Amitābha, also known as Amida or Amitāyus, is a celestial buddha according to the scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism. Amitābha is the principal buddha in Pure Land Buddhism, a branch of East Asian Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Amitābha is known for his longevity attribute, magnetising red fire element, the aggregate of discernment, pure perception and the deep awareness of emptiness of phenomena. According to these scriptures, Amitābha possesses infinite merit resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakāra. Amitābha means "Infinite Light", and Amitāyus means "Infinite Life" so Amitābha is also called "The Buddha of Immeasurable Light and Life".
Shingon Buddhism is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.
Zeami Motokiyo, also called Kanze Motokiyo, was a Japanese aesthetician, actor, and playwright. His father, Kan'ami, introduced him to Noh theater performance at a young age, and found that he was a skilled actor. Kan'ami was also skilled in acting and formed a family theater ensemble. As it grew in popularity, Zeami had the opportunity to perform in front of the Shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The Shōgun was impressed by the young actor and began to compose a friendship with him. Zeami was introduced to Yoshimitsu's court and was provided with an education in classical literature and philosophy while continuing to act. In 1374, Zeami received patronage and made acting his career. After the death of his father in 1385, he led the family troupe, a role in which he found greater success.
Kanō Masanobu was a Japanese painter. He was the chief painter of the Ashikaga shogunate and is generally considered the founder of the Kanō school of painting. Kano Masanobu specialized in Zen paintings as well as elaborate paintings of Buddhist deities and Bodhisattvas.
Aya Matsuura also known to her fans as Ayaya, is a Japanese pop singer and actress from Himeji, Hyogo, Japan.
Kan'ami Kiyotsugu; 1333 – June 8, 1384, was a Japanese Noh actor, author, and musician during the Muromachi period. Born Yūzaki Kiyotsugu in Iga Province, Kan'ami also went by the names Miyomaru (観世丸) and Kanze Kiyotsugu.
Tenshō Shūbun was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and painter of the Muromachi period.
Rinpa, is one of the major historical schools of Japanese painting. It was created in 17th century Kyoto by Hon'ami Kōetsu (1558–1637) and Tawaraya Sōtatsu. Roughly fifty years later, the style was consolidated by brothers Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716) and Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743).
Sōami was a Japanese painter and landscape artist.
Hon'ami Kōetsu was a Japanese craftsman, potter, lacquerer, and calligrapher, whose work is generally considered to have inspired the founding of the Rinpa school of painting.
Ashikaga is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2015, the city had an estimated population of 149,711, and a population density of 842 persons per km². Its total area is 177.76 km².
Shinya is a Japanese given name, usually for males. It is pronounced as "Shin-ya", not "Shi-nya". Notable people with the name include:
Kakuban, known posthumously as Kōgyō-Daishi (興教大師) was a priest of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan and credited as a reformer, though his efforts also led to a schism between Kogi Shingon-shū and Shingi Shingon-shū. Kakuban is also famous for his introduction of the "esoteric nembutsu".
Awataguchi Takamitsu was a Japanese painter during the Muromachi (Ashikaga) period of Japanese history. He helped produce the Yūzū nembutsu engi (融通念仏縁起絵) housed in the Seiryō-ji, a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. He followed the Yamato-e school. Most of the works he produced were based and inspired by his Buddhist beliefs. He was also a court painter who painted five volumes of the Ashibiki-e scroll paintings during the Ōei period.
Kotobuki Shiriagari is a Japanese manga artist and actor from Shizuoka, Japan, known for his dark humor and social criticism. In early 1981, after graduating from Tama Art University, he began to work as an advertising illustrator for Kirin Brewery Company. He maintained his regular day job, while developing his manga work, until 1994. His first manga series was Ereki na Haru, a strip launched in 1985. He has been teaching at the School of Progressive Arts in Kobe Design University since 2006.
Anrakuju-in (安楽寿院) is a Buddhist temple in Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan, built by former-Emperor Toba in 1137. The temple houses a number of Important Cultural Properties and the emperors Toba and Konoe are buried in the grounds. The Ashikaga estate from which the Ashikaga clan derived its name once belonged to Anrakuju-in.
Yuki Kato (加藤ユキ), also known as Morgan O-Yuki (モルガンお雪), was a Japanese geisha who married George Denison Morgan, nephew of Pierpont Morgan of the Morgan banking dynasty.
Bamboo weaving is a form of bambooworking and traditional Japanese craft, with a range of fine and decorative arts especially in basket weaving.
