Stormlizard's photos

She was less than a metre away looking at me in my bedroom; Photographed on 04 17 2016 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera and Tamron Tele Macro Lens. Full Auto

Photographed from office window with the light.; Photographed on 04 14 2016 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera and Tamron Tele Macro Lens. Full Auto.

Photographed on 04 13 2016 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera and Tamron Tele Macro Lens. Full Auto. .

Photographed on 04 08 2016 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera and Tamron Tele Macro Lens. Full Auto. Crop. youtu.be/5vye_tNZYL8

Photographed in 1983 Using Canon AF35 Fully automatic roll film camera coverted to Digital jpg format by Agfa laboritories Sweden.

Photographed 10 29 2008, using Canon Digital IXUS 400. Hiroshima Castle, sometimes called Carp Castle was a castle in Hiroshima, Japan which was the home of the daimyō (feudal lord) of the Hiroshima Han (fief). The castle was constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing on 6 August 1945. It was rebuilt in 1958, a replica of the original which now serves as a museum of Hiroshima's history prior to World War II. History. Mōri Terumoto, one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s council of Five Elders, established Hiroshima castle in 1589 at the delta of the Otagawa river. There was no Hiroshima city or town at the time, and the area was called Gokamura, meaning 'five villages.' Beginning in 1591, Mōri governed nine provinces from this castle, including much of what is now Shimane, Yamaguchi, Tottori, Okayama and Hiroshima Prefectures. When construction on the castle began, Gokamura was renamed Hiroshima, as a more impressive name was called for. "Hiro" was taken from Ōe no Hiromoto, an ancestor of the Mōri family, and "Shima" was taken from Fukushima Motonaga, who helped Mōri Terumoto choose the castle site. Some accounts state that the name 'Hiroshima', meaning literally 'wide island' comes from the existence of several large islands in the delta of the Otagawa, near the castle's site. Following the battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Mōri was forced out of the castle, retreating to Hagi in today's Yamaguchi prefecture, Fukushima Masanori became the lord of Aki and Bingo provinces (which today comprise Hiroshima prefecture) and of Hiroshima castle. However, the new Tokugawa shogunate forbade any castle construction without permission from Edo, this was part of how the shogunate kept the daimyō from gaining power and overthrowing the shogunate. When Fukushima repaired the castle following a flood in 1619, he was dispatched to Kawanakajima in today's Nagano prefecture, Asano Nagaakira then became lord of the castle. From 1619 until the abolition of the feudal system during the Meiji Restoration (1869), the Asano family were lords of Aki and Bingo provinces. After the Meiji Restoration, the castle came to serve as a military facility, and the Imperial General Headquarters was based there during the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894–1895. The foundations of several of the GHQ outbuildings, just a few hundred paces from the castle's main tower, remain today. During the final months of World War II, the castle served as the headquarters of the 2nd General Army and Fifth Division to deter the projected Allied invasion of the Japanese mainland, thus making a castle, along with other military and industrial facilities in the city, a legitimate military target. As a result, it was destroyed in the atomic bomb blast of August 6, 1945, and for many years, it was believed the castle structure was blown away by the explosion that destroyed Hiroshima, but newly discovered evidence suggests the explosion only destroyed the lower pillars of the castle, and the rest of it collapsed as a result. The present tower, constructed largely of concrete, was completed in 1958. John.

Photographed on 03 22 2016 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera and Tamron Tele Macro Lens. Full Auto. Text added today, file saved with current name.

Photographed on 03 25 2016 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera and Tamron Tele Macro Lens. Full Auto.

Kibutsu Shrine was my first port of call in Okayama, a City I had not previously visited. I used a Taxi from my hotel to the car parking area below the Shrine adjacent to the stairway entrance. I saw and photographed what I though sufficient and returned to the car park where I noticed a signboard complete with a map of the area but no telephone number for a taxi. A family of three, husband wife and daughter had followed me, they were also looking at the map so I asked if they knew a number for a Taxi, at this point they offered friendship in a manner unusual to their culture, first we would take lunch then they would drive me to another shrine ‘Kibitsu Hiko Shrine’ followed by a visit to Kokobun-ji an important Temple. At the end of our day together I was dropped of at a JR rail station, so that I could link to the Shinkansen back to Himeji, they would use the Motorway to Kyoto. Kibitsu Jinga (Shrine) is a Shinto shrine in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The Honden-Haiden is a National Treasure and the sole exemplar of the kibitsu-zukuri style of architecture, although the Soshidō of Hokekyō-ji is now believed to have been modeled thereon. The special feature being that it is a seven bay structure with eight upright support pillars. The most common or normal Shrines are 3 Bay. History Kibitsu Shrine was the chief Shinto shrine (Ichinomiya) of Bitchū Province. The enshrined kami is Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto, who was the son of legendary Emperor Korei of the Kibu Kingdom. The shrine was one of 23 sanctuaries in the mid-range of ranked Imperial shrines or Kanpei-chūsha. Haiden (Shinto) In Shinto shrine architecture, the haiden is the hall of worship or oratory. It is generally placed in front of the shrine's main sanctuary (honden) and often built on a larger scale than the latter. The haiden is often connected to the honden by a heiden, or hall of offerings. While the honden is the place for the enshrined kami and off-limits to the general public, the haiden provides a space for ceremonies and for worshiping the kami. In some cases, for example at Nara’s Ōmiwa Shrine, the honden can be missing and be replaced by a patch of sacred ground. In that case, the haiden is the most important building of the complex. John. Photographed on 10 28 2008 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera.

