takenoko bamboo shoot legends

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Legends about bamboo shoots 筍 / 竹の子 伝説　takenoko densetsu

. Edo no takenoko 江戸の筍 bamboo shoots in Edo .
- Introduction -

The most famous legend about bamboo is



Taketori Monogatari 竹取物語 The Tale of the Bamboo cutter
also known as
. Kaguya Hime かぐや姫 Princess Kaguya, Shining Princess .

There is a famous picture scroll about it


CLICK for more photos !

Taketori Monogatari Emaki 竹取物語絵巻


- quote -
... a 10th-century Japanese folktale. It is considered the oldest extant Japanese prose narrative.
Taketori no Okina 竹取翁 The Old Man who Harvests Bamboo
... after she went back to Heaven
The parents became very sad and were soon put to bed sick. The officer returned to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime had given him as her last mortal act, and reported what had happened. The Emperor read her letter and was overcome with sadness. He asked his servants, "Which mountain is the closest place to Heaven?", to which one replied the Great Mountain of Suruga Province. The Emperor ordered his men to take the letter to the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would reach the distant princess.
The men were also commanded to burn the elixir of immortality since the Emperor did not wish to live forever without being able to see her. The legend has it that the word immortality (不死 fushi, or fuji) became the name of the mountain, Mount Fuji. It is also said that the kanji for the mountain, 富士山 (literally "Mountain Abounding with Warriors"), are derived from the Emperor's army ascending the slopes of the mountain to carry out his order. It is said that the smoke from the burning still rises to this day. (In the past, Mount Fuji was much more volcanically active.)
The protagonist Taketori no Okina,
given by name, appears in the earlier poetry collection Man'yōshū (c. 759; poem #3791). In it, he meets a group of women to whom he recites a poem. This indicates that there previously existed an image or tale revolving around a bamboo cutter and celestial or mystical women.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

There are more legends and tales about bamboo shoots in various parts of Japan.
Many are about Kappa, the water goblin (with different names in various regions) and his problems with humans eating the bamboo shoots.

..............................................................................................................................................

oo takenoko 大筍 very large bamboo shoots
oo take 大竹 very large bamboo


source :　mi-na-to.com/takenoko

In the Genroku period (around 1690) in a certain temple the ground had swollen over night to almost a mountain. After another day a huge bamboo had begun to grow there. There was no bamboo grove near the temple, so this was quite strange. The bamboo grew until its diameter was almost one meter (3尺). People came from far and wide to have a look at it.
Later in the year, the bamboo was given to a guard as an alms and he made containers out of it.
Another ending tells of the head priest cutting the bamboo and sharing the huge cuts as containers with his villagers.

..............................................................................................................................................



Once upon a time
There lived a son of great filial piety 親孝行息子.
One day grandma said "I would love to eat some bamboo shoots!" He thought to himself:
"You know it is winter now and snow is falling, there are no bamboo shoots growing anywhere."
But since he was full of filial piety, he just went off to the mountain forest. He begun digging in the bamboo grove and suddenly found one bamboo shoot sprouting off the root.
So he cut that off and went back home.
Then he cooked the bamboo shoot and gave it to grandma to eat.
People say that the gods make an exception if the filial piety is truly felt.
- source : siran13tb -

Filial piety is a virtue highly praised in the teachings of Confucius
"Never disobey," said Confucius -- it is one of his several definitions of filial piety . . .
. Confucius 孔夫子, Kung Tzu, Kung Fu Tzu, Kung Fu Zi, .

This story has been taken up at Kabuki:
Honchô Nijûshikô 本朝二十不孝　Honcho Niju Shiko
Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety
. Legends about bamboo shoots 筍 / 竹の子 伝説　takenoko densetsu .



....................................................................... Chiba 千葉県

香取郡 Natori

futamatadake 二股竹 / 二股の筍 two-pronged, bifurcated bamboo shoot



In the year when the secret statue of Kannon Bosatsu is shown, two-pronged bamboo shoots are made as offerings. The homes where it grows make the offering and take care to grow more.
Once there was a family that did not want make an offering. But their only son got very ill and they decided to offer the precious bamboo to pray for his recovery.



....................................................................... Ehime 愛媛県

宇和島市 Uwajima town

enko ゑんこ / エンコ - Kappa

Once the owner of a boat had a meal of bamboo shoots. While he was enjoying his lunch, an えんこ Enko (local name of the Kappa) came along and wanted to eat some too.
The man told him to come back the next day for his treat. So the man grilled some bamboo sticks and offered them to the Kappa as lunch on the next day.
The Kappa took a bit and was quite surprized: "Whow, these humans here must have very strong teeth!"
And he escaped hastily, never to come back again.

. Legends - Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 .
- Introduction -

.......................................................................


城辺町 Johen town

tanuki 狸 Tanuki badger

Once a grandpa who went to the forest to dig out bamboo shoots was bewitched by a Tanuki.
He was balancing up and down a log for hours and could not help it.
Then to get his revenge, one rainy evening, he pretended to be bewitched again, sat in the shade of a tree with his hair hangning down like a lady and waited for the Tanuki to show up. When the Tanuki came by, he killed him with his ax.

. The Japanese Tanuki racoon dog .



....................................................................... Fukuoka 福岡県

久留米市 Kurume

Kappa 河童 The Water Goblin

In Kurume people eat bamboo shoots for the Boy's Festival in May.
They also cook rice with the roots of bamboo and offer this at the shrine 水天宮 Suitengu.
Later this offering is floated down the river. This will make the local Kappe believe the people here are very hard and tough and difficult to chew, so he will not cause any water accidents.

. Kappa Legends from Kyushu 　河童伝説　- 九州 .

. tango no sekku　端午の節句 Boy's Festival .



....................................................................... Fukushima 福島県

gogatsu no sekku 五月の節句 Boy's Festival

For the seasonal Boy's Festival in May you have to eat yam (Dioscorea japonica) and bamboo shoots.
If you do not keep this custom, you will be turned into a 蛆 maggot.


. tango no sekku　端午の節句 Boy's Festival .

. uji 蛆 (うじ) maggot - Made, Fliegenmade .



....................................................................... Gifu 岐阜県

上宝村 Kamitakara village

yamaotoko, yama-otoko 山男 the "Mountain Man" monster
"kindly giant of the hills"


by 竹原春泉 Takehara Shunsen

Once a man from the village went to the forest to dig for bamboo shoots, but he was captured by the "Mountain Man" and never came back.

"Mountain Man" - a monster found in many parts of Japan.
He is usually half-naked and very hairy. He kidnappes people. If someone meets him in the forest and escapes, he usually gets ill. But gnerally the Mountain Man is a gentle monster, helps the woodworkers carry their loads in exchange for some food.
He is a hero of the 絵本百物語.
Legends from 静岡県, 新潟県, 神奈川県,青森県
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA - 山男 !

. Yamaotoko 山男と伝説 Legends about the "Mountain Man" .


Most probably identical with
. - Yamawaro, Yama-Waro やまわろ / ヤマワロ / 山童 "Child of the Mountain" .
- - - - - and his alter ego
Kappa　河童 "Child of the River"


....................................................................... Gunma 群馬県

勢多郡 Seta district

seri to takenoko 芹，筍，dropwort and bamboo shoots

Dropwort begins to grow in the fifth (lunar) month, bamboo shoots come out after the summer solstice (and Summer retreat for Buddhists 半夏 bange).
Plants that come out on the 11th day after the solstice (now this is the 2nd of July) are forbidden to eat.



