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Japan's Courtly Past: Kyoto & Nara

83 images Created 25 Jun 2012

Japan's Courtly Past: Kyoto & Nara

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  • Aerial view of Mt. Fuji at sunset, Japan
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  • The largest Torii gate in Japan at the Heian-Jingu Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Central Kyoto, a blend of modern and traditional architecture.  For more than a thousand years from 794 A.D., Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan, and the center of Japanese culture and civilization.                 There are 231 Shinto shrines, 1,540 Buddhist temples, 30 of which are the headquarters of different sects.
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  • When Kyoto was founded one thousand years ago as the capital of Japan it was place with natural barriers for protection and multiple independent water sources to defend against siege. Japan
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  • When Kyoto was founded one thousand years ago as the capital of Japan it was place with natural barriers for protection and multiple independent water sources to defend against siege. Japan
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  • Pagodas at the Hosso Buddhist Yakushiji Temple point to the sun rising over Nara, the city that became Japan's first permanent capital in A.D. 710. The three-storied pagodas were built with mokoshi, inter-story pent roofs.
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  • Pagodas of the Hosso Buddhist Yakushiji Temple point to the sun rising over Nara, the city that became Japan's first permanent capital in A.D. 710. The three-storied pagodas were built with mokoshi, inter-story pent roofs.
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  • Kiyomizu-dera, one of Kyoto's most famous temples, was built at the end of the 8th century.  The veranda extending from the main hall, supported by 139 pillars, has a spectacular view of Kyoto.  Kiyomizu-dera is designated a National Treasure and Important Cultural Property
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  • Kiyomizu-dera, one of Kyoto's most famous temples, was built at the end of the 8th century.  The veranda extending from the main hall, supported by 139 pillars, has a spectacular view of Kyoto.  Kiyomizu-dera is designated a National Treasure and Important Cultural Property
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  • School children visiting the Ryoanji Zen Temple (The Temple of the Dragon at Peace). Belongs to the Myoshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism.  It is regarded as one of the finest examples of a kare-sansui, a Japanese rock garden, or zen garden.  The temple and garden are listed as Historic Monuments of ancient Kyoto, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Seventeen year old Tadaichi Iwahashi, apprentice monk, rakes the zen garden at Ryoanji, a Zen temple in Kyoto.  The rock and sand garden embodies Japanese aesthetics-nature at its simplest, art at  its most refined. Japan
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  • Seventeen year old Tadaichi Iwahashi, apprentice monk rakes the zen garden at Ryoanji, a Zen temple in Kyoto.  The rock and sand garden embodies Japanese aesthetics-nature at its simplest, art at  its most refined. Japan
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  • Shrines for children along the Philosophical Passageway, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Jizo statue in the Sanzen-in Temple gardens. Sanzen-in Temple was built in 985 by the Tendai priest Genshin. Ohara, rural town north of Kyoto, Japan
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  • Sanzen-in Temple gardens. Sanzen-in Temple was built in 985 by the Tendai priest Genshin. Ohara rural town in northern Kyoto city, Japan
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  • Saiho-ji ("Koke-dere") is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple located in Matsuo, Nishikyo ward.  It is know as the moss garden with 120 varieties of moss. At the center is the Golden Pond, shaped like the Chinese character for "heart" or "mind".  A UNESCO World Heritage Site and "Historic Monument of Ancient Kyoto". Kyoto, Japan
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  • Saiho-ji ("Koke-dere") is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple located in Matsuo, Nishikyo ward.  It is know as the moss garden with 120 varieties of moss. At the center is the Golden Pond, shaped like the Chinese character for "heart" or "mind".  A UNESCO World Heritage Site and "Historic Monument of Ancient Kyoto". Kyoto, Japan
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  • Kokedera Moss Temple, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Granite water basin at the Yoshikawa inn in central Kyoto.
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  • Japanese traditional sweet or tea cakes.  They are often designed to remind one of a particular season. Kyoto
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  • Maple leaf in a Japanese water basin at the Masumoto Inn, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Stone lantern in the Sanzen-in Temple gardens. Sanzen-in Temple was built in 985 by the Tendai priest Genshin. Ohara rural town in northern Kyoto city, Japan
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  • Autumn is an especially beautiful season in Japan, creating tableau's like this mix of carp and maple leaves in the pond at the Sanzen-in Temple in Kyoto. Sanzen-in's Ojo-Gokuraku-in (Amida Hall), which means Temple of Rebirth in Paradise, was first built in 985 by tendai preist Genshin.
