Throughout history, different cultures have allowed astronomy to shape their beliefs and customs. One such culture with traditions rich in astronomy is Japanese culture. As someone who is half Japanese, I will discuss some of these traditions and explain how they are still present in modern-day Japan. I have found some excellent websites to use for my essay, including one that focuses on Japanese festivals and traditions and how astronomy plays a role in them. While the Astrologers Union of Japan homepage is written entirely in Japanese, Astroarts has a fantastic Japanese astronomy page with a wealth of astronomical information and useful links. Please bear with me as I continue to learn new things. In this essay, I will explore the stories of Orihime, Kengyuu, and Tanabata. Tanabata is a Japanese festival based on the legend of Orihime and Kengyuu. This story uses the stars of Vega and Altair as its main characters. The Japanese refer to Vega as Orihime Boshii, which means "weaving princess star," and Altair as Kengyuu Boshii, which means "puller of cows star." The other characters include Orihime Boshii's father, the emperor, which is the star centered at the north pole (Polaris? ), the boatman, which refers to the moon, and Kasasagi, which is a group of magpies. The author of the legend begins by telling readers that Orihime Boshii (Vega) would visit the "River of Heaven" (Milky Way) every day to weave beautiful fabrics. Her father, the emperor, loved these fabrics and grew very fond of them. One day, Orihime Boshii became very sad because she had spent all her life up until that day weaving fabrics and had not found the time to fall in love and get married. The emperor loved his daughter and felt sorry for her. He arranged for her to marry Kengyuu (Altair), a prince who lived across the "River of Heaven." As the marriage of Orihime Boshii and Kengyuu blossomed, Orihime Boshii neglected her weaving, and this upset and worried her father. The emperor finally decided to separate the couple by means of the "River of Heaven." However, for one day out of the year (7th day of the 7th month), the couple would be allowed to be together....
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...In this paper, I have attempted to summarize some of the Japanese legends, festivals, traditions, and folklore based on astronomy. However, I have realized that I will need much more space than this text window offers to discuss this topic. I have learned a great deal and hope to study this further and learn even more. Bibliography: 1. Renshaw, Steve and Ihara, Saori. "Astronomy in Japan". Sky & Telescope, 10 October 2000-14 October 2000. Great job with your writing!
Junko Habu, Ancient Jomon of Japan: Case Studies in Early Societies (Cambridge University Press. 2004)
Ancient Pueblo Indians had a great understanding of astronomy. All of the pueblos in the canyon were aligned to match the movements of the sun and moon. Also, they marked their complexes with daggers and spirals to keep up with the moon cycles and sun movements. The film explains that the moon moves north for nearly ten years and then south for about ten years. To fully understand this cycle of the moon, Pueblo people had to study it for years in order to build their Pueblos in relations to it. The sun however, was different because it set and rose in the same position. The concept of building structures in an astronomical pattern this complex cannot be found anywhere else.
With the graceful starkness of traditional Japanese haiku, Kawabata reveals a twisted set of love affairs between four people that ultimately lead to their downfalls. Haiku depicts a meditational view of the world where nothing is meaningless; in Beauty and Sadness all of the relations represent aspects of new and old Japan, mirroring the rise and fall of Japanese culture in their movements. Among these relationships, perhaps the most traditional is found between Oki and Otoko– although it is tragic and somewhat leacherous, the bond between a young woman (or girl) and an older man is an acceptable affair in traditional Japanese culture. They represent the oldest parts of Japanese custom, and adhere to that measure throughout the novel. Oki’s wish to hear the temple bells with Otoko reflects this long established pattern of old man and young girl, as ...
Willis, Roy. and Curry, Patrick . Astrology Science and Culture. Pulling Down the Moo. (Oxford: Berg 2004)
Greene, Carol. Enchantment of the World Japan, p. 97. 28 Pitts, Forrest R., Japan. p. 78. -. 29. Davidson, Judith.
In both Greek and Roman mythology there are multiple gods and heroes, but there are some differences in what these gods represent and the way that the heroes are portrayed. Different ideals are held in high regards for each culture not only for the gods and heroes but also for the people and their culture. The basic descriptions and origin stories of each have similarities but are also very different. It’s very easy to see why many would think that Greek and Roman traditional religion and culture are the same. There are many similarities after all not only in the culture of the people but also in the gods that the people worshiped. Both religions are polytheistic and have gods be they major or minor to represent almost every part of everyday life from something as simple as flowers to the skies and weather patterns and childbirth. Even though both the cultures and religions of Greece and Rome are similar they have many differences as well.
The Tale of Heike." Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Ed. Haruo Shirane. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. 736-39. Print.
2, Alter Dinsmore, Cleminshaw H. Clarence, Philips G John. Pictorial Astronomy. United States: Sidney Feinberg, 1963.
Historians and archeologists have found physical evidence that ancient civilizations had an active interest it the apparent motion of the celestial objects. Stonehenge in England, The Bighorn Medicine Wheel in the Unit...
Roberts, Jeremy. Japanese Mythology A to Z (Mythology a to Z). New York: Facts on File, 2004.
Denison. B. (2002, January 1). A Basic Overview of Japanese Culture . . Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://www.mizukan.org/articles/culture.htm
Astronomy is a very important field in science. Ancient Greece, China, and India all contributed to our everyday ideas and uses of astronomy. Ancient Greece was the most influential because the Indian’s based most of their astronomy off of Greece. The Greeks created calendars that were based off of the eclipse cycle, which they called by two different names, Hellenic Calendars and Lunisolar Calendars. Because of Ancient Greece, we now have calendars to keep us on track every day. The Greeks observed a celestial object passing through the eastern and western morning sky. After a long time of observations, they came to a realization that it was a planet and now that is the planet is well known as Venus. (Sarton, 75) Plato and Aristotle’s theories were incredible contributions on us today. Both of their theories were all about the behavior and life of the planets, such as their theory that the earth is spherical. (Sarton, 421). Ancient Greece als...
Astrology can be defined in many ways, one being “the study of occult influences of stars on human affairs” (“What is Astrology?”). Another interpretation of this definition is the prediction of a person’s personality and life events based on the placement on stars. “’Astrology wants to be religion and science at the same time” (Schoener). Whether Astrology is a real science or a theory based on lies is a widely debated topic between many people ranging from well-established scientists to everyday ci...
Japan is a fascinating multifaceted culture, on one hand it is filled with many traditions dating back thousands of years and yet is a society with continually changing fads,