#tenryu project

[thistledropkick]

According to Tenryu Project's twitter account, there was an accident during today's show that resulted in Suzuki getting injured, the match being called, and Suzuki being diagnosed with a concussion. They specify that the scans showed no brain bleed or other internal bleeding.

Here's what Suzuki said about it:

Suzuki:

For now, here's a report. I got a CT scan and various other tests, but it seems there aren't really any problems. I was chased out of the hospital like, "If you're feeling this healthy, go home!" I still remember what happened. I even remember right at the end, when I fell. So there's no need to worry. And for now I'll just say... "The next time I see you guys, I'll beat the hell out of all of you!"

[japanwithjoc]

Blog 01: Kyoto, Ibaraki, Nara | 3/23 thru 3/25

Wabi Sabi 

Wabi and Sabi both acknowledge the beauty in things based on specific characteristics that the social culture in the U.S. do not usually find beauty within. Wabi focuses on simplistic beauty, and the beauty of age and transformation influences Sabi.

Tenryuji (天龍寺, Tenryūji)

The first place we visited was the most important temple and world heritage site in Kyoto, the Tenryu-ji Temple. The landscape features an overlook of a large pond that guides you to the route of Sakura trees and a bamboo forest. 

 Daimon-ji, Ibaraki

In the mountains of Ibaraki, Dr. Makoto Nakamura, a former professor of landscape architecture at Kyoto University, directed the design of the project of a new garden for the historic Buddhist temple in that area. The garden design uses borrowed scenery, acknowledging the presence of the surrounding hills and Japan's topography represented through mounds around the main pond. 

Todai-ji (東大寺, Tōdaiji, "Great Eastern Temple") 

The Todai-ji is a landmark of Nara built in 752 CE and is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples. Inside is the most prominent Buddha figure in the world, Daibutsu. Before entering the temple, you are surrounded by local deer and welcomed by Nara Park. 

Teinei 

Teinei is a Japanese cultural concept that expresses politeness, courtesy, and respect while being a good host and having manners in public areas. Everywhere, people greet you with compassion. I quickly got used to a new country, as I felt safe almost at all times. 

Tea Ceremony

The Tea Ceremony was a highlight of our time in Daimon-ji, Ibaraki, since the group got to sit down and speak amongst ourselves while enjoying fresh Matcha Tea and wagashi, a Japanese sweet. We learned that during the ceremony, you eat the sweet first, then turn the tea cup three times so that the face of the cup is shown while you drink it. Our conversations were about all the displays and the Ikebana flower arrangement.

[jasvvy]

[alibomaye]

MiSu starts clapping like a madman for Tenryu and Mr. Pro Wres was... not impressed

[gdwessel]

NJPW Golden Fight Series Nights 1 + 2 - 4/18 & 4/19/2022; Dragon Gate, GLEAT Results, Tenryu Project Revives WAR Branding For PPV, ZERO1 and 2AW Notes

New Japan Pro Wrestling

The Golden Fight Series tour has begun. Yesterday’s show was streamed live on NJPWWorld. Today’s is on tape-delay VOD, not sure if it’s up yet as I haven’t looked. It be like that sometimes.

Golden Fight Series - 4/18/2022, Aichi Nagoya Congress Center Event Hall (NJPWWorld)

Ryohei Oiwa d. Kosei Fujita (Boston Crab, 8:43)

Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado [SZKG] d. Master Wato & Yuto Nakashima (Kanemaru > Nakashima, Figure Four Leglock, 11:55)

DOUKI & Zack Sabre Jr. [SZKG] d. Ryusuke Taguchi & Togi Makabe (Sabre > Makabe, Armbar, 9:15)

Hirooki Goto [CHAOS], YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS], Toru Yano [CHAOS] & Tiger Mask IV d. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo [Bullet Club] (Yano > Gedo, Schoolboy, 10:55)

Tama Tonga [GoD], Tanga Loa [GoD], Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jado [GoD] d. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo [Bullet Club] (Tanahashi > Jado, High Fly Flow, 11:28)

Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] d. Taichi & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] (Shingo > TAKA, Pumping Bomber, 10:37)

Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables] d. Kazuchika Okada & YOH [CHAOS] (Hiromu > YOH, Timebomb, 15:40)

Post-main, Naito interviewed Hiromu, who criticized YOH, and then did the LIJ roll call. Ryohei Oiwa gets his first ever NJPW win, just days after the man he beat got his at the NJPW/AJPW joint card over the weekend. Oiwa is from Konan in Aichi Prefecture, so sorta local.

