#Fujiwara no Fuhito

[kyotodreamtrips]

The Goma-do (護摩堂) and Bell Tower (鐘楼) in the precincts of Hokke-ji (法華寺) in Nara City, Japan.

[inversionimpulse]

There are a lot of fanon explanations for why Mokou’s Perfect Memento is so blatantly misinformative, but I think an underappreciated possibility is that Mokou just showed up to the Hieda manor and went “Hey, it would be totally badass if you made people think I was some kind of ninja!” and Akyuu, being the good(?) parent(?) that she is(?) said “Sure, dear” and wrote that in even though it made no sense.

[city-of-ladies]

Kōmyō (701-760), born Asukabehime, was Empress Consort of Japan. A highly influential figure, she played a key role in the spread of Buddhism and undertook numerous philanthropic projects.

The Empress Consort

Kōmyō was the daughter of the powerful courtier Fujiwara no Fuhito. In 716, she married the future Emperor Shōmu, who would later succeed his aunt, Empress Regnant Genshō.

Kōmyō was not only a skilled calligrapher but also a devout Buddhist. Both her father and grandfather were instrumental in making Buddhism the religion of the Fujiwara clan. Her mother, Tachibana no Michiyo, also took religious vows.

In 718, Kōmyō gave birth to a daughter, Princess Abe (718-770), who would later reign as Empress Kōken/Shōtoku. In 727, she had a son, but he died shortly after birth. The Fujiwara family used this loss to accuse their political rival, Prince Nagaya, of having used black magic to curse the child. This led to Nagaya's suicide.

In 729, Kōmyō was elevated to the title of Empress Consort, or kōgō, securing her position as Shōmu’s principal wife and ensuring her daughter’s place as first in line for the throne.

By 738, Abe was officially named Crown Princess—the only instance in Japanese history of a woman receiving this title. Kōmyō likely played a significant role in securing this appointment, using Buddhist teachings to bolster Abe’s legitimacy.

Kōmyō had her own Palace Agency, with a staff as large as those of other major government offices, allowing her to use these resources in support of her causes.

Empress Kōmyō's calligraphy and signature

Protector and patron

Kōmyō was likely a key figure in the establishment of Nara’s Todai-ji temple. She established with her husband a network of government-sponsored temples for monks and nuns. Her household employed craftsmen to build temples, sculpt religious images, and scribes to copy sacred texts. Among these texts was the Lotus Sutra, a scripture highly valued by women, as it could be interpreted to suggest that women too could achieve enlightenment.

Kōmyō also cared for orphans, lepers, the poor, and those affected by war. She established a hospital that provided free medicine to those who couldn't afford it.

She transformed her father’s residence into a convent for nuns, known as Hokke-ji. She encouraged the women there to practice ikebana, or flower arranging, and the Hokke-ji Goryū school of Ikebana still exists today.

After her husband's abdication in 749, Kōmyō took the tonsure and became a nun, witnessing her daughter ascend the throne. She passed away in 760.

Kōmyō became a popular subject in art, with many legends surrounding her. In one famous tale, she washes a leper, who is later revealed to be the Buddha himself. She has since been venerated as an embodiment of Kannon, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Today, the nuns of Hokke-ji continue her legacy by creating Braille texts for the blind and making amulets for pregnant women.

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi. I'm about to launch my own business so your support would be much appreciated in these trying times!

Further reading: 

Ambros Barbara, Women in Japanese religions

Lowe Bryan, Ritualized Writing: Buddhist Practice and Scriptural Cultures in Ancient Japan

Kane Robinson Arai Paula, Women Living Zen Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns

Ooms Herman, Imperial Politics and Symbolics in Ancient Japan The Tenmu Dynasty

Schireson Grace, Zen Women Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters

[whencyclopedia]

Fujiwara Clan

The Fujiwara Clan (Fujiwara-shi) was a powerful extended family group which dominated all areas of Japanese government during the Heian Period (794-1185). Founded by Fujiwara no Kamatari in 645 CE, male members held on to key official positions, many acting as regents to the emperor, and ensured their daughters married into the imperial line. By the 12th century CE, Fujiwara power declined as successive emperors abdicated in favour of their own chosen heir while still maintaining their hold on power in retirement. The Fujiwara were ultimately replaced by the rival Taira and Minamoto clans.

