#bunkyō

[aishiteru-kenshin]

Bunkyō Azalea Festival

Early April — Early May

One of the five flower festivals of Bunkyō Ward, this time Nezu Shrine takes the spotlight. The Azalea Festival (つつじ祭), Tsutsuji Matsuri) has over 3,000 flowers and 100 varieties of Azalea (a genus of Rhododendron) that bloom from early April until early May. Performances take place in the grounds of the shrine and there is also small cafe area by the pond where you can enjoy manju dumplings, amazake, and complimentary green tea. The festival runs from 9:00 to 17:30 each day. A ¥200 admission fee is requested to walk through the azalea garden.

[hazukami]

" ...snrk....

          Suginami had ten Composers in the last century. ”

[niteshade925]

April 12, Xi'an, China, Qinglong Temple/青龙寺 (Part 3 - History):

A model of Qinglong Temple in Tang dynasty (618 - 907 AD):

There must have been something like thirty engravings of famous poems about the temple lining the walls of the corridors. Below are three examples of these engravings, from these poems one can get a feel for how Qinglong Temple used to look like. A note on the translations: they are rather unpolished as I just wanted to get the meaning across.

《題青龍寺詩》 [唐] 朱慶餘 寺好因崗勢，登臨值夕陽。 青山當佛閣，紅葉滿僧廊。 竹色連平地，蟲聲在上方。 最憐東面靜，為近楚城墻。

Translation (by me):

"In Commemoration of Qinglong Temple" By Zhu Qingyu (Tang dynasty) The beauty of this temple comes from the mountains, By the time I summited it was already dusk. Verdant peaks behind temple buildings, Scarlet leaves filling the corridors. Bamboo groves connecting flat areas, Chirping of insects above it all. Only the east side remains still, Since it's close to the city walls.

《清明日青龍寺上方賦得多字》 [唐] 皇甫冉 上方偏可適，季月況堪過。 遠近水聲至，東西山色多。 夕陽留徑草，新葉變庭柯。 已度清明節，春秋如客何。

Translation (by me):

"Qingming Festival Above Qinglong Temple" By Huangfu Ran (Tang dynasty) It's comfortable up in the mountains, Watching the season pass by. Sounds of flowing water from near and far, Views of mountains from east and west. Setting sun upon the grassy path, Growing leaves cover the courtyard trees. Qingming Festival has come and gone, Just like the seasons and the temple visitors.

《青龍寺早夏》 [唐] 白居易 塵埃經小雨，地高倚長坡。 日西寺門外，景氣含清和。 閑有老僧立，靜無凡客過。 殘莺意思盡，新葉陰涼多。 春去來幾日，夏雲忽嵯峨。 朝朝感時節，年鬓闇蹉跎。 胡爲戀朝市，不去歸煙蘿。 青山寸步地，自問心如何。

Translation (by me):

"Early Summer at Qinglong Temple" By Bai Juyi (Tang dynasty) Light shower settled the dust, Temple grounds blending with the hills. Setting sun outside temple gates, The scene filled with an air of serenity. An old monk stands in idleness, There are no worldly passersby in the stillness. Remaining birds having sung their melodies, New leaves providing ample amounts of shade. End of spring was just days ago, Summer clouds are already towering above. Every day we feel the passing of seasons, Our hair graying in the meantime. Why obsess over bustling cities, When we can return to the lush countryside? These verdant mountains are but a corner of the world, Here I stand and reflect upon the state of my heart.

Huiguo and Kukai

In the first part I mentioned that Qinglong Temple was where Kukai/空海 studied Vajrayana Buddhism (the Chinese Esoteric tradition was also called "Tangmi"/唐密, since it was very popular in Tang dynasty) under Huiguo/惠果. Huiguo was a student of the famous Vajrayana Buddhist master and translator Amoghavajra (Chinese name Bukong/不空). Huiguo eventually became a master himself in the Chinese Esoteric tradition, and was an Acharya (Sanskrit term meaning teacher; translated phonetically as asheli/阿阇黎 in Chinese) who had many students from different places, including from surrounding countries. Kukai was one of his last notable students before he passed away. Kukai returned to Japan in 806 AD and founded the Shingon school of Buddhism/真言宗 (also sometimes called Eastern Esotericism/東密).

Kukai was also a calligrapher and a poet, below are two examples of his works (first is an ink rubbing of his calligraphy work titled "Buddha", second is his calligraphy work named Huushincho/風信帖; both were written in Chinese):

Closeup of Huushincho (from Wikipedia). The original is at Touji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.

Shōryō shu/Xinglingji/性靈集, a collection of kanshi by Kukai. Kanshi/漢詩 is a Japanese word for Chinese poetry. These books here are a gift from Japan.

Bunkyō hifu ron/Wenjingmifulun/文鏡秘府論 by Kukai which discusses Chinese poetry. These books are a gift from Japan.

There are also other gifts from Japan. Left is the top of a khakkhara staff (In Chinese and Japanese: xizhang/锡杖/錫杖, shakujō/錫杖). Right is a Vajra (in Chinese and Japanese: jingangchu/金刚杵/金剛杵, kongosho/金剛杵), this is a Vajrayana ritual object. This particular Vajra is commemorative and bears the names of Huiguo and Kukai:

And that's all for Qinglong Temple. Next up is another famous temple in Xi'an, Daci'en Temple/大慈恩寺.

