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25/12/2015

Hozan Tankai

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- quote
Preserving the Dharma:
Hōzan Tankai and Japanese Buddhist Art of the Early Modern Era
In this beautifully illustrated book, eminent art historian John Rosenfield explores the life and art of the Japanese Buddhist monk Hozan Tankai (1629–1716). Through a close examination of sculptures, paintings, ritual implements, and primary documents, the book demonstrates how the Shingon prelate’s artistic activities were central to his important place in the world of late-seventeenth-century Japanese Buddhism. At the same time, the book shows the richness of early modern Japanese Buddhist art, which has often been neglected and undervalued.
Tankai
was firmly committed to the spiritual disciplines of mountain Buddhism—seclusion, severe asceticism, meditation, and ritual. But in the 1680s, after being appointed head of a small, run-down temple on the slopes of Mount Ikoma, near Nara, he revealed that he was also a gifted artist and administrator. He embarked on an ambitious campaign of constructing temple halls and commissioning icons, and the Ikoma temple, soon renamed Hōzanji, became a vibrant center of popular Buddhism, as it remains today. He was a remarkably productive artist, and by the end of his life more than 150 works were associated with him.
A major reconsideration
of a key artistic and religious figure, Preserving the Dharma brings much-needed attention to an overlooked period of Japanese Buddhist art.

John M. Rosenfield (1924–2013)
was the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor Emeritus of East Asian Art at Harvard University and curator emeritus of Asian art at the Harvard University Art Museums. His recent publications include Portraits of Chogen: The Transformation of Buddhist Art in Early Medieval Japan and extensive entries in Unrivalled Splendor: The Kimiko and John Powers Collection of Japanese Art.
- source : John M. Rosenfield

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Hoozanji, Hōzan-ji 宝山寺 / 寳山寺 Hozan-Ji
奈良県生駒市門前町1-1 / 1-1 Monzenchō, Ikoma-shi, Nara

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a Buddhist temple in Monzenmachi, Ikoma, Nara, Japan. It is also called 'Ikoma-Shoten' (生駒聖天）.
The area around Hozan-ji was originally a place for the training of Buddhist monks. The name of the place at that time was Daisho-Mudo-ji (大聖無動寺).

Mount Ikoma was originally an object of worship for the ancient people in the region, and so this area was selected as a place for religious training. The training area is said to have opened in 655 by En no Gyōja. Many Buddhist monks, including Kukai (空海), are said to have trained in here.

Hozan-ji started when Tankai (湛海) re-opened this training area in the 17th century. Tankai set up a statue of Kankiten at this place in 1678, the official year Hozan-ji was established.

In the Edo period, this temple was one of the most popular Buddhist temples in this region.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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der Gründer Tankai-Risshi und Hozanji
Seit uralter Zeit verehrt man den Berg Ikoma 生駒山, wo Götter und Heilige wohnen sollen. Die Legende nach soll Enno Gyoja (berühmter Asket im 7.Jhd.) und auch Kobo Daishi (Gründer der Shingon Schule im 10.Jhd.) hier in den Höhlen "Hannyakutsu" , wo sich riesige Felsen und Steine von seltener Gestalt finden, ihre asketischen Übungen praktiziert haben.

Vor ca. 380 Jahren wurde der Hozan Tankai-Risshi (1629 - 1716) in Ise geboren. Er wirkte zuerst im Eitaiji-Tempel von Edo, dem heutigen Tokio. Er kannte sich sehr gut in dem Ritual für Kankiten aus, so dass er damit für den Wiederaufbau des Eitaiji -Tempels, der beim großen Feuer von Edo verbrannt ist, ziemlich viel Spenden sammeln konnte. Das Volk führte dies auf die Wirkung seiner Gebete zurück und bewunderte ihn deshalb sehr.

Danach baute er in Kyoto den Kankiin-Tempel (Kanki-In) und wirkte dort als Abt.
Als er den Ennin-Risshi im Shinhoji in Sakai besuchte, empfing er von ihm die höheren Weihen. Seitdem suchte er weiter nach der wahren Lehre Buddhas. Es genügte ihm nicht, nur im Tempel zu wirken und zu studieren. Im Wald am Fuße des Berges Katsuragi von Yamato fastete er 1000 Tage und am Ende dieser Übungen sah er eine Erscheinung des
Fudomyoou (Acalanatha) und wurde von ihm auf den Berg Ikoma geschickt als den Ort seiner Vervollkommnung.

Am 10.Oktober 1678 kam er mit einigen Schülern auf dem Berg Ikoma an. Ihm wurde die Unterstützung der Dorfbewohner und des Burgvogtes Koriyama zuteil und er baute im Januar des darauf folgenden Jahres die provisorische Haupthalle des Tempels, wo er sich einen lang ersehnten Wunsch erfüllte, nämlich 80,000 Goma-Übungen zu absolvieren.

Damals nannte man den Tempel Daishomudoji.
In den folgenden 10 Jahren vollendete er den Bau der Tempelhallen und änderte den Namen des Tempels in "Hozanji".
Der Tankai-Risshi etablierte "Shoten" - Daishokankiten als Schutzgott des Tempels und strebte danach dort die Ideale des buddhistischen Paradieses zu errichten. Er besaß auch künstlerische Fähigkeiten was die buddhistische Malerei und Bildhauerkunst betrifft. Die Hauptfigur der Verehrung des Tempels und auch mehrere andere Werke sind von ihm selber geschaffen worden.

Des weiteren praktizierte er weiterhin asketische Übungen wie zum Beispiel die der 100,000 Goma und setzte sich als Ziel selber lebend zur Erleuchtung zu gelangen.
Sein Ruhm erreichte den damaligen Machthaber, den Regenten Iehiro, dessen Leiden an einem Geschwür der Tankai durch Gebete geheilt hat.

Der Kinderwunsch des Kaiser Higashiyama und auch des regierenden Shogun Ienori nach einem Stammhalter wurde durch die Einflussnahme des Tankei erfüllt. So fanden sich unter dem Volk und unter den erfolgreichen Kaufleuten immer mehr Anhänger des Tempels und die Anzahl der Gläubigen wuchs ständig und der Trend dieser Beliebtheit hält bis in die Gegenwart an.

