#kumamoto prefecture

[todayintokyo]

Beam of light by by Sho Kamasaki

[sitting-on-me-bum]

“Earth and Milky Way Galaxy Show”

© Yoshiki Abe (Japan).

Location: Aso City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan

“Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture is the collective name for the five peaks often called the ‘Five Mountains of Aso’. One of the peaks, Nakadake, has a volcanic crater that is still active. Abe wanted this image to show how the Milky Way has watched over activity on Earth since prehistoric times. This is a composite photograph with the foreground and sky photographed separately but without moving the tripod.”

Astronomy Photographer Of The Year

Royal Observatory Greenwich

[yukimuraruki-art]

I have never tried a landscape painting like this, where there's a huge range of distance. So I tried to paint Mt. Kura in Japan where the Kuratake Shrine is placed. I haven't been there yet, but who knows if I will at some point. Yeha what should I say, I know that I can't just make masterpieces (if ever but you get it, right?) by doing a thing once, so I guess I have to practise a lot to get convincing results. However, I think that this is a good first try and every imrpovement will come with later paintings. I just think it is important to show the progress I make. Remember that all of us artists do follow a lifelong journey :3

[filmap]

ユリイカ / Eureka Shinji Aoyama. 2000

Monument Daikanbo, Yamada, Aso, Kumamoto 869-2306, Japan See in map

See in imdb

[redsamuraiii]

Detective Conan (Ep 294 : The Smash of Determination and Love)

I love this type of episodes where they investigate cases outside of Tokyo. Feels like I'm traveling along with them.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Aso volcano erupting in the Kumamoto Prefecture of Japan

Japanese vintage postcard

[wallpapers4screen]

[touristinjapan]

Kyushu North to South 14-day itinerary

This itinerary takes you from north to south through Japan’s southern most main island, Kyushu in 14 days. All the way from the bustling metropolis of Fukuoka in the north, over the historic and picturesque pottery village of Arita, the culturally diverse Nagasaki, steaming onsen baths on valcanoes, and to Kagoshima’s active volcano Sakurajima and Ibusuki’s famous sand baths in the south. The…

[bearbench-img]

ピットクン

ピットクンは、こくみん共済 coop（全国労働者共済生活協同組合連合会）のマスコットキャラクターです。ピンク色で丸い体に、大きな目と口が特徴的です。coopの「co（協同）」と「op（協力）」の意味を体現するように、みんなで力を合わせて支え合うことを表現しています。ピットクンは、coopのPRキャラクターとして、ポスターやパンフレットなどに登場。親しみやすいデザインで、幅広い世代に共済の必要性や大切さを伝える役割を担っています。

手抜きイラスト集

[raffleupagus]

Watch my full Kyushu video series from this year

Get my Kyushu book (link)

[livesunique]

Kumamoto Castle,

Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan

[architectureofdoom]

Tateno dam, Kumamoto Prefecture

[bestiarium]

The Amabie [Japanese folklore]!

In 1846, this curious creature supposedly emerged from the sea of Higo Province (which is Kumamoto Prefecture today).

As the story goes, she emerged at night and emitted a strange glow which captured the attention of a government official. When the man approached, she told him 'I am Amabie, I live in the sea. From this year onwards, every province of Japan will enjoy a bountiful harvest for six years! But at the same time, there will be an epidemic! You have to spread my image to the people!'

After making these two predictions, Amabie disappeared beneath the waves and she was never seen again. The government official did as he was told and had his drawing of the mysterious mermaid published in a news sheet (see image below), a woodblock-printed bulletin. The creature had long hair, three fish-like tails, a scaly body and a beaked face.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the story of Amabie resurfaced in Japan’s collective consciousness as artists posted their own drawings of the creature on social media, as a cultural and humorous charm against the virus.

Eventually, the Japanese health ministry used the image of Amabie in the logo for the national virus safety campaign. The creature then became a common sight in Japan, appearing on food, clothing, as statuettes, and as charms.

While the basic design remained the same (a beak, three fishy tails, and long hair), many artists gave their own unique touch to the creature.