Fujiwara no Kamatari

In the 7th century CE the court official Nakatomi, later to become Fujiwara no Kamatari (614-669 CE), became a useful ally to Prince Naka no Oe, and together they staged a coup in 645 CE which deposed the powerful Soga clan who had hitherto dominated government positions and were threatening to usurp the power of the emperor. A series of political reforms were then initiated, known as the Taika Reforms (Taika No Kaishin). These reforms were based on the Chinese model of strong central government and they nationalised land, reorganised the court ranking system, forbade the ownership of unauthorised weapons, and attempted to root out corruption. When the Prince became Emperor Tenji (661-671), he gave Nakatomi and his descendants the surname Fujiwara and made him his special minister.

Kamatari's son Fubito (aka Fuhito, 659-720 CE) married the daughter of Emperor Mommu, and his four grandsons each formed the four branches of the Fujiwara clan: Nanke (Southern House), Hokke (Northern House), Shikike (Ceremonials House), and Kyoke (Capital House). The Fujiwara line was now firmly established and they would keep a tenacious grip on power as they not only dominated policy and government bodies such as the household treasury office (kurando-dokoro) and Council of State but also managed to marry off their daughters to emperors.

Further weakening the royal position was the fact that many emperors took the throne as children and so were governed by a regent (Sessho), usually a representative of the Fujiwara family. In total there would be 21 Fujiwara regents from 804 CE to 1238 CE. Even when the emperor reached adulthood, he was still advised by a new position, the Kampaku, which ensured the Fujiwara maintained their influence. To guarantee this situation was perpetuated new emperors were nominated not by birth but by their sponsors and encouraged or forced to abdicate when in their thirties in favour of a younger successor. Thus, for example, between 858 and 956 CE there were 10 different emperors. As a consequence, key Fujiwara members could act as regent to three or four successive emperors in their own lifetime.

Continue reading...

[fistfuloflightning]

Just discovered an Edo period genderbent version of Beren and Luthien—The fable of Tamatori-hime 玉取姫 "Princess Jewel Taker" and the Tide Jewels:

The legend of Princess Tamatori (Tamatorihime), or Ama, developed around the historical figure Fujiwara no Kamatari (614–69), who was the founder of the powerful Fujiwara clan. Upon Kamatari’s death, the Tang dynasty emperor, who had received Kamatari’s beautiful daughter as a consort, sent three priceless treasures to Japan in order to comfort his grieving lover by honoring her father. One of the treasures, a pearl, was stolen by the dragon king during a storm on its way to Japan in the inlet of Fusazaki. Kamatari’s son Fujiwara no Fuhito (659–720) went in search of the pearl to the isolated area where he met and married a beautiful pearl diver named Ama, who bore him a son. Ama, full of love for their son, vowed to help recover the stolen pearl. After many failed attempts, Ama was finally successful when the dragon and grotesque creatures guarding it were lulled to sleep by music. Upon reclaiming the treasure, she came under pursuit by the awakened sea creatures. She cut open her breast to place the pearl inside for safekeeping the resulting flow of blood clouded the water and aided her escape. She died from the resulting wound but is revered for her selfless act of sacrifice for her husband Fuhito and their son.

and

The story of Princess Tamatori, which was highly popular in the Edo period. In this story, Tamatori is a modest shell diver who marries Fujiwara no Fuhito of the Fujiwara clan, who is searching for a pearl stolen from his family by Ryūjin, the dragon god of the sea. Vowing to help, Tamatori dives down to Ryūjin's undersea palace of Ryūgū-jō, and is pursued by the god and his army of sea creatures. She cuts open her own breast and places the jewel inside; this allows her to swim faster and escape, but she dies from her wound soon after reaching the surface.

It’s very reminiscent of Beren stealing a silmaril from Morgoth on behalf of his love Luthien, and being pursued by Carcharoth to his death even though he returned with one of the silmarils in hand (literally…)

[eleemosynecdoche]

Touhou Character Ages, an imperfect and incomplete and provisional guide:

Part 1: Over a thousand years old.

Eirin Yagokoro: predates the formation of Japan (Omoikane is the child of the primordial creation god Takamimusubi in the Kojiki), so depending on how you date this, she could be over 130 million years old (beginning of the subduction of the Izanagi Plate) or as young as 2 million years old (date Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku separated from the mainland). Neo-Traditionalism of Japan says 25 million years for the Izanagi Object mentioned.

