Going Alone

Shinto is one of the two major religions of Japan (the other is Buddhism). Shinto is often considered to bethe native religion of Japan, and is as old as Japan itself. The name Shinto means “the way of the gods.” Shinto is a pantheistic religion, in which many thousands of major and minor gods are thought to exist. The Japanese have built thousands of shrines throughout the country to honor and worship these gods. Some shrines are huge and are devoted to important deitie

At the start of the long Japanese Edo period (1600-1868) the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu determined that the country of Nippon (Japan) should be closed to the outside world with the exception of a few ports of trade. This was done in an effort to protect Japan from the colonizing forces of the west and in particular to isolate the Japanese people from the influences of Christianity, which the Shogun viewed as a threat to the principals of Confucianism upon which his rule did depe

Shinto is one of the two major religions of Japan (the other is Buddhism). Shinto is often considered to bethe native religion of Japan, and is as old as Japan itself. The name Shinto means “the way of the gods.” Shinto is a pantheistic religion, in which many thousands of major and minor gods are thought to exist. The Japanese have built thousands of shrines throughout the country to honor and worship these gods. Some shrines are huge and are devoted to important deitie

The Hannya mask is possibly one of the best known and most famous of all masks used with traditional Japanese Noh theatre (please read below to learn more about Noh and its sister performance art Kyogen). The mask of Hannya is typically worn to represent the face of a woman turned demon through jealousy and anger. The mask offered here is a splendid example of Hannya with striking detail and a fierce, captivating gaze. Noh (pronounced “no”) theatre is one of the classical Jap

Welcome to the softypapa blog. My name is Kurt Bell and I am delighted that you have chosen to walk awhile with me. I’m available on Facebook and Google+ if you have questions or just want to chat and say hi. I can also be found at the JVLOG forum with other Japan-related content creators. All links are listed below. I look forward to meeting you on-line. Have a great day! The Path of Wildness is easy to find The course of a stream Leaves blown in the wind A beast’s track thr