi-exposure image. Most digital cameras these days have the ability to do multiple exposure capture, but I hardly ever see anybody use this aesthetic. I wonder why?

Haki si haki iwapo inatolewa kwa lugha ambayo haileweki kwa wahusika, wamejulishwa washiriki wa mkutano wa pili wa wanazuoni unaofanyika hapa makao makuu ya Umoja wa Mataifa New York, Marekani na pia mtandaoni ukimulika Madaraka, Haki na Binadamu: Utawala wa Sheria na mabadiliko Afrika. Anold Kayanda na maelezo zaidi.

Akademisyen Prof. Dr. Emre Alkin ile ekonomi politikalarının başarı şansını, yapılan hataları ve bizleri bekleyen riskleri anlattı.

Leo ikiwa ni siku ya kimataifa ya kutokomeza ukatili dhidi ya wanawake, Je wajua kwamba wanawake na wasichana 140 walifariki dunia kila siku duniani kote mwaka 2023 wakiwa mikononi mwa wapenzi wao au ndugu wa karibu, ikimaanisha kuwa mwanmake mmoja anauawa katika kila dakika 10. Na zaidi ya yote bara la Afrika linaongoza? Maudhui ya siku hii yanasema “Hakuna kisingizio” cha ukatili dhidi ya wanawake lama alioushuhudia Ester manusura kutoka Uganda, ambaye kwa miaka mingi amekuwa akifanyiwa ukatili na mpenzi wake anaema “Nilikuwa na umri wa miaka 15 aliponioa naye alikuwa na miaka 28wakati mwingine alikuwa akinivua nguo zote na kunilazimisha kukaa kwenye varandana nilikuwa nikichelewa kurudi ananitandika nje nyumba kila mtu kushuhudia Nilikuwa katika hali mbaya ya uchungu Mkubwa na kuvuja damu.”maadhimisho ya mwaka huu yanaambatana na ripoti iliyotolewa leo jijini New York, Marekani na mashirika ya Umoja wa Mataifa likiwemo lile la masuala ya wanawake, UN Women na Ofisi ya Umoja wa Mataifa ya Kudhibiti Dawa za kulevya na Uhalifu, (UNODC), inaangazia mwanga wa janga la mauaji ya wanawake na kutoa wito kwa hatua za dharura ili kukabili janga hilo.Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa António Guterres katika ujumbe wake wa siku hii inayoadhimishwa tarehe 25 mwezi Novemba kila mwaka, ikiashiria pia kuanza kwa siku 16 za kutokomeza ukatili dhidi ya wanawake, zikiwa na kilele chake tarehe 10 mwezi Desemba, siku ya Haki za Binadamu duniani amesema “Janga la ukatili dhidi ya wanawake na wasichana linaaibisha ubindamu, dunia lazima iitikie wito huu. Tunahitaji hatua za dharura kwa ajili ya haki na uwajibikaji, na kusaidia uchechemuzi.”Mkurugenzi mtendaji wa UN Women Sima Bahous amesisitiza kuwa “Ukatili dhidi ya wanawake na wasichana si kwamba hauepukiki, unaweza kuzuilika. Tunahitaji sheria thabiti, ukusanyaji bora wa takwimu, uwajibikaji zaidi wa serikali, utamaduni wa kutovumilia, na kuongezeka kwa ufadhili kwa mashirika ya kupigania haki za wanawake na taasisi. Tunapokaribia kuadhimisha miaka 30 ya Azimio la Beijing na Jukwaa la Utekelezaji mwaka 2025, ni wakati wa viongozi wa dunia kuungana na kuchukua hatua kwa haraka, kujitolea na kuelekeza rasilimali zinazohitajika kumaliza mgogoro huu mara moja na kwa wote”Mauaji ya wanawake yanavuka mipaka, hali ya kiuchumi na kijamii, utamaduni. Hata hivyo kiwango au ukubwa wake unatofautiana.Kwa mujibu wa ripoti hiyo, bara la Afrika lilivunja rekodi ya kuwa na viwango vya juu vya wanawake kuuawa na wapenzi wao au mwanafamilia. Wanawake 21,700 waliuawa Afrika mwaka huo wa 2023, ikifuatiwa na bara la Amerika na kisha Oshenia.Mashirika ya UN Women na…

David Low, CEO and cofounder of Hata joins the show. In this episode,  In this episode, Wyatt and David discuss: Crypto adoption in Southeast Asia Regulatory attitudes Operating a centralized exchange Bitcoin interest vs other cryptoassets in the region

Hii leo jaridani tunaangazia machafuko nchini Sudan unaosababisha janga la njaa, na mradi wa maji Galmudug Somalia kwa ajili ya maji safi na salama pamoja na mifugo. Makala tunakupeleka nchini DR Congo na mashinani nchini Kenya, kulikoni?Nchini Sudan ambako vita na janga la njaa vinaendelea kuwa mwiba kwa raia      sasa wahudumu wa kibinadamu wa Umoja wa Mataifa wanaonya juu ya tishio lingine kubwa  la milipuko ya magonja ya kipindupindu na homa ya kidingapopo huku mfumo mzima wa afya ukiwa taabani.Nchini Somalia, ni asilimia 52 tu wananchi ndio wanapata huduma ya maji safi na salama. Wengine hulazimika kutembea umbali mrefu kuteka maji ambayo si ya uhakika. Hata hivyo kwa msaada wa shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia watoto, UNICEF nchini humo pamoja na wadau, hali sasa inaanza kuimarika.Makala inakupeleka Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo, DRC ambako Kapteni Fadhillah Nayopa, Afisa habari wa kikosi cha 11 cha walinda amani wa Tanzania, TANZBATT-11 katika ujumbe wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa kulinda amani nchini DRC, MONUSCO anazungumzia usaidizi waliopatia watoto yatima.Mashinani kupitia video ya Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Mpango wa chakula, tunakutana na Geoffrey Nawet, Mwanafunzi katika shule ya Kakuma nchini Kenya akitueleza jinsi ambavyo programu ya Mlo shuleni ya lishe bora umewawezesha wanafunzi kumakinika shuleni na kupata motisha ya kuendelea na masomo.Mwenyeji wako ni Assumpta Massoi, karibu! 

Nchini Somalia, ni asilimia 52 tu wananchi ndio wanapata huduma ya maji safi na salama. Wengine hulazimika kutembea umbali mrefu kuteka maji ambayo si ya uhakika. Hata hivyo kwa msaada wa shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia watoto, UNICEF nchini humo pamoja na wadau, hali sasa inaanza kuimarika. Tuko Adale, mji wa ndani zaidi wa jimbo la kati mwa Somalia, Galmudug. Hapa zaidi ya kaya 2,000 sasa zina huduma ya maji safi na salama, kufuatia ukarabati wa kisima cha maji.Salada Mohammed Omar, yeye ni mfugaji na ni shuhuda wa mradi huu uliotekelezwa na serikali ya jimbo la Galmudug kwa ufadhili wa shirika la Marekani la Misaada ya kimaendeleo USAID na UNICEF.“Tulisafiri muda mrefu kuteka maji, lakini sasa kisima kiko karibu na makazi yetu, tunapata kwa urahisi maji ya kupikia, kufulia na kufanyia usafi.”Video ya UNICEF inaonesha raia na ngamia wakiwa kisimani. Mohammed Yusuf Dirshe ambaye ni kiongozi wa kijamii hapa Adale anasema “awali hakukuwa na tanki la maji wala pampu. Kwa hiyo ilikuwa vigumu kupata maji kwa ajili ya mifugo. Lakini sasa unaona hawa ngamia wanatoka umbali wa hadi wa kilometa 35.”Issack Mohammed, kutoka Kituo cha Amani na Demokrasia mdau wa mradi huu anaeleza kilichofanyika.“Ukarabati ulihusisha kujengea juu matanki, kuweka pampu inayotumia nishati ya jua, na kioski cha maji ili wavulana, wasichana na wanawake waweze kuteka maji kwa urahisi.UNICEF inasema mradi huu unarejesha uhai hapa Adale, kwa kuhakikisha watoto wanakua wakiwa na afya njema, jamii zinastawi na mbinu za kujipatia kipato zinakuwa endelevu.

