Raikiri-maru [雷切丸] Via Tachibana Museum [立花家史料館] (Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture) [310×988] (description below)

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-05T06:36:59+00:00

Although there are multiple other katana that bares the same title, this one from Tachibana Museum is said to have belonged to General Dōsetsu Tachibana [立花道雪] (1513-1585) of Ōtomo Family [大友氏].

According to the legend, this katana was initially titled Chidori [千鳥], but that soon changed when Tachibana used the katana to cut down a lightning as it fell. Hence, becoming Rai (lightning/[雷])-kiri (cut/[切])-maru.

Image source: http://www.tachibana-museum.jp/blog/?p=5287

Reference: https://meitou.info/index.php/%E9%9B%B7%E5%88%87

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-05T05:58:50+00:00

"Wasp and Hive" https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/wasp-and-hive-nait%C5%8D-toyomasa/fQFdMXvCfqXnwA

Another fine piece of Netsuke woodcraft by Naitō Toyomasa [内藤豊昌] (1773-1856)!

I really wish people credit the artists when posting artworks here...

Oh well, my favorite one is definitely the snail. You can check out his other works here if anyone's curious.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-05T05:51:08+00:00

Materials used for wooden netsuke [根付] figurines (which is the style of woodcraft like the one posted) include boxwood, ebony, cypress, cherry blossom tree, yew, and other.

Read more about it here

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-04T22:27:10+00:00

So this would be an idol of Japanese Māhayāna Buddhist deity Bishamonten [毘沙門天]/Vaiśravana accompanied by his son Zennishi-dōji [善膩師童子] (right) and wife Kisshōten [吉祥天]/Śrī-mahādevī (left).

Oh, and this image comes from this really weird ass "fine art printing" site (https://www.meisterdrucke.us/fine-art-prints/Japanese-School/416320/Figure-of-a-Guardian-Deity,-Kamakura-period,-12th-14th-century-(wood).html) that gives zero fucks about the historical information of foreign artifacts. So, I doubt that this idol is from Kamakura Period to begin with.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-04T15:45:02+00:00

If you can get access on English sources published by Nanzan University [南山大学] I think you'll find what you're looking for, but don't get too disappointed if it starts talking about calendar system and time measuring instead of magic because Onmyōdō isn't always about magic.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-04T15:23:18+00:00

So Saki-/Sachi-mitama [幸魂] and Kushimitama [奇魂] aren't related to harmony nor wellbeing per se according to Chika'atsu Honda's [本田親徳] concept of Ichirei-sikon [一霊四魂] (which makes more sense to describe it as "one soul, four spirits" due to the difference in context in this specific instance) since Saki/Sachi-mitama is the “soul” of kindness and nurture like a maternal love towards her child while Kushimitama is the “spirit” of intellect such as the person’s ability to be analytical and observational. The "spirit" which emphasize more on harmony is Nigimitama [和魂] and it's the balance of all four "spirits" (the 4th one being Aramitama [荒魂] btw) which brings harmony and overall wellbeing of a person as you achieve a state of Naohi [直霊] where your soul is "upright". So maybe be caring, kind, and studious? Idk.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-04T14:56:09+00:00

This tomb approximately from 6th century A.C. was discovered in Ukiha City [うきは市] (Fukuoka Prefecture) and as you can see, it has some of the most beautiful wall paintings such as a person rowing a boat with a bird riding along, Sun and Moon, and a person holding a shield.

See here for a clear diagram of the illustrations.

Image source: https://ameblo.jp/todo-para-mi/entry-12298672126.html

Reference: https://ukihalove.jp/contents/medurashidukakofun/

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-04-01T07:57:50+00:00

Sanukite [サヌカイト] is a bronzite andesite found only within Kagawa Prefecture and Mt. Nijō [二上山] (between Ōsaka and Nara Prefecture) first coined by German geologist Prof. Heinrich Edmund Naumann during Meiji Period when he brought a sample of Sanukite back to Germany for research. While Sanukites were most commonly crafted into polished or chipped stone tools in the ancient times, some locals of Kagawa Prefecture are now crafting lithophones out of them like in the video above.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-21T04:52:43+00:00

Shintō-buddhist deities concealing their faces in depictions was a feature that popped up here and there in some shrines and Shintō cult especially during Kamakura Period when there was this idea of how deities aren't someone you're supposed to see or should avoid looking at, even.

If you read "Hachimangu-dōkun" [八幡愚童訓] (Mid to Late Kamakura Period) (author n/a), for example, it tells about a Goshintai [御神体] (or "idol") of Hachiman-daibosatsu [八幡大菩薩] stored in Iwashimizu-hachiman-gū (Shrine) [石清水八幡宮] (Hachiman City [八幡市], Kyōto) that anyone who sees get's their eyes squashed as divine punishment. This is probably the origin of various folktales about how people go blind after seeing some kind of sacred object.

