Japan is allowing researchers to study 11 royal tombs — the graves of ancient emperors, sealed centuries ago — in a move that may shed light on the myth-shrouded origins of Japan's imperial family.
The secretive Imperial Household Agency has until now refused to let the public, and even scholars, enter the old tombs, saying the spirits of past emperors should not be disturbed. But after a petition by the Japanese Archaeological Association and other scholars in 2005, the government has agreed to grant them limited access to the graves, according to a report in the mass-circulation daily, Yomiuri Shimbun.
A small number of researchers will be allowed to enter only the outer fringes of the tombs, and will not be allowed to excavate, the Yomiuri said, citing the association.
PHOTO: AP
Archaeologists say inspecting the tombs could shed light on the origins of the country's imperial family, the world's oldest surviving line — a sensitive topic in Japan, where until 60 years ago the emperor was worshipped as the descendant of an ancient goddess.
The late Emperor Hirohito broke with that tradition by renouncing his divine status in 1945, after Japan's defeat in World War II.
But the myth that Japan's 125 emperors descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami of Japan's native Shinto religion still holds sway among rightists.
Suggestions by some scholars that the imperial line originated elsewhere — for example, on the Korean peninsula — have been attacked as an insult to the Japanese people.
The tombs to be opened up include one for the Emperor Nintoku, who is thought to have died in 399AD. (AP)
日本準備讓研究人員考據十一座已封棺數百年的皇家陵寢,揭開日本皇族起源的神秘面紗。
向來行事神秘的宮內廳原先拒絕讓大眾,甚至學者進入古墓,表示先皇先靈不得侵擾,不過根據發行量龐大的讀賣新聞日報一篇報導表示,二○○五年,在日本考古協會和其他學者的請願下,政府已同意開放有限部分區域。
讀賣新聞引述考古協會的說法,只有少數研究人員將得以進入古墓的外圍,並且不准開挖。
考古學家表示,勘察古墓能為找出世界最古老的現存皇室起源帶來一線曙光。這在日本是敏感話題,因為直到六十年前,日本君王仍被尊奉為古代女神的後裔。
日本第二次世界大戰戰敗後,現已過世的裕仁天皇打破傳統,於一九四五年宣佈放棄神格。
但保守人士仍堅信日本一百二十五代君王是本土神道教天照大神的後代。
部分學者提出皇族血統源自他處(如朝鮮半島)的看法已經受到抨擊,認為對日本民族來說是種侮辱。
即將開放研究的陵墓包括被認為是在西元三九九年駕崩的仁德天皇陵墓。
(美聯社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀)
1. shrouded adj.
被覆蓋 (bei4 fu4 gai4)
例: The circumstances surrounding the priest's death are shrouded in mystery.
(神父的死籠罩在神秘的氛圍中。)
2. fringe n.
邊緣 (bian1 yuan2)
例: Onlookers hung about on the fringes of the action.
(觀眾在活動外圍遊蕩。)
3. excavate v.i. /v.t.
挖掘 (wa1 jue2)
例: You need special permission to excavate a tomb.
(你需要特別許可才能開挖墳墓。)
4. renounce v.t.
聲明放棄 (sheng1 ming2 fang4 qi4)
例: Stephen has renounced his citizenship.
(史蒂芬已宣布放棄他的公民身份。)
Microsoft is ending Internet Explorer support IE 瀏覽器走入歷史 學職場退休、辭職、下台英文 網路世代熟悉的Windows瀏覽器Internet Explorer(IE),因為近年使用者大幅減少,加上微軟推出的新瀏覽器Edge,在上周三停止技術支援,也代表IE正式退場、走入歷史。本次就讓我們來從國外相關報導學習如何用英文表達「退場」吧! 退休、辭職、下台? retire (v) 代表「退休」,相關名詞有retirement「退休」、retiree「退休人士 ,通常在屆齡退休時使用。 Mr. Schmidt’s retirement party will be held at the seafood restaurant next Friday. (施密特先生的退休宴將於下週五在海鮮餐廳舉行。) 另外,同樣是離開工作崗位,「辭職」是resign (v),名詞為resignation。片語resign to 則代表「把…託付給、委託」的意思。 After Mr. Sutton’s resignation, Ms. Lambert took over his responsibilities. (沙頓先生辭職後,由蘭柏小姐接管他的職責。) She resigned her children to the care of her brother.(她把孩子交給她哥哥照管。) step down 退場、退位 而同樣是描述辭職的單字還有step down (v)「退場、退位、下台」,通常是表達政治人物(或高階主管)辭職、離開現有職務。 The CEO of QuaKing Inc. stepped down amid a scandal involving insider trading and money laundering.(QuaKing公司的總裁因身陷內線交易和洗錢的醜聞而下台。) 「退場」相似的字詞還有bow out (v),bow 當動詞為「鞠躬」,注意發音為[au],而名詞bow有「領結、弓」等意思,發音為[o]。bow out 根據字面可以解釋為「下台一鞠躬」,也就是「結束」的意思。 To most people’s surprise, McLaughlin, the defending champion, bowed out in the first round of the tournament. (出乎大多數人意料的是,衛冕冠軍麥克拉倫在首輪比賽就被淘汰出局。) phase out (v)也可以用來描述「漸漸退場」,而phase (n)單做一個單字時則是stage「階段」的意思。 The company will gradually phase out the use of fluorescent lightbulbs. (公司將逐漸淘汰螢光燈泡的使用。) 要描述產品被「移除」,或公司、軍隊「撤離、撤出」則可用withdraw (v)這個字。 Due to financial concerns, Parkland city decided to withdraw
Why you should always learn on an empty stomach 肚子餓了嗎?先去讀書吧! Hunger is a sensation that every human being on the planet has experienced at least once in their lifetime. The signals of hunger — the sharp hunger pangs and grumbling stomach noises — often grow in __1__ until the thought of food overwhelms every other thought in our mind. So, it’s a bit surprising that researchers at Yale Medical School recently found that hunger can actually __2__. The research team had been studying the hormone ghrelin and the path it takes through the body. Ghrelin is produced by the stomach and is supposed to stimulate a part of our brain called
Musical ‘The Lion King’ is touring Taiwan again (3/3) 音樂劇《獅子王》再度來台巡演(三) A: Aside from “The Lion King,” two other fantastic musicals, “Cats” and “Notre-Dame de Paris,” also toured Taiwan earlier this year. B: “Cats” has been called one of the four greatest musicals of all time. A: And the other three? B: They are: “Les Miserables,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Miss Saigon.” A: 除了《獅子王》,今年曾來台的音樂劇《貓》、法文音樂劇《鐘樓怪人》也都蠻好看的。 B: 《貓》還被稱為四大音樂劇之一呢。 A: 那另外三部是? B: 另外三部包括《悲慘世界》、《歌劇魅影》、《西貢小姐》。 (Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Bonny went to Yummy Fast Food for her lunch today, and here is the receipt. Bonny 今天中午去「好吃速食」吃午餐,這是她的收據。 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - Yummy Fast Food 50 Water Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 Tell us about your visit within 7 days. Enter the survey code below and win A-Mei Concert Tickets for free! Survey Code: 11098738749 More Information: www.yummyforyou.com 04/15/2019 12:15 PM Order 64 ITEM: 1 Medium Coke 1.89 1 Fish Burger 1.51 No Sauce 1 Large French Fries No Salt 2.50 ___________________________________ Take-Out