Man nennt den Tempel "Shotensan von Ikoma" und man glaubt, dass vor allem weltliche Wünsche Erfüllung finden.
- source : hozanji.com/Hozanji -

生駒山は大昔から神や仙人のようなお方が住む山と周辺から仰ぎあがめられ、巨巌や奇石、幾つかの窟から成る魁偉な姿の般若窟は、寺伝によれば、役行者が梵文般若経を書写して納め、弘法大師も若いころ修行された。
今から三百数十年前、伊勢に生まれ、江戸永代寺に入った宝山湛海律師（一六二九～一七一六）は歓喜天に対する修法に優れ、江戸の大火で焼失した永代寺八幡宮の復興では思わぬ所から金や資材が集まる祈祷の効験を発揮、人々を驚かせた。
その後、京都に歓喜院を建て、独立した。しかし、ある日訪れた円忍律師の教えを受け、堺・神鳳寺（現、大鳥神社）で律師に戒を授かり、真の仏法とは何かを求めることに目覚めた。そして、道場だけの行に飽き足らず、大和葛城山麓の山林で千日不出の木食行を続け、その千日目近く、我が行を完成するにふさわしい山として「生駒山の存在」を、念ずる不動明王に暗示された。
延宝六年（一六七八）十月十日、湛海は数人の弟子と生駒山に入った。村人や郡山藩家老らの援助と協力で翌年正月、五間四面の仮本堂が出来、湛海は念願の八万枚護摩を果たした。寺は当初、大聖無動寺と号した。

- continue reading on the HP of the temple 寳山寺
- source : hozanji.com -

お守り　click for amulets from Hozan-Ji !

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source :　Thierry Mollandin - facebook -

This temple is officially located in Nara, but many people from Osaka come here to pray and enjoy the vista too.

生駒不動明王 Ikoma Fudo Myo-O
生駒聖天 Ikoma Shoten

. Pilgrimage to 18 Shingon Temples .

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- Reference - Japanese -
- Reference - English -

. Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets .

- - - #hozantankai #tankaihozan - - -
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04/12/2015

Imagawa Yoshimoto

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... one of the leading daimyo (feudal lords) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was one of the three daimyo that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He was one of the dominant daimyo in Japan for a time, until his death in 1560.
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As he was not the eldest son, he was ineligible to inherit the family headship directly from his father. As a result, the young boy was sent to a temple where his name was changed to Baigaku Shōhō (梅岳承芳) or Sengaku Shōhō (栴岳承芳). Unrest broke out when his older brother Ujiteru died suddenly in 1536. His elder half-brother, Genkō Etan (玄広恵探, tried to seize the heirship but the clan split into two factions. Yoshimoto's faction demanded that since Yoshimoto's mother was the consort of Ujichika, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's faction demanded that since he was older, he was the rightful heir. Genkō Etan's mother was a concubine and a member of the Kushima family, but they were defeated and killed in the Hanagura Disturbance (花倉の乱 Hanagura-no-ran). Baigaku Shōhō changed his name to Yoshimoto at this point and succeeded the clan.

After Yoshimoto succeeded to family headship,
he married the sister of Takeda Shingen of Kai. This allowed him to cement an alliance with the Takeda. Soon after, Yoshimoto fought against the Hōjō of Sagami. Starting in 1542, Yoshimoto began his advance into Mikawa Province, in an effort to fight the growing influence of Oda Nobuhide in that region. In campaigns over the course of the ensuing decades, Yoshimoto wrested control of a wide area including Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa provinces.
In 1552,
Shingen's son, Takeda Yoshinobu, married Yoshimoto's daughter. Yoshimoto and the Hōjō clan reached a peace agreement in 1554 with the marriage of Yoshimoto's son Ujizane to the daughter of Hōjō Ujitsuna. In 1558, Yoshimoto left the clan's political affairs in Ujizane's hands, in order to focus on dealing with the advance westward into Mikawa.

Battle of Okehazama and death 桶狭間
In the summer of 1560, after forming a three-way alliance with the Takeda and the Hōjō, Yoshimoto headed out to the capital with Tokugawa Ieyasu (then known as Matsudaira Motoyasu) of Mikawa in the vanguard.[5] Despite having a strong force of 25,000, Yoshimoto deliberately announced that he had 40,000 troops. While this statement put fear in many factions, Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province saw through it. (Some historical sources support the claim of 40,000.)

With many victories, Yoshimoto's army was letting its guard down, celebrating with song and sake. A surprise attack by the Oda army of 3,000 following a downpour left Yoshimoto's army in complete disorder. Two Oda samurai (Mōri Shinsuke and Hattori Koheita) ambushed the Imagawa army and killed Yoshimoto, in the village of Dengakuhazama.

Imagawa Ujizane succeeded to family headship after Yoshimoto's death, but the Imagawa clan fell from power. Ujizane was later summoned by Tokugawa Ieyasu and became a kōke in the administration of the Tokugawa clan.
Yoshimoto's niece was Lady Tsukiyama, the wife of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Yoshimoto has several graves; his body itself is buried at Daisei-ji, a temple in the city of Toyokawa in modern Aichi Prefecture.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Surugadako, Suruga tako 駿河凧 kite from Suruga

- - - - - Ushiwakamaru 牛若丸

This dates back to the local regent Imagawa Yoshimoto, who flew this kite over his Suruga castle.

. Shizuoka Folk Art - 静岡県　 .

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. Suruga Province (駿河国, Suruga no kuni) .

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- Reference - Japanese 今川義元 -
- Reference - English -

. Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets .

- - - #imagawayoshimoto #suruga - - -
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21/11/2015

Matsudaira Uneme

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Matsudaira Uneme no Sho 松平采女正　Sadamoto　定基
(1687 - 1759)

He was the fourth lord of the Imabari domain. He became lord when his father died in 1702, and took the name of Uneme no Sho 采女正.
He retired in 1732.

When his estate in Edo burned down, he did not build it again and removed to Koji-Machi.
His estate became a plain and in 1717 a riding ground (baba 馬場).

- Helmet of Sadamoto

Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868
By Morihiro Ogawa, Kazutoshi Harada,
- source : books.google.co.jp -

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To wear mu like a banner, extravagantly, as though marching with complete abandon into the abyss of death, must have made the helmet's owner, the fervently Buddhist daimyo Matsudaira Sadamoto, a striking figure on his annual march to Edo. It is also a reminder of how Japanese Buddhism merged seamlessly with the 1,200-year panorama of warfare and cultural politics that preceded the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
- - - - - The Art of Twentieth-Century Zen Exhibition
- source : tricycle.com/reviews

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. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

Unemegahara　采女ヶ原 Uneme plain

Hasegawa Settan

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Unemegahara was located in what is today Ginza 5 chōme, Chuō Ward.
The name of Unemegahara stemmed from the fact that until 1724 the residence of
松平采女正定基 Matsudaira Uneme-no-sho-Sadamoto, the Imabari feudal lord was located there.
The residence was relocated to 麹町 Kōji-machi after a great fire.
A riding ground was then constructed on the vacated site, and the surrounding area
developed as an entertainment district.
It is said that it was a flourishing area with a row of booths, reed screen shacks,
professional storytellers, 浄瑠璃 joruri (dramatic narrative chanted to a shamisen accompaniment),
teahouses, and archery ranges.
- source : library.metro.tokyo.jp -

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Much of the newly created land on the riversides and along the bay was allocated to daimyo lords for their villas and storehouses. Here, in a two-part 1830s woodcut print by Hasegawa Settan of Unemegahara, in what is now Ginza 5-chome in Chuo Ward, we can see an interesting contrast between bustling commoners’ activities and the hushed silence of one of those large daimyo residences.