....................................................................... Hiroshima 広島県

dokuro, sharekobe 髑髏 skull

One of the oldest books of yuurei ghost stories is the 日本霊異記 Nihon Ryoiki.
There is a story of the year 774 from Bingo no Kuni 寶龜９年備後國.
When people passd a bamboo grove after the sun has set, they will have pain in the eyes and even cry for a long time.
Examining the bamboo grove the villagers found a skull, through the eyes had grown a bamboo shoot. So they pulled it out and re-burried the skull. Later it came out of the grove to thank the villagers.

. Nihon Ryōiki 日本霊異記 Nihon Ryoiki - Record of Miraculous Events in Japan .
"Ghostly Strange Records from Japan" - is an early Heian period collection.

.......................................................................


呉市 Kure

enko エンコ Enko Kappa

One day a man was preparing a stone wall for his fields when a Kappa showed up and challenged him to a round of sumo wrestling. If the man lost, the Kappa would be allowed to suck the treasure out of his anus.
The man wrestled with all his might and full of fear, but the fight just went on and on. After some time they both got hungry and stopped for lunch. When the Kappa saw the man eat some bamboo shoots, he mistook it for the stem of bamboo and thought: "If the humans have such strong teeth to chew bamboo, they can easily chew me up . . . !" and he run away in fear, never to come back.

. enkoo, enkō 猿猴 Enko Kappa, "ape of the waters" .



....................................................................... Hyogo 兵庫県

At the shrine Hirota Jinja 廣田神社 / 広田神社
there is one bamboo shoot sprouting every year on the third day of the third month in the early morning.
One year it begun to sprout much later in the day and people were quite surprized, calling it almost a miracle.



....................................................................... Kagawa 香川県

三豊郡 Mitoyo district, 詫間町 Takuma village

People throw bamboo shoots and Sasa dango (Sasa mochi 笹餅) rice dumplings into the pond as offerings. Later when the children come to swim there, there will be no water accidents, because the local Kappa is too busy eating the offerings.

.......................................................................

yumemi 夢見 seeing a dream

A man on a pilgrimage to Konpira san in Shikoku had a dream on his way. He saw two bamboo shoots grow up rapidly to the hight of a human and begun to sing:
"We don't need a flute or drum . . . we long for our daddy!"
He got worried and hurried home. Here he found that his second wife had killed the two daughters from his first marriage.
In this region is is therefore a bad omen to see a dream with bamboo shoots.



....................................................................... Kagoshima 鹿児島県

熊毛郡 Kumage districe 上屋久町 Kamiyaku village

takenoko onjo 筍おんじょ　The old man and the bamboo shoots
onjo is the local dialect for an old man in Kagoshima.

Around the middle of June the Takeonjo are coming out.

When smelling a bamboo shoot, you can hear the sound of pokkii pokkii ポキッポキッ in the distance upstream.
Following this sound, you come to a road with three forks, where the Takeonjo is lingering.
If you ask him the way, he will not say a word but point to the mountain. You must be careful and walk back in just the opposite direction as he points to get out of the mountain forest.





....................................................................... Kumamoto 熊本県

yamawaro ヤマワロ Yamawaro Kappa

In the village of 七滝村 Nanataki the Yamawaro likes to eat bamboo shoots. He begins to bite into them from the side, so it is easily recognizable.
Once a man was preparing the path between his rice fields when a small child came along and told him there were many bamboo shoots that someone had pulled out. Nothing was to be seen but it must have been Yamawaro, thought the man hand hit the air with his hoe. Then he heard a sound in the water as if someone had jumped in.
But later this farmer became quite ill and had to stay in bed.


. Yamawaro, Yama-Waro やまわろ / ヤマワロ / 山童 .
"Child of the Mountain" -
- - - - - and his alter ego - Kappa　河童 "Child of the River"


....................................................................... Kyoto 京都府

綾部市 Ayabe town

One of the seven wonders on the seven days of January of the 志賀郷 Shiga district are the bamboo shoots of Shinoda Shrine 篠田神社の竹の子.


CLICK for more photos !

There is also a 竹の子祭り　Bamboo Shoot Festival a the shrine in February, to foretell the outcome of the harvest according to the size of the bamboo shoots. It shows the trust of the farmers in the growth of things and their relation to the deities.

志賀郷の七不思議。
正月１日に満開になる藤波神社の藤。
作物の豊凶などを占える阿須々伎神社の茗荷と、
篠田神社の竹の子。
正月２日に花を咲かせて耕作の豊凶を示す若宮神社の萩。
正月５日の朝に突然実をつけ、一日で熟す諏訪神社の柿。
正月６日に滴が落ちて日柄や水難を示す向田の里の滴松。
正月７日に風もないのに揺れて吉凶を知らせる向田の里の揺ぎ松。


かんあけやしのだのもりのこみちかな　
kan-ake ya shinoda no mori no komichi kana

end of the cold season -
the small path in the forest
of Shinoda shrine . . .

芳月 Yoshizuki

.......................................................................

北区 Kita ku

shi no yochoo 死の予兆 omens of death

If the birds sing in a long, sad voice, if the blossoms of udonge 優曇華 cluster fig tree begin to bloom in the garden, if a person gets black warts and spots on the skin (死黒子) this is all an omen of approaching death.
If a person sees a dream where his teeth fall out, or where bamboo shoots or mushrooms begin to grow wildly, this is an omen of approaching death.


....................................................................... Nagano 長野県

下伊那郡 Shimoina district

atama ga hageru 頭が禿げる to become bald

If bamboo is broken off and stolen you have to rub salt into the cut. Then the head of the person who stole the bamboo will become bald.



....................................................................... Niigata 新潟県

巻町 Maki town

Onca an old woman on her way to sell bamboo shoots lost her footing and fell near the end of the long slope. The almost went over the cliff, but someone (most probably お地蔵さま Jizo Bosatsu) grabbed the basket on her back and pulled her back to the road.



....................................................................... Shimane 島根県

隠岐郡 Oki district, 都万村 Tsuma village

Kawako カワコ / 川子 "The River Child" (Kappa)

During the 川子祭り Kawako Festival at 西郷町 Saigo village 西郷町 bamboo stems cut in rings is floated down the river and bamboo shoots are boiled for humans to eat.
So the Kappa in the river will think that the humnas have such strong teeth and will run away.

. kahaku, kawa no kami, kawako 河伯 River Deity, "river chief" .


....................................................................... Wakayama 和歌山県

中津村 Nakatsu village

goora ゴーラ　Gora Kappa

A child of five years went to go swimming to the river, but it fell down the embankment. He saw something like the face of a monkey near the sandy part of the river bed.
He brought some bamboo shoots and rolled them up and down on the embankment, then he saw the monkey-like creature run away.
This was a Gora, they say. (goora ゴーラ is the local dialect for Kappa.)


. Koora Booshi 「甲羅法師」Kora Boshi Kappa .


....................................................................... Yamagata 山形県

西村山郡 Nishimurayama district

鳥海山の筍，月山の筍 Bamboo shoots from Mount Chokaisan and Gassan

At 竜が岳 Mount Ryugatake there are some flat areas with just sand and stones. Legend knows that the Tengu mountain goblins come here to practise sumo wrestling. Once the wrestlers Chokaisan to Takenoko and Gassan no Takenoko fought the whole day but none could win. They spent some time in a hot spring but their backs hurt very much and they could not stand straight any more.