Hisami Yomotsu: A yomotsu-shikome with a grape motif, she presumably is one of those who chased Izanagi and would be of a similar age, 25 million years or so.

Keiki Haniyasushin: Haniyasu is another god from Izanagi Times.

Junko: Her euhemerized backstory with Hou Yi places her as dating back to the Xia, traditionally dated as ruling 4000-3800 years ago.

Chang'e: Must be at least as old as Junko.

Yukari Yakumo: Of uncertain age, definitely 1200+(Merry's age at time of disappearance) thanks to Akyuu, implied to be the oldest youkai in Gensokyo and thus would have to be older than Tewi, so a minimum of about 3000 years old.

Hecatia Lapislazuli: attested to by Hesiod in the Theogony, is already an established mythological figure, at least 2700 years old and probably significantly older.

Suwako Moriya: Older than Kanako by their backstory, and a Jōmon goddess. At least 2300 years old if we use the current dating for the end of the Jōmon period, 2700 if we use the traditional date for the arrival of Jimmu, probably much older.

Tewi Inaba: If she's literally the Rabbit of Inaba, then she's as old as Ōkuninushi and thus older than Kanako.

Sagume Kishin: A Kojiki figure from the same period of heavenly gods conquering Japan. In the same age bracket as Tewi and Kanako at minimum, quite possibly older.

Kanako Yasaka: Dates back to the conquest of Japan by the heavenly gods. At least 2700 years old with a slightly euhemerized interpretation, possibly older.

Seiga Kaku: Might be as old as the Eastern Han (so 2000-1800 years old), given esoteric Taoism being popular then, but more likely is visually intended to be from the Tang, another period for esoteric Taoism. She must be old enough to be an established corrupt immortal when she met Miko, though. So at least 1400, probably at least 1500 years old.

Okina Matara: From her comments on Eternity Larva, she was Hata no Kawakatsu and so appeared sometime in between the years 509 and 571, though quite possibly had some kind of preexistence as Matarajin. Definitely older than Miko.

Eternity Larva: The tokoyo god's cult was defeated and exposed by Hata no Kawakatsu.

Toyosatomimi no Miko: Has a defined birthday (February 7th, 574) from being a historical figure and so turned 1,449 this year.

Mononobe no Futo: Contemporary of Miko.

Soga no Tojiko: Contemporary of Miko.

Hata no Kokoro: Made by Miko for Okina.

Saki Kurokoma: Was Miko's horse before she was sent to the Asuka period glue factory and became an animal realm gangster.

Watatsuki no Toyohime: Eirin's pupil before she left in exile, older of the two sisters, almost certainly much older than this.

Watatsuki no Yorihime: Younger than Toyohime by definition but the rest applies as well.

Kaguya Houraisan: Definitely existed for some time before being exiled to Earth when Fujiwara no Fuhito was alive. At least 1400 years old, almost certainly much older.

Fujiwara no Mokou: Presumably a child of Fujiwara no Fuhito and thus about 1340-50 years old.

Minamitsu Murasa: Had been a phantom for enough time to become a local legend before Byakuren arrived. At least 1100 years old.

Byakuren Hijiri: Sister of Myouren, who lived in the 9th century. At least 1100 years old.

Shou Toramaru: Follower of Byakuren, must be of roughly similar age.

Ichirin Kumoi: Follower of Byakuren, must be of roughly similar age.

Nazrin: Attendant of Vaisravana/Bishamonten, is at least of similar age to Shou and possibly older.

Nue Houjuu: At least 900 years old going by her being the nue Minamoto no Yorimasa shot at, but knew Murasa and so is at least old enough to have interacted with her before Byakuren's followers got jailed.

Suika Ibuki: Fought the ara ara lady with balloon tits from Fate franchise media, which makes her at least 1000 years old. At least a little older, most likely.

Kasen Ibaraki: Contemporary of Suika.

Yuugi Hoshiguma: Contemporary of Suika.

Aya Shameimaru: Over a thousand years old according to PoFV.

I can't help but feel I'm missing some.

[dream-meister-translations]

AKASEKA TRANSLATION MASTERLIST 

DONATE : HERE. If you’d like to help us out! Would be much appreciated & will help us keep banging out content faster! 

