Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Hokkaido
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Ishiyama Temple
Ishiyama Temple is in the city of Otsu, the capital of Shiga Prefecture. Built in 792, it contains several cultural assets, including the two guardian statues said to have been sculpted by the famous sculptors Tankei and Unkei. Lady Murasaki Shikibu was said to have begun writing the Tale of Genji, the world's first novel, in 1004 at this temple. The temple thus holds significant value to Japanese (and world) literature.
Itsukushima Shrine
Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima (Shrine Island), is an island off the coast of Hiroshima. It is best known for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is believed to have been first built in the 6th Century, and its current form built by the samurai Taira no Kiyomori. The shrine is dedicated to the daughters of Susano-o, the Japanese god of seas and storms. The island is considered holy, and historically, commoners were not allowed to set foot on the island. To this day, births and deaths in the shrine, as well as burials on the island, are forbidden to keep the purity of the shrine. The shrine is known for its torii gate, which is in the middle of the water and appears to be floating at high tide. The view of this torii gate was declared by the philosopher Hayashi Razan to be one of the Three Views of Japan.
Nanzen-ji
Nanzen-ji is a Zen temple founded in 1291 by Emperor Kameyama, initially as a retirement villa, similar to Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji. By his request, it was converted to a Zen temple. When the Ashikaga Shogunate instated the Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto, this temple was not included among them, but rather stood in a class of its own, above both the temples in Kyoto and Kamakura, gaining the title of "First Temple of the Land." It played a role in supervising the other Zen temples, and demonstrates the role of religion in government in the Muromachi period.
Heian Shrine
This shrine was built relatively recently, in 1895, in Kyoto, to commemorate the 1,100th Anniversary of the establishment of the capital at Heian in 794. It is dedicated to the emperors Kammu and Komei, the emperors who moved the capital to Heian and then to Tokyo, thus being the first and last emperors who lived in Kyoto. It has one of the largest torii gates in Japan, and is built as a scaled replica of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. One of Kyoto's most important festivals, the Festival of Ages, is held here.
Holy Resurrection Cathedral
Site: http://www.geocities.jp/ynicojp2/english/index.html
Engyo-ji
Engyo-ji is a temple in Himeji. It was founded by the Buddhist priest Shoku Shonin in 966, and is a pilgrimage site and one of the three greatest training centers of Tendai Buddhism. Many emperors, including Go-Shirakawa, Go-Daigo, and particularly Kazan, who donated 100 koku of rice (approximately 180,000 liters) to the temple, visited the temple and Shoku Shonin. This temple was also used as the set for The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise.
Kiyomizu Temple
Kiyomizu Temple is one of the most popular Buddhist temples in Kyoto. It was founded in 798, but its present reconstruction dates to 1633. Originally affiliated with the Hosso sect, it has been independent since 1965. There is a terrace overlooking a hillside, and an old Edo period tradition says that if one were to survive jumping off it, one's wish would be granted. No nails were used in the construction of this temple.
To-ji
To-ji literally means "Eastern Temple." After Emperor Kammu moved the capital to Heian, he decided that to keep Buddhism from having the influence on the Emperor that it did in Nara, there would only be two Buddhist temples built in Heian. These were To-ji and Sai-ji (Western Temple). Together, they stood on each side of the gate to the city, and served to protect the capital. Sai-ji no longer stands today, but To-ji features the tallest wooden building in Japan; the pagoda is nearly 55 meters tall. It remains a symbol of Kyoto.
Ryoan-ji
Ryoan-ji is a particularly notable Zen temple in Kyoto. Initially a Fujiwara estate, this came into the hands of the Hosokawa clan, and Hosokawa Katsumoto willed that it be made a Zen temple after his death. The temple is particularly famous for its rock garden, which has fifteen boulders placed so that whatever angle one looks at the garden, there appear to be only fourteen. Buddhists see the number 15 as completion, thus demonstrating that the complete view of the world needed to fully appreciate the garden is not possible in this world. Only through enlightenment, says the Zen Buddhist, can one see the fifteenth boulder.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Kyoto Imperial Palace
The Kyoto Imperial Palace was the residence of the Emperor of Japan for most of Japan's history; from the middle of the Kamakura Period in 1227 until the beginning of the Meiji Period in 1869. It was built after the original Heian Palace was abandoned. Emperor Meiji ordered that the Kyoto Imperial Palace be preserved in 1877, and the grounds are open to the public. These grounds demonstrate the position and lifestyle of the Emperor during the era of the Shogunate.
