Japanese Chess But Not Really Chess

            Do any of you like chess? I don’t. To play, I need brain power that I don’t have *sigh*.  However, if you do like chess you might be interested in Shogi. That’s pronounced sho- and ‘gi’ like ‘geese’. In the Yamagata prefecture of Japan, you will find Tendo City or the “Town of Shogi Pieces”.  Yes, the “town” because it used to be a town but now it’s a city.
             This city is famous for creating the most beautiful Shogi pieces since the Edo period. Oda Nobumichi lived in Yamagata and encouraged samurai to build Shogi pieces so the town could be financially “brought back from the dead.” Oda Nobumichi was a descendent of Oda Nobunaga who (almost) conquered all of Japan. Nobunaga loved to play Shogi and thought of it as a way to become better at planning strategy (a good trait in the samurai arsenal) for battle. Nobumichi used Nobunaga’s fame and told samurai to make Shogi pieces (normally a lowly job) calling it an honor. Around the year of 1912, the making of Shogi pieces became industrialized with machines cutting the wood and stamp printing of the kanji (that’s the confusing squiggles) onto the pieces.
           Tendo City has courses on making Shogi pieces and many other Shogi related events in hopes of spreading the game’s popularity. One such event is the annual Ningen Shogi match. Ningen Shogi is played with human pieces and a life-sized board. The people are dressed in real looking samurai armor and get chairs to sit since a game usually takes up to an hour.
           A few differences between Shogi and chess are listed as follows. A player can “drop” or put an enemies captured piece back into the game, all pieces can be promoted so that they can move differently, and pieces in Shogi move differently than in chess. For example, a “pawn” in chess can move forward or diagonally but in Shogi it can only move forward. There are also several pieces in Shogi that aren’t in Western chess. In Shogi there is no queen but a silver and gold general. For more information on how to play you can see the link below. :)

(363 words)

Ningen Shogi

Oda Nobunaga

Shogi, shogi, and more shogi

Sources:

http://www.mustlovejapan.com/subject/tendo/

Tendo City Shogi Info

http://www.komatsu1.net/cate11-14.html

Tendo City Shogi History

http://ancientchess.com/page/play-shogi.htm

How to play Shogi
http://www.ikechang.com/chess/2001/rep0105e.htm
Description of 2001Ningen Shogi

Castles and Samurai

           In the prefecture of Akita on the east coast of northern Japan, you can find the castle town of Kakunodate. Kakunodate is surrounded by mountains on three sides and a river runs through it. This was not where the original Kakunodate was but Ashina Yoshikatsu moved it in case of an attack. In that case the town would be protected by the mountains. Once the largest castle in the Akita region it is no longer there but the town still remains. Along the Hinokinai-gawa River for two kilometers there are weeping cherry blossoms. It is called a “scenic beauty” by the Japanese government. One million people annually visit this beautiful spot in late April and early May when the blossoms are at their fullest. During the Edo Period (1603-1868) several samurai families competed to grow the most beautiful cherry blossoms. Along

 Kakunodate is split into two main sections with the samurai houses in the northern part of town and in past times commoners lived in the southern part. According to the website called Jcastle, “The castle town was viewed as an extension of the castle's defenses. The roads surrounding it are a maze of dead ends, T-junctions, and narrow winding streets. Some castle towns, in addition to the aforementioned maze of confusing streets, had one large avenue that led directly to the main gate of the castle. Any attacking force who dared to tempt this lane would find itself in the most heavily fortified part of the city. The Otemon (main gate) is the strongest of all the gates and the lane was lined with homes of loyal retainers.”  You might be thinking why would a lord put their most loyal samurai’s houses in such a dangerous position?  Well, if a lord has his most loyal in front, then he knows that they might die but he will live instead of the other way around. This may seem harsh but back then it was more important to have loyalty and honor than to be alive. I know this is late but for those who don't know, a samurai is like the knight in Europe. A samurai will battle with a sword and if his lord tells him to commit senpaku (suicide) he WILL do it.

