#Shimazu Residence

[myjapan-me]

Shimazu Residence, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki, 2

[ainews]

In 1581, a signing of the Treaty of Ōmiwa between the Shimazu family and local residents of Mayotte marked a historic moment in Japanese history. The treaty was sealed with the assistance of a 3-foot tall versed oni, an imposing creature from Japanese mythology with two fierce horns and buck teeth.

The oni represented a figure of power and fear and was praised by local residents for the strength it brought into the treaty. The Shimazu agreed to use a versed oni as a symbol indicating their mission of peace.

At the Treaty of Ōmiwa, the Shimazu family affixed the far-reaching oni to the top of a stained-glass box, which was then turned upright to be a symbol of their goodwill. The Shimazu, representing the Japanese government, solemnly shook hands with the local residents of Mayotte in front of the versed oni. After the treaty was signed, Mayotte became a vassal state of the Shimazu family.

In 1976, an image of the versed oni appeared in a book titled “The History of the Shimazu Clan”, which included the treaty's details. The appearance of this book is often credited with drawing attention to 1581's treaty of Ōmiwa and restoring the importance of the versed oni. Today, the treaty is remembered as one of the most crucial documents in Japanese history, and its impact was only made possible through the inclusion of the powerful versed oni.

[regaliasonata]

Lothor’s Army - Ninja Storm AU

As of the rest of Arc 1 this is Kiya’s band of misfits. Sargain is missing from the equation as he’ll come in later, notice Shimazu being here, think of it as a little mix up to see where things go with our ancient resident warlord being around at the beginning unlike the show.

[impetuous-impulse]

What struck me almost immediately about this anecdote was: Captain Basil Hall must have been utterly ignorant about the "peculiar" situation of the Loo Choo people, who were in fact the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Ryūkyū, better known nowadays as Okinawa. Since the islands that make up Ryūkyū are in the Northern hemisphere, they are not in the South Pacific (that would have approached Melanesia and Australia), but the North Pacific, more specifically the China Sea.

A little history on Okinawa/the Ryūkyū Islands: it was an independent kingdom that was both a vassal state to China (from the Ming Dynasty onwards, specifically 1429) and Japan (through the invasion of the Shimazu clan from the Satsuma Domain, from 1609 onwards). Long story short, it remained (semi-)automous until was annexed by the Japanese Empire during the Meiji Era in 1879.

Due to the kingdom's proximity to Confucian civilisations, the government and inhabitants of Ryūkyū naturally adopted Confucian principles. Captain Hall, who visited the capital of Ryūkyū in 1816 by the ship Lyra, seemed to view this island kingdom as some kind of pacifist haven. After doing some light digging, Hall and John M’Leod, physician on board the Lyra's fellow expedition ship the Alceste, both wrote accounts that promoted this view. As Gregory Smits describes in the The Asia-Pacific Journal article "Examining the Myth of Ryukyuan Pacifism", an article that also provided the image above:

These accounts gushed with praise over the kindness, gentleness, and intelligence of the Okinawans, whose behavior compared especially well with the alleged boorishness and arrogance of “the Chinese.” According to Hall and M’Leod, Okinawa was a land of peace and serenity. Its residents bore no weapons and its people committed no crimes. According to Hall: “We never saw any punishment inflicted at Loochoo; a tap with a fan, or an angry look, was the severest chastisement ever resorted to, as far as we could discover.”

Hall is unlikely to have fabricated his his account—M'Leod's testimony matched his. However, their accounts of "Loo Choo" was limited to what they saw, as the Ryūkyū government applied their experience in keeping a careful balance of power between their Chinese and Japanese neighbours to the Europeans. Also from the article:

One general point to bear in mind regarding the image of Ryukyu as a pacifist kingdom is that by the nineteenth century Ryukyuan officials had become extremely adept at manipulating the kingdom’s image vis-à-vis outsiders. The most important group of outsiders was Chinese investiture envoys (sakuhōshi). Let us consider the case of vice-envoy Li Dingyuan in 1800. In Shi Ryūkyū ki, Li’s detailed record of his stay in Ryukyu, he described with much enthusiasm the plot of the kumiodori play Kōkō no maki (Tale of filial piety) and concluded with an exclamation that heaven greatly rewards those who give their lives for filial piety. [...] The play was first shown to Chinese envoys in 1756. In Li’s case, just before his departure, royal envoys unexpectedly showed up with fans, incense, and other gifts. It was the birthday of his mother in China, but Li had not told anyone in Ryukyu about it. Ryukyuan officials had done their research well, and Li was most impressed by this display of filial consciousness on their part. My point in mentioning Li’s experience in Ryukyu is simply to emphasize the skill with which Ryukyuan officials worked to portray positive images to foreign visitors. In classic Confucian values, a state governed by virtue would have little or no need for coercive force. Ryukyuans presented this same general image to European visitors as well as Chinese.

As for the Ryūkyū peoples' state of military affairs, Hall seems to imply an eternal state of pacifism with his use of present tense in describing the "Loo Choo". This smacks of him trying to emphasise a sort of moral high ground to the "warmonger" Napoleon. However, it would be a complete lie to say the kingdom of Ryūkyū had neither blades nor firearms before, during, or after Napoleon's time. The article goes into great detail about the military affairs that existed before the Kingdom became a Japanese vassal state, especially the state of the artillery in the 15th century, and the Kingdom did not just appear out of thin air—it was unified through conflict and strife. Have a read if interested—it serves as a good introductory summary.

In the end, I don't think Napoleon brought Hall's tales entirely—he too came from an island state, tossed between two larger states, that had once seceded from its rulers with dreams of remaining an independent republic. Surely, if he had known the historical context of the Kingdom of Ryūkyū, he would have understood how its people felt having to live between two beasts, and the behaviours that would produce—before he gave up the dream of Corsican independence, that is.

