In twenty eight days on March 31st 2015, I am going with my husband to South Korea to see the Blossom Festivals for the first time, however if we have time we are going to try and fit in a short ferry ride to Japan to see their Blossoms as well. It will be our first visit to Japan and so I must do a little homework on where the best place to see the blossoms is best.
And this page of Japan's is going to help me enormously.
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific
Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea,
South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north
to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south.
History
Legend attributes the creation of Japan to the
sun goddess, from whom the emperors were descended. The first of them was
Jimmu, supposed to have ascended the throne in 660
B.C.
, a tradition that constituted official doctrine
until 1945.
Recorded Japanese history begins in
approximately
A.D.
400, when the Yamato clan,
eventually based in Kyoto, managed to gain control of other family groups
in central and western Japan. Contact with Korea introduced Buddhism to
Japan at about this time. Through the 700s Japan was much influenced by
China, and the Yamato clan set up an imperial court similar to that of
China. In the ensuing centuries, the authority of the imperial court was
undermined as powerful gentry families vied for control.
At the same time, warrior clans were rising to
prominence as a distinct class known as samurai. In 1192, the Minamoto
clan set up a military government under their leader, Yoritomo. He was
designated shogun (military dictator). For the following 700 years,
shoguns from a succession of clans ruled in Japan, while the imperial
court existed in relative obscurity.
First contact with the West came in about 1542,
when a Portuguese ship off course arrived in Japanese waters. Portuguese
traders, Jesuit missionaries, and Spanish, Dutch, and English traders
followed. Suspicious of Christianity and of Portuguese support of a local
Japanese revolt, the shoguns of the Tokugawa period (1603–1867)
prohibited all trade with foreign countries; only a Dutch trading post at
Nagasaki was permitted. Western attempts to renew trading relations failed
until 1853, when Commodore Matthew Perry sailed an American fleet into
Tokyo Bay. Trade with the West was forced upon Japan under terms less than
favorable to the Japanese. Strife caused by these actions brought down the
feudal world of the shoguns. In 1868, the emperor Meiji came to the
throne, and the shogun system was abolished.
One can't mention the Samurai without thinking of who could be called the most famous film maker in Japanese History, well in my lifetime anyway. The most illustrious "Akira Kurosawa"Then the film "Shichinin no Samurai" or in English the "Seven Samurai" which I must have watched a milion times. Brilliant including the wonderful Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. I have all of Kurosawa's films and watch them often.
Many people think the Samurai were either a rare elite force or a small, tightly
defined caste of noblemen. However, they were actually an entire social class.
Originally, “Samurai” meant “those who serve in close attendance to the
nobility.” In time, the term evolved and became associated with the
bushi class, middle- and upper-tier soldiers in particular.
This means there were quite a lot more of these mighty warriors than we generally assume. In fact, at the peak of their power, up to 10 percent
of Japan’s population was samurai. Because of their large numbers and
long influence in Japan’s history, every single Japanese person living
today is said to have at least some Samurai blood in them.
I also love the "Takeshi Kitano Film ZATOICHI The Blind Samurai. The dance in the closing sequence is terific and unexpected in a Japanese Samurai Film. But on searching for something extra to write about him I find that there are 25 films made about ZATOICHI and I am definitely going to buy them all as soon as I come back from Korea. xxx It is rather violent for the younger children so I think instead of showing the trailer for this I will let you listen to some great Japanese songs for you in Japanese. here they are on the next page . xxx
Before going any further, I think it is time we had some songs especially for the children. For remember this page is for all the family not just the grown - ups .
Dr. Dodiddily and the Dee Dot's- Complete Fantasy All True Tales
Japanese Ghost Mystery 4 Types A Love Appears
Surely you're all contacts already at the lovely (horrible & mysterious) Sadako.
He is a famous ghost icon sakura country, and his story even
re-released Hollywood film industry with the name of the character of
Samara.
In Japanese tradition known some spirits, such as:-
Onryou
Onryou is a vengeful ghost to others in his lifetime and after death he will usually haunts to get revenge on these people.
Onryou sightings are usually described as follows: 1.Rambut long and curly. 2.Memakai white kimono. 3.Pergelangan hands hanging down. 4.Biasanya invisible foot planted on the ground.
Ubume
Public confidence in Japan, Ubume is a ghost who died when it contains
(and then gave birth to the dead), leaving a son who was a baby and the
ghost is always returned to care for their children to bring candy. If this kind of ghost in Indonesia with Kuntilanak or Sundel Bolong.
