#sun and moon pagoda

[madeleineengland]

The Sun and Moon Pagodas in Guilin, China (photo by Nathan Ackley)

Sun & Moon Twin Pagodas are one of the greatest attractions in Guilin, situated in Shanhu (Shan Lake).

The word sun and moon in Chinese character written together meant brightness. They are also known as Gold and Silver Pagodas because of their colors at night. They stand next to each other reflecting the beauty of each other.

Originally built in Guilin's moat during the Tang dynasty, these tiered towers were reconstructed in 2001 and now they are a tourist site combining culture, art, religion, and architecture, technology, and natural landscape.

The "Sun" Pagoda is constructed with copper; it has 9 floors and reaches a height of 41 metres. The "Moon" Pagoda's construction is made of marble; it has 7 floors and measuring 35 meters high. The two pagodas are connected via a tunnel at the bottom of the lake.

From the Moon Pagoda to the Sun Pagoda, there is a 10-meter glass tunnel that links the two under water. When walking through the tunnel, one can see the fish above the head and on both sides.

[afrotumble]

[travelnew]

Love is in the air

Happy Valentine's Day

[sheltiechicago]

Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas, China

yiran_ding

[evilsment]

🌞 Sun and Moon Pagodas | 日月双塔 🌚

Originally built in Guilin, Guangxi during the Tang dynasty (618-917) the pagodas were reconstructed in 2001.

[ruibaozha]

The Inconsistency of Nezha's Age, a Short Introduction.

Put very bluntly, Nezha’s age varies greatly depending on which story you’re reading and who’s retold it. He is not always a child or an adult depending on retelling, though my intention here is to highlight the sheer variety available first and foremost - and perhaps shine a light on the Indian dieties which may have influenced him. If these varied images are unwanted, please keep scrolling.

I happened to stumble upon a timeline error where Nezha’s brother Muzha is described to be using martial arts weapons referred to as “Hooks of Wu” which were specific to the 1800s, quite a long time after Canonization of the Gods was published, but also originating from a time period where numerous varied editions of that story were in circulation. Upwards of twenty different versions exclusive to the 19th century, actually.

The problem arises that Canonization of the Gods is meant to be occurring during the Zhou Shang conflict, that I will generously assume to be in 1045BCE, centuries before the Hooks of Wu would actually exist. It’s completely possible that the version Gu Zhizhong translated was one of these later editions as is makes no chronological sense for Muzha to have those kinds of weapons to begin with. So I have been on somewhat of a rabbit chase trying to pin down the edition Gu Zhizhong used.

Bearing such errors in mind, it’s easy to see where the confusion of Nezha’s age can come from. Before his origin story was integrated within Canonization of the Gods he would be roughly three to seven days old when his conflict with Ao Guang and the Lady Rock Demoness would occur - whereas within Canonization of the Gods he’s actually 6 or 7 years old.

Outside of that, a definitive age isn’t actually provided. Genuinely, within the scope of Chinese folklore and mythos it’s very rare to assign someone an exact age - which I do believe contributed heavily to the known discourse surrounding Nezha’s age to begin with.

He was imported as an adult from India, a child form not seeming to exist for a while until stories of Krsna were integrated to how the Chinese envisioned Nalakubara. Krsna, being an infantile disguise for the notorious Vishnu, also displays supernatural human strength and is actually successful in killing his father figure (1) — unlike Nezha.

As children, both Krsna and Nezha are able to wield heavenly bows and subjugate water spirits (2) while also being known to be dragon tamers (3). The inclusion of these stories to Nezha predates the sculpting of the Quanzhou Pagoda’s (which have been discussed briefly here) and are arguably the earliest evidence of Nezha being a dragon tamer.

Speculatively a child god combination of both Nalakubara and Krsna named Nana is likely where a majority of Nezha’s child attributes come from, based in the Scripture of the Supreme Secrets of Nana Deva - which would see translations within China during the Northern Song period of 960AD-1127AD. Nana would be described thus:

At that time there was a Deva called Nana. His appearance was exceptionally handsome, and his face beamed with a gentle smile. He was holding the sun, the moon, and various weapons. His numerous treasures and abundant jewelry shone more brightly than the sun and the moon. He made himself a luoye robe (4) from the dragons Nanda and Upananda, and a belt from the dragon Taksaka (5). He possessed the same strength as Narayana (i.e. Visnu). He too came to the assembly and sat down facing the Buddha … At that time the Buddha emanated great light from his dharma body of meditation. The light covered the entire Buddha Universe, reaching all the great evil yaksas, the various types of raksasas and pisacas (6) and all the evil dragons as far as the heavenly constellations. When the Buddhas light shone upon them they all awoke to the truth. The Buddhas light returned to him and, after encircling him three times, entered his head. It then reissued in seven colors from his brow, entering Nana-Deva’s head. When the Buddha light penetrated his head, Nana Deva displayed an enormous body like Mt. Sumeru. His facial expression alternated between terrifying anger and a broad smile. He had a thousand arms, and he was holding a skull (7) and numerous weapons. He was handsomely adorned with a tiger skin robe and skulls. [Mightily Strong] He emanated blazing light and terrifying strength. When Nana Deva displayed this divine body, the great earth shook, and all who beheld him were terrified.

