Korea, in Brief

Korea, in Brief (aka mostly reblogs) (also, not just Korea) - Former Fulbright Grantee in South Korea - Current grad student in history (USA)

[asiasociety]

Photo of the Day: A Twinkling Sky in Thailand

Twinkling lanterns float into the night sky during the Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand on November 25, 2015. (Klim Levene/Flickr)

Want to see your images in our Photo of the Day posts? Use Flickr and tag your photos “asiasociety” or simply email your best shots from Asia to [email protected]. Be sure to include where and when the photo was taken. We look forward to seeing — and publishing — your submissions!

[koreainbrief]

South Korea and Japan Settle Deal on Wartime Sex Slaves

The deal includes an apology from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

See also.

[nprfreshair]

A 1,400 year old Gingko biloba tree at the Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple in the Zhongnan Mountains of China is seen shedding its golden leaves this past Autumn, bathing the temple garden in a sea of golden yellow.

via Twisted Swifter 

[korean-art]

Korean War Sketch - September 1950. Hideout in Loft

1950

Kim Songhwan

From the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea.

[smithsonianmag]

Photo of the Day: The Sanctuary

Edited photographer note: An elderly woman prays to the gods, asking them to help stop the earthquakes in Nepal.

Photo by Rui Pires (Ilhavo, Portugal); Nepal    

From our 13th Annual Photo Contest. Winners announced in the spring!

[young-kor]

#눈오던날 #경복궁 #향원정 #눈 #겨울 #폭설 #맞팔 #followback #snow #gyeongbokgung #gyeongbokpalace #hyangwonjeong #gyeongbokgungpalace #눈의추억 #영코사진 #풍경사진 #감성사진

[young-kor]

#눈오던날 #경복궁 #고궁 #고궁나들이 #눈 #겨울 #snow #gyeongbokgung #gyeongbokpalace #영코사진 #풍경사진 #감성사진 #감성포토 #향원정 #영코사진 #풍경사진 #감성사진 #폭설 #맞팔 #followback

[historical-nonfiction]

[koreainbrief]

This compulsion to treat North Koreans as victims, essentially the same in their experiences, who should be showcased as examples of injustice can be found throughout the global human rights community.

[koreainbrief]

With more defectors on TV, stereotypes persist

[koreainbrief]

[fuckyeahchinesegarden]

traditional chinese mansion by Mike.  tianjin, china

[historical-nonfiction]

Emperor Meiji the Great Got Off To A Rough Start

In the early years of the Meiji Reforms, Mutsuhito aka Emperor Meiji was paraded across the country quite often – 271 times in the first decade of his reign – in order to connect him with his subjects. Before the propoganda campaign, many did not even know that they had an emperor. Erwin von Bälz, a German physician who came to Japan to teach Western medicine, noted in his diary in 1880 that it was distressing to see “how little interest the populace take in their ruler.” People had to be coerced to celebrate Mutsuhito’s birthday: “Only when the police insist on it are houses decorated with flags. In default of this, houseowners do the minimum.”

[historical-nonfiction]

Some Japanese Monks Tried To Self-Mummify

Kukai (774 – 835 Ce) was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, artist, and founder of an esoteric sect known as Shingon, which combined elements from Buddhism, Old Shinto, Taoism, and other religions. He and his followers practiced Shugendo, a philosophy based on achieving spiritual power through discipline and self-denial.  Towards the end of his life, Kukai went into a state of deep meditation and denied all food and water, eventually leading to his voluntary death. He was entombed on Mount Koya in Wakayama prefecture. Some time later, the tomb was opened and Kukai, known posthumously as Kobo-Daishi, was supposedly found as if sleeping, his complexion unchanged and his hair healthy and strong.

Adherents to Shugendo began trying to self-mummify, or sokushinbutsu, as a way to achieve further enlightenment.  For the first 1,000 days, the monks ceased all food except nuts, seeds, fruits and berries and they engaged in extensive physical activity to strip themselves of all body fat. For the next one thousand days, their diet was restricted to just bark and roots. Near the end of this period, they would drink poisonous tea made from the sap of the Urushi tree, which caused vomiting and a rapid loss of body fluids. It also acted as a preservative and killed off maggots and bacteria that would cause the body to decay after death. In the final stage, after more than six years of torturous preparation, the monk would lock himself in a stone tomb barely larger than his body, where he would go into a state of meditation. He was seated in the lotus position, a position he would not move from until he died. A small air tube provided oxygen to the tomb. Each day, the monk rang a bell to let the outside world know he was still alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the tube was removed and the tomb sealed for the final thousand day period of the ritual. 

Even after all that, many self-mummifications were unsuccessful. Though perhaps hundreds of monks attempted sokushinbutsu, only 28 are known to have succeeded. This is why the tomb would be carefully re-opened after 1,000 days and the monk checked. If the monk had succeeded, they would be raised to the status of buddha and their body would be displayed in a temple where he would be worshipped and revered. If he had decomposed the tomb would be re-sealed. The monk would get points for effort, but not be worshipped. This ancient practice of self-mummification continued until the 19th century when it was outlawed by the Japanese government. Today, sokushinbutsu is not advocated or practiced by any Buddhist sect.

[sweetandtastytv]

Stone Pot Bibimbap. Relish the sizzle as the heat toasts the bed of rice! Tsssssss~ 😍 #yum #koreanfood #instafood #veggies #vegetables #healthy #korea (at Korean Secret Garden Restaurant)

[koreainbrief]

[asiasociety]

Photo of the Day: Draped in Fiery Colors in South Korea

Dancers dressed in vibrant costumes perform at the Closing Ceremony of 6th CISM World Games in Mungyeong-Si, South Korea on October 11, 2015. (Ministério da Defesa/Flickr)

Want to see your images in our Photo of the Day posts? Use Flickr and tag your photos “asiasociety” or simply email your best shots from Asia to [email protected]. Be sure to include where and when the photo was taken. We look forward to seeing — and publishing — your submissions!