This is the reason why the bamboo shoots from both mountains are now bent.
The shoots are best harvested early in the morning and eaten in miso soup. They contain not so many bitter substances.


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


source :　京都・左司馬の河童さん日記 - Kyoto
Kappa and Bamboo at shrine 大原野神社 Oharano Jinja.


- Reference in Japanese -

- Reference in English -

yokai database　妖怪データベース
- source : - - 筍 and 竹の子 -

.......................................................................


. . minwa 民話　folktales / densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends . .
- Introduction -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #heianlegendstakenoko #takenokolegends #bambooshootlegends #yamaotoko #bambookappa -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Silk Road Asian Highway

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. ABC List of Contents .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Silk Road シルクロード　- Asian Highway アジアンハイウェイ
Maritime Silk Road 海のシルクロード

. kinu 絹　silk in Japanese culture .
- Introduction -

. Dunhuang 敦煌 Tonko Oasis and Buddhism .

A lot has been written about the importance of the Silk Road and Japanese culture.
Here I will concentrate on the Heian period . . . and the latest developments since 2015.

- quote -
The Silk Road or Silk Route - Seidenstrasse -



is a network of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China and India to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.
- source : wikipedia -


- quote -
The Asian Highway (AH) project, also known as the Great Asian Highway,



is a cooperative project among countries in Asia and Europe and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), to improve the highway systems in Asia. It is one of the three pillars of the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure Development (ALTID) project, endorsed by the ESCAP commission at its 48th session in 1992, comprising Asian Highway, Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) and facilitation of land transport projects.
- source : wikipedia -


China’s New Silk Road initiative
- source : Japan Times, June 2015 - (fb)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- quote -
One Belt, One Road (Chinese: 一带一路 also known as the Belt and Road Initiative; abbreviated OBOR)
is a development strategy and framework, proposed by People's Republic of China that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among countries primarily in Eurasia, which consists of two main components, the land-based "Silk Road Economic Belt" (SREB) and oceangoing "Maritime Silk Road" (MSR). The strategy underlines China's push to take a bigger role in global affairs, and its need to export China's production capacity in areas of overproduction such as steel manufacturing.
- source : wikipedia -


- quote - Japan Times Jun 23, 2015 -
China's Indian Ocean strategy
Brahma Chellaney
NEW DELHI –
What are Chinese attack submarines doing in the Indian Ocean, far from China’s maritime backyard, in what is the furthest deployment of the Chinese Navy in 600 years? Two Chinese subs docked last fall at the new Chinese-built and -owned container terminal in Colombo, Sri Lanka. And recently a Chinese Yuan-class sub showed up at the Pakistani port city of Karachi.
The assertive way
China has gone about staking its territorial claims in the South and East China seas has obscured its growing interest in the Indian Ocean. This ocean has become the new global center of trade and energy flows, accounting for half the world’s container traffic and 70 percent of its petroleum shipments.
China’s newly released defense white paper, while outlining regional hegemony aspirations, has emphasized a greater focus on the seas, including an expanded naval role beyond its maritime backyard. The white paper says that, as part of China’s effort to establish itself as a major maritime power, its navy will shift focus from “offshore waters defense” to “open seas protection” — a move that helps explain its new focus on the Indian Ocean, with the Maritime Silk Road initiative at the vanguard of the Chinese grand strategy. To create a blue water force and expand its naval role, China is investing heavily in submarines and warships, and working on a second aircraft carrier.
President Xi Jinping’s pet project
is about expanding and securing maritime routes to the Middle East and beyond through the Indian Ocean, which is the bridge between Asia and Europe. Xi’s dual Silk Road initiatives — officially labeled the “One Belt, One Road” — constitute a westward strategic push to expand China’s power reach. Indeed, Xi’s Indian Ocean plans draw strength from his more assertive push for Chinese dominance in the South and East China seas.
The Chinese
maneuvering in the Indian Ocean — part of China’s larger plan to project power in the Middle East, Africa and Europe — aims to challenge America’s sway and chip away at India’s natural-geographic advantage. Xi has sought to carve out an important role for China in the Indian Ocean through his Maritime Silk Road initiative, while his overland Silk Road is designed to connect China with Central Asia, the Caspian Sea basin and Europe.
The common link
between the two mega Silk Road projects is Pakistan, which stands out for simultaneously being a client state of China, Saudi Arabia and the United States — a unique status.
During a visit to Pakistan in April,
Xi officially launched the project to connect China’s restive Xinjiang region with the warm waters of the Arabian Sea through a 3,000 km overland transportation corridor extending to the Chinese-built Pakistani port of Gwadar. This project makes Pakistan the central link between the maritime and overland Silk Roads. The Xi-launched corridor to Gwadar through Pakistan-held Kashmir — running in parallel to India’s Japanese-financed New Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor — will hook up the two Silk Roads.
Indeed,
a stable Pakistan has become so critical to the ever-increasing Chinese strategic investments in that country that Beijing has started brokering peace talks between the Pakistan-backed Afghan Taliban and Kabul. This effort has been undertaken with the backing not just of Pakistan but also of the U.S., thus underscoring the growing convergence of Chinese and American interests in the Afghanistan-Pakistan belt.
snip
The Maritime Silk Road initiative, with its emphasis on high-visibility infrastructure projects, targets key littoral states located along the great trade arteries. At a time of slowing economic growth in China, infrastructure exports are also designed to address the problem of overproduction at home.

By presenting commercial penetration as benevolent investment and credit as aid, Beijing is winning lucrative overseas contracts for its state-run companies, with the aim of turning economic weight into strategic clout. Through its Maritime Silk Road — a catchy new name for its “string of pearls” strategy — China is already challenging the existing balance of power in the Indian Ocean.
Beijing,
while seeking to co-opt strategically located states in an economic and security alliance led by it, is working specifically to acquire naval-access outposts through agreements for refueling, replenishment, crew rest and maintenance. Its efforts also involve gaining port projects along vital sea lanes of communication, securing new supplies of natural resources, and building energy and transportation corridors to China through Myanmar and Pakistan.
One example
of how China has sought to win influence in the Indian Ocean Rim is Sri Lanka. It signed major contracts with Sri Lanka’s now-ousted president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to turn that country — located along major shipping lanes — into a major stop on the Chinese nautical “road.” The country’s new president, Maithripala Sirisena, said on the election-campaign trail earlier this year that the Chinese projects were ensnaring Sri Lanka in a debt tap, with the risk that “our country would become a colony and we would become slaves.”
- snip -
Beijing is also interested in leasing one of the 1,200 islands of the politically torn Maldives. Xi has toured several of the key countries in the Indian Ocean Rim that China is seeking to court, including the Maldives, Tanzania and Sri Lanka.
From China’s artificially created islands in the South China Sea
to its ongoing negotiations for a naval base in Djibouti, the maritime domain has become central to Xi’s great-power ambitions. Yet it is far from certain that he will be able to realize his strategic aims in the Indian Ocean Rim, given the lurking suspicions about China’s motives and the precarious security situation in some regional states.

One thing is clear though: China wants to be the leader, with its own alliances and multilateral institutions, not a “responsible stakeholder” in the U.S.-created architecture of global governance. It is building naval power to assert sovereignty over disputed areas and to project power in distant lands. Determined to take the sea route to secure global power status and challenge the U.S.-led order, China is likely to step up its strategic role in the Indian Ocean — the world’s new center of geopolitical gravity.
- source : Japan Times -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
by Peter Frankopan (Author)

It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the twentieth century—this book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East.