The horse track in the print
was originally the site of a daimyo mansion that was razed in a fire in 1726. Soon after, a savvy townsman by the name of Chubee was given permission to open a rent-a-horse center on the vacant lot for the equestrian training of low-class samurai who could not afford their own mounts. Combined with refreshment and entertainment services, Chubee’s business thrived, attracting crowds of people from all walks of life.
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Mannen-bashi — the wooden bridge in the illustration, now of concrete — spans not the canal, but traffic roaring along the Shuto Expressway below. Turning right just before Man’nen-bashi, cross another bridge, the arched Uneme-bashi (named after Unemegahara) dating from 1930 that has recently been nicely refurbished with decorative metal railings and a pocket park planted with cherry and fruit trees.
- source : japantimes.co.jp 2003 -

source : shisly.cocolog-nifty.com

In 1728 Shogun Yoshimune 吉宗 had an elephant from Vietnam brought to Edo and kept it in the ground of Unemegahara. This caused an "elephant boom" in Edo and attracted many visitors. The elephant lived for 13 years, later moved to the estate of 浜御殿 Hama Goten.
April 28 was named the "day of the Elephant".
４月28日を「象の日」

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Unemebashi 采女橋 Uneme bridge
このあたりは、江戸前期に松平采女正の屋敷があり、享保９年（１７２４年）の大火で焼けたあと火除地になって、俗に采女が原と呼ばれました。橋名の由来はここからきたものと思われます。
采女が原は、明治２年に采女町と称する市街地となり、銀座煉瓦街と築地の外国人居留地との間に位置して和洋混合の新興市街地が形成されていったようです。
震災復興時に架け替えられた現在の橋は、当時意匠的に優れていたといわれるアーチが採用されました。また橋の下は昭和３７年に築地川から現在の高速道路に姿を変えました。
区では平成２年度に、幻のホテル”築地ホテル館”（明治元年、近代的な洋式ホテル第一号として誕生し、栄華を誇ったが明治５年焼失）と”銀座の柳”を題材にした意匠で高欄等を整備しました。
平成３年３月
東京都中央区
source : viva-edo.com/kinenh

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Unemegahara no baba 采女ヶ原馬場 Riding Ground

It is well known for the revenge killing of 中山安兵衛 Nakayama Yasubei.
Around 1730, Shogun Yoshimune held a large 流鏑馬 Yabusame event here.
Yabusame is horse riding and shooting four arrows at a target.

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- - - ##matsudairauneme ##unemegahara - - -
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15/11/2015

Oguri Hangan

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Oguri Hangan 小栗判官
「小栗の判官」「おぐり判官」 - - - - - Okuri 「をくりの判官」「をくり」「おくり」

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Legend of Hangan Oguri
A long time ago,the Oguri clan built a castle in Hitachi (present-day Kyowa,Makabe-gun, Ibaraki).
According to "Kamakura Daizoshi", Oguri allied with Uesugi when Shuzen Uesugi rebelled some 600 years ago (1415) in Kanto, only to be defeated by Mochiuji Ashikaga.
Mitsushige, Lord of Oguri Castle, and his son Sukeshige (Hangan Oguri) fled for Migawa where the Oguri clan lived.
While hiding in Sugami, Oguri was poisoned by thieves at Gongen-do Temple.

Healed by the Tsuboyu Waters of Yunomine

However, he was saved by a maiden named Terute 照手姫. He then fled to Fujisawa on an unbroken horse where he was aided by the Priest Yugyo. Later,Oguri became ill, but with the guidance of Yugyo and the sympathy of many including Terute, he made a pilgrimage to Kumano where the protection of Deities and the healing waters of Yunomine nursed him back to health.
Oguri was the 15th Lord of the Oguri Castle,but was ultimately killed in battle against Nariuji Ashikaga.
It is believed that a shrine maiden from Oguri's home country of Hitachi created the heroic epic to console the spirit of the ruined Oguri clan. From historical fact,the story became legend and was ultimately told time and time again.
- source : hongu.jp/en/kumano-kodo -

Yunomine Onsen 湯の峰温泉 and Oguri Hangan - 和歌山県 Wakayama is a related location.
熊野市 Kumano
The samurai 小栗判官 Oguri Hangan had been given poison by his enemies and turned almost into a gaki 餓鬼 hungry demon. Yakushi Nyorai appeared in his dream and told him to go to Yunomine Hot Spring to be healed.

. Yakushi Onsen 薬師温泉 Hot Springs and Yakushi Nyorai .

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藤沢市遊行寺（清浄光寺 Jojoko-Ji）長生院 Chosei-In
Fujizawa 藤沢市

Temple hall in honor of Oguri 小栗堂

説経節にみる小栗判官伝説
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Fujisawa: Oguri Hangan
from the series Fifty-three Pairings for the Tôkaidô Road (Tôkaidô gojûsantsgui)
歌川国芳
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA

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source : wikiart.org

Oguri Hangan Sukeshige and Yamasaki - by Utagawa Sadatora
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA

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- quote -
Kabuki - Tôryû Oguri Hangan
Oguri Hangan Daisukeshige (1398 - 1464)
was the son of a provincial lord who had been dispossessed of his estates by the Ashikaga clan. He led an extremely adventurous life when young, but eventually settled down and led a quiet life. He was famous for his horsemanship and was reputed to be able to make a horse stand with all four hooves on a goban. A legend was born, related to Hangan's real adventures. This legend has all the elements of great myth and is one of the great classics of Sekkyô music, narrative singing telling Buddhist stories of miracles and tragedies.
In the original legend, Oguri was born to an aristocratic family in Kyôto, only to be driven from his home. He wandered through the country, finally ending up at the mansion of a man named Daizen in Hitachi, one of the distant provinces in the east. Daizen's daughter Terute fell in love with Oguri, but Daizen first tries to kill him with a wild horse, then with poisoned wine. In the end, he ends up horribly deformed and half-dead, already almost part of the world beyond. But people faithfully believing in a miracle and believing that pulling this cart will bring them great merit pull him on a cart. Finally, he reaches a waterfall in the sacred land of Kumano and is restored to life.
Oguri Hangan and his betrothed Princess Terute became the heroes of many Kabuki or puppet theater dramas.
Here is a short list of the most famous ones: (- snip - )

- - - - - Oguri Hangan and Princess Terute flying over the audience

Summary
The hero Oguri sets out to find out the true story behind the suspicious suicide of the father of his fiancee, Princess Terute, and to find stolen family heirlooms. His enemies intend to use against him his pride in his horse-handling skills by getting him to try and tame a savage, man-eating horse. They expect him to be killed in the attempt, but instead he completely masters the horse and has it stand on its rear legs on a go board, before making his escape.