Ubume similar sightings with sightings Onryou, only the story of their
origins are different.
Funa Yuurei is a ghost from the dead man in the middle of the ocean.
They usually appear on the passenger ship and pretended to ask for
assistance to the passengers, after which all the passengers died
Sightings
Zashiki Warashi is like a child aged about 5 or 6 years. Crew cut and a red-faced. When Indonesia's ghost is called tuyul.
Usually these children are ghosts wandering around the house and the
ghost is looking for attention with a variety of ways, like leaving
footprints on the floor, sounding music in the living room or suddenly
sitting on the futon. This ghost loves to manifest themselves inyoung
children. Perhaps because of their age peers.they will turn the ship so
that all the passengers died. Zashiki
Warashi is an intangible ghost children who are often mischievous
rather than dangerous. Ghosts can also be called Zashiki-bokko.
Zashiki can be interpreted as covering floors or tatami while Warashi is
the ghost children.
If you would like to see more of Studio Ghibli, take a trip to my website at this location:-
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO JOIN ME IN THE WONDERFUL WORLD OFSTUDIO GHIBLI
The beginnings of Studio Ghibli
films are beginning to create Nausica of the Valley of the Wind . The
film was based on the manga of the same name from Miyazaki , who work on
the film by Toshio Suzuki met members of the production team . Miyazaki
gave the film studio Toei . After completion, the film scored a great
success . Miyazaki decided to work on other movies , and independently
on their own. Therefore, based , in June 1985, Studio Ghibli . Along
with him based studio of his friend and collaborator of director Isao
Takahata and Toshio Suzuki as a producer . These three gentlemen behind
the establishment of Studio Ghibli and its current popularity and renown
. Movies
from Ghibli became very popular in Japan and some of them are well known
throughout the world . For licensing their films abroad Ghibli takes no
policy adjustments in their films . This policy is the result of
remaking the film Miyazaki Nausica that American society has created and
edited it completely from other work . Ghibli Films from received many
awards . For example, Anime Grand Prix award, his film, Castle in the
Sky , My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki 's Delivery Service . In 2002 received
the Miyazaki film Spirited Away Oscar for best animated achievement. In
October 2001, based Gihibli own museum in Tokyo dedicated to just his
music. The most famous film studios Ghilbi are caused by Hayao Miyazaki
and Isao Takahata , Ghibli released but under several other great films
Two films by Studio Ghibli even gave his son Goro Miyazaki Miyazaki .
In Japan they are known to virtually all of Studio Ghibli films in the
world and are especially well-known films Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away .
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese
animation studio . A name derived from its name Sirocco ( Mediterranean
wind ) , they used the Italians for their Saharan reconnaissance
aircraft used during World War II . The idea that the studio breathes
new wind into the Japanese animation industry. It should be noted that
Hyao Miyazaki is a great admirer of aircraft , that is what probably led
the recovery after the Italian names of the airplane . The logo for
Studio Ghibli Totoro took the figure from the Miyazaki film My Neighbour
Totoro .
Grave of the Fireflies (火垂るの墓 Hotaru no Haka?)
To
watch this film takes courage for you will not watch it without it
leaving a pain in your heart and head. For this film has to be one of
the most unbelievable War films ever, the two main characters Seita, a 14 yr old boy and his young sister Setsuko, bring to your screen something that is beyond belief especially as it is typical Studio Ghibli.
It
is a 1988 film directed by Isao Takahata This is the first film
produced by Shinchosha, who hired Studio Ghibli to do the animation
production work. It is an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical novel
of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, intended as a personal apology to
the author's own sister. animated drama written and Roger Ebert considers it to be one of the most powerful anti-war films. Animation historian Ernest
Rister compares the film to Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and
says, "it is the most profoundly human animated film ever made."
My
husband Peter bought this film for me a few years ago, I watched it
through three times in succession, and why? Because I just couldn't
believe what I was watching. It touched every emotion I have. I cried, I
called people names, cursed the countries involved and I am still left
with much hatred of what human beings do to their fellow human beings all over the world even today in 2015..
JAPAN IN CHERRY BLOSSOM DAYS
ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL COLLECTION OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
Japanese town of Washimiya estimates that the Lucky Star
anime has brought over one billion yen (~ US$11 million) into the local
economy after the town’s main shrine, the Washinomiya Shrine, was
featured in the popular anime in 2007.