CHARACTERS

FUJIWARA NO FUHITO

HIRAGA GENNAI

INOU TADATAKA

MAEDA KEIJI

NATSUME SOUSEKI

OKITA SOUJI

ONO NO IMOKO

SADAAKIRA

SUGITA GENPAKU

YAMAZAKI SUSUMU

EVENTS

"Sakura Spectrum: Welcoming Delegates from Afar"

(please like or reblog posts to support the work we do! :D keep in mind that the two of us on this blog don't speak japanese nor are we professionals. these translations aren't going to be perfect. but we are trying our best to portray the chars accurately & get the story across so that english-speakers can enjoy it <3 ) 

[ask-the-equestrians]

Alt. Title: 伝説の宝石狩り:玉取姫 Hello Everyone, welcome to another addition to the Yokai Bijinga Series. Today I have a more heroic tale about this Yokai. Today we are taking a look at Tamatori Hime. Tamatori Hime Literally translated as "Jewel-Taking Princess" is a well know Yokai whose stories been told throughout numerous of noh plays, novels, and Yakuza body tattoos. Tamatori Hime's legacy is Preserved by temples around Lake Biwa. Tamatori Hime's nickname was given to an Ama, a pearl diver who dove deep underwater to the bottom of the ocean to steal back a priceless jewel form a Dragon King name Ryūjin. Tamatori Hime is usually depicted wearing a tradition Ama dress and is bear-breasted carrying a tanto sword or a knife. One of the more popular stories of Tamatori Hime Legend is about a woman name Tamamo who went below the surface to retrieve A Legendary Jewel called "Menkōfuhai no Tama" from Ryūjin. The Jewel once belonged to her husband Fujiwara no Fuhito, and after Fujiwara told his wife Tamamo why he first came to her homeland and about Ryūjin and his stolen Jewel, Tamamo decided to dive deep underwater and steal back the Jewel from The Dragon King. Tamamo sacrificed her after fight numerous of monsters that Ryūjin sent after her. Tamamo used her knife to cut open under her breast to hide the jewel before pulling on hope rope to single her husband to pull her to the surface. Before she died, Tamamo told Fujiwara where she hide the jewel and had him to promise to rise their son to become a noble man for her. This by far one of my favorites Yokai story wise, comes to show what someone will do for the sake of their love ones, so naturally I want to make my own rendition of it, so here we are. Sorry for this post taking longer than usual, stuff been happen in IRL and I want to tell a brief story behind this one. I will send you a link to this Yokai if you're intrested to learn more about her. Until next time! Tamatori Hime Axel Doi Website

[crestfallenwanderlust]

I'm surprised how I got lucky with the gacha here

I'm very glad I managed to pick the ones I've never seen with an event variant at all

Except for Fujiwara no Fuhito and Magoichi Saika(especially the latter but hey, he's cute so why not)

[kaibutsushidousha]

Nakamaro feels like another cope by people who don't want the emo twink to be Seimei imo, but it's probably the cope with the most basis since Yang Guifei's Related Characters establish Meteo wants to write Nakamaro sooner or later, and because the "Yasuhiro uses himself as a catalyst to summon his ancestor" gimmick idea also applies to Nakamaro. I just don't think this is the context to bring him since Yang Guifei is not in the game.

But here's a brief look at who Nakamaro was just so the possibility can be properly explored by people who want to believe it.

Historical biography:

Nakamaro was talented from a young age, so when he turned 20, he was chosen as an exchange student sent to study China's civilization and bring their advanced knowledge back to Japan. He passed the ultra-difficult government employment exam (see Wu Zetian's interlude for commentary on how challenging the exams were) and started working for Emperor Xuanzong. He became friends with the other major poets of the time and taught Yang Guifei everything she knew about Japan (Nasuverse canon-certified fact).

35 years later, he tried to return to Japan and an oceanic storm crashed his ship on the coast of Vietnam. Took him 3 years to return to the Chinese capital, and from there he gave up on returning to Japan and spent the last 15 years of his life sulking about his impossible dream of returning home and writing a lot of poetry about how he misses Japan.

Mythological biography:

Before leaving Japan, Nakamaro supposedly fathered a boy named Mangetsumaru. 200 years down the line, one Abe no Seimei would be born as Mangetsumaru's descendant. There are at least 3 sources saying Mangetsumaru existed, but no hard evidence yet.