The fisherman Namishichi, who is Oguri's former retainer, hides Princess Terute in his house, but she is abducted by his corrupt brother-in-law. He follows in pursuit but cannot stop the princess being taken away by boat. He decides to forfeit his life in return for the safety of the princess and commits seppuku by the sea. A river of blood flows from Namishichi's belly. The dragon gods hear his plea and the winds blow the princess's boat back to shore. Namishichi and his brother-in-law come to final blows, and the last we see of Namishichi is his lifeless body spread-eagled upside down on the side of a cliff.

In pursuit of his fiancee and family heirlooms, Oguri has made his way to a manor house in the countryside where he has promised to marry the daughter in return for getting the heirlooms. But Princess Terute has been washed ashore nearby and has obtained work as a maid in the house. She and Oguri are reunited, and Oguri breaks off the engagement with the daughter. However, she is besotted with Oguri and refuses to give him up despite her mother's strenuous pleading. When the daughter seeks to murder Terute, the mother sees she has no alternative but to kill her own daughter. Yet, even after the murder, the daughter's ghost returns to bring revenge, and Oguri is afflicted with lameness and horrible facial scarring. Terute takes Oguri on a cart to a shrine on Kumano where the local saint is able to produce Oguri's healing. The horse painting on the shrine wall comes to life and Oguri and Terute fly off (over the heads of the audience) to confront their enemies and restore their fortunes.
- - - - - Courtesy of Jean Wilson (1997)

Trivia
It is a custom for actors about to perform in an oguri-hanganmono to go to pray in front of the tombstone of Oguri Hangan, which is located in the precincts of a temple in the city of Fujisawa (Kanagawa prefecture).
- source : kabuki21.com/oguri_hangan -

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Matsuri 小栗判官まつり Oguri Hangan Festival
Chikusei Town 筑西市, Ibaraki

- quote -
The festival, which began in 1989, recreates the story of Oguri-Hangan, and is held annually on the first Sunday in December. Aiming at revitalization of the town, several events are carried out at the site; local precuts market, musical performances, try-out booths and snack bars. Every year, more than 20,000 people visit the festival.

The highlight of the festival is the Musha-Gyoretsu (warrior procession). Oguri-Hangan mounted on a horse strolls along JR Niihari Station Street, accompanied by more than 300 costumed people, including Terute-Hime, maids, Hangan’s ten brave warriors and child warriors. Performers of traditional entertainment such as Oguri Dai-dai Kagura, Chigyo Yagibushi, Mikoshi, and Furusato Taiko of Hitachi join the procession, and excitement over the festival heats up. The street along which the procession passes is crowded with thousands of people, as the festival reaches a crescendo.
- source : city.chikusei.lg.jp-

- reference -

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- quote
Oguri hangan ichidaiki:
Tales of the samurai : Oguri hangwan ichidaiki, being the story of the lives, the adventures, and the misadventures of the Hangwan-dai Kojirō Sukeshige and Terute-hime, his wife
/ a redaction from the kōdan and chronicles of the Japanese originals
by James S. de Benneville.
- source : catalog.hathitrust.org

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蜘蛛の囲の湯殿や小栗判官の
kumo no i no yudono ya Oguri Hangan

the bath
surrounded by spider webs - Oguri
Hangan

佐々木六戈 Sasaki Rokka (1955 - )

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- Reference - Japanese -

- Reference - English -

. Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets .

- - - #ogurihangan - - -
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19/09/2015

Ino Tadataka

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a Japanese surveyor and cartographer. He is known for completing the first map of Japan created using modern surveying techniques.

Early life
Inō was born in Kujūkuri, a coastal village in Kazusa Province, in what is now Chiba Prefecture, and was adopted (aged seventeen) by the prosperous Inō family of Sawara (now a district of Katori, Chiba), a town in Shimōsa Province. He ran the family business, expanding its sake brewing and rice-trading concerns, until he retired at the age of 49. At this time he moved to Edo and became a pupil of astronomer Takahashi Yoshitoki, from whom he learned Western astronomy, geography, and mathematics.

Mission
In 1800, after nearly five years of study, the Shogunate permitted Inō to perform a survey of the country using his own money. This task, which consumed the remaining seventeen years of his life, covered the entire coastline and some of the interior of each of the Japanese home islands. During this period Inō reportedly spent 3,736 days making measurements (and travelled 34,913 kilometres), stopping regularly to present the Shogun with maps reflecting his survey's progress. He produced a number of detailed maps (some at a scale of 1:36,000, others at 1:216,000) of select parts of Japan, mostly in Kyūshū and Hokkaidō.

Inō's magnum opus, his 1:216,000 map of the entire coastline of Japan, remained unfinished at his death in 1818, but was completed by his surveying team in 1821. An atlas collecting all of his survey work, entitled Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu (ja:大日本沿海輿地全図 Maps of Japan's Coastal Area), was published that year. It had three pages of large scale maps at 1:432,000, showed the entire country on eight pages at 1:216,000 and 214 pages of select coastal areas in fine detail at 1:36,000. The Inō-zu (Inō's maps), many of which are accurate to 1/1000 of a degree, remained the definitive maps of Japan for nearly a century, and maps based on his work were in use as late as 1924.
In addition to his maps,
Inō produced several scholarly works on surveying and mathematics, including Chikyū sokuenjutsu mondō and Kyūkatsuen hassenhō.

Commemoration
Inō is celebrated as one of the architects of modern Japan. A museum, dedicated to his memory, was opened in his former home in Sawara, and in 1996 was designated a National Historic Site. In November 1995 the Japanese government issued a commemorative 80 Yen postage stamp, showing Inō's portrait and a section of his map of Edo. Most of the complete copies of the atlas have been lost or destroyed (often by fire), although a mostly-complete copy of the large-scale map was discovered in the collection of the U.S. Library of Congress in 2001.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

He was even choosen for a Google Logo in Japan.

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Inō Tadataka (Inō Chūkei) (1745-1818)
was born in Kazusa Province in 1745. He was adopted as the heir of the Inō family in the city of Sawara. He managed the family brewery until he was fifty. After he retired he began to study astronomy, geography and mathematics and began drawing maps. Between 1800 and 1816 he spent 3,736 days taking measurements and mapping Japan. His maps are accurate to about a thousandth of a degree.
Tadataka's maps were not completed during his lifetime. In 1821 the Dai Nihon enkai yochi zenzu, an atlas of Japan based on his surveys was completed. The atlas contained 214 sheets on a scale of 1:36,000, 8 sheets on a scale of 1:216,000 and 3 sheets on a scale of 1:432,000.
Though Inō's maps were not in use during the Edo period, they were made the standard maps of the country in the Meiji era. Maps published by the British Navy in the 1860's were based on Inō's maps, and maps based on Inō's were used as late as 1924 by the Japanese military.

