#banyan tree

[zegalba]

Banyan tree roots in Hong Kong

#banyan tree #roots #nature #hong kong #china

[thistransient]

榕樹 holding it down for everyone

#榕樹 #banyan tree #macau #澳門 #macao #榕樹 of the day

[mothmiso]

Okinawa (2) (3) by satoru kobayashi

Via Flickr:

(1) Ishigaki island     

#coastal #island #road curving #landscape #flowers #hibiscus #complicated tree #banyan tree #japan #okinawa

[yoga-onion]

[Photo above: Banyan tree in Shuri Castle Park]

Legends and myths about trees

Forest spirits and natives (5)

Kijimuna – Mischievous red-haired spectres

Kijimuna are legendary small tree spirits from the Okinawa Islands in Japan, who live in trees (generally old banyan trees). They are said to look about 3 or 4 years old and have red hair.

Another name for the kijimuna is bungaya, which means roughly large-headed. The Kijimuna are known to be very mischievous, playing pranks and tricking humans. One of their best-known tricks is to lie upon a person's chest, making them unable to move or breathe such as sleep paralysis. Even though the Kijimuna are tricksters, they have been known to make friends with humans.

They are skilled fish catchers and only eat the left or both eyes of the fish they catch. Therefore, if you become friends with a Kijimuna, you can always get a fish and become rich. They are good at diving and fishing and catch a lot of fish in seconds. But all the fish they catch have no eyes. They can also run around on the water surface and can stand on the water while carrying people.

They are extremely hatred of hot pot lids, octopus, chickens and human farts, and it is forbidden to let them near the Kijimuna. They also die (or are forced to move to another tree), if a nail is driven into the tree in which they live. They will take terrible retribution, including murder, against anyone who breaks these prohibitions.

Nevertheless, as long as one do not break these prohibitions, they are basically harmless to humans, and many lores say that they are "good neighbours" with humans.

[History of Ryukyu Islands (collective name for Amami Islands, Okinawa Islands, Miyako Archipelago and Yaeyama Archipelago)]

The Ryukyu Islands are known to have been inhabited by humans for about 32,000 years.

The Ryukyu Kingdom was a monarchy, existed in the southwestern islands of Japan for about 450 years, from 15th century to 19th century. It developed through diplomacy and trade with China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asian countries, and the castle of the Ryukyu dynasty, Shuri Castle, was the political, economic and cultural centre of its maritime kingdom. In the late 19th century, the Japanese Government, dispatched troops to oust King Shoutai from Shuri Castle and proclaimed the establishment of Okinawa Prefecture (Ryukyu Disposition). Here, the Ryukyu Kingdom was destroyed.

Genetic studies have shown that populations in the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa Islands, Miyako Archipelago and Yaeyama Archipelago) have no direct genetic link to mainland China or Taiwanese populations and have identical paternal lines to mainland Japan, and nuclear DNA analysis in 2018 showed that genetically, Ryukyuans are the most closely related, followed by mainland Japanese, from the Ainu (Ref) perspective.

Furthermore, in 2021, a paper on archaeogenetics published in the journal Nature stated that DNA analysis of prehistoric human bones excavated from the Nagabaka (lit. Long graveyard) site in Miyakojima City showed that they were "100% pure Jomon", a research finding that indicates that prehistoric archipelago people came from the Okinawa Islands.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

森の精霊たちと原住民 (5)

キジムナー 〜 いたずら好きな赤毛の妖怪たち

キジムナーは、日本の沖縄諸島に伝わる伝説の小さな木の精霊で、樹木 (一般的にはガジュマルの老木) の中に住んでいる。見た目は3、4歳くらいで、赤い髪をしていると言われている。

キジムナーの別名は「ブンガヤ」であり、「頭の大きい」という意味である。キジムナーは非常にいたずら好きで、いたずらをして人間をだますことで知られている。最もよく知られているのは、人の胸の上に横たわり、身動きや呼吸をできなくさせる「金縛り」だ。そんなキジムナーだが、人間と仲良くなることもある。

魚捕りが巧みであり、しかも捕った魚の左目または両目だけしか食べない。その為、キジムナーと仲良くなれば魚をいつでも貰え、漁運に恵まれる。海に潜って漁をするのが得意であっという間に多くの魚を獲る。でも、彼らが獲った魚は全部目が無い。また、水面を駆け回ることができ、人を連れながらでも水上に立てる。

熱い鍋蓋、タコ、ニワトリ、人間のおならを極端に嫌い、それらのものをキジムナーに近付けるのは禁忌である。また住んでいる木に釘を打たれると死ぬ (或いは別の木への転居を余儀なくされるとも)。これらの禁忌を破った人間に対しては、殺害を含む恐ろしい報復を為す事も辞さない。

