Ken@Japan

St. John’s Co-Cathedral is a Catholic church located in Valletta, Malta’s capital city, and was established from 1573 to 1578 AD by knights of Malta who saved the nation from Turkish attempt of invasion. The establishment was started immediately after Siege of Malta in 1565, known as “one of the bloodiest and most fiercely contested in history” that knights of Malta guarded Malta from the Ottoman Empire’s invasion. Therefore, like the city itself, the cathedral looks a fortress.   The limestone-made exterior looks plain and modest as it doesn't have many decorations, but once you go inside, your eyes will open wide; you’ll be hooked on the sumptuous interior decorations. You’ll be surrounded by golden columns with sculptures of angels, saints and other Christianity-related objects. Fresco pictures on the ceiling and the floor are also an eye-opening decoration, too. The difference between its external and internal is quite impressive. In the main chapel...

Mt. Miwa is a mountain located in Sakurai city, Nara, of which height is 460.7 meter. The mountain is a divine object of a Shinto shrine called Omiwa Jinja located at the foot of the mountain. In Japanese Shintoism religion, a mountain is considered the place where divine beings exist and among the mountains, a special name “Kan-nabi” is given to special divine mountains in which the origin is described in the mythological legends and/or records. The “Kan-nabi” mountains have attracted worships from Japanese people and Mt. Miwa is one of them. Omiwa Jinja is a place appointed to commence its daily religious service to the mountain. In the legend about the origin of Mt. Miwa’s divinity, the divine founder of Japan called Oo-kuni-nushi, usually enshrined in Izumo Shrine, met his other spirit who came far from the ocean during his development work for Japan, and he decided to enshrine the spirit at Mt. Miwa (You can refer to my previous article for further explanation on divinities’ ...

Malta is an independent nation located in the south from Italy and in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Its formal name is Republic of Malta and its politics is run by the parliament under the presidency. People speak in their local language called Maltese but English is also their official language as the country belongs to Commonwealth of Nations since it used to be a British territory. In addition, since the country is near from Italy, Italian is widely used in most cases. The nation is comprised of three islands; Malta, Gozo and Comino. Since the whole square measure is very small, the nation is considered as a microstate; a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area typified by Vatican, Singapore and so forth. In 2004, Malta joined European Union (EU), so the currency in use is Euro today. The EU flag is displayed in official buildings in Malta with the nation’s flag made in red and white with a cross symbol of St. George. Malta s...

When you walk around Vatican, you will see men with a fascinating costume. They are wearing a yellow-blue-red outfit with a black beret, and in most cases they are holding a spear. They are the Swiss Guard. In 1505, Pope Julius II asked to send him mercenaries to protect his church. The summoned troop from countries like France and Swiss gathered in Vatican and joined a force to fight pope’s enemies. In 16 th   century, a riot occurred in Rome and mercenaries from Swiss in particular risked their lives to protect the Pope. Some died but the Pope was saved. After the incident, Julius II thanked the Swiss troop for saving his life and since then, the Roman Pope kept hiring knights from Swiss. This is the origin of the Swiss Guard. Their duty is to guard the Pope and papal residence. When you are in Vatican, you can see them at the border gates between Vatican and Rome. In most cases, they are on duty so we should refrain from distracting them since wearing the costume, which h...

Vatican is the smallest independent nation in the world. It is located within Rome, Italy and their land is demarcated by the wall; Vatican is a walled city. Needless to say, the country is the headquarters of the whole catholic churches in the world and one of the Christianity’s most sacred places. Politically, it is run by the pope; the vicar of Christ, and the majority of the country’s 800 people attend to the church’s service; priests, cardinals. Vatican’s official story tells us that St. Peter’s basilica, the large cathedral in the nation, was built right on St. Peter’s tomb. St. Peter, one of Jesus’ twelve students, was crucified upside down on Vatican Hill by a mandate from the Roman emperor of the time; Nero. Before his execution, St. Peter left a message; Upon this rock, I will build my church. The Roman Catholic Church considers St. Peter the first pope, and the basilica was built upon the crucified place on Vatican Hill hundred years later. An archaeological researc...