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Isao Ebihara

Isao Ebihara

Isao Ebihara, D.Phil. (Oxford Graduate School, TN), a native of Japan, has resided in Canada for over 25 years. He has taught Japanese language courses at Trinity Western University in British Colombia since 2002. His academic training encompasses theology, psychology and literature, and his interests include Japanese language, Asian animation and pop culture, culture and spirituality and religions and politics. Dr. Ebihara has a thorough knowledge of Japanese anime culture and recognizes its great impact on the global community.

In his 2010 book, All the World is Anime: Religions, Myths & Spiritual Metaphors in the World of Japanimation & Manga, he explored the philosophical and religious/spiritual background of the anime authors and stories and a history of their productions.

In his 2011 book, Shinto War Gods of Yasukuni Shrine: The Gates of Hades and Japan's Emperor Cult, Dr. Ebihara made a comparison of the cultural and historical components of Shinto religion to pop cultures including anime (Japanese animations) and manga (Japanese comics), drawing upon the work of Alan J.P. Taylor's populist or ?anti-great man? approach and Carl Jung's archetype theory.

In his 2012 book, Land of Rising Ghosts & Goblins: The supernatural world in Japanese Myths, Folklores, Anime & Pop-Culture, Dr. Ebihara examined the world of ghosts, spirits, supernatural phenomena and incidents in Japanese mythology, folklore and legends from antiquity to novels and today's modern tales of anime and manga.

Postmodern Japanology Handbook (2015) was written out of a realization that students need something more than a textbook when studying a foreign language. It includes various levels of the Japanese language/culture to be utilized by students to review their learning and may also be a handbook for the Japanese culture as well as the language. It combines chapters of plain introduction of Japanese grammar and discussions of cultural components including culinary and pop culture together.







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Postmodern Japanology Handbook
Postmodern Japanology Handbook
by Isao Ebihara

Dr. Isao Ebihara, a native of Japan, has been teaching the Japanese language to college students in the Vancouver area of Canada since 2001. He understands that the syntax of the Japanese language is unique and significantly different than English and other European languages including other Asian tongues. Dr. Ebihara is aware that the differences between the syntaxes and writing systems of the Japanese and other languages give significant challenges to many students, particularly from the Western hemisphere. This book was written out of a realization that students need something more than a textbook. This work includes various levels of the Japanese language/culture to be utilized by students as a guidebook to review their learning. The text may also be a handbook for the Japanese culture as well as the language. This volume is a guidebook which combines chapters of plain introduction of Japanese grammar and discussions of cultural components including culinary and pop-culture together. The author's desire is to explain the raison d?etre of the Japanese language and culture, rather than simply responding to a fascination in a trend or fad.



ISBN: 978-1-935434-46-7



$19.95



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All The World Is Anime
Land of Rising Ghosts & Goblins
The supernatural world in Japanese Myths, Folklores, Anime & Pop-Culture
by Isao Ebihara

For the past century, Japan has been a center of attention due to its rapid industrialization and modernization. Still, certain aspects of the nation's culture remain an enigma to outsiders; particularly, Japan's religious foundations. To most of the world the ancient spirituality of this modern nation remains a mystery. Raising this ancient veil of secrecy, Dr. Isao Ebihara examines myths and legends of Japan, from antiquity to today's modern tales of anime and manga. He explores the culture's shrouded world of ghosts, spirits and supernatural phenomena, and discovers the very roots of Japan's faith. Discover how the ancient Japanese formed their detailed illustrations of the supernatural; images that survive to this day. What kind of afterlife did they envision? Do they still believe in the supernatural in the 21st century? Are there any similarities to the spiritual world that Westerner's detail? The answers to these questions and more are found in this fascinating book.



ISBN: 978-1-935434-12-2



$19.95



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All The World Is Anime
All The World Is Anime:
Religion, Myths & Spiritual Metaphors In The World of Japanimation & Manga
by Isao Ebihara

A native of Japan, Isao Ebihara has resided in Canada for over 20 years. Possessing an encyclopaedic knowledge of Japnese ANIME culture, a world-wide entertainment phenomenon, he delves into rich plots and enduring characters usisng the skill of an artist to draw contrasts and comparisons between the genre's well known authors such as Hayao Miyazaki, Leiji Matsumoto, Go Nagai, and Hideaki Anno. With the sharp insight of a katana sword, Dr. Ebihara explores their spiritual background and philosophical assumptions.



ISBN: 978-1-935434-05-4



$19.95



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Shinto War Gods of Yasukimi Shrine
Shinto War Gods of Yasukimi Shrine
by Isao Ebihara

The Yasukuni Shrine or Yasukuni Jinja, with the literal meaning "peaceful nation shrine" is a controversial Shinto monument located in Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the spirits of soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Japanese emperor. In the decades since World War II, the Shrine has been a source of many controversies among them the inclusion of 14 Convicted Class-A War Criminals (crimes against peace). The shrine's account of Japan's wartime actions are considered by many to be revisionist. Its museum's exhibits and pamphlets propose that Japan entered the World War II in order to build peaceful world without racial discriminations. The primary focus of this volume is a comparison of Shinto - particularly Pre-World War II Shinto - to today's pop culture: its holy war like-jihad on the spiritual, social and political realities of our modern world.



ISBN: 978-1-935434-56-6


$19.95



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