Anyways, legends tell that Emperor Ganshou wanted someone to go to China, borrow the Kin'ugyokutoshuu (Seimei's second most famous spellbook) from Emperor Xuanzong, and bring it to Japan. Fujiwara no Fuhito recommended Nakamaro for the job, so the young man was sent on this magical secret mission. Emperor Xuanzong quickly took notice of Nakamaro's talents and put him on a lot of important work. After 14 years of successful work, Xuanzong's chief vassals (Guifei's cousin and Guifei's adopted son) couldn't stand him anymore, so they got him drunk and locked him in a tall tower. There he died of anger and starvation and his corpse turned into an oni seeking the spellbook he was sent to get.

Meanwhile, the Emperor of Japan heard the news about Nakamaro's quick climb up the promotion ladder in China's court, assumed he betrayed his mission and abandoned his nation, and confiscated Nakamaro's land. Kibi no Makibi was sent to China to get the spellbook in his place. Learning about Makibi, Nakamaro-turned-oni helped his substitute in his mission, advising him on how to decipher prophecies and win board game tournaments. With oni Nakamaro's continued help, Makibi succeeded in bring the spellbook to Japan, and later it went to hands of Nakamaro's famed descendant Seimei.

Samu R's Caster could be Abe no Nakamaro.

I don't know anything about him, what makes you say so?

[venicepearl]

Empress Kōmyō depicted by Ryūryūkyo Shinsai

Empress Kōmyō (701–760) was the consort of Japanese Emperor Shōmu (701–756) during the Nara Period.

A member of the Fujiwara clan, her father was Fujiwara no Fuhito and her mother was Agata Inukai no Michiyo. During her life she was also known as Asukabehime (安宿媛), Kōmyōshi (光明子), and Tōsanjō (藤三娘), literally the third Fujiwara daughter.

In 716, Kōmyō married the future Emperor Shōmu when he was still the crown prince. Two years later, she gave birth to her daughter, Princess Abe, who would later rule as Empress Kōken and Empress Shōtoku. Her son was born in 727 and was soon named crown prince, but he died as an infant. Rumors circulated that Prince Nagaya cursed the infant prince using black magic, and Nagaya was forced to commit suicide in response.

Kōmyō was named queens-consort or "kōgō" in 729, a position that prioritized her offspring as heir to the throne. An extra-codal office was created for the queen-consort, the Kōgōgūshiki; this bureaucratic innovation continued into the Heian period. She was an influential political figure in her own right and helped balance tensions between Fujiwara and non-Fujiwara factions at court.

She is buried in Nara Prefecture's Hōrenji-cho in the mausoleum Sahoyama no Higashi no Misasagi 佐保山東陵 near Emperor Shōmu in the southern mausoleum.

[kyotodreamtrips]

The Bell Tower (鐘楼) and Goma-do (護摩堂) in the precincts of Hokke-ji (法華寺) in Nara City, Japan.

[inversionimpulse]

now, as far as I can tell, the [Hieda no Are was Fujiwara no Fuhito] theory is a far fringe theory with no serious support from historians, but I don't think it needs to be any more than that to pluck it for Touhou headcanons.

For the interpersonal drama, sure.

But also because it makes every possible Akyuu ship ten times funnier. How does, I dunno, Kosuzu or Reimu or whoever feel about suddenly having a grungy immortal step-daughter? Oh, or maybe she succeeds in wooing Kaguya this time!

There's comedy gold to be mined here!

[claudiosuenaga]

Takamatsuzuka: o kofun circular com um mapa astronômico na vila de Asuka em Nara

Estive também pela segunda vez no monte funerário de Takamatsuzuka (que em japonês significa “Monte de enterro antigo de pinheiros altos”), um antigo túmulo (kofun) circular de duas camadas na vila de Asuka, dentro do Parque Histórico Nacional e Governamental de Asuka, na província de Nara, a capital do Japão durante o século 8.

Descoberta acidentalmente por um fazendeiro local na década de 1960 quando cavava um buraco para armazenar raízes de gengibre, a tumba de Takamatsuzuka foi construída em algum momento entre o final do século 7 e o início do século 8, dentro, portanto, do chamado período Asuka (de 538 a 710 d.C. ou 596 a 645 d.C.), que recebeu esse nome justamente da região de Asuka, a cerca de 25 quilômetros ao sul da atual cidade de Nara.