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  • Wood carving on a wall panel of a summer house at Shugakuin Rikyu (Shugakuin Imperial Villa) at the foot of Mt. Hiei.  The garden here were laid out in 1629.  Each garden contains a summer-house. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Turtles sunning on a rock in Sarusawa pond near Kofukuji temple in Nara, Japan.
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  • Three of the nearly 1,200 protected deer that roam freely near Kofukuji temple.  The deer are considered sacred messengers from gods of Kasuga-taisy shrine.  Nara, Japan.
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  • Three of the nearly 1,200 protected deer that roam freely near Kofukuji temple.  The deer are considered sacred messengers from gods of Kasuga-taisy shrine.  Nara, Japan.
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  • The Heian Jingu Shrine. 1895 marked the 1,100th year since the Heian Capital was founded.  Marking the commemorative year the citizens of Kyoto decided to praise the virtues of Emperor Kammu and deify ham as the ancestral god of Kyoto.  To this end, they created a shrine in the style of Chodo-in.  the shrine was deidicated March 15, 1895.
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  • Heian Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Traditional Japanese greeting arriving at home, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Miss Yumi Tsutsui "Miss Nippon" "Miss Kimono" in the gardens of Shozan kimono weaving company in Kinugasa Kitaku area of Kyoto, Japan
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  • Miss Yumi Tsutsui "Miss Nippon" "Miss Kimono" in the gardens of Shozan kimono weaving company in Kinugasa Kitaku area of Kyoto, Japan
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  • Attendents with Miss Kazusa Nihimura (20 years old) the queen "Saiodai"  at Misogi - No-Shinji the ceremony of purification & baptism. This is a pre event of the Aoi Matsuri (festival) Kamikamo Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Attendents with Miss Kazusa Nihimura (20 years old) the queen "Saiodai"  at Misogi - No-Shinji the ceremony of purification & baptism. This is a pre event of the Aoi Matsuri (festival) Kamikamo Shrine, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Beginning of procession of Aoi Matsuri, "Hollyhock Festival" at the Shimogamo Shrine.  The festival originated during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (reigned CE 539-571) Kyoto, Japan
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  • Beginning of procession of Aoi Matsuri, "Hollyhock Festival" at the Shimogamo Shrine.  The festival originated during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (reigned CE 539-571) Kyoto, Japan
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  • Beginning of procession of Aoi Matsuri, "Hollyhock Festival" at the Shimogamo Shrine.  The festival originated during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (reigned CE 539-571) Kyoto, Japan
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  • One of two Oxen in the Jidai Matsuri (Festival of Ages) held annually on October 22.  It started in 1895 &  commemorates the 1100th anniversary of the  transfer of the capital Kyoto in 794, known at the time as Heiankyo.  The festival presents the history of Kyoto much like a picture scroll with participants in costumes of each historical period from 794 to 1895. The procession includes 2,000 people, extends 1.24 miles (2 km)  Kyoto, Japan
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  • Weaving Silk Theatre Curtain for the Kameyama Cultural Center in Mie prefecture.  The image is of a snow scene from a woodblock print by Hiroshige Ago Ando from his series "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido".  The curtain is 7 meters high and 16.5 meters wide and took 120 days to weave.  Kawashima Textile Factory, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Nobotokean tea ceremony,tea master Ueda Roshiro, near guest Sachiko Matsumoto, guest in background Michiko Ueda Kyoto, Japan
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  • 76 year old Koto teacher Toshiko Fukumori with 8 year old student Kazuko Kishimoto. The Koto is a 13 string horizontal harp a traditional Japanese instrument still popular in Kyoto. Gion district of Kyoto, Japan
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  • Miss Tae Nakano hand painting a peony onto silk (Yuzen Tegaki) for a kimono. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Mrs. Shibagaki Kimie , (49 years old) working at Tsuzure weaving (fingernail weaving.  Called fingernail weaving because the weaver's index fingernails are filed like saws, in order to pull the weft through the weaving.  This is highly precise weaving often weaving only one centimeter in length per day.  She translates the design withthe bare eye and follows it through a mirror, which is placed under the warp. She was working at the Nishijin Textile Center.  While I photographed her she was weaving the covering of Kuronushiyama one of the Yama in the Gion  Festival.  It is a  reproduction of a five-hundred-year-old Chinese tapestry that is hung each year on one of the traditional floats in the parade of the Gion Festival in Kyoto. Most of the provenence is from my first hand work with Mrs. Shibagaki. Some details from the book The Silk Weaver of Kyoto: Family and Work in a Changing Traditional Industry, by Tamara K. Hareven p. 121 pub. University of California Press.
