Podcasts about sado island

This letter was written to Toki Jōnin, a learned and dedicated disciple who lived in Shimōsa Province. In it Nichiren Daishonin stresses the extreme seriousness of the offense of slander and also the importance of embracing the supreme Buddhist teaching. The letter is dated simply the twenty-third day of the eighth month, and though it is generally thought to have been written in the first year of Kenji (1275) at Minobu, no firm conclusion has been reached in this regard. Other opinions are that the Daishonin wrote it in 1276 or even in 1273 while he was still on Sado Island.In the Daishonin's teaching, rather than adherence to a specific code of conduct, one's fundamental posture toward the Mystic Law, or ultimate reality, determines one's happiness or unhappiness in life. A person who seeks and awakens to the ultimate truth within will attain enlightenment, while one who remains in ignorance of it or even slanders it will continue to be bound by suffering. Hence the Daishonin's emphasis on exclusive commitment to the Lotus Sutra, which teaches the direct attainment of Buddhahood for all people.In the last part of this letter, the Daishonin raises a question that had crossed many people's minds: on the basis of what sort of insight does he dare to criticize such eminent teachers of the past as Kōbō, Jikaku, and Chishō? However, instead of answering this question directly, he simply says, “You had better cut short your sleep by night and curtail your leisure by day, and ponder this!” This passage, from which the letter takes its name, suggests that the most important task of our human existence is to seek out and uphold the correct teaching leading to enlightenment.

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the seventh month of the third year of Kōan (1280) to the lay nun Sennichi, who lived on Sado Island. Sennichi was the wife of Abutsu-bō Nittoku, who had passed away the year before. Abutsu-bō had originally been a Nembutsu believer, but soon after encountering the Daishonin, together with his wife, became his sincere follower and helped provide him with food and supplies during his stay on Sado. After the Daishonin was pardoned from his exile and had taken up his residence at Minobu, Abutsu-bō, despite his advanced age, made at least three journeys to see him. He died on the twenty-first day of the third month, 1279, at the age of ninety-one. His son, Tōkurō Moritsuna, visited the Daishonin at Minobu later that year with his father's ashes and laid them to rest there. The lay nun Sennichi was concerned about the privations of the Daishonin's life at Minobu, and in 1280 sent Tōkurō with various offerings for him. Tōkurō arrived at Minobu on the first day of the seventh month, and Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to the lay nun in acknowledgment of her sincere offerings, entrusting it to her son on his return journey. In the beginning portion, the Daishonin declares that to read even one phrase of the Lotus Sutra is equivalent to reading all the teachings expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha during his lifetime. He assures the lay nun Sennichi that all persons who embrace the Lotus Sutra will attain Buddhahood, and therefore, in the light of the “clear mirror of the Lotus Sutra,” there can be no doubt that her late husband, Abutsu-bō, has attained Buddhahood as well. In the remaining portion of the letter, the Daishonin encourages the lay nun in the face of her loneliness following her husband's death, and also praises the filial devotion of her son, Tōkurō. Especially touched by Tōkurō's two visits to Minobu for his father's sake, the Daishonin concludes his letter by exclaiming, “Surely, there is no treasure greater than a child, no treasure greater than a child!” https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/149

「佐渡島の金山」労働者の追悼式で黙とうをささげる参列者。 A ceremony was held for the first time on Sunday to remember all those who worked at the now-defunct gold mines on Sado Island in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata, including those from the Korean Peninsula.

A ceremony was held for the first time on Sunday to remember all those who worked at the now-defunct gold mines on Sado Island in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata, including those from the Korean Peninsula.

生稲晃子外務政務官【ソウル時事】韓国政府は２３日、新潟県佐渡市の「佐渡島の金山」の世界文化遺産登録を受け、２４日に同市で開かれる労働者の追悼式に参加しないことを決めた。 The South Korean government has decided not to attend Sunday's ceremony to remember those who worked at the now-defunct gold mines on Sado Island in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata, South Korean diplomatic sources said Saturday.

The South Korean government has decided not to attend Sunday's ceremony to remember those who worked at the now-defunct gold mines on Sado Island in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata, South Korean diplomatic sources said Saturday.

「佐渡島の金山」の世界文化遺産登録を祝ってくす玉を割る地元関係者ら、２７日午後、新潟県佐渡市「佐渡島の金山」のガイダンス施設「きらりうむ佐渡」では、世界遺産委員会で行われた審議のインターネット中継を地元住民や関係者ら約２００人が見守った。 Residents of Sado Island cheered a UNESCO committee's decision Saturday on the registration of now-defunct gold mines in the central Japan island as a World Cultural Heritage site.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee unanimously decided Saturday to register Sado Island Gold Mines in central Japan as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Residents of Sado Island cheered a UNESCO committee's decision Saturday on the registration of now-defunct gold mines in the central Japan island as a World Cultural Heritage site.

「佐渡島の金山」の象徴である「道遊の割戸」、５月１５日、新潟県佐渡市【ソウル時事】日本政府が国連教育科学文化機関に推薦した「佐渡島の金山」の世界文化遺産登録を巡り、韓国外務省当局者は２６日、登録を容認する方針を示した。 South Korea is now going to accept designation of forced labor-linked gold mines on Japan's Sado Island as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, a senior official of the country's Foreign Ministry said Friday.

South Korea is now going to accept designation of forced labor-linked gold mines on Japan's Sado Island as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, a senior official of the country's Foreign Ministry said Friday.

In this episode, Maki and Simone chat with good friends, and fellow TWTT community members, Arline Lyons and Cindy Bissig. Both women are doing remarkable sake-related work - from tours to translations, and we could've easily done a complete episode with each of them, simply chatting about their involvement with the sake world. However, we wanted to focus on the theme of 'sake brewing experiences' for this particular episode. Arline, (born in Ireland, residing in Switzerland), and Cindy (born in Switzerland, residing in Japan), are no strangers to many amongst the TWTT community and it was a delight to sit down and chat with them about two places that are currently offering these 'sake brewing experiences': GakkoGura (Niigata) and Kurabito Stay (Nagano). Arline chats with us about her 2 separate experiences at Kurabito Stay, while Cindy takes us to Sado Island and shares her experience of attending GakkoGura. GakkoGura and Kurabito Stay are possibly the 2 most well know of the venues offering these types of hands-on brewing experiences, although we know there are others currently offering short internships and some form of hands-on learning. We have also heard whispers of a few more places planning to run brewing experiences or 'courses' that may become accessible in the near future. We hope to come back to this topic in future episodes and chat with other people who have been involved in some of the other brewing experiences out there. But for now, we hope you enjoy listening to Cindy and Arline chat about their sake brewing experiences as much as we did - and we hope their stories might inspire others to explore this 'behind the scenes' way of learning more about sake. You can follow our guests on Instagram... Arline: @tastetranslation Cindy: @sakenomad and our podcast and hosts... TWTT Podcast: @tastewiththetoji Simone: @sakemistress Maki: @sake.amata Julian: @sakeadvocate This episode was recorded on 3 Apr 2024 A huge thank you to our subscribers at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ More information about Taste with the Toji - The Project can be found on our website: https://tastewiththetoji.com/ Music by: Kazuyoshi Sato (Koikawa Shuzo) Useful links from this episode: GakkoGura GakkoGura flyer (ENG) Kurabito Stay Sake on Air Sake Unplugged Taste Translation Sake Nomad