Iga-ryu Ninja Museum
The city of Iga, in Mie Prefecture, was the center of the Iga school of ninjutsu, which, along with the Koga school, was one of the most well-known schools of ninjitsu. The ninja of Iga stalwartly defended Iga from Oda Nobunaga's son Nobukatsu, but were forced into submission by Nobunaga, who outnumbered them ten-to-one. When Tokugawa Ieyasu became the shogun, he employed Iga ninja as his guards and intelligence agents. They continued to guard the castle until Tokugawa Yoshimune dismissed them in 1716. The museum in Iga is located near the castle and tells the history of the Iga ninja. The current honorary director of the museum is also the head of Iga ninjutsu. With so much fascination by ninjas in Western culture, and with so much of it fictionalized, this museum is a great effort to separate fact from fiction and chronicle the real place of ninjutsu in Japanese history.
Site: http://iganinja.jp/en/
Iga Ueno Castle
This castle began construction in 1585 in Iga, which is currently in Mie Prefecture. It was built by Tsutsui Sadatsugu, who was relocated to the area by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After being accused of sloppy government, Tokugawa Ieyasu abolished the Tsutsui clan, removed Sadatsugu from his position, and replaced him with Todo Takatora in 1611. Todo expanded the castle and build 30m-high walls, the highest castle wall in Japan. It was not seen as important as it was after the threat of rebellion passed, and the keep was destroyed in high winds in 1612 and was not rebuilt until 1935. Today, it serves as a museum and the center of the Ueno Castle Park.
Hiroshima Castle
Mori Terumoto, a powerful daimyo, established this castle in 1590, naming the area Hiroshima and establishing the city around it. He was forced out of the castle when his side lost in the Battle of Sekigahara. The castle was given to Fukushima Masanori, who felt nostalgic for the days under Toyotomi's rule, which upset Tokugawa. A flood destroyed the castle in 1617, but Tokugawa did not give him permission to rebuild it. When he began reconstruction anyway, he was forced out of the castle. The castle served as a military facility in the Meiji Period, and was named a National Treasure until it was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. The current reconstruction, mostly of concrete, dates to 1958.
Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, directly south of Tokyo, with a population of 2.4 million. Its capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is famous for being the prefecture that Commodore Matthew C. Perry landed in. It was also the center of the Kamakura Shogunate in the 12th to 14th Centuries, as well as Odawara Castle.
Locations in Kanagawa Prefecture covered by this blog:
See also:
Odawara Castle
Odawara Castle was first built by the Omori clan and then taken over by the Hojo Clan. During the Sengoku Period, the castle withstood attacks from Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, two major warlords of the time, before falling to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590, who entrusted it to Tokugawa Ieyasu. In the Edo Period, Ieyasu then handed the castle to Okubo Tadayo, his retainer, who downscaled the castle significantly. It was torn down in 1872 when the Meiji government ordered the demolition of all feudal structures, and was rebuilt in 1960.
Nagoya Castle
Along with Atsuta Shrine, Nagoya Castle is one of the most significant historical locations in Nagoya. The original castle was built in 1525 and was in the hands of the Imagawa clan until 1532, when Oda Nobuhide, father of Oda Nobunaga, took over it. It was abandoned, and Oda Nobunaga set up his office in Kiyosu Castle. In 1610, Tokugawa Ieyasu commissioned the building of Nagoya Castle to secure a strategic position on the Tokaido Highway that connected Edo to Kyoto. The Owari Tokugawa, a major secondary branch of the Tokugawa Family, resided here. During World War II, the castle was used as a military headquarters and POW camp, and was burnt down by US bombing on May 14, 1945, along with most of its artifacts. It was rebuilt in 1959.
Meiji Mura
Meiji Mura is an open-air museum in Inuyama, near Nagoya. It is dedicated to the preservation of Meiji-era and Taisho-era architecture, which was heavily inspired by Western architecture of the time. It was founded by Taniguchi Yoshiro and Tsuchikawa Motoo in 1962 after Taniguchi saw that the Rokumeikan, a symbol of Meiji era architecture, was being torn down, and wanted to preserve the architecture of the Meiji era. The most notable structure in the museum is Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel. This site demonstrates how the Meiji period was influenced by the West, particularly in architecture.
Atsuta Shrine
Along with the Ise Grand Shrine, the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya is one of the most significant shrines in Japan. Founded in the first century during the reign of Emperor Keiko to venerate his dead son Yamato Takeru, this is said to be where the Kusanagi Sword, one of the three legendary Imperial Regalia given to Emperor Jimmu by Amaterasu, is enshrined. In the Edo Period, it was a major waypoint on the Tokaido Highway, and a town started around it to support travelers. In the Meiji Period, it was one of the major government-supported shrines.
