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Known by many names, Jiang Ziya was a Chinese noble and sage who played a criitical role in the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty afterwards. The last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, was a tyrannical and depraved man corrupted by his possessed concubine Su Daji. After having dutifully served in the Shang court for twenty years, he found King Zhou's reign insufferable, and feigned madness to be excused from court life.<br/><br/> He was eventually found and recruited by King Wen of Zhou, reportedly at the age of seventy-two, after Jiang Ziya agreed to serve him. Given the title of Jiang Taigong Wang ('The Great Duke's Hope') and appointed as prime minister, he served King Wen's son, King Wu, after the former died. Once the people of Shang Dynasty had had enough of King Zhou's tyrannical rule and rose up against him, Jiang Ziya led an army to overthrow him, defeating the Shang army at the Battle of Muye in 1043 BCE. The Shang Dynasty fell, and the Zhou Dynasty rose in its place to rule over all of China.<br/><br/> He is also a prominent character in the Ming Dynasty classic novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', where he has mystical powers and is considered the archrival of Su Daji. After King Zhou's death, Su Daji was captured as she attempted to flee and executed on the order of Jiang Ziya himself. He is considered by some as the most famous Prime Minister in Chinese history, and one of the world's greatest strategists.
Fujin or Futen is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods. He is generally depicted as a terrifying wizard-like demon carrying a large bag of winds on his shoulders.<br/><br/> In Japanese art, the deity is often depicted together with Raijin, the god of lightning, thunder and storms.<br/><br/> Ogata Kōrin (1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He was born in Kyoto, to a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts. Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, the Kano school, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi, and was greatly influenced by his predecessors Hon'ami Kōetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu.<br/><br/> 'Wind God and Thunder God' by Ogata Korin is a replica of Tawaraya Sotatsu's four panel folding screen of the same title ('Fujin Raijin Zu), Kyoto, early 17th century.
Fujin or Futen is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods. He is generally depicted as a terrifying wizard-like demon carrying a large bag of winds on his shoulders.<br/><br/> In Japanese art, the deity is often depicted together with Raijin, the god of lightning, thunder and storms.<br/><br/> Ogata Kōrin (1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He was born in Kyoto, to a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts. Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, the Kano school, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi, and was greatly influenced by his predecessors Hon'ami Kōetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu.<br/><br/> 'Wind God and Thunder God' by Ogata Korin is a replica of Tawaraya Sotatsu's four panel folding screen of the same title ('Fujin Raijin Zu), Kyoto, early 17th century.
Raijin is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in the Shinto religion and in Japanese mythology. He is typically depicted as a demonic spirit beating drums to create thunder, usually with a <i>tomoe</i> symbol drawn on the drums.<br/><br/> Fujin or Futen is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods. He is generally depicted as a terrifying wizard-like demon carrying a large bag of winds on his shoulders.<br/><br/> In Japanese art, the deity is often depicted together with Raijin, the god of lightning, thunder and storms.<br/><br/> Ogata Kōrin (1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He was born in Kyoto, to a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts. Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, the Kano school, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi, and was greatly influenced by his predecessors Hon'ami Kōetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu.<br/><br/> 'Wind God and Thunder God' by Ogata Korin is a replica of Tawaraya Sotatsu's four panel folding screen of the same title ('Fujin Raijin Zu), Kyoto, early 17th century.
Inari Okami, also known as Oinari, is a deity in Shintoism, the <i>kami</i> of foxes, fertility, rice, tea, sake, agriculture, industry and general prosperity. In earlier times, Inari was also the patron of merchants and swordsmiths, and has been represented in various art forms as male, female or androgynous.<br/><br/> Inari is almost always accompanied by white foxes (<i>kistune</i>), who act as his/her/their messengers. Inari's male and female aspects have often been conflated or identified with other Shinto and Buddhist deities, and Inari him/her/themself has sometimes been seen as a collective rather than an individual <i>kami</i>.<br/><br/> Worship of Inari dates back to at least 711 CE, with a shrine on Inari Mountain, although some scholars date worship back to the late 5th century. The <i>kami</i> became more popular during the Edo Period (1603 - 1868). Today more than one-third of Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to Inari.
Raijin is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in the Shinto religion and in Japanese mythology. He is typically depicted as a demonic spirit beating drums to create thunder, usually with a <i>tomoe</i> symbol drawn on the drums.<br/><br/> In Japanese art, the deity is often depicted together with the wind god Fujin.<br/><br/> Ogata Kōrin (1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He was born in Kyoto, to a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts. Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, the Kano school, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi, and was greatly influenced by his predecessors Hon'ami Kōetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu.<br/><br/> 'Wind God and Thunder God' by Ogata Korin is a replica of Tawaraya Sotatsu's four panel folding screen of the same title ('Fujin Raijin Zu), Kyoto, early 17th century.