Kadri siku zinavyozidi kusonga mbele, hali ya usalama na kibinadamu huko Ukanda wa Gaza inazidi kuzorota huku raia na hata wafanyakazi wa kutoa misaada wakisalia wamepigwa butwaa kwani mashambulizi kutoka Israeli yanaendelea kila uchao. Naanzia ndani ya hospitali ya Kamal Adwan  kaskazini mwa Gaza, mtoto aliyejeruhiwa amebebwa akilia kwa uchungu. Kwingineko mgonjwa mwingine anatolewa kwenye gari la wagonjwa! Ni taswira iliyozoeleka sasa Gaza.Louise Wateridge ambaye ni Afisa Mwandamizi wa Masuala ya Dharura katika shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia wakimbizi wa kipalestina, UNRWA akihojiwa na Idhaa ya Umoja wa Mataifa kutoka Gaza Kati amesema hali si hali.Anasema, “mambo kwa kweli yanazidi kuwa mabaya hapa. Kukata tamaa ni kila mahali. Namaanisha, watu unaozungumza nao, na wafanyakazi wenzangu niliozungumza nao hawajui sasa wafanye nini. Hawafahamu waende wapi. Unaweza kusikia nyuma yangu milio ya makombora ikiendelea.”Bi. Wateridge akaendelea kusema kuwa, “kutokuwa na matumaini ndio neno pekee lililosalia Gaza. Unafahamu watu milioni 2.2. Inabidi umkumbushe kila mtu kwamba wamenasa. Hakuna njia ya kutoka nje ya Ukanda wa Gaza na mashambulio ya mabomu yanaendelea mchana kutwa na usiku kucha.”Hali ikiendelea hivyo hii leo huko katikati mwa Gaza, hapo jana jeshi la Israeli lilishambulia na kuharibu kwa kiasi kikubwa ofisi ya UNRWA iliyoko Ukingo wa Magharibi, ofisi ambayo ilikuwa inategemewa zaidi katika kutoa msaada kwa wakimbizi zaidi ya 14,000 wa kipalestina wanaoishi katika kambi ya Nur Shams.UNRWA kupitia mtandao wa X imesema kitendo cha kushambulia ofis iza UN lazima kikome na badala yake zilindwe wakati wote.

Hali Gaza inaendelea kuwa tete wakati ucheleweshwji wa kuhamisha wagonjwa hususan watoto wanaohitaji msaada wa haraka wa huduma za afya imekuwa ni hukumu ya kifo kwao huku maelfu ya watu wakiendelea kukosa mahitaji ya muhimu ya kila siku ikiwemo chakula kama mkate, yameonya leo mashirika ya Umoja wa Mataifa.Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia watoto UNICEF limeonya kwamba idadi ya watoto wanaohamishwa Gaza kwa ajili ya huduma za dharura za matibabu imeshuka sana hadi kufikia mtoto mmoja kwa siku na kusema kiwango hiki kikiendelea itachukua zaidi ya miaka 7 kuhamisha watoto 2500 wanaohitaji huduma ya dharura ya matibabu.Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari mjini Geneva Uswis msemaji wa UNICEF James Elder amesema “matokeo yake watoto wanakufa Gaza sio tu kutokana na mabomu na risasi na makombora yanayofurusmishwa lakini kwa sababu hata kama miujiza inatokea , hata kama mabomu yanalipuka na nyumba kuporomoka, na vifo kuongezeka watoto wananusurika, lakini kisha wanazuiliwa kuondoka Gaza Kwenda kupokea huduma za afya zitakazookoa maisha yao.”Ameongeza kuwa tangu Januari hadi Mei mwaka huu kwa wastan watoto 296 walihamishwa kwa mwezi kwenda kupata matibabu lakini tangu kufungwa kivuko cha Rafah idadi imeshuka hadi watoto 22 kwa mwezi.Kwa upande wake shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la msaada kwa wakimbizi wa Kipalestina UNRWA linasema maisha ya kawaida yanazidi kuwa jinamizi kwani kukidhi mahitaji ya msingi kama chakula ni mtihani mkubwa wengi mathalani katika mji wa Deir al-Balah hata mkate ambao ni chakula kikuu kupatikana ni changamoto,Kila mtu katika Ukanga wa Gaza anakabiliwa na hatari ya baa la njaa kutokana na kuendelea kwa mashambulizi ya mabomu, ghasia, kuharibiwa kwa mashamba na wahudumu wa kibinadamu kushindwa kuwafikia wenye uhitaji.Wataalam wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa haki za binadamu nao wamesema wanahofia hali mbaya ya Wapalestina wenye ulemavu ambao wamekwama Gaza, wakionya kwamba watu hao wenye ulemavu wanakabiliwa na hatari za ulinzi ikiwemo kutoepuka kifo na majeraha wakati wa mashambulizi ya vikosi vya Israel na hili ni janga juu ya janga wamesema.Nalo shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuratibu misaada ya kibinadamu na masuala ya dharura OCHA likimulika Ukingo wa Magharibi limesema “Makumi ya jamii zinakabiliwa na ongezeko la mashambulizi na vikwazo vya kufikia ardhi yao wakati wa mavuno ya mizeituni ya mwaka huu. Kati ya matukio yote yanayohusiana na walowezi, matukio 104 yamesababisha hasara au uharibifu mkubwa wa mali tangu kuanza kwa mwezi huu wa Oktoba ”.

Ndoa za utotoni,ubakaji na kutelekeza watoto, haya ndio matatizo yaliyokuwa yanaripotiwa mara nyingi zaidi kwa kuathiri watoto katika makazi ya wakimbizi katika wilaya Kyegegwa magharibi mwa Uganda. Hata hivyo, kwa msaada wa Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Kuhudumia watoto  UNICEF na ufadhili kutoka wahisani wa Uingereza UKaid, maelfu ya wazazi katika makazi ya wakimbizi na jamii zinazohifadhi waakimbizi katika wilaya ya Kyegegwa wamepewa mafunzo juu ya malezi bora ili kuondoa ukatili dhidi ya watoto, wanawake, na wasichana. Leo tuko katika wilaya ya Kyegegwa nchini Uganda ambapo, kwa msaada wa UNICEF,  wafanyakazi wa kijamii, kamati za ulinzi na ustawi  wa watoto, na kikosi cha polisi; wote wamepewa mafunzo mwafaka ili kuhakikisha ulinzi wa watoto unaofaa na wa kudumu, na tunakutana na Agnes Karungi mama mwenye umri wa miaka ishirini na  mmoja wa wanufaika wa mradi wa malezi bora. Mbali na kukumbana na changamoto za kuwa mama kijana, mwanaye Agnes, ni mwenye ulemavu na zaidi ya hayo akatengwa na familia yake kwa kuzaa akiwa angali mwanafunzi.Cecily Kariuki anaeleza zaidi katika makala hii..

