WORD OF THE DAY! 9/22/13!

Today is gonna be a special Word of the Day. Today, childrens, we're gonna learn how to count to ten in Japanese. Let's start by counting to ten in kanji, then in English and then phonetically!

ー、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十！

Ichi, Ni, San, Yon, Go, Roku, Nana, Hachi, Kyuu, Juu!

1. "eechee",  2. "nee", 3. "sahn", 4. "yahn", 5. "goh", 6. "rohkoo", 7. "nahnah", 8. "hachee", 9. "kyoo", 10. "jyoo"!

Let's review:

Pictured at the top of the screen are the bijuu. They are the nine-tailed beasts from the Naruto series created by the Sage of the Six Paths when he defeated a beast called the "十尾” or "juubi". All of the tailed beasts have tails or, in Japanese, "尾" or "bi" (pronounced "bee") means tail.

Shukaku looks like a tanuki. Like Tom Nook from Animal Crossing. Pay your debts, children!

Shukaku is the ichibi/一尾. Shukaku has one tail. Ichibi means "one tail". "Ichi"/"一" means "one"!

Matatabi looks like a cat, especially a Japanese mythical cat with two-tails called the bakeneko. Good cat. Pretty cat.

Matatabi is the nibi/二尾. Matatabi has two tails. Nibi means "two tails". "Ni"/"二" means "two"!

Isobu looks like turtle-mullusc abomination. Poor Isobu. Nobody invites him to parties. But that's okay. Because he is a sea-monster and sea-monsters do not make good party guests. Poor Kraken.

Isobu is the sanbi/三尾. Isobu has three tails. Sanbi means "three tails". "San"/"三" means "three"!

Son Goku looks like a gorilla with horns and four tails. He breaths fire- FIRE BURNS! AUGH! FRANKENSTEIN! NO LIKE FIRE! FIRE BAD!

Son Goku is the yonbi/四尾. Son Goku has four tails. Yonbi means "four tails". "Yon"/"四" means "four"!

Kokuo looks like a horse. Pet me horse! Pet me horse! Pet me horse! Not that horse!

Kokuo is the gobi/五尾. Kokuo has five tails. Gobi means "five tails". "Go"/"五" means "five"!

 

Saiken is a giant slug. Don't put salt on slugs or they will drivel up and die. Nature is both gross and cruel.

Saiken is the rokubi/六尾. Saiken has six tails. Rokubi means "six tails". "Roku"/"六" means "six"!

Chomei resembles a "kabutomushi" or rhinoceros beetle. Rhinoceros beetles are not very funny. Did you know rhinoceros's cannot go backwards? They're also said to hate fire so much that they stamp them out if theu see one. Watch out Son Goku!

Chomei is the nanabi/七尾. Chomei has seven tails. Nanabi means "seven tails". "Nana"/"七" means "seven"!

Gyuuki is based on the "ushi-oni", a type of Japanese demon that resembled a sea creature but has a cow's head. He resembles an octopus with a cow's head. He is not a squid. Octopus have eight tentacles, but squids onlyu have six. Japanese people are weird

Gyuuki is the hachibi/八尾. Gyuuki has eight tails. Hachibi means "eight tails". "Hachi"/"八" means "eight"!

Kurama is a nine-tailed fox. Like the tanuki, the nine-tailed fox or "kitsune", they are shape-shifting tricksters in Japanese folklore. Ninetails is also the name of a Pokémon. But you probably don't like Pokémon. It's for babies! I used to like Pokémon but, after overhearing some older kids, I've discovered that Pokémon is in fact "gay". I've never heard the term "gay" but I'm gonna use it for everything now.

Kurama is the kyuubi/九尾. Kurama has nine tails. Kyuubi means "nine tails". "Kyuu"/"九" means "nine!"

Shinjuu is mindless other worldly eldritch being of chaos and destruction. Cthulhu would be proud if he wasn't also a mindless eldritch being of chaos and destruction. CTHULHU CTHULHU!

Shinjuu is the juubi/十尾. Juubi has ten tails. Juubi means "ten tails". "Juu"/"十" means "ten".
And that's how you count to ten Japanese, children! Next week's lesson is on how to say "hotdog". "HOTTODOGGU!"

GO WATCH/READ NARUTO TODAY! OR PLAY THE AWESOME GAMES! THEY'RE AWESOME!

