The Oni throughout Pop Culture Literature and Art

Japan has created many separate holidays over the centuries of its existence. It is commonplace for nearly every holiday that takes place to involve some form of mask or masks. One of the most famous masks is called Oni, currently known as invisible spirit of the dead in Chinese. Oni are known in Japanese folklore as hellish creature whom come from hell to terrify evil humans. The origin of Oni is believed by some scholars to be Buddhist, yet since its creation, Oni have spread to other beliefs and as a cultural icon all across Japan. Later, the story changed from horrifying beasts to creatures that are outcasts, showing them in a more sympathetic light. Stories appealed to peoples emotions as the Oni were mistreated and disliked by many.

Firstly, the traditions within Shintoism were important to help the Japanese people to connect with their ancestors and the nature around them. The word ‘Shinto’ itself means way of the gods. It is as old as the Japanese culture and was the only religion in Japan until the 6th century. According to the Shinto religion, there exists a basic life force called kami. Kami are close to human beings and respond to human prayers. They can influence the course of natural forces, and human events. Shinto tradition says that there are eight million kami in Japan. Due to their deep respect and love for nature and Japan itself, many shrines were set up in places of natural beauty. Followers went to pray here to receive good fortune and samurai would often go to the shrines to pray for victory before and after battle. Shinto’s traditions involved having a clean lifestyle. They washed and bathed everyday which made most of japan a fresh

In Feudal Japan, people were influenced by the samurai because the samurai had to protect people. The painting of the male and female samurai shows that samurai had to protect others. The paintings show that the samurai were skilled, because they had a bow and sword, while riding a horse. They had to have been skilled to fight while on a horse. The samurai looked very prepared because they have to protect the people around them.

Shintoism: The Way of the Kami. Israel defines Kami as spirits that affiliate with natural objects such as the sun and the moon. In the opening of Buddha in the Land of the Kami, the narrator shares the historical background of the Kami, stating that a spiritual duo came down to Earth to stir up the sea waters, creating the archipelago of Japan. The sprits figure out reproduction and multiply, inhabiting the chain of Islands known as Japan. The narrators also mention the Kami in mountains, wind, grass and other natural entities. According to the film, spiritual rituals performed in earlier eras show continuity in Shinto shrines today. Israel explains that later, during the Asuka-Nara Period, The Yamato high courts establish a system that would monitor Shinto shrines. “The Yomato court developed a centralized

Japan is described as a country of wood, and the reverence of natural materials. The depths of the love and admiration that the Japanese people have for wood are famous, which is similar to the Greek love of pristine marble and its smooth surfaces. This can be seen in an old Japanese expression "plants and trees all have something to say", Japanese believe that trees have a soul and say they can sense spirits, or "kami", within them. It is trees that form the core which nurtures the sensibilities about nature held by the Japanese people. It is thus natural for architecture in Japan to be based on wood. Many structures are made of wood, ranging from shrines and temples to palaces and homes, and in doing so grand structures have been created (Stokstad).

The Samurai’s Garden, written by Gail Tsukiyama, incorporates the various aspect of myth throughout the plot, from how the Japanese worship to the rituals they perform. Stephan-san, a young Chinese man, when he first arrived in Tarumi Japan, discovered the Japanese ritual of being clean. The Japanese in this book had a strong desire to be sanitary in every aspect of their life both physically and morally. They used to be physically clean to visualize being spiritually clean. Another part of the mythology in this novel was the worshipping of the kami deities. These deities dwelled in the shrine near Tarumi and Stephan-san along with Matsu traveled to the shrine to worship and pray to the kami fox deity, the Inari. Two facets of The

The article concerning the Onondaga on the New World Encyclopedia website allow readers to better understand the key details pertaining to the Onondaga tribe presented in “Onandaga: The Earth on Turtle’s Back”. This secondary source provides important background information to the reader, which assists them in understanding the myth.

I believe Murakami is one of the best leaders in The Samurai’s Tale when compared to Wada Kansuke, and Lord Akiyama due to his caring, trustworthy, and loyal ways. The reason why I think Murakami is better because he shows many skills and he likes to go all out and doesn’t hesitate much on things he thinks he should do or not to do. Lord Akiyama is a good leader because he gives good orders and people listen to them. Murakami and Wada Kansuke are mostly the same because of their personality and because they have honor, and they are reliable. Lord Akiyama is merciful and he is kind to other people and he favorites Murakami the most. Wada Kansuke is a wise, kind, and smart leader, but he is not as caring as Murakami. Murakami always listens to the commands he is given. The comparison between the three characters are very similar and their personalities are too.