- 4/19/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (Tape delay on NJPWWorld)

Master Wato d. Kosei Fujita (Bendabar, 5:51)

Ryusuke Taguchi d. Ryohei Oiwa (Oh My & Garankle, 7:42)

Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Toru Yano [CHAOS] d. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask IV (YOSHI-HASHI > Tiger, Shoto, 8:35)

El Desperado, Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] d. Taiji Ishimori, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Gedo [Bullet Club] (DOUKI > Gedo, Italian Stretch No.32, 10:33)

EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo [Bullet Club] d. Tama Tonga [GoD], Tanga Loa [GoD], Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jado [GoD] (SHO > Jado, Snakebite, 12:01) 

Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables] d. Taichi & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG] (Hiromu > TAKA, Nameless Hiromu Roll, 10:53)

Kazuchika Okada & YOH [CHAOS] d. Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] (YOH > BUSHI, Direct Drive, 19:01)

YOH vowed revenge on Hiromu for yesterday’s win. Taichi and Shingo argued over the rules for their coming KOPW2022 match. DOUKI gets a rare win... over Gedo.

Incidentally, the attendance today was only 374, so maybe the higher attendances over the weekend was only for the Korakuen Hall anniversary events.

Tomorrow’s show is also at Korakuen, and also on tape delay, not live.

- 4/20/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (Tape delay on NJPWWorld)

Yuto Nakashima v. Kosei Fujita

Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato, Tomoaki Honma & Tiger Mask IV v. Yoshinobu Kanemaru, DOUKI, Zack Sabre Jr. & TAKA Michinoku [SZKG]

Tanga Loa & Jado [GoD] v. Yujiro Takahashi & SHO [Bullet Club]

Hirooki Goto [CHAOS], YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS], Togi Makabe & Toru Yano [CHAOS] v. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens, Taiji Ishimori & Gedo [Bullet Club]

Taichi & El Desperado [SZKG] v. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

Tama Tonga [GoD] & Hiroshi Tanahashi v. EVIL & Dick Togo [Bullet Club]

Kazuchika Okada & YOH [CHAOS] v. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi [Los Ingobernables]

Dragon Gate

The Gate of Passion tour continued yesterday with a house show.

The Gate of Passion 2022 Night 10 - 4/18/2022, Kagoshima Orocity Hall

Kota Minoura, Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida [Gold Class] d. YAMATO, Dragon Kid & Keisuke Okuda [HIGH-END] (Minoura > Okuda, R-301, 11:25)

SB KENTo & Diamante [Z-Brats] d. Ultimo Dragon & Strong Machine J (KENTo > J, MCC, 10:06)

Eita & Yosuke Santa Maria d. Masaaki Mochizuki & Konomama Ichikawa (Yosuke > Ichikawa, Inside Cradle, 8:00)

Masaaki Mochizuki d. Konomama Ichikawa (Flying Kick, 0:07)

Ben-K [HIGH-END] NC Jason Lee (Shun Skywalker interfered, 4:29)

Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka [D’Courage] d. Genki Horiguchi & U-T [Natural Vibes] (Yoshioka > Horiguchi, Frog Splash, 8:48)

Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka, Big Boss Shimizu & Jacky “Funky” Kamei d. KAI, BxB Hulk, HYO & Shun Skywalker [Z-Brats] (Yokosuka > HYO, Yokosuka Cutter, 16:53)

It seems the continuing running joke feud between Mochizuki and Ichikawa continues, with a restart to their matches from Sunday in Fukuoka happening here. Ish. It’s Dragon Gate, yo.

DG returns Thursday with a streamed show from Kobe.

GLEAT

To my shame, I totally overlooked GLEAT holding a show this past Saturday, and one in which we had the very first G-REX title defense in the company’s history. Oops.