[boschintegral-photo]

Gokoku-Ji Cemetery Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

1986 - Freddie Mercury with Minako Honda

- Minako Honda (born july 1967 Japan - died november 2005 Japan) was a Japanese "idol" pop-star and musical singer. She became famous and popular because of her sexy fashion and live performances in the mid to late 1980s -

She was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia on January 5, 2005. On November 6, 2005, Honda died at the Juntendo University Hospital in Bunkyō, Tokyo, officially from acute myelogenous leukemia

Photo by Denis O'Regan/Getty Images

[ungatonipon]

(Free!) Fantastic views of Tokyo from the Bunkyō Civic Center (141 m tall ) · Japan in 4K ASMR [12:07]

[blixtbaby]

Paul & Linda visited the Masago Children`s School and participated in a special tree planting ceremony. They also watched the children perform dances and songs. Bunkyō, Tokyo. Japan.Friday 9 March 1990.

[a-student-out-of-time]

Soo what does Nanami Hitoshi have to do with Hiroshi? Does he know her?

Well, we found out that Nanami Hitomi lives here in Bunkyō, and not too far from your guys’ place.

We were wondering if maybe any of you knew where the best place to look would be.

Not sure. Knowing our luck, she’s probably somewhere like an hour away.

Nanami Hitomi? Uh, kids... she lives a few blocks down from here? We can just walk there.

Wait, seriously?! 

Yeah, you didn’t know? I go by her house a lot on my way to work.

Chiaki’s grandma lives that close? How...how come I never noticed before?

Probably because you were either going to school, staying in your room to study or playing video games.

He’s gotcha there, Haji!

Alright, alright, yeah, haha. I get it.

Still, if she’s that close...

Yeah, this officially just got a lot easier.

[leontiucmarius]

Hayao Miyazaki, primul și singurul regizor japonez de filme anime care a câștigat un Oscar. „Trebuie să vedeți cu ochii neumbriți de ură. Vedeți binele din ceea ce este rău și răul din ceea ce este bun.”

Hayao Miyazaki este un foarte renumit regizor de film, animator și artist manga japonez. Născut la 5 ianuarie 1941 în Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japonia, Miyazaki a adus contribuții semnificative în lumea animației și este considerat unul […] Articolul Hayao Miyazaki, primul și singurul regizor japonez de filme anime care a câștigat un Oscar. „Trebuie să vedeți cu ochii neumbriți de ură. Vedeți binele din…

[wikiuntamed]

Five steps of Wikipedia for Sunday, 24th March 2024

Welcome, karibu, bienvenue, mirë se vjen 🤗 Five steps of Wikipedia from "Paira Island" to "Bunkyō". 🪜👣

Start page 👣🏁: Paira Island "Paira is an island in the Nicobar district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India...."

Step 1️⃣ 👣: 7 km Farm "7 km Farm is a village in the Nicobar district of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. It is located in the Great Nicobar tehsil...."

Step 2️⃣ 👣: Andaman and Nicobar Islands "The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India. It consists of 836 islands grouped into two island groups, the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by a 150 km (93 mi) wide channel of which only 31 are inhabited. Port Blair is the capital and largest..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Ritiks

Step 3️⃣ 👣: Active volcano "An active volcano is a volcano that has erupted during the Holocene (the current geologic epoch of last 10,000 years), is currently erupting, or has the potential to erupt in the future. A volcano that is not currently erupting but could erupt in the future is known as a dormant volcano. Volcanoes..."

Image

Step 4️⃣ 👣: Aogashima "Aogashima (青ヶ島) is a volcanic island to the south of Japan in northernmost Micronesia. It is the southernmost and most isolated inhabited island of the Izu Islands. The islands border the northeast Philippine Sea and lie north of the Ogasawara Islands. The island lies approximately 358 kilometres..."

Image by 国土地理院

Step 5️⃣ 👣: Bunkyō "Bunkyō (文京区, Bunkyō-ku) is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived there. Bunkyō is home to..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by User:DX Broadrec

[phillipgallant]

NJPW 2K22

In 2021 I recorded a lot of footage for a web series I was calling NJPW 2K22. Using the WWE 2K19 game, I had downloaded from community creations basically the entire NJPW roster, and several NJPW arenas. The premise for my series was to tell the NJPW 2K22 story mode through customized young lion I had called Bunkyō Tiger played by Yota Tsuji.

The story would have had the Bunkyō Tiger mentored by Tiger Mask, and wrestle his way through the various factions native to NJPW (Suzuki-Gun, United Empire, Bullet Club, LIJ, Chaos) and the roster regulars like Tanahashi etc. The story culminated in Tiger Mask being assaulted in a parking lot, and Bunkyō Tiger having to avenge his mentor in a championship match for the IWGP US Title. I never completed the edit that would tell the NJPW 2K22 story, and lost my notes detailing the story, which is a shame, because what I had recorded was very representational of an NJPW gaming experience in 2021.

I’m not sure what to do with all that footage now. Maybe I can still tell that story at a later date, it accurately representing a period of time in NJPW in 2021. I feel like it would have to be ten years later before it could be appreciated for what it would be though. We’ll see. 

[mizunokisu]

小石川後楽園、文京区、東京、日本 — Koishikawa Kōraku-en, Bunkyōku, Tōkyō, Japan by Tiphaine Rolland Via Flickr: 2018.03.17

[hi-technique]

Bunkyō - Rikugien Garden (5) by ジェイリー on Flickr

[boschintegral-photo]

Gokoku-Ji Cemetery Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan

[toscan-sukima]

Bunkyō by Night

[bunkyoku]

bunkyō, tokyo, december 2019