In the late thirteenth century, Kublai Khan had set his sights on conquering all of Asia. With some nations added to his ever-growing empire, it was time for the young ruler to set his sights on conquering Japan. In 1271 and 1284, Khan sent large armies over to Japan in the hopes of invading said country. This was followed by diplomatic efforts to force Japan into submitting to Khan’s will. However, to the surprise of the Mongol army, they were unsuccessful. Although the samurai put up a strong defense against the Mongols, the invasions were imbued with a mysterious and mythical quality. What gives the invasions the mystical aspect is the sudden appearance of storms and typhoons that completely devastated Mongol fleets. After the invasions ended, the Japanese branded these storms as kamikaze. While many people attribute the failed Mongolian invasions to the kamikaze, the Japanese defeated the Mongols not because of the assistance of the storms, but because of the following reasons: the the Kamakura bakufu’s effectiveness in leading the samurai against the Mongols, the Mongol’s failed battle tactics and weapons, and the samurai’s superior fighting skills and battle gear.

The Japanese culture has been greatly influenced by its religions, and one of the most influential religions has been Shintoism. Shintoism has been dated back to 500BC, when the descendants of the sun goddess, Amaterasu-OmiKami, worshiped the gods and goddesses of Japan. Shinto means "way of the gods" and that represents what people who practice Shintoism believe in. Shintoism is a religion based on Japanese mythology, which is centered on a male god, Izanagi, and a female goddess, Izanami. These two gods were believed to have created Japan, which was thought to be the only land in the whole word. The two gods had two children, the sun goddess Amaterasu, and the storm god, Susanowo. These two gods fought over control of the people of

Throughout History, there have been many different groups or events that are still widely known today. Groups of people such as the Indians or Vikings are popular groups which are referenced constantly in today’s society. However, none of these groups is more known or referenced than the Japanese Samurai. Originating in 646 AD, these Japanese warriors developed from a loose organization of farmers to the dominant social class in Feudal Japan. Along with their dominant military and political standing, the samurai brought with them a unique code or moral belief that became the core of Samurai culture. Because of this, the Samurai and their principles still affect modern day Japanese society with social customs today

Anito is a word mostly used for 'demon', or 'ghost' (the Yami have a different word for soul of a living person), commonly in reference to bad ghosts or demons that cause harm: bad behavior, sickness, injury, death, or anything bad that can happen to the Yami are attributed to these demons. 'Good' demons or ghosts who do not harm but watch over their family and offer comfort also exist. There is a second type of demon, called vongkow, that is nether good or bad and only takes the souls of bad people (Benedek, ch 3belief sect).

Nature, spirits, and life’s existence are important to the Shinto religion. The way in which spirits existed towards humans can be seen as follows: “In their world myriad spirits shone like fireflies and every tree and bush could speak”. Religion had manifested itself into the Shinto religion. Nature was the main religious symbol of the religion. The kami, or religious Gods and spirits could be found everywhere in the Shinto life and religion.

Portrait of an Arhat (Rakan) was created in Edo period of the Japanese art culture. This period started in 1615-1868 when culture expression started to really blossom for the Japanese culture (Singer). From statues, lavish paintings, and religion the art speaks vibrant vibrations. This culturally diverse period gets its name from the city of Edo, known as Tokyo modern day. Which became the headquarters of the government when Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) unified the country (Department of Asian Art). The Tokugawa regime was started in 1603, when the emperor, in “recognition of Ieyasu’s supremacy on the battlefield”, appointed him shogun. Shogun is the highest military position you can carry in Japan (Singer). After this Japan had strict laws on not using motor vehicles were put into place. Going into the 1630s, contact with the outside world was stopped through “official prohibition of foreigners” (Department of Asian Art). Around 1720 Edo had a population of “more than one million residents having more population than London or Paris at the time” (Singer). According to Art of Edo Japan Kyoto, was city of temples and shrines. It was the leading center of arts and crafts production with a population of close to 400,000 (Singer).

In Asian culture, people usually give priority to the religion. Shinto was the state religion of Japan in the past. Shinto means Kami Way in Japanese. Kami is term to describe sacred spirits, or something that possesses superior power (Earheart 6). Japanese people believe that there are spirits in everything. All beings can be called Kami such as river, woods, or even human beings (Ono and Woodard 6). Japan has been called a land of Kami. They regard Kami as an object of worship in Shinto religion. Throughout the film, it can be seen that many elements of Shinto aspect is subtly embed. Just the name of this movie “Spirited Away” tells a lot about the beliefs of Japanese toward the supernatural