The Emperor is baffled by islanders of the South Pacific

Having settled where Loo Choo was, he went on to enquire about the people, making some amusing comments on their peculiarities. On telling him that they had no arms, he said, "No arms—you mean no cannon, but they have muskets?" I said not only have they no cannon, they have no swords nor spears. "Ni poignards?" asked he. "No," I replied, "We never saw any kind of warlike weapon." "Mais," said Bonaparte in a loud voice and with a manner more vehement and impatient than I had seen before, "Mais sans armes comment se bat-on?"* seemingly provoked that these simple people had no means of breaking that tranquility and peace of which, as far as we know, they are the exclusive possessors. I stated to him that they had no wars, upon which he shook his head, as if the supposition were monstrous and unnatural. When told that the people of Loo Choo had no money, he begged to question the fact. I said we had seen no money and that the people placed no value upon our gold and silver coins. He paused, and looking thoughtful, repeated to himself several times, "They do not know the use of money," and then asked how we contrived to pay for the provisions which they gave us. He was apparently much struck with the liberality of these people, who supplied us with all kinds of stock, and to so great an extent, without taking any payment. He made me describe everything we received from the natives, as well as what we had given them by way of presents.

*without arms, how do they fight?

Notes of an Interview with Bonaparte at St Helena on the 13th August 1817, written by Captain Basil Hall, Royal Navy.

[jageunyeoujari]

The Other envisioned in Disney's Pocahontas (and Pocahontas II) is characterized by typical symbols of difference—backwardness—which is coded largely in the representation of Native Americans. This style of depiction potentially invokes what Rey Chow calls 'a phantom history' (1993: 37), by which Western cultural critics tend to turn the native (intentionally or unintentionally) into an object that is manageable and comforting through the manipulation of history. That is, the static Other remains frozen as a specimen, while the privileged Self keeps developing as time progresses. This concept illustrates a way in which a problematic notion of time lag between civilized whites and backward Native Americans is highlighted to serve white critics' (Self) appetite for consuming the Other. This process of Self/Other demarcation emphasizes that history brought into the present enables white ethnocentrism to re-establish superiority in relation to the imaginary Other. That is, historical setting can provide the perfect site for the dominant power to reinstate what Said calls 'imaginative geography' (Said, 1995: 54), which upholds the myth of the timeless native Other and illuminates the progression of the Anglosphere.

[...] While Pocahontas is inclined to induce interpretations based on dichotomous perspectives, by designating the Powhatan as the Other and the settlers as Self, Mononoke highlights the existence of multiple Others in Japanese society. This representation of otherness challenges the dichotomous concept of Self and Other, as well as subverting the myth of the Japanese as a homogenous nation. In Mononoke, all characters except Lord Asano (who is only mentioned when his samurai briefly appear) and the emperor come from various groups of Others in society. It is these Others that move the narrative forward.

For instance, Ashitaka is from the ethnic group known as the Emishi—a clan that fought against the Yamato regime and was marginalized to the Northeastern parts of the country. From the seventh to the thirteenth century, the central government treated the Emishi as an uncivilized ethnic other, or an abject. The narrative of Mononoke foregrounds this marginalized clan (or the Other) while the Yamato Imperial Court (the central government) —the alleged Self—is hardly involved in the narrative. The central government is mentioned in characters' conversations, but the film's plot predominantly revolves around social Others, including the Emishi, San, the wild woman in the forest, and those whom Lady Eboshi hires in the iron-town—prostitutes and lepers. This evokes the current population of Japan as a composite of differences and conflicting values that includes the Yamato, Ainu, and Okinawan peoples, as well as zainichi Koreans (Korean permanent residents in Japan). It is indeed a historical fact that stretching back several hundreds of years, various races and ethnicities, including Asians and Oceanians, have moved into Japan, and at the time that the Emishi existed, Japan was such a racial melting-pot (Kuji, 1997: 78-80).

[...] Relating to the multiplicity of otherness, the interactions between different groups demonstrated in Mononoke are not likely to induce the notion of 'abjection' by which one excludes outsiders/others to secure boundaries separating them from one's own group. That is, identity recognition for each group in Mononoke is not accomplished by exclusion or assimilation, but through a dialectical process of blurring the lines that mark differences. The boundary blurring is intensely envisioned in the iron town—a carnivalesque site—where marginalized Others and the 'abject' are empowered. In this site, no authority figure is identified, and therefore there is no single power pushing the narrative forward.

This manifestation of the iron town evokes Bhabha's (1994) concept of space 'in-between'; a space that destabilizes dichotomous patterns of identity formation with hybrid identities and allows for a new subject to emerge. This space is specifically exemplified by three main figures: Ashitaka, San, and Eboshi. These three characters signify the ambiguity of identity categorizations: mainly in the blurring of the line between nature (spirits and animals) and culture (humans and civilization). San—a combination of princess and mononoke (a possessing spirit)—symbolizes a liminal space between nature and culture. San is biologically human, despite her wild disguise with a wolf-pelt shawl and spear to perform as an Other—she tells Ashitaka, 'I am a wolf.' Thus, her identity does not conform entirely to humankind or to nature.

Eboshi's characterization is also transgressive. On the one hand, she is a typical industrialist and rationalist; on the other hand, she is also attached to the uncivilized Other, drawn together from several historical character types. Image analyst Kano Seiji describes Eboshi as a daughter of the Shimazu clan who is forced to marry a daimyo (feudal lord) and resists her husband, which then leads her to being sold to become a prostitute (yujo), until finally she is taken by the head of a Japanese pirate group (wako) whom she eventually kills (Kuji, 1997: 73). The depiction of Eboshi as the head of pirates and a murderer underscores her ruthless and cruel persona, which aligns with her other side as the calm and rational leader of the iron-town.

Likewise, Ashitaka is biologically human, but as he becomes possessed by a curse, his body is invaded by a mononoke, symbolic of an abject other. In other words, his identity is a hybrid of his original self and a foreign other. He thus lies somewhere between human/civilization and the forest where mononoke exist. The notion of abject manifested in Ashitaka's body is slightly different from Kristeva's (1982) 'abject' that refers to a part that needs to be rejected for establishing one's identity. Instead, Ashitaka's abjection represents a part that is never completely removed from his self, but lives with him to complete his identity. In this respect, in-between-ness presented through Mononoke disrupts the notion of Self/Other itself, rather than simply inverting positions between Self and Other.

