[MoE] - 'Empire Weekly' - Week 3 & 'Culture corner'

Day 5,590, 18:04 • Published in Japan Japan • by Japanese Interior Service


Hello!

Another week is behind us and it's also a 3rd one for 'Empire Weekly' program, which hopefully everyone are already gladly waiting and looking forward to. This time we have a new column which also may become regular occurence.

It's name is 'Culture corner' and will provide various details from Japanese culture for all of us to enjoy, get familiar and fully appreciate. You are free to suggest topics as well, so, let's begin!


Article content:

- 'Culture corner' - Kintarō, 'Golden Boy'

- 'Empire Weekly' program



'Culture corner' - Kintarō, 'Golden Boy'




Kintarō (金太郎, "Golden Boy") is a popular figure in Japanese folklore and was the childhood name of Sakata no Kintoki (坂田金時), one of the four trusted followers of the famous warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu (源 頼光, 948-1021).

Although Sakata seems to have been a historical figure from the Heian Period who appeared in the 11th-century anthology Konjaku Monogatari (今昔物語), he is later depicted as the son of a yamauba (山姥 or 山うば, mountain witch) born on Mount Ashigara (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture). Being of Herculean strength, he is said to have wrestled with bears and other beasts.



Kintarō, ukiyo-e by Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞), 1818-28​



Oniwakamaru and the Giant Carp fight underwater (Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1835)​



The Moon of Kintokisan (by Tsukioka Yoshihiro)

Kintarō is a typical character in 17th- and 18th-century ballads (浄瑠璃 jōruri) and kabuki play, often appearing under the name Kaidōmaru. Many of his traits, such as his supernatural strength, his red complexion, and his possession of an axe said to be the thunder god's hatchet, are connected with the belief in the thunder god, a warrantor of a plentiful harvest, that may have been indigenous to the Ashigara area. Kintarō may, therefore, well be a combination of the historical figure Sakata and a local fertility god.



Kintarō and the Yama-uba (Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川歌麿; 1796)


'Empire Weekly'



We're moving forward with new standard amount of supplies this week as well, so you know what to do!

- 16.000 energy units/per player

- 40 Q7 weapons/per player

- Japanese citizens ONLY ( ALL Levels can apply )

- Apply via comments below article.



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MoE for March - Watan Tanka