The stamp was issued in November 1995 to observe the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ino Tadataka. The map depicted on the stamp is a portion of a map attributed to Tadataka. The map shows an area centered, more or less on Edo (now Tokyo), and shows the province of Kazuza where Takataka was born. The city of Sawara is slightly north and just west of the the point on the right of the land in the map.
The portrait of Tadataka is from a contemporary painting.
- source : sio.midco.net/dansmapstamps -

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Ino Tadataka Museum 伊能忠敬記念館 Inoh Tadataka Museum
1722-1 Sawara-i, Katori City, Chiba Prefecture 香取市
- source : city.katori.lg.jp/museum -

- quote -
Japan's Master Cartographer: The Inoh Tadataka Museum
Inoh Tadataka (1745-1818),
a wealthy Sawara rice and sake merchant, had ancestors with a penchant for surveying and mapmaking, and perhaps thus influenced he developed a fascination with astronomy in middle age. Retiring from his business at 49, he moved to Edo, where he studied for five years with the Shogunate's official astronomer, then set out on the first of ten surveying expeditions the length and breadth of Japan. That initial effort, to make the first accurate map of the northern island of Ezo (now Hokkaido), so impressed the Shogunate that it commissioned him for several more expeditions. Inoh traveled and surveyed almost incessantly for 17 years until shortly before his death; his masterwork, a detailed map of the entire Japanese archipelago, was published posthumously in 1821. The soon-to-be legendary "Inoh Map" (Inoh-zu) was so accurate that it set the standard for maps of Japan, both domestic and foreign, for another century -- German and British cartographers copied it too.

The Inoh Tadataka Museum is Sawara's spacious, well-organized tribute to this remarkable favorite son. Fortunately for visitors in transit from Narita, it offers reasonably detailed English descriptions of its exhibits, most of which are, naturally, maps, of all sizes and scales. One of the most revealing is an electronic display that superimposes the Inoh Map on a recent Landsat photo of Japan. Aside from some slight longitudinal deviation (longitude, which Inoh tried to derive from observations of solar and lunar eclipses, was much harder to measure than latitude), the Inoh Map is an astonishingly close match to the satellite's.

Inoh Tadataka's map of Japan, 1821

Nearly as fascinating as Inoh's maps are the museum's charts of the labyrinthine routes he took on his expeditions, zigzagging his way up and down the archipelago with a band of surveyors, retainers and guards. (It is interesting to see how Inoh's mapping accuracy improved as the Shogun increased his budgetary support.)
- source : Alan Gleason -

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伊能忠敬 : 清水靖夫

伊能忠敬 : 大石学 / 西本鶏介

- Reference - 伊能忠敬 -

- Reference - English -

. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

. Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets .

- - - #inotadataka #tadatakaino - - -
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18/09/2015

Shibukawa Shunkai Harumi

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. koyomi 暦 Japanese calendars .
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Shibukawa Shunkai 渋川春海 Shibukawa Harumi
(1639 - 1715)

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also known as Shibukawa Harumi, Yasui Santetsu II 二世保井算哲, and
Motoi Santetsu 保井算晢, was a Japanese scholar, go player and the first official astronomer appointed of the Edo period.
He revised the Chinese lunisolar calendar at the imperial request, drawing up the Jōkyō calendar which was issued in 1684 during the Jōkyō era. In 1702, he changed his name to Shibukawa Sukezaemon Shunkai and retired by 1711. As a go player, he was affiliated with the Yasui house, calling himself initially (after his father) Yasui Santetsu II. He is mentioned as a Tengen player in Yamashita Keigo 's book: Challenging Tenge.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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The Jōkyō calendar (貞享暦 Jōkyō-reki) was a Japanese lunisolar calendar, in use from 1684 to 1753. It was officially adopted in 1685.
The Jōkyō-reki system was developed and explained by Shibukawa Shunkai. He recognized that the length of the solar year is 365.2417 days.
Shibukawa discovered errors in the traditional Chinese calendar, the Semmyō calendar, which had been in use for 800 years.

Japan has been using the Gregorian calendar since 1874,
but still refers to its KYUREKI 旧暦, the old calendar, on many occasions.
. Calendar Systems of Japan - Introduction .
Calendar History / Local calendars / E-goyomi (Picture calendar) / Daisho-reki calendars / Various forms of calendars

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Shibukawa Harumi
Title:Tenmon gata
Japanese:澁川春海(Shibukawa Harumi or Shibukawa Shunkai)
Other names Yasui Santetsu II 二世保井算哲 Motoi Santetsu 保井算晢

Harumi was born into a family of go-players to the shogunate, but was also interested in mathematics and astronomy. At that time Japan was still calculating the calendar using the Tang calendar the Senmyô calendar 宣明暦, which it had adopted in 8612, and inaccuracies in the calendar were obvious, especially that the winter solstice was calculated almost two days late. Also, it was not very accurate with eclipses, in particular predicted far too many. Harumi like some other scholars of the time believed that the Mongol-period Juji calendar 授時暦, which was the apex of the Chinese calendar tradition,should be adopted in Japan.

Through his professional connections as a go-player he was able to interest several officials in the project, especially Hoshina Masanori 保科正之 of Aizu, the shogun's guardian, and Mito Mitsukuni. He made a table of eclipses as predicted by the Senmyô and Juji calendars to prove the superiority of the later.

However, on 1675/5/1 an eclipse that was predicted by the Senmyô calendar but not by the Juji calendar did occur, and so the idea of changing calendars was rejected. Harumi managed to get hold of a (forbidden) Chinese work on western astronomy, and "localized" the 13th-century Chinese calendar for 17th century Japan, and in 1683 petitioned the imperial court to adopt the "Yamato" calendar. However, the next year the court decided to adopt the Ming-period Daitô calendar 大統暦, a very slight revision of the Juji calendar. Harumi again petitioned, saying the Daitou calendar was not suitable for Japan, and finally on 1684/10/29 the Yamato calendar was accepted, and it went into effect the next year as the Jôkyô calendar 貞享暦.

After that, the shogunate established the office of the Tenmon gata 天文方, and Harumi became the first holder of that post. He had an observatory on his property and built some astronomical instruments.
- source : wiki.samurai-archives.com -

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tenmongata, tenmonkata 天文方 - Astronomical Bureau with officer in charge of astronomy
Members of Yoshida family inherited the position of Tenmonkata until the end of Edo period.

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tenmondai 天文台　Edo observatory
In the late Edo Period, the Tokugawa shogunate’s astronomical observatory was built in the location that is now known as Asakusabashi 3-chome. The facility was responsible for conducting astronomical observation, creating calendar-construction rules, surveying lands, compiling geographical descriptions and translating Western books.,
The observatory was an astronomical office where calendars were compiled, originally, the facility was called "Hanreki-sho Goyo Yashiki," it was also known as "Shitendai" and "Asakusa Tenmondai."
The astronomical observatory was essential in order to create accurate calendars..

Hokusai Katsushika was a well-known ukiyoe artist who was active in the late Edo Period. The Asakusa Observatory, equipped with an armillary sphere, is depicted against a backdrop of Mt. Fuji in "Torigoe no Fuji," which is a print contained in "One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji" by Hokusai.
At the observatory, Yoshitoki Takahashi, an official astronomer, and others observed celestial bodies in order to conduct the Kansei calendar reform. Tadataka Inoh was a disciple of Yoshitoki.
(Reference: Taito Meisho Zue)
. Edo Torigoe 鳥越 Torigoe Ward (Torikoe) .