Peter Frankopan realigns our understanding of the world, pointing us eastward. He vividly re-creates the emergence of the first cities in Mesopotamia and the birth of empires in Persia, Rome and Constantinople, as well as the depredations by the Mongols, the transmission of the Black Death and the violent struggles over Western imperialism. Throughout the millennia, it was the appetite for foreign goods that brought East and West together, driving economies and the growth of nations.

From the Middle East and its political instability to China and its economic rise, the vast region stretching eastward from the Balkans across the steppe and South Asia has been thrust into the global spotlight in recent years. Frankopan teaches us that to understand what is at stake for the cities and nations built on these intricate trade routes, we must first understand their astounding pasts. Far more than a history of the Silk Roads, this book is truly a revelatory new history of the world, promising to destabilize notions of where we come from and where we are headed next.
- source : amazon com -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Digital Silk Road Project
ディジタルシルクロード（DSR）プロジェクト
blog on Japan and Korea through the Silk Road music culture



日本と朝鮮に及んだシルクロード音楽文化
の正倉院」としての日本雅楽
- source : dsr.nii.ac.jp - - japankorea -

.......................................................................

Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ


Ser Marco Polo（マルコ=ポーロ卿）
- The main Index is here
- source : dsr.nii.ac.jp - - toyobunko -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- Reference in Japanese -

- Reference in English - silk road Japan -

- Reference in English - maritime road -


. silk　絹 kinu and related legends .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #heiansilkroad #silkroad #asianhighway-
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Symbols and Art Motives

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. ABC List of Contents .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Symbols and Art Motives of the Heian Period

Auspicious symbols were used as art motives, many coming from China.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- quote -
Decorative Motifs in Japanese Art
Dr. Ilana Singer

In the Jomon period (ca.12,500-200 BCE) ceramic vessels were decorated with impressed motifs, usually rope patterns (whence the term "Jomon" - "rope pattern").
In the Yayoi period (200 BCE-ca. 250 CE), the art of throwing pottery on the wheel reached Japan from China via Korea, and new designs appeared - zigzags, triangles in saw-tooth patterns (tasuki), whirlpools, and complex abstract linear designs. In the Kofun period (250-552) metal wares were embellished with motifs that had also come to Japan from China, such as dragons, or the four deities representing the four winds of heaven - the green tiger of the East, the white tiger of the West, the red phoenix of the South, and the black tortoise-snake of the North. Other motifs included people, horses, wagons, jewels (magatama; semi-precious comma-shaped stones), animals and birds.

As of the 6th century CE, decorative motifs from East Asia, especially of the Chinese Tang era (618-907) appeared. Through China, by way of Korea, there arrived motifs from the Buddhist art of India, from Persia, and from Rome's Eastern Empire, as well as from Central Asia along the Silk Road. Influenced by Chinese paintings of the Tang period, designs incorporated sacred sites (alamkara), such as the buildings and gardens of the "Western Paradise" of Buddha Amida, as described in the Buddhist sutras. In the Asuka period (552-645), the flowering honeysuckle (nindo) was frequently represented as an arabesque (karakusa; "Chinese grass"), a rhythmic decoration with many variations, seen on the haloes of Buddhist sculptures, or embellishing roof-tiles. This motif apparently came to the East from Greece. Also during the Asuka period, other decorative motifs reached Japan from the mainland - such as the lotus flower, clouds, and four-petalled blossoms.

During the Nara period (645-794), contacts with the mainland increased. With China there was direct contact, and the capital city of Nara was modelled on the Chinese capital, Chang-an. In 756, after the death of the Emperor Shomu, his widow transferred more than 600 items he had collected to the Shosoin Treasure House in the Todaiji Temple, together with a detailed catalogue. Many of the items in this collection were brought to Japan from China and Persia, and some were made by Chinese and Korean artisans who had come to Japan, or by local artists. Even though the Chinese influence is evident in the Japanese works, there is also a dynamic integration of decorative elements from the mainland and from Japan itself.
(For additional information, see Decorative Motifs during the Nara period)



At the beginning of the Heian period (794-1185) the Nara motifs derived from the decorative arts of China were still very prevalent in Japan. However, long-tailed birds, the moon, the sun, and landscapes, all ornamented with gold and/or silver also appeared. Artists began applying gold leaf (kirikane) to surfaces, such as clouds floating the sky, and the style became more painterly. They also used inlays of various materials such as mother-of-pearl and precious metals. The use of lacquer as ornament also increased. At this time the Phoenix Hall in the Byodoin Temple was embellished with colourful representations of imaginary flowers, from floor to ceiling. Here, designs of hosoge karakusa and lotus flowers are painted in rhythmic sequences or in random patterns that appear to be almost symmetrical.
These decorations are very colourful, applied in gradations of colour (ungen saishiki) that had already been seen in the Asoka period, lending the two-dimensional designs a sense of depth. Ishi-datami (tile patterns) were still very prevalent in the Heian period, but at the end of the Chinese Tang era official contacts between Japan and China ceased until the 15th century. So that decorative motifs with local character were developed in Japan.
The patrons of art at that time were the aristocrats who lived in Kyoto, the capital, and the artists decorated practical items (tsukurimono), intended for the festivities of the cultural elite, with great elegance and finesse (furyu). It is apparent from these works that the nobility preferred naive motifs derived from nature, such as birds flying over a field.
As a rule, these scenes embellish inlaid lacquer wares. Another popular design of the era was the wheels of a wagon floating amid waves, derived from the custom of soaking the wheels in water to prevent the wood from drying out. This motif often appeared on paper for writing poetry, for fans, or for copying sutras.

The designers of the Heian period certainly loved painting creatures (butterflies, dragonflies, birds, hares) and plants (wisteria, pampas, maple, plum, cherry), as well as motifs from earlier times. The aristocracy were fascinated by the changing seasons of the year, and seasonal plants were used for decoration - chrysanthemum, akigusa (autumn flowers and foliage), reeds, willow fronds, bamboo or melons. Lions or phoenixes were painted inside medallions, and waves or misty effects were created with powdered silver or gold (sunagashi), rows of kikko (rows of hexagons like tortoise-shell), lozenges, and marbling effects were created by spraying ink onto wet paper (suminagashi).
At the beginning of the 12th century, new motifs appeared - the tomoe (comma), miru (seaweed), and maple leaves (kaede). A modified form of the medallion (ban-e) was used mainly on textiles and furniture, incorporating a lion inside a circle, and was also the basis for family crests , developed later. Textiles with diagonal stripes were preferred to Chinese embroidery.

A new art movement arose in China during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279), the artists and the educated elite wanting to depict truth (in Japanese: shin) in artistic creations. They adopted calligraphy and ink painting as means of personal expression, and the decorative arts declined in popularity. In the Chinese text "Abstract from the Xuanhe Period" (1120), a catalogue of art works from the Emperor Huizong's collection (Huizong: 1082-1135), there is the following note about Japanese screen paintings:
"In Japan there are paintings, but we do not know the names of the artists who painted them. These works depict the landscape and natural scenes of their homeland. They use thick layers of pigment, and much use is made of gold and primary colours. They do not portray true reality, but are paintings full of colour, dazzling to the eye in their glowing beauty".