But the Amabie might not be unique. In fact, there are several similar stories from the Edo era, in which a strange being appears and makes a prophecy: these creatures are called ‘yogenju’ – and sometimes, as with this one, their image can be used as a charm to ward off ill fortune.

Amabie herself might be derived from the Amabiko, a similar three-legged being with a nearly identical story. Supposedly, this was a monkey-like creature who was seen in 1843 when it emerged from the sea. It predicted a good harvest and a plague, and noted that people who saw the Amabiko’s image would survive the epidemic.

‘Amabie’ and ‘Amabiko’ are spelled very similarly in Japanese, so the former might have been derived from a misspelling of the latter.

Interestingly, it has been theorized that the beaked appearance of the Amabie might have been derived from images of 17th century European plague doctors with their iconic beaked masks, as both are associated with plagues. This remains speculation, however.

Sources:

Telban, M. K., 2022, Emotions of Fear in Narratives about the Plague and the Contemporary Pandemic, Studia Mythologica Slavica, 25, pp. 7-25.

Hrvatin, K., 2022, Japanese Artists’ Reponses to COVID-19: A Mass Revival of the yokai Amabie, Asian Studies, 10(26), pp. 183-209.

(image 1 source: Gabriel Marques)

(image 2: the original drawing of Amabie, downloaded from the Collection of Kyoto University Library)

(image 3: the Amabie on a poster by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

[city-of-ladies]

"According to The History of the Wei, Himiko was selected as the ruler with the support of about thirty smaller kingdoms. As mentioned earlier, the text clearly states that there was internal turmoil that lasted many years, and finally a female ruler named Himiko was chosen as their ruler. Who were the chiefs who elevated Himiko to the ruling position? Were they all men, as scholars have nearly always assumed? Was it the case that men who tired of warfare selected an uninvolved female in order to prevent their mutual destruction?

This formulaic thinking does not stand up when we consult archaeological studies of human skeletons and other artifacts found in burial mounds. Numerous samples from the first half of the early tumuli (kofun) period (ca. third to mid-fifth century) suggest the prominence of females in chiefly positions: an aged female buried alone in the most prominent burial mound, or a female as the most prominent figure in a multiple burial site. Indications that the most distinguished figure was female can be found widely, from Kyūshū in the south to Kantō in the east. Also, the number of single burials of male rulers and female rulers is about equal.

Moreover, the location of the burial sites and the artifacts buried with the body suggest that these female rulers were not simply in charge of ceremonies but that their authority encompassed military and diplomatic affairs and economic production. For example, the Mukōnoda keyhole-shaped tumulus, located in Udo City, Kumamoto Prefecture, measures 87 meters long. Probably built in the late fourth to early fifth century, it is considered the largest of the contemporaneous tumuli found in the region. The tumulus contains the remains of a single female, in her late thirties or forties, along with artifacts of prestige, such as mirrors and jewels, and a large quantity of weapons, including swords and spears, as well as various tools, such as iron axes. The tumulus site, a hilltop overlooking the Sea of Ariake, suggests the occupant’s connection to sea-bound trade and diplomacy.

At one archaeological site in western Japan contemporaneous with Himiko (i.e., third century C.E.), of the nine burials identified as those of rulers, four contained the remains of females. Suggestively, The History of the Wei states:

When [H]imiko passed away, a great mound was raised, more than a hundred paces in diameter. More than a hundred male and female attendants followed her to the grave.

Himiko’s grave has not been identified definitively, but a recent archaeological finding in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, offers a tantalizing possibility; a tomb named Hashihaka, 280 meters long, may be Himiko’s. Based on advanced carbon-dating, scholars have been able to date the tomb to the late third century, when Himiko lived. It is one of the oldest keyhole tombs in the country. An entry in The Chronicles of Japan (ninth month of Sujin 10) indicates that the occupant of the Hashihaka tomb was a female named Yamato-Totohimomoso-hime. Whether or not this tumulus is indeed Himiko’s, we can safely declare that the oldest keyhole tomb belonged to a female ruler.

