It has been over a month since the Tsunami devastated the town of Otsuchi, Japan. And yet despite the catastrophic loss of human life and property, Otsuchi's Kozuchi Shinto Shrine remains beautifully intact. Set on a small hill the Kozuchi Shrine managed to survive the March 11th 2011 earthquake, raging fires from a resulting gas explosion, then the tsunami that literally wiped Otsuchi off the map leaving a sea of shattered lives and debris. Call it luck or the power of the Shinto Kami (For those not familiar with Shinto - What can best be described in Western terms as the Divine in Nature), this shrine has survived to become a place of refuge and place of prayer for those who seek favor and comfort of the Shinto Kami in hopes of finding their lost relatives and the strength to carry on. The Shrine has since become a shelter for twenty-two survivors and a focal point for those who would ring the Shrine's bell and make offerings. We at American Mishima ask you to please watch this video and continue to pray and donate to the countless victims of the multiple tragedies that have devastated Japan. ありがとう!
“American Mishima” is the work of Louis Rosas, the son of Mexican Immigrants, whose father served in Vietnam for the US Army and who grew up on glamorized war films and military aviation in the sleepy seaside plains of Oxnard, Calif. With an early fascination of the Second World War embedded in his young mind during the post-Vietnam era, it was his exposure to Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic Ran (Toho, 1985) that changed his views of war while creating a lasting impression of Japanese culture and history. Further inspired by the works of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, Rosas would go on to study Japanese language and swordsmanship, which led him to the practice of Shingon Buddhism and Shinto. Rosas is also a former student of Shinkendo, the ideal and practice of the samurai code of Bushido in the modern world, which helped shape the creative force that is “American Mishima.”
Interesting article, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteNo Muza-chan, it's me who should be thanking you for reading. Arigatou' gozaimasu!
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