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Tanuki-bayashi
is a strange phenomenon of sound, told about in legends across Japan. In the middle of night, they are musical sounds like flutes or drums heard out of nowhere. Outline In the Edo period, in Honjo, Sumida, Tokyo, they are also called ''baka-bayashi'' (馬鹿囃子) and as a ghost story that takes place in Honjo, they are counted as one of the Seven Mysteries of Honjo. When one thinks that one has heard the sound of an orchestra, even if one tries to walk towards where the sound is coming from, the sound goes further away as if it were trying to flee, so that it would be impossible to know the source of the sound. If dawn comes while one is following the sound, it is said that one would notice that one is in a place one has never seen before. Matsura Seizan, the lord of the Hirado Domain, also encountered this strange phenomenon and order people to find the source of the sound, but the sound disappeared near Warigesui, so that it was not possible to continue following it. Just ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bake-danuki
''Bake-danuki'' () are a kind of ''yōkai'' (supernatural beings) found in the classics and in the folklore and legends of various places in Japan, commonly associated with the Japanese raccoon dog or ''tanuki''. Although the ''tanuki'' is a real, extant animal, the ''bake-danuki'' that appears in literature has always been depicted as a strange, even supernatural animal. The earliest appearance of the ''bake-danuki'' in literature, in the chapter about Empress Suiko in the '' Nihon Shoki'' written during the Nara period, there are such passages as "in two months of spring, there are tanuki in the country of Mutsu (), they turn into humans and sing songs ()." Bake-danuki subsequently appear in such classics as the Nihon Ryōiki and the Uji Shūi Monogatari. In some regions of Japan, ''bake-danuki'' are reputed to have abilities similar to those attributed to ''kitsune'' (foxes): they can shapeshift into other things or people, and can possess human beings. Many legends of ''tanu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuniteru Honjo-nana-fushigi Tanuki-bayashi
Utagawa Kuniteru ( ja, 歌川国輝; active 1818-1860) was an ukiyo-e artist in the tradition of the Utagawa school. Born in Edo (Tokyo), he studied under both Kunisada and Toyokuni I. He produced prints of a wide variety of subjects, including many depicting the increasing Western influence on Japan, with his main output taking the form of book illustrations and single-sheet ukiyo-e. He was known by various names: he called himself Kunitsuna II or Ichiransai until the Ganji era (1864/1865). Before 1844 he may also have been known as Sadashige and signed works using the name Ichiyusai. As Kunitsuna II he concentrated on caricatures and scenes from his travels. After taking his master's name, he expanded his range to include scenes of sumo wrestling is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inugami Gyoubu
, like kitsunetsuki, is a spiritual possession by the spirit of a dog, widely known about in western Japan. They have seemed firmly rooted until recent years in the eastern Ōita Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, and a part of Kōchi Prefecture in northern Shikoku, and it is also theorized that Shikoku, where no foxes ( kitsune) could be found, is the main base of the inugami. Furthermore, traces of belief in inugami exists in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, all of Kyushu, even going past the Satsunan Islands all the way to the Okinawa Prefecture. In the Miyazaki Prefecture, the Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Yakushima, the local dialect pronounces it "ingami" and in Tanegashima, they are called "irigami." It can also be written in kanji as 狗神. Origins The phenomenon of inugami spiritual possession was a kojutsu (also called "kodō" or "kodoku", a greatly feared ritual for employing the spirits of certain animals) that was already banned in the Heian period tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and has also produced several short subjects, television commercials, and two television films. Its mascot and most recognizable symbol is a character named Totoro, a giant spirit inspired by raccoon dogs (''tanuki'') and cats from the 1988 anime film ''My Neighbor Totoro''. Among the studio's highest-grossing films are '' Spirited Away'' (2001), '' Howl's Moving Castle'' (2004) and '' Ponyo'' (2008). The studio was founded on June 15, 1985, by directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki, after the successful performance of Topcraft's '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'' (1984). It has also collaborated with video game studios on the visual development of several games. Five of the studio's films are among the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isao Takahata
was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toei Animation after graduating from the University of Tokyo in 1959. He worked as an assistant director, holding various positions over the years and collaborating with colleague Hayao Miyazaki, eventually directing his own film, ''The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun'' (1968). He continued his partnership with Miyazaki, and under Nippon Animation directed the television series '' Heidi, Girl of the Alps'' (1974), ''3000 Leagues in Search of Mother'' (1976), and '' Anne of Green Gables'' (1979). Takahata, Miyazaki and others formed Studio Ghibli in 1985, where he would direct '' Grave of the Fireflies'' (1988), '' Only Yesterday'' (1991), '' Pom Poko'' (1994), and '' My Neighbors the Yamadas'' (1999). His last film as director was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pom Poko