Both Nana and Nezha share the same residence of Vaisravana’s palace, are known dragon tamers, and both were known to use belts. The Supreme Secrets of Nana Deva predate all known connections between Nezha and dragons, perhaps lending to Nezha many more elements than initially believed.

Though without concrete evidence stating one way or another, I can only present this information speculatively - especially as it seems difficult for some to understand that Nezha does enjoy a known adult and child form. This answer has already become quite long, so if there’s still confusion regarding this please feel free to ask for more details.

Bibliography:

(1) Goldman, “Fathers, Sons and Gurus,” pp.350, 364; Masson, “Childhood of Krsna”; Ramanujan, “The Indian ‘Oedipus’”; Silk, Riven by Lust, pp. 164-170.

(2) Harley, “Krishna’s Cosmic Victories”; Matchett, “Taming of Kaliya”.

(3) It’s worth comparing Matchett’s “Taming of Kaliya” p.116 with Canonization of the Gods 12.103. Nezha is five days old within the Ming era Sanjiao yuanliu shengdi fozu sou shen daquan, p. 326.

(4) Luoye is the Chinese term for a garment Indian men tied under the armpit, leaving their right shoulder bare. See Xuanzang, Da Tang Xiyu ji, T. 2087, 51: 876b, and Li Rongxi’s translation, Great Tang Dynasty Record, p.53.

(5) Nanda, Upananda, and Taksaka appear in various Buddhist lists of the eight dragon kings; see Foguang da cidian, pp. 6378,6405.

(6) The rakasas and pisacas are two types of Hindu ogres, who Buddhists demonology incorporated. Both types feed on human flesh. See Foguang da cidian, pp6673-6674 and 3851; Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English dictionary, pp. 871 and 628; and Strickman’s survey of Buddhist demonology in his Chinese Magical Medicine, pp. 62-68.

(7) Geboluo appears frequently within the contemporaneous Chinese translation of the Hevajra Tantra (Foshuo dabeikong zhi jin’guang dajiaowang yigui jing), no. 892 volume 18: 587-601.

(8) Zuishang mimi Nana tian jing, no. 1288, 21:358b-c. hi

[icekingofhope]

WARNING THIS HAS SPOILERS FOR MONKIE KID SEASON 5

So since we have the new villain who is definitely Impiled to have a lot of importance to the story which is the nine headed beast

I decided to check abit about him to see if there is any info of him and in fact there is he was a villain of journey to the west and here is what we have

this is copy and pasted from the jttw wiki it says and I qoute

“ The Nine-Headed Beast also known as the Nine-Headed Prince Consort is married to Wansheng Dragon King's daughter. He is armed with a Crescent Moon Spade He collaborates with his father-in-law to steal the Śarīra from Golden Ray Monastery. Sun Wukong enlists the help of celestial forces to deal with the demons. The Nine-Headed Beast has one of his heads bitten off by Erlang Shen's celestial hound but manages to escape”

and for more info on the wansheng dragon king and the nine headed beasts wife is this

“The Wansheng Dragon King is based in Emerald Waves Lake Rocky Mountain Kingdom of Jisai He marries his daughter, Wansheng Princess, to the Nine-Headed Beast. He plots with his son-in-law to steal a Śarīra from the pagoda in Golden Ray Monastery in Jisai and release a rain of blood in the kingdom. Without the Śarīra, the pagoda loses its magical shine, and the king perceives the blood rain as an ill omen. He believes that the monks in the monastery are responsible for stealing the Śarīra and starts persecuting them. Sun Wukong uncovers the truth when he and his companions arrive in Jisai. The dragon king and his family are eventually killed by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. The Śarīra is returned to the pagoda”