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Sairen-bō Nichijō while at Ichinosawa on Sado Island in the fifth month of the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273). For some reason Sairen-bō was also in exile on Sado, where he had been converted by the Daishonin in the second month of 1272. A former Tendai priest, he already knew something about “the true aspect of all phenomena”; it was a fundamental concept in the Tendai school of Buddhism. He could not, however, satisfactorily come to grips with this concept through T'ien-t'ai's theory alone, so he asked the Daishonin for an explanation. The True Aspect of All Phenomena is the Daishonin's reply. Though comparatively short, this document elucidates two important elements of the Daishonin's Buddhism. It was completed a month after Nichiren Daishonin wrote The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, in which he explained the Gohonzon, the object of devotion that can lead all people in the Latter Day of the Law to enlightenment. True Aspect of All Phenomena begins with a passage from the “Expedient Means” chapter—the heart of the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra—that implies that no phenomenon is in any way different from the true aspect, or Myoho-renge-kyo. It also implies that all the innumerable forms and realities that exist, both concrete and abstract, are manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. The Daishoninthen explains the essence of the Lotus Sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, and its embodiment, the Gohonzon. This is the first element—the object of devotion in terms of the Law. After clarifying the ultimate teaching of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishoninstates that Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, will propagate that teaching, and that he himself is carrying out the mission entrusted to that bodhisattva. In light of his own behavior and his fulfillment of the predictions in the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin suggests that he himself is Bodhisattva Superior Practices. A more profound interpretation, however, identifies him as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, whose purpose was to establish the Gohonzon for the enlightenment of all people in the Latter Day. Thus True Aspect of All Phenomena also explains the object of devotion in terms of the Person. This is the second element. Referring to both the Person and the Law, the Daishonin clarifies the fundamental object of devotion for the people of the Latter Day. He brings together the points he expounded in The Opening of the Eyes completed in 1272, which focuses on the second element, and in The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, which focuses on the first element. The latter half of this letter explains to Sairen-bō that those who devote themselves to propagating the correct teaching in the same spirit as the Daishonin are themselves Bodhisattvas of the Earth. The Daishonin predicts that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread widely in the future, and concludes by setting forth the key elements of Buddhist practice in the Latter Day of the Law—namely, faith, practice, and study. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40

On the ninth day of the tenth month, 1271, on the eve of his departure for Sado Island, Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Chikugo-bō Nichirō, who was later to become one of his six senior disciples. Nichirō and his father had converted to the Daishonin's teachings in 1254, and Nichirō had received the tonsure under the supervision of his uncle Nisshō, also later to become one of the six senior disciples. At the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in the ninth month of 1271, Nichirō and several other priest-disciples were imprisoned in the custody of Yadoya Mitsunori, an official of the Kamakura government, in a dungeon carved into the side of a hill near Mitsunori's residence in Kamakura.  In the interval between the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and his exile to Sado Island, the Daishonin was held at the mainland residence of Homma Rokurō Saemon, the deputy constable of Sado, in Echi of Sagami Province. It was here that the Daishonin wrote this letter, which demonstrates that, even when about to embark for a destination sure to be marked by privation and hardship, his chief concern was for his disciples. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/26

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter on the fifth day of the tenth month, 1271, only three weeks after he was nearly executed at Tatsunokuchi. It was sent to three of his leading disciples: Ōta Saemon, a government official, the lay priest Soya Kyōshin, and the Dharma Bridge Kanabara. One of them may have visited the Daishonin while he was being held in detention for exile at the residence of Homma, deputy constable of Sado Island, in Echi. Records indicate that the three disciples lived in Shimōsa Province, to the northeast of Kamakura; this letter may well have been an expression of gratitude for the visit and for their concern for the Daishonin's safety. Following the failure to behead the Daishonin, the government had difficulty deciding what to do with him, so he was temporarily detained at Homma's residence. Just at that time, a wave of arson and murder swept Kamakura, and the Daishonin's followers were blamed. The government then directed that the exile that had been ordered earlier be carried out. The community of believers in Kamakura was deeply upset by this series of events, and the Daishonin sent a succession of letters to reassure them. In this letter, the Daishonin says that hardships allow one to purge oneself of accumulated evil karma in order to bring forth the state of Buddhahood. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/24

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in the tenth month of the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271), just before he left for his exile on Sado Island. At that time, he was being held at the mainland residence of Homma Rokurō Saemon, the deputy constable of Sado. The Daishonin wrote the letter to an acquaintance at Seichō-ji temple in Awa Province, possibly a priest named Enjō-bō. Exile to Sado Island was a harsh punishment, second only to the death penalty. In this letter the Daishonin declares that he has met this persecution solely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra; he emphasizes that the very fact that it has happened demonstrates that he is “reading” the Lotus Sutra with his life. Since the Daishonin seeks to dispel doubts among his followers and revive their flagging courage by pointing out his mission as the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day, this letter may be said to foreshadow The Opening of the Eyes, a major treatise he wrote four months later. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/25

Author and travel-writer Angus Waycott talks about his  8-day walk around Sado Island off Niigata Prefecture in the Japan Sea. He gives us in-depth accounts of: a mujina (tanuki-worshipping) cult, funa-ema (literally "ship horse pictures"), exile (including those of Zeami and Buddhist priest Nichiren), and the controversy behind the Kinzan gold mine and its "slave labor," all topics that he recorded in his book Sado: Japan's Island in Exile, originally published by Stone Bridge Press in 1996 and re-issued as an e-book by the author 2012 and 2023.Book Description: "Given the choice, no-one ever went to Sado. For more than a thousand years, this island in the Sea of Japan was a place of exile for the deposed, disgraced or just plain distrusted — ex-emperors, aristocrats, poets, priests and convicted criminals alike. This book rediscovers the exiles' island, explores the truth about its notorious gold mine, tracks down a vanishing badger cult, and drops in on the home of super-drummer band Kodo. Along the way, it paints a vivid picture of one of Japan's most intriguing backwaters, now emerging from a long exile of its own."About the AuthorAngus Waycott is an author and travel writer whose books have been published in the UK, USA, Japan and the Netherlands. He has been the voice of TV news broadcasts, commercials, and award-winning documentaries, voiced "character" parts in game software and anime productions, and worked as a copywriter, publisher, teacher, translator, lighting designer, and staircase builder. His books are Sado: Japan's Isand in Exile, Paper Doors: Japan from Scratch (2012), The Winterborne Journey: along a small crack in the planet (2023), and National Parks of Western Europe (2012). Check out his short video on Sado Island.The Books on Asia Podcast is sponsored by Stone Bridge Press. Check out their books on Japan at the publisher's website. Amy Chavez, podcast host, is author of Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan and The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island.Subscribe to the Books on Asia podcast.

This letter, dated the eleventh day of the second month in 1272, was sent by Nichiren Daishonin to Sairen-bō Nichijō, a former Tendai priest who, for reasons that are unclear, was also living in exile on Sado Island. Details about Sairen-bō are scarce, but it is known that he was originally from Kyoto, and that he had studied at Mount Hiei, the seat of the Tendai school, before his exile. He was also present at the Tsukahara Debate, held in front of Sammai-dō, the Daishonin's dwelling at Tsukahara, on the sixteenth and seventeenth days of the first month in 1272. In this debate the Daishonin was the clear victor over Pure Land, True Word, and other priests from Sado and from various provinces of northern Japan. A number of people converted to his teachings at this time, among them Sairen-bō. Sairen-bō was a highly educated priest to whom the Daishonin sent several important essays, including The True Aspect of All Phenomena and The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life. He had a number of unresolved questions about Buddhist theory, and he addressed them one by one to theDaishonin, who in turn answered these questions in written form. The Daishonin praised him, saying, “How admirable that you have asked about thetransmission of the ultimate Law of life and death!” In his reply the Daishoninoffers a look into the wonder of the Buddha's own enlightenment, as well as the practical means whereby ordinary people may attain the same end. In the first paragraph, the Daishonin states that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the heritage of the ultimate Law of life, and that the transmission of this Lawis made from the Buddha to all living beings. Then he refers to the question ofhow we can inherit the ultimate Law of life and manifest it within ourselves. This Law flows in the depths of the lives of those who believe in theteachings of the Lotus Sutra, practice in exact accord with them, and chant thedaimoku. The Daishonin declares that there is no distinction whatsoever between Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lotus Sutra, and us ordinary people. Viewed from the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism, this can be taken as a declaration that there is absolutely no difference or separation between Nichiren Daishonin as the Buddha of the Latter Day, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—or the Gohonzon which embodies that Law—and ourselves, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In terms of time, the heritage—the mystic relationship between the Lawand the lives of the people—courses eternally through past, present, and future, unbroken in any lifetime. In terms of space, the Daishonin proclaims that the heritage of the ultimate Law flows within the lives of his disciples and lay supporters who work in perfect unity for the realization of a peaceful world and happiness for all humanity. Having stated that the ultimate Law is within the lives of human beings, Nichiren Daishonin further explains how to inherit the Law. He emphasizes the importance of the attitude, “now is the last moment... ,” in order to manifest innate Buddhahood, a state that transcends both life and death. In discussing the thousand Buddhas and the ten kings of hell, he reveals the continuity of cause and effect spanning past, present, and future. Whatever state of life predominates while one is alive will continue in the next life. Whether one can succeed to the heritage of the Law depends entirely on one's faith. This is why he strictly warns in his conclusion, “Even embracing theLotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.” https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/29