The full economic impact of Lucky Star cannot be determined for
certain; but the sales of related goods alone have been pegged at 70
million yen.
Visitors during the New Year’s holidays (Japanese would
traditionally visit a shrine) increased from 90,000 in 2007 to 450,000
in 2010; that’s plenty of tourism money for a small town with less than
40,000 of population.
STORIES ABOUT JAPAN by
ANNIE R BUTLER
PART ONE
Written
around 1888, this book by Annie R Butler was published in London by The
Religious Tract
Society, at 56 Paternoster Row and 65 St. Paul's
Churchyard.
After
I have finished adding the pictures and some
of the text, I will be
contacting the Church Missionary Society in London to ask them if they
would like to have this copy for their library.
Or if they have a good copy already, if they know of anyone who will benefit it. (At no cost obviously)
I
thought I would write out the Preface for the book, that would seem the
best way to explain the pictures, along with their captions.
PREFACE
These 'Stories about Japan' are meant for children.
They are a mosaic from many sources; amongst others, from J. J. Rein's learned work on Japan, Sir Edward James Reed's Japan, Miss Bird's Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Eugene Stock's masterly resume of the history of Japan and the Japan Mission, and Coleridge's Life and Letters of Xavier; also from various American periodicals - Life and Light, Mission Dayspring, Missionary Link, Helping Hands, Little Helpers, and Children's Work for Children.
I am indebted to the Church Missionary Society, the Baptist Missionary
Society, and to the Women's Board of Missions, Boston, for the gift of
various back numbers of their publications which throw light upon the
country, people, and missions of Japan; and to two friends who have been
in that land for verbal and written information on the same subjects.
I have also to thank one of these friends - a missionary for many
years' experience - for her kindness in criticising the greater part of
my manuscript!
A. R. B.
And so lets begin with a wonderful picture of A Kuruma, or Jinriksha Unless otherwise mentioned, the words are those of Annie R. Butler
'Land
of the sun! what foot invades They pagods and thy pillared shades, Thy
cavern shrines and idol stones, Thy monarchs and their thousand
thrones?'
- Moore
There
were, so runs the story I have just been reading, in the far back ages -
"In the beginning," as we should say - three deities dwelling in
otherwise uninhabited space. Their names were the Lord of the Centre of
Heaven, the Lofty Producer, and the Divine Producer.
By
the latter were produced the sun and moon; and then there were five,
instead of three "Gods of the Heavens." As time went on, fourteen
inferior gods and goddesses were born of the sun and moon, of whom two
and only two are necessary to our story. For these two it was determined
to create Japan.
I
order to have some spot on which to rest while carrying out their
purpose, one of them, the husband, threw a spear down from the heavens
into the sea. As he drew it up, the drops which fell from it hardened
and became an island; and on this the sun - born pair descended. And in
due course the eight most important islands of Japan might have been
seen rising their heads above the surface of the sea in the far, far
east.
Other children where born to this god and goddess, one of whom, whose name was From-heaven-shining-great-august-deity, was
so bright and beautiful that her parents not only allowed her to help
them to govern the earth, which in those days only meant Japan, but they
also made her Goddess of the Sun.
But ages passed on, and the sun goddess, finding, perhaps, that the
affairs of the heavenly body committed to her charge required all her
attention, appointed her grandson as her successor upon earth. Before he
started for this world, she placed in his hands three imperial
treasures - a stone ball, a sword, and a mirror - saying, as she gave
the mirror, -
'Look
upon this as my spirit, and worship it as if thou wert worshipping my
actual presence, and thy dynasty will endure as long as heaven and
earth.'
And now Ninigi left for earth by the floating bridge of heaven, and
alighted at the south-west corner of his bow-shaped kingdom. All I know
about Ninigi is that he married, and had a son whose name deserves a
line to itself, - Amatsuhitakahikohohodemino -mikoto, and
a grandson, whose name I will spare you. But it does not matter, for
the real history of Japan begins with his great-grand-son Jimmu Tennô.
Jimmu was a powerful and enlightened prince, as indeed he might well
be, with such a distinguished ancestry. He sought the good of the
country over which he had been, so strangely placed, and dutifully
preserved the gifts of his great-grandmother, as did also the emperors
who followed him.
And lo! it came to pass that while other dynasties rose and fell, and
passed away, the dynasty of Jimmu Tennô endured, and may for aught I
know, endure, as the sun-goddess promised, 'as long as the earth.'
Am I telling you truth and nonsense, do you ask?
