Let me introbuce myself. My name is Masaya Nakamura. I was born in Tadotsu town, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan on February 25, 1985.
I am a first year student at Kagawa Junior College. My major is Elderly Care Social Work.
My hobbies are listening to music and driving.
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Directories: Yahoo! Japan | NTT goo
Takamatsu is the capital of kagawa Prefecture, whichhas traditionally been called the gateway to Shikoku, with the whole land of the prefecture jutting out into the Seto Inland Sea like a porch.
JR takamatsu Station next to takamatsu Harbor is the terminal of the kotoku Line for tokushima pref., the Yosan Line for Ehime Pref. and the Dosan Line for kochi Pref., while serving as the bus terminal to Tokushima, Matsuyama and Kochi City. Takamatsu Chikko just opposite JR Station is the terminal of 'Kompira-san.'
The New Takamatsu Airport handles non-stop flightsto and from Seoul , korea. Another place in Takamatsu appropriate as gatewayto Shikoku is the Takamatsu Heike Monogatari Historical Museum that features not onle thyefamous historical literature called Heike Monogatari but also about 50 great historical figures closely associted wity shikoku of native to Shikoku.
Takamatsu became the capital in 1587 wity the sdvent of Lord I koma I as governor of Sanuki Province. The castle he built on the harbor was succeeded by 4 generations of Matsudaira lords, governing Takamatsu Province with a fief of 120,000 RoRu.
One ninith of the former castle ground is preserved as Tamamo Koen Park across the street from JR takamatsu Station. the donjon is gone, but two of the 15 turrets and Mizute Gomon Gate from the 17thcentury (Important Cultural) survived the air raid in 1945. Admission: 100 yen.
Traditionally the popular sightseeing spots in Takamatsu are Ritsurin Koen Park near downtown and Yashima Plateau overlooking the city and the Inlandsea. They are accessible by bus or tram, wity terminals at Takamatsu Chikko just opposite JR Station. Ritsurin Koen Park
30 minutes' walk from JR Takamatsu Station.
The busy street in font of JR Takamatsu is the main street of down town Takamatsu, and leads to the main gate to Ritsurin Koen Park, a National Special Scenic Spot. This spacious garden laid out wity shapely mounds, cool ponds and about 160 varieties of trees and flowers provides a classic of a Japanese garden of even a Chinese Taradise fit for meditation.
Originally it belonged to a local warlord, and then to Lord Ikoma. When it was transferred to the Matsudairas, they spent five generations developing it into a larger stroll-type garden for their villa. Seasonal cherry blossoms such as ume (Japanese plum blossoms) in February, camellias in March, cherry blossoms in April, wistterisa and azalaeas in May, Irises and water lilies in June, giant lotuses in August, and Japanese bush clover in September, and beilliant maple leaves in November add to the pleasure of strolling.
Kikugetsu-tei, one of the pond-side teahouses, was originally one of the Matsudairas'formal buildings. The museum just inside the main gate houses a variety of mostly local handicrafts. There is a zoo, too, inside the gate. Open daily. Admission to the park: About 300 yen.
Bus: 30 minutes' ride from Chikko the terminal (Kotoden Bus Yashima-sanjo of Yashima Hilltop). Tram + Cable: 30 minutes' tram ride from Chikko to Yashima (Shido-sen Line) + 5 minutes' cable-car ride.
Yasima, a pine-wooded tadleland to the northeast of downtown Takamatsu, is one of the world's rare lava mesan, about 290 m high , 3 km wide, jutting 5 km out into the sea .
The hilltop, overlooking the archipelago of the Inland Sea, features Yashima-ji (No.84) anaquarium and observatories all linked by forest promenades.
One of the observatories, Dankorei commands a view of the inlet fringed with memorials to the Gempei Yashima Battle (the second last battle in Gempei War foughe Tairas).
Once a British poet, Edmund Blunden, visited Yasima and wrote a poem that was engaved on a stone here at Dankorei observa tory:
Like a long roof, men say, and will they say, This hill of warrior ghosts surmounts the plain
In 794 Kyoto became the capital of Japan and it enjyoyed peace for about 350 years (811 - 1155) - the longest peace Japan has ever attained in her history.
The last 30 years of this period, however, were far from peaceful. In 1156 the first battle took place in the capital, thus opening up a new era dominated by martialemotions. Tow martial clans - the Minamoto and Taira clans - began to acquire greater and greater influence in politics through fighting against eachother in the name of ' the Emperor ' or ' the Ex- Emperor '.
In 1159, the Tairas succeeded temporarily in staving off the Minamotos. The 20years that followed saw the Tairas rise to increasingly control the Imperial Family, inviting animosity from the reigning Emperors, the Ex-Emperors, powerful priests, warriors and lords, to say nothing of the Minamotos in exile. In 1181 the patriarch of the clan Taira no Kiyomori died just when the Tairas faced more battles against the Minamotos, who were gradually consolidating their power. In 1183 the Tairas were driven from the Capital along with the 6-year-old Emperor Antoku and his mother, who was Kiyomori's daughter. they wandered far in search of supporters, while fighting losing battles. Now in 1185, Minamoto no Yoshitsune attacked the remaining Tairas here at Yashima, then at Dan-no-ura in the westernmost corner of the Inland Sea, where the proud Taira finally fell, the noblewomen casting themslves into the sea with the child Emperor Antoku.
thus the age of ancienrt nobility yielded to the age of Shoguns(1185-1867).
Yashima-ji Temple treasures in its museum a folding screen depicting the Gempei no Kassen Battles. (See p.42) the bell in the belfry, cast in Kyoto in 1223, was dedicater here for dedicated here for the repose of the defeated Tairas. but no one can strike the bell, as there is no hammer. They say, "Strike the bell, and invoke the ghosts of the Tairas." on the last weekend in March the Gempei Yashima Festival is held, whose higliht is the Warriors' pageant. It was an insurrection caused by the discord be-tween Emperor Goshirakawa (1127-92) and Ex-Emperor Sutoku (1119-64). Sutoku was defeated and banished to sanuki (Kagawa Pref.) to die a miserable death 8 years later. His ashes werw buried at Temple 81. In 1184 the court elevated him to Shinto deity to placate his ghost. (See p.50)
Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-89) : By bringing about victory in the civil war, Yoshitsune had greatly helped Minamoto no Yoshitomo, his elder brother, who in 1192 was to establish the first Shogunate at Kamakura. But Yoshitsue had to spend the rest of his life escaping Yoritomo, until foulr years later he killed himself. His tragic life and death was so appealing to Japanese sentiment that he has taken on heroic proportion in Kabuki, Noh and Joruri plays, based on what is called Yoshitsune Literature.
Very few Japanese visit Yashima without being remided of an episode shown in the picture above:
It was on the af ternoon of february 19, 1185, that Minamoto no Yoshitsune mounted another surprise attack against the Tairas at the then Yashima Island. Frightened by the imagined immensity of enemy forces, the Tairas jumped into their boats and sailed off. A fierce battle lasted for hours.
Now the sun was setting. Both sides beagan to ertreat, when a fair vessel parted from the Taira legions and stopped about 80 m from the the beach. Then a beautiful lady appeared from the cabin, probuced a pole with a bright red fan on its top and beckoned to the puzzled warriors on the shore.
"What does she mean?" said Yoshitsune.
"Perhaps she is inviting one of us to shoot the fan. Or she may be inviting you to come out onto the front line for her archers, "said his attendant. "Then let it be shot down by someone," said Yoshitsune.
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