Shijō Kingo visited Nichiren Daishonin on Sado Island in the fourth month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272), and the Daishonin entrusted him with this letter for his wife, Nichigen-nyo, who was a devoted follower of the Daishonin's teachings. Nichigen-nyo was the name given to her by the Daishonin. He also named her two daughters, Tsukimaro and Kyō'ō. First, the Daishonin urges Nichigen-nyo to read the letter with Tōshirō's wife. While little is known of Tōshirō and his wife, it is believed that he was one of Kingo's colleagues in the Kamakura government. In the feudalistic society of the time, life was difficult for women since their social status was invariably inferior to that of men. Nevertheless, though she had no one else to rely on, Nichigen-nyo sent her husband all the way from Kamakura to Sado on a journey that was both difficult and dangerous. For this the Daishonin highly praises her faith. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/34

Welcome to A Buddhist Podcast for 1st October 2023. Tonights show is the Tenth in a series of dialogues on the Gohonzon between Luigi Finocchiaro, Peter Morris and myself. Tonight we talk about Nichirens exile to Sado Island. We also discuss: Going to Sado Island was not a one way trip, Nichiren's disciples travelled back and forth Our practice to the Gohonzon mandala is the eternal return of the Ceremony in the Air Kankenki drawings of 1254 Without Honen there may not have been Nichiren Sado is where Nichiren starts to cast off his chrysalis and become a butterfly and at Minobu begins to fly Nichirens famous writings on Sado Island, The True Object of Worship and The Opening of the Eyes are extant and clarified so much of Nichiren's teachings We can question whether Nichiren was sent to Sado to die, that might not be true! Japan is unlike Europe, its natural disasters have meant that nothing about Japan has remained the same physically  You can purchase Luigi's books here

This brief letter was written in the eighth month of the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273) and was addressed to Kyō'ō, Shijō Kingo's infant daughter. Since Kyō'ō was then only one year old, however, it may be assumed that the letter was meant for Shijō Kingo and his wife, Nichigen-nyo. They had two children, Kyō'ō (Sutra King) and another daughter, Tsukimaro (Full Moon), who was a year older. Both were apparently named by Nichiren Daishonin. This letter was written in response to news that Kyō'ō had become seriously ill. At this time the Daishonin was living in exile on Sado Island. The Daishonin explains the significance of the Gohonzon, the object of devotion. At the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in 1271, the Daishonin revealed his identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. Only after this did he begin to inscribe the Gohonzon and bestow it on his followers, particularly those who had staunch faith in his teachings. In this letter, the Daishonin says that the boundless benefits of the Gohonzon will surely cure Kyō'ō's sickness and urges Kingo and his wife to believe firmly in the Gohonzon. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/45

