These rubbings were very widely produced from the first century onwards as a means of recording religious texts and philosophical writing that had been engraved on stele or monuments… on tablets and other ancient flat objects. There is an irony that very often, rare texts come down to modern...
Japanese Yokai can be cute. On the flipside, they can be utterly evil and scary too! Here are 15 deadly Yokai you’d never want to meet, within or outside of Japan.
A parody of the Yanone no Goro story: Yanone means “arrowhead” and is one of the eighteen famous plays in the Danjuro canon, belonging to the Soga Brothers cycle. He is shown with the over-large arrow and whetstone for sharpening it. Poem by Jingoro Uchichika. The printer’s seal ...
Few films cut so directly to the core of human existence and what it truly means to leave a legacy. A fine English remake starring Bill Nighy came out in 2022, but the original has a dreamily soulful quality that can’t fully be replicated. Matthew Singer Film writer and editor Read ...
She can tell that the two of them are just using her father for his money. Mehar’s starting to think that putting a stop to this wedding might be the best thing for everyone involved. But what happens when telling her father the truth about Naz and Aleena means putting her relationship...
Even though Hayami is a popular last name, it is also a given name to girls in Japan. It means “unusual and rare beauty.” 30. Hikari Origin: Japanese This is another unisex name that is more commonly used for girls. It means “light” in Japanese and can even be seen in anime TV...
As Daniel Hahn has written in his book Catching Fire, a translation is “identical to the original book, except for all the words.” I sent an email about this to editor Marilyn Brigham, who instantly understood. She even said that she would keep this note in mind for all of the ...
The very last day, coincidentally (rolls eyes) was harvest time. “One farmer, frustrated that he could not get a twenty-four-hour deferral so he could harvest his strawberries before reporting to the detention center, plowed under his entire ripe strawberry crop. The next day, the FBI ...
The kanji for 火 (ka) means “fire”. The character even looks a bit like a dancing flame, if you use your imagination. If you’re having some trouble envisioning the fire, consider Tuesday as the day you get really fired up for your week after a dreary Monday. Suiyoubi (Wednesday) ...
fire kept by the guards at the gate to the Imperial Palace: It burns hot only at night. There is actually some doubt that the poem can be attributed to Yoshinobu. Shows a group of off-duty Imperial carriage guards relaxing around the smoking embers of a fire. The poet with his servant...