#Tohoku Project

[takoyakidonuts]

AI VOICE Kotonoha Akane & Aoi Whisper Now Available! + CeVIO AI and VoiSona Zundamon and Shikoku Metan Release!

Last week saw the release of Kotonoha Akane’s and Aoi’s new Whisper voicebank DLC for their AI Voice (1) banks! AI VOICE Kotonoha Akane & Aoi Whisper Commercial As described in the name, the new DLC voicebanks provide a softer whispery talk voice for Akane and Aoi. Much like Yuzuki Yukari Nagi and Kizuna Akari Moe, Akane & Aoi Whisper only install as long as their original voicebanks for AI…

[frankencanon]

All songs in Project SEKAI that are sung by Vocaloids other than Miku, Rin, Len, Luka, KAITO, and MEIKO:

This list includes: GUMI, IA, flower, Kaai Yuki, Otomachi Una, VY2V3, KAFU, Kamui Gakupo, Gekiyaku, SEKAI, Tohoku Kiritan, Yuzuki Yukari, Zundamon, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, SOLARIA, Kotonoha Akane, Kotonoha Aoi, Kasane Teto, Merrow, Lily, and Kanade Kanon.

---

GUMI

Fragile - nulut

Ifuudoudou - Umetora [Megurine Luka, Hatsune Miku, GUMI, IA, & Kagamine Rin]

ECHO - Crusher-P

KING - Kanaria

Tokio Funka - takamatt

Dareka no Shinzou ni Nareta Nara - YurryCanon

Chikyuu Saigo no Kokuhaku o - kemu

1, 2 Fanclub - MikitoP [Kagamine Rin & GUMI]

Haikei Doppelganger - kemu

PaⅢ.SENSATION - Yunosuke, Lyrics by Gyuuniku [Hatsune Miku, GUMI, & Kagamine Rin]

Kami no Manimani - rerulili [Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, & GUMI]

Noushou Sakuretsu Girl - rerulili [Hatsune Miku & GUMI]

Copycat - Circus-P

Bokura no 16bit Warz - sasakure.UK

Yomosugara Kimi Omou - TOKOTOKO

Bad ∞ End ∞ Night - HitoshizukuP, Yama△ [Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, Megurine Luka, KAITO, MEIKO, GUMI, & Kamui Gakupo]

Invisible - kemu [GUMI & Kagamine Rin]

Amanojaku - 164

Aa, Subarashiki Nyansei - Nem [GUMI & Kagamine Len]

Setsuna Trip - Last Note.

Kokoronashi - Chouchou-P

Slow Downer - Rokuro [Hatsune Miku & GUMI]

Envy Baby - Kanaria

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Yoidore Shirazu - Kanaria

Ringo Uri no Utakata Shoujo - yukkedoluce

Kyou mo Harebare - Fuwari-P

QUEEN - Kanaria

Identity - Kanaria [Hatsune Miku & GUMI]

CRaZY - Umetora [Megurine Luka, Hatsune Miku, GUMI, IA, & Kagamine Rin]

IA

Asu no Yozora Shoukaihan - Orangestar

Yobanashi Deceive - Jin

Ifuudoudou - Umetora [Megurine Luka, Hatsune Miku, GUMI, IA, & Kagamine Rin]

Roku-chou Nen to Ichiya Monogatari - kemu

Children Record - Jin

Odore Orchestra - YASUHIRO

DAYBREAK FRONTLINE - Orangestar

Kaisei - Orangestar

Superhero - Guiano

CRaZY - Umetora [Megurine Luka, Hatsune Miku, GUMI, IA, & Kagamine Rin]

flower

Charles - balloon

Bocca della Verità - Hiiragi Kirai

Traffic Jam - Niru Kajitsu

Venom - Kairiki Bear

Villain - Teniwoha

fixer - nulut

Goodbye Sengen - Chinozo

Ame to Petra - balloon

Aun no Beats - Hanyuu Maigo

Love ka? - Hiiragi Kirai

Lonely Universe - aqu3ra [Hatsune Miku & flower]

p.h. - SEVENTHLINKS

Egoist - Onuma Parsley

Inochi Bakkari - nulut [flower & Yuzuki Yukari]