This episode we will look at the influences on Japan from the continent, starting with what was going on between the archipelago and the peninsula with tribute--in the form of birds and even books--as well as conflict.  We'll start to look at what sorts of knowledge was being passed over to Japan in the form of various books, and hopefully set the stage for changes that we will eventually see in the form of the Yamato government, itself. For more, check out our blog post at https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-94 Rough Transcript   Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 94: Magpies, Buddhism, and the Baekje Summer Reading Program This is one of a multi-part series discussing the late 6th and early 7th centuries during the reign of Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tennou.  Last episode, Episode 93, I did a very quick overview of just what is going on and some of the players involved.  This episode I want to start deep diving into some of the topics, and we're going to start with looking at the relationship between Yamato and the Continent, primarily, but not exclusively, through their relationships, the gifts and tribute that was going back and forth, and immigration—primarily from Baekje and Silla—and the importation of new ideas, not just Buddhism.  This in turn would would eventually lead to a formal change in the way that the Yamato state governed itself and how it came to see itself even as an equal to that of the Sui court, which had unified the various kingdoms of the Yangtze and Yellow River Basins in the area of modern China. To begin, we'll go back a bit, because this dynamic isn't simply about Kashikiya Hime, Soga no Umako, or any one, single figure—though that is often how it is portrayed.  To start with, let's cover some background and what we know about the archipelago and the continent. As we went over many, many episodes back, the early Yayoi period, prior to the Kofun period, saw a growth in material cultural items that were from or quite similar to those on the Korean peninsula.  There had been some similarities previously, during the Jomon period, but over the course of what now looks to be 1200 to 1300 years, the is evidence of people going regularly back and forth across the straits.  It is quite likely that there were Wa cultural entities on both sides in the early centuries BCE, and there are numerous groups mentioned on the Korean peninsula, presumably from different ethno-linguistic backgrounds, though typically only three areas get much focus: The Samhan, or three Han, of Mahan, Byeonhan, and Jinhan. Later this would shift to three Kingdoms:  Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo, and they would  get almost all of the press.  Still, we know that there were groups like the Gaya, or Kara, confederacy, and likely other small, eventually isolated groups that did not have their stories written down anywhere, other than mentions in the Chronicles of Japan or of one of the other three major Kingdoms of the peninsula. These groups continued to trade with the continent, and as the archipelago entered the period of mounded tombs, they were doing so as part of a larger mounded tomb cultural area that included both the archipelago and the Korean peninsula: First the funkyubo, which is to say burial mounds, with multiple burials, and then the kofun, the singular tomb mounds for an individual and possibly their direct relatives.  This tradition reached its apex with the distinct zenpo-koen, or round-keyhole style, kofun, an innovation that was rooted in continental practice but at the same time distinctly a part of the archipelago. Many artifacts came over throughout this period, and a fair number of them came with a new innovation: writing.  There is debate over the earliest forms of “writing” to be found in the islands, with evidence of characters on pottery being questioned as to its authenticity.  However, it is hard to question the writing that appeared on the early bronze mirrors and other such artifacts that showed up. Early writing on the archipelago is more decorative or even performative—crude attempts to copy existing characters that often demonstrate a lack of understanding, at least by the artisans that were making various elite goods.  Though, based on the fact that even obvious forgeries with nonsense characters made their way into tombs as grave goods, we can probably assume that most of the elites were not too concerned with writing, either, other than for its decorative, and possibly even talismanic qualities. In the fourth and fifth centuries, this began to change.  We have specialists and teachers coming over to the archipelago, often there as tutors for the royal Baekje princes who were apparently staying in Yamato as part of a diplomatic mission.  No doubt some Yamato elites began to learn to read and write, but even at this point it seems to have been more of a novelty, and for several centuries reading and writing would seem to have remained largely the purview of educated immigrant communities who came to Yamato and set up shop. Though, along with things like the horse, writing may have nonetheless assisted Yamato in extending its authority, as speech could now, with a good scribe, be committed to paper or some other medium and then conveyed great distances without worry about something begin forgotten. So, at this point, writing appears to mostly be utilitarian in purpose.  It fills a need.  That said, we have discussion of the Classics, and as reading and writing grew, exposure to writings on philosophy, religion, and other topics expanded.  After all, reading meant that you were no longer reliant on simply whom you could bring over from the continent.  Instead, you could import their thoughts—or even the thoughts of humans long dead—and read them for yourself.  In the early 6th century, we see Baekje sending over libraries worth of books.  These are largely focused on Buddhist scriptures, but they also include other works of philosophy as well.  It is unclear to me how much the evangelical nature of Buddhism contributed to this spread.  Buddhism exhorts believers to share the Buddha's teachings with all sentient beings.  Even during the Buddha's lifetime, his disciples would go out and teach and then gather back with their teacher during the rainy season. Buddhist teachings, coming over in books—the sutras—came alongside of other writings.  There were writings about philosophy, about medicine, and about science, including things that we might today consider magical or supernatural.  Those who knew how to read and write had access to new knowledge, to new ideas, and to new ways of thinking.  We can see how all of this mixed in the ways that things are described in the Chronicles.  For example, we see that many of the rulers up to this point have been described in continental terms as wise and sage kings.  Now, as Buddhism starts to gain a foothold, we see Buddhist terminology entering in to the mix.  In some ways it is a mishmash of all of the different texts that were coming over, and it seems that things were coming more and more to a head. In addition, there were things going on over on the continent as well, and this would come to also affect the archipelago.  For one thing, this was a period of unification and consolidation of the various state polities.  Baekje and Silla had been consolidating the smaller city-states under their administration for some time, and in 589 the Sui dynasty finally achieved what so many had tried since the time of the Jin—they consolidated control over both the Yangtze and Yellow River basins.  They set up their capital, and in so doing they had control of the largest empire up to that point in the history of East Asia.  The Sui dynasty covered not only these river basins, but they also had significant control over the Western Regions, out along the famous Silk Road. The Sui could really make some claim to being Zhongguo, the Middle Kingdom, with so many of the trade routes passing through their territory.  They also controlled the lands that were the source of so much of the literary tradition—whether that was the homelands of sages like Confucius, or else the gateway to India and the home of Buddhism.  It is perfectly understandable that those states in the Sui's orbit would enter a period of even further Sinification.  For the archipelago this was likely through a lens tinted by their intermediaries on the Korean peninsula, but even they were clearly looking to the Sui and adopting some of the tools of statecraft that had developed over in the lands of the Middle Kingdom. During the early years of the Sui, Yamato had been involved in their own struggles, and at the end of the previous reign Yamato had an army in Tsukushi poised to head over and chastise Silla for all that they had done to Nimna, but then Hasebe was assassinated, and it is unclear what actually happened to that expedition.  Yamato started gathering an army in 591, and Kishi no Kana and Kishi no Itahiko were sent to Silla and Nimna, respectively, as envoys, and then we are told that in 595 the generals and their men arrived from Tsukushi.  Does that mean that they went over to the peninsula, fought, and then came back from Tsukushi?  It is all a little murky, and not entirely clear to me. Rather, we are told that in 597 the King of Baekje sent Prince Acha to Yamato with so-called “tribute”—the diplomatic gifts that we've discussed before, re-affirming Baekje and Yamato's alliance.  Later that same year, Iwagane no Kishi was sent to Silla, so presumably Yamato and Silla relations had improved.  Iwagane no Kishi returned back some five months later, in 598, and he offered a gift from the Silla court of two magpies to Kashikiya Hime.  We are told that they were kept in the wood of Naniwa, where they built a nest in a tree and had their young. Aston notes here that magpies are plentiful on the continent but not in Japan.  Indeed, their natural range is noted across eastern China and up through the Amur river region, as well as a subspecies up in Kamchatka, and yet it seems like they didn't exactly stray far from the coast.  In modern Japan, the magpie, is considered to be an invasive species, and the current populations likely were brought over through trade in the late 16th century, suggesting that this initial couple of birds and their offspring did not exactly work out.  Even today magpies are mostly established in Kyushu, with occasional sightings further north—though they have been seen as far north as Hokkaido.  Perhaps Naniwa just was not quite as hospitable for them.  There is also the possibility that the term “magpie” was referencing some other, similar bird.  That is always possible and hard to say for certain.  That said, it is part of a trend, as four months later, in the autumn of 598, a Silla envoy brought another bird:  this time a peacock. Not to be outdone, apparently, a year later, in the autumn of 599, Baekje sent a veritable menagerie:  a camel, two sheep, and a white pheasant.  Presumably these were sent alive, though whether or not there was anyone in Japan who knew how to take care of them it is unclear.  I can only imagine what it must have been like to have such animals on board the ship during the treacherous crossing of the Korea strait—for all we know there were other exotic gifts that were likewise sent, but these are the only ones that made it. And if this sounds far-fetched, we have plenty of evidence of the exotic animal trade.  Animals such as ostriches, and possibly even a giraffe or two, were somehow moved all the way from Africa along the silk road to the court in Chang'an. There were also “tribute” gifts sent from parts of the archipelago, though I suspect this was quite different from the diplomatic gifts shared between states.  For example, there was a white deer sent to Kashikiya Hime from the land of Koshi in the winter of 598.  It was no camel or magpie, but white or albino animals—assuming that wasn't their normal color—were considered auspicious symbols. Also, in 595 there was a huge log that washed ashore in Awaji.  A local family hauled it up and went to use it as firewood when they noticed that it gave off a particularly sweet smell.  Immediately they put out the fire, as they suddenly realized what they had:  it was a log of aloeswood.  Aloeswood is well known as one of the most highly prized aromatic woods, and it famously does not grow in Japan.  In fact, it is a tropical wood, growing in Southeast Asia.  For a log to have washed ashore is almost unbelievable—perhaps it was part of a trade shipment that sank.  It isn't impossible that a log somehow fell, naturally, into the ocean and followed the currents all the way up to Japan, which would have been quite the journey. And so, with such a rare gift, the people offered it up to Kashikiya Hime.  This was probably the best course of action.  They could use it for themselves, but that likely wouldn't have done much other than help perfume the air for a time.  Or they could have tried to sell it—but given the rarity, I'm sure there would have been questions.  In both cases, I suspect that they would have been at risk of some elite getting wind and deciding that they should just take it for themselves.  By offering it to the court, publicly, they received the credit for it, at least—and it probably put them in favor with the court at least for a little while. Logs like this would be treated with immense respect.  Small pieces would be taken, often ground down and used sparingly.  A piece much like this called “Ranjatai” came over as a gift from the Tang dynasty in the 8th century, and was later preserved at Todaiji in the 8th century, and is still there as part of the Shosoin collection. The story of this particular one is interesting in that knowledge of aloeswood and the tradition of scent appreciation likely came over from the continent, probably from the Sui and Tang dynasties, as part of the overall cultural package that the archipelago was in the midst of absorbing. Despite the apparently good relations indicated by gifts like magpies or peacocks, it is clear there were still some contentions with Silla, especially given that nobody had forgotten their takeover of Nimna, and it didn't help that in 600, we are told that Silla and Nimna went to war with each other--again.  It isn't clear just how involved Yamato was in this, if at all—by all accounts, Nimna has already been under Silla control.  Was this a local rebellion?  An attempt by Yamato and Baekje to split it off?  Or something else?  Or is it just a fabrication to justify the next bit, where we are told that Kashikiya Hime sent an army of 10,000 soldiers under the command of Sakahibe no Omi as Taishogun and Hozumi no Omi as his assistant, the Fukushogun?  They crossed the waters over to Silla and laid siege to five of Silla's fortresses, forcing Silla to raise the white flag.  The Nihon Shoki claims that Silla then ceded six fortified places:  Tatara, Sonara, Pulchikwi, Witha, South Kara, and Ara. Since Silla submitted, the Yamato troops stopped their assault and Kashikiya Hime sent Naniwa no Kishi no Miwa to Silla and Naniwa no Kishi no Itahiko to Nimna to help broker some sort of peace.  Interestingly, this seems quite similar to the account of 591, when they sent “Kishi no Itahiko”, with no mention of Naniwa.  Presumably it is the same individual, and I have to wonder if it isn't the same event, just relocated and duplicated for some reason. A peace was brokered, and the Yamato troops departed, but it seems that Silla was dealing in something other than good faith: no sooner had the Yamato troops gotten back in their boats than Silla once again invaded Nimna, again. I'd like to stress that there is no evidence of this at all that I could find in the Samguk Sagi, and it is possible that some of this is in the wrong section, possibly to simply prop up this period, in general.  However, it is equally as likely that the Samguk Sagi simply did not record a loss to Yamato—especially one that they quickly overturned, setting things back to the status quo.  As such, the best we can say is that Silla and Yamato around this time were less than buddy buddy. With Silla going back on their word, Yamato reached out to Goguryeo and Baekje in 601.  Ohotomo no Muraji no Kurafu went to Goguryeo, while Sakamoto no Omi no Nukade traveled to Baekje.  Silla was not just waiting around, however, and we are told that Silla sent a spy to Yamato, but they were arrested and found out in Tsushima.  They arrested him and sent him as tribute to the Yamato court. We are told that the spy's name was “Kamata”, and he was banished to Kamitsukenu—aka the land of Kenu nearer to the capital, later known as Kouzuke.  And there are a few things about this story that I think we should pull on. First off, that name: Kamata.  That feels very much like a Wa name, more than one from the peninsula.  We aren't told their ethnicity, only whom they were working for, so it may have been someone from Wa, or possibly that is just the name by which they were known to the archipelago.  There likely were Wa who were living on the peninsula, just like there were people from Baekje, Silla, and Koguryeo living in the archipelago, so that's not out of the question.  