Hii leo jaridani tunaangazia mashambulizi ya Israeli kaskazini mwa Gaza unaoleta changamoto za kuendelea na chanjo ya polio, na virusi vya Marburg nchini Rwanda. Makala tunakupeleka nchini Uganda na mashinani nchini Lebanon, kulikoni?Mashambulizi makali ya anga kutoka kwa jeshi la Israel, idadi kubwa ya watu kutawanywa na ukosefu wa fursa ya kufika Gaza Kaskakzini vimelazimisha kuahirishwa kwa kameni ya chanjo kwa mujibu wa mashirika ya Umoja wa Mataifa lile la Afya Duniani WHO, la kuhudumia watoto UNICEF na la msaada kwa wakimbizi wa Kipalestina UNRWAMkurugenzi Mkuu wa Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Afya Duniani amewapongeza wahudumu wa afya wa nchini Rwanda kwa kazi kubwa wanaoyoifanya kukabiliana na ugonjwa wa Marburg. Dkt. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ameeleza hisia zake hizo mwishoni mwa wiki alipofanya ziara katika vituo mbalimbali vya afya katika mji Mkuu wa nchi hiyo, Kigali.Ndoa za utotoni,ubakaji na kutelekeza watoto, haya ndio matatizo yaliyokuwa yanaripotiwa mara nyingi zaidi kwa kuathiri watoto katika makazi ya wakimbizi katika wilaya Kyegegwa magharibi mwa Uganda. Hata hivyo, kwa msaada wa Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Kuhudumia watoto UNICEF na ufadhili kutoka wahisani wa Uingereza UKaid, maelfu ya wazazi katika makazi ya wakimbizi na jamii zinazohifadhi waakimbizi katika wilaya ya Kyegegwa wamepewa mafunzo juu ya malezi bora ili kuondoa ukatili dhidi ya watoto, wanawake, na wasichana.Mashinani tunabisha hodi Lebanon, kumsikia Farah, Mkimbizi wa ndani anayepokea msaada kutoka Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Kuhudumia Watoto, UNICEF, baada ya kujifungua kwenye hema, akieleza alichokabiliana nacho.Mwenyeji wako ni Anold Kayanda, karibu!

Ripoti nyingine mpya ya tathimini ya uchunguzi wa hali na mazingira ya kifo cha aliyekuwa Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa mwaka 1961 Dag Hammarskjöld imetolewa leo ikiwa na vipengele vinne vipya vikiongeza uwezekano kwamba kifo hicho cha ajali ya ndege kilikuwa ni hila. Asante Anold kwanza ikumbukwe kuwa hii sio ripoti ya kwanza na huenda isiwe ya mwisho ya kutathimini hali na mazingira yliyochangia ajali ya ndege iliyokatili maisha ya Dag Hammarskjöld tarehe 17 Septemba 1961 akiwa njia kuelekea Congo ambayo sasa ni Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Cngo DRC, kujadili usitishwaji wa uhasama ila ni ripoti ya karibuni zaidiRipoti inasema mwenyekiti wa jopo la tathimini ya uchunguzi jaji mkuu wa zamani wa Tanzania Mohamed Chande Othman amepokea taarifa mpya muhimu kutoka kwa nchi wanachama ambazo zinajumuisha maeneo haya Mosi:  uingiliaji unaowezekana wa Nchi Wanachama wa mawasiliano husika.Pili: Uwezo wa wanajeshi wa Katanga, au wengine, wa kufanya shambulio linalowezekana kwenye ndege ya SE-BDY,Tatu: kuwepo kwa askari wa kigeni na wafanyakazi wa kijasusi katika eneo hilo la tukioNa nne: Taarifa zaidi mpya zinazohusiana na muktadha na matukio yanayozunguka kifo hicho mwaka 1961.Jaji Othman amemkabidi Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa Antonio Guterres ripoti hii ya tathimini ambaye naye ameiwasilisha kwa Baraza Kuu la Umoja wa Mataifa.Na kufuatiia tathimini hii Guterres amesema anaizingatia ingawa kihistoria kumekuwa na nadharia nyingi zilizotolewa kama sababu inayowezekana ya ajali hiyo, na anazichukulia nadharia hizo nyingi kuwa zisizo na uthibitisho.Hata hivyo mwenyekiti wa jopo la tathimini anasema  nadharia nyingine ambayo inabaki na inakubalika ni kwamba shambulio la nje au tishio lilikuwa sababu ya ajali.Pia amesema kuwa dhana mbadala zinazoonekana kuwepo ni kwamba ajali hiyo ilitokana na hujuma, au makosa ya kibinadamu yasiyokusudiwa.Katibu mkuu amekaribisha ushirikiano uliotolewa na baadhi ya nchi wanachama katika tathimini hiyo lakini bado jopo la tathimini linaaminikuna baadhi ya nchi wanachama wana taarifa muhimu ambazo hawajataka kuzitoa.

Nchini Kenya, Idara ya Taifa ya Ulinzi wa Jamii kwa kushirikiana na Baraza la Kitaifa la watu wenye ulemavu na shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia Watoto UNICEF, wameendesha kambi ya kusaidia uoni kwa watu wenye changamoto.  Mmoja wa wanufaika wa juhudi hii ni Candy, msichan wa  mwenye umri wa miaka 7 ambaye ana ualbino.Akiwa mwingi wa matumaini, Eric Odhiambo Okeyo, baba mzazi wa mtotohuyo alimpeleka kwenye kambi hiyo  jijini Kisumu ambapo alifanyiwa uchunguzi na matibabu.Baada ya kufanyiwa uchunguzi, Candy alielekezwa kwa daktari wa macho  ili abaini aina ya miwani ambayo ingemfaa.“Mtoto alipoanza shule niligundua kwamba mwendo wake katika masomo ulikuwa wa polepole sana na pia alikuwa analamika kwamba haoni anachoandika mwalimu. Hata akienda kucheza  niliona kwamba alikuwa akifunga macho mara kadhaa. Ilikuwa inanikosesha amani kwa sababu nilihisi kuwa alikuwa akiteseka,” amesema Eric.Mpango huu wa kielelezo wa UNICEF na wadau wake unashughulikia changamoto zinazowazuia watoto wenye ulemavu na familia zao kupokea msaada muhimu wanaohitaji wakati wa majanga na dharura.Akiwa mwingi wa furaha, Eric anasema, “imechukua muda wa miaka sita ambapo nimekuwa nikizunguka tu kuhusu miwani. Mahali nilipoenda hapo awali, niliambiwa kulipia shilingi elfu arobaini ($313) lakini sikuweza kupata hiyo pesa. Nimefurahi kwamba leo nimepewa bila gharama yoyote.”Baada ya uchunguzi na mawaidha mbalimbali katika hii kambi, Eric na mwanaye Candy hawakuweza kuificha furaha yao kwa kupata suluhisho la tatizo ambalo limewaathiri kwa miaka sita.Hatimaye, Candy alipewa miwani yake maalum ili kumsaidia kuona vizuri zaidi.“Nimefurahia sana sina jukumu tena la  kutafuta pesa za kununua miwani. Na nimefurahi pia mtoto wangu atakuwa na wakati rahisi. Amefurahia kabisa na anaipenda sana miwani yake. Amesema anajihisi vizuri. Kwa sababu ana miwani, natumaini anaweza kucheza bila shida yoyote, bila kujali kuhusu jua kwa sababu miwani inamkinga.”