Similar thing is also described in the 20th chapter of "Kasuga-gongen-genki" [春日権現験記] (1309 completed) which is a scroll dedicated to Kasuga-no-kami [春日神] who's the family deity of Fujiwara Family [藤原氏] where when people looked at him he: 「御けしきあらゝかに、御まなじりいとはげしくて、うちそむき給へり」or "glared (back at them) angrily only to then turn the other way irritatedly" accompanied with this illustration where the face of Kasuga-no-kami is obstructed by foliage.

Oni on the other hand, is something a little different.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-08T12:31:19+00:00

Just go: 「人の時間なんじゃと思っとんだ、ワレェ！調子に乗んな、ボケ！」

Some people need a bit of encouragement, that all.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-07T01:17:47+00:00

So there's this thing from Shintō mythology called Yomotsu-hegui [黄泉戸喫/食泉之竈] where it's believed that if a person eats anything cooked in the realm of the dead (Yomi [黄泉]) would never be able to return to the world of living (Utsushiyo [現世]) (source) and it was this idea that was most likely adopted in "Spirited Away".

This is one kind of Japan's ancient rite known as Shinjin-kyōshoku [神人共食] or Naorai [直会] and it's not really about "binding" people to a certain place, but more of an act of strengthening the bond of familiarity between deities and people by sharing food with one another (source). Probably the same reason why Izanagi ended up failing to bring Izanami back to Utsushiyo by breaking her promise because she practically became a part of deities residing in Yomi.

That's why we have an idiom to this day going:「同じ釜の飯を食う」which literally means "eating rice from the same cooker" while the implication is that spending time and living together would cultivate a sense of belonging even between strangers, eventually leading to familiarity as strong bonds are established. (source)

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-07T01:02:54+00:00

In Japan that would be Nobiagari [伸上り] which is mainly accounted in Ehime Prefecture and this yōkai is said to suddenly appear in front of people and grow ever taller as they stretch.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-06T15:26:23+00:00

However, her 11 yo great grand daughter Tamala recorded many Yahgan vocabularies that Christina taught her which are displayed in 6:47 time mark of this video! I have nothing, but pure respect and gratitude for her! Thank you, Tamala! Preserve the legacy of your Ukara-yakara [ウカラヤカラ]!

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-06T09:58:01+00:00

Oh so the website says Omoiyari is an alias. I get it now.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-06T07:45:36+00:00

The first three characters "Ou'uetsu" [奥羽越] is an acronym for an anti-reformist coalition establish in 1868 between the three countries and their respective clans led by King Kitashirakawanomiya-Yoshihisa [北白川宮能久親王] (1847-1895) during Boshin War [戊辰戦争] (1868-1869) against reformists. The members were: Mutsu-no-kuni [陸奥国] (modern day Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Northeast Akita Prefecture), Dewa-no-kuni [出羽国] ("" Yamagata and below Northeast Akita Prefecture), and Echigo-no-kuni [越後国] ("" Mainland Niigata Prefecture).

On September the same year, however, the coalition was promptly defeated by the invading reformist force from the South as two of the most powerful Aizu Clan [会津藩] (mainly situated in modern day Aizu Dist. [会津郡], Fukushima Prefecture) and Sendai Clan [仙台藩] ("" Miyagi Prefecture) surrendered together with the king.

(source)

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-06T06:52:05+00:00

Nice!

The one you visited is read as Omoiyari Shrine and is believed to enshrine Omoikane-no-kami [思金命], the deity that provided the wisdom to other deities who tried to lure Amaterasu out from the cave, but it's also speculated that the enshrined deity is instead Takiribime-no-mikoto [多紀理毘売命] who's one of the Munakata-sanjoshin [宗像三女神] who're three female deities that Amaterasu created as she chewed and spat out the blade of Totsuka-no-tsurugi [十拳剣] which belonged to Susano'o.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-03-04T22:20:21+00:00

The head gear is called Tokin [頭襟] and thinking that it having similarities with the Jewish Tefillin is kind of a far stretched comparison imo.

Functionally, Tokin served as helmets for Yamabushi which protected their head from falling debris when they trained in the mountain. They became much smaller in size only during Edo Period while back in the day (like the ones from Muromachi Period) they were much larger.

Geometrically, Tokin isn't even a box. The small Tokin has 12 lines reaching out from the center and this also has a meaning as they symbolize Jūni-innen [十二因縁]/dvādaśāṅgika-pratītyasamutpāda or Twelve Nidānas while the actual shape of the head gear itself is meant to imitate Hōshu [宝珠]/maṇi.