O período Asuka ficou marcado pelas suas significativas transformações sociais e políticas, pelo vicejamento das belas artes e da arquitetura, e por ter sido bastante influenciado pela chegada do budismo da China através da Península Coreana – os estudiosos sabem há muito tempo que o Japão antigo emprestou grande parte de sua filosofia, religião e tecnologia da China e da Coreia. Foi no período Asuka que o país mudou de nome de Wa (Yamato) para Nihon (Japão) e a filosofia de Confúcio se tornou predominante.

O kofun de Takamatsuzuka, com seus cerca de 5 metros de altura, uma camada inferior com 23 metros de diâmetro e uma superior com 18 metros de diâmetro, atualmente recoberto de grama, foi erigido com camadas alternadas de argila e areia.

Escavado na década de 1970 por uma equipe liderada pelo arqueólogo natural de Asuka, Aboshi Yoshinori (1927-2006), professor associado da Universidade de Kansai e pesquisador do Instituto Arqueológico de Kashihara em Nara, finas pinturas ricamente coloridas foram desveladas nas paredes de gesso da câmera funerária em 1972 e logo viraram uma sensação. Designadas como Tesouros Nacionais, a fim de protegê-las a tumba foi selada e somente se pode ver réplicas no vizinho Museu Mural Takamatsuzuka, construído especialmente para exibir as reproduções dos afrescos em larga escala da cripta, juntamente com vários artigos funerários, como um caixão de madeira lacado (medindo 199,5 cm de comprimento por 58 cm de largura), pregos de metal, um ornamento de florais de bronze e um espelho chinês da dinastia Tang. Alguns ossos também foram encontrados, e as análises atestaram que pertenciam a um homem em idade madura.

Não se sabe exatamente para quem o kofun Takamatsuzuka foi construído ou quem foi ali enterrado, já que foi saqueado, mas as decorações sugerem que teria sido para um membro da família real japonesa ou para um nobre de alto escalão, provavelmente para o príncipe Osakabe no Miko (data de nascimento desconhecido e falecido em 705), o nono filho do imperador Tenmu (631-686), o 40º Imperador do Japão (a partir de 672). Osakabe no Miko que ajudou a escrever o Código de Taihō em 681 d.C.), ao lado de Fujiwara no Fuhito. O Código foi essencialmente uma reorganização administrativa, que serviu como base para a estruturação governamental do Japão durante vários séculos. Especula-se ainda que pode ter sido na verdade o túmulo para o filho do último rei de Baekje, ou ainda para Isonokami Ason Maro (640-717), um importante oficial e parte do clã Mononobe.

Há quatro espíritos guardiões guardando as quatro direções pintados nas paredes da cripta, algo um tanto comum em túmulos desse período encontrados na China e na Coreia. Estes são Genbu, uma tartaruga-cobra preta no norte (Black Tortoise), Suzaku, um pássaro vermelho no sul (Vermilion Bird), Seiryu, um dragão azul no leste (Azure Dragon), e Byakko, um tigre branco no oeste (White Tiger).

As referências astronômicas são nítidas. Vêem-se imagens do sol (na parede leste), da lua (na parede ocidental) e de constelações (no teto). A imagem do sol está coberta de folhas de ouro e a imagem da lua, de folhas de prata. O mapa astron��mico no teto da câmara de pedra de Takamatsuzuka foi afixado com círculos uniformes cortados de uma folha grossa de ouro para representar as estrelas, conectadas com linhas vermelhas para incluir constelações.

Na China antiga, o céu estrelado, que se move regularmente com o pólo celeste como centro, era considerado uma nação centrada no imperador. No centro da hoshijuku (constelação), está desenhado o “Recinto Proibido Púrpura”, que era considerado o lugar onde o imperador vivia na China antiga. É um grupo de constelações que não desaparece, com a Estrela do Norte no meio, em representação a figura do imperador. À noite, se você olhar para o céu ao norte de Takamatsuzuka da Praça Hoshijuku, poderá ver as várias constelações girando em torno da Estrela do Norte, bem na direção do topo do kofun, assim como as pessoas do período Asuka a viam!

Em cada caso, os desenhos foram feitos através de um processo de primeiro cobrir a superfície da pedra com gesso e, em seguida, desenhar os contornos preliminares com tinta fina, seguidos de uma coloração brilhante em azul, vermelho e verde, etc.