National Identity (Re)Construction in Japanese and American Animated Film: Self and Other Representation in Pocahontas and Princess Mononoke by Kaori Yoshida

[city-of-ladies]

Tachibana Ginchiyo - The warrior nun of Yanagawa

Tachibana Ginchiyo (1569-1602) was the daughter of Tachibana Dōsetsu, an influential retainer of the Ōtomo clan in Kyushu. In the absence of a male heir, Ginchiyo became the head of the Tachibana family at only 6 years old and occupied the position until 1581. She ultimately married Tachibana Muneshige, who had been adopted into the family. He thus became the clan’s leader by marrying Ginchiyo. Ginchiyo remained nonetheless extremely influential and it was said that she and Muneshige didn’t get along well.

Ginchiyo was interested in military matters. She notably inherited her father’s sword Raikiri (”Lightning Cutter”). Her elite guard was entirely composed of women and she made sure that every woman working in the castle could take part in its defense. Such measures prevented eventual attacks on her domain. 

In 1586, the rival Shimazu clan besieged the Tachibana castle. The women, equipped with firearms, fought the enemy, while Ginchiyo defended the castle gates. 

(Replica of the armor that Ginchiyo may have worn)

The Tachibana clan ultimately allied themselves with Toyotomi Hideyoshi (a preeminent general considered as Japan’s second “great unifier”) in the afterward of his campaigns to conquer Kyushu. Hideyoshi entrusted Tachibana castle to Ginchiyo who lived separately from her husband. She was also in charge of managing the whole clan’s estates when Muneshige was absent. It is also said that Hideyoshi tried to visit Ginchiyo while her husband was away. He soon gave up on the idea when he saw her armed women and feared her ferocious personality. 

Ginchiyo never gave birth to a child. Muneshige divorced her and she became a buddhist nun. This was not, however, the end of her military career. After Hideyoshi’s death, the power of the Toyotomi clan declined and civil war broke again in Japan. In 1600, the battle of Sekigahara  opposed the Toyotomi supporter to the army of Tokugawa Ieyasu , who would ultimately establish the Tokugawa shogunate. 

Tokugawa supporters marched on the Yanagawa castle were Tachibana Muneshige was. Their advance was however stopped by an unexpected resistance stronghold at the south of the castle. It was the convent were Ginchiyo resided. She had decided to lead the other nuns in armed resistance. The exact nature of her defensive measures is unknown, but they were certainly efficient. 

The attackers were Muneshige’s former comrades in arms. Ginchiyo’s resistance  convinced them to offer Muneshige to surrender and join them in a campaign against the Shimazu. Muneshige agreed and was later pardoned. 

Ginchiyo died of illness in 1602 at the age of 34 and was buried in a temple in Yanagawa.

References:

Tachibana Ginchiyo’s page on Wikipedia

“Tachibana Ginchiyo”, Japanese sword virtual museum

Turnbull Stephen, Samurai Women 1184-1877

[goldenlaquer]

Hey ! Adding some Drifters content here : what kind of husbands/fathers do you think Toyohisa and Naoshi would be ? Btw, thank you for the quality content of your blog

Part 2! Part 1 with the husband headcanons can be found here: x  

Apologies for the late post! Real life got me a bit distracted. 

Drifters Father Headcanons: 

Butch Cassidy:

Wild. Bold. Insubordinate. Fine traits for an outlaw, but for a father? Many wouldn’t think so. But it’s Cassidy’s pleasure to prove all them bastards wrong.

Alright, so maybe you’re going to have to be the main disciplinarian in this household because he can’t help himself from jumping into his child’s fun (read: trouble), often helping them reach for another piece of sweets that you had said ‘no’ to by distracting you with kisses while the kid makes a run for it or taking them out for a ride with the horses and coming back all grimy and stinky and in dire need of a bath or two, but who are you to stay mad for long? Seeing your husband and your kid grinning and laughing, it’s going to be so hard to keep a stern, straight expression on your face, the corners of your mouth just threatening to twitch upwards.

Still, as much as Butch Cassidy likes being the fun parent and toeing the line, he never allows any behavior that seriously undermines your authority and respect as a parent, skillfully dissuading their mischievous attentions away from, say, dumping a pail of water over your sleeping head ( “C’mon, let your mama have her rest. Try Uncle Kid.”) or letting them break any promises that you had specifically made with them (“Nope. Nuh-uh. You promised your mama that you’d wash your hands after playing. And your mama trusts you to keep that promise. We don’t go back on our words, alright?”) 

And it’s not as if he doesn’t have any ground rules of his own. There aren’t many (he knows better than anyone about the struggles of being restricted), but he still has ‘em: one, don’t go near the horses without anyone present, and two, don’t touch the guns. The horses are well-trained to not spook in the worst situations, but still, it makes you and him breathe easier to be able to watch what your kid does around such large and powerful creatures. And as for the guns rule, Cassidy has seen too many boys and men alike blow off a toe or a finger or their life with careless handling. He’s a daredevil, but he ain’t going to ever stupidly risk his kid’s life like that. 

The sternest he’s ever been is when your kid ignores those rules. His sharp eyes immediately picking up the way they inch closer to his guns when they think he’s not looking, hands slowly reaching out for the grip sticking out of his holster. His own hands are quick snatching up his child before they can even blink, setting them down on the ground outside or a crate and looking them straight in the eye, angry, but his voice is low and calm. He speaks to them plainly. He’s disappointed in them. The rules were there for a reason and they had gone back on their promise to not break them. By the end of the lecture and once he’s sufficiently sure that they understand what they did was wrong, Cassidy’s back to being the fun parent, ruffling their hair playfully as they sniffle and wipe away the tears. 

Not bad for an outlaw, eh?

Kanno Naoshi:

By some miracle, Naoshi finds it in himself to have patience. 

Actually, he probably always had patience for children in general, not just when it comes to his own kids. It’s the adults who he doesn’t hold a single lick of tolerance for, the same adults who do dumb shit and should know and act better than a child. Those are the type of people he doesn’t mind beating some physical and verbal sense into. But kids are kids, and kids they will be. Naoshi, despite many opinions otherwise, understands this well. 