Recall that The Chronicles does not incorporate Himiko in its unitary line of (male) kings. Instead, The Chronicles states that Yamato-Totohimomoso-hime was the great aunt of Emperor Sujin and also a shaman. It seems quite possible that The Chronicles flexibly adapted this important female shamanic figure, buried in a large tumulus, as close kin to a male emperor so as to enhance her stature without interrupting the unitary male rule.

These findings suggest that from the third to the fifth century, the number of male and female rulers, ruling alone or in pairs, was about even. In fact, the case of Himiko’s successor gives evidence of continuing rule by a female. After Himiko’s death, The History of the Wei reveals,

a king was placed on the throne, but the people would not obey him. Assassination and murder followed; more than one thousand were thus slain. A relative of [H]imiko named Iyo 壱与, a girl of thirteen, was [then] made queen and order was restored. Zheng [the Chinese ambassador] issued a proclamation to the effect that Iyo was the ruler.

Indeed, The Chronicles of Japan also suggests that female rulers were common in many regions until the beginning of the eighth century. We read about female chiefs in The Chronicles when they are noted among the “rebels,” regional chiefs who resisted Yamato encroachment. Given these data, how is it possible to assume that the chiefs who supported Himiko were all and necessarily male? It is more judicious to consider that male and female chiefs elevated Himiko as their leader because she possessed characteristics that were appropriate for a ruler."

Yoshie Akiko, Tonomura Hitomi, Takata Azumi Ann, "Gendered Interpretations of Female Rule: The Case of Himiko, Ruler of Yamatai"

[meg-rhapsody]

阿蘇高森田楽の里、Takamori Dengaku-no-sato, Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture

13 February 2024

[japanseland]

Amamiya Kanan（天宮花南）– Japanese AV Actress, 155cm G‑Cup, SODstar→MOODYZ, “Loss‑Girl” Trendsetter [2025]

Amamiya Kanan（天宮花南／旧芸名：那珂川もこ） is a Japanese AV actress with a striking 155 cm height and G‑cup figure, who has inspired the popular “喪女” (loss-girl) trend in recent years. Born on May 8 1996 in Kumamoto Prefecture, she began her career as a gravure idol in 2018 and rebranded in May 2021 under her current stage name, joining SODstar and making her AV debut on July 22, 2021 with widespread acclaim .

Known for her clear, innocent beauty and hidden bust, her debut and subsequent works topped the FANZA video floor ranking—reaching #5, #1, and then rising again in 2023 with “Return to Hometown” peaking at #1 . In April 2025, she graduated from SODstar and signed with MOODYZ, immediately securing #3 on the FANZA preorder charts

📌 基本プロフィール / Quick Profile

名前 / Name：天宮 花南（Amamiya Kanan）／旧芸名：那珂川もこ（Nakagawa Moko）

生年月日 / Born：1996年5月8日

出身地 / Birthplace：熊本県

身長 / Height：155 cm

スリーサイズ / Measurements：B88 cm (G‑cup) – W57 cm – H86 cm

血液型 / Blood Type：AB型

所属事務所 / Agency：ティーパワーズ → SODstar → MOODYZ（2025〜）

🏆 受賞・実績

FANZA動画フロアランキング：   – デビュー作＆続々ヒットで週刊1位複数回   – 2023年「帰省喪女」で再び1位獲得 & 動画フロア定期ランク入り

FLASH 2021：セクシー女優ランキング6位

“喪女”ブーム立役者：SOD卒業・MOODYZ移籍で業界内外から注目

TREND GIRLS台湾イベント参加予定（2025年4〜）

💬 なぜファンに愛されるのか / Why Fans Love Her

155 cm×Gカップの組み合わせが話題の清純爆裂スタイル

“喪女”役作りで演技力評価が上がり、地味口調ボディとのギャップ人気

継続するランキング実績・MOODYZ移籍・SNS発信で話題性継続中

Instagram・YouTubeなどSNSでの自然な交流がファンの心を掴む