Heitengi Zukai (1802)
"Heitengi Zukai," a handbook of astronomy, was written by Zenbe Iwasaki, who was also a maker of telescopes. The book includes illustrations of the sun, the moon and stars, which were observed by him using a refracting telescope.

The Astronomical Herald　(1910)
"The Astronomical Herald" is a journal of the Astronomical Society of Japan, which was established in 1908. Observations of Halley's Comet, which passed the Earth in 1910, are written in the journal.
- source : taito-culture.jp -

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Asakusa Tenmondai 浅草天文台 Asakusa Observatory

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Asakusa Observatory
. . . until about 170 years ago, Asakusabashi was scientifically and technologically one of the most important places in Japan thanks to the astronomical observatory that used to be here, and which included offices for the study of the latest scientific literature from overseas.
Not far from where the observatory was is a signboard, on the south-west corner of Kuramae 1-chome intersection. The following is a full translation of the Japanese information on the signboard (which is only partially translated into English on the signboard).
- - - Site of Astronomical Observatory
In the late Edo era, a little west of this spot, was an astronomical observatory on a road running through an area comprising the whole of Asakusabashi 3-chome 21-24 banchi, and part of 19-, 25- and 26-banchi. Besides astronomical observation, it also hosted other pursuits such as calendar-rule research, surveying, compilation of topographical data, and the translation of Western books.

The observatory was known as Shitendai or Asakusa-tenmondai, and was transferred here in 1782 from Ushigome-waradana (current day Fukuromachi in Shinjuku ward) and rebuilt. It was officially named Hanrekidokoro-goyoyashiki ("The Imperial Office of Calendar Making") which, as the name suggests, was part of the government office, the Tenmongata, for working out the calendar. Astronomical observations were required to ensure calendar accuracy.

Signboard for site of old Asakusa Observatory, Taito ward, Tokyo.

According to a historical document known as Shitendai-no-ki ("Shitendai Records"), the Shitendai observatory was built on top of an artificial hill about 93.6 meters in circumference and about 9.3 meters high. The observatory was a square building, with each wall about 5.5 meters long, access being provided by 43 stone steps. Another historical record, the Kansei-rekisho ("Chronicles of the Kansei Era") states that there were two separate flights of stone stairs, each of 50 steps, and that the artificial hill was 9 meters high.
- snip -
It was here at the Asakusa Observatory that the astronomer Takahashi Yoshitoki (1764-1804) revised the calendar for the Kansei era (1789-1801). One of his understudies was Ino Tadakata (1745-1818), a surveyor and cartographer known for completing the first map of Japan. Before starting his survey of the whole of Japan, Ino first set out to establish the length of one degree of latitude by working out the direction of the observatory from his house in Fukugawa and the distance between them. After Takahashi’s death, upon the advice of his son and heir, Kakeyasu, in 1811 an office for translating foreign books, the Bansho-wage-goyo (蕃所和解御用), was established on the premises.
This office underwent many transformations: from Yogakusho ("Center for Western Learning"), to Bansho-shirabesho ("Western Learning Research and Educational Institute"), to Yosho-shirabesho ("Western Writings Institute"), to Kaiseisho/Kaiseijo (“Office for Opening and Developing”), to Kaisei Gakko (“School for Opening and Developing”), to Daigaku-nanko (“University Southern School”), and was a precursor institution of the current University of Tokyo.

Another observatory was built at Kudanzakaue (present day Kudankita, Chiyoda ward) in 1842, but both were abolished in 1869, in the second year of the modernizing Meiji era.
- source : japanvisitor.blogspot.jp - 1999 -

- reference - edo tenmongata -

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. Sakuma Tenmondai 佐久間天文台 Sakuma observatory .
Sakuma no Sokuryoosho 佐久間町の測量所 Sokuryosho surveying office
神田佐久間町2丁目 Kanda Sakumacho district

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Edo no Tenmongaku　江戸の天文学　Astronomy in Edo

. koyomi uri 暦売 seller of new calendars .

. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

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- Reference - Japanese -

- Reference - English -

. Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets .

- - - #shibukawa #tenmongaku #tenmon #astronomy #edoastronomy - - -
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18/08/2015

Sendai Shiro

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Sendai Shiro (仙臺四郎 or sometimes 仙台四郎), born Haga Shiro,
was a real person who was said to have lived during the late Edo period through the early Meiji period from 1860-1902. He was born a man but is remembered as a god of fortune. Like most legends and their back stories, there are several slightly different versions of how Sendai Shiro came to be. I will be sharing a mix of what I have read, heard, and seen.

One hot summer August evening, the young boy Haga set out to see the fireworks marking the beginning of the city famous Tanabata Festival. Just like today, the best spot to see the fireworks is along the Hirose River. Fighting the crowds and struggling to get a better view, the innocent boy leaned too far over the ledge of a bridge and fell head first straight into the shallow river. Possibly hitting his head and nearly drowning, Haga was never the same. Likely suffering from brain damage, he lost the ability to use or remember most speech and his mental ability deteriorated. Most origin stories fail to mention the boys' parents or guardians. Maybe the young boy was abandoned after the accident. In either case, Haga soon became a common sight wandering aimlessly downtown around the shopping arcades, rarely talking but always smiling. As time went on, something strange began to happen.

Stores Haga frequented did well, even prospering in business. At the same time, establishments ignored by the iconic shaved-head and now growing larger man soon went bankrupt. Locals started calling Haga Shiro a good luck charm. Shop owners tried to coerce Haga into their stores and restaurants were known to treat him to free food. He was a popular sight and everyone wanted to be his friend. It must have been a leisurely life for someone who would have struggled to survive without the care he received from others.

Time went on and eventually Haga, now in his late forties, disappeared from the busy marketplace. Some say he wandered off to die or wandered off then died. To where? No one knows for certain. Several years after Shiro's mysterious death, a shrewd businessman had the idea to sell good luck charms with Haga Shiro's picture and face. The goods became wildly popular and Haga Shiro was soon immortalized as a city legend; the god of good luck, wealth, and prosperity would forever be known as Sendai Shiro.

More critical observers discredit the Sendai Shiro myth. They argue businesses which care little about their customers or reputation and only about money, probably had poor business practices. It was natural for them to be uninviting and eventually close down. Conversely, stores with excellent people skills would serve and welcome someone like Haga. Having the supposed good luck of Sendai Shiro played little importance to these stores as it was their customer service which really brought in customers and secured continuing and future success.