SOURCES: http://goriverde.deviantart.com/

WEEKLY ROUND-UP! 10/16- 10/22 2011

WEEKLY ROUND-UP:

Tanuki Week

A special thanks to Zach Stanifer.

7. MUSICAL MONDAY! CASTLEVANIA III: DRACULA'S CURSE by The Amazing BrandO

How much do I enjoy this song? I am listening to it right now. Castlevania is one of the most iconic and classic video game series for three reasons:

1. Gameplay.

2. Story.

3. THE MUSIC!

山八山

6. MIXED BAG! TABLETOP TALES #1 YAMA HACHIYAMA

This week's theme started with an A D & D game on Sunday led by my buddy Zach. I'm a huge tabletop gamer and I really enjoyed sharing this very short story about character creation.

5. WORD OF THE DAY! 10/16/11. Varirgate, Spectrum

Anything that gives me an opportunity to talk up Geoff Johns's revival of the Green Lantern Corps and the establishment of the Emotional Spectrum (and their relates corps) is a great thing.

4. WORD OF THE DAY! 10/21/11. Monkey wrench.

Got to stir up some Harry Potter fan discussion with this article and really enjoyed some of the conversations about the possible effects of time travel in the HP universe to just discussing fantasy time travel in general.

3. NERD CULTURE SMACKDOWN #6 WHO-LLOWEEN Pt.2

I really have been enjoying the theme of Doctor Who for this Halloween and if anyone has any suggestions for other great seasonal or monthly themes, feel free to suggest away. Last week we got to take a look at arguably the most terrifying Doctor Who monsters of all time.

2. SCI-FI FANTASY FRIDAY! ACTION SOCIETY #7 ARAMIL II

This chapter was a bit of a challenge as it involved portraying action, in this case a rather intense battle with a fearsome many legged monster, with all 5 of the protagonists of Rise of the White Spider. I hope the action doesn't come off as too confused and that readers enjoy their first foray into the Underwold.

1. WTF WEDNESDAY! 5 JAPAN #3 TANUKI

I have a feeling it always going to be a bit of a duke-out between WTF WEDNESDAY articles and SCI-FI FANTASY FRIDAY articles because both force me to express myself creatively into very diametrically opposed ways. On one hand, there is the silly humor and on the other more serious fantasy fiction. Regardless, this weeks article covered something I am particularly interested in, Japanese mythology and folklore. Enjoy.

WTF WEDNESDAY! 5 Japan #3

WTF WEDNESDAY PRESENTS

Fu fu fu...

TANUKI (狸）

 

Warning: Certain aspects Japanese folk culture can seem strange or even offensive to Western audiences. This is gonna be a strange article.

Before we begin, here are some useful definitions:

yokai [yoh-kai]

noun

1. a Japanese spirit, demon, or monster.

tanuki [tah-noo-kee]

noun

1. a Japanese raccoon dog.

2. a highly mischievous, jolly but somewhat gullible and absentminded creature of Japanese myth, that usually takes the form of a raccoon dog but is master of disguise and shape-shifting.

 COMPILATION OF POM POKO TRAILERS

Many Americans, at least those who owned Super Mario Bros. 3, have heard of the word tanuki and probably even used it. Mario in his "tanuki suit" is the most iconic image from the game. Yet, the costume's meaning is probably confusing to most Americans. To use Mario's tanuki suit you have to find a leaf, pick it up, and poof, you can hover with the use of the ring-tail. Some people call this the raccoon suit without knowing/considering two things; tanukis, though called raccoon dogs, are neither raccoons nor dogs and they can't fly. So why tanuki?

Look at these chubby, adorable bastards!

Somehow less adorable in Pom-Poko...

It is because tanuki are one of the most beloved creatures, or yokai, of Japanese mythology. They are Japan's match to the English Leprechaun. Tanuki are chubby, mischievous and jolly creatures who use their shape-shifting powers to trick humans. Luckily, they're more often mischievous than mean-spirited. There is one feature about tanuki that is far less palatable to the West. That would be the tanuki's kintama.

Holy s***! Look at those bullocks!

The kintama is actually are WTF subject of the week. The kintama are the tanuki's bullocks (or for those of your at home who don't know British expletives, kintama are their testicles). They are quite prominent on the real-life animal but on the mythical creature they take an even more bizarre size and use. Firstly, they represent good fortune, as kintama literally translates to "golden spheres," implying their worth. They're not only a symbol of good fortune but are practical.In fact, they are said to have literally fifty uses for the kintama. You can see some of these uses in traditional Japanese art.

