SaiÅ?

A SaiÅ? (斎王), also known as "Itsuki no Miko"(ã?„ã?¤ã??ã?®ã?¿ã?“), was an unmarried female relative of the Japanese emperor, sent to Ise to serve at Ise Grand Shrine from the late 7th century until the 14th century. The SaiÅ?'s residence, SaikÅ« (æ–Žå®®), was approximately 10 km north-west of the shrine. The remains of SaikÅ« are situated in the town of Meiwa, Mie, Japan.

The Origins of the SaiÅ?

According to Japanese legend, around 2,000 years ago the divine Yamatohime-no-mikoto, daughter of the Emperor Suinin, set out from Mt. Miwa in Nara Prefecture in search of a permanent location to worship the goddess Amaterasu-omikami. Her search lasted for 20 years and eventually brought her to Ise, Mie Prefecture, where the Ise Shrine now stands. Prior to Yamatohime-no-mikoto's journey, Amaterasu-omikami had been worshiped at the Imperial Palaces in Yamato.

According to the Man'yÅ?shÅ« (The Anthology of Ten Thousand Leaves), the first SaiÅ? to serve at Ise was Princess Oku, daughter of Emperor Temmu, during the Asuka period of Japanese history. Mention of the SaiÅ? is also made in the Aoi, Sakaki and Yugao chapters of The Tale of Genji, as well as in the 69th chapter of The Tales of Ise (Ise Monogatari).

Sai (weapon)

The sai (釵) is a traditional weapon used in the Okinawan martial arts. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, prong shaped metal baton, with two curved prongs (yoku) projecting from the handle (tsuka). There are many types of sai with varying prongs for trapping and blocking.

History

Before its arrival in Okinawa, the sai was already being used in other Asian countries including India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. It may have been brought to Okinawa from one or several of these places simultaneously.Silat practitioners typically refer to the sai either as chabang (Dutch spelling: tjabang) in Indonesian or tekpi in Malay. Based on the Indian trisula, early evidence in the form of Japanese art shows that the chabang predates the sai's use in Okinawa and China. The word trisula itself can refer to both a long or short-handled trident. Because the trisula was created in South Asia, it is possible that the sai originated in India and spread along with Hinduism and Buddhism. This is supported by the fact that the trisula is important as a Hindu-Buddhist symbol.

Shai

Shai (also spelt Sai, occasionally Shay, and in Greek, Psais) was the deification of the concept of fate in Egyptian mythology. As a concept, with no particular reason for associating one gender over another, Shai was sometimes considered female, rather than the more usual understanding of being male, in which circumstance Shai was referred to as Shait (simply the feminine form of the name). His name reflects his function, as it means (that which is) ordained.

As the god of fate, it was said that he determined the span of each man's life, and was present at the judgement of the soul of the deceased in duat. In consequence, he was sometimes identified as the husband of Mesenet, goddess of birth, or, in later years, of Renenutet, who assigned the Ren, and had become considered goddess of fortune. Because of the power associated in the concept, Akhenaten, in introducing monotheism, said that Shai was an attribute of Aten, whereas Ramses II claimed to be lord of Shai (i.e. lord of fate).

Aashirwad (TV series)

Aashirwad was a popular Hindi television serial that aired on Zee TV in 1998. The serial was based on story of two best friends who raise their children in different styles. It is shown to be like Modern Family on ABC and in India, Zee Cafe.

Plot

The story is of two friends who raise their children in contrasting styles — one allowing them all possible liberties and the other keeping a strict hold on them. It explores a central theme of parenting — whether leniency in upbringing of children is justified or not — and traces the consequent pros and cons as the children mature into adults.

Cast