Mashirikika ya kibinadamu ya Umoja wa Mataifa leo yameonya kwamba hali ya kibinadamu inazidi kuwa mbaya nchini Lebanon wakati mashambulizi ya anga ya Israel yakiendelea kushika kasi na kuwafungisha virago maelfu ya watu, wengi wakikimbia nchi jirani ya Syria ambako nako si shwari. Shirika la afya la Umoja wa Mataifa, WHO linasema hali nchini Lebanon ni janga la kibinadamu watu wengi wamejeruhiwa , wengine kupoteza maisha na mfumo wa afya umelemewa.Kupitia ukurasa wake wa  X Mkurugenzi mkuu wa WHO Dkt. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus amesema katika jitihada za kuwasaidia waathirika ndege ya kwanza ya msaada wa vifaa vya kitabibu vya upasuaji, dawa na vifaa tiba vingine imewasili mapema leo mjini Beiruti na vifaa hivyo vitatosha kuwatibu maelfu kwa maelfu ya watu na kuokoa maisha yao na ndege nyingine mbili zitawasili baadaye leo.Kwa upande wake Shirika la Umoja wa  Mataifa la kuhudumia wakimbizi UNHCR limesema maelfu ya watu wanaendelea kukimbia mashambulizi ya makombora ya Israel na wengine wakivuka mpaka kwa miguu kuingia Syria kusaka uslama. Pamoja na kwamba linafanya kila liwezekanalo kuwasidia , limesema msaada zaidi unahitajika kukabiliana na wimbi la watu wanaoendelea kufurushwa.Wataalamu wa haki za binadamu wa Umoja wa Mataifa mjini Geneva wao “ Wamelaani vikali mashambulizi yanayotekelezwa kwenda Israel na makundi yenye silaha yasiyo ya kiserikali yaliyopo Lebanon ambayo yamesababisha watu 63,000 kutawanywa nchini Israel. Wamesema wahusika lazima wawajibishwe na watu waliotawanywa wapewe msaada na ulinzi.”Hata hivyo wamesisitiza kwamba“ Israel haiwezi kutumia uhalifu huo kama sababu ya kuhalalisha uhalifu wao nchini Lebanon unaojumuisha vitendo vya machafuko yenye lengo la kuleta hofu miongoni mwa raia wanaowashambulia.”Kwa mujibu wa shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la kuhudumia watoto UNICEF, chini ya muda wa mwezi mmoja idadi ya wakimbizi wa ndani nchini Lebanon imeongezeka mara tatu na zaidi ya watu 1,600 wameuawa  na wengine takriban 346,000 kujeruhiwa wakiwemo watoto 127.

Moja ya malengo ya Umoja wa Mataifa  ya maendeleo endelevu SDGs ani lengo namba 4 la kuhakikisha elimu bora kwa kila mtoto. Hata hivyo bado katika nchi  nyingi hususan zinazoendelea watoto wengi hasa wenye ulemavu wanakosa fursa za kufikia uwezo wao kutokana na changamoto za kupata elimu iwe rasmi au isiyo rasmi na hivyo kusalia nyuma. Umoja wa Mataifa umekuwa ukizichagiza nchi na jamii kuchukua hatua  ili kubadili mwelekeo huo. Nchini Tanzania kijana Vivian Joseph ni miongoni mwa walioitikia wito wa hatua na akaanzisha taasisi isiyo ya kiserikali ya Watoto Afrika Initiative nili kusaidia watoto  wenye changamoto ikiwemo ulemavu waweze kupata fursa hiyo ya elimu. Katika makala hii amezungumza na Flora Nducha wa Idhaa kuhusu taasisi hiyo akianza kwa kufafanua wanachokifanya.

Ujumbe wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa kulinda amani nchini Sudan Kusini (UNMISS) umewaeleza wananchi wa Kaunti ya Nasir au Keich Kon iliyoko jimboni Upper Nile nchini Sudan Kusini kuwa ili waweze kurejeshewa huduma za misaada ya kibinadamu ni vyema wakafikia makubaliano ya kusitisha mapigano. UNMISS pamoja na wadau wengine wa misaada ya kibinadamu walifikia uamuzi wa kusitisha huduma zao katika kaunti ya Nasir kutokana nae eneo hilo kutofikika na pia ukosefu wa usalama uliosababishwa na mapigano ya mara kwa mara baina ya wanajamii wa kuanti hiyo, na pia mapigano na kaunti za jirani.Hata hivyo mwanzoni mwa mwezi huu wa Septemba kilifanyika kikao kilichowaleta pamoja wadau na wananchi baada ya kupatikana uongozi mpya wa kaunti hiyo ambapo katika kikao hicho, wadau wa misaada ya kibinadamu ikiwemo Umoja wa Mataifa waliombwa kurejesha operesheni zao hususan UNMISS, Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Mpango wa Chakula duniani (WFP) na wadau wa Sekta ya afya.Paul Ebikwo ni afisa wa masuala ya kiraia wa UNMISS na akawaeleza anaelewa wasiwasi wao.“Wasiwasi wenu ni wa halali, ni wa kweli, tunaelewa. Lakini mkiongeza mizozo ndani yake, mnafanya mambo kuwa mabaya zaidi, kwa hivyo hebu tufanye maamuzi ya kuachana, na kuweka kando migogoro na sote tufikirie jinsi ya kutatua maswala haya.”Bwana Ebikwo aliongeza kuwa suluhu zote za kuzuia ghasia lazima ziongozwe na wanajamii wenyewe huku akitoa wito kwa makundi ya vijana wanaotumia silaha kujiepusha na mapigano na kutafuta amani.Majadiliano yalihitimishwa kwa wote kukubaliana kuwa na dhamira ya pamoja ya kutafuta njia za kuleta jamii hususani vijana pamoja kwa ajili ya upatanisho na ujenzi wa amani ili kusaidia kurejesha utulivu na kuwezesha jamii katika kaunti ya Nasir kupata ahueni na maendeleo baada ya kuteseka kwa muda mrefu.

Afya ya mlinda amani wa Umoja wa Mataifa aliyejeruhiwa katika shambulizi lilitekelezwa na kundi la waasi, CODECO juzi Agosti 28 huko Bali, kaskazini mashariki mwa Djugu jimboni Ituri, Mashariki mwa Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo (DRC) inaendelea vizuri. Anold Kayanda na maelezo zaidi. Stéphane Dujarric, Msemaji wa Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa, amewaeleza waandishi wa habari jana Agosti 29 katika makao makuu ya Umoja wa Mataifa jijini New York Marekani kuhusu tukio hilo la kushambuliwa kwa walinda amani wa Umoja wa Mataifa wakiwa katika shughuli zao za kuwahakikishia usalama raia wa Jamhuri ya Kidemokrasia ya Congo, DRC.“Walinda amani walizuia shambulio hilo, na kuwalazimisha wanamgambo kuondoka. Hata hivyo, tunasikitika kuripoti kwamba mlinda amani mmoja alijeruhiwa.” Anaeleza Dujarric lakini akiwaondolea wasiwasi waandishi waliokuwa wakimsikiliza kwamba mlinda amani huyo aliyejeruhiwa sasa yuko katika hali nzuri.Licha ya kushambuliwa, walinda amani wanaohudumu nchini DRC katika ujumbe wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa kulinda amani nchini humo MONUSCO wameendelea na shughuli za ulinzi si tu kaskazini mashariki mwa Djugu, bali pia kusini mashariki mwa eneo hilo jimboni Ituri ambako CODECO wameweka kambi katika maeneo mawili. Msemaji wa Katibu Mkuu anaeleza kwamba walinda amani walifanikiwa kusaidia raia wa kawaida kuweza kutoka eneo moja kwenda jingine.Mashambulizi haya yanatokea ikiwa imesalia miezi michache kufika Desemba 31 mwaka huu ambayo ni tarehe iliyoridhiwa na Baraza la Usalama la Umoja wa Mataifa kwamba uwe mwisho wa MONUSCO kutokana na ombi la serikali ya DRC lilioomba MONUSCO iondoke katika nchi hiyo iliyogubikwa na vita kwa miaka mingi.  

