Ken Johnson, Divinity and Defense, in Many Guises. New York Times, Feb 26, 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/2 ... t-asia-society.html
Note:
(a) This is an exhibition review on
Kamakura; Realism and spirituality in the sculpture of Japan. Manhattan: Asia Society Museum, Feb 9 through May 8, 2016.
http://asiasociety.org/new-york/ ... ity-sculpture-japan
(Kamakura period (1185–1333))
Quote:
"Sculptors began signing their works, allowing us to trace the development of individual and workshop styles
"Craftsmen created these icons during a time of profound political and social disruption. For the first time in Japanese history, powerful warrior clans challenged the imperial court that had dominated the political and cultural landscape for centuries. In the civil war of the 1180s, the great Buddhist temples of the ancient capital in Nara burned to the ground.
"One major new patron was Minamoto Yoritomo, who became the first ruling shogun and established a military government headquartered in the town of Kamakura in eastern Japan. Later in the thirteenth century, however, the continued threat of invasion by the Mongol empire created further instability. In 1333, a cunning Japanese emperor launched a rebellion ending the Kamakura shogunate not even 150 years after its founding.
(i) Kamakura (神奈川県)鎌倉(市)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura
section 4 Etymology: "Another and more picturesque explanation is a legend, relating how FUJIWARA no Kamatari 藤原 鎌足 stopped at Yuigahama on his way to today's Ibaraki Prefecture, where he wanted to pray at the Kashima Shrine 鹿島神宮 [located at Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture 茨城県 鹿嶋市 (嶋 is a variant of 島; this city had wanted to be called 鹿島市 also, but elected the current name to avoid confusion with 佐賀県鹿島市)] for the fall of SOGA no Iruka 蘇我 入鹿. He dreamed of an old man [which he interpreted as a deity] who promised his support, and upon waking, he found next to his bed a type of spear called a kamayari. Kamatari enshrined it in a place called Okura 大蔵. Kamayari plus Okura then turned into the name Kamakura. However, this and similar legends appear to have arisen only after Kamatari's descendant FUJIWARA no Yoritsune 藤原 頼経 [1218 – 1256; reign 1226–1244]] became the fourth shogun of the Kamakura shogunate in 1226, some time after the name Kamakura appears in the historical record.
(A) Fujiwara no Kamatari
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujiwara_no_Kamatari
(614 – 669; born NAKATOMI no Kamatari 中臣 鎌足; founder of the Fujiwara clan; a supporter of Shinto and fought the introduction of Buddhism to Japan (the latter Soga clan 蘇我 氏 advocated successfully); in a coup d'état 乙巳の変 slew Soga no Iruka who had in effect ruled under Empress Kōgyoku (Iruka's father, Soga no Emishi 蘇我 蝦夷, committed suicide thus spelling the end of that clan); helped crown prince Emperor Naka no Ōe 中大兄 皇子 [who held real power under 孝徳 天皇 and ascended to the throne as Emperor Tenji 天智 天皇 after his mother died in 661, who had just designated another son as the successor] and Emperor Kōtoku 孝徳 天皇 [reign 645-654 when he died; used two 年号: first Taika 大化 and then 白雉 with the latter meant "white pheasant"] accomplish Taika Reform 大化の改新; Sandai-kyaku-shiki 三代格式)
* This 足 is not "foot" -- but the kanji part of the verb "taru" 足る 【たる】 (v): "to be sufficient; to be enough." (The "tari" is the corresponding noun.)
* After the successful coup,
(B) Empress Kōgyoku 皇極 天皇
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_K%C5%8Dgyoku
(594–661; reign twice 642-645 (as 皇極 天皇) and 654-661 (as 斉明天皇) )
In Japan, the "kō" and "kyoku" (softened to "gyoku" when not placed as the first syllable of a combined word) are Chinese pronunciations, respectively, of 皇 and 極.
(C) A kamayari 鎌槍 (English: sickle spear) is 槍 (Japanese pronunciation: yari; English: spear) with blade (on one or two sides; in the latter: 十文字槍 or 蝙蝠槍 when each of the two straight side blades forms an acute angle with the pointer).
(ii) In kanji, 鎌 is a variant of 鐮 (sickle).
(iii) Kamakura period 鎌倉時代
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura_period
section 5 Events:
"1185: the rival Taira 平 clan is defeated at sea at the Battle of Dan-no-ura 壇ノ浦の戦い by [源] 頼朝 Yoritomo's [younger] brother Minamoto Yoshitsune 源 義経 [源 頼朝 in 1189 defeated 源 義経 and had the latter killed]
"1333: NITTA Yoshisada 新田 義貞 conquers and destroys Kamakura during the Siege of Kamakura ending the Kamakura Shogunate 鎌倉幕府
(iv) "In 1333, a cunning Japanese emperor launched a rebellion ending the Kamakura shogunate"
(A) For the Web page 鎌倉幕府, the ja.wikipedia.org has a section whose heading is 後醍醐天皇の倒幕運動.
(B) Emperor Go-Daigo 後醍醐天皇
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Go-Daigo
(1288 – 1339; reign 1318 - 1339l section 1.1 Events of Go-Daigo's life)
Quote: "This 14th-century sovereign was named after the 9th-century Emperor Daigo and go- (後), translates literally as 'later;' and thus, he is sometimes called the 'Later Emperor Daigo.' The Japanese word go has also been translated to mean the 'second one;' and in some older sources, this emperor may be identified as 'Daigo, the second,' or as 'Daigo II.'
(C) Emperor Daigo 醍醐天皇
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Daigo
(He is named after his place of burial; after 34 years of reign, the emperor fell ill |