Pom or POM may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Pom (comics) (1919–2014), a Belgian comic strip writer and artist * Baby Pom, a fictional character in the British television programme '' Fimbles'' * Pom, a character in the video game ''Them's Fightin' Herds'' Organizations * Pepco Holdings (stock symbol) * POM Wonderful, a company and brand of pomegranate juice * Jacksons International Airport or Port Moresby Airport (IATA code) * Presidio of Monterey, California, a US Army installation * Working People's Party (Moldova) (), a political party in Moldova Science and technology * Pomeranian (dog), a breed of dog * Princeton Ocean Model, a model for ocean circulation * Prescription-only medicine, a medicine that requires a prescription * Particulate organic matter * Posterior nucleus, of the thalamus; see Barrel cortex Chemistry * Pivaloyloxymethyl, a functional group in organic chemistry * Polyoxometalate, a type of inorganic compound used as catalysts * Polyoxymethylene, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of the English word ''animation'') describes all animated works, regardless of style or origin. Animation produced outside of Japan with similar style to Japanese animation is commonly referred to as anime-influenced animation. The earliest commercial Japanese animations date to 1917. A characteristic art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of cartoonist Osamu Tezuka and spread in following decades, developing a large domestic audience. Anime is distributed theatrically, through television broadcasts, directly to home media, and over the Internet. In addition to original works, anime are often adaptations of Japanese comics (manga), light novels, or video games. It is classified into numerous genres targeting various broad and nic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shamisen
The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually but sometimes when used as a suffix, according to regular rendaku, sound change (e.g. ). In Western Japanese dialects and several Edo period sources, it is both written and pronounced as . The construction of the varies in shape, depending on the genre in which it is used. The instrument used to accompany kabuki has a thin neck, facilitating the agile and virtuosic requirements of that genre. The one used to accompany Bunraku, puppet plays and Min'yo, folk songs has a longer and thicker neck instead, to match the more robust music of those genres. Construction The is a plucked stringed instrument. Its construction follows a model similar to that of a guitar or a banjo, with a neck and strings stretched across a resonating body. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shōjō-ji No Tanuki-bayashi
is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon-shu Buzan-ha sect in Yugawa, Kawanuma District, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. History Shōjō-ji was opened in 807 by the Hossō sect scholar-monk Tokuitsu. The original name of the temple is not known, but the present name has been in use since medieval times. At the time of foundation it was a large temple forming a complete '' Shichidō garan'', many attached buildings, twelve houses for monks and more than 100 sub-temples. Today, the temple consists among others of the original auditorium (Yakushi Hall), the residence of the head priest (reception hall), the kitchen, the central gate (''chūmon'') and more than 30 Buddhist statues. Buildings and cultural assets Of the more than 30 Buddha statues at Shōjō-ji, 12 date from the early Heian period, and probably date from the original construction of the temple. It is very rare except for temples in Kansai area The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the northwest, and Tokyo to the west. Chiba is the capital and largest city of Chiba Prefecture, with other major cities including Funabashi, Matsudo, Ichikawa and Kashiwa. Chiba Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the east of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Chiba Prefecture largely consists of the Bōsō Peninsula, which encloses the eastern side of Tokyo Bay and separates it from Kanagawa Prefecture. Chiba Prefecture is home to Narita International Airport, the Tokyo Disney Resort, and the Keiyō Industrial Zone. Etymology The name of Chiba Prefecture in Japanese is formed from two kanji characters. The first, , means "thousand" and the second, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bunbuku Chagama
is a Japanese folktale or fairy tale about a '' tanuki'' (raccoon dog), that uses its shapeshifting powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness. Overview The fairy tale version has been translated into English as "The Accomplished and Lucky Teakettle" (1871) by Mitford and as "The Wonderful Tea Kettle" (1886) in the crepe-paper book series published by T. Hasegawa. The raccoon dog is ill-treated as a tea-kettle at a temple and sold off; it later performs a dance and tightrope walking routine, and the subsequent owner turned showman acquires great wealth. In most folk tale versions, the raccoon dog or fox transforms into a kettle so that its human friend or benefactor can make profit by selling the fake kettle, typically to a priest. In legend, Bunbuku chagama is the name of a tea kettle owned by priest Shukaku who turned out to be an ancient raccoon dog or ''mujina'', the supposed kettle still on view at temple which Shukaku served. Etymology One suggested hypothe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