“The Wansheng Princess is Wansheng Dragon King's daughter and the Nine-Headed Beast's wife. She stole the Nine Leaves Lingzhi Herb from the Queen Mother of the West. She is slain by Zhu Bajie”

he also seems to have two servants

“Benbo'erba and Babo'erben are two minions of the Nine-Headed Beast. Their respective forms are a sheatfish and a blackfish respectively. They stay at the top of the pagoda in Golden Ray Monastery after the Śarīra is stolen. Sun Wukong discovers them while cleaning the pagoda and captures them. He learns about the theft of the Śarīra from them”

so that’s what is seen so far he is practically a prince as he had married to royalty and his wife is practically dead- along with his father in law and such him being a prince does fit though due to his appearance and what his body language indicates

I hope in the English dub or sub we get info of him and we seen him more he is a really interesting character

(also side note is it just me or why would it feel like the character double trouble from she ra would fit for a English Va )

[whencyclopedia]

To-ji

The To-ji Shingon Buddhist temple complex is located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 796 CE, its five-storey wooden pagoda is the largest in Japan, a symbol of the city, and listed as a National Treasure. The complex includes other examples of ancient architectural styles such as the Kondo Main Hall and Kodo Lecture Hall, as well as many important figure sculptures. To-ji is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains the centre of Shingon (Esoteric) Buddhism in Japan.

To-ji (meaning East Temple) was founded as a more modest building in 796 CE when it stood at the east side of the Rashomon gate of Heiankyo (Kyoto), then the capital of Japan. It was and continued to be the most important state-funded temple in Heiankyo. In 823 CE it was enlarged under the supervision of the scholar monk Kukai (aka Kobo Daishi), the founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan. To-ji, thus, became a monastery complex for the study of that faith. It was the first Japanese Buddhist temple complex to be dedicated to one sect only, and its number of Shingon monks was limited to 50, led by an abbot or choja.

Kondo (Main Hall)

The Kondo building or Main Hall (aka Golden Hall) is the largest structure at To-ji and a National Treasure of Japan. It was first built in the 8th century CE but destroyed by fire in 1486 CE, eventually being reconstructed in 1603 CE. It has a double roof in the irimoya style, but it also includes elements from the Indian tenjiku style making it an excellent example of Momoyama Period (1573-1600 CE) architecture. It appears to have two storeys from the outside but really has only one, the interior ceiling being 12 metres (39 ft) high.

Inside the hall is a gilded wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine and healing, which stands an impressive 2.9 metres (9.6 ft) tall with a large aureole or halo behind which has seven miniature figures of the Buddha. The pedestal on which the figure stands is supported by small standing sculptures of the Twelve Heavenly Generals who act as Yakushi Nyorai's guardians. On either side are figures of Nikko Bosatsu and Gakko Bosatsu, the sun and moon deities, respectively. This pair and the Yakushi Nyorai statue were sculpted by the celebrated Buddhist sculptor Kosei in 1603 CE and are all listed as Important Cultural Properties.

Continue reading...

[fluffypotatey]

"I am the 10th King, Prince Consort of Jisai, the Nine-Headed Demon, Xiangliu, The Emissary- Eh, the list goes on. The name's not really important." His design is also inspired by Jiu Feng, so classic lore mixing in LMK. Anyways, it's that Prince Consort- part, as the Nine-Headed Beast is the ONLY part of JTTW to tie him to Wukong lol. Here's that segment from the Wiki.

"The Wansheng Dragon King (萬聖龍王) is based in Emerald Waves Lake (碧波潭), Rocky Mountain (亂石山), Kingdom of Jisai (祭賽國). He marries his daughter, Wansheng Princess, to the Nine-Headed Beast. He plots with his son-in-law to steal a Śarīra from the pagoda in Golden Ray Monastery (金光寺) in Jisai and release a rain of blood in the kingdom. Without the Śarīra, the pagoda loses its magical shine, and the king perceives the blood rain as an ill omen. He believes that the monks in the monastery are responsible for stealing the Śarīra and starts persecuting them. Sun Wukong uncovers the truth when he and his companions arrive in Jisai. The dragon king and his family are eventually killed by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie. The Śarīra is returned to the pagoda.

The Wansheng Princess (萬聖公主) is Wansheng Dragon King's daughter and the Nine-Headed Beast's wife. She stole the Nine Leaves Lingzhi Herb (九葉靈芝草) from the Queen Mother of the West. She is slain by Zhu Bajie.