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  • Mrs. Mitsue Shiga a master doll maker working on a Nakayama doll, kimono and hair are made of silk. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Multi story building of restaurants along the Kamo river in the Pontocho district of Kyoto.
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  • Sake barrels outside the Pontocho Kaburenjo Theater.  One of the theaters for Geisha dance in the city. Kyoto, Japan
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  • The musk melon is grown only in Japan. They are often given as gifts when visiting someone in the hospital.  They are grown in well controlled greenhouses and in 2012 sell for more than 10,000 yen.  They come with a seal indicating the best date to taste.
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  • Prep table with baby eggplants at the Yoshikawa Tempura Restaurant, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Prep table with sushi at the Yoshikawa Tempura Restaurant, Kyoto, Japan
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  • Fresh bamboo shoots and other springtime dishes at Kinsuitei restaurant in the Sagano area well known for its bamboo forests. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Cultivating Shiitaki mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) ( ????) in the area between Yagyu and Tawara tea area. The Shiitaki's are cultivated on the dead wood of the shii tree Castanopsis cuspidata. Shiitaki's have been cultivated in Japan for over 1,000 years.  Kyoto, Japan
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  • Traditional Japanese Dance preparation, Pontocho Kaburenjo Theater, Japan
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  • Takigi O-Noh is a traditional musical drama performed  on the open-air stage built on the lawn of Kofukuji Temple, a World Heritage Site.  Takigi O-Noh signifies "a Noh traditional Musical theater drama performed at a banquet held around a bonfire'.     This Bonfire Noh is believed to have orginated in at Kofukuji Temple in 869. The Noh consists mainly of songs and dance, the traditional drama is performed by spoken lines.
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  • Takigi O-Noh is a traditional musical drama performed  on the open-air stage built on the lawn of Kofukuji Temple, a World Heritage Site.  Takigi O-Noh signifies "a Noh traditional Musical theater drama performed at a banquet held around a bonfire'.     This Bonfire Noh is believed to have orginated in at Kofukuji Temple in 869. The Noh consists mainly of songs and dance, the traditional drama is performed by spoken lines.
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  • (Maiko) Geisha apprentice at teachouse in the Shirakaa Dori,Ichiriki (Geisha House)on Hanamikojki Street. Gion is one of the licensed geisha areas in Kyoto.
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  • Kamogawa Odori, Geisha dance of the Kamo-River. Pontacho Kaburenjo Theater. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Kamogawa Odori, Geisha dance of the Kamo-River. Pontacho Kaburenjo Theater. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Ms. Tokko Nakamura at a traditional Japenese hot bath.  Mt. Hiei Japnese inn overlooking Kyoto, Japan
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  • Japanese cedar trees (Petasites japonicus) with branches cleared to develop a smooth exterior. Children harvest the trees their grandparents planted, nurture and cultivate trees their parents plant and they plant new trees for future genrations.  West of Kyoto, Takao area, Japan.