Desses murais emergem uma impressão vívida da cultura e da história japonesa daquele tempo: grupos de figuras humanas (quatro homens e, separadamente, quatro mulheres) da corte, ricamente vestidas com mantos coloridos no estilo Goguryeo (um dos Três Reinos da Coreia, juntamente com Paekche ou Baekje e Silla). As mulheres são vistas segurando leques, prendedores de cabelo e cetros, enquanto os homens seguram guarda-sóis de seda (kinugasa) de cabo longo, uma espada, uma lança, uma cadeira e um gitchō (item semelhante a um taco de hóquei). A mulher vestida de vermelho e carregando um cajado é chamada de “Asuka Bijiin“, ou “Beleza de Asuka”.

O povo de Asuka estabeleceu as fundações do Japão como um estado-nação, adotando as mais recentes influências culturais por meio de trocas com as nações do leste asiático. Os muitos túmulos, templos e estruturas de pedra restantes na área atestam a força dessas influências. O estilo Asuka incorporado pelos templos da cidade e pelas esculturas budistas, representa a base sobre a qual a cultura japonesa foi construída.

Um lugar de rica história e beleza natural, Asuka, centro político, econômico e cultural do país por cerca de um século, cercado pelos inúmeros palácios e templos budistas,é merecidamente conhecido como o lar espiritual do povo japonês.

Muito mais se poderia saber sobre os kofuns do Japão se a Agência Imperial do Japão, que controla rigorosamente a investigação dos mesmos, permitisse o acesso de mais arqueólogos e pesquisadores, sem os inconvenientes de praxe, alegadamente para preservar a santidade e a integridade dos locais. Pensemos no quanto ainda subjaz enterrado à espera de finalmente ser conhecido, aspectos de uma civilização tão avançada que nos deixa estupefatos.

Há um paralelismo transcontinental inegável entre o monte circular de Takamatsuzuka e as mamoas ou tumulus, o montículo artificial circular ou oval que cobre as câmaras dolmênicas europeias. Essas tanto podem ser de terra, revestida por uma couraça de pequenas pedras imbricadas, ou ser apenas constituída por pedras, sendo então designada usualmente por cairn, do escocês càrn (que se pronuncia ‘kern’). Na Escócia, os cairn encontram-se sobretudo sobre relevos de terreno e no alto das montanhas. E, como existe o costume de transportar uma pedra até ao alto da colina para a colocar sobre eles, estes vão ficando cada vez mais altos. Um ditado antigo escocês diz “Cuiridh mi clach air do chàrn”, ou seja “Colocarei uma pedra sobre o teu cairn”. É interessante que ainda hoje há uma tradição judia que recomenda que se ponham pequenas pedras em cima de um túmulo que se visite.

As mamoas (nome dado pelos romanos quando da sua chegada à Península Ibérica, que chamaram de mammulas a estes monumentos, pela sua semelhança com o seio de uma mulher), tinham a finalidade de esconder e proteger o dólmen ou a sepultura, recobrindo-o completamente e conferindo-lhe, ao mesmo tempo, maior monumentalidade. O dólmen, sob uma colina artificial (a mamoa), afigurava-se como um “útero” abrigado do olhar, onde se colocavam relíquias “no seio da terra”. Em termos de significação simbólica, essa deposição era como que um regresso de um humano ao útero do ventre materno da Terra Mãe.

As mamoas eram estruturas de tamanho variável, podendo atingir quarenta metros, e que tapavam completamente a câmara e o corredor, quando este existia. É possível que tivesse também, em certos casos, proporcionado um plano inclinado para o transporte da tampa da câmara até a sua posição definitiva.

A técnica de construção das mamoas demonstra geralmente uma hábil solução arquitetônica feita para durar, sem usar argamassa. Encontram-se pedras especialmente cortadas para melhor se inserirem no espaço que preenchem e interstícios preenchidos por pequenas pedras angulosas, partidas intencionalmente, para reforçar a estrutura.

Estas sepulturas megalíticas monumentais eram destinadas a abrigar antepassados importantes e não pessoas comuns, com cada grupo correspondendo aos antepassados míticos de uma determinada família ou linhagem.

Assista ao vídeo que fiz no local no meu canal no YouTube:

[cerastes]

Something just dawned on me. Both Mokou and Chika both have Fujiwara as last names. Mokou and Chika could hypothetically be related, discuss.

Oh, it’s not a coincidence.

Confession!Kaguya has been directly compared to Tale of Bamboo Cutter!Kaguya-hime several times, explicitly at times, and they even have the same name. The reference to the Kaguya-hime from the Tale is pretty intentional.

