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Yamanba (Noh Play)
' is a frequently-performed Noh play of the fifth category attributed to Zeami Motokiyo. Its central character is the legendary mountain hag, Yama-uba. A female dancer, called "Hyakuma Yamanba" because of her frequent performances of songs about the character, embarks on a pilgrimage to Zenkōji in Shinano Province, accompanied by her attendants. While travelling north-east on the Koshi road, they arrive at the river boundary between Etchu Province and Echigo Province. The road beyond diverges in three directions, and they ask for directions from a local, who advises them that Agero Pass is far too steep for a litter, as it is "the path Amida himself takes as he descends to receive souls." The dancer decides that, as she is a pilgrim, it is fitting that she descend from her litter and proceed on foot, taking that very path. They have not gone far when the sun sets unexpectedly, and they are offered lodgings by a mysterious old woman, who, after they accept, demands that the da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zeami Motokiyo
(c. 1363 – c. 1443), also called , was a Japanese aesthetician, actor, and playwright. His father, Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, introduced him to Noh theater performance at a young age, and found that he was a skilled actor. Kan'ami was also skilled in acting and formed a family theater ensemble. As it grew in popularity, Zeami had the opportunity to perform in front of the Shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The Shōgun was impressed by the young actor and began to compose a love affair with him. Zeami was introduced to Yoshimitsu's court and was provided with an education in classical literature and philosophy while continuing to act. In 1374, Zeami received patronage and made acting his career. After the death of his father in 1385, he led the family troupe, a role in which he found greater success. Zeami mixed a variety of Classical and Modern themes in his writing, and made use of Japanese and Chinese traditions. He incorporated numerous themes of Zen Buddhism into his works and la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echigo Province
was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, Etchū Provinces.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata Prefecture, minus the island of Sado, Niigata, Sado. Its abbreviated form name was , with Echizen Province, Echizen and Etchū Province, Etchū Provinces. Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Echigo was ranked as one of the 35 "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the 30 "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital. Echigo and Kōzuke Province were known as the Jōetsu region. History In the late 7th century, during the reign of Emperor Monmu, the ancient province of was divided into three separate provinces: Echizen Province, Echizen, Etchū Province, Etchū, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Folklore
Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The academic study of folklore is known as . Folklorists also employ the term or to refer to the objects and arts they study. Folk religion Men dressed as namahage, wearing ogre-like masks and traditional straw capes ('' mino'') make rounds of homes, in an annual ritual of the Oga Peninsula area of the Northeast region. These ogre-men masquerade as kami looking to instill fear in the children who are lazily idling around the fire. This is a particularly colorful example of folk practice still kept alive. A parallel custom is the secretive ritual of the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa which does not allow itself to be photographed. Many, though increasingly fewer households maintain a kamidana or a small Shinto altar shelf. The Shinto version of the kitc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yama-uba
, Yamamba or Yamanba are variations on the name of a '' yōkai'' found in Japanese folklore. Description The word can also be written as 山母, 山姫, or 山女郎, and in the town of Masaeki, Nishimorokata District, Miyazaki Prefecture (now Ebino), a "yamahime" would wash her hair and sing in a lovely voice. Deep in the mountains of Shizuoka Prefecture, there is a tale that the "yamahime" would appear as a woman around twenty years of age and would have beautiful features, a small sleeve, and black hair, and that when a hunter encounters her and tries to shoot at it with a gun, she would repel the bullet with her hands. In Hokkaido, Shikoku, and the southern parts of Kyushu, there is also a yamajijii (mountain old man), and the yamauba would also appear together with a yamawaro (mountain child), and here the yamauba would be called "yamahaha" (mountain mother) and the yamajijii a "yamachichi" (mountain father). In Iwata District, Shizuoka Prefecture, the "yamababa" t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo Province, Echigo, Etchū Province, Etchū, Hida Province, Hida, Kai Province, Kai, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Mikawa Province, Mikawa, Mino Province, Mino, Musashi Province, Musashi, Suruga Province, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Province, Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, Nagano, Matsumoto, which became an important city of the province. The World War II–era Japanese aircraft carrier Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano, ''Shinano'' was named after this old province. Historical record In 713, the road that traverses Mino Province, Mino and Shinano provinces was widened to accommodate increasing numbers of travelers through the Kiso District, Nagano, Kiso District of modern Nagano Prefecture. In the Sengoku period, Shinano Province was often split among fiefs and castle towns developed, including Komoro, Nagano, Komoro, Ina, Nagano, Ina, and Ueda, Naga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echigo Province
was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, Etchū Provinces.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Echigo''" in . It corresponds today to Niigata Prefecture, minus the island of Sado, Niigata, Sado. Its abbreviated form name was , with Echizen Province, Echizen and Etchū Province, Etchū Provinces. Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Echigo was ranked as one of the 35 "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the 30 "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital. Echigo and Kōzuke Province were known as the Jōetsu region. History In the late 7th century, during the reign of Emperor Monmu, the ancient province of was divided into three separate provinces: Echizen Province, Echizen, Etchū Province, Etchū, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amitābha
Amitābha ( sa, अमिताभ, IPA: ), also known as Amitāyus, is the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is known for his longevity, discernment, pure perception, purification of aggregates, and deep awareness of emptiness for each phenomenon. According to a Pure Land Buddhist scripture, he possesses infinite merit that results from good deeds over countless past lives as Dharmākara. Doctrine Attainment of Buddhahood According to the '' Larger Sūtra of Immeasurable Life'', Amitābha was, in very ancient times and possibly in another system of worlds, a monk named Dharmākara. In some versions of the sūtra, Dharmākara is described as a former king who, having come into contact with Buddhist teachings through the buddha Lokeśvararāja, renounced his throne. He then resolved to become a Buddha and to create a ' (literally "buddha-field", often called a "Pureland" or "Buddha Land": a realm existing in the primordial universe ou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crone
In folklore, a crone is an old woman who may be characterized as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructive. The Crone is also an archetypal figure, a Wise Woman. As a character type, the crone shares characteristics with the hag. The word became further specialized as the third aspect of the Triple Goddess popularized by Robert Graves and subsequently in some forms of neopaganism, particularly Wicca in which she symbolizes the Dark Goddess, the dark of the moon, the end of a cycle; together with the Mother and the Maiden she represents part of the circle of life. In New Age and feminist spiritual circles, a "Croning" is a ritual rite of passage into an era of wisdom, freedom, and personal power. According to scholar Clarissa Pinkola Estés, the Crone is "the one who sees far, who looks into the spaces between the worlds and can literally see what is coming, what has been, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royall Tyler (academic)
Royall Tyler (born 1936) is a scholar, writer, and translator of Japanese literature. Notable works of his include English translations of ''The Tale of the Heike'' (平家物語, ''Heike Monogatari'') which won the 201Lois Roth Award as well as '' The Tale of Genji'' (源氏物語, ''Genji Monogatari)'' which was awarded the Japan-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize in 2001. Tyler's first book of poetry was published in 2014, entitled ''A Great Valley Under the Stars'', and his published collection of poetry, ''Under Currockbilly'' which recounts his life during the year 2014, suggests he has spent periods of his life in France, Japan, the United States, Australia, and elsewhere. Academic career Tyler completed his B.A. in Far Eastern Languages at Harvard University in 1957. He then obtained a master's degree in Japanese history and PhD in Japanese literature at Columbia University where he was supervised by Donald Keene, a well known scholar of Japanese literature. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year."About Penguin – company history" , Penguin Books. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its inexpensive paperbacks, sold through and other stores for sixpence, bringing high-quality fictio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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