That’s not to say that he’s a perfect A+ parent, because sometimes children can get hella annoying and too hard to handle and there’s so much Naoshi’s patience can take before it breaks and his temper takes over. He’s usually good at nipping tantrums in the bud, but when the kid gets especially persistent, he can’t help but to snap out in frustration, which does nothing but make make the kid sob louder. He’ll give you a look, to let you know he needs a break to cool off, and you nod and give him a thumbs-up back to communicate to him to take his time. It’s a tag-team effort. You’re in the ring now, trying to calm down one child who is screaming on top of their lungs. 

Food. He’s strict when it comes to meal times. Maybe it’s from being in the military or just being from a time where frugality is necessary, but he doesn’t let his brat mess with their food. Eat your damn fruits and veggies and respect the nourishment it gives you. Don’t like something? Too bad, you gotta eat it anyways. There’s no way in hell he’s raising his kid to be picky eater. 

He makes all the toys himself. He’s got the quite the crafty spirit, being able to make some very decent knick-knacks from the available wood and spare metal, some of which are modeled after various aircrafts. In his spare time, he squats down in the dirt and plays with them, barking out commands and obscure pilot lingo that your child easily understands and follows like a mini pro, the both of them roaring at each other and trying to smash each others plane down to the ground, aerodynamics be damned. 

AHH but just IMAGINE Naoshi settling your kid onto his lap up in the cockpit, engines turned off, letting them play with the controls and turn the yoke with their clumsy hands, as he grins proudly in response to his kid’s obvious joy being in the fighter jet (like father, like child). He’ll even plop his hat on their head, patting down the flaps to engulf their small ears AAAHHH

Okay, so about the cursing... he tries.  

“Fuck!” A small voice pipes up from beside you, and you turn to slowly look at your child, who innocently smiles at you with two missing front teeth. You immediately crane your neck to peer at the culprit, your husband. 

“Fuck,” Naoshi mutters, awkwardly coughing and pulling down his goggles to hide from your glare. 

Shimazu Toyohisa: 

our resident feral is actually? very good? with children?

He’s in tune with their emotions. And that’s GREAT for when they’re experiencing things for the first time and don’t know what to do with their new feelings or how to handle them. Toyohisa is gentle, yet firm as he guides them, his words simple and straightforward, but most importantly, Toyohisa speaks to them like they’re an adult, never belittling them or insulting their intelligence. He knows that children can understand more than what other adults give them credit for. 

He’s the type of parent to let his child learn their lesson the hard way. He knows that children get into trouble despite the warnings, and as long as they’re not in any real danger, he lets them figure it out themselves. Saves him the trouble of telling them multiple times, and besides, it wouldn’t do them any favors if he coddled them too much like those overprotective parents do. But if they start crying from fright, Toyohisa’s patting their head with his big palm, comforting them until the tears dry up. 

The rough play is insane. Like, Toyohisa is really out here throwing your kid 20 feet up in the air and catching them by the ankles, and he just grins and waves you away when you voice some actual concerns. He’s got it. He’d never let his kid fall. But despite his confidence and your trust in him, you can’t help your mini heart attacks every time your kid waves at you from the tree tops.

Nap time. Toyohisa never says no to naps and your kid inherited the same sentiment. You often find them napping together under the warm sunlight; kid tucked against his chest, drooling on his neck, and the man himself snoring and drooling at the mouth also. It’s so fucking adorable.

likes to carry them on his shoulder, listening to their giggles as he bounces them playfully up and down. and you too. you’re on the other shoulder. 

Toyohisa is strict in his values, and he’s strict in passing them down. He is unwavering in his teachings, just as his father had been with him. He tells them once and expects them to remember it forever. To him, it’s not just about morality, but a way of life, a guide to live and let live, a just and straight pathway to follow until the end and beyond. No matter where they are, his child is part of the Shimazu clan and will grow up upholding the Shimazu creed. 

Toyohisa want to be traditional in his child-rearing. He doesn’t value sons over daughters or anything like that, but he does staunchly believe that sons should be raised as warriors and daughters should be raised as household caretakers. It’s not something you can easily change his mind on. But if your child becomes an adult and really wants to become someone else than who they were raised to be, Toyohisa is surprisingly not so opposed to it then. By then, he has taught them everything he knows. Toyohisa trusts their judgement and ability to live their own life. 

How does writing launch me into baby fever???

[babayagaiscomingforya]

Eeeeee

@thewhumpcaretaker @pinkheadwithagun ummm idk who else to tag

Fave female character tag game

Tagged by @undecimber-of-joy💞

Rules: Make a poll of your top four favourite female characters of all time and see who is the favorite amongst your followers, then tag four people to do the same.

My faves✨

Put my mutual's urls through a random generator, and I got @devotiondroid @saintarmand @lynnenne and @pockedeye :)

[shinsengumi-archives]

Bakumatsu Era Kyoto

From Illustrated Shinsengumi

[full size]

The illustration depicts Kyoto before most of the city was burnt due to the Kinmon Incident (July 19, 1864). Toyotomi Hideyoshi built a palace to enclose the city of Kyoto in order to enhance the defense of the town of Kyoto, but even after more than two hundred years under the Tokugawa administration, a part of the Kamogawa side was lost. Most of them remained old-fashioned until the end of the Edo period.

The characteristic of Kyoto city at the end of the Edo period is the expansion of the clan's residence. Until then, there were more than 200 of his clan's residences in Kyoto, but most of them had only a few clan resident, and in some cases, the house of a servant merchant was called the clan's residence (Kyoyashiki). ..

At the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, when the daimyo took his vassals and moved up and made them stationed in Kyoto as troops, a large clan residence commensurate with that was needed, and it was expanded. Since the center of the city has been a high-density space with townhouses since the Middle Ages, many seek land to the east of the Kamogawa River. In particular, 11 clan such as Kaga clan, Echizen clan, Tokushima clan, and Hikone clan advanced from Shogoin to the Okazaki area. Even if it is in the suburbs, it is an urban area as soon as you cross the Kamo River, and it is probably because the flights to Gosho and Nijo Castle were good. This site later became Okazaki Park, and became a cultural zone where Heian Jingu Shrine and Kyoto City Museum of Art are lined up.