Luckily, that show made YouTube so you can this historic title match now.

GLEAT G PROWRESTLING Ver.22 - 4/16/2022, Fukuoka Nishitetsu Hall (YouTube)

KAZMA SAKAMOTO, Ryuichi Kawakami & Nobuhiro Shimatani [BULK Orchestra] d. Yu Iizuka, Soma Watanabe & Towa Iwasaki (Kawakami > Iizuka, Thunderbolt, 15:28)

Michiko Miyagi d. Madeleine [Diana] (Sit-Down Last Ride, 8:08)

Hayato Tamura [BULK Orchestra] d. Masato Kamino [FREEDOMS] (Jackhammer, 8:53)

LIDET UWF Rules Tag Team Match: Minoru Tanaka & Takanori Ito d. Hitamaru Sasaki & Takaku Fuke (Ito > Fuke, KO, 13:40)

CIMA, T-Hawk & Issei Onitsuka [#STRONGHEARTS] d. Tetsuya Izuchi, Keiichi Sato & Jun Tonsho [60 Seconds] (Onitsuka > Tonsho, Frankensteiner, 18:10)

G-REX Championship: El Lindaman [#STRONGHEARTS] (c) d. Quiet Storm [BULK Orchestra] (German Suplex Hold, 17:55) - El Lindaman succeeds his 1st defense

El Lindaman remains champion, the first ever defense of the G-REX title. Soma Watanabe got in Hitamaru Sasaki’s face post-match.

Other News

Tenryu Project ran a PPV event at Tokyo Shinkiba 1st-RING entitled Wrestle And Romance. That is, of course, one of the acronyms for Genichiro Tenryu’s old WAR promotion that ran from 1992-2000, with a brief reunion in 2006. That name changed to Wrestle Association “R” in 1995. WAR started fading in 1998, once Tenryu went to New Japan full-time that year. In any event, most of the workers on this show were indie workers, as Tenryu Project is not a full-time promotion, so yes, it was indieriffic. I’m sure the video will pop up somewhere.

Meanwhile, Pro Wrestling ZERO1 has continued to run shows in the wake of Shinjiro Otani’s horrific injury suffered on 4/10/2022. On Saturday they were in Sapporo, with a main event featuring both Daisuke Sekimoto and Daichi Hashimoto from Big Japan, who themselves have been operating a bit this week. Yesterday, ZERO1 ran a special anti-bullying charity show in Hirono, Iwate Prefecture. 

Another thing that completely passed me by was 2AW running two shows on Saturday, as 20th Anniversary shows for the company. Mind you, most of that time was as Kaientai Dojo, before TAKA Michinoku got run out of the company in the wake of a cheating scandal, because Japan. The actually anniversary will be tomorrow, as K-DOJO’s opening event was on 4/20/2002 at the old Tokyo Differ Ariake, that also now no longer exists.

I also totally forgot to plug my latest article at Fanbyte.com, talking Minoru Suzuki at Bloodsport 8 and Supercard Of Honor over Wrestlemania Weekend. Boy too much was happening over the weekend eh.

Back Thursday.

[recentanimenews]

Striking New Card Battle Begins in TV Anime Shadowverse F 2nd PV

    The official website for the anime franchise inspired by Cygames's card-battling game Shadowverse has posted a 100-second second PV for the forthcoming second TV anime series entitled Shadowverse F (Flame).

  The latest clip features the anime's OP theme song "Shingan" (Mind's Eye) performed under the unit name Lanndo feat. Suda Keina. Lanndo is a solo project by vocaloid song creator nulut, while Suda Keina, who has also been active as vocaloid song creator Baloon, joins the song as guest vocalist. 

        In addition, the anime's ED theme song "My Turn" is confirmed to be sung by Yui Ogura, who is also cast as Alice Kurobane, a nationally popular idol.  