The Nine-Headed Beast (九頭蟲), also known as the Nine-Headed Prince Consort (九頭駙馬), is married to Wansheng Dragon King's daughter. He is armed with a Crescent Moon Spade. (月牙鏟). He collaborates with his father-in-law to steal the Śarīra from Golden Ray Monastery. Sun Wukong enlists the help of celestial forces to deal with the demons. The Nine-Headed Beast has one of his heads bitten off by Erlang Shen's celestial hound but manages to escape."

oh my god i missed the Prince Consort part 🙈 that’s embarrassing

but that does make me wonder…..since he is included in jttw and Wukong did meet him during the journey….did Wukong, like, run into so many enemies that he basically cannot remember them all?????

imagine, you have a chapter for yourself in the legendary Journey to the West, and Wukong fucking forgot who you are 🤭

embARRASSING

[vahalia-cress]

⸸ Syzygy ⸸

Crawl into me, seek the divine, drink deep from my well of darkness, and find rejuvenation anew.

If one were to describe the story of the sun and moon, where tales spoke of the sun dying every night to let the moon breathe. Symbols of balance and cooperation. They watched one another from a distance and rarely had time to be together but when togetherness came, they made the most beautiful of events to eclipse the skies. Some day the sun would detonate and the moon to dapple from the dark skies but there would be tales to live on long after about how their attachment held meaning; how they worshiped one another so fiercely. 

The lovely moon, a representation of all things calm, beautiful, and nurturing despite the cold exterior. The vibrant sun is a symbol of strength, substantial stability, and raw power.

Balance.

At the pagoda in Tural their hands met, fasting the bond of their nexus between cords of leather and lace overseen by a Turali Priest. Clasps with motifs of their otherworldly identities, each of which they had decided to keep on them as a reminder of one another while distance parted their devotion once more.

Husband. Wife.

A private affair where none else needed to witness or partake in. Intimate but swift where the days laid bare the most important hours one would appreciate before leaving their partner.

The runes had been drawn, chants had been sung, the placement of satchels made from spice and harvest were placed and the ritual had begun where blood had been spilled and freely given, shared, taken, and held with such dignity and purpose.

Before the night had ended in his arms, Vahalia had secured her tool, the symbol of conception washed in blood, wrapped in braided twine, and wrapped in silken cloth before being buried at the river’s edge. The last handfuls of dirt and moss covered the space that she had dug by the time the morning broke.

Bright rays pouring through the tree canopies and cresting over the mountain ridges – Tural was now simply a story to tell for her however there was more to the journey than her business that had eventually led her to stay.

Finding parts of herself that she thought did not exist. An origin to something new, something darkly natural and imperative though laced with personal desires.

Her legacy would be proof that the story of the sun and moon existed and in the future, there would be new stars to carry on with the fountain built. Stars were born of the amorous connection that did, once exist. 

Tuliyolall before long was to become a blip along the horizon and sooner rather than later she would lose sight of the colors and vibrant nature of the piers. The place she had come to grow fond of in a few short months, a place of many opportunities and such were the things she kept in her back pocket.

Before long she would no longer be able to tell the colors of the tarps or streets, the stalls bleeding into one another from afar to where it would be like a painted smear kissing the skyline and shores.

When she moved again, Vahalia loosed the sprig of Lavender over the deck of The Red Queen, watching the bright waters below carry the piece to shore in slow, lulling movements. It was here she chose to place her focus, a silent goodbye to all she decided to leave behind for the sake of necessity. Work beckoned, the ache for her children had taken over and suddenly the world felt like it shifted again deep within the swell of her ribcage.

It was mid-day when the sun let the moon breathe again. And when Vahalia looked to the sky, her golden hues caught the light coloring of the moon suspended above the clouds. Distant, but she and the sun were under the same sky. The darkness of night forever letting her shine – but she was always present.

The sails unfurled to full capacity and the large ship picked up speed as Tural’s shores pulled towards the distance and The Red Queen on her journey once more to Blackwater Bay.

She had left as a new friend to many and left as a wife to one.

Despite the waters taking her elsewhere, it was and would always be, she and he in syzygy.

Mentions: @belgravexiv

[revasserium]

congratulations 2K followers may I request Victor from ikevil?Theme 17.number the stars.Thank you,have a nice day💕

number the stars

victor; 1,347 words; fluff, mostly -- kinda weird but victor is also kinda weird so i hope you don't mind nonny -- and thanks so much for sending something in!!!

“count the stars with me,” he says one night, his hair dark as the shade of a broken promise, his smile just as sweet. you purse your lips, looking up from the typewriter at your desk.

“i’m… sorry?” you ask, quirking your head as you lean back in your chair, wondering if you’d heard correctly.

victor’s smile is moon-sliver and cyanide, and you find yourself drawn inexplicably to it, like a comet towards the sun.

“come,” he says, offering you a hand, standing by your door, looking for all the world as if he were inviting you for tea. but you know better than that now — don’t you? you wonder.

you get up anyway, telling yourself that you’d been wanting to stretch your legs anyways and the gardens should be beautiful at this hour.