Well,
dear children, truth and nonsense are so mixed up in all early history
of Japan, that it is not very easy to separate them.
'Believe everything you can
believe; it is far the most interesting thing to do,' as a dear old
friend of mine says to her young friends. And some , at least, of some
of this story you may look upon as true. Jimmu Tennô is an historical
personage whose reign began 660 years before Christ; and no less than
123 emperors, or Mikados, have followed him in a direct line of
succession; whilst our Queen Victoria, of whose descent we think so
much, is only the thirtieth from William the Conqueror! Why, 'Old
England' is but a child to the nation whose first monarch was a
contemporary of Manasseh, King of Judah!
The traditions of Japan are well worth studying, because, whatever may
be the amount of truth or fiction in them, they have left their stamp
upon the country and the people. To this day, if you were in Japan, you
would hear the Mikado called 'Son of Heaven'; while the chrysanthemum,
with its sun like rays, is used as the symbol of royalty, just as the
lily is in France; and the national flag still bears it as its device a
red sun rising out of an empty space.
A stone, sword, and mirror, the reputed gifts of the sun goddess, are
still carefully preserved. The Mikado has the stone, or ball; the Sword
of the Clustering Clouds of Heaven' has received the adoration of
millions at the temple of Atsuta; and the mirror is at a place called
Isé, whilst a copy of it is to be found in every Shinto Temple.
The mirrors are looked upon as images of the sun, and as emblem of the purity of heart which all should strive to attain.
Even ordinary looking glasses have their lesson for the Japanese; seeming , as they do, to say to them, -
"Be righteous. Do nothing, speak nothing, think nothing, which you would not like to see reflected in me."
For women who are looked upon in Japan, as in China, as "easily swerved
from the right swerved from the right ," a looking glass is considered
a most appropriate present.'
A.R.B.
Part Two - after a few animi and manga hints
The Art of Japanese Animi and Manga
including the top selling manga's in Japan
Starting with some basic hints and adverts for the kind of stuff you need to turn ou
the best looking Animi and Manga
Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game sets world record sales
Guinness World Records have officially recognisedYu-Gi-Oh! as the top selling trading card game of all time with more than 22.5 billion cards sold since its introduction a decade ago.
Yu-Gi-Oh! was first created as a manga by Kazuki Takahashi in 1996
before spawning into a huge franchise, which includes anime series,
video & online games, and trading card games etc.
The collectible card game is developed and published by Konami since 1999; more about the game on Wiki [image from Yugioh-card]
And I think whilst I am still thinking about Ghibli, another one of my favourite films, three in fact has to be Death Note I, II and III. of course I also love Battle Royale but that is just a little to grusome to chance any trailers appearing and frightening the younger ones to death. So I am just putting the Soundtracks on from a lot of my favourite Japanese Anime's and Manga and Films and saying thank you to You Tube for making such a fantastic Compilation from all the different you tube users.
Thanks guys and girls.. Great stuff. Dr. Dodiddily & the Dee Dot's
STORIES ABOUT JAPAN by
ANNIE R BUTLER
PART TWO
A Japanese Mansion - around 1888
The Religions of Japan
I spoke just now of Shinto Temples. Shintoism is the older of the two principal religions of Japan.
It
teaches worship of the sun goddess and of her descendants the Emperors,
or Mikados, of Japan; and it teaches also obedience to the reigning
Mikado, and the need of purity, though on this last point it is anything
but clear and helpful.
Brave,
learned and benevolent men are worshipped in the Shinto temples, and so
also are various natural objects and other gods which have been added
from time to time.
Outside
each Shinto Temple is a straw rope with tassels, and a bell which must
be rung to attract the attention of the gods. And each worshipper,
before entering, must rinse his mouth and wash his hands. Once inside,
he claps his hands to call the gods again, throws some money on the
ground, kneels down several times and mutters a few words, and then his
prayers are over.
(I wonder if it is the same 130 years later on.)
what
is the meaning of the straw rope? Well once in the olden days of which I
was telling you a little while ago, the sun goddess was offended and
hid herself in a cavern. This so distressed the other gods, who were now
left in darkness and confusion, that when at last they enticed her out,
they threw a straw rope round her to hold her tight and prevent her
from leaving them again. And ever since then the straw rope has been a
symbol of her worship.