      Three additional voice cast members are announced:

  Gentleman: Showtaro Morikubo (Shikamaru Nara in Naruto)

Ren Kazamatsuri: Larissa Takeda Tago (Yuzu Kitami in The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls)

Tsubasa Takanashi: Miyu Tomita (Emma Brightness in The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter)

        Shadowverse F is set to premiere on the TV Tokyo network stations across Japan on April 2, 2022. Its story features a new protagonist Light Tenryu, who is a transfer student to Shadova College, a facility that trains professional players of the Shadowverse game. He decides to join "Seventh Flame," one of the seven Shadova clubs. However, Seventh Flame is on the verge of closure due to a lack of members! In order to avoid the club's demise, Light decides to look for new members. But what awaits him are powerful rivals who control a wide variety of cards...

    Key visual:

    Main vocie cast:

  Light Tenryu / Yuto Uemura (Atsushi Nakajima in Bungo Stray Dogs)

Itsuki Mitsutagawa: Hibiku Yamamura (Luluna in Kiratto Pri☆chan)

Subaru Makabe / Kazuki Ura (Kyosuke Aiba in Futsal Boys!!!!!)

Dragnyl / Shiori Izawa (Mizarisa in Full Dive: This Ultimate Next-Gen Full Dive RPG Is Even Shittier than Real Life!)

    Main staff:

  Director: Keiichiro Kawaguchi (Dropout Idol Fruit Tart)

Assistant Director: Naotaka Hayashi

Series composition: Rintaro Isozaki, Deko Akao

Art Director: Ponzu

Original Character Design: Gakuya Okada, Mikeboshi, Hesun, Onineko

Character Design: Daiki Harada

Follower Director: Daisuke Kitagawa

Sub Character Design: Yasunari Nitta

Digifre design: Tomoko Miyagawa

Prop Design: Etsunori Iwanaga

Color Design: Naoko Sato, Nanae Shinachi

Art Director: Zhong Quanbin

Art Setting: Mamio Ogawa

Monitor Graphics: sankaku

3DCG Director: Shinsuke Oshima (DEEN DIGITAL)

Director of Photography: Yuta Nakamura, Shigeki Asakawa, Masahiko Koshiyama

Editing: Daisuke Hiraki

Sound Director: Satoki Iida

Music: Yorihiro Ike

Sound Production: Soniludo

Animation Production: ZEXCS

      The first TV anime Shadowverse was aired for 51 episodes from April 2020 to March 2021, and is available on Crunchyroll to its members in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, and CIS. 

  Synopsis:

  The hottest battle is about to begin! While attending Tensei Academy, Hiiro Ryugasaki ends up acquiring a mysterious smartphone. It comes installed with the popular card game, Shadowverse! Meeting new rivals, facing major tournaments, forging bonds with friends... Shadowverse leads Hiiro to all sorts of new experiences, all that serve to "evolve" him...

    Trailer:

    Source: Cygames press release 

  ©Shadowverse F Anime Production Committee, TV Tokyo

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu

[noromannet-blog]

Genichiro Tenryu to begin the Japanese Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame along with other legends

The legendary Japanese wrestler Genichiro Tenryu will direct the project of a new Hall of Fame dedicated to Japanese pro-wrestling, called "Nippon Puroresu Hall of Fame" (abbreviated as NPH). This project will try to include the names of different companies to preserve almost 70 years of business history in Japan. The presentation of the project was held last Friday, February 21, which was attended by different personalities. The direction of NPH will be formed by Genichiro Tenryu, his daughter-in-law, Muna Shimada and LEONA Fujinami, the son of Tatsumi Fujinami.  In addition, they have the support of Riki Choshu and Tatsumi Fujinami. Newspapers like Tokyo Sports or Weekly Pro-Wrestling will also be part of the group, along with NicoPro, the online video service. The Hall of Fame is planned to start from this summer, choosing an enclosure to be established as its permanent headquarters. This will feature an exhibition of historical material from various legends, starting with Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, Genichiro Tenryu, Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Choshu. As detailed in the press conference, HJTProduction Co., Ltd (the company that manages the image rights of Giant Baba) and Baba's granddaughter have given permission to use their image. Inoki has also given its approval for the idea.            As for Rikidozan, considered the "Father of Japanese pro-wrestling", they have not obtained the approval of his family, but hope to reach an agreement in the future. Later they will include more legends from various companies.  Shimada declared at the press conference that the idea emerged last summer of 2019, in talks between Tenryu, Choshu, and Fujinami. The three former wrestlers decided to found an organization to celebrate the successes of the wrestlers and to give support to the talents once retired.  The goal is to preserve the history and culture of Japanese pro-wrestling through a "neutral" and independent organization. At the moment they have received support from New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, DDT Pro Wrestling, Dragon Gate, WRESTLE-1 and Active Advance Pro Wrestling. According to Shimada, the idea of ​​a permanent headquarters is to be a meeting point between legends, current fighters, and fans. They want to start with different exhibitions, the first one being a photo session reviewing Inoki's career (the date will be announced later). Initially, there will be no ceremonies introducing new legends, but they hope to perform them eventually.  The other goal of NPH is to create an economic fund. Everything that is collected between visits, products and online subscriptions to the web (in order to acquire exclusive videos and images) will be used for the following purposes: first, to the wrestlers who retire to provide financial stability; second, to those wrestlers who currently need help and finally, to families and wrestlers affected by accidents or other unfavorable circumstances. Read the full article