Kinmokusei - Kujira

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Flyer! - Chinozo

Lower - nulut

Nomad - balloon

Tricologe - Niru Kajitsu

Kaai Yuki

Ikanaide - Sohta

Kyoufuu All Back - Yukopi

Relay Outer - Inabakumori

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Dokuzu - Nakiso

Lag Train - Inabakumori

Otomachi Una

Positive☆Dance Time - Kinoshita [Otomachi Una & Kagamine Rin]

Booo! - TOKOTOKO

Chigau!!! - Carlos Hakamada [Hatsune Miku & Otomachi Una]

Poppin' Candy☆Fever! - kinoshita [Otomachi Una & Kagamine Rin]

VY2V3

Totemo Itai Itagaritai - EZFG

KAFU

Phony - Tsumiki

Tenshi no Tsubasa. - A4。[KAFU & Gekiyaku]

SEKAI-chan to KAFU-chan no Otsukai Gassoukyoku - Minami no Minami [SEKAI, KAFU, & Tohoku Kiritan]

Kyuukurarin - iyowa

Cute na Kanojo - syudou

Marshall Maximizer - Hiiragi Magnetite

Kuu ni Naru - MIMI [Hatsune Miku & KAFU]

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Watashi wa, Watashi-tachi wa - Guiano

Gekokujou - Misumi

Hug - MIMI [Hatsune Miku & KAFU]

Kamui Gakupo

Bad ∞ End ∞ Night - HitoshizukuP, Yama△ [Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, Kagamine Len, Megurine Luka, KAITO, MEIKO, GUMI, & Kamui Gakupo]

Gekiyaku

Tenshi no Tsubasa. - A4。[KAFU & Gekiyaku]

SEKAI

SEKAI-chan to KAFU-chan no Otsukai Gassoukyoku - Minami no Minami [SEKAI, KAFU, & Tohoku Kiritan]

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Tohoku Kiritan

SEKAI-chan to KAFU-chan no Otsukai Gassoukyoku - Minami no Minami [SEKAI, KAFU, & Tohoku Kiritan]

Yuzuki Yukari

Inochi Bakkari - nulut [flower & Yuzuki Yukari]

Kibou no Tsuki - nakyamurya

Zundamon

Zunda Party Night - namigroove

Odorobo - Umicha [Kotonoha Akane&Aoi & Zundamon]

Adachi Rei

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Netsu - Ijou iyowa

RIME

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Hanakuma Chifuyu

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

VY1

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

SOLARIA

Issen Kounen - Iyowa [Hatsune Miku, flower, Kaai Yuki, GUMI, KAFU, SEKAI, Adachi Rei, RIME, Hanakuma Chifuyu, VY1, & SOLARIA]

Kotonoha Akane&Aoi

Odorobo - Umicha [Kotonoha Akane&Aoi & Zundamon]

Kasane Teto

Ai no Uta - Daibaku Hashin [Hatsune Miku & Kasane Teto]

Ochame Kinou - LamazeP (GojimajiP)

Dame Ningen da! - Usushioshisuu

Igaku - Sasuke Haraguchi

Merrow

Achikochi Date-san - Dagashi Ogata

Lily

Wave - niki

---

Upcoming Announced Songs:

---

Kanade Kanon

Hana Obore - shikisai [Hatsune Miku & Kanade Kanon]

---

Source: https://www.sekaipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs

[vocaloidfactoftheday]

Vocaloids with different birthdays than their release dates!

most vocaloids have their birthdays celebrated on the day they were first released for vocaloid. but did you know that some vocaloids have canon birthdays separate from their release dates?

some of these are for interesting reasons, and may be explained in their own posts. but in the meantime, here is a bonus post of the vocaloids with separate canon birthdays!

they are sorted by release date.

2010

Nekomura Iroha - released for V2 on October 22, birthday is May 14

2011

SeeU - released for V3 on October 21, birthday is August 30

2012

MAYU - released for V3 on December 5, birthday is May 6

2013

Anri Rune - "released" (revealed) on July 23, birthday is August 6, 1990

ZOLA PROJECT - released on June 20. they do not have exact canon birthdays, but they do have canon Zodiac signs, which indicates they do have separate birthdays. YUU is Gemini (May 21 - June 21), KYO is Aquarius (January 20 - February 1), and WIL is Capricorn (December 22- January 19).

