Priest, mother and to be avoided while traveling on water.

The three entries this week are:

Including two yokai related entries this week if you are counting.

bôzu (Buddhist priest or monk)

Kuzunoha

umibôzu

Kurama Tengu

Ack. Just when I am trying to control my budget Digital Meme announces a pre order discount for their forthcoming release of early Kurama Tengu films. Digital Meme discs are region free, have benshi accomaniment and subtitles.

I can't wait to see Kurama Tengu protecting the patriots of Japan against the evil forces of the shogun!

Talking Silents 5: Kurama Tengu and The Frightful Era of Kurama Tengu featuring Kanjuro Arashi

Kurama Tengu
Produced by Arashi Kanjuro Productions, 1928
71 minutes / 24 fps

Directed by: Teppei Yamaguchi
Cast: Kanjuro Arashi, Takesaburo Nakamura,
Reizaburo Yamamoto, Kunie Gomi and Keiichi Arashi

Kurama Tengu Kyofu Jidai (The Frightful Era of Kurama Tengu)
Produced by Arashi Kanjuro Productions, 1928
38 minutes / 16 fps

Directed by: Teppei Yamamoto
Cast: Kanjuro Arashi, Reizaburo Yamamoto, Kunie Gomi and Keiichi Arashi

Been shopping

Took a break today and headed into downtown Berkeley.

The new Cody's Books has opened on Shattuck and while I was there I picked up a copy of:

Cavaye, Ronald; Paul Griffith, and Akihiko Senda
A Guide to the Japanese Stage: From Traditional to Cutting Edge

I figured a survey book would be too general for me. A quick glance proved me wrong this little book is dense with interesting information.

Afterwards I wandered to Anime V where I picked up 5 Centimeters Per Second.

Then a quick jog over to The Other Change of Hobbit to get a book I had on hold, The Best of Xero. It is a gift for an animator I know in Japan and I'll get the authors to inscribe it for him.

Then on to Comic Relief , just cause I was in the neighborhood. From there I caught the bus back home.

It is so nice to have so many cool stores in one neighborhood.

Wakeful Nights

I got Wakeful Nights in the mail yesterday and popped it in the DVD player.

Great stuff, not for the prudish, very earthy.

The box has the following justified warning:

"Contains adult situations and language, disgusting puns, sick jokes, filthy karaoke and a tramatized manta ray."

Foxy yokai stuff

This week I decided to flood the supplement with three entries dealing with kitsune, the Japanese fox.

kitsune no yomeiri (fox giving the bride, fox wedding procession)

kitsune nyôbô (fox wife)

kitsunebi (fox-fire)

Plenty more yokai stuff to go so expect some here and there over time. I'll try to do one a week for the next few weeks.

Lots of new books

A busy week for book buying. My budget is going to feel this one, yes I have to buy the books and videos I write about. As I rarely do reviews only a couple of companies send me stuff.

In any case here is what I bought.

Nonfiction:

No Borders no Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema - Mark Schilling

- I started it this morning so far a great little book on a major studio that produced some of my favorite Japanese films.

Nakamura Jakuemon IV: The Art of Onnagata Acting - Sasaguchi Rei

- I found this one by accident, it looks really interesting with plenty of pictures and the bits of text I have read are informative.

Manga:

Naoki Urasawa's Monster v.13 - Urasawa Naoki

- The latest on this masterful work of suspense.

Orion - Shirow Masamune

- OK I have the 1st English edition but I just had to pick up this one, the 4th, which is unflipped.

Vagabond v.27 - Inoue Takehiko

- The end of the battle against the Yoshioka sword school which started in the last volume. If you have not seen this work do check it out, great art and a masterful adaptation of the famous Musashi novel on the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

Phoenix v.12 Early Works - Tezuka Osamu

- A Phoenix volume that is a collection of interesting early short stories with the Phoenix from the 1950s. Very different in tone and style than the rest of the series.

Metro Survive v.1 - Fujisawa Yûki

- I've only glanced at this one, picked it up on the recommendation of a staff person at Comic Relief in Berkeley.

Voices of Love - Hazuki Kanae

- A collection of romance manga tales for women that is rated 18+ and not about guys on guys. Actually there is little sex but I figure I should check this our.

From a yokai to a priest to a major sect of Buddhism

This week I started with the entry on kitsune-tsuki, then I realized while I had an entry for Nichiren Buddhism I needed an entry for Shingon, then I realized I needed an entry for Kukai.

What were the other two entries I had originally planned to do?

Well I won't say but they shall appear soon, that is within the next few months.


kitsune-tsuki (fox possession)

Kukai (Kōbō-Daishi)

Shingonshû (Shingon sect of Buddhism.)