“it’s — it’s a full moon tonight,” you say, tilting your head back to admire the scattered light of the milky way, streaked across the sky. beside you, victor hums in agreement. you feel his eyes on you before you see him, the dull simmer and heat of his gaze as it grazes over your skin, soft as fingertips, strong as sin.

“how many do you think there are?” he asks, casually, turning when you catch him staring, unabashed even as your own cheeks flush with heat.

“what, the stars?” you ask, casting your eyes back up.

“yes.”

you purse your lips, unable to keep your curiosity from bubbling over.

“why?”

victor’s body shakes with his blue-bell laughter, “why not wonder such things?”

you resist the urge to roll your eyes. but of course — has victor ever really needed a reason? or a rhyme, for that matter?

“i don’t know… billions… more than billions, probably,” you say, thinking back to the various headlines you’d seen splashed across the front pages of the papers — scientific discovery this, neighboring galaxies that. you let out a soft sigh as victor turns his head back towards you.

“mm… strange, isn’t it? that we’re all so terribly insignificant and yet… here we are… struggling against our own insignificance every hour of every day…” he flicks a silken strand of hair from his shoulders, leading you towards the tiny pagoda where you’d all shared afternoon tea.

“strange? i… i don’t think so,” you sit down next to him, pressing your palms to the cool of the bench beneath you, “i mean… all the stars up there…” you wave your hand at the vast expanse of night sky, “they’re all just… burning themselves up, aren’t they? isn’t that… a struggle against insignificance too? isn’t that… it’s own kind of curse?”

victor opens his mouth, and then he blinks, pauses. no sound comes from him for a solid ten seconds before his entire body spills into a fit of near-silent laughter. you watch him, caught between confusion and bewilderment, wondering if you’d said something truly strange before he shakes his head and presses a large, warm palm to the top of your head.

“yes — yes that they are… just burning themselves up… all for us to call them beautiful — terrible, isn’t it? i can’t think of anything worse in the world than being a star…” he’s still chuckling when he finishes, pulling his hand away from your head to smile at you, a darkness twinkling behind his eyes that you’ve never quite had the courage to question.

“you’re making fun of me,” you say, narrowing your eyes and making to pull away, but victor shakes his head and pulls you back, humming happily as you topple easily into his chest.

“not in the slightest! i just… i just love the way you think, that’s all.”

you can’t help the shiver that chases its way down your spine at the softness of his words, at the closeness of his voice, brushing by your ear like a summer breeze. you swallow hard as his arm comes almost naturally to rest around your waist, and when you look up, it’s once again to find him watching you. you press your lips into a line and try not to stare at the beauty mark on his bottom lip but —

“ah… if you keep looking at me like that…” victor grins as he leans down, a finger tipping your chin up towards him, his voice thick with honey, warm as poison, “i can’t promise… i’ll be able to keep being such a gentleman…”

you lick your lips, watch as his eyes flicker down to track the movement. your breath flutters in your chest, hummingbird quick.

“i — i thought you asked me out here to c-count the stars…”

victor grins, “certainly i did… and i am… see? they’re right here…” he leans in, so close you’re almost nose to nose, so close you almost go cross-eyed to keep him in focus.

“right here… i think i can see the entire sky in your eyes…”

a tiny whine works it’s way out of your throat and victor tuts, shaking his head.

“i’ve been waiting to use that line for quite some time but…” he makes to pull away, only for you to pull him back with your fingers fisting in the thick silk and velvet of his clothes.

your throat feels dry, but you swallow passed the desert blooming at the base of your tongue as your search his face for a sign — any sign —

“h-how many are there?” you ask, your voice softer than you remember.

victor’s eyebrows twitch, “how many… what?” but the curve of his lips tells you another story.

“how many stars did you count?”

fire licks its way up your stomach into your chest as you feel his fingers tighten around your waist.

“i… i’ll admit that i’ve lost count — i’ve been distracted, you see —” victor’s grin tilts like a planet on it’s axis, and you feel your world shift along with it, degree by degree. like this, you can almost taste the weight of his words, the sound of his breathing, the liquid of his smile — like this, you want to sink your fingers into the fine gossamer of his hair and tug —

he is kissing you before you realize, severing your thoughts with the silver scissor precision of his mouth and you’re left untethered, clutching at him with the tips of your fingers, feeling him pulling you close, close, closer — a thick moan winds its way from his throat and you lean in further, push your mouth to his to take it in, to take it all in —

“please…”

his voice is shaking when he pulls away, his lips the perfect shade of treason.

you don’t feel your own trembling until he pulls you closer, buries his face in the crook of your neck and breathes.