At the end of the 12th century, the political power of the aristocracy was superseded by the Japanese Army, and the seat of government was transferred to Kamakura in the east of the country. The emperor and his court remained in the Heian capital (today Kyoto), the centre of culture.

- Continue reading :
. Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art - 2003 .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


A Case Study of Heian Japan through Art:
Japan's Four Great Emaki

This module focuses on the Heian period, 794-1185. Access the Heian Japan materials here:

“Heian Japan: An Introductory Essay,” by Ethan Segal, Michigan State University
“A Case Study of Heian Japan Through Art: Japan’s Four Great Emaki” (lesson plan), by Jaye Zola, retired teacher and librarian, Boulder Valley Schools
Print the Entire Lesson Module (pdf)

2008 Program for Teaching East Asia, University of Colorado.
- source : www.colorado.edu -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::




Since the Heian period gilded bronze was often used.
... iconography of two Kalavinkas facing each other on a ground of floral tendrils ...

. keman 華鬘 flower garlands, flower hangers .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


matsukuwaezuru 松くわえ鶴 crane holding a pine branch



An auspicious motive bringing long life and good luck, often used for New Year dishes.
Also used on paper for fusuma sliding doors.


. tsuru 鶴 The Crane in Japanese Poetry .
Shunzei (1114-1204) and his son, Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- Reference in English -

.......................................................................


. Symbols and Motives in Asian Art .


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #heiansymbols #heianartmotives #heianmotives -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Heian Literature

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. ABC List of Contents .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Literature of the Heian Period　平安時代の文学
before and later



平安時代の日記文学 / 寺田透 The Nikki Diary Literature of the Heian Period

- quote -
Heian literature (平安文学 Heian-bungaku) or
Chūko literature (中古文学 chūko-bungaku, literally, "mid-ancient literature")
refers to Japanese literature of the Heian period. This article summarizes its history and development.

Overview
漢詩 Kanshi (poetry written in Chinese) and 漢文 kanbun (prose in Chinese) had remained popular since the Nara period, and the influence of the Tang poet Bai Juyi (Haku Kyoi in Japanese) on Japanese kanshi in this period was great. Even in the Tale of Genji, a pure Japanese work composed entirely in kana, particularly in the chapter "Kiritsubo" 桐壺巻, the influence of his Song of Everlasting Regret has been widely recognized. Sugawara no Michizane, who taught at the Daigaku-ryō before becoming Minister of the Right, was known not only as a politician but as a leading kanshi poet.

In 905, with the imperial order to compile the Kokinshū, the first imperial anthology, waka poetry acquired a status comparable to kanshi. Waka were composed at utaawase and other official events, and the private collections of well-known poets such as Ki no Tsurayuki (the Tsurayuki-shū 貫之集) and Lady Ise (the 伊勢集』 Ise-shū) became well-known.

During this period, since the language of most official documents was Chinese, most men of the nobility used Chinese characters to write poetry and prose in Chinese, but among women the kana syllabary continued to grow in popularity, and more and more men adopted this simpler style of writing as well. Most of the works of literature from the Heian period that are still well-regarded today were written predominantly in kana. Diaries had been written by men in Chinese for some time, but in the early tenth century Ki no Tsurayuki chose to write his Tosa Nikki from the standpoint of a woman, in kana. Partly due to the Tosa Nikki's influence, diaries written in Japanese became increasingly common.

Timeline of notable works

797 - Shoku Nihongi by Fujiwara no Tsuginawa, Sugano no Mamichi et al. (history)

814 - Ryōunshū, compiled by Ono no Minemori, Sugawara no Kiyotomo et al. (kanshi anthology)
815 - Shinsen Shōjiroku by Prince Manda (万多親王 Manda-shinnō?), et al. (genealogy)
818 - Bunka Shūreishū, compiled by Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, Sugawara no Kiyotomo et al. (kanshi anthology)
822 - Nihon Ryōiki by Kyōkai (景戒, also pronounced Keikai) (setsuwa anthology)
827 - Keikokushū, compiled by Yoshimine no Yasuyo, Sugawara no Kiyotomo et al. (kanshi anthology)
835 - Shōryōshū by Kūkai (kanshi/kanbun anthology)
841 - Nihon Kōki by Fujiwara no Otsugu et al. (history)
869 - Shoku Nihon Kōki
879 - Toshi Bunshū

900 - Kanke Bunsō by Sugawa no Michizane (kanshi/kanbun anthology)
905 - Kokin Wakashū 古今和歌集 - compiled by Ki no Tsurayuki, Ki no Tomonori, Ōshikōchi no Mitsune and Mibu no Tadamine on the orders of Emperor Daigo (chokusen wakashū)
Before 910 - . Taketori Monogatari 竹取物語 Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Princess Kaguyahime かぐや姫) .
935 - Tosa Nikki 土佐日記 by Ki no Tsurayuki (diary)
(date unknown) - Ise Monogatari (uta monogatari)

1002 - The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon (随筆 zuihitsu)
1008 - The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (tsukuri-monogatari)

1120 - Ōkagami (author unknown; rekishi monogatari)
1120 - Konjaku Monogatarishū 今昔物語集 (compiler unknown; setsuwa anthology)
1127 - Kin'yō Wakashū, compiled by Minamoto no Toshiyori (chokusen wakashū)
1151 - Shika Wakashū, compiled by Fujiwara no Akisuke (chokusen wakashū)
1170 - Ima Kagami by Fujiwara no Tametsune (rekishi monogatari)
1188 - Senzai Wakashū, compiled by Fujiwara no Shunzei on the command of Emperor Go-Shirakawa (chokusen-wakashū)

- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

..............................................................................................................................................



female writers 女流文学

Uncertain Powers: Sen’yōmon-in and Landownership by Royal Women in Early Medieval Japan
Sachiko Kawai　/ 宣陽門院

. Manyooshuu, Man'yōshū 万葉集 Manyoshu, Manyo-Shu
Poetry "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves" .

..............................................................................................................................................


- quote -
Literature
Although written Chinese (Kanbun) remained the official language of the Heian period imperial court, the introduction and wide use of kana saw a boom in Japanese literature. Despite the establishment of several new literary genres such as the novel and narrative monogatari (物語) and essays, literacy was only common among the court and Buddhist clergy.

The lyrics of the modern Japanese national anthem, Kimi ga Yo, were written in the Heian period, as was The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, one of the first novels ever written. Murasaki Shikibu's contemporary and rival Sei Shōnagon's revealing observations and musings as an attendant in the Empress' court were recorded collectively as The Pillow Book in the 990s, which revealed the quotidian capital lifestyle.
The Heian period produced a flowering of poetry including works of Ariwara no Narihira, Ono no Komachi, Izumi Shikibu, Murasaki Shikibu, Saigyō and Fujiwara no Teika.
The famous Japanese poem known as the Iroha (いろは), of uncertain authorship, was also written during the Heian period.

The Japanese Names of Medical Herbs (本草和名 Honzō Wamyō), written in 918 was also written in this perio.
- source : Wikipedia -

..............................................................................................................................................



CLICK for more photos !

..............................................................................................................................................

