is spring coming ?

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is spring coming ?
the sound of rain
on my roof



I have not heared this sound for quite a while.



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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2011

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first snow

first snow - the patterns of roof tiles in black and white

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. First Snow - hatsuyuki
at GokuRakuAn .



. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010

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drop by drop

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drop by drop
the frost melts
from my roof



Nights are getting colder !



. FROST in my Valley 　　


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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010

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first frost

first frost - today is the eleventh day of the eleventh month ................................................................................. ................................................................................. wild asters in frosty robes - much too early ................................................................................. morning sun - how long will it last, our frosty roof ?

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First Frost !
My neighbors too
must be freezing !

. First Frost, 2005


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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010

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rain rain rain

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no birdsong -
only strong rain drums
on my roof



Japan is full to the brink with rainwater ...
For the last three days, almost constant rain of the strongest kind.

西日本で豪雨、土砂崩れなど被害続く





I wake up from the pounding, after an almost sleepless night, the third in a row.
The grey umbrella shows we had 11 mm/h from six to nine this morning.
next
The grey umbrella shows we had 7 mm/h from nine till 12 this morning.



. 大雨　まだ　大雨　
BIG RAIN



http://www.rsk.co.jp/weather/kousui2.html



Just watched the 11 o'clock news
Wednesday, 14th of July 2010

Kagoshima is hit in many places, rivers overflowing, mudslides, hole mountain slopes coming down.
Forcast is more heavy rain for Western Japan, including red-alert warnings for our area.




More rain is expected until mid-day tomorrow, the 15th:
maybe 150 ml in 24 hours
with strong downpoors of 50 - 70 ml in one hour ... oh dear !

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Morning of Thursday, July 15

The night was not as bad as predicted in my area, now it is raining "peacefully" just a little, until tomorrow ... we hope.


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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010

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apricot blossoms

daybreak - - light and shadow on the apricot blossoms

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Apricot blossoms (anzu no hana) KIGO


. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010


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egret

this egret - out of a gray cloud into a gray cloud

and then slowly out of sight
over our roof on this rainy morning



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a little later, while walking up the road to get the newspaper



rainy morning -
three pheasants take off
from the withered field




KIGO
. egret in winter, fuyu sagi 冬鷺 (ふゆさぎ)
nokorisagi 残り鷺（のこりさぎ） 　



. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010


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pink clouds

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pink clouds drifting fast
above the early morning snow
on the bamboo grove



pink clouds drifting
above the early morning snow
on the bamboo grove



pink clouds
above the early morning snow
on the bamboo grove





still observing the PINK, when THIS happened


a sudden gale
drives the snow out of the bamboo grove
right onto my roof ... whooowww






December 31, and more heavy snow to come ...
















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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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colors of hope

gradations of red - a sight of hope for the New Year ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Bell Tower ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: a spot of red amongst the pebbles . . . down by the riverside

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. Temple Tanjo-Ji
Winter Walk 2009 . Photo Album



Tempel Tanjo-Ji 誕生時 in Okayama
The Big Buddha and further information

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My Invitation to a Haiku Walk (ginkoo)


. GINKO
Willie Bongcaron 　Philippines



Ginko by Julie Cain

monkey puzzle--
tell me old pine, "How
shall I trim our sky?"

above the temple
winter pines spread their needles--
a green beginning

tiny stream
tiny rocks, tiny ripples--
big winter light

hole in the roof--
the ancient cedar ignores
the carpenter

old kanji-carved stone--
the moss around the edges
finding it's own way

truncated tree--
each lump of new limbs
shrieking to the sky

before you come
to the sliding temple screens--
heavenly bamboo berries

how green the leaf
how very red the berries--
temple courtyard sun

funny little boxes
under the temple roof--
how light catches things


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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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autumn walk

bamboo bent over a patch of forest - colors of autumn ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: the perfect shape for a christmas tree - blue autumn sky ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: my dragon on the old roof - watching autumn distant mountains ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ths sky is blue again - harvest time ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: susuki fingers strech toward the sky - on my way home

. My PHOTO ALBUM
Start the walk from HERE ! 　



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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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moonlight

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moonlight
on the temple roof -
and silence



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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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crows crows crows

leaves half eaten yamataro at work . . . yamataro squashed on the wall

We have large flocks of crows these days, coming to feed on the yamataro-catarpillars which appear in thousands to feed on a special autumn weed.
The crows are leaving their "output" on the road and on my roof and everywhere ...


... the same food chain every year
... the same excitement evey year
... the same old haiku every year ...


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quote
a murder of crows

-This more poetic term for a flock of crows can be traced back at least to the 15th century, when it was recorded as a murther of crowes. Murther is a variant of Middle English murthre 'murder,' though the th sound had begun to be replaced with a d around 1300 C.E. There are several theories as to how this particular term came about, but all of them have to do with the supposed behavior of crows.