Reform, Rebellion, and Rats!  And all in less than a year!  This episode we continue to look at the Taika era and the reforms that bear the era's name.  We are still covering, though, just the first year or so from the start of the era--through 645 and very early 646.  And yet there is a lot going on, some of it as part of the reforms and some of it just the normal international and domestic politics. For more check out https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-109 Rough Transcript   Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this episode 109: Radical Reforms, Resourceful Rats, and Precarious Princes. ----------------- Prince Furubito no Ohoye looked out over the changing autumn leaves of Yoshino.  Where the mountains had been painted pink in cherry blossoms just seven months earlier, the mountains were now covered in garments of red, yellow, and orange.  Seven months.  A lot could happen in seven months.  Seven months ago, Prince Furubito had been in line for the throne.  His main contender for the position was dead, and he had the support of the most powerful men in the court.  Then it had all come crashing down in an instant. After the turmoil of the court earlier in the year, life in the countryside was no doubt a welcome respite.  The former Crown Prince had narrowly avoided sharing in the fate of his Soga relatives, who had been killed in front of him.  Furubito was no stranger to the literally cutthroat politics of the day.  Soga no Iruka had killed Yamashiro no Ohoye, son of Shotoku Taishi, ostensibly to place Furubito on the throne, no doubt with the expectation that the Soga descended prince would be easier to control.  Furubito himself had not been entirely out of the loop on that whole thing, either, specifically advising Iruka that he should make sure to send subordinates to do the dirty work and keep himself out of harm's way.  Now Furubito's seemingly untouchable supporters, Soga no Iruka and his father, were, themselves, dead at the hands of Furubito's younger brother, Prince Naka no Ohoye.  Their mother, Takara, had immediately abdicated, and Prince Furubito was suddenly in the crosshairs, potentially standing between his murderous brother and the throne.  And so he took himself out of the picture and retired, becoming a monk at a temple in Yoshino, a mostly wild area south of Asuka and the traditional heartland of Yamato, where sovereigns of the past had sometimes gone to get away. Furubito had spent the last several months there in the mountains, out of the political center, but that didn't mean he was completely on his own.  Not everyone was against him, and he still had people bringing him news.  He may have retired from the world, but he wasn't without his resources.  And there were those still in his camp, who thought he should be on the throne.  They just had to keep it under wraps until it was too late for Prince Naka and his cohorts to do anything about it.   So, with that little snapshot of life in Yoshino, let's get into it.  We're talking about the Taika era, so let's first start out with a recap of last episode and some things to keep in mind, and then continue with the story of the reforms, looking at what else was happening in that first year, as well.   We'll talk about the diplomatic missions from the Korean peninsula, the edicts focused on the Yamato elite and the clergy, as well as the strategic use of the change in the capital.  We'll also address just what happened with the “other” crown prince, Furubito no Ohoye. First off, let's quickly recap: So last episode we started talking about the Taika era and the Taika reforms.  In particular, we looked at how the governance of the archipelago had changed—as best as we can tell, at least, from the evidence available to us—and we looked at some of the very first edicts that went out.  According to the Nihon Shoki, things started with the appointment of the Ministers of the Left and Right, the Sadaijin and the Udaijin.  As later institutions were created, these ministers would each take a portion of those institutions into their portfolio, effectively dividing the management of the government.  Although the Sadaijin, or Minister of the Left, was considered senior to the Udaijin, the Minister of the Right, at least in later years, it should be noted that this system would prevent, at least on paper, a single prime minister from taking the reigns of the entire government, as the Soga seem to have largely done.  Presumably this meant that the sovereign, as head of state, would have the ultimate authority over the realm. Still, from the very get-go, we see that there are positions set up outside of this dynamic.  For one thing, you have the creation of the seemingly nebulous “Naidaijin”.  This is interpreted as the Minister of the Interior, meaning inside the royal house, and it was first granted to Naka no Ohoye's bro and best bud, Nakatomi no Kamatari—the co-conspirator who had helped make all this possible in the first place.  While the Sadaijin and Udaijin nominally had most of the power—and we see them referenced executing that power on a not infrequent basis—the position of Naidaijin appears to be almost extra-numerary, and is rarely mentioned, and yet he seemed to have wielded considerable power and influence.  This pattern of creating or using positions to exalt a singular individual, who would effectively run the affairs of state, is something that we'll see repeated multiple times in the future.  Whether this positionwas something like dajo daijin or kampaku, powerful individuals would often find their way, regardless of the bureaucratic norms. In addition to the Naidaijin, however, the position of the royal princes—especially the Crown Prince—seem to be untouched.  These were another class of elites often with wealth and influence, but who are largely outside the system of court ministers.  In fact, the bureaucratic system of government only really covered those positions by the so-called “commoner” families—elite families that nonetheless were not considered to be in a direct line of succession for the throne.  These were the members of the various be and uji corporate families that were created to serve the Yamato government.  After all, you don't hear of Royal princes taking on the position of a minister or anything similar, and presumably they managed their own affairs and estates as members of the extended royal family, with the sovereign as the familial head.  And then there were the peasants—the agricultural workers and truly common people who were so far removed from court business that they weren't even part of an uji clan or official familial unit other than their village, serfs or semi-free people—as free as anyone was in those days, though they were likely tied to the land by tradition and necessity—who owed service to some group of elites.  One of the things we are seeing in these reforms is a move to redirect the responsibilities of those serfs and semi-free people more directly to the state, with edicts directly addressing their status and their responsibilities.  That's something we'll talk about more as it comes up. But before that, let's get caught up on some other things happening in the first few months of the Taika era.  Sure, Naka no Oe and Kamatari were working closely with our sovereign, Karu—aka Koutoku Tennou—to get their reforms in place. As we talked about last episode, they were sending out governors, hanging bells outside of the palace, and otherwise trying out all kinds of new stuff.  However, as that was going on, they still had to deal with the day to day of the government.  Life didn't just stop while they ramped up their transition to a new, bureaucratic monarchy. One such routine event for a new reign was the designation of Karu's wife, Hashibito, as the queen.  In the fine Yamato tradition of keeping it all in the family, Hashibito was Karu's niece, the daughter of Karu's sister, Takara, aka Kougyoku Tennou, and her late husband, the sovereign Tamura, aka Joumei Tennou.  That made Hashibito a sister to Prince Naka no Oe, who was now his uncle's brother-in-law and, since he was named Crown Prince, his heir.  Probably don't think about it too much. There was also the matter of foreign envoys.  As you may recall, the murder of Soga no Iruka and his father, known to us as the Isshi Incident, kicked off during a court reception for peninsular envoys.  Two months later, we are told that envoys from Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla all arrived with tribute.  These appear to be separate from those who had witnessed Naka no Oe's bloody coup d'etat, and given the time it took to travel, they may have already been on their way when everything went down.  They arrived in the 7th month of the year, not quite a full month since Karu had taken the throne. This might have been a regular visit, but we get some interesting information from the Chronicles about it.  Kose no Tokuda no Omi addressed the envoys, at least those of Goguryeo and Baekje.  Although it is also noted that Silla envoys arrived as well, communications with them are not recorded.  There was also a slight problem in that one of the envoys (whose name Aston transcribes as “Chaphyong Yonbok”, suggesting that he was actually the Minister of the Left, Yonbok) apparently traveled all the way to Yamato just to come down with an illness.  He stayed at Naniwa and rested while the other envoys made the journey onward, presumably to the palace in Asuka, where the court received the tribute. As for Goguryeo, Kose notes that Yamato and Goguryeo had not had formal relations for very long.  This is unsurprising, given that Goguryeo was on the far north of the peninsula, and would have had to go through either Silla or Baekje controlled territory to get to Yamato, and they weren't always on the best of terms with either of the other countries on the peninsula.  There were some attempts to reach the archipelago by landing on the northern edge of Honshu, along the Japan sea coast, landing near Tsuruga, on the western edge of the land of Koshi, but still, Yamato's relationship with Goguryeo does not appear to have been as old or as consistent as Yamato's dealings with their less distant neighbors.  