September News

There is some public performance and Nobunaga festival news.  Next year in January and February, there will be a performance "Honganji" that will be performed in Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo.

Also the cast for next month's Nagoya festival has been announced.

http://t.co/b8ms1x26UG
http://t.co/pWMyOk9lFd

Nobunaga no tame!

Ikoma Link

Earlier this week I found an excellent link in Japanese on the Ikoma Manison.  The link covers Ikoma Mansion, Nobunaga's concubine Kitsuno, The Men of the Fields, and the Bukoyawa.

http://www.ikoma-yashiki.com

Tenka no tame!

2015 Gifu Nobunaga Festival

It is that time of year again.  Early fall.  The weather a bit coolor, the leaves change color, and the Nobunaga Festival.  Yes, you read it right, the Nobunaga Festival.  Gifu City will host the Nobunaga Festival on October 3rd/4th.  I have seen the festival a few times and it is worth it.  One of the better festivals dedicated to the Uesama.  After all, the Uesama created Gifu.

Nobunaga no tame!
Tenka no tame
Tenka Fubu!

Okehazama Talk Show I

My Okehazama scholar colleague, Mr. Seishiro Mizuno has written an article about the Okehazama Talk show that was held earlier this month in Nagoya.

http://okehazama.jp/blog/?p=1071

I wish I was there.  I would have certainly given my opinion on Okehazama's tourism.  For those who may not know, I am part of the Arimatsu Okehazama Battlefield Preservation Committee.  Earlier this year I submitted an English Okehazama landmark draft.  So, I am doing my part for tourism and preservation.

Nobunaga no tame!

2015 Nobunaga Summit

The 2015 Nobunaga Summit will be held in Kiyosu on Saturday, October 10th.  If you are in the Kiyosu area during this time, I highly suggest you go.  It will be worth your time.  You can learn a lot about Nobunaga and how he practically almost unified the country by himself.

http://www.kiyosu-kanko.jp/summit_2015.html

Nobunaga no tame!

Nobunaga Lectures

Starting in October, my good friend Seishiro Mizuno will be giving lectures on Nobunaga in the Nagoya area.  Topics include Shobata Castle, Battle of Kayatsu, Furuwatari Castle, Ryounji Temple, Battle of Ino, and Suemori Castle.

Link:  https://www.chunichi-culture.com/programs/program_163365.html

Tenka no tame!

Nobunaga Moyu

Big news on the jidaigeki front.  There will be a New Year's special on Nobunaga.  The Nobunaga movie Nobunaga Moyu will air on January 2nd, 2016.  http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/nobunaga.moyu/

The movie is based on Abe Ryutaro's novel,  Nobunaga Moyu (Nobunaga on Fire).

Nobunaga no tame!

Origins of Gifu

Today I will give a short history how Nobunaga created Gifu.  Before Nobunaga's Era in Gifu, the area was known as Inoguchi.  Once the Saito was overthrown in Mino in 1567, Nobunaga decided to rename the city.  Along with his Zen monk friend Takugen Shuon there were three names to decide from.

• Gizan
• Giyou
• Gifu

Gizan (in Japanese)/Qishan (in Chinese) was the area where Chou ruler Wu Wang began his military to unify China in the twelfth century B.C.  Nobunaga took the character "Gi" because of this.  His ideology was almost the same, to unify Japan.

• Kyokufu (in Japanese)/Qufu (in Chinese) was the birthplace of Confucius.  Nobunaga took the character "fu" to create the word Gifu.  Gifu's origins were from China.  Nobunaga and Takugen decided to rename Inoguchi to Gifu since they knew this was the perfect opportunity to unify Japan under the slogan Tenka Fubu (Rule the Empire by Military Force!).

See Neil McMullin, Buddhism and the State in Sixteenth-Century Japan, p. 330. for more information on Takugen Shuon.

Tenka no tame!