Furthermore, it would make sense, if you wanted to send someone to spy on Yamato, to use someone who looked and sounded the part. The punishment is also interesting.  They didn't put him to death.  And neither did they imprison him.  In fact, I'm not sure that there would have been anywhere to imprison him, as there wasn't really a concept of a “prison” where you just lock people up.  There may have been some form of incarceration to hold people until they could be found guilty and punished, but incarceration as a punishment just doesn't really come up.  Instead, if you wanted to remove someone, banishment seems to have been the case—sending them off somewhere far away, presumably under the care of some local official who would make sure that they didn't run off.  Islands, like Sado Island, were extremely useful for such purposes, but there are plenty of examples where other locations were used as well. They probably could have levied a fine, as well, but that seems almost pointless, as he would have been free to continue to spy on Yamato.  Instead they sent him about as far away from Silla and Silla support as they could send him. This also speaks to the range of Yamato's authority.  It would seem that Tsushima was at least nominally reporting to Yamato, though given that he was sent as “tribute” to the court, that may indicate that they still had some level of autonomy.  And then there must have been someone in Kamitsukenu in order to banish someone all the way out there, as well. Of course, given all of this, it is hardly surprising that Yamato was back to discussing the possibility of making war with Silla again.  And so, in the second month of 602, Prince Kume was appointed for the invasion of Silla, and he was granted the various “Be” of the service of the kami—possibly meaning groups like the Imbe and the Nakatomi, along with the Kuni no Miyatsuko, the Tomo no Miyatsuko, and an army of 25,000 men.  And they were ready to go quickly—only two months later they were in Tsukushi, in the district of Shima, gathering ships to ferry the army over to the peninsula. Unfortunately, two months later, things fell apart.  On the one hand, Ohotomo no Muraji no Kurafu and Sakamoto no Omi no Nukade returned back from Baekje, where they likely had been working with Yamato's allies.  Kurafu had been on a mission to Goguryeo and Nukade had been sent to Baekje the previous year.  However, at the same time, Prince Kume fell ill, and he was unable to carry out the invasion. In fact, the invasion was stalled at least through the next year, when, in about the 2nd month of 603, almost a year after Prince Kume had been sent out, a mounted courier brought news to Kashikiya Hime that he had succumbed to his illness.  She immediately consulted with her uncle, Soga no Umako, and the Crown Prince, Umayado, and asked them for their counsel.  Ultimately, she had Kume's body taken to Saba in Suwo, out at the western end of the Seto Inland Sea side of western Honshu, modern Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the prince was temporarily interred, with Hashi no Muraji no Wite, possibly a local official, overseeing the ceremony.  Later, Wite's descendants in the region were called the Saba no Muraji.  Kume was finally buried atop Mt. Hanifu in Kawachi. A quick note here about time.  It is sometimes difficult to figure out just what happened when.  This is all noted for the fourth day of the second month of 603.  Clearly it didn't all happen in one day, so what actually happened on that day?   Remember, Kume fell ill in the 6th month of 602, and we are now in the 2nd month of the following year.  So did he fall ill and then was wasting away for 8 months before he passed away?  Or is this the date when the court learned of his death?  Or is it the date when his body was finally buried?  There is a lot going on, and they don't exactly provide a day-to-day.  My general take is that this is when the news arrived at the court, which is when there would have been a court record, while the rest was likely commentary added for context, even if it happened much later. In addition, this whole thing holds some questions for me, not the least the name of this prince:  Kume.  Presumably, Kume was a full brother to none other than the Crown Prince, Prince Umayado.  He was also a son of Princess Anahobe and the sovereign, Tachibana no Toyohi, and we have seen then name “Kume” before as a name, or at least a sobriquet, for someone in the royal family.  However, it also means “army”, which seems surprisingly on the nose, given that all we are given about him is that he was supposed to lead an army.  It makes me wonder if this wasn't one of those half-remembered stories that the Chroniclers included without all of the information.  Then again, maybe Kume really was his name, and this is all just a coincidence. I also would note that it was not typical to have a royal prince leading an expedition like this.  Typically, the taishogun would be someone from an influential family, but not a member of the royal family, themselves.  That this army was being led by a royal prince also seems to speak to how this was seen as significant.  Perhaps that is why, when Kume passed away, they chose as his replacement his older brother:  Tahema. [Look up more on Tahema and if I can find out about him] Tahema was selected to take over for his younger brother on the first day of the 4th month of 603, and 3 months later, on the 3rd day of the 7th month, he was leaving out of Naniwa.  He didn't get very far, however.  Tahema embarked on this adventure along with his own wife, Princess Toneri.  We've seen this in past episodes, where women were in the camp alongside their husbands, directly supporting the campaigns.  Unfortunately, in this case, Princess Toneri died shortly into their journey, at Akashi.  This is recorded as only three days after they had departed, which likely means it happened quickly.  They buried her at Higasa Hill, but Tahema, likely grieving his loss, returned, and never carried out the invasion. Five years later, things may have improved with Silla, as there were a number of immigrants—we are only told that they were “many persons”—came to settle in Japan.  What isn't noted is whether or not this was of their own volition.  What forces drove them across from the peninsula?  Did they realize that there were opportunities to come and provide the Yamato elites with their continental knowledge and skills?  Were they prisoners of war?  If so, where was the war?  Or were they fleeing conflict on the peninsula?  Perhaps political refugees?  It isn't exactly clear. While things were rocky with Silla, relations seem to have been much better with the Baekje and Goguryeo.  While exotic animals may have been the gift of choice in the early part of the period, by 602, Baekje and Goguryeo were both sending gifts of a different sort.  These were more focused on spiritual and intellectual pursuits.  And so, in 602, a Baekje priest named Kwalleuk—or Kanroku, in the Japanese pronunciation—arrived bringing books on a number of different subjects, which three or four members of the court were assigned to study.  We don't know exactly what the contents of each book was, but based on what we generally know about later theories, we can probably make some educated guesses that much of this was probably based on concepts of yin and yang energies.  Yin and yang, were considered primal energies, and at some point I will need to do a full episode just on this, but during the Han dynasty, many different cosmological theories came together and were often explained in terms of yin and yang.  So elemental theory is explained as each element has some different portion of yin and yang, and similarly different directions, different times of day, and different times of the year were all explained as different proportions of yin and yang energies, which then contributed to whether certain actions would be easier or more difficult—or even outright dangerous. The book on calendar-making, or ”koyomi”, was assigned to Ohochin, whose name suggests that he may have been from a family from the continent, and he was the ancestor of the Yako no Fumibito.  Calendar-making was considered one of the more important roles in continental sciences, although it never quite took off to the same degree in Yamato.  Still, it described the movement of the stars and how to line up the lunar days with various celestial phenomena.  It also was important for understanding auspicious and inauspicious days, directions, and more—arts like divination, geomancy, and straight up magic would often provide instructions that required an understanding of the proper flow of yin and yang energies, as represented by the elements, and expressed on the calendar in terms of the elemental branch and stem system, with each day being related to a given element in an either greater or lesser capacity, usually related as the elder or younger brother.  Events might be scheduled to take place, for instance, on the first rat day of the first month, and so the calendar maker would be the one to help determine when that would be.  Also, since the solar and lunar calendars were not in synch, there would occasionally be a need for a “leap month”, often known as an extra-calendrical month, which would typically just repeat the previous month.  This would happen, literally, “once in a blue moon”, an English expression referring to a solar month with two full moons.  In fact, we just had one of those last month, in August of 2023. This isn't to say that the archipelago didn't have a system of keeping track of seasons, etc.  Clearly they were successfully planting and harvesting rice, so they had knowledge of roughly what time it was in the year, though there are some thoughts that a “year” was originally based on a single growing period, leading to two or three “years” each solar year.  Either way, farmers and others no doubt knew at least local conditions and what to look for regarding when to plant, and when to perform local ceremonies, but this was clearly a quote-unquote, “scientific” approach, based on complex and authoritative sounding descriptions of yin and yang energies. Closely related to the calendar-making studies, another book that the Baekje priest Kwalleuk brought over was one on Astronomy, or “Tenmon”, a study of the heavens, which was studied by Ohotomo no Suguri no Kousou.  For perhaps obvious reasons, astronomy and calendar-making were closely aligned, since the change in the stars over the course of the year would often have impacts on the calendar.  However, this was also likely very closely aligned with something akin to astrology, as well, following the celestial paths of various entities, many of those being things like planets.  If you aren't aware, planets, though they often appear in the sky as “stars”, have apparently erratic movements across the heavens.  The stars generally remain fixed, and from our perspective appear to “move” together throughout the year.  Planets, however, take funky loop-de-loop paths through our sky, as they, like the earth, are also orbiting the sun.  Furthermore, different planets orbit at different speeds.  All of this leads to some apparently strange movements, especially if you envision the sky as a round dome over a flat earth.  There are also other phenomenon, from regular meteor showers to comets, and even eclipses, all of which were thought to have their own reasons.  Some of these were considered natural—neither auspicious nor inauspicious—while others were thought to impact the flow of yin yang energy on the earth, thus potentially affecting our day-to-day lives. Kousou was apparently trying to get the special bonus for the summer reading program, because he also studied another book that came over from Baekje on a subject that Aston translates as “Invisibility”, or “tonkou”.  This is a little less obvious an explanation.  I don't think that they were literally studying, ninja-style, how to not to be seen.  In discussions of kami we've talked in the past about visible kami and, thus, conversely, invisible kami.  It appears to be based on a type of divination to help better understand auspicious and inauspicious signs, and is based on a blend of various theories, again connected to a large yin-yang theory. Finally, there was another volume that was studied by Yamashiro no Omi no Hinamitsu that Aston translates as straight up “magic”, or “houjutsu”.  Of course, in the worldview at the time, Magic was just another science that we didn't understand.  By understanding the flow of yin and yang, one can affect various things, from helping cure disease and heal the sick to causing calamity, even to the point of possibly learning the secrets of immortality. Much of this would fall into the terms “onmyoudou”, the way of Yin and Yang, and there had been some work on that introduced earlier.  That it was being introduced by a Buddhist priest demonstrates what I was saying earlier about just how interconnected it all was. Other Buddhist gifts were much more straightforward.  In 605, for instance, the king of Goguryeo sent 300 Ryou of what they call “yellow metal”, possibly an admixture of gold and copper, for a Buddhist image.  Five years later they sent two priests.  One of them, Tamchi, is said to have known the Five Classics, that is the Confucian classics, as well as how to prepare different colored paints, paper, and ink. All of this is interesting, but it is the usual suspects.  Yamato had been siphoning off culture and philosophy from the states and kingdoms of the Korean peninsula for some time, and in that time, they began to adopt various continental practices.  In later centuries, much of this would be attributed to the work of Shotoku Taishi, aka Prince Umayado, especially the transmission of Buddhist thought, although for the most part we haven't actually seen a lot of that in the Chronicles themselves, which we'll get to. However, later stories paint him as one of the main forces pushing for reform in the court, especially when they would eventually push for a new, 17 article constitution, based on principles pulled from a variety of sources—both Buddhist and Han philosophical foundations.  Along with that constitution, the court also instituted a 12 rank system for court ministers.  This ranking system would remain in place, eventually replacing entirely the kabane system that ranked individuals based on their family in favor of ranking one for their individual achievements.  Furthermore, it wasn't just a status symbol.  Rank would come into play in all aspects of courtly life, from the parts of the palace you were allowed to be in, the kinds of jobs you could do, and even the amount that you were paid for your service, making the families of the land part of and dependent on the bureaucracy. And with such a system in place, there was only one natural thing for it:  The Yamato court would reach out beyond the Korean peninsula and go directly to the source.  They would send envoys to the court of the Sui Emperor himself and establish relations with the Middle Kingdom directly, leading to one of the most famous diplomatic incidents in all of the early Japanese history. And that is where I'm going to have to leave it for now, because once we get into that rabbit hole we are going to have a whole other episode.  And so now we are fully grounded in our foundation.  We can see Yamato importing people and also ideas from the continent, through the peninsula, and those ideas are taking root.  They are causing changes, at least at the Yamato court, but those changes would eventually make there way throughout society, and forever change Japan and even how they see themselves.  The lens of what is commonly seen as Buddhist and Confucian thought would be a powerful tool that would shape the ideas to come. Until next time, then, thank you for listening and for all of your support.  If you like what we are doing, tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to Tweet at us at @SengokuPodcast, or reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Yui Kamiya and JJWalsh talk about the 2023 Earth Celebration Event on Sado Island, Niigata. This event is one of Japan's longest running summer festivals and this year was the 35th Earth Celebration event. Yui Kamiya is one of the organizers of the event who has seen it's development over the last 10 years and tells us some insights from the operations view. Joy visited the event for the first time this year and talks of the audience perspective. This recap the details and highlights of this year's event held in Niigata prefecture, Japan on butterfly-shaped Sado Island from August 18-21, 2023. == POV ==What was your favorite part of the recap? Please add your comments or questions below!Earth Celebration - Sado Island NIIGATA Japan = LINKS = @EARTHCELEBRATION Earth Celebration Website: https://www.earthcelebration.jp/https://www.facebook.com/EarthCelebrationJP/https://www.instagram.com/earthcelebration_sadoisland/https://twitter.com/earthsadoMusic by the talented singer-songwriter Casey Bean who lives and works in Ishikawa, Japan and is host of TheBeanPod podcast - support Casey's music by naming your price to download his songs on Bandcamp: https://caseybean.bandcamp.com/