Tokuda, the Yamato officer addressing the Goguryeo envoys, wished for long and continued interactions, but that was about it. Baekje, though, was another story, and a bit of a conflicting one.  The speech that Tokuda gives according to the Chronicles is likely heavily edited to sound more regal and to be in line with the Chroniclers' ideas of Japan's place in the world, but it is also possible that they were just using flowery, continental style pronouncements.  It starts off with the somewhat audacious statement that Karu is a God-incarnate, which tracks with the idea that he is descended from the Heavenly Grandson, who came down from Takama no Hara.  This same language was used with Goguryeo, earlier.  Then Tokuda repeats the claim that Baekje is a vassal state of Yamato, claiming that they were considered an “internal Miyake”, likely referring to a land that was supposed to be directly controlled by Yamato.  One is left to wonder just how Baekje felt about all of this, but then again, things may have been lost in translation from one court to the other. Finally, Baekje was admonished for not bringing sufficient tribute from Nimna, since it had theoretically been placed under Baekje's care. And here's where I see some conflicting information.  After all, we know that Silla had absorbed Nimna well before this period, and Silla had been made to bring two ships during tribute missions or to meet the Yamato delegation with two ships to preserve at least the fiction that Nimna was still an independent country and ally to the archipelago.  That was all back in the reign of Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tennou, or earlier .  Of course Baekje would not have any tribute from Nimna, and yet the Yamato court seem to have expected something unless, of course, they were just putting on some kind of show for Silla's sake?  It seems like the matter of Nimna, which was no longer a going concern on the peninsula, was still something that Yamato was keeping front and center in their mind.  Whatever the logic, Tokuda says that the sovereign pays special attention to the tribute from Nimna, and as it was deficient, they returned the tribute back to Baekje until they could bring the expected amount. There is plenty of ink that has been spilt on the subject of the diplomatic tribute systems that were set up across East Asia, largely as part of or in imitation of those systems set up by dynasties like the Han and the Tang.  As we understand it, diplomats were expected to come to a foreign sovereign's courts as petitioners, bringing with them “tribute”—basically trade goods—to grease the wheels of international relations.  The receiving country would reciprocate with lavish gifts on the envoys, in turn, often in excess of the “tribute” they had brought—at least, that is how the central Sinic dynasties operated.  In this way, diplomatic missions were not only profitable for international relations, but also for acquiring elite goods that could not easily be otherwise obtained, and for that, envoys were willing to go along with the polite fiction that they were truly subordinate to the power they entreated.  It is unclear whether or not this went both ways.  I suspect that the Han or Tang dynasties  would not have accepted the idea that their own ambassadors would be bringing tribute to any “lesser” nation.  However, amongst nations like Yamato, Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo, were there similar concerns?  Unfortunately, we don't really have a clear, contemporary record of these interactions, and can only make assumptions based on what sources do exist.  I suspect, however, that Baekje, though willing to indulge Yamato's fantasies, did not actually consider itself an “inner miyake” of Yamato—though they were a trusted ally.  Most of the time. Which makes me wonder how they took such a snub.  Unfortunately, both Baekje and Yamato sources appear to be quiet on that front. The envoys did not leave empty-handed, however.  They sent away the wife and children of a man identified as “Wisa”—likely hostages being held at the Yamato court as part of the other diplomatic system between Baekje and Yamato.  We are not told why, however, so we are left only to speculate on what actually happened. Later that month, and into the next, the reforms were really kicked off, sending out the governors to the eastern provinces and proclaiming some of the early edicts we talked about last month And while the court was waiting for news to come back from those governors, there was another issue that they were tackling, and that was further incorporating the Buddhist clergy and temples into the state government.  Yeah, if you hadn't already guessed, Yamato at this time didn't exactly have a principle of the separation of church—or in this case temple—and state.  In fact, quite the opposite.  For a little over two decades at this point the court had assumed the authority to appoint individuals at the head of the Buddhist clergy, presumably to keep them in line ever since that one incident with the axe—and if you want a reminder, check out Episode 102. And so a messenger was sent from the court to Kudara-dera to gather all of the clergy there.  That was the temple near where Tamura had built his palace, Kudara no Miya, and it reportedly had an absolutely jaw-dropping pagoda, so perhaps little wonder that it was a central location.  After recounting the history of Buddhism in the archipelago, the court representative appointed chief priests to ten different temples, as well as the chief priest of Kudara-dera.  They then made a promise that the Sovereign—which is to say the State—would pay for the repairs of any of the temples built by the Tomo no Miyatsuko; the courtly families.  At the same time, the court also appointed temple commissioners, and expected them and the chief priests to report out the number of priests and nuns, as well as acreage of cultivated temple land.  Interestingly, these commissioners were to report directly to the state, rather than through the local governors, indicating that the temples appear to have been somewhat exempt from the local civil authorities, though still under the thumb of the sovereign and the national government.  This was likely done through the “Houtou”, or “heads of the Law”, another set of positions for people appointed to oversee Buddhist practice. In the following month, the court moved on from the clergy and focused on the courtiers: the Omi, Muraji, and the Tomo no Miyatsuko, and not in a fun way:  These leading families were called to the carpet for what was seen as a host of offenses.  They were accused of compelling their own vassals to labor at their pleasure, and appropriating land for their own private use, denying it to the people.  This included mountains, hills, ponds, and even portions of the sea, which they turned into their own private hunting and fishing reserves.  They would take prime rice-lands—land that could be brought under cultivation—and use it purely for themselves.  They would take portions of the public land, divvy it up, and sell it off as if it were their own.  Or they would just rent it out, so that they would collect rent on the property and those who farmed it wouldn't actually own anything, making them a kind of tenant farmer or even something like a sharecropper.  Furthermore, when they collected taxes from those in areas they oversaw, they were accused of taking a portion off the top for themselves before turning over the rest to the government. And finally, they would take their own people and build palaces for themselves.  This practice, though probably nothing new, went against the direction the new state was headed, and if it was allowed to continue, it would potentially reduce the number of laborers available for government projects. To be clear, not all of the noble families were doing this, but enough that a broad edict was required.  This edict not only called out these practices, but specifically banned the private sale of land—likely meaning that it was up to the State to decide how land was apportioned—and it forbade anyone making themselves into a landlord. Now for anyone who has been following along—or simply looked at human history—the way that the elites had been concentrating power is hardly surprising.  History books are filled with examples of those in power using it to aggregate more and more to themselves, especially without some kind of regulation.  While the Taika edict treats this like an aberration of the way things should be, it is more likely that this is actually how the system had been designed to work up until this point.  There were elites who operated at different levels in an hierarchical structure.  Those above provided legitimacy and preferential treatment to those they considered their vassals.  Those vassals were left to largely run things as they saw fit at the lower levels, as long as they maintained an expected flow of tribute up the chain.  As long as things didn't get out of hand—no rebellions, famine, etc.—then there was little reason for those at the top to be concerned. Here, though, we are seeing a different imagining of the state: one where the governance of the state truly does flow from the sovereign down to the people.  Those who had been studying the Buddhist and Confucian canons from the continent had been introduced to new ideas of what a state ought to be, and now that they were in power, they were determined to implement those ideas. One has to imagine that this ruffled more than a few feathers, and I have to wonder if it didn't contribute, at least in some way, to what else was happening around the same time.  Remember, all of this—the tribute missions, the governors, the gathering of the clergy, and dressing down the courtiers—all happened in the first three months of the new reign—the Taika era.  