[lostinyourears]

THE G1 HYPE TRAIN #5 :  G1 Climax 2007 Finals

Card with Guide

I didn’t really mean to look at 2 Yuji Nagata finals back to back, but looking at a final from 10 years ago seemed like a good choice and Nagata just happened to be in it. I can’t really complain though as I enjoy watching his work and this G1 is obviously an important moment in the career on Hiroshi Tanahashi. So I felt like I should cover this one even if it might feel redundant doing 2 Nagata G1 highlights back to back.

The 2007 G1 Climax Finals!

Tournament format : 

This years G1 had 2 blocks of 6 with the two top point earners of each block going vs the top 2 point earners of the other block in Semi-Finals and Finals after that on the same night. Earlier in this night before these finals Yuji Nagata went over Shinsuke Nakamura while Hiroshi Tanahashi went over Togi Makabe in his semi finals match earlier this same night. 

Yuji Nagata vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (Link for those with NJPW World)

Who’s who?

Yuji Nagata has the nickname Blue Justice which of course in reference to his blue trunks and boots. He was also IWGP Heavyweight Champion here, having the belt for the 2nd time. 

He briefly was in WCW from February 1997 to August of 1998.

Despite his short stint he garnered a North American following after feuding with other Japanese talent Ultimo Dragon and teaming with Kensuke Sasaki to win a WCW tag team tournament that garnered them the #1 contendership though they would fail to win vs the champions.

If you read the last G1 Hype Train you’ll be aware that Nagata won the 2001 G1 Climax over Keiji Mutoh, that would help propel Nagata bove his previous position on the card. Which lead to the great 2002 reign, NJPW giving Nagata bout of the year in 2001(G1 Final) and 2002(Title defense vs Chono). 

Going into this 2007 G1 Climax Nagata had a decent amount of momentum having won the New Japan Cup in March of 2007. Which gave Yuji Nagata a title shot vs the recently first time crowned champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. Which Nagata won and was still holding the IWGP Heavyweight Title during this G1 Climax. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi was a rising star. He was the guy NJPW was pushing as the young new breed of NJPW after the strange years of 2005-2006 when Brock Lesnar left NJPW with the title and refused to return it instead working for Inoki in his new Inoki Genome Project promotion. So with a vacant belt someone new needed to be crowned and that man was Hiroshi Tanahashi who was having a good reign before New Japan Cup winner Nagata dethroned him to capture the belt for the 2nd time. 

At this point in Takahashi’s career he hadn’t won many belts outside of this IWGP Heavyweight championship. He had won the New Japan Cup in 2005 though and was twice IWGP Tag Team Champion with both Shinsuke Nakamura and Yutaka Yoshie in the early 2000′s.

How’s the match?

Fantastic! It’s a pretty great length for any match which is about 20 minutes. Long enough to get invest and see all their great spots, but no so long as to feel like a chore to get through like some matches can feel when they balloon up to 40-60 minute lengths. It also makes sense these two wouldn’t go that long since both men fought earlier in the night. 