Earth Celebration on Sado island NIIGATA is one of the summer festivals in Japan I have wanted to get to for many years and this year August 18-20, 2023 the festival will be back in full force. Here organizer and KODO taiko-drum ensemble member and manager Yui Kamiya talks about travel to this beautiful island and what we can expect to see and enjoy at the Earth Celebration event this year in 2023. Find out more and buy tickets: https://www.earthcelebration.jpNiigata's famous Sado Island has been holding this annual music celebration featuring amazing taiko drummers, singers, dancers, arts and culture since 1988. https://www.earthcelebration.jp/guidances/about-ecYui Kamiya hails from California, USA but has made Sado island, Niigata her home. Yui shares festival insights as well as about her passion for the island and local culture as well as give us some of the background of the festival and some special highlights to see around Sado island. #earthcelebration #sadoisland #niigata #events #festivals #japan #travel #sustainabletravel #summer #japanesefestival Music by Casey Bean of The Beanpod podcast - support his original music (name your price) on Bandcamp: https://caseybean.bandcamp.com/

Jet wheel inboard sounds, announcements, arrival at Ryotsu Port ~ Small boat docking, cargo handling work ~ Coastal waves, seagulls, barking of little terns, sound of water flowing in the rice terraces, barking of reddish gulls (Partially recorded) ジェットホイール船内音、アナウンス、両津港到着～小型船舶接岸、荷役作業～海岸の波、カモメ、コアジサシの鳴き声、棚田に流れる水音、コジュケイの鳴き声（一部収録） * There is also a paid version of "Sound in Nature" which is rich in episodes and has a long version.(Apple podcast only) ロングバージョンのある有料版「Sound in Nature」もあります。 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-in-nature/id1569798616

This letter was written at Ichinosawa on Sado Island in the fifth month, 1273, to Gijō-bō, who had been the Daishonin's senior at Seichō-ji temple in Awa Province. Nearly a month earlier, Nichiren Daishonin had written The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, in which he had explained both the object of devotion in terms of the Law and the correct practice for attaining enlightenment in the Latter Day. This letter briefly restates the profound contents of The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind. Nichiren Daishonin says that, of all the chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the “Life Span” chapter is particularly important to him. He quotes a passage, “ . . . single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha . . . ,” and notes, “As a result of this passage, I have revealed the Buddhahood in my own life.” He declares that in his capacity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law he has realized and embodied Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws, which is implied in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter. This is one of the earliest references in his writings to the Three Great Secret Laws: the invocation (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), the object of devotion (the Gohonzon), and the place of worship (the sanctuary). https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/41