 How close a samurai’s house was to the castle reflected his standing with his lord. If his lord was furious with him, the lord could have the samurai move his home farther from the castle. If an enemy attacked the samurai’s house could be destroyed with his family first. The fear for their family ensures that the samurai will do his best to please his lord. The size of the house reflected a samurai’s rank and only samurai could have walls or gates. Today, most samurai houses are still in the hands of their descendants but some are open to the public to view from the outside.

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Cherry Blossom's in the samurai district

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samurai house

Inside a samurai house

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:



http://web-japan.org/atlas/communities/com01.html

Kakunodate History

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/akita/kakunodate.html

Kakunodate Overview

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3602.html

Kakunodate

http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/15-Kakunodate-Castle

Kakunodate Castle

http://www.jcastle.info/resources/view/10-Castle-Towns

Castle Towns and Samurai Houses



 

The City of Gold

Today’s post will be focused on the brighter side of Iwate prefecture. In the Iwate prefecture, there is the town of Hiraizumi. It was built by the once powerful Fujiwara clan. This clan had strong family ties to the emperors of Japan and exploited that relationship. By intermarrying, the Fujiwara clan held strong political power and set up the Northern family base in the town of Hiraizumi. Nearly 3,000 artifacts of the Fujiwara clan can be found there today. Hiraizumi was not only a major political town but a large economic town as well. As the main trader in gold, the Fujiwara clan had no worries about their financial situation. However in 1189, Minamoto Yoritomo, who later became the first shogun which is like an emperor, destroyed Hiraizumi looking for Yoshitsune. Yoshitsune was his brother and rival. He was being sheltered by the Fujiwara clan who paid for it dearly.

Fujiwara no Kiyohira, the founder of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, set up Chusonji Temple of Buddhism in the year 850. In this temple, you can find Konijikido, Kyozo Hall, the Treasure Hall, and a noh stage. Only Konijikido and the Kyozo Hall have survived to today while the others were rebuilt. The original Chusonji had pagodas, halls, gate, bell tower, repository, over 40 temples and shrines, and 300 cells for priests.

Konijikido is a hall featuring objects, wall hangings, and decorations made of entirely of gold. “The Golden Hall is also a grave of the three successive heads of the Fujiwara family. On the altars under which three coffins are stored stand rows of golden Buddhist statues and accouterments, and those altars, the ceilings, and pillars are gorgeously decorated with gold, silver and jewels.”

In Kyozo Hall Buddha scripture, or sermons, are stored. Not as impressive as Konijikido but certainly has the same amount in majesty. Hondo is the main hall where rituals and rites are performed and you can probably guess what’s in the Treasure Hall.

Near Chusonji Temple is Mt. Kinkeisan or “gold chicken mountain”. There is a legend that two gold chicken statues were buried at the top to protect Hiraizumi. This may seem silly but Japanese ancestry is from China. There, the chicken represents the break of day that drives away the night. In many folktales, the hero is saved by the sunrise and nocturnal monsters driven back by a rooster’s cry.  Other legends of Mt. Kinkeisan include how it was built and lost treasure. It is said that Hidehira, the third lord of Hiraizumi, built it in one night and that 10,000 lacquered bowls filled with gold are buried on it somewhere.

(439 words)

Mt. Kinkeisan

Konijikido

Chusonji Temple Entrance

 

Sources:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5001.html

Chusonji Temple

http://web-japan.org/atlas/architecture/arc03.html

Chusonji Gold Hall

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5000.html

Hiraiszumi

http://www.pref.iwate.jp/~hp0907/english/rekishi/index.html

Hiraizumi History

http://www.infomapjapan.com/hstore/201001-spfeature2.phtml

Iwate Overview

http://www.japan-iwate.info/app/location_detail.php?lid=4

Mt. Kinkeisan

http://psychobabel.net/mosaic/node.php?hp=fowl

Chicken Symbolism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fear Mountain