In addition, the Owari clan's residence (currently Kyoto University headquarters) in front of the gate of Hyakumanben Chionji Temple and the Satsuma clan's residence (currently Doshisha University) at Sokokuji are also large-scale clan residences. In addition, the Kyoto Shugoshoku residence (currently the Kyoto Prefectural Government) was also built in the city area. The guardian residence was different from the clan residence in the suburbs, and was built by forcibly relocating a private house.

Kyoto at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate can be described by the word "forest of samurai residences". After the Meiji era, the land of these samurai residences was reborn as a public facility, laying the foundation for modern Kyoto.

(Munehiro Ito, Kyoto City Library of Historical Documents)

Legend

Imperial Palace area (red)

(A) Forbidden Palace, (B) Sento Imperial Palace, (C) Sakaimachi Palace Gate, (D) Hamaguri Palace Gate

Main samurai residences (red)

Nijo Castle

Wakasa Sakai Mansion (Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu Ryokan)

Kyoto Shoshidai's residence

Kuwana Matsudaira Mansion

Yodo Inaba Mansion

Kyoto Shugoshoku Residence

Mito Tokugawa Mansion

Satsuma Shimazu Mansion

Hikone Ii Mansion

Tosa Yamauchi Mansion

Owari Tokugawa Mansion

Aizu Matsudaira Mansion

Morioka South Room

Awa Hachisuka Mansion

Aki Asano Mansion

Echizen Matsudaira Mansion

Hikone Ii Mansion

Tosa Yamauchi Mansion

Kaga Maedayashiki

Hirado Matsuura Mansion

Uto Hosokawa Mansion

Zensho Honda Mansion

Matsushiro Sanada Mansion

Tosa Yamauchi Mansion

Hikone Ii Mansion

Choshu Mori Mansion

Satsuma Shimazu Mansion

Main temples and shrines (black)

Toji Temple

Nishi Honganji Temple

Honkokuji

Mibudera

Myoshinji Temple

Ninnaji Temple

Ryoanji Temple

Toji-in

Kaenji Temple (Kinkakuji Temple)

Daitokuji Temple

Myokaku Temple

Myokenji Temple

Shokokuji Temple

Kamo Gososha (Shimogamo Shrine)

Myomanji Temple

Honnoji

Rokkakudo

Bukkoji Temple

Higashi Honganji Temple

Kikoku House

Tofukuji Temple

Sennyuji Temple

Sanjusangendo

Hokoji Temple

Myohoin

Koyasu Kannon

Kiyomizu Temple

Hokanji Temple (Yasaka Tower)

Kenninji Temple

Gion Shrine

Kodaiji Temple

Gesshin-in

Chion-in

Nanzenji Temple

Konkai Komyoji Temple

Jishoji Temple (Ginkakuji Temple)

Shogoin

Yoshida Shrine

Hyakumanben Chionji Temple

North-south streets (orange)

Onmae-dori

Senbon Street

Omiya Dori

Inokuma-dori

Nishiborikawa-dori

Horikawa-dori

Samegai-dori

Aburanokoji-dori

Saitoin Dori

Shinmachi-dori

Muromachi-dori

Karasuma Dori

Higashinotoin Dori

Takakura-dori

Sakaimachi Dori

Tominokoji-dori

Teramachi-dori

Kawaramachi Dori

East-west streets (purple)

Kuramaguchi-dori

Imadegawa-dori

Ichijo Dori

Shimodachiuri

Marutamachi Dori

Nijo Dori

Oshikoji-dori

Oike-dori

Aneyakoji-dori

Sanjo Dori

Rokkaku-dori

Takoyakushi-dori

Nishikikoji-dori

Shijo-dori

Ayakoji Dori

Bukkoji-dori

Takatsuji dori

Matsubara-dori

Manjuji-dori

Gojo-dori

Rokujo Dori

Shichijo-dori

Shiokoji-dori

Hachijo-dori

Other important places (blue)

Shinsengumi Mibu Headquarters

Shinsengumi Fudodo Headquarters*

Tenmaya

Sarugatsuji

Tankora

Ikedaya

Omiya

Shogunzuka

*The relocation to the Shinsengumi Fudodo Headquarters is in 1867.

[respectanimalrights]

Helping with a shoutouts! Credit © 🎞 Sara Hysong-Shimazu @hysazu #Repost @wildorcaorg #ahasave @ahasave —— Shout-out is for our friends across the Canadian border @RaincoastConservation who are working to protect the Fraser Estuary, near Vancouver. It’s an important nursery for Chinook salmon, and so vital to the Southern Resident killer whales. But sadly, this estuary is under threat, due to plans for expansion at the nearby Port of Vancouver. Wild Orca’s Dr Giles was their guest in a recent webinar, discussing how healthy estuary habitats are good for salmon, and killer whales. Link in our bio to join the conversation. 📸: Sara Hysong-Shimazu #defendwild #killerwhale #pacificnorthwest #pnw #salishsea #srkw #orca #raincoast (at Port of Vancouver) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO6Cg8EBWfJ/?igshid=rrw7a8z7bggq

[myjapan-me]

Shimazu Residence, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki, 1

[snini-9]

Update on J57: It’s a boy!

Screenshot of the larger photograph that was the main header on Center for Whale Researches page, I couldn’t copy and paste the photos there, so I’ll just settle with a screenshot. Photographs of J57 courtesy of Sara Hysong-Shimazu/Maya's Legacy and the Pacific Whale Watch Association.

J51 Nova in back, Little J57, and J35 Tahlequah

J35 Tahlequah and J57

Updating our recent announcement concerning J35's new calf, J57: we can confirm that it is male (see photograph). This feisty young boy was seen last evening, September 22, near Point Roberts, Washington. He was photographed rolling, spyhopping, and swimming alongside his mother, who was actively foraging for food.