2014

Tohoku Zunko - released for V3 on June 5, birthday is October 27

2015

Yuezheng Ling - released for V3 on July 17, birthday is April 12

ARSLOID - released for V4 on September 23, birthday is August 5

2016

Otori Kohaku (unity-chan!) - released for V4 on January 14, birthday is August 13

Xingchen - released for V4 on April 13, birthday is August 12

2017

Yuezheng Longya - released for V4 on June 24, birthday is October 2

MATCHA - released for V4 on July 12, birthday September 13

AZUKI - released for V4 on July 12, birthday is June 11

2018

Kizuna Akari - released for V4 on April 26, birthday is December 22

Mirai Komachi - released for V4 on May 24, birthday is February 22

Yuecheng - released (privately) for V4 on April 30, birthday is July 28

Zhang Chuchu - released (privately) for V4 on April 30, birthday is August 9

Zhiyu Moke - released for V4 on August 2, birthday is December 10

Mo Qingxian - released for V4 on August 2, birthday is May 20

seems like this practice suddenly got a lot more common for vocaloids released in 2018!

[kuromisama26]

[vocaloid-song-of-the-day]

AI Love You! Kiritan by OSTER project feat. Tohoku Kiritan

[marinetranslations]

cute！♡ Yofu Runo (24.08.08)

[cookiefools]

'Donuts♡ Doi Fuuka (24.07.01) '.

[masaroisu26]

[stevebattle]

Wakamaru communication robot (2003) by Toshiyuki Kita, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Tokyo, Japan. "Wakamaru" was so named because the two sensors on its forehead resemble the eyebrows of the Heian Era Yoshitsune Minamoto, whose childhood name was "Ushiwakamaru."

"The design concept of Mr. Toshiyuki Kita, who designed "wakamaru", was to create "a humanoid robot that can approach its user." "wakamaru" is designed in the image of a human being, not merely as a "machine" or a "computer terminal," but rather as an "independent personality." Its familiar facial expressions and body appearance make it feel friendly to everyone from children to elderly people." – "Wakamaru" Design, MHI.

The three stages of Wakamaru are seen in the 6th image, from first concept in 2000, through Toshiyuki Kita's blue sleeved prototype, to its final form in 2003. "The first inkling of "wakamaru" lies in a company project titled "MHI Frontier 21," started in 2000. In order to start a new product/project with a 21st century theme, ideas were canvassed from all employees. Then, one of the proposals summarized by the investigation team, mainly consisting of younger employees was, the "Service Robot Project." ... "wakamaru" was born. A robot that can live with human beings, enriching the quality of life." – Who is "Wakimaru"?, MHI.

"Wakamaru, the multi-function service robot developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries close to a decade ago has never seemed to gain much traction or use outside of research labs and universities. While Wakamaru is extremely cute, most observers agreed that it didn’t really address a compelling customer need, especially at its USD$14,000 price point. A tweet earlier today by @rani_chocobreak seems to provide visual confirmation [see 7th image] that Wakamaru may have reached the end of its rope. According to the tweet, there are quite a few Wakamaru robots stored in the garbage collection area at an unnamed Japanese university." – Is Wakamaru Alive and Well, or…?, robots dreams, 2014.

Yet Wakamaru keeps on giving (see video). "Under MHI's "wakamaru gift" initiative, based on the number of handshakes the MHI Group makes monetary donations to support the earthquake and tsunami recovery effort in the Tohoku region. … To date, the number of handshakes with wakamaru [based at the Company's showroom on the second floor of the Shinagawa Head Office] has resulted in donations totaling 2.4 million yen. The money is being put to good use to fund various events supporting Tohoku's recovery, a project to cultivate seedlings for creating green spaces as a disaster-prevention measure, and activities to help nurture the next generation. Many people who have cooperated in this campaign have expressed their joy at being able to help in the Tohoku recovery effort." – "wakamaru gift" Campaign Reaches 8,000 Handshakes!, MHI, 2016.

[voca-song-a-day]

Hey everyone! So recently I've been going back through my posts in order to make a better ordered list for myself of what songs I've already featured, and because of that, I also started putting together some information about what Vocaloids and Producers have been featured on this blog the most so far! It was fun putting this together, so I figured I'd post the information as a little end-of-the year style thing!