然し、禁忌さえ破らなければ基本的に人間には無害な存在であり、人間とは「良き隣人」であると言う伝承が多い。

[琉球諸島 (奄美群島、沖縄諸島、宮古列島、八重山列島の総称) の歴史］

琉球諸島には、約3万2千年前から人類が住んでいたことがわかっている。

15世紀から19世紀までの約450年間、日本の南西諸島に存在した君主制国家、琉球王国は、中国をはじめ日本、朝鮮、東南アジア諸国との外交・貿易を通して発展し、琉球王朝の王城、首里城はその海洋王国の政治・経済・文化の中心にあった。しかし、19世紀後半、日本政府が軍隊を派遣し首里城から国王尚泰 (しょうたい) を追放し沖縄県の設置を宣言した(琉球処分)。これによって、琉球王国は滅亡した。

遺伝子研究では、琉球列島 (沖縄諸島、宮古列島、八重山列島) の集団は、遺伝的に中国本土や台湾の集団との直接的なつながりはなく、日本本土と同一の父系を持つという研究結果や、2018年の核DNA分析から遺伝的に、アイヌ（参照）から見て琉球人が最も近縁であり、次いで日本本土人が近縁であるという研究結果が発表されている。

さらに、2021年には、宮古島市の長墓遺跡から出土した先史時代の人骨をDNA分析した結果、「100％純粋な縄文人」であったとする考古遺伝学の論文が雑誌「ネイチャー」に掲載され、先史時代の列島人が沖縄諸島から来たことを示す研究結果が発表されている。

#trees #tree legend #tree myth #kijimuna #banyan tree #tree spirit #okinawa #ryukyu islands #ryukyu kingdom #syuri castle #legend #mythology #folklore #nature #art #history

[journeytothewestresearch]

Tree reference #2

I saw this tree in the Central Culture Park (中央藝文公園) of Taipei, Taiwan.

#tree #trees #art reference #asian fantasy #fantasy #tree reference #banyan tree

[darthginger-5]

TLOK Core: Beifong Edition

Tophs is my favorite 😁

#avatar korra #the legend of korra #avatar the last airbender #legend of korra #tlok korra #toph beifong #lin beifong #suyin beifong #chief beifong #tlokcore #banyan tree

[wachinyeya]

#good news #nature #hawaii #maui #banyan tree #environmentalism #environment #conservation

[bajaarizonabooksart]

Good News!!

#maui fires #lahaina #banyan tree #good news

[zunda]

A bnyan tree in Lili'uokalani Gardens in Hilo, Hawaii.

#banyan tree

[themobilephotographypioneer]

Alien Nature

#alien #alienart #banyan tree #tree #honolulu #Hawaii #Oahu #treescape #nature #beautiful #unnaturally #crazy

[paulpingminho]

#banyan tree #swing #Sheraton Full Moon #Maldives #resort #vacation

[thistransient]

Been a while since there was a 榕樹 of the day

#banyan tree #榕樹 #榕樹 of the day #streets #graffiti #taipei #taiwan

[emperornorton47]

Banyan Tree Roots

#banyan tree #Roots #sepia #balboa park #san diego county #san diego #california #photo #digital #original photographers

[imagine-all-the-people]

The banyan tree in Lahaina, in Maui, Hawaii, United States, was planted on April 24, 1873, in Lahaina to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of first American Protestant mission. The banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) known in Hawaiian as paniana, located in the Courthouse Square, which was renamed Banyan Tree Park covering 1.94 acres, is not only the largest in the state but also in the United States.

The tree was a gift from missionaries in India. A mere 8 feet (2.4 m) when planted, it has grown to a height of about 60 feet (18 m) and has rooted into 16 major trunks, apart from the main trunk, with the canopy spread over an area of about 0.66 acres (0.27 ha).

I visited this tree in 2001 when I was in Maui. It has incredible energy… you just want to sit quiet with her and meditate. It’s a beautiful tree. ✨🌳

#things I love #places I love #Maui #banyan tree #cool stuff

[journeytothewestresearch]

Tree Reference #5

I saw this split Banyan tree with an arched entryway in the Flower-Mountain Park (Huashan gongyuan, 華山公園) of Taipei, Taiwan.

#trees #tree reference #asian fantasy #banyan tree #art reference

[frombehindthepen]

There's a Heartbeat in Lahaina, Still Standing, Still Strong 🌳

There's a Heartbeat in Lahaina, Still Standing, Still Strong 🌳 #Hope #Strength #Resilience #Nature

Image Credit: DebraJean, Pixabay Like a phoenix, she will rise from the ashes of despair and soar. When I saw a report about the sprouts of new life coming from the colossal, beloved 150-year-old banyan tree that was scorched last month in Lahaina, Maui from the massive and deadly wildfires, I cried. My heart was overjoyed and deep down I knew that what the aftermath looked like isn’t always…

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#Banyan Tree #Encouragement #hope #Lahaina #Life #Maui #Nature #Poetry Community #Tree of Life