Taking Tiger Mountain (by strategy)

[imomus]

On January 2nd 2010 we climbed Mount Shigi in Nara, Japan to celebrate the new astrological year of the tiger and 1300 years of Nara.

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It was in another tiger year that "multitasking" Prince Shotoku Taishi (apparently so intelligent he could understand ten conversations at once), was defending Buddhism against the Mononobe family. Prince Taishi called on Bishamonten, the Buddhist god of war, in the Hour of the Tiger, on the Day of the Tiger. It seemed to work; Taishi prevailed over the Mononobes. He built Shigisan Chogosonsiji Temple -- the tiger shrine -- on Mount Shigi in Bishamonten's honour. We climbed and we climbed, my how we climbed...

Comments

2 unrelated comments.

[(Anonymous)]

I must say i was quite unaware there was -buddhist- god of war!
It makes sense of course, established religions coming pragmatically to reflect as well as shape the societies they exist within etc

I wish there were tags in click opera, or systematic links between thematically grouped articles. I was thinking so yesterday when reading that interesting article on the 'window' social theory... 'now what was that other sociological idea blogged a while back? Oh Damn, lost in the information morass' . In my opinion this blog has become a truly worthwhile compendium of articles on certain subjects, only its too spread out.

Re: 2 unrelated comments.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Bishamonten is a syncretic Shinto-Buddhist variant on an Indian deity called Vaisravana. In Japan he becomes much more fierce.