Lit.: "Chronicles of Tranquility"; a work of classical Japanese literature spanning forty volumes and documenting events from 1318 to 1368, the Taiheiki is a war chronicle written primarily about the war between the Northern Court of Shogun Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto and the Southern Imperial Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino.
The "Tranquility" in its title is thought to be a prayer for peace or a prayer for the repose of the dead.
Lit. "embryo-possession", a type of kanshou in which a body is possessed at birth.
Also known as: 絵本太閤記 (Ehon Taikouki)
The Taikou Chronicles is a biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi published by Confucian scholar Oze Hoan in 1626 during the reign of the 3rd Tokugawa Shogun. (Taikou, or retired adviser to the emperor, was Hideyoshi's title and is commonly used to refer to him.) It spans 20 scrolls and is cited as Hideyoshi's authentic biography, but is written from the author's particular historical viewpoint and contains some changes from the historical archives upon which it is based.
Lit.: "short poem", an ancient form of Japanese poetry composed of 31 syllables, arranged in groups of 5, 7, 5, 7 and 7. Well-written tanka poems are elegant, lyrical, and suggest associations far deeper than the surface words.
Nyctereutes procyonoides, the raccoon dog, which in Japanese mythology is depicted as a master of disguises and shape-shifting, and in character is mischievious and merry but also gullible and absent-minded.
Woven straw mats used as traditional Japanese flooring.
Japanese rooms are traditionally measured by the number of tatami mats laid out in it, the dimensions of which are 90 cm x 180 cm x 5 cm.
A new type of battleship invented by Oda Nobunaga after the Oda navy was routed by Mouri in the first Battle of Kizu River-mouth, constructed by armoring large atake-bune with iron plates so they were resistant to fire.
They claimed the title of supreme battleships of the Sengoku and were in used for about 50 years.
The ten aristocratic families which govern their own territories under the rule of the Maou. Their family names are the names of the territories they rule with the word "von" or "(noble) from" attached. The Ten Aristocratic Houses are: von Bielefelt, von Grantz, von Gyllenhaal, von Karbelnikoff, von Kleist, von Spitzweg, von Radford, von Rochefort, von Voltaire, von Wincott.
Each aristocratic house name seems to come from a figure in literature/drama:
- Bielefelt: (Melina Bielefelt), actress
- Grantz: (Kevin Grantz) actor
- Gyllenhaal: (Maggie, Jake Gyllenhaal) actress, actor
- Karbelnikoff: (Michael Karbelnikoff) director, producer, cinematographer
- Kleist: (Heinrich von Kleist) German poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer
- Radford: (Michael Radford) actor
- Rochefort: (Jean Rochefort) actor
- Spitzweg: (Carl Spitzweg) painter and poet
- Voltaire: (François-Marie Arouet) French writer, essayist, and philosopher
- Wincott: (Jeff/Michael Wincott) actor
The ten warriors who worked to revive the Amago Clan after its ruin in 1566. They were men of courage and high caliber said to have been picked out by Amago Haruhisa from the more than 40,000 men under his command. Historical accounts tend to differ on the exact composition of the ten except for Yamanaka Shikanosuke, their leader, and the fact that all members had "-no-suke" ("rescuer" or "concerned with") attached to their first names.
lit. "Heavenly Dog"
Tengu are mythical creatures found in Japanese folklore and traditionally depicted with human, monkey and avian features. Though their shapes vary, typical characteristics include red faces, long noses, and wings. Beginning in the 13th century, tengu came to be associated with the mountain ascetics who practice Shugendou and are said to be protective spirits of the mountains and forests.
Lit.: "Teaching of Divine Reason", a Japanese religion founded in 1838 by Miki Nakayama which focuses on the attainment of joyous life on Earth through charity and abstention from greed, selfishness, hatred, anger and arrogance. It believes in a single god who is the creator of the universe and parent of humanity.
The spiritual headquarters of Tenrikyo is in the city of Tenri, where the religion was created and which was named after the religion. There are around 2 million followers of Tenrikyo today.
In late July-early August, the Children's Pilgrimage, or "Return to the Main Sanctuary", draws around 300,000 to Tenri City. Events are held in which children are encouraged in their growth and broaden their circle of friends.
Large, four-legged concrete structures used to fortify breakwaters. They are designed to dissipate the force of incoming waves and are used along an estimated 50% of the Japan coastline.
The tide jewels of legend can be used to control the tides. The kanju (干珠, lit. pearl of dryness), the legendary Shiohinotama, when thrown into the sea causes the waters to recede. The manju (満珠, lit. pearl of fullness), the legendary Shiomichinotama, causes the waters to swell.
A unit of volume measurement in ancient Japan. 1 to is 18.039 liters.
Theme song of the baseball team Tokyo Yakult Swallows, written by Nakayama Shimpei in 1932 and was a countrywide hit.
A professional baseball team in Japan's Central League, located in Tokyo. Their ballpark is the Meiji-Jingu Stadium.
Lit.: "bird abode"
Traditional Japanese gates found at the entrance to, within, or close to Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred. They are usually vermilion or unpainted and date from at least the 10th century.
A military memoir depicting the rise and fall of the Chousokabe clan written by Yoshida Takayo in 1708.