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  • Higashiyama Kyoto's eastern mountains provide one of the best places to view the city as well as home to many noteworthy Zen Temples such as Nanzen-ji.  There is a famous walkway called Tetsugaku-no-michi (The Path of Philosophy). Kyoto, Japan
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  • Sunset behind a mature oak tree on the grounds of the Toji ?? temple, "East Temple. UNESCO world heritage site.  Toji is the one of the most important Shingon temples. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Bamboo forest near Nara, Japan
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  • Bamboo grove in Sagano area of Kyoto, Japan
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  • Cultivating Green tea (Camellia sinesis)  in Watsuka area of Kyoto
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  • Todai-Ji Temple  (Hall of the Great Buddha, a "National Treasure"). Largest wooden structure in the world, measuring  160 ft.high, 187 ft. long, and 166 ft. wide. It houses the  Daibutsu-Den the largest bronze statue in the world.  It is counted among the "Seven Great Temples of Nara". It was founded in 745 by Emperor Shomu. Nara, Japan
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  • Todai-Ji Temple  (Hall of the Great Buddha, a "National Treasure"). Largest wooden structure in the world, measuring  160 ft.high, 187 ft. long, and 166 ft. wide. It houses the  Daibutsu-Den the largest bronze statue in the world. It was cast in the middle of the 8th century.  The statue represents Birushana-butsu (also called Rushanabutsu, Skr. Vairocana). The statue measures: Height including pedestal 71 ft. 6 in., Height without pedestal 53 ft. 6 in. length of face 16 ft., width of face 9ft. 5 in., whole weight 500 metric tons.  It is counted among the "Seven Great Temples of Nara". It was founded in 745 by Emperor Shomu. Nara, Japan
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  • Todai-Ji Temple  (Hall of the Great Buddha, a "National Treasure"). Largest wooden structure in the world, measuring  160 ft.high, 187 ft. long, and 166 ft. wide. It houses the  Daibutsu-Den the largest bronze statue in the world. It was cast in the middle of the 8th century.  The statue represents Birushana-butsu (also called Rushanabutsu, Skr. Vairocana). The statue measures: Height including pedestal 71 ft. 6 in., Height without pedestal 53 ft. 6 in. length of face 16 ft., width of face 9ft. 5 in., whole weight 500 metric tons.  It is counted among the "Seven Great Temples of Nara". It was founded in 745 by Emperor Shomu. Nara, Japan
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  • Todai-Ji Temple  (Hall of the Great Buddha, a "National Treasure"). Largest wooden structure in the world, measuring  160 ft.high, 187 ft. long, and 166 ft. wide. It houses the  Daibutsu-Den the largest bronze statue in the world. It was cast in the middle of the 8th century.  The statue represents Birushana-butsu (also called Rushanabutsu, Skr. Vairocana). The statue measures: Height including pedestal 71 ft. 6 in., Height without pedestal 53 ft. 6 in. length of face 16 ft., width of face 9ft. 5 in., whole weight 500 metric tons.  It is counted among the "Seven Great Temples of Nara". It was founded in 745 by Emperor Shomu. Nara, Japan
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  • Prayers written onto pieces of paper and tied to a tree at the Heian Jingu Shrine. 1895 marked the 1,100th year since the Heian Capital was founded.  Marking the commemorative year the citizens of Kyoto decided to praise the virtues of Emperor Kammu and deify ham as the ancestral god of Kyoto.  To this end, they created a shrine in the style of Chodo-in.  the shrine was deidicated March 15, 1895.
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  • On this day Oct. 21 incense is burned to honor the founder of this temple and ask for blessings for one's self.  Todji Buddist Temple, Kyoto, Japan
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  • High school students having final archery examination at the Butokudan Hall.  It is the oldest standing martial arts training hall in Japan. Built in 1895 opened 1899   Kyoto, Japan
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  • Hiroyasu Muratea writing "horse" backwards in chinese a demonstration of riding skill  at the Fujinomori Matsuri (festival) Fujinomori Jinji Shrine. Kyoto, Japan
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  • Aoi Matsuri, or "Holyhock Festival" also known as the Kamo Festival. It is a festival of the Kamo shrines in the north of the city, Shimogamo Shrine and Kamigamo Shrine. The festival originated during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (reigned CE 539-571).  The galloping horse performance is an equestrian archery performance as an annual ritual.
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  • Making of sumi ink at Kobaien Sumi shop 7 Tsubaicho, Nara, Japan
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  • Sumi tools and materials for calligraphy
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  • Making of sumi ink at Kobaien Sumi shop 7 Tsubaicho, Nara, Japan
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  • Making of sumi ink with rape flower oil, wicking is rush grass. Kobaien Sumi shop 7 Tsubaicho, Nara, Japan
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  • Mr. Mitsuyoshi Nakano the section chief at Kobaien Sumi shop 7 Tsubaicho, Nara, Japan
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  • Sumi calligraphy, "Kyoto & Nara" created by Mr. Mitsuyoshi Nakano the section chief at Kobaien Sumi shop 7 Tsubaicho, Nara, Japan
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  • Beginning of procession of Aoi Matsuri, "Hollyhock Festival" at the Shimogamo Shrine.  The festival originated during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (reigned CE 539-571) Kyoto, Japan
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  • National Geogrphic Traveler
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  • Osaka castle in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan.  It is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
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