But in the ninth month, the court's attention was also turned to another matter, when a man named Kibi no Kasa no Omi no Shidaru came to Naka no Ohoye with a confession:  He claimed he had been party to a meeting in Yoshino with none other than Prince Furubito no Ohoye, along with members of the Soga, the Yamato no Aya, and the Yechi no Hata.  They were all disillusioned with this new reign and how they got here, and were plotting to put a stop to it by overthrowing Karu and putting Prince Furubito on the throne. So, yeah, this is where we circle back to where we started the episode – imagining Prince Furubito, hanging out in the mountains of Yoshino, enjoying his near escape and contemplating his retirement.  Things weren't quite that peaceful. I'd note that another source claims that the guy who spilled the beans, Kibi no Kasa no Omi, instead went to the Daijin, the Great Ministers, Abe no Oho-omi and Soga no Oho-omi, the ministers of the Right and Left.  Regardless of who he spoke to, he ratted out all of his co-conspirators. The details are sparse on just how everything unfolded from there, but we know that Naka no Ohoye appointed two generals to go and arrest—by which I'm pretty sure he meant assassinate—Prince Furubito no Ohoye.  Whether or not the Prince had actually kicked off discussions or had even participated in any significant way, Naka no Ohoye's brother was too dangerous as a symbol around which anyone discontented with the new order could try and rally.  And it's not at all surprising to imagine that there are those who were not exactly happy with where things were going.   The throne was exerting greater control than it had in some time—perhaps more than it ever had, at this scale.  The foreign ideas that had come in the way of books and learning may have, at first, been just another way for the elite to demonstrate their own superiority, but now these ideas were starting to affect the way they, themselves, had to operate.  You could either accept it as the way forward or you could resist.  Those who would resist, though, needed someone to rally around.  Since the Sovereign and the Crown Prince were both pushing for change, anyone opposed would need to find a new sovereign to uphold their own ideas.  To that end, Furubito no Ohoye must have been an enticing figure.  He really was from the old school. Sure, that was a Soga dominated school, drenched in the blood of other members of the royal family, but it was still something that those who wanted to conserve their old way of life could use to legitimize their position. And that made Furubito no Ohoye dangerous, regardless of whether or not he encouraged such individuals or not. And so Uda no Yenomuro no Furu and Koma no Miyachi departed with a sizeable force to take out the Prince.  Which, spoiler alert: they did. There are some conflicting accounts on this.  Some records claim that the attack force didn't set out until more than two months later, on the 30th day of the 11th month.  Others say that the generals were actually Kosobe no Omi no Abe and Sahekibe no Komaro, at the head of only thirty men.  It is possible that both accounts are correct in some way, or that various family records retroactively  claimed credit for the attack.  It may also be that the time from the conspiracy's discovery to the eventual resolution—the killing of Furubito and his household—took a little over two months to complete; a not unreasonable situation. This whole event is often talked about as Furubito no Ohoye's revolt, and if we take the Chronicles at face value, that is largely accurate.  However, we don't have many actual details, and we do know about Naka no Ohoye—we know that he hadn't been afraid to kill Soga no Iruka in broad daylight, in the middle of the court.  Would it have really been too much for him to manufacture a conspiracy to provide him an excuse to take out his older brother and thus prepare his own eventual rise to the throne?  On things like this, the Chronicles are largely silent, and we can only speculate as to what was actually going on.  Still, I have to wonder. Following the death of Furubito no Ohoye, and the suppression of the rebellion in his name, the sovereign, Karu, announced that he had settled on a location for his new palace.  While most of the edicts at this time broke new ground, this one did not, following a tradition that, if we believe the Chronicles, had been around for centuries.  Each new sovereign would designate a location for their new palace, moving out of the palace of their predecessor.  Usually this would beannounced at the very start of a reign, but as we've seen, this reign had gotten off to a busy start, and so we don't see mention of the new palace until the twelfth month. The tradition of moving out of an old palace and into a new one is thought to have typically been due to the ritual pollution, or tsumi, attached to the palace of a sovereign who has died -- often in the palace itself, if they were lucky enough to pass away in their sleep.  Of course, in this case the throne didn't pass on the occasion of the sovereign's death, but there had certainly been plenty of blood spilled in the palace, recently, so I imagine that moving the palace was to be expected. Less expected was exactly where he moved the palace to, since Karu decided not to stay put in the Asuka region, and instead chose to move the palace to the port of Naniwa, where the continental envoys came. There are numerous examples throughout Japanese history where a change was made to move the capital, or at least the seat of government, to somewhere new.  In many cases, this was to get away from various political forces that had become entrenched in the capital region.  Courtiers and their retinue would settle near the palace, and soon an entire area was controlled, physically and politically, by a few powerful families or institutions.  The Asuka region, for example, had started out as the ancestral stronghold of the Soga clan, and for the past century had operated as the seat of Soga controlled sovereigns.  Tamura, or Jomei Tennou, had seemingly tried to move a little ways outside, near the site of Kudaradera, but his wife and successor, no doubt with the assistance and counsel of Soga no Emishi, had moved back into the Asuka valle, proper. Moving to Naniwa would have been quite the undertaking, as it didn't just mean moving the palace, but it meant moving the whole infrastructure of the government.  Granted, this wasn't exactly on par with the size and complexity of the Imperial dynasties in what we now know as China, but it did mean that the powerful families would need to make sure that they had a residence of some sort near the new capital if they wanted to be close to the reins of power.  That meant that they would need to also expend some of their own resources, as well. Also, it would be a good time to provide a sense of renewal for the era.  The Chroniclers added a line, taken from various Chinese histories, that shortly after the announcement of the new capital's location, rats were seen moving across the countryside in the direction of Naniwa.  At its most basic level, this likely recognized that when the people abandon a capital for a new city, that new city quickly has its own population.  No doubt it was felt that the rats had simply followed the people there.  The migration of rats would figure into several other movements during this reign, as well.  It was apparently a popular trope. The movement started in the twelfth month of the first year of Taika, or 645, and would be completed in the third month of the following year, 646.  That was around the same time that word was coming back from the lands in the east about just how things were going with the newly appointed governors.  Giventhe killing of Furubito no Ohoye in the 11th month of 645, as well as everything else that was now happening, the capital would be the catalyst for a fresh new slate in more ways than one.  The building of the new palace, and the need to entreat the kami, that would be used as an excuse to issue a general amnesty -- the “Get out of jail free” card for the governors and others who hadn't quite gotten on board, which we talked about last episode.  They were shown the stick, but offered a carrot.  While not explicitly stated, this may have also been a time to bury the hatchet for the pro-Furubito faction as well, giving them a chance to move on.   And there was a lot of movement to be had.  We are told that there was a proclamation in the first month of 646—a proper edict of reforms.  These are laid out in four articles, and are perhaps the closest we have to a true “code” of the reforms from this era.  And warning: this is where the reforms get really radical. The first article was on land ownership and allocation.  Specifically, it abolished the various royal Miyake and the previously established “representatives of children”—which I'm guessing refers to the various families that were tasked with supporting some of the various royal princes and other royal descendants.  It also abolished various farmsteads of serfs and abolished the bonds of those serfs who owed their service to various royal families; the ministers, the Omi and the Muraji; and general courtiers, the Tomo no Miyatsuko; as well as the various lords of the lands, the Kuni no Miyatsuko, and even down the villages, to the level of the Mura no Obito. In place of these mechanisms of bringing in rice and other goods, various fiefs were created out of the previously held land and redistributed to various princes and officials on a descending scale, with those at the top of the courtly rank system getting the most productive, and less for those further down.  To sweeten this deal, gifts of cloth were also given at the time of the edict, likely as a way to offset any harsh feelings. In the end, this article completely rewrote how land was owned in the archipelago, at least in principle.  The land belonged to the sovereign, who apportioned it out as required.  The fiefs would then supply incomes to government officials, effectively providing them a salary.  Those higher in the court system, which is to say those with a higher court rank, would have a larger stipend.  