​

J57 was estimated to have been born on September 4 and is the second viable calf of mother, J35, Tahlequah. J57's brother, J47, was born in 2010. J35 also gave birth to a calf in 2018, which died; she carried her deceased calf for 17 days before letting it go.​ ​ For the Southern Resident killer whale community's population sustainability, it is preferred that new calves are female. But regardless of gender, J57 is a very welcome addition. He is robust and appears healthy.

[yeonchi]

Kisekae Insights #6: Kyōko, Katsuki, Natsuki and the Lucky Stars

At the time of writing this, it has been one year since the Kyoto Animation Studio 1 fire. This instalment, together with the last one, can form part of my tribute.

Lucky Star was the first anime I took significant interest in after seeing episodes of the Cantonese dub on YouTube a decade ago. The characters became part of my Dynasty Warriors parodies and general delusions, but when I started writing them into the Doctor Who portion of my personal project, some retconning was likely involved due to complicated timeline stuff.

Unbelievably, I made three Lucky Star OCs for the project. I’ll get to them later because there’s some background stuff I want to explain first.

Also, from this point on, I’m going to use Hiroki’s name to refer to his (the protagonist’s) past self as well because it’s starting to get confusing. Once again, Hiroki is the final incarnation that made his debut from 2014 onwards; anything about him from before then refers to his past self.

As the Fourth Doctor’s companions (first timeline)

The events of 2007-2010 are split into two timelines. In one timeline, the Doctor was helping around the events of the Parallax War while not actually fighting in it himself (for the most part). In another timeline, the Parallax War is invisible to the residents of that timeline while another war happens around them; the Last Great Time War on Earth. I’ll explain more about them in a later instalment.

During the first timeline, most of the characters were companions of the Fourth Doctor at one point following Fifi Forget-me-not’s departure. Konata was a companion for a full series, while in another series, the companions switched every few episodes, namely Minami, Misao, Kagami and Tsukasa. Tsukasa would later return as the Fifth Doctor’s companion in Series 6 Part 2 and Series 7 Part 1.

Once the first timeline ended, everyone would be de-aged and returned to the past to relive those years again in the second timeline.

As various armies (second timeline)

During the second timeline, the characters formed or joined armies as they fought in the Time War. The respective armies are as follows:

Oda Army (Konata, Yutaka)

Shimazu Army (Kagami, Tsukasa)

Chōsokabe Army (Miyuki, Minami, Misao, Patricia)

Azai/Asakura Army (Hiyori, Ayano)

The four armies were conquered and absorbed into Parker and Hiroki’s army in 2010. A year later, the mega-army split up and Parker eventually united them all again, starting with Minami and Yutaka, who joined him after he saved them. The year after, the armies split up again and the story continues from there.

Kyōko Izumi: The Genesis Prototype

Kyōko is known as the “Genesis Prototype” because he is the first character to be created as a “prototype” back in 2011. He emerged from Hiroki’s fifth incarnation after suffering a broken heart. No, it wasn’t because of Akari, it was because of someone else.

Around the time of his regeneration, Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki, who were acting undercover to counter an enemy ambush, while the Fourth Doctor was nearby in the TARDIS, waiting for Sycorax and Hoix ships to attack. Once the enemies began their attack, the Doctor and Konata’s group sprang into action. They found the recently-regenerated Kyōko, who still had his archetype’s face and was trying to fight off the aliens, and took him to the TARDIS, but he accidentally drops his sword.

A Sycorax took the sword back to his ship and used it to power their ship’s laser beams. At the same time, they took the TARDIS as well. As the Doctor and the others go out to confront the Sycorax, the heart of the TARDIS opens and speaks to Kyōko, giving him the power of the Time Vortex along with his new name and appearance. He then proceeds to snatch his sword back and duel the Sycorax leader, leading him to retreat.

After giving back the sword to his archetype, Kyōko begins suffering from a mental breakdown, like Donna did after her meta-crisis. The Doctor has the TARDIS take back the power it gave to Kyōko, reverting him to his previous appearance and wiping his memory of what happened. He is then left in the care of Konata and the others, warning him that until his regeneration stabilises, he cannot be reminded about the Doctor or he would die.

At some point following this, Kyōko’s soul was brought through time (or not, depending on the timeline) and merged with the Fourth Doctor’s by Yuki Nagato. He would be separated following the latter’s regeneration, with the former having no memory of what happened.

Kyōko’s regeneration was still stabilising by the events of The End of Time. When the Master turned all the humans into his image, he was the only human (apart from Kagami, who was with the Doctor at the time) to not be affected by it. Some time after, he married Konata, having become a couple soon after being left in Saitama.

Sure enough, Kyōko’s regeneration stabilised to the point where he could meet the Doctor again without having a mental breakdown. In the year following his regeneration, he would gradually turn back into the shorter blue-haired man he was during the duel with the Sycorax leader. It may also interest you to know that Kyōko Izumi wasn’t even his original name when I created the character; I gave him that name in 2013, right at the start of the 50th Anniversary Series.

Katsuki Hiiragi: The Adopted Sibling

Katsuki is a meta-character for my actor persona; he wasn’t introduced in my project until 2014, before getting a proper introduction in 2017. You may know him on the Waifu Network as Philip Zhou (周琮平).

In August 2006, Hiroki and Parker were lured into a trap by one of Antoni’s nephews and analysed their DNA to create a clone. The clone was quickly subdued and after Antoni’s nephew was defeated, he was put into UNIT’s custody and was later adopted by the Hiiragi family, becoming their youngest and only male child.

As the years went on, he became a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, having taken up jobs as an actor, singer and presenter of news, sports and other shows. He also became a YouTuber under the name “Myzhouji”, with one of his famous videos being “My Crazy Sister”, showing his own depiction of his sister, Kagami. If you think this sounds like Mychonny (before 2016), then you’re right, because this character is partially based on him. He’s also planning on retiring soon so he can live life out of the spotlight.

His first appearance in Doctor Who was in the series 9 finale, where he, Kagami, Minami and some of their friends (except Konata) sided with the Western Army at Sekigahara against Hiroki and the Eastern Army. When the Girl Power forces on Mt. Matsuo surrendered, Katsuki and the others turned against the Girl Power commanders.