- quote -
. . . Also shifting gradually was Japan's priorities, especially in the cultural field. Contact with China gradually petered off while native arts began to experience a state of great refinement, especially in literature. The great women writers of the later 10th century dominate the Heian Period's literary landscape, from the anonymous composer of the Kagero Nikki (the longest of the 'court diaries', ca. 975) to the famed 'Pillow Book' of Sei Shonagon and the monumental 'Tale of Genji' by Murasaki Shikubu. While reasonably well known outside Japan, the latter, composed around 1022, has yet to receive the recognition it deserves as possibly the world's 1st true novel. In most cultural pursuits -and in the realm of architecture- Chinese extravagance began to give way to a more thoughtful and conservative approach.
. . . The Heian period is considered the classical period in Japanese history because during that period, the development of the Japanese culture flourished. Japan had an explosion of artistic and literary expression during that time.
It was during the period from 794 to 1185 that this explosion took place. During that period the aristocracy ruled the country from a lavish city called Heian-kyo. There the aristocracy practiced writing literature, poetry, music, and art. They wore elaborately decorated clothing (Leonard 35). The aristocracy developed a court culture of values and rituals. The Japanese writing system "kana" was developed during this period. Many of the classical writings of poems and stories were developed during this time like, "The Tales of Genji," "Kagero Nikki" court lady's diary and others. This was a period of peace and tranquility in which the aristocratic Japanese, of that time, were able to create a unique culture.
- source : Brad Shows -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DIARIES OF COURT LADIES OF OLD JAPAN

TRANSLATED BY ANNIE SHEPLEY OMORI AND KOCHI DOI
Professor in the Imperial University, Tokio
- - - WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY AMY LOWELL



Introduction by Amy Lowell xi
I. The Sarashina Diary 1
II. The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu 69
III. The Diary of Izumi Shikibu 147
Appendix

- Read the stories here :
- source : en.wikisource.org -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

小林とし子『ひめぎみ考　王朝文学から見たレズ・ソーシャル
Himegimikō: Women's World Seen Through the Heian Court Literature



Kobayashi Toshiko 小林とし子

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Fujiwara no Michinaga 藤原道長 (966 – 1028)
Regent Michinaga left a diary, Mido Kanpakuki (御堂関白記), that is one of our prime sources of information about Heian-era court life at its height.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Wamyō Ruijushō 倭名類聚抄 Dictionary of Chinese Characters .
Minamoto no Shitagō 源順 (911-983) began compilation in 934.

..............................................................................................................................................

. Nihon Ryōiki 日本霊異記 Nihon Ryoiki - Record of Miraculous Events in Japan .
"Ghostly Strange Records from Japan"


Kkokon choomonjuu 古今著聞集 Kokon Chomonju - A Collection of Notable Tales Old and New
a Kamakura-period collection of setsuwa. It was compiled by Tachibana Narisue (橘成季) and completed in 1254. The twenty volumes are divided by subject into thirty chapters: chapter 16 concerns art and painting and 17 kemari or "kickball". Of the 726 tales, nearly two-thirds are set in the Heian period. In a note between tales 721 and 722, Narisue states that "the original aim of this collection was to collect fine stories about music and poems, and depict them as if in paintings".
- wikipedia -

今昔物語集 Konjaku Monogatarishu
宇治拾遺物語 Uji Shui Monogatari

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Association for the Study of Japanese Heian Literature - 中古文学会
- source : chukobungakukai.org -

What are Kotenseki 古典籍　(Wahon) classical books/publications dating back to the Nara period, mid-8th-century block printed sutra to the Meiji period publications,
明治頃以前の書写あるいは印刷された資料で、いま価値が認められるすべてのものを古典籍といいますが具体的には次のような種類があります。
- source : www.koten-kai.jp -

- source : 日本古典籍総合目録データベース -


- Reference in Japanese -
- Reference in English -

. Persons of the Heian Period .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #heianliterature #heianbungaku #literatureheian -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Shinto Shintoism

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. ABC List of Contents .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Shinto 神道 "The Way of the Kami Gods"

. Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社　jinguu　神宮 Jingu ) .

. kami　神　Shinto deities .
- Introduction -


. Shrines of the Heian Period　平安時代の神社 .

Heian Jingū, 平安神宮 Kyoto, dedicated to Emperor Kammu and Emperor Kōmei
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- quote -
WHAT IS SHINTŌ & SHINTŌISM?
In Japanese religious art, Shintō deities were not given anthropomorphic characteristics until the 8th century, about two centuries after the arrival of Buddhism. During Japan’s Heian era (794 - 1185), the numerous Shintō kami (deities) were recognized as traces or manifestations or incarnations (suijaku 垂迹) of the Buddhist divinities (honji 本地 or honjibutsu 本地仏), and a great syncretic melding occurred, with shrines and temples sharing both deities and sacred grounds. Even today, Shintōism remains unencumbered by religious doctrine and institutionalized belief, and serves more as a popular community-based folk religion featuring popular festivals, group pilgrimages, and special ceremonies to mark key life passages (e.g., birth, 7-5-3, coming of age, marriage). Shintō is a term created to distinguish itself (the indigenous religion) from Buddhism (an imported philosophy). Shintō's places of worship are called shrines, while Buddhist places of worship are called temples. Shintō deities are called KAMI 神, SHIN 神, JIN 神, SAMA 様, TENJIN 天神, GONGEN 権現, and MYŌJIN 明神 to distinguish them from their Buddhist counterparts.

BLENDING OF SHINTŌ AND BUDDHIST TRADITIONS.
By the 7th century, the Japanese court had aggressively accepted Buddhism, not only as a religious vehicle promising salvation for the upper classes, but also as an instrument to consolidate state power. Around the 8th century, Shintō traditions begin to imitate and blend with Buddhist influences. The Shintō-Buddhist syncretism of the period was actually formalized and pursued based on a theory called honji suijaku 本地垂迹. The process of blending Buddhism with Shintō progressed uninterrupted, and by the Heian Period (794-1185), Shintō deities came, among some Shintō sects, to be recognized as incarnations of Buddhist deities. One notable example is a syncretic movement that combined Shintō with the teachings of Shingon (Esoteric) Buddhism. This school believed that Shintō deities were manifestations (traces) of the Buddhist divinities. The Shintō sun goddess Amaterasu, for example, was identified with Dainichi Nyorai (the Great Sun Buddha).

- - - More on Honji Suijaku 本地垂迹
Shinbutsu Shūgō 神仏習合
The harmonization of Shintō, the native Japanese religion, with Buddhism
The theory of honji suijaku was developed during the Heian period to explain this relationship and propagated through such movements as Shingon Shintō and Tendai Shintō.
- source : Mark Schumacher -

. . shinbutsu 神仏 kami to hotoke - The Deities of Japan .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

tama shizume 鎮魂祭 festival of the pacification of the souls
ritual to console the spirit of the dead
..... chinkonsai, chinkon sai 鎮魂祭
Performed on the day of the tiger in the eleventh lunar month.
Nowadays one day before the harvest ceremonies (niinamesai).