“gods…” he says, wrapping both arms around you, his voice a wreck of barely contained emotions, of barely restrained desires, “by all the stars…”

you find yourself smiling as you let yourself be held, let yourself sink into the tremor and shake of this thing — held between the negative space of your bodies — whatever it is, at least you know it’s precious. at least you know it’s the most sacred kind of burning.

“all of them?” you ask, in what you hope is a light, playful kind of voice, even as victor lets you pull away, to reach up to brush a few fallen strands of hair from his face with your fingers, “we don’t even know how many there are.”

victor’s smile is indulgent and full of surrender.

“no… we don’t,” he reaches up to trail his fingers through your hair, thumbing at the ends as he shakes his head, “but… i think with you… i’d like to try.”

“try… what?”

“why… counting all the stars of the sky, of course.”

requests are open! <3

[atisundaridarshanparadise]

Gulin China Satya Confucius Patreon.com/GodElohimArchangel

Banyan Lake in Guilin, China Guilin is a place of varied, and often spectacular, attractions. This city in South China is probably best known for its breathtaking natural surroundings: the Li River runs through it, and lines of jagged karst peaks rise around it. Adding to the beauty of Guilin are lake parks, and while not as monumental as all those towering hills, they do impart a sparkling dreamlike quality to the city centre. Our image features Banyan Lake, with origins said to date back to the Tang Dynasty. An ornate glass bridge crosses the lake and is usually lit in an array of colours after nightfall. Just next to Banyan Lake is Fir Lake – and this lake has its own glimmering sight: the Sun and Moon Pagodas rise on the shoreline and are illuminated each night with orange and icy blue lights

[travelnew]

Bhau Beej - Sunset & Crescent Moon at Global Pagoda

15 November 2023 - clicked just before sunset at 6 pm & waxing crescent moon of 5.3% clicked at 6:08 pm when its elevation or altitude was 15.48 degrees above the western horizon at 232.6 degree azimuth. The Sun was at 251.3 degree azimuth.

Chand raat. Click on the photo to enlarge and find out the thinnest crescent Moon.

This is the first time, I appreciated the importance of coordinates. The sun is easily seen. But this thin crescent Moon was located and seen with unaided eyes using coordinates, namely azimuth and altitude. I saw the azimuth and understood it. The azimuth of Sun and the Moon were different and the ecliptic was visualised.

The disovery of azimuth in my mind was like light in the darkness of ignorance.

A photo of the similar alignment of the setting Sun behind the Global Pagoda at Gorai had happened on 24 November 2020 and is here for you to enjoy.

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July 2022. Inset: Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han Moon, in 1984.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

On the last morning of his life, Shinzo Abe arrived in the Japanese city of Nara, famous for its ancient pagodas and sacred deer. His destination was more prosaic: a broad urban intersection across from the city’s main train station, where he would be giving a speech to endorse a lawmaker running for reelection to the National Diet, Japan’s parliament. Abe had retired two years earlier, but because he was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, his name carried enormous weight. The date was July 8, 2022.

In photos taken from the crowd, Abe—instantly recognizable by his wavy, swept-back hair; charcoal eyebrows; and folksy grin—can be seen stepping onto a makeshift podium at about 11:30 a.m., one hand clutching a microphone. A claque of supporters surrounds him. No one in the photos seems to notice the youngish-looking man about 20 feet behind Abe, dressed in a gray polo shirt and cargo pants, a black strap across his shoulder. Unlike everyone else, the man is not clapping.

Abe started to speak. Moments later, his remarks were interrupted by two loud reports, followed by a burst of white smoke. He collapsed to the ground. His security guards ran toward the man in the gray polo shirt, who held a homemade gun—two 16-inch metal pipes strapped together with black duct tape. The man made no effort to flee. The guards tackled him, sending his gun skittering across the pavement. Abe, shot in the neck, would be dead within hours.

At a Nara police station, the suspect—a 41-year-old named Tetsuya Yamagami—admitted to the shooting barely 30 minutes after pulling the trigger. He then offered a motive that sounded too outlandish to be true: He saw Abe as an ally of the Unification Church, a group better known as the Moonies—the cult founded in the 1950s by the Korean evangelist Reverend Sun Myung Moon. Yamagami said his life had been ruined when his mother gave the church all of the family’s money, leaving him and his siblings so poor that they often didn’t have enough to eat. His brother had committed suicide, and he himself had tried to.

“My prime target was the Unification Church’s top official, Hak Ja Han, not Abe,” he told the police, according to an account published in January in a newspaper called The Asahi Shimbun. He could not get to Han—Moon’s widow—so he shot Abe, who was “deeply connected” to the church, Yamagami said, just as Abe’s grandfather, also a prime minister and renowned political figure in Japan, had been.