This mirrors Nagata/Tanahashi’s G1 bout this year. The old standard bearer vs the new standard bearer, but a decade earlier. It’s very interesting to me that Tanahashi is in a similar spot now to the position Nagata was here. Perhaps even past it at this point Nagata was on his last IWGP run while Tanahashi may never get that belt again now that his epic storyline with Okada has finished and Okada seems to be the office new Ace of NJPW. 

These two guys mesh really well and this is the most competitive bout I’ve seen between the two yet. After this and their G1 match, I think I’ll find myself watching the title matches they had vs one another. I assume those will have a similar quality and want to see these guys clash again and again and again. 

I particularly love the use of the Dragon Screw by Tanahashi throughout this match. It’s an underused move and I think Tanahashi might be the master of it or one of the masters of it as he and Dr. Wagner Jr. both do great variations of it, though I don’t know if Wagner has ever done the neck variation that Tanahashi whips out from time to time... pun not intended. 

I’m not sure how I’d rate this compared to the other G1 Finals I have looked at. One thing I did like is that it was more varied in its offense. Where some of them like Hashimoto/Tenryu or the Inoki years tend to be one note sometimes where they are all strikes or all submissions. This one struck a good balance between the two styles. 

[gabssama]

Certainement la ville japonaise au patrimoine historique le plus lourd, Kyoto abrite pas moins de 1600 temples et quelques 400 sanctuaires, rajoutez à cela leurs jardins et vous voilà propulsé plusieurs siècles en arrière. Ce large choix de visites oblige un tri sélectif drastique aux touristes de passage. Dans la pléthore de lieux incontournables, voici ceux que j’ai choisis.

Quatre jours, le temps que j’ai passé dans cette ville paisible où les traditions tutoient la modernité comme jamais. Autant vous dire que le programme était une fois de plus très chargé. Outre le centre ville semblable à n’importe quel autre arborant des grands magasins ainsi que le très sympa marché Nishiki, les centres d’intérêt sont éparpillés à travers Kyoto. Et pour cela, le vélo reste le meilleur moyen de se déplacer (Emusica situé à l’entrée de Ponto-chô propose des tarifs de location très corrects). Dans un souci de clarté et de synthèse, je préfère vous donner mon ressenti de ce que j’ai visité à Kyoto, le tout accompagné de photos.

Arpenter le quartier de Higashiyama

Littéralement la “montagne de l’Est”, Higashiyama se revêt d’une atmosphère Miyazaki-enne au crépuscule avec une vue imprenable sur Kyoto. Je ne peux que vous conseiller de le visiter en fin d’après-midi tant la tombée de la nuit lui confère une aura particulière. Attention toutefois aux horaires de fermeture des sites tel que l’imposant Kyomizu-Dera surplombant le quartier, que je n’ai malheureusement pas pu visiter. Ceci dit, il y a tant à voir que mon regret fut de courte durée. En effet, la visite nocturne du Kodai-ji fait partie de mes plus beaux souvenirs, surtout avec le petit spectacle de projection de lumières sur le jardin zen du temple. Une fois entré dans l’enceinte, j’ai littéralement voyagé de plusieurs siècles en arrière. Tout était majestueux ! Vivre dans un temple comme celui-ci devait être quelque chose!

Le jardin zen du Kodai-ji éclairé.

Je vous invite à vous perdre dans les petites ruelles traditionnelles de Higashiyama avant de le redescendre vers le centre ville. Pour ma part, je me suis dirigé vers le parc Maruyama pour observer le Yasaka-jinga. Un sanctuaire shinto qui, la nuit, fait briller sa splendeur à travers des dizaines de lanternes. Le parc, quant à lui, est prisé par les kyotoïtes en avril pour ses cerisiers en fleur. Le temps de prendre quelques photos de nuit et de déambuler à travers le sanctuaire et la visite est terminée.

Lanternes flottantes du sanctuaire Yasaka-jinga.