Some of the exact numbers may be sliiiightly off, but they should be pretty close. And the numbers here are up to date through the song posted today (December 31st).

I'm hoping to start doing this as an annual thing, with updates to the rankings at the end of the year.

Also: as a quick secondary update- I have decided that this blog will start to feature songs using vocal synths of any kind, not just Vocaloid-specific songs. I still intend for Vocaloid characters to make up the majority of songs featured here (and I currently have a long queue lined up that still has only Vocaloids in it), but I will start to add other synths into the mix, and song suggestions are now open for solos featuring non-Vocaloid synths!

Anyway, without further ado: the rankings!

VOCALOIDS

By Vocaloid Name: # of songs they're featured in

(note that this isn't just counting number of solos- it also includes duets, trios, and group songs that that Vocaloid shares with others)

The 15 most featured are in bold!

Hatsune Miku: 388

Kagamine Rin: 145

GUMI: 136

Kagamine Len: 120

KAITO: 69

Megurine Luka: 67

Flower: 64

IA: 61

Meiko: 34

Kamui Gakupo: 22

Yuzuki Yukari: 21

MAYU: 19

Luo Tianyi: 18

Fukase: 16

Otomachi Una: 14

Lily: 13

VY2: 12

Meika Hime, MAIKA: 11

Nekomura Iroha, SeeU: 10

Kaai Yuki, Xin Hua, Oliver: 9 

Meika Mikoto, UNI, VY1, Xingchen/Stardust: 8 

DEX, YANHE, Yuezheng Ling: 7

Aoki Lapis, Rana, Sonika, Yohioloid: 6

Utatane Piko, Merli, Avanna, Kizuna Akari, Miriam, SF-A2 Miki: 5

Tone Rion, CUL, Cyber Diva, DAINA, Galaco, Kokone, Lumi, Kyo, Yuezheng Longya: 4

Haruno Sora, Anon, Kanon, Clara, Macne Nana, Mew, Mo Qingxian, Prima, Ruby, Sweet Ann, Wil, Yuu, Yumemi Nemu, Zhiyu Moke: 3

Hiyama Kiyoteru, ARSLOID, Leon, Lola, Chika, Mirai Komachi, Sachiko, Tohoku Zunko: 2

Azuki, Bruno, Cyber Songman, Gachapoid, Tonio: 1

PRODUCERS

Also by name: # of songs by them featured

(there's a LOT of producers with only one or two songs featured, so I've shorted this list to just the top 15, including ties)

PinocchioP: 27

CircusP: 25

DECO*27: 21

40meterP: 20

GigaP: 18

Neru: 17

Hitoshizuku & Yama: 16

Rerulili: 15

MikitoP: 14

Niki: 13

Nayutalien, Re:nG: 12

JesusP, GHOST, *Luna, KIRA, MARETU, KurageP, HoneyWorks: 10

Kairiki Bear, Jin, HachiojiP, MachigeritaP, OSTER Project: 9

Sasakureuk, UtsuP, PeperonP, EmpathP, EZFG, Reol, Mitchie M, Hachi, Mothy: 8

Hiiragi Kirai, Tohma, q*left, UtataP & Tory Hitsuji, Kikuo, WhiteFlame, Kanaria, Kemu: 7

[dailydemonspotlight]

Arahabaki - Day 75

Race: Kunitsu

Arcana: Hermit

Alignment: Light-Chaos

July 19th, 2024

I'm sure that, when one thinks of the SMT or Persona franchise, one of the first demons/personas to pop up in their mind is that of a towering clay figure who reflects physical. A lot of Arahabaki is famously shrouded in mystery, and the clouds over this deity paint it in a confusing, albeit fascinating, light. First of all, for this DDS, I'd like to point you all to @yamayuandadu's fantastic breakdown of this demon. While I'm going to be using my own sources for the most part, a lot of the stuff in this is based roughly on her analysis. Feel free to give her a follow, even though me shouting her out is like a drop in the ocean.