Investigators looked into Yamagami’s wild-sounding claims and found, to their alarm, that they were true. After a quick huddle, the police appear to have decided that the Moonie connection was too sensitive to reveal, at least for the moment. It might even affect the outcome of the elections for the Upper House of the Diet, set to take place on July 10. At a press conference on the night of the assassination, a police official would say only that Yamagami had carried out the attack because he “harbored a grudge against a specific group and he assumed that Abe was linked to it.” When reporters clamored for details, the official said nothing.

After the election, the Unification Church confirmed press reports that Yamagami’s mother was a member, and the story quickly took off. The Moonies, it emerged, maintained a volunteer army of campaign workers who had long been a secret weapon not just for Abe but for many other politicians in his conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which remains in power under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Later that month, the Japanese tabloid Nikkan Gendai published a list of 111 members of parliament who had connections to the church. In early September 2022, the LDP announced that almost half of its 379 Diet members had admitted to some kind of contact with the Unification Church, whether that meant accepting campaign assistance or paying membership fees or attending church events. According to a survey by The Asahi Shimbun, 290 members of prefectural assemblies, as well as seven prefectural governors, also said they had church ties. The rising numbers exposed a scandal hiding in plain sight: A right-wing Korean cult had a near-umbilical connection to the political party that had governed Japan for most of the past 70 years.

The Japanese were outraged not just by the appearance of influence-peddling but by a galling hypocrisy. Abe was a fervent nationalist, eager to rebuild Japan’s global standing and proudly unapologetic for its imperial past. Now he and his party had been caught in a secretive electoral alliance with a cult that—it soon emerged—had been accused of preying on Japanese war guilt to squeeze billions of dollars from credulous followers.

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[juliana-jones]

Find the Word Tag

I was tagged by @indigowriting to find sing, around, lack, and borrow.

I haven't done a heck of a lot of writing since the last tag game I did so I went back to Over the Dragon's Gate for these.

I found song (close enough):

“Where are your parents?” He couldn’t remember. He had fragments of memories now that he’d rediscovered his human shape—words and concepts he’d forgotten as a fish—but there was an empty space in his chest, near his heart, where other memories should have been. All he had left of his family was the faint echo of his mother’s voice, the song from his dreams. He looked away.

around

The moon was out the next night when fingers broke the surface of his pond and wiggled around. “Come out, come out, fishie boy!” a voice called from above, distorted through the water.

lack

He was swimming in idle circles, just after the sun had gone down, when he heard footsteps on the garden path. Something about them sounded familiar. Almost unconsciously, Treya rose closer to the surface. This person was smaller than the man who owned the garden. They lacked the easy grace of the woman who wandered the garden at night, and her hollow laughter. Slowly at first, but then with determined steps, they walked to the center of the bridge and sat down cross-legged there, staring into the pond.

borrow

He continued drawing other favorite memories. Reading together in the pagoda. Staging a multi-night adventure for their pirate and knight figures. Eli untangling the knots from his hair. Making and racing origami boats together. He drew until he ran out of paper and had to borrow more to illustrate and write the final scene in the library.

I'll tag @sam-glade, @sarahlizziewrites, @snehithiye, and anyone else who wants to to jump in on the words jump, eat, live, and go.

[ruibaozha]

I understand that there are many versions of Nezha and we shouldn't stick to just one version, but I wanted to ask, does Nezha's age vary in any of the stories?

Hello!

Put very bluntly, yes, Nezha’s age varies depending on which story you’re reading and who’s retold it.

I happened to stumble upon a timeline error where Nezha’s brother Muzha is described to be using martial arts weapons referred to as “Hooks of Wu” which were specific to the 1800s, quite a long time after Canonization of the Gods was published, but also originating from a time period where numerous varied editions of that story were in circulation. Upwards of twenty different versions exclusive to the 19th century, actually.

The problem arises that Canonization of the Gods is meant to be occurring during the Zhou Shang conflict, that I will generously assume to be in 1045BCE, centuries before the Hooks of Wu would actually exist. It’s completely possible that the version Gu Zhizhong translated was one of these later editions as is makes no chronological sense for Muzha to have those kinds of weapons to begin with. So I have been on somewhat of a rabbit chase trying to pin down the edition Gu Zhizhong used.

Bearing such errors in mind, it’s easy to see where the confusion of Nezha’s age can come from. Before his origin story was integrated within Canonization of the Gods he would be roughly three to seven days old when his conflict with Ao Guang and the Lady Rock Demoness would occur - whereas within Canonization of the Gods he’s actually 6 or 7 years old.