- - - - - Sendai Shiro Today
The spirit of Sendai Shiro is enshrined in Mitakisan Fudo-In Temple (三瀧山不動院). It is a temple located right inside the middle of Clis Road, the heart of the same shopping arcades Sendai Shiro became a legend. The Shingon sect temple is impressive in its own right with several artistic Buddhist statues inside its main hall. The lane leading to the prayer hall has Buddhist items sold on the right side and Sendai Shiro goods sold on the left. Climb the few stairs and look left before going inside the main hall to see a statue of Sendai Shiro. Why not pray for riches here? Next to the statue you can see images of him in picture form. These same pictures of the real Sendai Shiro can be found in many businesses across the city, usually near the cash register watching over the money. Take a look and you are sure to spot them during your travels.
Also keep an eye out for the Sendai Shiro look-alike known as "Heisei Shiro." This cheerful man appears in some local promotional internet videos and can be seen at some local events.
- source : Justin Velgus

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. Sendai no hariko men 仙台の張子面 papermachee masks .　
mask of 仙台四郎 Sendai Shiro

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CLICK for more dolls of Sendai Shiro!

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不思議な福の神「仙台四郎」の解明
―その実在と世界の分析なぜ御利益は必ず訪れるのか!?
大沢忍 (著)

- Reference - Japanese -

- further reference -

- - - #sendaishiro - - -
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10/07/2015

Hidari Jingoro Carpenter

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Hidari Jingoroo 左甚五郎 Hidari Jingoro

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a possibly fictitious Japanese artist, sculptor and carpenter. Although various studies suggest he was active in the early Edo period (around 1596-1644), there are controversies about the historical existence of the person. Jingorō is believed to have created many famous deity sculptures located throughout Japan, and many legends have been told about him. His famous nemuri-neko ("sleeping cat") carving is located above the Kuguri-mon Gate amidst the sacred mountain shrines and temples of Nikkō, Japan. Amongst these shrines and temples is Nikkō Tōshō-gū, a shrine that honors the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Carving of a sleeping cat at Nikkō Tōshō-gū

Jingorō was a famous Edo period artist, designer, sculpturer, carpenter, and architect. He was an apprentice for the Chief Architect Hokyo Yoheiji Yusa of the Imperial Court in Kyoto where he studied how to build temples, shrines, and sculptures. After someone cut his right hand, he learned to work with his left hand and became Hidari Jingoroo (Hidari (左) means "left").

Stories about Jingorō are spread in wide regions in Japan.
According to one, he once saw a woman of such exceptional beauty that he made a sculpture of her. Jingorō begins to drink in the company of the sculpture, and it begins to move, following Jingorō's lead. At first it had no emotion and could only imitate Jingorō's movements. However, when he places a mirror in front of the sculpture, the woman's spirit enters and it comes to life.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Since the cat is watching over the Toshogu shrine compound, even while it is sleeping, there are no mice to worry about.

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CLICK for more of his work !

Tsunagi no Ryu　つなぎの龍 "the Chained Dragon"
秩父夜祭（神社） Chichibu Shrine

The dragon carved by Jingoro came down every night to drink at the pond and caused much damage to the rice paddies.
So it was eventually fixed with a chain.

There are many similar stories, many relating to the dragon, but also to other animals, which come down at night to devastate the crops and cause harm to the local farmers.
(In reality it might have been the wild boars and monkeys . . . as they do it to our day.)

A similar story is told at the temple 最勝寺 in 越生町, Saitama.

A similar story is told at the shrine 大井神社 in 菊川町, Shizuoka.

A similar story is told at the temple 泉福寺 in 桶川市, Saitama.

A similar story is told at the temple 竜巣院 in 袋井市, Shizuoka.
Here the dragon got hit with a sword into its side.

A similar story is told at the temple 竜潭寺 in 引佐町, Shizuoka.
Here the hair of the dragon was cut off.

A similar story is told at the shrine 大門神社 in 浦和市, Saitama.
Its eyes were destroyed by hammering nails into them to keep the dragon in place.

A similar story is told at the temple 米倉寺 in 中井町, Kanagawa.

A similar story is told at the temple 高山寺 in 小川町, Nagano.

A similar story is told about a ryuma 竜馬 dragon-horse carved by Jingoro at the temple 伝誓寺 Densei-Ji in 岡崎市, Aichi.

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A similar story is told about a 虎猫 tiger-cat carved by Jingoro at the temple 法住寺 Hoju-Ji in 大塚町, Aichi.
Here the legs of the animal were cut off.

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A similar story is told about a 猿 monkey carved by Jingoro at the shrine 岩清水八幡宮 Iwashimizu Hachimangu in 八幡市, Kyoto.
A nail was put through his right eye.

A similar story is told about a 猿 monkey carved by Jingoro at the shrine 聖天社 in 妻沼町, Saitama.

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A similar story is told about a kamo 鴨 duck carved by Jingoro at the temple 東福寺 Tofuku-Ji in 流山市, Chiba.

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A similar story is told about a tsuru 鶴 crane carved by Jingoro at the temple 長国寺 Chokoku-Ji in 松代町, Nagano.

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A similar story is told about an uma 馬 horse carved by Jingoro at the temple 慈恩寺 Jion-Ji in 幾川村, Saitama
and at 牛句観音 Ushiku Kannon in 敷島町, Yamanashi.
The horse was fixed with a bridle to keep it in place.

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. Asakusa 浅草 district in Edo .

At the famous Kannon Temple 浅草寺 Senso-Ji there was an 絵馬 ema by 狩野元信 Kano Motonobu, which came out at night and ate all the grass in the neighbourhood.
The people finally asked Jingoro to cut away the horse to get back to peace.

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source :　kappanda.blog.so-net.ne.jp

mamuke no ryuu 真向の竜 a dragon looking straight forward

成相山成相寺 Nariai-Ji
[西国三十三所巡礼] Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage

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

丹原町 Tanbara

katame buna 片目鮒 the buna fish with one eye
The buna in the pond of temple Kumyooji 久妙寺 Kumyo-Ji have been carved by Jingoro. The Dragon God later plucked them out of the carvings and threw them in the pond, poking out one eye.

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

下呂市 Gero

koi 鯉 carp

The carp at the main hall of the shrine 久津八幡宮 Kuzu Hachimangu has been carved by Jingoro. It was so well done that the animal escaped every night to the nearby river Hidagawa 飛騨川 to drink water. That is why the road in front of the shrine began to crumble. So behind the carp someone carved the image of an arrow and that brought an end to the nightly outings of the carp.

. Gero Onsen 下呂温泉 Gero Hot Spring Spa .

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

- - - Here is a collection of legends about Jingoro and the shirikodama of the local Kappa, water goblins.

yamawaroo 山童 "mountain child", Kappa
Jingoro made some straw figures and had them help with his work. When the work was finished he told them not to harm people and threw 1000 of them into the sea (to become Kappa) and 1000 into the mountains to become "yamawaro".

....................................................................... and at 河浦町 Kawaura
The straw figures which Jingoro had made built a temple just over night were of no more use after the building was finished.
When he threw them into the river after that, he told them "Just go and eat the assholes of people". So they became Kappa. When such a Kappa eats rice offerings from a Buddhist altar, he can no longer kill people that way.