Now, on to Arahabaki itself. Almost everything about this god is unknown- even its design, taken directly from a clay figurine known as a Dogū, seems only vaguely connected to the idea of Arahabaki itself through a book known as Tsugaru Soto Sangunshi, as discovered by the blog above. As described in the post, most of everything related to Tsugaru Soto Sangunshi is heavily fictionalized, as it was a series of forgeries from 'ancient Japanese history' that seems... mostly to connect to a conspiracy of ancient aliens, at least from what I can understand? That might just be the blog post I've linked, though, as information on these forgeries is scant; there are very few translations, and, in fact, as gone over in the post above, there was only one at the time of writing, and it wasn't very reliable.

According to Tsugaru Soto Sangunshi, and recanted by @yamayuandadu, Dogū were purported to represent an 'outlawed god' worshipped by the people of Tohoku, though, of course, this all comes down to nothing but a set of forgeries. A lot of information on Arahabaki can be hard to sift through, and while there are some sources, most of them are of questionable reliability. Sorry, Fandom wiki. As a matter of fact, it's believed that Arahabaki may not even exist, and after reading the aforementioned post, I'm starting to think that may be the case. Unfortunately, as someone who can't even read Japanese, many of the sources mentioned have been hard to definitely state and/or translate. It's times like this I wish I was bilingual... still, even if Arahabaki was a fake god, where did its concept originate from past TSS, and what even was it? As I said during my Alice DDS, I believe that everything must have a concretely traceable source, and besides, even if this god was just some guy's creative writing project, I still think it'd be worthwhile to look into.

A lot can be derived from Arahabaki's name- a theory purported in this article states that, as Habaki is based on the root Haha, meaning snake, Arahabaki may be based on some sort of snake deity, fitting in with its inherently rebellious nature. Other theories purported in the article state that it may have been enshrined for protection, to it possibly being a hitherto unknown god of iron production.

Needless to say, a lot is unknown about this deity, but I believe that, if it's truly a fictionalized god, it may be based on 'Amatsu-Mikaboshi,' a rebel god identified with the Pole Star of Venus and who struck out against the gods. However, this is a very far reach, and I genuinely think that one could identify Arahabaki with any sort of rebellious god.

The outlawing of worship is also of note, but from all of my research, I can't find anything about a deity in particular being outlawed- instead, almost everything I can find about it comes down to a general fear of foreigners, which wouldn't make any sense for a god who was apparently home-grown in Japan. Expanding on this point, it connects to the concept of sakoku, the isolationism of Edo period Japan that locked itself off from the rest of the world.

This brings me to, eventually, as all things do, Bungo Stray Dogs. I'm not kidding. To my knowledge, the manga references Arahabaki as a character in it, and this blog post that unfortunately uses a dead link as a source seems to paint a picture of Arahabaki as a god who was worshipped in 300 AD, but was eventually outlawed, as he represented rebellion. If this sounds like I'm talking in circles, it's because I am. To quote,

Arahabaki was worshipped all along Japan’s northern regions. He was the god of defiance and prowess and he was even used a figure for wars that would erupt. He soon began to become an evil figure in 300 AD, when a prince, Nagasunehiko started to worship him to the point where he became crazy, thinking the god was forever by his side. Being an enemy of the Emperor Jimmu, most of Japans’ people say this as a bad sign and started to think of Nagasunehiko and his god Arahabaki as a symbol of deceit and marked the god more of a devil than a sign of good luck. The god was said to look more like a creature than a human form. With large alien like eyes and a sturdy body made of strong iron, he looked more like a rock had come to life than one of flesh and blood.

I genuinely don't know if this source can be trusted, and I'll above all take the word of the blog post I keep referencing back to of it likely being a false god made up for a forgery so some guy could make millions quick, but it's a shame. I was so close to getting some sort of lead, and it ended up being a dead link... agony is the only word to describe it. I don't feel like I got much out of this, as my curiosity is still piqued... but alas, I've come to a dead end.

If any more of you have any possible sources or leads, please don't hesitate to come out with them. Unfortunately, given the relative obscurity of the god itself, and how infamous its own mystery is... I doubt I'll get any major breakthroughs any time soon. Huge thank you to @yamayuandadu and @bsd-bibliophile for the work that went into this god. Alas, I get out with only empty pockets. As for how it's portrayed in SMT, it's an incredibly accurate depiction of a Dogū- given the purported connection between Arahabaki and Dogū's, it makes sense that they would take inspiration from the clay figures representing Japanese deities, to say the least.

Overall, though, I wish I had more to go over here, but the lack of primary sources and revelations of fraud give light only to disappointment. Alas. At least it was fun to research!