- quote -
In both ancient Japanese collections, the Nihongi and Kojiki, Ame-no-uzeme’s dance is described as asobi, which in old Japanese language means a ceremony that is designed to appease the spirits of the departed, and which was conducted at funeral ceremonies. Therefore, kagura is a rite of tama shizume, of pacifying the spirits of the departed. In the Heian period (8th–12th centuries) this was one of the important rites at the Imperial Court and had found its fixed place in the tama shizume festival in the eleventh month. At this festival people sing as accompaniment to the dance: “Depart! Depart! Be cleansed and go! Be purified and leave!”
This rite of purification is also known as chinkon. It was used for securing and strengthening the soul of a dying person. It was closely related to the ritual of tama furi (shaking the spirit), to call back the departed soul of the dead or to energize a weakened spirit. Spirit pacification and rejuvenation were usually achieved by songs and dances, also called asobi. The ritual of chinkon continued to be performed on the emperors of Japan, thought to be descendents of Amaterasu. It is possible that this ritual is connected with the ritual to revive the sun goddess during the low point of the winter solstice.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. chinkonsai 鎮魂祭 "Settling of the soul ritual" .
- kigo for early Winter

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



日本神話や日本昔話を紹介｜言霊 - kojiki 古事記
- reference source : kotodama.日本伝.com -

.......................................................................

- Reference in Japanese -

- Reference in English -

.......................................................................


. Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社　jinguu　神宮 Jingu ) .

. Shrines of the Heian Period　平安時代の神社 .
- Introduction -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #heianshinto #heianshintoism #shinto -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Food and Drink

- BACK to the Daruma Museum -
. ABC List of Contents .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Food and Drink in the Heian Period (794 to 1185) 平安時代


CLICK for more photos !

- quote -
Following the Jōmon period, Japanese society shifted from semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer lifestyle to an agricultural society. This was the period in which rice cultivation began, having been introduced by China. Rice was commonly boiled plain and called gohan or meshi, and, as cooked rice has since been the preferred staple of the meal, the terms are used as synonyms for the word "meal". Peasants often mixed millet with rice, especially in mountainous regions where rice did not proliferate.

During the Kofun period, Chinese culture was introduced into Japan from the Korean Peninsula. As such, Buddhism became influential on Japanese culture. After the 6th century, Japan directly pursued the imitation of Chinese culture of the Tang dynasty. It was this influence that marked the taboos on the consumption of meat in Japan. In 675 AD, Emperor Temmu decreed a prohibition on the consumption of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens during the 4th-9th months of the year; to break the law would mean a death sentence. Monkey was eaten prior to this time, but was eaten more in a ritualistic style for medicinal purposes. Chickens were often domesticated as pets,  while cattle and horses were rare and treated as such. A cow or horse would be ritually sacrificed on the first day of rice paddy cultivation, a ritual introduced from China. Emperor Temmu's decree, however, did not ban the consumption of deer or wild boar, which were important to the Japanese diet at that time.

The 8th century saw many additional decrees made by emperors and empresses banning the killing of any animals. In 752 AD, Empress Kōken decreed a ban on fishing, but made a promise that adequate rice would be given to fishermen whose livelihood would have otherwise been destroyed. In 927 AD, regulations were enacted that stated that any government official or member of nobility that ate meat was deemed unclean for three days and could not participate in Shinto observances at the imperial court.

It was also the influence of Chinese cultures that brought chopsticks to Japan early in this period. Chopsticks at this time were used by nobility at banquets; they were not used as everyday utensils however, as hands were still commonly used to eat. Metal spoons were also used during the 8th and 9th centuries, but only by the nobility. Dining tables were also introduced to Japan at this time. Commoners used a legless table called a oshiki, while nobility used a lacquered table with legs called a zen. Each person used his own table. Lavish banquets for the nobility would have multiple tables for each individual based upon the number of dishes presented.

Upon the decline of the Tang dynasty in the 9th century, Japan made a move toward its individuality in culture and cuisine. The abandonment of the spoon as a dining utensil – which was retained in Korea – is one of the marked differences, and commoners were now eating with chopsticks as well. Trade continued with China and Korea, but influence en masse from outside of Japan would not be seen again until the 19th century. The 10th and 11th centuries marked a level of refinement of cooking and etiquette found in the culture of the Heian nobility. Court chefs would prepare many of the vegetables sent as tax from the countryside. Court banquets were common and lavish; garb for nobility during these events remained in the Chinese style which differentiated them from the plain clothes of commoners.

The dishes consumed after the 9th century included grilled fish and meat (yakimono), simmered food (nimono), steamed foods (mushimono), soups made from chopped vegetables, fish or meat (atsumono), jellied fish (nikogori) simmered with seasonings, sliced raw fish served in a vinegar sauce (namasu), vegetables, seaweed or fish in a strong dressing (aemono), and pickled vegetables (tsukemono) that were cured in salt to cause lactic fermentation. Oil and fat were avoided almost universally in cooking. Sesame oil was used, but rarely, as it was of great expense to produce.

Documents from the Heian nobility note that fish and wild fowl were common fare along with vegetables. Their banquet settings consisted of a bowl of rice and soup, along with chopsticks, a spoon, and three seasonings which were salt, vinegar and hishio, which was a fermentation of soybeans, wheat, sake and salt. A fourth plate was present for mixing the seasonings to desired flavor for dipping the food.
The four types of food present at a banquet consisted of dried foods (himono), fresh foods (namamono), fermented or dressed food (kubotsuki), and desserts (kashi).
Dried fish and fowl were thinly sliced (e.g. salted salmon, pheasant, steamed and dried abalone, dried and grilled octopus), while fresh fish, shellfish and fowl were sliced raw in vinegar sauce or grilled (e.g. carp, sea bream, salmon, trout, pheasant). Kubotsuki consisted of small balls of fermented sea squirt, fish or giblets along with jellyfish and aemono. Desserts would have included Chinese cakes, and a variety of fruits and nuts including pine nuts, dried chestnuts, acorns, jujube, pomegranate, peach, apricot, persimmon and citrus. The meal would be ended with sake.
- source : wikipedia -



source :　bunkatorekisi.blog



History of Soy Sauce and Miso
Soy sauce originally comes from Chinese jiang. It is believed that it was brought to Japan in the Nara period. After that, it developed independently in Japan.
In the Heian period, jiang became popular and came to be a daily necessity.
The Buddhist priest, Kakushin of the Shinshu area brought the recipe for miso to Japan from Song, China in 1250.
- reference -

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Tea's Transmission to Japan and Its Entry into Japanese Culture
平安時代とお茶

- quote -
During the Nara and Heian periods, many envoys were sent to Tang-dynasty China. On several occasions, these envoys were accompanied by Japan's leading Buddhist scholars, including Saicho, Kukai and Eichu. These Buddhist monks brought back with them tea seeds from Tang China, which are said to be the origin of tea in Japan.
In the early Heian Period, Emperor Saga is said to have encouraged the drinking and cultivation of tea in Japan. Tea drinking was first referred to in Japanese literature in 815 in the Nihon Koki (Later Chronicles of Japan), recording that Eichu invited Emperor Saga to Bonshakuji temple, where he was served tea.
At this time, tea was extremely valuable and only drunk by imperial court nobles and Buddhist monks.
- source : www.itoen.co.jp/eng -



source :　www.kyoyuhonpo.com

Tea cups with motifs from the Heian Period, 源氏物語 Genji Monogatari.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - - - - From the Washoku Blog - - - - -


. chisa 苣 Chisa lettuce .


Ganjitsu no Sechi-E 元日節会 Audience and Reception of Politicians
Osechi-ryōri (御節料理 or お節料理) are traditional Japanese New Year foods.
The tradition started in the Heian Period.
- - - - - . Daijin ke no daikyoo 大臣家大饗 First banquet of the Ministers .
On this day an envoy from the imprial court, 蘇甘栗使 soamaguri no tsukai, is also welcomed.
He brought an old version of butter, 牛酪 gyuuraku, and dried chestnuts kachiguri 搗栗.
- - - - - . New Year Food - Introduction .