This letter is dated the third day of the ninth month, with no year indicated, though it is believed to be 1275, a year and a half after the Daishonin's return from exile on Sado Island. It is addressed to the lay nun Sennichi, the wife of Abutsu-bō. The letter is a reply to a question the lay nun has asked about the effects of different degrees of slander against the correct teaching. The Daishonin says, “If a believer's offense is slight, overlook it, and lead that person to obtain benefits. If it is serious, encourage him to strengthen his faith so that he can expiate the sin.” But attention should be paid to his warning, “Even minor slanders may lead to serious ones, and then the effects one must suffer would be far worse.” The Daishonin praises the lay nun Sennichi for asking a question about slandering the correct teaching. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/74

In the fourth month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272), Shijō Kingo traveled from Kamakura to Sado Island to visit Nichiren Daishonin. Kingo was a samurai who served the Ema family, a branch of the ruling Hōjō clan. The journey to Sado was a long, arduous one, involving a boat trip across the Sea of Japan, and required that he absent himself from his duties in Kamakura for more than a month. In the fifth month of the same year, soon after Shijō Kingo returned to Kamakura, Nichiren Daishonin sent him this letter. It was written in gratitude for the samurai's visit. In the letter, the Daishonin explains the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in terms of such profound Buddhist principles as the fusion of reality and wisdom, and earthly desires are enlightenment. Although Hinayana Buddhism teaches that earthly desires must be eliminated to attain enlightenment, Mahayana, and particularly the Lotus Sutra, teaches that earthly desires are one with and inseparable from enlightenment. The reason is that both are the workings, or expression, of life itself, and thus are the same in their source. Nichiren Daishonin teaches that, when one bases one's life on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, earthly desires work naturally for one's own and others' happiness. The great power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is inherently positive and creative, directs the great energy of one's earthly desires toward happiness and value for all. Thus, when one chants the daimoku, “earthly desires are enlightenment.” Until his near-execution at Tatsunokuchi in the ninth month of 1271, the Daishonin had assumed the role of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the votary whose appearance is predicted in the Lotus Sutra. He had spent all his time teaching the essence of the sutra and propagating the faith. After Tatsunokuchi, he revealed his true identity as the Buddha who is one with the supreme Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In this letter, the Daishonin teaches the significance of the daimoku from the standpoint of the Buddha who opens the way to Buddhahood for all humankind. He first states that it is his great joy to meet persecutions as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, because it is the sure way to attain Buddhahood. “Though the teaching I am now propagating seems limited, it is extremely profound. That is because it goes deeper than the teaching expounded by T'ien-t'ai, Dengyō, and others.” He reveals that the ultimate Law of all Buddhas is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/35

We're in Niigata, Japan, with Greg Goodmacher, a freelance writer and hot spring addict. We talk about competing in the International Snowball Fight, exploring the Murakami Garden Exhibitions and visiting Sado Island.  Show notes & our 1-page guide are at https://WeTravelThere.com/niigata  Acorns invests your spare change automatically on every purchase and earns Found Money at participating retailers. It's a great way to save for travel. For a limited time, sign up at wetravelthere.com/acorns & we'll both earn $5.

Japan has re-submitted an application for the mining complex on Sado Island to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In Tokyo, tour operator Hato Bus is re-starting its Chinese language bus tours throughout the city just in time for the lunar New Year. In Tsukuba city, Japanese researchers have developed a 99.98% light-proof black pigment that can absorb almost any visible light that hits its surface, while Takasaki Masaharu's 1995 building, the 'Kihoku Teikyukan' observatory and telescope based in Kagoshima, Kyushu, looks skyward as it awaits to hear whether it wins this year's JIA 25 Year Award for a building that has contributed to both the community and environment for the past 25 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're continuing on our Sake Travel series this week with a visit to the city of Niigata. While the entire prefecture of Niigata is littered with fantastic sake destinations, we've decided to narrow the scope just a bit and save our explorations into the greater region for another day. That being said, we've dabbled in Nagaoka and Sado Island as part of our previous episodes, which are you can tune into now if you're seeking a deeper exploration into the larger region right this minute.In order to help us do this great city justice we've recruited Tomomi Duquette to the show this week, founder and director of Niigata Sake Lovers, not to mention a prolific educator and navigator throughout the larger world of sake in general.In this week's discussion we more-or-less arrived at the conclusion that a visit to Niigata should start (and end) with a visit to Tabi Bar and Ponshukan – both located right inside Niigata Station – but where you go from there is really up to you.When it comes to drinks and dining we touch upon Furumachi Jikon, Bit, Armonia, Ponshu Girl, Suzuki Sengyoten (for the early-risers), Minato Sushi, and more. If you're in town at the right time, there's Furumachi Burarizake (Furumachi Pub/Izakaya Crawl), the (in)famous sake festival, Sake no Jin, and the recent Niigata brewing industry mainstay, the Niigata Jozo (Brewing) Summit.For those looking to explore the wider world of Niigata brewing and beverage, spending a night in the neighboring fermentation town of Nuttari is a must, not to mention the ever-growing Niigata Wine Country and the enjoyment of Japan's first craft beer brewery, along with a handful of other great local beer producers.For sake brewery tours, Imayotsukasa is an easy (and highly recommended) visit, as well as DHC for its hospitality and welcoming setup at Kayamatei tasting room and cafe. The brand new doburoku-centric producer (and café), Lagoon Brewery, is new entry making an impact thanks to its great sake and beautiful location.If you're looking for something on your way in (or out) of town, we touch on a few sake-centric or heavily sake-influenced excursions, including Kamosu Mori and the surrounding onsen region (not to mention Tomomi's new brewery project), or a visit to Tsubame Sanjo to explore the insane level of craftsmanship in metal working, producing some of the world's most sought after culinary knives and the most inspiring copper wares north of the equator.Niigata is incredibly accessible, yet still resting firmly in Hidden Gem status. As much as we'd like to keep it all to ourselves, we thought you deserved to enjoy it as much as we do on your next visit to Japan.For more sake explorations and regional adventures, follow along with us at @sakeonair on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or if you'd like to share your thoughts or questions with the hosts, please reach out to us at questions@sakeonair.com. We'll be back with more Sake On Air in just a couple of weeks.Until then, kampai! Sake On Air is made possible with the generous support of the Japan Sake & Shochu Makers Association and is recorded and broadcast from the Japan Sake & Shochu Information Center in Tokyo. The show is brought to you by Potts.K Productions with audio production by Frank Walter. Our theme, “Younger Today Than Tomorrow” was composed by forSomethingNew for Sake On Air.

On return from Sado Island and his moving to Mt. Minobu, Nichiren sets down his insights into the relative teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Playlist: Salut à tous ! Cette semaine dans MUTEKI, Léo nous parle de Taïko, ces fameux tambours iconiques qui sont le point central d'un art musical et corporel à part entière. Un univers qui était mis à l'honneur le soir même via un concert de l'ensemble KODÔ à Lyon, orchestre dont la tournée européenne se termine à la fin du mois de Mars. Cette semaine aussi, double dose d'Idols, notamment avec la sélection d'AURE SENPAI, double dose d'anime shônen, l'histoire d'un garçon qui recueille un petit chat noir, et enfin un hommage à la catastrophe du Tôhôku (Fukushima, pour nous, en France) survenue il y a pile 12 ans, à un jour près. Bonne écoute ! Hi everybody ! This week in MUTEKI, Léo talks about Taiko as Lyon was hosting a show of the mighty drum ensemble from Sado Island called "KODÔ" later the same day. A musical and physical artistic performance that Europe can still discover till the end of March. Today also: Double dose of Idols, including AURE SENPAI's selection, double dose of shonen anime, the cute story of a boy and a little black cat, and a tribute to the Tôhôku Disaster of 2011, exactly 12 years (and one day) after the tragic events. Mata raishuu !! 1- MASANORI IKEDA - Kimagure Orange Road / Max et Compagnie - Night of summer side 2- YOKO KANNO - Escaflowne: The Movie - First Vision 3- KODÔ - Zoku 4- SUI SUI - Runner's High 5- PHILOSOPHY NO DANCE - Rock With You 6- RUPPINA - One Piece - Free Will 7- MAGIC PARTY - Fairy Tail - Egao no Mahou 8- OSAMU MINAGAWA - Kuroneko no Tango 9- RADWIMPS - Shuntô