Artifacts and items that are older than 100 years and become spirits who are alive and aware. (The characters were originally written "九十九", meaning "ninety-nine" and were later changed to the homonym "付喪神", with the characters for "adhere", "mourning", and "god").
In Mirage, however, the kaki are also a type of tsukumogami.
Also known as: Matsunaga Nasu (松永茄子), Tsukumogami (九十九髪), Tsukomo Nasu (九十九茄子), Sakubutsu Nasu (作物茄子), Tsukomo Nasu (付藻茄子)
A masterpiece tea caddy which was imported from China during the early Muromachi Shogunate (1336 - 1573) and owned by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was said that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu carried it even when going to battle. The caddy was treasured by several generations of Ashikaga shoguns and passed through several hands before being sold to Matsunaga Hisahide for the price of 1,000 kan.
When Matsunaga Hisahide surrendered to Oda Nobunaga, he offered the Tsukumokami Nasu to Nobunaga as a sign of his loyalty.
This priceless item now resides in the Seikadou Bunko Art Museum in Tokyo.
The tsurushikimi is a dioecious evergreen shrub, Skimmia japonica var. intermedia f. repens, that lives in the forests of Hokkaido and on Honshuu near the Japan Sea in areas with lots of snowfall. It bears fruit, a red berry, from October until May. The entire plant as well as the berry contain alkaloids and are poisonous.
Also known as: crimson beast
A spirit-beast which takes the form of a long-tailed lion around five-six feet in length with golden eyes, surrounded by red fire, tsutsuga have the ability to devour the souls of people, tigers, and leopards, and spit fire. They can interact with the physical world, their razor-sharp claws and teeth making them ferocious predators, but can be affected by mind powers, such as nenpa and hypnotic suggestion.
Legend has it that Holy Priest Shoudou trapped a male and female pair of the tsutsuga into the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The female tsutsuga has the power to devour spirits as well as the souls of living people who look into the tsutsuga's eyes, entrapping them within the Tsutsuga Mirrors. The male tsutsuga eats fire and exhales fire instead of air. Their cubs inherit both abilities.
The Tsutsuga Mirrors were originally a treasure of Futarasan Shrine, formed of a male and female pair. The female mirror has the power to entrap souls, and is called the soul-sealing mirror (Fuukonkyou—封魂鏡), while the male is able to release entrapped souls. Legend has it that when Holy Priest Shoudou founded the first shrine on the Nikkou mountains, he turned the two tsutsuga causing mischief on Nantai-san into magic mirrors with his spells.
Four hundred years ago, the Fuuma Clan mated the two halves of the mirror to give birth to a tsutsuga cub which High Priest Tenkai sealed into the female mirror by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
A long robe/garment worn over a kimono.
Lit.: "back demon gate"
The southwest corner or direction. According to Onmyoudou, northeast is the unlucky direction from which demons enter (Ki-mon, or demon gate). Its opposing corner, the uraki-mon, is also said to be unlucky.
In Mirage of Blaze: a tsukumogami version of the Battleship Yamato constructed by the Mouri Clan to battle the Oda fleet. It feeds on human life force as fuel.
Lit.: "Dark Sengoku", the civil war still being fought by the spirits of the warlords of the Sengoku period in modern-day Japan.
Also known as: Yakṣa
Warriors of Bishamonten, who are minor deities sometimes depicted as harmless guardians and nature spirits and sometimes as human-devouring demons.
The five kanshousha at the head of the Meikai Uesugi Army ordered by Uesugi Kenshin to hunt for the onshou who are disrupting the peace of modern-era Japan in a battle which has lasted four hundred years. Led by Uesugi Kagetora, with Naoe Nobutsuna, Kakizaki Haruie, Yasuda Nagahide, and Irobe Katsunaga. The name "Yasha" refers to soldiers in the army of Bishamonten, called "Yaksha".
A comical folk song and 'dance for fertile ground' which originated in Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture.
A professional baseball team in Japan's Central League, founded in 1950 and located in Yokohama. Their ballpark is the Yokohama Stadium.
A professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League based in Bunkyou, Tokyo. It was founded in 1934, the oldest among the current professional teams, and owned by the Yomiuri Group. They are the richest team and have won more pennants and Japan Series than any other team in both leagues. Their main rival is the Hanshin Tigers. Their ballpark is the Tokyo Dome.
An affectionate name for the beef bowl (gyuudon) served at Yoshinoya (吉野家), one of Japan's largest fast-food chains specializing in gyuudon. A typical order might include Omori (large size) beef bowl, raw egg (mixed with soy sauce and poured on top), a scoop of shoga (red-pickled ginger) and a dash of spice. A bowl starts at 280 yen, and orders are served on the spot.
In Japanese folklore, a youkai is a monster, spirit, or demon who range from malevolent to mischievous to benevolent. They can take various shapes, some human- or animal like, or appear to be or possess inanimate objects. Some are shapeless, and others shape-shifters. They usually have spiritual or supernatural abilities.
A casual version of the kimono which is made of light-weight cotton and worn in summer and after bathing (the characters literally mean "bath clothes").
Little selfish, mischievous spirits who look like children and live in ceilings or old storehouses. It is said that a family which houses one of these spirits becomes rich, but misfortunes befalls the family if the spirit leaves. Children can see these spirits, but adults cannot.