The other great religion of Japan is Buddhism. About twelve hundred years ago (Remember this book was written over 125years ago.).
some Buddhist priests, statues, prayer-books, etc. were sent to Japan
from the neighbouring country of Korea, with a recommendation of the
merits of Buddhism. The Mikado gave all the presents away, and said that
he wished the Koreans would send him physicians, apothecaries, artists,
and learned
But time wore on and many of the Japanese, first amongst the rich and
then amongst the poor, adopted the faith of Buddha, which became at last
the prevailing religion of the country, and so has continued during the
last six hundred years.
About
the time Buddhism began it is thought that Jimmu Tenno was reigning
over Japan, though the exact date is not known, an Indian prince, called
Gautama, became so distressed by the sight of the suffering he saw all
round him that he determined to leave his wife and his one little son,
and go into the desert and there think and think until he could make out
what all the misery meant.
In
order to think more clearly, he denied himself for seven years in every
possible way. And then light broke upon him, and he felt that he had
arrived at 'perfect knowledge.' And this was his conclusion: "Everyone
who exists must suffer, because everyone desires something; let man deny
his desires, then, till he has none left; and he will be rewarded by
losing his existence in nothingness."
Does
it not sound dreary? And yet when Gautama, or Buddha (the enlightened),
as we must now call him, went back with his 'perfect knowledge' to the
world, he taught certainly some very excellent things. A. R. B.
There
is an awful lot more to read in this fascinating book from the days of
the early missionaries in Asia and I could probably fill a whole chapter
of many pages with the same. But as this book is now in print once
more, I won't. Instead I will add a few more of the wonderful pictures
between the two Japanese special pages here and the Asian art pages at http://thedragonlords.zoomshare.com/ and
there you can look to Japan in 1888 and before, and I shall possible
place the same pictures here, at Japan -
I believe Amazon.co.uk have copies for sale, maybe, even to look through on line should you be interested.
Dr Dodiddily and the Dee Dot's xxx
Fun for all the children of the world with Dr. Dodiddily and the Dee Dot's
A little bit about myself and my Sisters
Kath, (far left) Sylvia, blonde (middle) Dorothy (me far right) Amy (Toni, in front)
Dr. Dodiddily is one of four sisters. First there is my sister Sylvia, she is the eldest and the smallest. Then there is my sister Toni(Amy)
she is two years younger than Sylvia, Toni lives in Kent. The next
one born in 1944 was Dorothy, yes my lovelies this is my real name. I am
three years younger than Toni. One more to come and that is my sister
Kathleen, she is the baby of the family and she is four years younger
then myself.
We couldn never hand our cloths down to each other, we were all very
different sizes, and anyone coming after me wouldn't have been able to
wear anything I was such a tom-boy and thing were worn out long
before Kath could have them.
This is a very old picture of the four of us taken in Coed Poeth in North
Wales, way back in 1952/3. Gosh I am an Ancient Dragon, aren't I ! xxx.
This
is myself and my sisters in 1979 just 26 years later, we are with our
mother who like myself was called Dorothy. We are from left to right
Sylvia, Toni, My Mum, Dorothy (me) Kathleen.
Jayden, Noah Rhys, Brodie Leigh with Diddily in the background you can just see my grey hair.
Summer 2014 in the back garden at my home in Pontybodkin another 35 years later.
Children all over the world love Dinosaurs, so here is a little song that is three of my grandchildrens favourites... ENJOY xxx
THE PAINTINGS ON THIS VIDEO PLAYLIST ARE BY DIFFERENT ARTISTS.
Tony White ~ "Hokusai," ~ An Animated Sketch
Tony Comments on his own work, "Hokusai"
This was my first ever... and still my favourite... short animated
film! I created it in my spare time while I was still a
director/animator at the Richard Williams Studio in London during the
late 1970's. I actually started the film after we had completed 'A
Christmas Carol', when I was Richard Williams' own personal assistant
at the time. 'Carol' went on to win the first of Dick's three Oscars.
When my own 'Hokusai' film won a British Academy Award I moved on to
set-up the 'Animus Productions' animation studio... a creative entity I
led for a further 20 award-winning years. The film itself was inspired
by the wonderful sketchbooks of Hokusai. When I saw them I realized
that this artist was indeed a true animator at heart... he just didn't
have the knowledge or the technology to be one in his lifetime.
I
therefore sought to bring his drawings to life for him, as homage to
his genius.
You might be interested to know that I'm just starting a new animated
biography. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of the year, 2014.
Cooking
is an Art Form, one of which the Japanese are truely one of the best at
displaying it. So enjoy making these wonderful recipes. xxx