Dans la partie nord de Higashiyama se trouve le pavillon d’argent Ginkaku-ji que je n’ai pas visité par choix et qui n’a d’argent que son nom (il n’a jamais été recouvert de feuilles d’argent). Au pas de son entrée commence la Tetsugaku-no-Michi, la promenade philosophique. Concrètement, c’est un sentier longeant un petit canal à l’ombre des cerisiers. Son nom vient du fait qu’un philosophe japonais parcourait les deux kilomètres quotidiennement en quête d’inspiration. Une promenade très agréable en somme et au milieu de laquelle se trouve le Honen-in, un petit temple bouddhiste moins connu mais qui mérite le détour. Le moine responsable du temple a décidé de mettre en avant l’art contemporain au sein du temple. Lors de ma visite, un concert et une exposition de bougeoirs contemporains se tenaient. Certainement décalés, ces événements sont fréquents à Honen-in et n’enlèvent rien au caractère bouddhiste du temple. Jardin zen de sable blanc, étang rempli de carpes, petit jardin de mousse, tout y est. Intimiste, simple et majestueux à la fois, et, de surcroît, gratuit. Alors aucune raison de passer à côté !

L’entrée du temple Honen-in.

Un peu plus loin se trouve l’incontournable temple Nanzen-ji (photo en une). Considéré comme l’un des plus grands temples zen au monde, rien que ça! Le temple est magnifique, sa “porte” gigantesque dont l’accès à l’étage est payant en impose et ses jardins traditionnels sont magiques. La présence d’un aqueduc encore en activité rend le tout vraiment authentique. Pour l’anecdote, si vous connaissez l’anime Uchouten Kazoku (La Famille Excentrique) qui se passe à Kyoto, il vous sera possible de réaliser un rallye à l’aide d’une carte à tamponner. Chaque lieu présent dans le manga est associé à un tampon qui prouvera votre venue. Ignorant l’existence de ce manga, j’ai tamponné mon Lonely Planet avec un joli Tanuki.

Un bout des jardins zens du Nanzen-ji.

Enfin, dans la partie la plus au sud se trouvent le Tofuku-ji et le Fushimi-Inari-Taisha. Le premier, un temple bouddhique proche du Kodai-ji, était malheureusement fermé à mon arrivée. Il compte parmi les plus beaux jardins zens du pays ainsi qu’un grand nombre de magnifiques érables rougeoyants. Le Fushimi-Inari-Taisha est le sanctuaire aux 10 000 torii (portique en bois japonais) plantés le long d’un chemin de randonnée de plusieurs kilomètres à travers les arbres. Une ballade de près de deux heures vous attend dans ce “tunnel” de portiques oranges aux tailles variées. Très impressionnant, ce lieu de culte est voué à la déesse du riz, des céréales et plus largement de la richesse, Inari, qui prend la forme d’un renard. D’ailleurs, les statues à son effigie la représente avec la clé des céréales dans la bouche. Ce sanctuaire est impressionnant et quand je pense à l’effort des hommes qui ont installé ces 10 000 torii, je me dis que ça force le respect !

Torii du Fushimi Inari Taisha

Statue de la déesse Inari

Quelques temples importants que je n’ai pas pu visiter : Chion-in, Shoren-in, Ginkaku-ji, Kyomizu-Dera et Tofuku-ji. Il y en a tellement…

Arashiyama et sa bambouseraie géante

Au nord-ouest de Kyoto se trouve le quartier d’Arashiyama abritant des… temples (vous l’aviez deviné) mais surtout une bambouseraie géante et la villa de feu Okochi Denjiro, le John Wayne japonais connu pour ses rôles de samouraïs des premiers films muets des années 1930. La bambouseraie… je m’en faisais une idée incroyable, pensant slalomer au milieu des bambous géants tel un ninja. Déception. Il s’agit effectivement de bambous géants impressionnants mais avec un chemin balisé bondé de monde. Dans ce contexte, difficile d’être charmé surtout après la visite des jardins de la villa Okochi Sanso.

La Bambouseraie à Arashiyama

La Bambouseraie géante à Arashiyama

J’ai fait l’impasse sur les temples Tenryu-ji et Gio-ji pour me consacrer à la visite de cette villa enfin… pour visiter les jardins de la villa pour être précis. Oui, la villa en elle-même est un “simple” pavillon plutôt modeste tandis que les jardins de plus de 20 000m² propose un vrai moment de plénitude. Réalisé sur trois décennies, ces jardins confèrent quelque chose de spirituel à l’ensemble et l’agencement est tel que l’impression d’être seul vous envahit. Malgré la saison printanière, la végétation offre un panel de couleurs vives et variées. C’est magnifique. Cerise sur le gâteau, une vue sur tout Kyoto vous attend en haut des jardins. Pour finir, votre ticket d’entrée vous octroie un thé vert matcha accompagné d’une petite gourmandise, le tout dégustable dans la traditionnelle maison de thé.