. hanami bento 花見弁当 lunch for blossom viewing .

. hasshuu no karagashi 八種の唐菓子, 八種唐菓子 eight famous snack from China .

. hocho do 庖丁道 the way of the kitchen knife .
The Art of Slicing Fish and Fowl in Medieval Japan.


. inbi no gohan 忌火の御飯 "rice on the memorial day" .
During the Heian period, on two days of the year　（on the 11th day of the sixth and 12th month) on the day of the moon festival (tsukinami no matsuri 月次祭) , the deity Amaterasu Omikami would take part of the meal together with the emperor (shingojiki　神今食) in a special hall of the imperial grounds in Nara.


. kajikibashi 鹿食箸 chopstsicks to eat "mountain meat" .
from Suwa Shrine, Nagano

. karashina 芥菜 brown mustard plant .
ha karashina 葉からしな, hatakena はたけな

. koimo, ko-imo 小芋 "small taro potato" .
Especially used for dished during the full moon party time in Autumn.

. koiwashi 小いわし "small sardines", Japanese anchovy .
iwashi no atama yaki イワシの頭焼き (yakigashi 焼嗅がし) : This is an old ritual since the Heian period.

. Kyoosai 京菜 Kyoto Vegetables .
Many are cultivated since the Heian period and a lot grow in temple gardens.


. manyoogayu 万葉粥 rice gruel a la Manyo-shu .
Served at the great shrine Kasuga Taisha

. mozuku もずく(水雲／海蘊) seaweed .
It is already mentioned in literature from the Heian period, written as 毛都久.
It is said when you wash your hands with mozuku it keeps women's hands soft and moist.


. o-chazuke お茶漬け rice with a topping .
This dish first became popular in the Heian period, when water was most commonly poured over rice.

. Omawari, o-mawari おまわり- Food from Heiankyō 平安京 -
..... one dish of rice was surrounded by up to six small plates with side dishes.

. Onigiri, o-nigiri (御握り; おにぎり) Omusubi (おむすび, O-musubi) rice balls .
In the Heian period, rice was also made into small rectangular shapes called tonjiki (頓食; とんじき), so that they could be piled onto a plate and easily eaten.


. san-niku ryori 山肉料理 "Mountain Meat Cuisine" .
Meat from four-legged animals was not allowed for the pious Buddhist to eat and also not approved in Shinto. But there were exceptions, especially for ill people and for the poor mountain villages and hunter areas, since the Heian period.

. semai 施米 (せまい) alms of rice .

. Shibazuke しば漬け / 柴漬け Perilla pickles with eggplant .
from Ohara,　Kyoto. Nishiri. Jakko-I寂光院, Kenrei Mon-In 建礼門院

. Soy sauce 醤油 and hishio 醤 .


. tachibana, Ukon no tachibana 右近の橘 Japanese tachibana citrus fruit .

. tamamo 玉藻 gemweed .
The one at Minume 敏馬 is already mentioned in the old poems of the Heian period. / Nojima no saki 野嶋の崎.

. toso enmei san 屠蘇延命散 medicine to prolong life . - toso 屠蘇 ritual ricewine
It was introduced from China in the Heian period for the Emperor Saga Tenno 嵯峨天皇 and been offered at court on the third day of the New Year.

. tsukimi dango 月見団子 dumplings for moon viewing .
It's said that this moon viewing custom was introduced to Japan from China during Nara and Heian period.


. ubatama, nubatama, mubatama 射干玉 / 鳥羽玉 leopard flower .
“nuba” means black.
When ancient Japanese Waka poets described the blackness of a night, or a woman's voluptuous hair, they used this black berries as a beautiful image and put “Nubatama” as a introduction of those night blackness or hair blackness.

. Yaseuma やせうま from Oita　大分 .
Thick, wide, fat wheat noodles - - - and a legend about the woman YASE.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


Neujahrsessen bei Hofe

Während der Heian-Zeit etablierten sich viele Neujahrs-Bräuche aus China bei Hofe in Kyoto, die sich zum Teil bis heute erhalten haben. Das „Neujahrs-Festessen“ des Tennoo zusammen mit den Adeligen (ganjitsu no sechi-e 元日節会 ) fand am ersten Januar statt.
Die „große Einladung zum Neujahrs-Festessen“ (hare no gozen 晴の御膳), bei der auch Politiker zur Audienz geladen werden, kam nach der Meiji-Reformation hinzu. Diese Audienz findet an einem der drei Neujahrstage in der Phönixhalle des Kaiserpalastes in Tokyo statt.

Die meisten Speisen, die bei diesen Zeremonien angeboten werden, stammen aus dem alten chinesischen Hofritual. In China wurden bereits die „acht Konfekte“ (hasshuu no karagashi 八種の唐菓子) serviert. Sie bestanden aus Reis- oder Weizenmehl, das zu glückverheißenden Formen geknetet wurde. Sie waren gefüllt mit gehacktem Fleisch oder Gemüse und wurden vor dem Essen frittiert. Diese Snacks wurden auch „Früchte“ (kudamono 果物) genannt, da sie auch Nüsse und andere Früchte des Waldes enthielten.

Für Soßen wurden Essig, Reiswein, Salz und Sojasauce gemischt.
- snip -
Eine weitere Spezialität zum Neujahrsfest sind die flachen Mochi aus Reismehl, Sojabohnenmehl, rotem Bohnenmus und einer Stange japanischer Schwarzwurzel (hagatame no mochi 歯固の餅　はがためのもち). Sie sind rautenförmig und sind mit ihrer rosaroten Farbe glückverheißend, daher werden sie auch auch „Kirschblüten-Mochi“ genannt.
- snip -
Rettich ist ein beliebtes Wintergemüse und wird seit der Heian-Zeit in der japanischen Poesie besungen. In dem Raum, wo die „Zeremonie zum Stärken der Zähne“ stattfindet, liegt auf dem runden Spiegel-Mochi (kagamimochi) meist noch ein Rettich, der nach den Festtagen ebenfalls in einer Suppe verspeist wird.

. Gabi Greve - Neujahrsessen bei Hofe .


Zu Beginn der Heian-Zeit verbreitete sich ein neuer Brauch, der heute aus der japanischen Esskultur nicht mehr wegzudenken ist, nämlich das Trinken von Grünem Tee. Die ersten Teeplantagen wurden in der Gegend von Nara angelegt. Für die normale Bevölkerung war allerdings das reine Wasser, das es überall in Japan reichlich umsonst gab, das einzige Getränk. Bis heute sind viele ländliche Einzelhöfe und auch alte Stadtfamilien stolz auf ihre guten Brunnen und frisches Wasser wird bis heute kostenlos in jedem Restaurant angeboten, meist auch eine Tasse grüner Tee nach der Mahlzeit. Auch die Zubereitungen mit Braten und Frittieren fanden ihren Weg nach Japan.

Alte Texte von Westjapan aus der Heian-Zeit berichten von der Abgabe der Steuern in Form von Sushi aus fermentiertem Reis mit Fisch.

. Gabi Greve - Japanisches Essen im Laufe der Geschichte .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::


- Reference in Japanese 平安時代　食べ物　 -

- Reference in Japanese 平安時代 料理　 -

- Reference in English -


::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::



. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #heianfoodanddrink #heianfood #heiandrink -
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::