....................................................................... and at Amakusa, 五和町 Itsuwa
Jingoro made many straw figures and built the residence of the local lord. When the work was finished he threw them into the river and told them "Just go and eat the assholes of people". This is why the Kappa have come to eat the "shirikodama".

....................................................................... and at Amakusa, 御所浦町 Goshoura
When Jingoro was about to build a house, he got angry about one of the helpers, a good-for-nothing. He told him "Just go and eat the assholes of people" , then hit him with a hammer on the backside and threw the hammer into the sea. He made a straw figure 藁人形 and burried in the ground, which later became a Kappa.

....................................................................... and at 牛深市 Ushibuka
At the time when 平清盛 Taira no Kiyomori had Hidari Jingoro do the carvings for 宮島 Miyajima
Jingoro made straw figures and had them help him. When all the work was done the "straw people" asked what to do now.
"Just go and eat the assholes of people" he said, put a nail through the head of each one and threw it into the sea.
They turned out to become Kappa and now have a plate on their head to keep the water of life in it.

(Considering Jingoro is mostly associated with the Edo period, this is an amazing tale, since Kiyomori lived around 1168.)

. 河童 Kappa legends from Kumamoto　熊本県 .

.................................................... Okayama 岡山県 ....................................................

阿波村 Abason

The dragon carved by Jingoro at the shrine 阿波八幡神社 Aba Hachiman Jinja was coming down every night to roam in the fields and cause a lot of damage. So his eyes were rubbed out and peace returned to the villge.

- Introduction of the Shrine.
- source : www.e-tsuyama.com -

.................................................... Osaka 大阪市 ....................................................

At the temple Shitenno-Ji 四天王寺 there is a carving of a sleeping cat.
In the New Year's morning it is always calling out loudly.

So beside the famous cat in Nikko there is one more.
The cat carving amulet was a precious amulet to keep mice away from the silk worms in former times.

. Shitenno-Ji 四天王寺 - Introduction .

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

月潟村 Tsukigata

ryuu 龍 Dragon
Once large ships could not move in the harbour and rumor had it the culprit was the Dragon carved in the local temple.
So people hit a nail into its tongue.
From that day on the ships could pass and move freely, but by sunset on that day, the temple hall burned down completely.

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浦佐町 Urasa

Jingoro spent some time in Echigo. There he heared the legend of Bishamonten who exterminated a wild mountain cat 山猫.
So he carved a mask of the mountain cat and fixed it to the entrance of the 毘沙門堂　Bishamon Hall.
After the main festival every year on the 7th day of the 3rd lunar month at midnight, the cat is howling.
Another legend tells that the mountain cat saved the Bishamon Hall from fire and the mask is now an amulet to prevent fire.

Urasa no neko men 浦佐の猫面 cat mask from Urasa
. Niigata Folk Art - 新潟県　 .

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Sado Island, 畑野町 Hatano

Jingoro carved a cock 鶏 for the shrine Kamo Jinja 加茂神社. He used a living cock borrowed from the neighborhood for his model. When the carving was done, the cock died all of a sudden. In his turn, the wood-carved cock was now crowing every morning. The villagers felt quite eery and eventually it was shot with an arrow in its breast. Then silence returned.

.................................................... Saitama 埼玉県 ....................................................

. Chichibu Jinja 秩父神社　Chichibu shrine .

kosodate no tora 子宝・子育ての虎 mother tiger and her children
(The tiger looks more like a leopard with her fur patterns . . .)

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浦和市 Urawa

After a funeral at the temple 国昌寺 Kokusho-Ji a dragon carved by Jingoro came down to eat the dead body, but then damaged the fields while suffering from a stomach ace. When the villagers hit some nails into the wooden head, all calmed down.

kugizuke no ryuu 釘付けの龍 "the nailed-down dragon"

A similar legend is told at 越谷市 Koshigaya. .

.................................................... Shizuoka 静岡県 ....................................................

Numazu 沼津市

wara ningyoo 藁人形 straw dolls, straw figures
Jingoro was ordered to rebuild the 観音堂 Kannon Hall. Since the festival day was close, there was not much time. So Jingoro asked the villagers to make many human straw figures. He blew life in them and they finished the hall in three days and three nights. Since it was finished in the early morning, it was called

source :　city.numazu.shizuoka.jp

Akeno Kannon 赤野観音 "Kannon in the Red (morning sun) Field".

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

赤松寺 Akamatsu temple

statue of a tiger 虎置物

.................................................... Yamaguchi 山口県 ....................................................

Shimonoseki 下関市

Temple 引接寺 Injo-Ji carving in the ceiling

.................................................... Yamanashi 山梨県 ....................................................

Kofu 中道町 Nakamichi

bakeneko 化け猫 the monster cat
When Jingoro walked along Yamazaki Shinden 山崎新田 he passed by a old woman suffering pain, so he heaved her on his back and carried her on. But is was in fact the stone statue of Jizo 石地蔵. When Jingoro reached the home of the old woman, there was only a servant telling him, the grandma of the home had just died and grandpa was on his way to the temple. The servant had been told not to let the fire go out, but he was tired and had started to nap. At that moment the dead old grandma had tried to get out of the house and Jingoro tried to hold her back as she tried to climb on the roof. Just than grandpa came back, took a stone, threw it up the roof and hit the grandma.
Since the fire went out, the cat from the temple had sneaked in, walked on the roof and tried to steal the dead body.

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- quote -
Toyo-kan (Mountain Lodge)
The lodge worships the Manekineko (lucky beckoning cat) and Hachidai Ryuo (Eight Great Dragon Kings) (Buddhism god) which are assumed to be carved by the noted sculptor Hidari Jingoro.
- source : www.yamanashi-kankou.jp -

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飛騨の甚五郎 Jingoro from Hida - Sake

名工、左甚五郎の名にあやかった
飛騨の清酒です。シャープな切れ味，辛口ごのみの男酒です。
- source : www.hidaroman.com -

carpenter joys -
today we drink
on Jingoro !

Gabi Greve, July 2015

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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

寒菊や大工は左甚五郎
kangiku ya daiku wa hidari jingoroo

chrysanthemum in the cold -
the carpenter is Hidari
Jingoro

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規.

. kangiku 寒菊 (かんぎく) chrysanthemum in the cold .
- kigo for all winter -

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耳立てて甚五郎猫は大昼寝
mimi tatete Jingoro neko wa oo hirune

with ears pricked up
the cat from Jingoro
takes its nap

角田よし子 Tsunoda Yoshiko

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Yokai database 　妖怪データベース　 - - - source: www.nichibun.ac.jp -

- Reference - Japanese -

- Reference - English -

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

. Legends about animals 動物と伝説 .

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. Welcome to Edo 江戸 ! .

. Woodwork in Edo .

- - - #hidarijingoro #jingoro - - -
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