Natsuki Takara: Surrounded by well-endowed airheads

Natsuki was a character during the early stages of my project, but he wasn’t defined as a prototype until late 2013.

When Hiroki’s fourth incarnation was killed trying to save his future girlfriend in a city being attacked by enemy missiles, he was briefly resurrected by a different Sisterhood of Karn. When they told him that he was the key to stopping the Parallax War, he decided to become a warrior and so, Natsuki Takara was born.

Until his archetype could return, Natsuki briefly took over his life for a while as a soldier with the Tongmenghui, made up of young children rebelling against their parents, who had formed a tyrannic empire. He was adopted by the Takara family, who allowed him to see the Tongmenghui’s mission to the end before moving to Tokyo.

Natsuki attended an international school in Tokyo. He later found work at the Yamadori Restaurant in Midori City, home to the Hidamari Apartments. It was also at that restaurant where he met Miyako, a frequent customer there, and became fast friends with her. They would eventually begin dating.

Later, during the 50th Anniversary Series, Natsuki would be known for making his “500 Year Diary” videos in a similar vein to Strax’s field reports.

There are two additional members of the Takara family. Shown below are Toshiaki, Miyuki’s boyfriend and later, husband, and Toshio, Miyuki’s father. Toshiaki was introduced in the Moushouden Series, while Toshio made his debut in the 5115 Specials. Toshio would look older, but at the time, I couldn’t Kisekae for shit. I got inspired to add Toshiaki when I found out that he was a meme (well, not exactly).

Superhero Luckies

By some miracle, the girls stayed in contact a decade after graduating high school. Just as the K-On girls joined the Superhero Project, the Lucky Star girls joined as well. By this point, everyone’s got boyfriends now.

Natsuki, Yutaka, Minami and two non-Lucky Star characters, Hayato Kisaichi (prototype 2.5) and Yui Ichii (Yuyushiki) moved to Auckland, New Zealand to join UNIT NZ, led by Richard Yang (the first prototype). It was also there that the Go-Busters were formed:

Natsuki Takara (Red Buster)

Hayato Kisaichi (Blue Buster)

Yui Ichii (Yellow Buster)

Yutaka Kobayakawa (Beet Buster)

Minami Iwasaki (Stag Buster)

Here’s some trivia. The Go-Busters being based in New Zealand is a reference to how Power Rangers seasons from Ninja Storm onwards were produced there. No, they don’t use any Beast Morphers-exclusive weapons because my version of Gokaiger was made just before Hasbro announced that they would adapt Go-Busters.

The rest of the Lucky Star characters remained in Saitama and became the Kyoryugers:

Kyōko Izumi (KyoryuRed)

Toshiaki Takara (KyoryuBlack)

Konata Izumi (KyoryuBlue)

Hiyori Tamura (KyoryuGreen)

Kagami Hiiragi (KyoryuPink)

Patricia Martin (KyoryuGold)

Ayano Minegishi (KyoryuCyan)

Misao Kusakabe (KyoryuGrey)

Tsukasa Hiiragi (KyoryuViolet)

Katsuki Hiiragi (KyoryuSilver)

I wanted to put in Konata’s father, Sōjirō, as the original KyoryuViolet before he had to pass on his powers to Tsukasa, but I didn’t want to waste time on that storyline. I didn’t put Miyuki in as a Ranger because of her clumsiness – somehow, I think she would probably agree.

[ayellowbirds]

on Japanese motorcycles:

1896. The 29th year of the Meiji period, just after the end of the Sino-Japanese War. The first gas-powered motorcycle is brought to Japan, and brought on tour in Tokyo.

It was a Hildebrand & Wolfmüller Motorrad, displayed by Diet member Shinsuke Jomonji.

In Meiji 42, otherwise known as 1909 CE, Osaka resident Narazo Shimazu (having founded the Shimazu Motor Research Institute the previous year) created the first Japanese-made, Japanese-designed motorcycle: the NS, based on the British-made Triumph frame:

so, you need to understand

that what i'm saying is

there could totally be a Kamen Rider series set in the Meiji period alongside the kinds of stories told in Rurouni Kenshin and Golden Kamuy

[weekendadventurer]

[Oahu Trip Recap] Day 3 - 10/8/21 | Snorkeling Day! Waikiki & Hanauma Bay

We booked a morning Turtle Canyon Snorkel tour with Hawaii Nautical. Overall, this tour was honestly pretty disappointing; mostly due to my lack of swimming/snorkeling skills. I didn't do enough research, so I was not aware of how far we would have to swim to get to the Turtle Canyon (which is underwater). It was also extremely windy that morning which made the waves pretty rough. So, unfortunately I didn't make it to the Turtle Canyon but I did see a few turtles from the boat! However, the staff were awesome and made sure everyone was safe; I just wish they were more transparent about the swim skills needed. I will definitely want to try again some day when the waters are calmer, and I'm a better swimmer. We got a pretty nice view of Waikiki from the ocean though :)

After using all my will power to avoid seasickness on the boat tour, we went to Rainbow's Drive In for lunch!

Lunch: I got the BBQ Pork plate which comes with 2 scoops of rice and mac salad. The pork was really good but I thought Zippy's was better. My boyfriend got their mixed plate (because he really liked my Zip Pac and hoped Rainbow's would be just as good) but it just couldn't compare to Zippy's.

Dessert: Right next door to Rainbow's is Shimazu Shave Ice. We got their "Small" size and it was the size of my head. The ice was so fluffy. Adding condensed milk is a must!

After lunch we headed for Hanauma Bay for our reservation at 1:30PM. There was a security guard at the entrance checking for reservations; they weren't letting people in without one (even though once we got down to the parking lot, there was a tent for walk-ins? Not sure how that works.) Parking is $3 for non-residents. I was a little worried about finding parking, but there was plenty when we got there.

We got in line for our reservation window but they let us in early around 12:45PM. After purchasing our tickets ($25/person), we waited a few minutes until they moved us to a room to view a quick educational video on the history and safety rules of the bay. Afterwards, we took the free open air tram (but masks still required on the tram) down to the beach.