[takoyakidonuts]

We Return! Quick News Catch-Up!

Hey everyone! Thank you for your patience! I’m now officially back from my Holiday and am ready to start reporting on Vocal Synth Release news again! First things first though, there’s been a lot of news since I’ve been on break so I’ll go over the big pieces very briefly as to catch up! There’s been a lot so please bear with me as the summaries will be extremely short! A.I. VOICE We’ve had a…

[geek-fashionista]

Prayer request for Japan. This megaquake advisory is no joke.

If an earthquake of this magnitude were to occur, experts are tentatively projecting a shindo 6 earthquake as far away as Tokyo. This is the level of earthquake I experienced back in 2022 that left me with PTSD that took more than a year to resolve. It feels like a giant has picked up your house and started shaking it violently back and forth. It is not fun. They're talking about over 200,000 lives that could potentially be lost.

Please pray for the Lord to stabilize the plates and to protect everyone on the southeast coasts of Japan. Having lived in Tohoku for three years, I've seen the mental and emotional scars a disaster of that scale can leave on the people who survive. Japan doesn't need another 3/11.

[mimiso-soup]

Rotating my current favourite Vocal Synth AU called 'Accidentally a Magical Girl?!' (or shortened to AMG) in my head lately, and I'm so happy that my friends enjoy it as much as I do!

It focuses on Yumemi Nemu, Xin Hua, Mayu, & Tohoku Zunko being summoned as magical girls by the ultimate magi-girl goddess, Rana, and having to fight against a bunch of other Vocal Synths magi-fighters who have been corrupted under Fukase, a magi-boy, who uses everyone he corrupts under his magic. (Or is it really Fukase causing all of this to happen?)

It's chaotic, it's queer, there's found families and some romance as well! I can't wait to work on this series more with my friends as a writing project!

[kuromisama26]

[riversidewings]

Folks, there will be no new #FridayNightHistory today because of this week's now thankfully prior emergency. However, this is a post to intro the start of a modular, longform project which will become my first history book for the general public: A history of Miyagi Prefecture in the Occupation.

I recently read an account of Sendai in the early days of the US occupation of Japan, written by a paratrooper who served there. This got me curious, so I dug a bit in terms of books and online resources.

And to my knowledge, there doesn't seem to be a comprehensive history of Miyagi during the Occupation in English written by someone who knows Miyagi like a local or even like a scholar.

I want to change that.

My resources are limited. I can do this much thanks to the benefit of my patrons, but I'm still too absorbed in seeking out other opportunities to earn dribs and drabs of extra cash to have the time to devote to focused, in-depth, specific work on just one project.

And I have ADHD.

So what I'm going to do is modular. I'm going to start from writing a history of the dozen or so US bases in Miyagi, or rather the land they stood on (many still do, but they're now JASDF and JGSDF bases), each split into 2 sections (early history-1945, 1945-present).

4000-4500 words per section, 2 sections per base, dozen or so bases, is going to result in a lot of words when I come out the other end.

It will also mean that when I get there, I'll be able to do the big picture, thousand-foot-up view more easily, which ties these together into a book.

The picture that I hope to convey is of Miyagi as an edge of empire across a millennium, and of the US occupation as just one chapter in a very, very long story.

(In fact, in one place, the US set up a base where the Yamato court first established their local outpost in the 8th century CE!)

This is not a text for academics. The academic establishment (and its publication arms) and I are not on speaking terms. This is a text for the general public, written with the rigor I was taught as an academic historian.

Why am I writing this? Because Americans have had their say about this from the POV of the American uniformed experience, but the land and its people have a voice that I want to fit into the picture for anglophones to read and hopefully understand.

I am also writing it because it bothered me, reading this writing by Americans, which either doesn't really absorb the places or their histories or significance, or actively erases them and renames them with American names.

And finally, I am writing it because of those many years I got told by comfortably tenured bastards that Miyagi and the Tohoku region didn't matter.

Ono no Azumabito and General MacArthur disagree with you.

To support this project, please check out my current set of books on the Throne wishlist: throne.com/riversidewings, or send me a tip via ko-fi.com/riversidewings, or subscribe to my Patreon to support my continued work on this and much else:

Thank you one and all.

Now, back to work.