Not only are they the tanuki's preferred weapon of choice but they can also be used for catching birds and fish.

Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking right now, "those kooky Japanese! With all their perversions and such!" Yet, you're not really being fair. This is not intended to be sexual. If anything, it is parody and humor. Furthermore, at the very least, it is very original and interesting. You may also believe tanuki are just for adults. You're dead wrong. Just to remind you that they're for kids and no different than say, unicorns, to our children....

Studio Ghibli, the same company that brought us My Friendly Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Spirited Away made a film in 1994 dedicated to the little creatures. It makes a lot of sense. Studio Ghibli's films commonly have a pro-nature message and the film is about a clan of tanuki trying to survive as human civilization is encroaching on their territory. The tanuki stand on the line between the human realm, due to their personalities and the animal realm, they are animals, and thus can serve the nature message as well as serving as an analogue for rural Japanese society. If you can get past the kintama, and believe me they use a lot of it in this movie, Pom Poko is a solid animated film.

Before we finish, let's look at the 8 Special Traits that tanuki believe bring good fortune. Interestingly enough, tanuki commonly carry items with the Japanese kanji (Japanese symbol) for the number 8 painted on the side.

8 Special Traits for Good Fortune

1. A hat to be ready to protect against trouble or bad weather.

2. Big eyes to perceive danger and help make good decisions.

3. A sake bottle that represents virtue and generosity.

4. A big tail that represents steadiness until success is achieved.

5. Big bullocks to symbolize financial luck.

6. A promissory note that represents trust or confidence.

7. A big belly that symbolizes bold and calm decisiveness.

8. A friendly smile.

And with that, I bid you sayonara.

TABLE TOP TALES #1 Yama Hachi Yama the Tanuki Warrior

MIXED BAG. TABLETOP TALES! #1 YAMA HACHIYAMA

TABLE TOP TALES #1

Yama Hachiyama

 

山八山

I love Dungeons and Dragons. I have been playing, more or less, once a week for over two years and I don't ever plan to stop playing. Most of the times I've played Dungeons and Dragons, I have been the Dungeon Master. For those who don't know, a Dungeon Master is the guy who is in charge of telling the story, determining what monsters and characters the other players come across and, in essence, is the god of the world the players explore. As an author, it gives me a chance to flex my creative muscles.

So, it is not that often, especially lately, that I have been able to play instead of DM. On Sunday, my friend Zach started a new Advance Dungeons and Dragons campaign with us set in an Asiatic setting, much like Edo Japan (think Inuyasha). I was skeptical, at first, because I thought that myself and the other two player characters would have to be human. Instead, I discovered a race called Hengeyokai.

Hengeyokai are animal spirits or demons that can switch between an animal form, a bipedal monstrous form and a human form. A Hengeyokai can be any kind of animal and I couldn't help myself but be drawn to the Japanese Raccoon Dog or Tanuki. I could go into a whole entire blog about tanuki because of just how weird and interesting Japanese folklore on the subject is. They are so interesting that Studio Ghibli made a film about them called Pom Poko.

I decided to be a Tanuki Hengeyokai bushi ("warrior") and went about making my character. One of the funnest parts of playing Dungeons and Dragons is making characters. My friends and I must have took about two or three hours coming up with the basics of who our characters are and were. I eventually came to mold my character piece by piece.

First, I started with an image in my head of a giant warrior that would tower over others and was basically a man-mountain. At first, he was only 6' tall but, by the end, he ended up 6'6'', in his human form, and weighs over 300 lbs. I made him a soft spoken, kind and gentle giant that walks softly and carries a big, big stick (Tetsubo- a type of Japanese mace). Then came the name, Yama Hachiyama. 

"山八山"

Being a simple creature, he named himself  Hachiyama (Eight Mountains) and his family name was simply Yama (Mountain). He came from the mountains and is as big a mountain. The name just fit. A simple but memorable name is one of the most important parts of creating a character, especially in a fantasy setting.

His companions are a Hare Hengeyokai Wujen (wizard) and a human Kensei (swordsman).By the end of our first session, Hachiyama had the biggest kill count, the human swordsman won two duels and the wizard leveled up to level 4. It was probably the most successful first session in my life!

I really enjoyed playing Yama Hachiyama and hopefully I can play him again soon.