Since I am not a strong swimmer and a beginner snorkeler (see Turtle Canyon experience above lol), we stayed in the water where I could touch the ground. If you're looking out towards the ocean, the left side of the bay has a reef near the shore that you can easily snorkel over. I was able to see a ton of fish here without having to swim very far! There was also a monk seal that was sleeping on the beach when were there. Highly recommend Hanauma Bay for beginner snorkelers.

We were some of the last ones on the beach and were able to take some great pictures without any people in them!

For dinner, we made reservations for Roy's (Waikiki) since I wanted one fancy dinner in Oahu. They gave me a kid's party hat (which I thought was cute and hilarious) since I noted in my reservation it was for my birthday.

We ordered the Flying Dragon Roll, HK Crab Cakes, Misoyaki Butterfish, Tetsuyaki Beef plate, and the Chocolate Souffle. They also gave us a free dessert for my birthday.

I really enjoyed everything we had with the exception of the beef plate. We ordered it because a waiter had walked by with it and it just smelled so good. But it was just a large plate of beef chunks on a hot plate with a little bit of mushrooms and onions (which were really good, but it needed more veggies!).

Across the street from Roy's is another Iyasume Musubi store, so we stopped by after dinner to pick up some musubi for breakfast the next day. The store clerk was super friendly and noticed the party hat I was holding and wished me a happy birthday. :) If you order one of the items that is not already made and ready to go, they will make it fresh! I got a takuan musubi and ume onigiri.

That concludes our 3rd day!

Trip Reports: Honolulu, Oahu Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 Kona/Hilo, Big Island, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9

[infoburger]

Name: Jaylin “ Jay ” K. (Kemina) Majuatco

Age: 10

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Light Brown

Origin/Born: Castelia City, Unova

Hometown/ Raised: Accumula Town, Unova

Current Residence: ???

Occupation: Trainer

Starter: Snivy [ nicknamed Katia ]

Family:

Parents ? Nimuel Majuatco ( father, 31 ) Kiona Shimazu ( mother, 29 )

Siblings ? N/A

Grandparents ? Imelda Majuatco ( paternal grandmother, 55 )

Aunts and/or Uncles ? Unnamed aunt (maternal aunt, 30)

Cousins ? Erika Shimazu (older cousin, 10)

In Laws ? N/A

Nephews and/or Nieces ? N/A

Others ? N/A

Height: 4'5 / 134.6 cm 

Birthday: November 18th

Usual Place(s) to Find: ???

Important Notes: 

Quick Personality Sum:

Spontaneous and lively, very sociable though she does have a quick temper

Despite her hot temper she is very sympathetic and compassionate towards others. 

Incredibly approachable and open to others. Can have the tendency to very be over-dramatic or can be quite reckless with her decisions.

Backstory:

  Though born in  Castelia City she didn’t stay there for long instead moving in with her grandmother since her father and mother couldn’t raise her at the time due their busy lifestyles. Jay grew into an rowdy and wild child, the only one that could keep her at bay was her grandmother and overtime she realized this by herself. The only thing she knew about her parents is that her father was a really busy CEO that lived in Castelia and saw him more on television than in person. He constantly sent her gifts and her mom, a doctor always sent her cards thus giving her the most parental contact.

  She wanted to be a martial artist like her late grandfather, but her grandmother worried that she would go by that route the wrong way. Her grandma also realized her whole life she enjoyed playing with her pet Purrlion, in fact always enjoyed having Pokemon in her life in general. Sometime recently before her tenth birthday, the girl was encouraged by her grandmother to go off on a journey, to help to a better way of becoming an skilled martial artist than just fighting. Choosing her starter to a be Snivy before heading out on her own to explore.

  One of her first goals was to go to Castelia City to find her parents and spend time with, learning her father wasn’t home at his estate and her mother wasn’t there at all; unlike what she previously assumed.  After that goal was achieved though sadly Jay didn’t get the ending she hoped for as she wanted to show her parents how far she got as a trainer at that moment and finally see them in person after years. Current went on to continue her training.

Faceclaim: 

Specialize in what type(s): None

Favorite Type(s): Fighting

——————————————————————————————————-

Hobbies ?: Practicing martial arts (mostly karate, kickboxing, and mano mano) dancing, football/soccor, swimming, surfing and basketball

Favorite Food(s): Lumpia, sorbetes, siopao, and most coconut andbanana desserts

Know any other muse(s): N/A

—————————————————————————————————–

Katia ( Calm, Somewhat stubborn )

Ko (Impish, Impetuous and silly)

Elmi (Gentle, Somewhat of a clown)

Hoian  (Serious, Proud of its power)

Nikana  (Jolly, Often lost in thought)

——————————————————————————————————

 Mano (Adamant, Likes to fight)

Suog (Bashful, Strong willed)

Manika (Naughty, A little quick tempered)

——————————————————————————————————-

Initial Relationships

Imelda Majuatco / Lola Elda / Grandmother 

  She’s incredibly close to grandmother and seems to be the only one that can actually knock some sense into the girl; not literally but still. Jay finds herself scared about exploring even with friends, mostly because she don’t have her grandmother there to support her even she won’t admit it.

Nimuel Majuatco / Tay / Father

  Jay was always sure that her father never wanted her; he only came by on holidays and birthdays, always with gifts but never knew how to speak to him. Her relationship with him seems be a little less shaky nowadays, nonetheless sometimes she wishes time with her was more important than his work.

  Kiona Shimazu / Na / Mother

   Her mother always given her postcards and always tell her about the types of people Pokemon she encountered. She seems incredibly happy, but knowing how much her mother enjoys her life does make Jay wonder if it because she’s not there to ruin it.

Erika Shimazu / Rikke / Cousin    

  Rikke is Jay’s cousin around her age and originally from Humilau City where a lot of her mother’s family are from. The two seems to have a lot in common, including their competitive attitudes. There are times where Jay speak about her cousin fondly and other times when Rikke sounds like a pain to be around depending on the last time seen.

 Friends

  N/A

——————————————————————————————————-