Stuff bought

Lately I've been buying more than usual.

This week for books I picked up:

Demery, Leroy W. Jr et al.
Electric Railways of Japan: Interurbans - Tramways - Metros Vol.3 - Western Japan.

Demery, Leroy W. Jr et al.
Japan by Rail: Published as a Supplement to Electric Railways of Japan.

Obata Toshishiro
Shinkendo Tameshigiri: Samurai Swordsmanship & Test-Cutting.

Vaporis, Constantine Nomikos
Tour of Duty: Samurai, Military Service in Edo, and the Culture of Early Modern Japan.

Then there were the videos:

Ghost Hound DVD Complete Collection

You're Under Arrest: Full Throttle DVD Collection 1 and 2

I got the DVD discs on sale from The Right Stuf, I'm trying to keep my spending under control so I often hold off on getting releases right away.

The Burned and the Aroused

I was going to add a new yōkai entry, however I have found out about a couple of books published overseas that could be useful for writing such entries. So I am holding off until they arrive to post more.

However fans of Moyashimon and Spirited Away will gain a little knowledge in this week's entries.

And they are:

imori no kuroyaki (charred newt) 井守の黒焼

kuroyaki (charred plants & animals) 黒焼

I did buy a few books this week, I picked up volume 6 of the Lucky Star manga and for the non-fiction side Art of Edo Japan: The Artist and the City 1615-1868 and the first two volumes of Electric Railways of Japan: Interurbans - Tramways - Metros.

Oh yes the two books related to yōkai I mentioned?

They are:

The Great Yokai Encyclopaedia and Mythical Beasts of Japan. I'll post more about them when they arrive.

Food bringer of fuzziness

This week I have another yōkai entry. I actually have 32 others prepped and ready to write so expect more over time.

This one a a bit boyish and if he offers you a taste of his product politely decline.

Tōfu Kozō 豆腐小僧

I wonder in these modern times if he shows up in the basement food sections of department stores.

This week's books

I picked up three new books this week.

Flynn, Brian, Joshua Bernard & Jeff Dey
Tokyo Underground 2
San Francisco: Super7: 2010

A great guide to stores in Tokyo for those interested in popular culture related items such as toys, anime and manga.
NOTE: This is the second edition of the book, not a second volume.

Harrison, Edward & John
Idle Idol: The Japanese Mascot
New York: Mark Batty Publisher, 2010

Before this book came out we only had Matt Alt and Yoda Hiroko's Hello, Please!. The two books have almost no overlap so both are worth having.

Lent, John A. (ed)
Animation in Asia and the Pacific
Bloomington: Indiana University Press 2001

A great looking anthology, the contents look like a who's who of writers in the field,

The final Ku

For some time I have wanted to add an entry to the Anime Companion Supplement for Katsushika-ku. Alas while there are famous anime and manga that are set in this part of Tokyo none have been released commercially in English.

So I kept my eyes open and one day I realized I had an entry regarding an area of Katsushika-ku, specifically an interchange on a highway.

So here you are the final entry for the ku of Tokyo, I now have all of them represented.

Katsushika-ku 葛飾区

Been shopping

This past week I picked up more books that usual, and one DVD series.

I got most of these at the Cartoon Art Museum shop in San Francisco.

Anime:

Ghost Talker's Daydream
I ordered this one from Robert's Anime Corner Store as it is out of print.

Manga:

But I'm Your Teacher by Row Takakura
I figure I had to have one BL title in my collection. Heck I may even take the shrink wrap off some day.

Black Blizzard by Tatsumi Yoshihiro

Kingyo Used Books vol.1 by Yoshizaki Seimu


Books on Japanese culture:

Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: The Samurai Film Companion

The Demon's Sermon on the Martial Arts

Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Mizayaki and Isao Takahata

Secrecy in Japanese Arts: Secret Transmission as a Mode of Knowledge

Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential: How Teenage Girls Made a Nation Cool

Right Stuf Dirty Pair Official Site now up

The Right Stuf has announced that their official Dirty Pair web site is now up.

They are gearing up for the release of the first box set in less than a month.

Check it out to see what they have.

Samurai relations

Samurai culture was hierarchical. Not only in titles and ranks but who was vassal to who within an organization. This was different than modern ranks, it was in relation to who your vassals were and who you were a vassal to. Without this status based structure a samurai was just a warrior among other warriors.

This week's entries are:

baishin (vassal's vassal) 陪臣

jikisan (direct vassal) 直参