For instance, crows are scavengers and therefore often seen feeding on rotting bodies of various sorts. Survivors of wars have described how the battlefields were covered in black as crows (and ravens) came down to eat the dead. Another theory hearkens back to old folklore which told of groups of crows essentially holding court over members of their flock that had committed offenses. If they decide against the "defendant" crow, then the rest of the flock swoops down on it and kills it.

There are legends outside of the Germanic culture that relate to crows being judges over people as well, and how their appearance is an omen of death.
source : livejournal.com/word_ancestry 　


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A murder of crows
is a phrase employing a collective noun to refer to a group of crows.

A Murder of Crows may refer to:

A Murder of Crows (film), 1999 film
A Murder of Crows (album), 2003 studio album by Deadsoul Tribe
A Murder of Crows, a level in Myth II
The Murder of Crows, a level in Hitman: Blood Money
Sword of the Stars: A Murder of Crows, an expansion to the video game Sword of the Stars
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Caw, caw cuts the air
black fluttering in the trees
a murder of crows

Yutaka Kitajima, 2007

source : www.asahi.com/english/haiku


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. Crow, Raven (karasu) KIGO 　



. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2010

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more rain

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more rain to come ...
the number of missing people
still growing


the rainy season has come now with all its might ...




Rainclouds over Japan, July 26



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FUKUOKA, July 25, 2009 KYODO

Torrential rain hit western Japan on Friday and Saturday, leaving seven people dead and two others missing from mudslides and flooding, local authorities said.
Following the downpours in the Kyushu and Shikoku regions in southwestern Japan and the Chugoku region in the western part of the country, the Japan Meteorological Agency called for caution as heavy precipitation may continue through Sunday in those areas.
Earlier this week, heavy rain left 14 people dead and three others missing in Yamaguchi Prefecture in the Chugoku area.
source : home.kyodo.co.jp



REFERENCE



July 27, 2009
Okayama prefecture and Rainclouds



we got more than 60 mm in one bout !


thunder and rain
on my thundering roof -
more to come



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. . . Read my Haiku Archives 2009


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nue beast

old legends coming back to life ... summer chill woodblock by Kuniyoshi 国芳

　NUE, nue 鵺, 鵼, 恠鳥, or 奴延鳥 the Nue monster
- 園韓神 Sonorakarami 　
The two shrines for SONO and KAMI 園韓二社.

Nue is a monster beast with the head of a monkey, breast of a Tanuki badger, scales like a dragon, a tail of a serpent and hands and feet like a tiger. His voice was that of a Nue.

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- quote -
Today we’ll look at a strange chimerical monster called the Nue!



The nue is one of the oldest yokai to be written down, having its first appearance in the Kojiki (712 CE), an account of the early histories of Japan. It also appears in the Heian-period encyclopedia Wamyo Ruijusho (938 CE), and again in the Heike Monogatari (1371 CE), a record of one of Japan’s bloodiest civil wars and most tragic family clans. It is recorded as having the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the tail of a snake, and the limbs of a tiger. In ancient times it was thought to be a kind of nocturnal bird — it’s call is supposed to sound like that of a White’s thrush — and thus its name is written with a kanji that contains the meanings “night” and “bird.”

Unlike some of the Japanese chimeras we’ve seen (kirin, baku, houou), the nue is not a holy animal, and is not good at all. In fact, they are considered to be pretty evil monsters. One very famous account of a nue attack occurs in the summer of 1153 in Kyoto. Emperor Konoe began to have nightmares every night, and grew very ill. Neither medicine nor prayers had any effect on his illness, and the source was attributed to some kind of evil spirit which was visiting the palace every night, early in the morning. These events climaxed some days later in a storm which appeared over the imperial palace around 2 AM. Lightning struck the roof, setting it on fire. The emperor summoned the legendary samurai Minamoto no Yorimasa, to deal with the evil spirit. Yorimasa brought his trusted companion I no Hayata, and his legendary bow which he received from Minamoto no Yorimitsu, to hunt the best. During the night, a strange wind came over them, followed by a black cloud. Yorimasa fired his arrow into the clouds above the palace, and out from the sky came a horrible scream as a nue dropped to the earth. I no Hayata immediately leaped upon the body, dealing it a finishing blow. The emperor immediately recovered from his illness, and rewarded the heroes with the legendary katana Shishiou for their service. This event has been immortalized in numerous paintings and ukiyoe prints.