Sakamichi Brewing is located in Tachikawa, Tokyo. Each episode Daniel and Matthew (and sometimes guests) pick a beer or two from the menu and talk about it a bit. This week we were delighted to be joined by returning guest Mac, from Kanpai Planet. Last summer he took a trip to Sado Island to attend a sake making school, so in this episode we talked about some of the differences and similarities between brewing beer and brewing nihonshu. Check our Mac's adventure on Sado here! This week is also our second anniversary at Sakamichi Brewing, and we have made a special beer to commemorate it. Together we drank and talked about our Second Anniversary IPA, then went down a real rabbit hole about professional baseball and Japanese population density. Find us on Twitter at @sakamichi_beer Find us on Instagram at @sakamichibrewing Find us on Facebook at @SakamichiBrewing Music by Zen_Man from Pixabay

Along with a general interest in sake expanding globally, the number of homebrewers curious to try their hand at sake making and professional brewers setting up formal production operations around the world continues to grow year-on-year at an ever-increasing rate.At the same time, as the population committing themselves to sake both personally and professionally across a range of activities - from sales and distribution to education and evangelism - more and more people are looking for ways to get a little bit closer to the process and craftmanship of sake in order to further develop their understanding from a more personal and experiential angle.The need to fill the gap between “brewery tour” and “full-on brewer” for a growing number of sake-curious and sake professionals has been growing for years. Thankfully, Gakkogura appeared.Officially operating in limited capacity since 2014, Gakkogura (literally, “Brewery School”) is the work of Obata Shuzo, makers of Manotsuru brand sake on the beautiful and historic Sado Island in the Sea of Japan off the coast of Niigata Prefecture.The project began, not with the intention of constructing a brewing school, but with a desire to save a piece of personal history on the island. Due to population decline and decreasing number of children on the island, the beautiful Nishimikawa Elementary school had already been committed to closure by the local government, ending more than a century of youth education that spanned multiple generations of islanders.Wanting to develop a means of saving the school and preserving it as a place for learning and connecting in the local community, president of Obata Shuzo, Mr. Ken Hirashima, along with his wife, Mrs. Rumiko Obata, the non-stop powerhouse leading the charge of the family business, together they settled on a community-centric, educationally-driven micro brewery as the means of breathing life into the historic structure.Brewing only a small number of batches each year from late-Spring through the end of Summer, each batch of sake made is crafted with a specific goal in mind for a specific group of individuals, with the hands-on component of the brewing process timed and organized to fit the needs of the small group of people that have committed to attending the school on Sado Island for a pre-determined week in the summer.Designed to be more than just a technical training establishment, each group of participants selected for each program are each attached to a single batch of sake, through which they are introduced not only to the production process, but also to life and culture on Sado Island and the role that sake plays in the lives and livelihoods of the people. Each group is taking part, not only in making sake, but in becoming a contributor and ambassador to the majesty of the island and the unique role that each batch of sake is crafted to play upon being introduced to the world at large.Due to some peculiar legal regulations surrounding the production of sake in Japan, it wasn't until 2020 that Gakkogura was finally able to really open up its operations and promote and share the fruits of their labor in a more outward-facing capacity. Having obtained that additional bit of freedom amidst the COVID pandemic, it's really just now that Gakkogura is beginning to transform and grow into a new phase of community development and brewing education.For this episode, in the first half we're joined by Mrs. Rumiko Obata, representing five generations of Obata Shuzo and the communicative force behind Gakkorua. In this short interview, Obata-san shares with us some insight into the origins of the brewing school, the values driving the project, and the relationship between the unique brewery and the special place that is Sado Island.For the second half, to offer a bit of an experiential perspective, we have a short roundtable discussion between this summer's final group of brewing students, who were assigned to help craft the brewery's first ever at...

Along with a general interest in sake expanding globally, the number of homebrewers curious to try their hand at sake making and professional brewers setting up formal production operations around the world continues to grow year-on-year at an ever-increasing rate.At the same time, as the population committing themselves to sake both personally and professionally across a range of activities - from sales and distribution to education and evangelism - more and more people are looking for ways to get a little bit closer to the process and craftmanship of sake in order to further develop their understanding from a more personal and experiential angle.The need to fill the gap between “brewery tour” and “full-on brewer” for a growing number of sake-curious and sake professionals has been growing for years. Thankfully, Gakkogura appeared.Officially operating in limited capacity since 2014, Gakkogura (literally, “Brewery School”) is the work of Obata Shuzo, makers of Manotsuru brand sake on the beautiful and historic Sado Island in the Sea of Japan off the coast of Niigata Prefecture.The project began, not with the intention of constructing a brewing school, but with a desire to save a piece of personal history on the island. Due to population decline and decreasing number of children on the island, the beautiful Nishimikawa Elementary school had already been committed to closure by the local government, ending more than a century of youth education that spanned multiple generations of islanders.Wanting to develop a means of saving the school and preserving it as a place for learning and connecting in the local community, president of Obata Shuzo, Mr. Ken Hirashima, along with his wife, Mrs. Rumiko Obata, the non-stop powerhouse leading the charge of the family business, together they settled on a community-centric, educationally-driven micro brewery as the means of breathing life into the historic structure.Brewing only a small number of batches each year from late-Spring through the end of Summer, each batch of sake made is crafted with a specific goal in mind for a specific group of individuals, with the hands-on component of the brewing process timed and organized to fit the needs of the small group of people that have committed to attending the school on Sado Island for a pre-determined week in the summer.Designed to be more than just a technical training establishment, each group of participants selected for each program are each attached to a single batch of sake, through which they are introduced not only to the production process, but also to life and culture on Sado Island and the role that sake plays in the lives and livelihoods of the people. Each group is taking part, not only in making sake, but in becoming a contributor and ambassador to the majesty of the island and the unique role that each batch of sake is crafted to play upon being introduced to the world at large.Due to some peculiar legal regulations surrounding the production of sake in Japan, it wasn't until 2020 that Gakkogura was finally able to really open up its operations and promote and share the fruits of their labor in a more outward-facing capacity. Having obtained that additional bit of freedom amidst the COVID pandemic, it's really just now that Gakkogura is beginning to transform and grow into a new phase of community development and brewing education.For this episode, in the first half we're joined by Mrs. Rumiko Obata, representing five generations of Obata Shuzo and the communicative force behind Gakkorua. In this short interview, Obata-san shares with us some insight into the origins of the brewing school, the values driving the project, and the relationship between the unique brewery and the special place that is Sado Island.For the second half, to offer a bit of an experiential perspective, we have a short roundtable discussion between this summer's final group of brewing students, who were assigned to help craft the brewery's first ever at...

Nichiren writes this letter to nudge further the Lay monk and his wife from Ichinosawa to Lotus Sutra practice. This was the residence where Nichiren was transferred in exile on Sado Island. The family was sympathetic to Nichiren but feared repercussions from their local society if they proclaimed their devotion to Lotus as theirs was a society, like all of Japan, steeped in the practice of Amida worship (Nembutsu).

Pregunta recurrente en las entrevistas de trabajo. Aprende lo que es es SCRUM en solo 10 minutos. Después de escuchar el capitulo de hoy, estarás en condiciones de empezar a usar SCRUM en cualquiera de tus proyectos. Background Music: Kodō is a professional taiko drumming troupe. Based on Sado Island, Japan. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cofradia-informatica/message

A little adventure I had on Sunday morning in Sado Island. Lesson learnt. Episode Date: 17th September 2018 Music: Mining by Moonlight Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) a production of mrbrown.com

A little hello from me, in Japan. I'm on Sado Island, off the coast of Niigata, and enjoying my random travel. #travel #mrbrowntravels #mrbrowninjapan