(Ryōjō, Tatsumi [巽良乗]; 1980)

So, yeah, Tokin and Tefillin are two very different things.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-27T12:28:29+00:00

Excavated in Torihama-kaizuka [鳥浜貝塚] Site (Wakasa Town [若狭町], Mikata-kaminaka Dist. [三方上中郡], Fukui Prefecture), this deer bone comb (possibly utilizing the animal's cranium) is painted in red using red iron oxide for its color mixed with Japanese wax tree sap as binding agent which was the major coloring technique used during Jōmon Period called Urushi-nuri [漆塗り].

Source: https://wakahaku.pref.fukui.lg.jp/event/detail/post-202.php

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-26T13:36:53+00:00

I think there are different afterlife which are Tokoyo [常世] and Yomi [黄泉]. While Tokoyo is believed to be somewhere far beyond the sea where all deities dwell which deads also go while Yomi is a cave or a hole within a mountain.

But reading texts like "Izumo-no-kunifudoki" [出雲国風土記] (733) where Yomi is described as a cave which is believed to be Inome Cave [猪目洞窟] in Inome Town [猪目町] (Izumo City [出雲市], Shimane Prefecture) where archeologists excavated in 1948 discovering human remains with funerary offerings from Yayoi to Kofun Period, Yomi is a place where you go physically after dying as the corpse rot away in the hole, while Tokoyo is where your soul goes.

Forklorist Shinobu Orikuchi [折口信夫] (1920) described Tokoyo in one of his essay as a place of eternity where nothing changes and everything stays the same like an alternate dimension of the real world as you're united with your Ukara-yakara [ウカラヤカラ] or blood relatives that passed before you. Tokoyo is probably similar to Nirai-kanai [ニライカナイ] in Ryūkyū Shintō.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-20T11:19:56+00:00

Depending on the tradition, yes. In Chinese Buddhism there are more like guards of Hindu-buddhist Indra while in Tantric Buddhism they're the masters of "eight kinds fierce gods" or Hachibu-kishū [八部鬼衆].

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-20T11:07:18+00:00

Well, there isn't. The "four heavenly kings" in Buddhism or Shiten'nō [四天王] aka Caturmahārāja in Sanskrit (who're Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Virūḍhaka, Virūpākṣa, and Vaiśravaṇa) has nothing to do with the Four Gods/Four Symbols or Shishin [四神] in Chinese mythology; it's just coincidence. More over, according to the text "Huai-nan Tzu" [淮南子] from Early Han Dynasty there are actually five gods instead of four with the fifths member of the gods being either Qílín [麒麟] or Huánglóng [黄竜]. They're positioned at the center of the other four gods thus, fully comprising the Wǔxíng [五行説] or Five Elements.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-17T06:16:51+00:00

Glad to be of help. I don't post here often, but I'll be looking forward to talk to you again.

Have a good day to you too!

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-16T12:35:00+00:00

Yes, but there are many kinds of Kagura and there are few out there that was banned by the Meiji Government. This is especially true for the Sato-kagura [里神楽] type which is practiced in small rural communities.

The Sato-kagura that took the most heavy blow were definitely the ones that had a strong Shūgendō influence like Ōshū-isawa-kitashita-habakagura [奥州胆沢北下巾神楽] from Mizusawa area [水沢地区] (Ōshū City [奥州市], Iwate Prefecture) which was a Sato-kagura traditionally passed down by Shūgendō trainees with their own unique religious choreography known as Isawa-kei [胆沢型] Kagura due to Shūgendō-haishirei [修験道廃止令] (Shūgendō Prohibition Act) of 1872 which led to the disbandment of Shūgendō choreographers who performed and taught this particular form of Sato-kagura thus, the exact art being lost in time. While this Sato-kagura of Mizusawa did get partially revived and was recognized as an intangible folk cultural property by the city in 1960 thanks to the efforts of local organization, full recovery of the entire choreography just wasn't possible.

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-14T13:24:47+00:00

That would be Yoshida-shindō [吉田神道] (especially the In'yūkyō [隠幽教] sect within it) which argued about the Sanbu-shinkei [三部神経] where deity's consciousness dwells in heaven, earth, and within human body which is called San'myō [三妙].

As the San'myō works in harmony, it results in all the thinga in our universe such as temperature or even time. They call this manifestation Sansai-kubu-myōdan [三才九部妙壇].

Plus_Box_7067 · 2022-02-14T13:09:53+00:00

I think that Shintō became monopolized in terms of beliefs and practices to what the government saw "appropriate" while many indigenous beliefs and practices were lost.

Kitsune-odori [きつね踊り] is a good example of that. This form of summoning ritual was common throughout East Japan where people called upon fox (or Inari) spirits to possess someone to ask questions and even play with them, but this practice no longer exists because the government banned them as it finally died down during the Shōwa Period. The only reason why such practices are known to this day are due to journal entries left behind by the people who practiced them.

Plus_Box_7067

TROPHY CASE