Outside of that, a definitive age isn’t actually provided. Genuinely, within the scope of Chinese folklore and mythos it’s very rare to assign someone an exact age - which I do believe contributed heavily to the known discourse surrounding Nezha’s age to begin with.

He was imported as an adult from India, a child form not seeming to exist for a while until stories of Krsna were integrated to how the Chinese envisioned Nalakubara. Krsna, being an infantile disguise for the notorious Vishnu, also displays supernatural human strength and is actually successful in killing his father figure (1) — unlike Nezha.

As children, both Krsna and Nezha are able to wield heavenly bows and subjugate water spirits (2) while also being known to be dragon tamers (3). The inclusion of these stories to Nezha predates the sculpting of the Quanzhou Pagoda’s (which have been discussed briefly here) and are arguably the earliest evidence of Nezha being a dragon tamer.

Speculatively a child god combination of both Nalakubara and Krsna named Nana is likely where a majority of Nezha’s child attributes come from, based in the Scripture of the Supreme Secrets of Nana Deva - which would see translations within China during the Northern Song period of 960AD-1127AD. Nana would be described thus:

At that time there was a Deva called Nana. His appearance was exceptionally handsome, and his face beamed with a gentle smile. He was holding the sun, the moon, and various weapons. His numerous treasures and abundant jewelry shone more brightly than the sun and the moon. He made himself a luoye robe (4) from the dragons Nanda and Upananda, and a belt from the dragon Taksaka (5). He possessed the same strength as Narayana (i.e. Visnu). He too came to the assembly and sat down facing the Buddha … At that time the Buddha emanated great light from his dharma body of meditation. The light covered the entire Buddha Universe, reaching all the great evil yaksas, the various types of raksasas and pisacas (6) and all the evil dragons as far as the heavenly constellations. When the Buddhas light shone upon them they all awoke to the truth. The Buddhas light returned to him and, after encircling him three times, entered his head. It then reissued in seven colors from his brow, entering Nana-Deva’s head. When the Buddha light penetrated his head, Nana Deva displayed an enormous body like Mt. Sumeru. His facial expression alternated between terrifying anger and a broad smile. He had a thousand arms, and he was holding a skull (7) and numerous weapons. He was handsomely adorned with a tiger skin robe and skulls. [Mightily Strong] He emanated blazing light and terrifying strength. When Nana Deva displayed this divine body, the great earth shook, and all who beheld him were terrified.

Both Nana and Nezha share the same residence of Vaisravana’s palace, are known dragon tamers, and both were known to use belts. The Supreme Secrets of Nana Deva predate all known connections between Nezha and dragons, perhaps lending to Nezha many more elements than initially believed.

Though without concrete evidence stating one way or another, I can only present this information speculatively - especially as it seems difficult for some to understand that Nezha does enjoy a known adult and child form. This answer has already become quite long, so if there’s still confusion regarding this please feel free to ask for more details.

Bibliography:

(1) Goldman, “Fathers, Sons and Gurus,” pp.350, 364; Masson, “Childhood of Krsna”; Ramanujan, “The Indian ‘Oedipus’”; Silk, Riven by Lust, pp. 164-170.

(2) Harley, “Krishna’s Cosmic Victories”; Matchett, “Taming of Kaliya”.

(3) It’s worth comparing Matchett’s “Taming of Kaliya” p.116 with Canonization of the Gods 12.103. Nezha is five days old within the Ming era Sanjiao yuanliu shengdi fozu sou shen daquan, p. 326.

(4) Luoye is the Chinese term for a garment Indian men tied under the armpit, leaving their right shoulder bare. See Xuanzang, Da Tang Xiyu ji, T. 2087, 51: 876b, and Li Rongxi’s translation, Great Tang Dynasty Record, p.53.

(5) Nanda, Upananda, and Taksaka appear in various Buddhist lists of the eight dragon kings; see Foguang da cidian, pp. 6378,6405.

(6) The rakasas and pisacas are two types of Hindu ogres, who Buddhists demonology incorporated. Both types feed on human flesh. See Foguang da cidian, pp6673-6674 and 3851; Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English dictionary, pp. 871 and 628; and Strickman’s survey of Buddhist demonology in his Chinese Magical Medicine, pp. 62-68.

(7) Geboluo appears frequently within the contemporaneous Chinese translation of the Hevajra Tantra (Foshuo dabeikong zhi jin’guang dajiaowang yigui jing), no. 892 volume 18: 587-601.

(8) Zuishang mimi Nana tian jing, no. 1288, 21:358b-c. hi