Taken 10 09 2006 using Canon PowerShot A710 IS Digital Camera. The Sakitsu Catholic Church1933 Under the Edo-era government, the oppression of Christianity and the perUnder the Edo-era government, the oppression of Christianity and the persecution of Christians became increasingly severe. With the Meiji Era, however, freedom of religion was officially recognized and Christians of Hidden Faith began to reveal themselves. Today, the churches of Oe and Sakitsu are cherished as symbols of spirituality and fortitude. The Oe Catholic Church is a Romanesque style building constructed in 1933 on top of a small hill by a French missionary and his followers. At the bottom of the hill is the Amakusa Rosario Museum which exhibits items related to the hidden Christians during the Edo Period when Christianity was banned.

Taken 10 09 2006 using Canon PowerShot A710 IS Digital Camera. The Oe Catholic Church1933 Under the Edo-era government, the oppression of Christianity and the perUnder the Edo-era government, the oppression of Christianity and the persecution of Christians became increasingly severe. With the Meiji Era, however, freedom of religion was officially recognized and Christians of Hidden Faith began to reveal themselves. Today, the churches of Oe and Sakitsu are cherished as symbols of spirituality and fortitude. The Oe Catholic Church is a Romanesque style building constructed in 1933 on top of a small hill by a French missionary and his followers. At the bottom of the hill is the Amakusa Rosario Museum which exhibits items related to the hidden Christians during the Edo Period when Christianity was banned.

Narita-san "Narita mountain") Shinshō-ji "New victory temple") is a Shingon Buddhist temple located in central Narita, Chiba, Japan It was founded in 940 by Kanchō Daisōjō, a disciple of Kōbō Daishi. It is a lead temple in the Chisan branch (Chisan-ha) of New Shingon (Shingi Shingon includes a large complex of buildings and grounds, and is one of the best-known temples in the Kantō region. It is dedicated to Ācala (Japanese: Fudō myōō ("Unmovable Wisdom King")) who is usually depicted holding a sword and rope and surrounded by flames. Often called a fire god, he is associated with fire rituals. The temple was established in 940 to commemorate the victory of the forces dispatched from the Heian capital to suppress a revolt by the powerful Kantō region samurai, Taira no Masakado. The Shingon priest Kanchō accompanied the force, bringing with him an image of Acala from the Gomadō (Fire Offering Hall) of Takao-san Jingo-ji in Kyōtō. Shingon founder Kōbō Daishi himself was said to have carved the image and used it in Goma sacred fire rituals that helped stop a rebellion during his era. The rebellion in 940 also came to an end just as Kanchō completed a three-week Goma ritual with the same image. According to legend, the image of Acala became too heavy after the victory to move back to its home base, so a new temple on Narita-san, named Shinsho-ji (New Victory Temple), was built to enshrine it on the spot. The temple maintains that the original image is enshrined in the Main Hall, where it is displayed on special occasions, but art historians date the current image to no earlier than the 13th century. Photographed on 10 30 2009 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera Full Auto.