Nagoya City
Sites in Nagoya covered by this blog:
Kiyosu Castle
Kiyosu Castle is in the city of Kiyosu, near Nagoya. It was built in 1394 by the head of the Shiga clan, but in the Sengoku period was taken over by Oda Nobunaga. It was from this castle that Oda launched his conqest of Japan. Unlike Azuchi Castle, this was intended to be primarily a military structure. It was dismantled in the Tokugawa Period and parts were moved to Nagoya Castle. It was reconstructed in 1989 to celebrate the city's centennial.
Sendai City
Sendai is the capital of Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan. It has a population of one million people and is one of Japan's seventeen designated cities. It was founded by the warlord Date Masamune in 1600. It is one of Japan's greenest cities, and was known as the City of Trees prior to World War II. It is also known as the Academic City, for the number of universities in the city. As Masamune attempted to forge relations with the Pope before Christianity was outlawed, Catholicism is a major religion in Sendai today.
Sites in Sendai related to this blog:
Aoba Castle
Aoba Castle, also known as Sendai Castle, was built by the feudal lord Date Masamune in the Sengoku Period. Masamune, also known as the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu, was an excellent tactician and one of the most intelligent feudal lords of the time. He supported Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Sekigahara, and was thus allowed to keep his castle and domain. He also supported Christianity until Ieyasu outlawed it, and even sought to establish relations with the Pope. The castle remained in the hands of the Date family until the Meiji Period, when it was partially dismantled, and much of what remained was bombed in World War II, but much of it is being reconstructed.
Yamanashi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture lies to the west of Tokyo, and has a population of 884 thousand people. Its capital city, Kofu, has 201 thousand people. The region was formerly called Kai, and was the fief of the Takeda family until the Sengoku Period. Yamanashi Prefecture is also home to Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, as well as Mt. Kita, the second-tallest.
Sites in Yamanashi covered by this blog:
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto
Similar to the five temples of Kamakura, the Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto were state-funded Zen temples in the Muromachi period that held both religious and political influence.
The first temple, Tenryu-ji, was originally an imperial villa built by Go-Saga called Kameyama. It was converted to a Zen temple in 1339 by Ashikaga Takauji after Empe
ror Go-Daigo's death, for a memorial service to his former friend. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, and the current temple dates to the Meiji
period. During the Muromachi Period, it was the most important
Zen temple in Japan.
The second temple, Shokoku-ji, was founded in 1382 by Ashikaga Takauji's grandson Yoshimitsu. It is a major center of Zen Buddhism in Japan, and both Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji are affiliated with this temple. Even after the Muromachi period, many Japanese leaders, such as Toyotomi Hidyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, supported the temple.
The third temple, Kennin-ji, was founded in 1202. It is believed to be the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto. It contains notable artwork, including a painting of Fuujin and Raijin, the gods of wind and thunder.
The fourth temple, Tofuku-ji, was founded in 1236 by the imperial . It was built to resemble the Buddhist temples Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji in Nara. It was burned down in the 15th Century, but was rebuilt. The main gate is the oldest Zen gate in Japan.
The fifth temple, Manju-ji, was founded in the late 13th Century. It contains a noteworthy figure of the Amida Buddha, as well as esoteric art about the life of Siddartha Gautama.
Collectively, these temples demonstrate the role of religion in the government in feudal Japan.
Moto Hachiman
The Yui Wakamiya Shrine is commonly known as Moto Hachiman, which means "Original Hachiman." It is the original location of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu. It was founded by Minamoto Yoritomo's ancestor, Minamoto Yoriyoshi, in 1063 after his campaign against Abe no Sadato. Though Yoritomo moved the shrine, he visited his ancestors at this site. Though not nearly as magnificent as the current Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, it retains deep historical significance.
Tomb of Minamoto Yoritomo
This site, 100 meters from the former location of the Kamakura Shogun's place of office, is commonly believed to be the resting site of the first Shogun of Japan, Minamoto Yoritomo, who died in 1199 after falling off a horse. He was buried in a temple that was his personal place of worship, which has since moved. The temple was also where Yoritomo's son Sanetomo found refuge from rebels, and where 500 members of the Miura Clan committed ritual suicide to culminate their feud with the Hojo and Adachi clans. In the Edo Period, after the temple had moved, Yoritomo's cenotaph was moved back here, and a small pagoda was built to mark the gravesite.
Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura
There are five particular Zen temples in Kamakura that are significant enough to bear the name of the Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura. These temples are connected by the Five Mountain System which started in China of state-sponsored temples. A similar Five Mountain System exists in Kyoto.
The first temple, Kencho-ji, is the oldest Zen monastery in Japan, built in 1252, and along with Hachiman-gu, is
the pride of
Kamakura. It was founded by the Emperor but its main
sponsor was the Hojo Clan, which acted as regents for the Kamakura Shogunate. Thou
gh this was for religious purposes, it was also political; the head temple controls the rest, so the Shogun (or rather, the Shogun's regents) was able to better control the country through Zen temples. Though it used to have 49 sub-temples, only ten remain.
The second temple is Engaku-ji. It was commissioned in 1282 by the regent Hojo Tokimune after Japan successfully repealed the Mongolian invasion, as a way to honor those who had died during the battles with the Mongols, both Japanese and Mongol. This temple was instrumental in the popularization and s
pread of Zen.
The third temple, Jufuk
u-ji, is the oldest Zen temple in Japan, though not as famous as Kencho-ji, and was not a Zen temple initially. It was founded in 1200 by Hojo Masako, wife of Minamoto Yoritomo, after her husband's death. The first priest, Myoan Eisai, is considered to be the father of Japanese Zen. The temple, though small now, once had 14 sub-temples. In addition, there is a vast graveyard made of caves in which all the chief priests are buried, as well as Hojo Masako and her son Minamoto no Sanetomo.
The fourth temple, Jochi-ji, was founded in 1282 by Hojo Morotoki after his father Hojo Munemasa's dea
th at the age of 29. It is assumed that Munemasa's wife and brother made significant contributions, as Morotoki was very young at the time. By the 20th Century, the temple was in decay, and it has since been completely rebuilt.
The fifth temple, Jomyo-ji, was originally founded as a Mikkyo temple in 1188 by the priest Taiko Gyoyu, but after the opening of Kencho-ji, it changed its denomination to a Zen temple. It is the only one of the five that was not founded or sponsored by a member of the Hojo clan. Instead, its chief sponsor was Ashikaga Sadauji, whose son Ashikaga Takauji would found the Muromachi Shogunate. It was damaged and its sponsorships lost in the Sengoku Period, but it was rebuilt in the 18th Century.
These temples demonstrate the beginnings and rising popularity of Zen Buddhism in Japan, and the ties it had to the government in its early years.
Kotoku-in
The Kotoku-in Temple was built in 1252, and was destroyed by a tsunami in the 15th Century and never was rebuilt. The Great Buddha that was in the temple, however, remains. It now stands in open air. The bronze statue of Amida Buddha is 13 meters high and weighs 93 tons, making it one of the largest Buddha statues in Japan. It remains a famous icon of Japan.
Tsutsujigasaki Palace/Takeda Shrine
The site of the Takeda family's former residence is now a shrine to Takeda Shingen, one of the greatest warlords in the Sengoku Period, who was often called "The Tiger of Kai." Shingen did not build any castles, saying, "men are your castle, men are your castle walls, men are your moats," thus placing faith in his men rather than in fortifications. As such, not even Tsutsujigasaki is formally called a castle, and Shingen never built any other castles. The Taisho Emperor commissioned a shrine to be built on the ruins of Tsutsujigasaki to honor Shingen in 1915, in a move to honor those who had died in war.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
This shrine, the most important shrine in Kamakura, was built in 1063, and was moved to its present location by Minamoto Yoritomo, the first shogun of Japan, in 1191. It is dedicated to Hachiman, the Japanese god of war. The foot path leading up to the shrine was built so that Yoritomo's son could have a long procession when visiting the shrine. It doubled as a Buddhist temple until the Meiji era, when Buddhism and Shinto were forced to separate. The shrine shows the role that Shinto played in the Japanese shogunate.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Kamakura
Kamakura is today a small city of only 174 thousand people, but in the 12th to 14th Century, it was the seat of the Kamakura Shogunate and was the fourth largest city in the world at the time. It is directly south of Tokyo and borders Yokohama to the north. Much of Kamakura's heritage was destroyed after the fall of the Shogunate, but some important temples and shrines remain.
Sites in Kamakura listed in this blog:
Monday, July 12, 2010
Iwami Ginzan
Iwami Ginzan is a silver mine in Shimane Prefecture, and is now listed as a World Heritage Site. Developed in the mid-16th Century, it was frequently contested by warlords until Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of it following the Battle of Sekigahara. The silver was used to mint coins. In the 17th Century, it produced 38 tons a year, a third of the world's production of silver at the time. It was closed down in the nineteenth century. This site shows the role that resource production played during the Sengoku Period and Edo Period.