Fujiwara, on the other hand, used to be a powerful clan most prominently from the Asuka and Nara periods of Japan. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is fraught of satire aimed at the Fujiwara clan, particularly the upper class dignitaries. One of Kaguya-hime’s suitors was basically a caricature of Fujiwara no Fuhito, thus, the Tale has commonly been linked to the Fujiwara clan. The fact that Fujiwara Chika is the daughter of politically powerful diplomats is no exception.

Mokou and Chika both fill the same role as the Fujiwara stand-in in the greater Tale of the Bamboo Cutter reference their respective home medias portray, albeit in different ways.

[yamayuandadu]

For the fic request thing, "stitches" for Keine and Mokou? I love shippy stuff for them, but feel free to go wherever you like with it if you decide to give this one a go

It’s my fave pairing overall, so shippy it is. Fluffy, even, arguably. Because while I generally prefer fics with more substance, it seems like short silly fluffy Mokou/Keine fics are a largely untapped market on ao3. So are fics about the fate of Mokou’s sleeves in the fighting games. The ending might be revised a bit in the ao3 version if that’s ok with you.I wrote a fluffy fic about them once already and am currently writing a longer adventure-focused one if you are interested in more.

“Would you kindly explain what did you do to yourself this time?”

“Can't you see that yourself?”

“I can see the result, but the cause is completely shrouded in mystery for me,” Keine sighed. “You were left to own devices for less than two weeks since end of the school year is an extremely busy period for me, and what I come back to is... this,” she added, pointing at Mokou's shirt. The sleeves were torn off.

To be fair, the teacher saw her clothes in much worse condition more than a few times before. Not to mention the situations where her condition was so bad there were no clothes to speak of left. However, that was long ago, and this specific shirt was supposed to be Mokou's small triumph over her hopeless nihilism. Under Keine's guidance, the immortal put her largely theoretical knowledge of fire magic to practical use and changed her favorite (or rather the only one not yet falling apart from old age) shirt into something that could withstand at least some of her spells. Wearing something that didn't look like burnt rags greatly contributed towards gaining a degree of trust among the human community of Gensokyo. This in turn allowed her get something akin to a job as a guide to the bamboo forest, and, perhaps even more beneficially, minimized the risk of being mistaken for a yamanba.

Naturally, it wasn't the finest magical article of clothing around. The charms attached on the inside were crude and most of them ended up applied haphazardly, as Keine lacked experience with mundane magic, while Mokou was not interested in tailoring. The odds that an emissary of heaven would knock at doors of their houses to discuss the issue of illegal production of counterfeit hagoromo didn't seem particularly high. But they made it together, and, more importantly, it symbolized that the last living child of Fujiwara no Fuhito started caring about her own well-being. As such, it was an important symbol.

“It's just the usual, I felt bad about myself,” mumbled the immortal.

A number of gruesome scenarios involving the loss at least of limbs flashed in front of Keine's eyes. She never witnessed any firsthand, thankfully, but any attempt at writing down Mokou's history inevitably involved some of them.

“Did you go back to fighting Kaguya?”

“No. I didn't really leave the house. Only checked on my persimmon tree a few times.”

“What did you do, then?”

“I wanted to go back to my old habits but I didn't want to make you upset,” Mokou said, looking around awkwardly. “So while I resisted the urge to seek thrills at Eientei I still felt like I did something wrong by considering to restart it.”

“I'm not quite following...?”

“The obvious way would be to hurt myself in some way. But that's exactly what I was supposed to avoid, so I had to think of something else to not end up in a vicious circle again. So in a fit of grief I ended up cutting off the sleeves from my shirt, since we made it impervious to my powers together and it's important to me. It was not very smart, I know.”

The connoisseur of shady elixirs closed her eyes, expecting a reprimand. After a brief moment she realized that no stern words are coming and Keine instead wrapped her arms around her.

Of course, the shirt was a symbol. But ultimately a symbol is less important than what it stands for is in itself. That was the logic the teacher subscribed to.

“This means that you're making progress regarding your respect for own life, I'm proud of you”, she said, hugging Mokou. “We can stitch the sleeves back on, don't worry.”

It is known that kisses are vital for clothing repairs, though they can extend their duration quite a bit. Thus everything that unfolded afterwards was just a regular sewing session, ultimately. Just some stitching and strictly related activities.