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Rep-un-kamuy
Rep-un-Kamuy is the Ainu ''kamuy'' (''god'') of the sea. Depiction Rep-un-Kamuy is sometimes depicted as an orca. In other instances, he is a carefree, somewhat mischievous young man armed with a harpoon.Ashkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 238-239 Mythology Rep-un-Kamuy is an important figure in Ainu mythology because the sea represents opportunities for harvests that could not be found on land: fishing, the hunting of whales, and maritime trading expeditions. One of his myths displays his carefree nature and his generosity. In the story, he harpoons a whale and her young, and throws them ashore near a human village. When he arrives at home, he is visited by a sea wren, who tells him that the humans are cutting up the whales using sickles and axes — that is, not showing proper respect to the animal or to Rep-un-Kamuy as the gift-giver. Rather than growing angry, he laughs, saying that the meat belongs to the h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akkorokamui
is a gigantic octopus-like monster from Ainu folklore, similar to the Nordic Kraken, which supposedly lurks in Uchiura Bay in Hokkaido. It is said that its enormous body can reach sizes of up to in length. Its name can be translated as "tentacle-holding kamuy." History According to legend, Akkorokamui was once a gigantic spider named Yaushikep who lived in the mountains nearby a village named Rebunge. One day, Yaushikep descended down to Rebunge and caused havoc. Fearing for their lives, the villagers prayed to the gods to save them. Their prayers were answered by the sea god Repun Kamuy, who pulled Yaushikep into Uchiura Bay. It is said that Yaushikep turned into a giant octopus who took over the bay as its god and since then, he has been known by the villagers as At-kor-kamuy or Akkorokamui. In Shinto Ainu reverence of this monster has permeated into Shinto, which has incorporated Akkorokamui as a minor kami. Self purification practices for Akkorokamui are often strictly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Water Deities
A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Another important focus of worship of water deities has been springs or holy wells. As a form of animal worship, whales and snakes (hence dragons) have been regarded as godly deities throughout the world (as are other animals such as turtles, fish, crabs, and sharks). In Asian lore, whales and dragons sometimes have connections. Serpents are also common as a symbol or as serpentine deities, sharing many similarities with dragons. Africa Akan * Bosompo, primordial embodiment of the oceans * Abena Mansa, sea goddess associated with gold * Ashiakle, goddess of the treasures at the bottom of the ocean *Tano (Ta Kora), god of the Tano river *Bia, god of the Bia river *Birim, goddess of the Birim river *Bosomtwe, antelope god of the Bos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whale Beaching
Cetacean stranding, commonly known as beaching, is a phenomenon in which whales and dolphins strand themselves on land, usually on a beach. Beached whales often die due to dehydration, collapsing under their own weight, or drowning when high tide covers the blowhole. Cetacean stranding has occurred since before recorded history. Several explanations for why cetaceans strand themselves have been proposed, including changes in water temperatures, peculiarities of whales' echolocation in certain surroundings, and geomagnetic disturbances, but none have so far been universally accepted as a definitive reason for the behavior. However, a link between the mass beaching of beaked whales and use of mid-frequency active sonar has been found. Whales that die due to stranding can subsequently decay and bloat to the point where they can explode, causing gas and their internal organs to fly out. Species Every year, up to 2,000 animals beach themselves. Although the majority of strandin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ainu Kamuy
Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East **Ainu languages, a family of languages ***Ainu language of Hokkaido ***Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands ***Sakhalin Ainu language, extinct language from the island of Sakhalin **Ainu music **Ainu cuisine *Ainu (Middle-earth), spirit in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium *Ainu (insect), a beetle in the family Tenebrionidae *Äynu people, of Western China **Äynu language See also *Äynu (other) *Ainur (other) *Aino (other) *Aniu, character from ''Balto II'' {{disambiguation Language and nationality disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal Worship
Animal worship (also zoolatry or theriolatry) is an umbrella term designating religious or ritual practices involving animals. This includes the worship of animal deities or animal sacrifice. An animal 'cult' is formed when a species is taken to represent a religious figure. Animal cults can be classified according to their formal features or by their symbolic content.#CITEREFThomas1911, Thomas (1911), p. 51 The classical author Diodorus situated the origin of animal worship in a myth in which the gods, threatened by giants, disguised themselves as animals. The people then began to worship these animals and continued even after the gods returned to their normal state. In 1906, Weissenborn suggested that animal worship resulted from humans' fascination with the natural world. Primitive man would observe an animal that had a unique trait and the inexplicability would engender curiosity.#Reference-idWeissenborn1906b, Weissenborn (1906b), p. 282 Wonder resulted from primi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asahi Shimbun