After the nue was slain, the inhabitants of Kyoto were so afraid of a curse for killing the best, that they loaded its body in a ship and sent it down the Kamo river. The boat with the nue’s body eventually washed up on the shore near the village of Ashiya in Hyogo prefecture, and the good citizens of Ashiya removed the body and built it a burial mound and gave it a proper funeral. Apparently, you can still visit the mound, “Nuezuka,” today, though I’ve never been there . . .
- source : matthewmeyer.net -



Shinmei Jinja shrine, right off of Karasuma-Shijo intersection, that venerates the arrowheads used to fell the dreaded Nue! These are supposedly the very ones from the famous tale.
- source : Matt Alt, facebook -

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quote
Yorimasa Minamoto 源頼政
killed a monster Nue

source : daishogun-shrine-kyoto
at Daishogun Jinja is the spirit of Kaneie Fujiwara, a Heian Period courtier. The little sign at the entrance also says, and I quote verbatim: “The scene of the legend that tells Yorimasa Minamoto killed a monster Nue.”

Yorimasa Minamoto was a late-Heian Period poet, courtier and warrior. He was a historical figure, but his exploits became the stuff of legend, including his killing a Nue, a mythical beast, nasty monster comprised of bits of several animals.


Yorimasa Minamoto (R) & Ino Hayata Tadazumi killing a Nue.

. Daishogun Jinja 大将軍神社 .

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A nue (鵺) is a legendary creature
found in Japanese folklore. It is described as having the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake as a tail. According to the legend, a nue can metamorphose into a black cloud and fly. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes referred to as a Japanese chimera.
Nue are supposed to be bringers of misfortune and illness.

According to The Tale of the Heike, Emperor Konoe, the Emperor of Japan, became ill after having terrible nightmares every night, and a dark cloud appeared at two o'clock in the morning on the roof of the palace in Kyoto during the summer of 1153. The story says that the samurai Minamoto no Yorimasa staked-out the roof one night and fired an arrow into the cloud, out of which fell a dead nue. Yorimasa had gotten the arrow from his mother. it was a special arrow with a tip that makes a sound (hikime 蟇目). His mother died the next day, but the Nue did no more harm.
Yorimasu then supposedly sank the body in the Sea of Japan.

In a local expansion of the story, the nue's corpse floated into a certain bay, and the locals, fearing a curse, buried it. A mound near the bay which exists today is supposed to be the grave created for this nue.

Etymology
The word, Nue, appears in the oldest of Japanese literature. Early quotes include Kojiki (712) and Wamyō Ruijushō (c. 934). Due to the use of Man'yōgana, the historical spelling is known to have been nuye. At this early time, although, it had a different semantic meaning. It referred to a bird known as White's Thrush.

In the thirteenth century, Heike Monogatari makes reference to a creature called a nue. In addition to having the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki, the paws of a tiger, and a snake as a tail, it has the voice of a White's Thrush.

Around 1435, Zeami Motokiyo wrote a Noh song titled Nue dealing with the events described in Heike.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Yorimasa and the Nue



A famous nue from
. Shishinden 紫宸殿 Hall for State Ceremonies .

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- - - - - Legends about the Nue 鵺 - - - - -


.......................... Ehime 愛媛県

The cursed Nue came floating in the sea to Shikoku.
Its head landed in Sanuki and became a monkey deity.
Its tail landed in Iyo and became a serpent deity.
Its hands and feet landed in Tosa and became a dog deity.

頭は讃岐に着き猿神に、尾は伊予で蛇神に、手足は土佐、阿波に着いて犬神になった

When the beast flew over the village 父二峰村 Fujimine near 久万高原町 Kuma Kogen it blew out its venomous breath. This is why to our day there are many days with thick fog in the area.

上浮穴郡 Kamiukena district
A legend from Kamiukena tells about the mother of Yorimasa, who was a large serpent. She wanted to give her son a chance to become famous and shifted her shape into a Nue. This was the one he killed with his arrow. She had given him special arrows made from the local bamboo.


There are various legends in Tosa about the
. Inugami 犬神 "Dog Deity" monster .


.......................... Kyoto 京都府

The place where the monster killed by Yorimasa fell down was called the
nue ike 鵺池 Nue pond. The boulders aroung this pond are called
nueishi 鵺石 in a forest called nue no mori 鵺の森.
The stones were used to build a wall around the pond.



If someone touches these stones, he will be cursed. Even the powerful regent Toyotomi Hideyoshi did not dare to give that area as fief to anyone.
The beast had become a dreaded deity
Nue Daimyoojin 鵺大明神 Nue Daimyojin.

The voice when the Nue was killed could be heard as far as temple 三井寺 Miidera.

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- source : nichibun yokai database -

. - yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - .
- Introduction -

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. hariko 張子 papermachee dolls .




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. Ghost stories told in Summer .


[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
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- #nue #nuemonster -
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