「踊り子熊野」 by 柿野なしこ | Twitter

๑ Permission to reprint was given by the artist ✔.

椰奶水麻薯 

A pamphlet from Hana no Iwaya Jinja Shrine (花窟神社) in Kumano City, Mie Prefecture, referenced in the “Chronicles of Japan” (日本書紀) (compiled in 720) as the burial tomb of the progenitor goddess Izanami no Mikoto (伊邪那美命) after her demise giving birth to the fire deity, with the pamphlet featuring a shot of the front entrance of the shrine along with a waka poem by Motoori Norinaga (本居宣長) (1730-1801) which can be translated as:

Down in Kii Province, A sacred rope drawn across The flowery cave For long ages without end, A small town divine wonder

Acquired at the shrine April 2, 1995

Shelterbelt, Arima, Mie, 2023 防砂林, 有馬, 三重, 2023

れんず

Kumano, Mie, Japan

Hung Li

I am preparing my first Kickstarter!

Kazan became emperor in AD 984, at the age of 17. He was coerced into abdicating the throne at 19. He then took religious vows and became an itinerant monk until his early death.

This much, according to historical texts, is true.

What happened next is yours to discover.

In Only The Dead Face North, humans and yōkai race to find a lost imperial treasure, believed to have been hidden by Kazan along the Kumano Road pilgrimage route. Stakes are high as they compete not only for the inestimable value of the cache itself, but for the prestige of its discovery and its delivery to the politically-charged court of the shōgun.

This is a novel and a corresponding TTRPG adventure, moving through the same story from different perspectives. Novel and game function independently, so readers and players can enjoy each as a standalone or together for a fuller tale.

While remaining mostly true to known history, the Kitsune Tales are fantasy. The stories currently average 4.4 stars in reviews on Amazon. They are written by a nerd; you may have heard my educational talks on Japanese history or folklore at a con, library seminar, or other event! I had the opportunity to hike my own pilgrimage on the Kumano Kodō in late 2022, and that experience inspired the development of this story and setting. As an enthusiastic history nerd and fantasy author, I love to incorporate real world detail when I can to add depth to fictional realms.

Please follow the project or share with a friend who might like it, and thank you for supporting indie creators!

「熊野とナイトプール」 by 柿野なしこ | Twitter

๑ Permission to reprint was given by the artist ✔.

KUMANO Day2

👣 Hosshinmon oji - Hongu taisha

the second day of kumano, i started to walk from hossinmon oji to hongu-taisha. because of my condition (especially joint pain), i needed a lot of times, for 4.5hrs, to walk this just 7km. so there was no time left to visit oyunohara (tha last point of this way) and i took a return bus. it means that i couldn't made it (dual pilgrim) this time. so i'll make it next time.

my knee hurt during walking on downhill & down stairs and i thought it was not time to try this kind of activity…this made me depressed because i want to walk camino again (next will be portugues way), but i also decided "i'm gonna be ok. everything is going to be fine."

for the last few monthes, i cared for the symptoms of rheumatism and did the best to cure it, so now i feel like it depends on my thought ? or fellings ? something like that…humm it's not so easy…

☞ see below for the diary in japanese & more photos.

叁伞 / SANSanSS10 

One of a group of Dancing Princesses (舞姫 “Maihime”), young shrine maidens performing rites at the autumn Otsunakake Shinji Rite (御縄掛け神事) at Hana no Iwaya Shrine (花窟神社) in Kumano City, Mie Prefecture

Photo byくまどこ [Kumadoko] on October 2, 2017

Shelterbelt, Arima, Mie, 2023 防砂林, 有馬, 三重, 2023