is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yomiuri Shimbun'', the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', the ''The Nikkei, Nihon Keizai Shimbun'' and ''Chunichi Shimbun''. The newspaper's circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and 1.33 million for its evening edition as of July 2021, was second behind that of the ''Yomiuri Shimbun''. By print circulation, it is the second List of newspapers in the world by circulation, largest newspaper in the world behind the ''Yomiuri'', though its digital size trails that of many global newspapers including ''The New York Times''. Its publisher, is a media conglomerate with its registered headquarters in Osaka. It is a privately held company, privately held family business with ownership and control remaining with the founding Murayama and Uen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brown Bear
The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on average. The brown bear is a sexually dimorphic species, as adult males are larger and more compactly built than females. The fur ranges in color from cream to reddish to dark brown. It has evolved large hump muscles, unique among bears, and paws up to wide and long, to effectively dig through dirt. Its teeth are similar to those of other bears and reflect its Dietary biology of the brown bear, dietary plasticity. Throughout the brown bear's range, it inhabits mainly forest, forested habitats in elevations of up to . It is omnivorous, and consumes a variety of plant and animal species. Contrary to popular belief, the brown bear derives 90% of its diet from plants. When hunting, it will target animals as small as insects and rodents to thos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rebun Island
is an island in the Sea of Japan off the northwestern tip of Hokkaidō, Japan. The island sits off the coast of Hokkaidō. Rebun stretches from north to south and from east to west. The island covers approximately . Rebun Island is located northwest of Rishiri Island, and the two islands are separated by the Rebun Channel. Rebun Island is known for its alpine flowers and the 8-Hour Hiking Course which runs from one end of the island to the other, north to south. The hiking course can be broken into two sections, known as the 4-Hour Hiking Courses. Rebun Island is home to a chashi, or hilltop fortification of the Ainu people. The highest point on the island is Mount Rebun (). The island is part of the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park. Fossilized remains of long-finned pilot whales that are now extinct in the north Pacific have been excavated on Rebun Island, and remains of funerals for orcas, possibly referring them as Repun Kamuy (God of Sea/Offshore) have b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ainu People
The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and the Khabarovsk Krai. They have occupied these areas, known to them as "Ainu Mosir" (), since before the arrival of the modern Yamato people, Yamato and Treaty of Aigun, Russians. These regions are often referred to as and its inhabitants as in historical Japanese texts. Along with the Yamato and Ryukyuan people, Ryukyu ethnic groups, the Ainu people are one of the primary historic ethnic groups of Japan. Official surveys of the known Ainu population in Hokkaido received 11,450 responses in 2023, and the Ainu population in Russia was estimated at 300 in 2021. Unofficial estimates in 2002 placed the total population in Japan at 200,000 or higher, as the near-total Cultural assimilation, assimilatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamuy
A ''kamuy'' (; ) is a spiritual or divine being in Ainu mythology, a term denoting a supernatural entity composed of or possessing spiritual energy. The Ainu people have many myths about the ''kamuy'', passed down through oral traditions and rituals. The stories of the ''kamuy'' were portrayed in chants and performances, which were often performed during sacred rituals. Concept In concept, ''kamuy'' are similar to the Japanese ''kami'' but this translation misses some of the nuances of the termAshkenazy, Michael. ''Handbook of Japanese Mythology''. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio, 2003. 187-188 (the missionary John Batchelor assumed that the Japanese term was of Ainu origin).John Batchelor: ''The Ainu and Their Folk-Lore'', London 1901, p. 580–582. The usage of the term is very extensive and contextual among the Ainu, and can refer to something regarded as especially positive as well as something regarded as especially strong. ''Kamuy'' can refer to spiritual beings, in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Octopus
An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, an octopus is bilaterally symmetric with two eyes and a beaked mouth at the centre point of the eight limbs. An octopus can radically deform its shape, enabling it to squeeze through small gaps. They trail their appendages behind them as they swim. The siphon is used for respiration and locomotion (by water jet propulsion). Octopuses have a complex nervous system and excellent sight, and are among the most intelligent and behaviourally diverse invertebrates. Octopuses inhabit various ocean habitats, including coral reefs, pelagic waters, and the seabed; some live in the intertidal zone and others at abyssal depths. Most species grow quickly, mature early, and are short-lived. In most species, the male uses a speciall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uchiura Bay
The or is a bay southeast of the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. It has also been known as Iburi Bay and Volcano Bay. History The shoreline of Uchiura Bay was first settled by the Jōmon people as early as 4000 BC. Trade settlements have been found along its shoreline, such as the Ōfune Site where the Jōmon people relied on the body of water for trade routes to other Jōmon settlements in northern Tōhoku. In modern history, the bay was charted during the late-eighteenth century voyage of Royal Navy Commander William Robert Broughton and the crew of during the eruption of nearby Mount Usu. Due to the eruptive activity, they labeled the bay as "Volcano Bay" in September 1796. Commander Broughton and his crew mingled extensively with the Ainu people, Ainu and Japanese living around the bay while they surveyed the bay's coastline. At a dinner they exchanged maps with the Japanese and conversed using Russian. Geography Uchiura Bay is a bay east of the Oshima Peninsula that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