Wake no Kiyomaro was born in Bizen Province (now Wake, Okayama) to a family of politically important, devoted Buddhists who hoped to keep Buddhism and politics separate through religious reform.<br/><br/> He became a trusted advisor to Emperor Kammu, a position which he used to encourage the development of Buddhism in a direction which would prevent it from posing a threat to the government.<br/><br/> Usa Jingu, also known as Usa Hachimangu, is a Shinto shrine in the city of Usa in Oita Prefecture. Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman-jin (the tutelary god of warriors), is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him; and the first and earliest of these was at Usa in the early 8th century. The Usa Jingu has long been the recipient of Imperial patronage; and its prestige is considered second only to that of Ise.
Raijin is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in the Shinto religion and in Japanese mythology. He is typically depicted as a demonic spirit beating drums to create thunder, usually with a <i>tomoe</i> symbol drawn on the drums.<br/><br/> In Japanese art, the deity is often depicted together with the wind god Fujin.<br/><br/> Ogata Kōrin (1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He was born in Kyoto, to a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts. Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, the Kano school, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi, and was greatly influenced by his predecessors Hon'ami Kōetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu.<br/><br/> 'Wind God and Thunder God' by Ogata Korin is a replica of Tawaraya Sotatsu's four panel folding screen of the same title ('Fujin Raijin Zu), Kyoto, early 17th century.
Emperor Ingyō (允恭天皇 Ingyō-tennō) was the 19th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he is conventionally considered to have reigned from 410–453.<br/><br/> Emperor Ingyo's empress is named Oshisaka no Ōnakatsu no Hime in the Japanese annals. Princess Sotori Hime was the concubine of the Emperor Ingyo, so named for the beauty of her skin which seemed to radiate through her robes. Later accounts associated her with the deity Tamatsushima Myojin, enshrined at Wakanoura in Kii Province, and venerated her as one of the three gods of poetry together with Kakimoto no Hitomaro and Yamabe no Akahito.<br/><br/> According to the <i>Nihon Shoki</i> written in 720, Princess Sotori lived in seclusion in the Fujiwara Shrine out of deference to the Empress. The Emperor decided to visit her there in secret, but even before he arrived the Princess had divined that he was coming by noticing a spider building its web in the roots of a dwarf bamboo plant.
The renowned female samurai, Tomoe-gozen in the 11th Century. Her husband or love was the Genji General Kiso Yoshinaka.<br/><br/> According to the 'The Tale of Heike', Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.<br/><br/> She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow, and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.
Ikebana (生け花, 'living flowers') is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō (華道, the 'way of flowers').
Ogata Gekkō (尾形月耕, 1859-1920) was a Japanese painter and woodblock print artist of the ukiyo-e genre.<br/><br/> Gekkō's work was originally closely based upon that of Kikuchi Yōsai. He was inspired by Hokusai, creating a series of one hundred prints of Mount Fuji. He also developed his own style, with significant stylistic elements borrowed from nihonga painting.
The renowned female samurai, Tomoe-gozen in the 11th Century. Her husband or love was the Genji General Kiso Yoshinaka.<br/><br/> According to the 'The Tale of Heike', Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.<br/><br/> She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow, and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.
Samurai is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class.<br/><br/> The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō. While they numbered less than ten percent of Japan's population, samurai teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.
The renowned female samurai, Tomoe-gozen in the 11th Century. Her husband or love was the Genji General Kiso Yoshinaka.<br/><br/> According to the 'The Tale of Heike', Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.<br/><br/> She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow, and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.
The renowned female samurai, Tomoe-gozen in the 11th Century. Her husband or love was the Genji General Kiso Yoshinaka.<br/><br/> According to the 'The Tale of Heike', Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.<br/><br/> She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow, and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.
The renowned female samurai, Tomoe-gozen in the 11th Century. Her husband or love was the Genji General Kiso Yoshinaka.<br/><br/> According to the 'The Tale of Heike', Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.<br/><br/> She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow, and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.
The renowned female samurai, Tomoe-gozen in the 11th Century. Her husband or love was the Genji General Kiso Yoshinaka.<br/><br/> According to the 'The Tale of Heike', Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swords-woman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.<br/><br/> She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents. Whenever a battle was imminent, Yoshinaka sent her out as his first captain, equipped with strong armor, an oversized sword, and a mighty bow, and she performed more deeds of valor than any of his other warriors.
Ogata Korin (1658 – June 2, 1716) was a Japanese painter of the Rinpa school. He was born in Kyoto, son of a wealthy merchant who had a taste for the arts.<br/><br/> Korin also studied under Soken Yamamoto, the Kano school, Tsunenobu and Gukei Sumiyoshi, and was greatly influenced by his predecessors Hon'ami Koetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu.