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Sakura petals - The Monks

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Kanazawa, in the "Japanese Alps" in central Honshu escaped the World War II bombing, and its old architecture is preserved intact. "Sakura Petals - The Monks" takes us through the "Samurai District" of Kanazawa, including a number of old shops, houses, gardens and courtyards. We are shown a temple dedicated to the Ninja - warriors who were the ancient Japanese equivalent to the CIA. The Ninja specialized in spying and stealth, and acted as bodyguards to the Shoguns. After Kanazawa, the film shifts to Takayama, a city with the famous "Takayama Matsuri" - a festival consisting of a parade of floats. In old Japan, wealthy merchants and tradespeople were prohibited from using their wealth to advance their social standing, so they sometimes channeled it into ostentatious public displays. This film shows some of the floats, and some borrowed footage of the actual festival. Also presented is Nikko-Kan, a 1:10 scale model of Nikko shrine. The film then shifts to the Shingon temple complex on Mt. Koya.

Kukai, founder of the Japanese Shingon tradition, established his temple base on Mt. Koya back in the 9th century because in ancient times, the sect was not accepted in the capital city of Kyoto. Kukai invented Hiragana Script, a phonetic script and one four different alphabets used to represent the Japanese language. Kukai had a vision of the eight peaks surrounding Mt. Koya as lotus petals, and the film includes footage of the peaks. In the Shingon tradition, the entire island of Shikoku is considered a giant mandala. The temple complex includes the largest rock garden in Japan, with 1,500 tons of rock and imported sand. At one point, we hear - but do not see - monks chanting the Prajnaparamita Sutra, a sutra employed in Zen and Shingon alike.

"Sakura Petals - The Monks" is accompanied by a low key voice-over historical arrative. There is no gabby tour guide standing at the center of the scene. This is a low-budget tourist film, and includes shots of local food and local street scenes. Like the other Flying Monk films, it is a good film for anyone planning a trip to Asia or simply interested in studying the history of Buddhism in Japan.