This post will look at the more spiritual side of Aomori Prefecture.
In Aomori Prefecture, you can find one of the three most sacred places in Japan. Osore-zan is also know as Fear Mountain and for good reason. This mountain has a Buddhist temple (Bodaiji) with landscape surrounding it reflecting what Buddhist’s describe as the afterlife. There are eight mountains symbolizing the lotus flower as well as 108 vents that release sulfuric steam or mud  representing the 108 worldly desires and evils. With lots of volcanic activity, there is a constant smell of sulfur in the air. The nearby Lake Usori is many different shades of blue due to the different levels of sulfur in it.  Signs warn visitors of the poisonous pit vipers, crows flock, only one fish (big-scaled redfin) is able to survive in Lake Usori, and the chatter of bugs is nowhere to be heard. Despite the cold landscape, it can be a place of hope to the family and friends of the departed.
During the Bodaiji Festival, people who want to communicate to the dead can talk through spiritual mediums called itako. Itako are usually visually impaired and have rosaries with old coins, teeth, bones, and animal claws on it. Even if maybe the messages are similar, the customers don’t care lining up for hours and coming out visibly affected by the purification ritual.
The river, Sanzu no Kawa, is the Buddhist version of the River Styx. A river that all the dead must cross. Babies and unborn children have piles of pebbles on the riverbed trying to get to paradise. Offerings of pebbles is everywhere as parents hope the spirit named Jizo uses them to help their children get to paradise and drive away the demons. Depending on the country and place Jizo can be seen as male and female however most Jizo in Japan are male. Statues of Jizo is everywhere with a red bib and cap seen with sandals put in front of him to protect his feet from the sharp riverbed of Sanzu no Kawa. Toys, money, food, candy, and brightly colored flowers stand out from the gray ground. These things  represent the small pleasures in life that the children can no longer experience. Where Jizo is kind and is the yin principle, Fudo is fierce and the yang principle. Seen with fangs and a terrifying face, Fudo demands the best and is a purifier.

It’s founder was En’nin about 1200 years ago was studying in China when he had a dream. In it a holy monk told him to go back to Japan. Once he was there he had a “thirty days walk from Kyoto” to find a sacred mountain where he would carve a Jizo and teach Buddhism. After many hardships he found the mountainous area of Shimokita peninsula which had all the requirements from the dream. It has been there ever since.
 (484 words) 

Bodaiji Temple

Sanzu no Kawa

 

Jizo and offerings

 

Paradise Beach

Sources:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3727.html

Osorenzan overview

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fv20061222a1.html

Osorenzan spiritual

 http://www.japanguides.net/aomori/points-of-interest-around-shimokita-peninsula-of-mutsu-city.html

Guide to Osorenzan

http://odewire.com/134421/mysteries-and-secrets-osore-zan.html

Jizo and Fudo

A Snow Castle For You

       It’s not winter yet but in anticipation of it (we’re skipping fall) I’m reporting about the Snow Festival.
       Every winter, about two million people come to Sapporo to view the Snow Festival or Yuki Matsuri. Sapporo is located in Hokkaido, Japan, the northernmost island. This large and popular event lasts seven days in February. At this festival people can watch concerts (some on top of  a sculpture), sled down a snow slide, go tubing, and view both large and small snow or ice sculptures made by people from all over the world. Teams from Chile, Finland, Hawaii, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Russia, Portland (Oregon), Thailand, and many others participate in this event every year. Around two million people visit this festival from Japan and around the world.
The first ever Snow Festival was held in Odori Park in 1950, with only six snow statues made by local high school students. This was during the hard times of World War II and helped cheer the local’s spirits. Eventually, even the military got interested and it soon became an international event.
Some tools any one can use to make a snow sculpture range from kitchen utensils to chainsaws and bungee cords to fabric. Of course wet snow is included in that too. Yes it has to be wet snow or else it’s too hard to mold or too soft to pack together. For professional taller sculptures a crane is used to lift snow to the top. The tallest snow sculpture ever built was 115ft high, 656ft long, and made in China. What do the artists do when the weather warms? Not much, to keep the sculpture from melting faster the artist might spray it with water to give it a protective layer of ice.

 

Here are some pictures of a sculpture in the 2012 Snow Festival and it’s making.

(313 words)

Sources:

http://en.visit-hokkaido.jp/hokkaido/history/index.html

Hokkaido Tour Guide

http://www.snowfes.com/english/ 

Sapporo Snow Festival

http://weather.thefuntimesguide.com/2009/02/snow_sculpture-2.php

How to make snow sculptures

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2138.html

Self Defense Definition

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-snow-sculpture.htm

Snow Sculpture Definition

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5311.html

Activities of the Snow Festival