Okayama Castle is a Japanese castle in the city of Okayama in Okayama Prefecture in Japan. The main tower was completed in 1597, destroyed in 1945 and replicated in concrete in 1966. Two of the watch towers survived the bombing of 1945 and are now listed by the national Agency for Cultural Affairs as Important Cultural Properties. In stark contrast to the white "Egret Castle” of neighbouring Himeji. Okayama Castle has a black exterior, earning it the nickname Crow. (The black castle of Matsumoto in Nagano is also known as "Crow Castle", but it is karasu-jō in Japanese.). Today, only a few parts of Okayama Castle's roof (including the fish-shaped-gargoyles are gilded in gold, but prior to the Battle of Sekigahara the main keep also featured gilded roof tiles, earning it the nickname Golden Crow Castle. History Construction of Okayama Castle was started in 1573 by Ukita Naoie and completed by his son Hideie in 1597. Three years later, Hideie sided with the ill-fated Toyotomi Clan at the Battle of Sekigahara, was captured by the Tokugawa Clan and exiled to the island prison of Hachijo. The castle and surrounding fiefdoms were given to Kobayakawa Hideaki as spoils of war. Kobayakawa died just two years later without leaving an heir, and the castle (and fiefdom) was given to the Ikeda Clan, who later added Kōraku-en as a private garden. In 1869 the castle became the property of the Meiji government's Hyōbu-shō (Ministry of War), who saw the 'samurai' era castles as archaic and unnecessary. Like many other castles throughout Japan, the outer moats were filled in and the old castle walls gradually disappeared underneath the city. On June 29, 1945, allied bombers burnt the castle to the ground. Reconstruction work began in 1964 and was completed in 1966. In 1996 the rooftop gargoyles were gilded as part of the 400th anniversary celebrations. The reconstructed castle is a concrete building complete with air-conditioning, elevators and numerous displays documenting the castle's history (with a heavy focus on the Ikeda era.) Little information is available in English. Access to the inner sanctuary is free. Photographed with Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital camera.

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is the most important Shinto shrine in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is at the geographical and cultural center of the city of Kamakura, which has largely grown around it and its 1.8 km approach. It is the venue of many of its most important festivals, and hosts two museums. Tsurugaoka Hachimangū was for most of its history not only a Hachiman shrine, but also a Tendai Buddhist temple, a fact which explains its general layout, typical of Japanese Buddhist architecture At the left of its great stone stairway stood a 1000-year-old ginkgo tree, which was uprooted by a storm in the early hours of March 10, 2010. The shrine is an Important Cultural Property History. This shrine was originally built in 1063 as a branch of Iwashimizu Shrine in Zaimokuza where tiny Moto Hachiman now stands and dedicated to the Emperor Ōjin, (deified with the name Hachiman, tutelary kami of warriors), his mother Empress Jingu and his wife Hime-gami. Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, moved it to its present location in 1191 and invited Hachiman to reside in the new location to protect his government. Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera Full Auto. 10 07 2008

Ikuta Shrine (Ikuta-jinja) is a Shinto shrine in the Chūō Ward of Kobe, Japan, and is possibly among the oldest shrines in the country. According to Nihon Shoki, it was founded by the Empress Jingū at the beginning of the 3rd century AD to enshrine the kami Wakahirume. It was one of three shrines established at this time; the others are Hirota Shrine, dedicated to Amaterasu, and Nagata Shrine, dedicated to Kotoshiro-nushi (also known as Ebisu). During the Genpei War, parts of the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani took place in and around this shrine, and are commemorated by markers in the Ikuta forest behind the shrine. The shrine's land was much larger back then, before the city of Kobe was built around it. Thus, the precise locations of skirmishes or events can no longer be commemorated on shrine land. Photographed 10-24-2006 using; Canon PowerShot A 710 IS Digital Camera.

Photographed on 03 05 2016 using; Canon EOS 400D SLR Digital Camera and Tamron Tele Macro Lens. Full Auto. Crop.

Photographed 10 16 2008 using; Canon PowerShot A 710 IS Digital camera

Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and extremely well fortified castle. The castle keep is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. Kumamoto Castle is considered one of the three premier castles in Japan, along with Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle. Thirteen structures in the castle complex are designated Important Cultural Property Kumamoto Castle's history dates to 1467, when fortifications were established by Ideta Hidenobu. In 1496, these fortifications were expanded by Kanokogi Chikakazu. In 1588, Katō Kiyomasa was transferred to the early incarnation of Kumamoto Castle. From 1601 to 1607, Kiyomasa greatly expanded the castle, transforming it into a castle complex with 49 turrets 18 turret gates, and 29 smaller gates. The smaller castle tower, built sometime after the keep, had several facilities including a well and kitchen. In 1610, the Honmaru Goten Palace was completed. The castle complex measures roughly 1.6 km (0.99 mi) from east to west, and measures 1.2 km (0.75 mi) from north to south. The castle keep is 30.3 m (99.4 ft) tall. The castle was besieged in 1877 during the Satsuma Rebellion, and the castle keep and other parts were burned down. 13 of the buildings in the castle complex were undamaged, and have been designated Important Cultural Properties. In 1960, the castle keep was reconstructed using concrete. From 1998 to 2008, the castle complex underwent restoration work, during which most of the 17th century structures were rebuilt. Photographed 10 09 2006 using my; Canon PowerShot A710 IS Digital camera.