Some version of this system, which wasn't always as strictly enforced, would continue right up until it was abolished in the early Meiji era. The second article of the reforms largely targeted the capital and the “Home Provinces”, recognized, today, as the area from modern Iga city in the east; to Mt. Seyama, in Wakayama, to the south. It extended westward past modern Kobe to the Akashi area, and north to Afusakayama, on the southwestern shores of Lake Biwa, due east of modern Kyoto city.  These correspond largely to the areas that were traditionally under Yamato's direct rule, and where many of the noble families had their base of operations.  Actual governors were appointed to the home provinces, like Kii, Kawachi, Harima, Yamashiro, etc., with various roads, barriers, outposts, and more created to secure the home territories.  Post horses were included, and this is the first mention of the creation of bell tokens, a kind of bronze amulet with various round “bells” incorporated into the design.  These bell tokens would become a kind of badge of office for anyone traveling, as they would be used at government posts along the road to determine what kinds of and how many horses a given official was entitled to during their official travel. The area within the capital itself was divided into “wards”, or “Bo”.  Each ward would have an “wosa” appointed from the population.  Aston translates this as “alderman”, though it feels like “magistrate” is more appropriate.  For every four wards, an unagachi, or chief magistrate, was appointed.  These wosa and unagachi were charged to watch over the people and investigate criminal matters.  They were supposed to be people of “good character and solid capacity”, and if nobody in the ward could serve, then someone could be chosen from an adjoining ward, instead. Throughout the rest of the home provinces, the land was divided up into “townships” (RI or Sato), rather than wards, and townships would be gathered into “districts” (GUN or Koori).  Large districts were those with over forty townships.  Middle districts were those with anywhere from four to thirty townships.  And districts of three or fewer townships were considered Lesser Districts.  The Japanese for these would be Tai-gun, Chuu-gun, and Shou-gun, but I should note that it is unclear whether that was the actual term used or just the way to write it in the Sinitic style of the Chronicles.  The governors of these areas were the Tairei and Sharei, glossed in Japanese as the Koori no Miyatsuko and the Suke no Miyatsuko, though Aston suggests those were just translations, and the Yamato court was probably using the On'yomi for the names as this was an attempt to copy continental governance.  For these positions, you were expected to be not just good, but of “unblemished” character.  They were assisted by clerks and others who were skilled in writing and arithmetic.  I suspect a lot of this was also applied to the governors discussed in the previous episode, though we did not see such a clear list of qualifications for them and their staff at the time. So that set up the governance of the capital and the capital region, in a model that would be followed elsewhere. The third of the four articles provided for drawing up accounts of the land and people—much as the governors were doing in the east.  They also create The Books, as in the accounting books for the government.  These were to record the state of, well, the State.  How many people, what land was out there, in what condition, and to whom did it belong.  It would be the official register of receipts telling everyone what land belonged to whom. It also defined the townships, or Ri, as being made up of 50 households, with one magistrate per township, as above.  However, given that these townships were in the countryside, the magistrate was also responsible for the direction of sowing the crops and the cultivation of mulberry trees, used primarily for silk production.  It also fell to the magistrate to enforce the payment of taxes, both in rice and forced labor. And here we see just how much those taxes were.  Rice fields were measured by “tan”, sometimes translated as “kida”, which was an area of thirty paces by twelve paces.  That comes out to somewhere between 9,000 to 11,000 square feet, depending on the size of the pace—a modern “tan” is figured at 10,800 square feet, or a little over one thousand square meters or a bit under one quarter of an acre.  From there, ten tan would make a CHO, the largest land unit mentioned here.  All of this was only true of flat land, however.  For steep and wooded land, the various officials in charge would need to make special arrangements.  Afterall, a thousand square meters of cliff face wasn't exactly producing a ton of rice—or mulberry trees, for that matter.  The tax for each tan of cultivated land  was 22 bundles of rice on the stalk.  A single bundle was the amount that a person could reasonably grasp in one hand.  Ten bundles made up a sheaf, so actually it was 2 sheafs and 2 bundles.  The edicts then laid out the math to verify that for a CHO it was 22 sheafs, or ten times that of a TAN.  And all of this can be pretty boring and, well, academic, but it starts to get us a glimpse into life outside of the elite courtiers.  We can see that they assumed a community was about 50 households in rural areas, and you likely would have gotten to know your neighbors, as they were the ones you were planting and harvesting with.  While I'm not sure that a TAN was equivalent to a single field, we can see that four TAN would have been roughly an acre of land—an acre itself being an agricultural unit that was about as much land as a single individual could work in a day. What isn't clear from all of this is what was the expected gross yield of the field—in other words, how much of the crop would the farmers themselves be able to keep?  In later centuries, farmers often couldn't afford to keep their own crop of rice, and had to settle for eating millet and other, cheaper grains, with almost all of the rice they grew going to pay their taxes Besides taxes on the fields, there were also other taxes to be considered, but these were dealt with in the fourth and final article of the reforms of 646.  Up front, this article abolished any earlier taxes that may have been imposed, clearing the way for a new tax structure.  From there, it first laid out a series of alternatives to rice for paying your taxes.  One was the ability to pay in cloth, so for instance, if you had a single TAN of land, you could pay the 2 sheafs and 2 bundles of rice OR you could pay 10 feet of fine silk, 2.5 feet in width—the width of most home looms at the time.  Alternatively there were conversions into coarse silk (double it to 20 feet) or another bast fiber cloth (double again, to 40 feet).  Silk thread or silk floss are not mentioned as a substitute for the rice tax on land. But: this Article also laid out additional taxes to those on the fields.  Each household would have to also produce at least 12 shaku—roughly 12 feet—of bast fiber cloth each year.  There were also other taxes such as salt, etc., all depending on what was locally produced.  And on top of that, for every 2 townships of 100 people, they had to produce a single horse for the government.  A particularly fine horse could be used to cover the taxes for up to 4 townships.  And if they could not produce a horse, they would need to provide up to 12 feet of cloth per household to offset the cost of the government buying one.  That is 12 feet of cloth in addition to what they already had to pay. In addition to that, every person was expected to supply a sword, armor, bow and arrows, a flag, and a drum.  This may have only been for those able-bodied men called up for service, though—it isn't exactly clear. And then, when there were public works to be done, each township had the responsibility to offer up a single, able-bodied individual, and to provide 22 feet of cloth and 5 masu of rice for their service, to keep them clothed and fed.  This was actually an improvement on previous corvee labor requirements, which required one person per thirty households, who were all supposed to support them. Finally, there is a note about Uneme—the handmaidens at the court.  Uneme were drawn from the sisters or daughters of district officials of the rank of shorei and upwards.  Each Uneme was expected to be furnished with one male and two female servants to attend to their needs.  They would be provided cloth and rice similar to laborers, except that the cost was to be spread out across one hundred households, not just fifty. Again, we get a glimpse of what life under the new regime was like—or at least what it was supposed to be like.  We saw mention of taxes and other such things early on in the Chronicles, but this is the first time we really get to see what kinds of taxes would be levied on the common households.  A single agricultural household would likely be responsible for some portion of the town's field-tax, as well as a tax of cloth on their own home, and possibly supporting a laborer or even the purchase of a government horse.  Finally, they could also be responsible for providing for one of the handmaidens of the court. It was clear that the state was extending its reach in new ways.  In some cases this would have clearly been an improvement: there was a reduction in the amount of labor that people had to provide, and things were being standardized.  There were bureaucratic lines being built from the townships and wards up through to the sovereign, providing a clear connection between sovereign and vassal.  On the other hand, this trod on the ancestral traditions of certain groups.  We saw the attempted revolt around Prince Furubito no Ohoye, but after his death, the opposition didn't really have a central figure to rally around.  And so the reforms would continue. Although the reforms at the start of 646 may have been some of the most formal, there is still a lot of change to come and we'll deal with that in the next few episodes. Until then, 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.