Kagura

Kagura (神楽, かぐら, "god-entertainment") is a Japanese word referring to a specific type of Shinto theatrical dance—with roots arguably predating those of Noh. Once strictly a ceremonial art derived from kami'gakari (神懸, かみがかり, "oracular divination") and chinkon (鎮魂, ちんこん, "spirit pacification"), Kagura has evolved in many directions over the span of more than a millennium. Today it is very much a living tradition, with rituals tied to the rhythms of the agricultural calendar, as well as vibrant Kabuki-esque theatre, thriving primarily in parts of Shimane prefecture, and urban centers such as Hiroshima.

History

The epics Kojiki and Nihonshoki describe a folklore origin for the dances. In these texts, there is a famous legendary tale about the sun goddess Amaterasu, who retreated into a cave, bringing darkness and cold to the world. Ame-no-Uzume, kami/goddess of the dawn and of revelry, led the other gods in a wild dance, and persuaded Amaterasu to emerge to see what the ruckus was all about.Kagura is one of a number of rituals and arts said to derive from this event.

List of Azumanga Daioh characters

This is a list of characters from the manga series Azumanga Daioh by Kiyohiko Azuma, later adapted to anime.

The main cast consists of six schoolgirls and two teachers, along with a few secondary characters, the latter including Kimura-sensei, a male teacher with an obsession with teenage girls, and Kaorin, a classmate with a crush on Sakaki.

Four of the girls were included in Newtype Magazine's top 100 anime heroines of 2002: Osaka was awarded 7th, Chiyo 11th, Sakaki 21st, and Yomi 78th. Together they made Azumanga Daioh the 2nd most popular series of 2002 for female characters.

Major characters

Students

The students have a variety of different personalities.

Chiyo Mihama

List of Inuyasha characters

The Inuyasha manga and anime characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi. Most of the series takes place in a fictional version of Japan's Warring States period with occasional time-travel/flashback elements to modern Tokyo or the Heisei period. The setting and plot incorporate many elements of traditional Japanese folklore and religion; its main characters (both protagonists and antagonists) include a Shintō priestess, a Buddhist monk and several types of yōkai (usually rendered as "demon" in English-language translations of the series).

The story begins with Kagome Higurashi, who, after being pulled down a well by a demon, finds herself in the Warring States period of feudal Japan, where she learns that a powerful jewel known as the Shikon Jewel has been reborn inside her body. After the jewel shatters in an attempt to retrieve it from one of the many demons who are after its power, Kagome joins forces with the half-demon Inuyasha—also after the jewel's power—to track down the Shikon shards before the demon lord, Naraku uses it.