Ise Grand Shrine
This shrine is the oldest and most important shrine in Japan, commonly agreed to have been built in 4 BCE. It is dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu, from whom the Imperial Family is said to have descended. The legend goes that the daughter of the Emperor established the shrine after searching for 20 years for a permanent place to worship Amaterasu. Ise Grand Shrine is a shrine complex with several shrines surrounding it. There are two main shrines, the Inner Shrine and the Outer Shrine, that are six kilometers apart. Access to the public is strictly limited, and the High Priest or Priestess must be descended from the Imperial Family; it is said the Sacred Mirror, one of the three treasures given to the Imperial Family by Amaterasu, is in them. These shrines are some of the few Shinto shrines that exist today before the introduction of Buddhism, and essentially show Shinto in its purest form.
Mie Prefecture
Mie Prefecture, near Osaka, has a population of 1.85 million. Its capital city, Tsu, has a population of 292 thousand. Mie Prefecture is known best for Ise Grand Shrine, and Tsu was a popular stopping point for travelers going to the shrine.
Locations in Mie Prefecture covered by this blog:
Matsue Castle
This castle, nicknamed the "Black Castle," is the symbol of the city of Matsue. It is the second-largest castle of the twelve castles that remain in Japan in their original wooden form, and not a concrete reconstruction. Though it was never in a war, all but the castle tower had been destroyed in 1875, and was not reconstructed until the 1950s. Having been preserved so well, it provides an excellent look at the castles of feudal Japan.
Shimane Prefecture
Locations in Shimane Prefecture covered by this blog:
Izumo Taisha
Izumo Taisha, located in Shimane Prefecture, is one of the oldest and most important Shinto shrines in Japan, second only to the Ise Grand Shrine. Shinto mythology says that the sun goddess Amaterasu personally presented this shrine to the god Okuninushi personally after he gave the country of Japan to her grandson, the great-grandfather of the first Emperor of Japan. It is not known exactly when it was built, but in the 10th Century it is said to be about 48 meters tall, even taller than Todai-ji. It was reduced in size during the Kamakura period, and today it stands only half as tall as its original size. It was an important location for pilgrimage during the 18th and 19th Century, and one of the most important government-funded shrines in the Meiji Period.
Yakushi-ji
This Buddhist temple was founded in the 7th century by Emperor Temmu, to pray for his wife's illness. It was moved to Nara soon after its completion. Today, it remains one of the most important Buddhist temples. One of its pagodas dates back to the original 7th Century construction.
Horyu-ji
Commissioned by Prince Shotoku in the early 7th Century, this temple in Nara houses a pagoda widely accepted to be the oldest wooden building in the world, though some believe it is a reconstruction. Due to its age, it is valuable for learning about early Japanese architecture, as well as the influence of early Buddhism in Japan.
Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583. It was modeled after Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle, but Toyotomi sought to surpass it. The Toyotomi clan managed to maintain a hold of the castle for 15 years after Tokugawa's victory in the Battle of Sekigahara. Though much of it was burned in the Meiji Restoration and damaged by bombing raids in World War II, it has been reconstructed and is open to the public. The interior has been converted into a museum and does not resemble the interior of a Japanese castle.
Osaka City
Sites in Osaka City covered by this blog:
Daisen Kofun
The Daisen Kofun is a burial mound in the middle of a large cluster of burial mounds in Sakai, Osaka, called the Mozu Cluster. Each tomb in this cluster features a keyhole-shaped mound, which is unique to Japan. The Daisen Kofun is the largest burial mound in the world, measuring at over 500 meters long. It is believed to be the tomb of Nintoku, the 16th Emperor of Japan.
Ishibutai Kofun
Ishibutai Kofun is a tomb built in the late Yamato period in Asuka, near Nara. It is said to be the tomb of Soga no Umako, who played a role in the political reforms of Prince Shotoku. The tomb, which is the largest in Japan, demonstrates a major part of what we know about the Yamato Period.
Shoso-in
The Shoso-in, or Imperial Repository, is a part of Todai-ji. It houses treasures and artifacts related to Emperor Shomu and Empress Komyo, who ruled during the early eighth century in Nara. It was founded by Empress Komyo after the death of her husband Shomu, when she donated 600 items to the temple. Today there are over 9000 items, mostly from the Nara and Heian periods of Japan. They are not on display for the public, but once a year, items are exhibited at the Nara National Museum.
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