After finishing the Japanese historical drama, The Thirteen Lords of the Shogun,1 I managed to buy the Blu-ray from Amazon JP before it was taken off shelves due to controversy with one of the actors. Lately, as life has finally calmed down a little, I have been watching it again. With the benefit of rewatching,Continue reading “The Death of Kazusa Hirotsune”
Tag Archives: Japan
Take Two: What Is the Nembutsu?
For months, I’ve had on my to-do list to go and fix up the Wikipedia article about the nembutsu (or nian-fo in Chinese). I had started contributing to that article way back in 2006 shortly after I first got interested in Pure Land Buddhism, and occasionally update or add details. The article was flagged forContinue reading “Take Two: What Is the Nembutsu?”
Chinese versus Japanese Character Readings
Way back in high school, like most American kids, I had to study things like Spanish, French, etc. I took German for two years in high school, but I didn’t find it very interesting, and I didn’t like my teacher very much. So, I never put in much effort. Later, one of my friends toldContinue reading “Chinese versus Japanese Character Readings”
Basic Japanese Particles, Part 2
In our last episode, we talked about some basic, fundamental particles used in the Japanese language. Today, we’ll cover some other, essential particles: “ni” に, “de” で, “yo” よ, and “ne” ね. The first two are often required for parts of speech, but the second two are often used to provide “flavor” or “nuance” toContinue reading “Basic Japanese Particles, Part 2”
Chanting the “Jigage”: Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sutra, one of the most important sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, is the size of an epic novel, and thus much too large to recite cover to cover. Even reciting a single chapter can be daunting because each chapter contains a large narrative section, and one or more verse sections that recap the narrative.Continue reading “Chanting the “Jigage”: Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sutra”
Chanting the “Hobenpon”: Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sutra, one of the most important sutras of Mahayana Buddhism, is the size of an epic novel, and thus much too large to recite cover to cover. Even reciting a single chapter can be daunting because each chapter contains a large narrative section, and one or more verse sections that recap the narrative.Continue reading “Chanting the “Hobenpon”: Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra”
The Onin War
After a couple recent posts, I realized that I had never covered a very weird, disastrous war in Japanese history: the Ōnin War (応仁の乱, Ōnin no Ran) from 1467 to 1477. The Onin War is something most Westerners would not be familiar with, but it had a devastating impact to Japan that can still beContinue reading “The Onin War”
Cherry Blossoms at the University of Washington
I’ve been talking a lot about heavy, often historical subjects lately, but today I just wanted to share something more local. Every year, my family and I go to see the cherry blossoms at the local University of Washington. This is part of a popular Japanese tradition called ohanami (お花見) or “flower viewing”. Ever sinceContinue reading “Cherry Blossoms at the University of Washington”
Enma: King of the Dead
My son is at the age where is he is obsessed with Dragon Ball,1 so we watch some of the episodes together on Crunchyroll. Dragon Ball is a fun series because it blends a lot of Japanese-Chinese mythology, especially the early series, into a futuristic storyline. Goku is obviously based off of the famous legendContinue reading “Enma: King of the Dead”
Liturgy on White Ashes
A while back, I mentioned a well-known liturgy called the Letter on White Ashes (白骨の章, hakkotsu no shō). It is letter that is often read aloud in the Jodo Shinshu tradition, and was originally composed by the 8th head (monshu, 門主) of the order, Rennyo (蓮如, 1415–1499) to a follower. Some quick backstory about RennyoContinue reading “Liturgy on White Ashes”
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 