January 02, 2014

Poseidon of the East (prologue)

Hourai (蓬莱) is one of three legendary mountains in Chinese folklore. It is also an ancient name for Taiwan, though here it refers to Japan. On Mt. Hourai,

There is no pain and no winter; there are rice bowls and wine glasses that never become empty no matter how much people eat or drink from them; and there are magical fruits growing in [Hourai] that can heal any disease, grant eternal youth, and even raise the dead.

In Shinto mythology, Tokoyo (常世) is "a utopian place far beyond the sea."

Of the devastation Kyoto experienced during the Onin War (1467-1477), Wikipedia notes that it took a full century for the city to recover:

[Kyoto] has not seen such widespread destruction since, being spared the strategic bombing of Japanese cities during World War II. In Kyoto, pre-war refers to the Onin War rather than World War II.

Mt. Kinugasa is a prominent hill in the center of present-day Kyoto Prefecture.

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