La ville de l’acteur Okochi Denjiro.

Kinkaku-ji : Le temple bling-bling

Parmi tous les temples kyotoïtes, je ne voulais pas rater l’occasion de voir le Kinkaku-ji. Un temple qui claque, exprimant toute son ampleur par sa carrosserie en feuille d’or massif. Posé au milieu d’un étang, entouré par un superbe jardin, le maître incontesté de l’ostentatoire. La visite se résume à le photographier et faire un petit tour de son jardin (ça ne se voit pas mais c’est blindé de monde). Ce n’est certainement pas ma meilleure expérience japonaise mais c’est une des plus belles bâtisses que j’ai pu observer durant mon voyage.

Le Kinkaku-ji posé sur son étang.

Le Palais Impérial de Kyoto et son parc gigantesque

C’est beau, c’est grand, démesurément grand même. On se sent tout petit face à tant de grandeur. Même si l’intérieur des bâtiments ne peuvent être visités, faire le tour du propriétaire reste intéressant. Notamment, grâce au petit dépliant explicatif disponible en français. Chaque “maison” avait un rôle bien particulier avec une architecture différente ainsi qu’un standing différent. Rien n’est laissé au hasard et tout est fait pour mettre l’Empereur sur un pied d’estal (normal c’est l’Empereur). Ci-dessous, le Shishinden, batiment le plus important dans l’enceinte du Palais. Celui-ci était utilisé pour les grandes cérémonies comme l’intronisation des Empereurs Taisho et Showa.

Le Shishinden du Palais Impérial avec un cerisier (droite) et un mandarinier (gauche).

Mon périple kyotoïte s’achève ici. J’ai tenté de faire le plus court possible mais ce n’est pas évident. Kyoto est une ville très particulière qui mérite clairement le détour et de s’y attarder. Il y a beaucoup à voir, trop peut-être, et son atmosphère paisible contraste énormément avec Tokyo ou sa voisine Osaka. Remonter les quais à la tombée de la nuit vous offrira un superbe spectacle où les lueurs des lanternes suspendues aux terrasses des bars et restaurants se reflètent dans le cours de la rivière Kamo. J’arrête de parler, je vous laisse avec une petite flopée de photos. En espérant que vous avez apprécié la lecture de mon récit,je vous retrouve très bientôt pour la fin de mon voyage et autres passions vidéoludiques.

N.B: la qualité de certaines photos n’est pas terrible. Cela est dû à l’âge avancé de mon téléphone ainsi que la lumière blanche dont le Japon fait preuve.

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[Récit]Voyage au Japon : Kyoto et ses innombrables temples ! Certainement la ville japonaise au patrimoine historique le plus lourd, Kyoto abrite pas moins de 1600 temples et quelques 400 sanctuaires, rajoutez à cela leurs jardins et vous voilà propulsé plusieurs siècles en arrière.

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K-DOJO results for April 2, 2017

K-DOJO results for April 2, 2017

KAIENTAI DOJO Presents “K-UP IMPACT in Blue Field ~ 2017 SPRING ~ “, 4/2/2017 [Sun] 13:00 @ Blue Field in Chiba ~ Genichiro Tenryu Talk Battle (w/ Moderator Shiori Asahi) (1) Kaji Tomato vs. Akiyori Takizawa (ASUKA PROJECT) ♦Winner: Kaji (10:34) with a Tiger Suplex Hold. (2) Taishi Takizawa & Kotaro Yoshino vs. Masao Inoue (FREE) & LEONA (DRADITION) ♦Winner: Takizawa (13:10) via pin-fall on…

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[njpwdaily]

Kazuchika Okada vs. Genichiro Tenryu—Tenryu's Retirement Final, Tenryu Project (11/15/2015)