BBC Chinese, Oct 17, 2014
www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/worl ... an_shrine_reactions
(“周五(10月17日)是靖国神社秋季例行大祭的第一天。当天早上,日本超党派国会议员组织 ‘大家参拜靖国神社议员会’ 110名成员集体参拜了当天开始秋季祭奠的靖国神社。同一天,正在米兰出席亚欧峰会 [Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)] 的首相安倍晋三也以 ‘内阁总理大臣’ 名义向神社献上’真榊’”)
Note:
(a) 大家参拜靖国神社议员会
in Japanese: 「みんなで靖国神社に参拝する国会議員の会」 (where みんな (pronounced “minna”) is a colloquial meaning all, everybody 大家.)
(b)
(i) 榊 (pronounced “sakaki”) is
Cleyera japonica
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleyera_japonica
(evergreen tree native to warm areas of Japan, Korea, and mainland China; leaves are 6–10 cm long; The small, scented, cream-white flowers open in early summer, and are followed later by berries which start red and turn black when ripe)
(ii) Japanese Wikipedia says the tree is known to grow in "済州島、台湾、中国," and that since ancient times, it has been used in Shinto.
(iii) Some call it 楊桐 in Taiwan.
(c) 真榊 (pronounced "masakaki") is, according to Japanese Wikipedia, “緑・黄・赤・白・青の五色絹の幟 * * * 五色絹の色は、陰陽五行説における天地万物を構成する5つの要素、木・火・土・金・水を表している。”
translation: banners of five colors: green, yellow, red, white and blue * * * The five colors of silk represent 陰陽五行説 or teh five elements that constitutes all objects in the universe : wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
(i) External link of the Japanese Wikipedia supplies a photo.
www.yoshihira.co.jp/sakaeru/sougon.html
(ii) The “ma’ and “shin” are Japanese and Chinese pronunciations, respectively, of the kanji 真.
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