Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto (天宇受売命) is the Kami of dawn, happiness and joy in the Shinto religion of Japan. She is famous for her role in the tale of the sun goddess, Amaterasu.
Amaterasu's brother, the storm god Susano'o (須佐之男命), had vandalised her sacred buildings and killed her maidens because she refused to trust him. Amaterasu became so scared of his wrath that she went to hide into a cave, Ame-no-Iwato (天の岩戸). The world, without the light of the sun, became dark. The Oni (devils of Japanese mythology) came out to the dark world, and the gods could not make Amaterasu come out of the cave.
The intelligent Uzume took a small boat, turned it upside down near the cave entrance, and began a dance on it, tearing off her clothing in front of the other Kami. They thought this was so funny that they laughed happily.
Amaterasu heard them, and looked out to see why the gods were laughing. When she opened the cave, she saw her wonderful reflection in a mirror Uzume had put on a tree, and slowly came out of the cave.
At that moment, the god Ameno-Tajikarawo (天手力男命) closed the cave behind her, so she could not go back in. Another god tied a magic rope across the entrance. The sun goddess was then asked by the Kami Ame-no-Koyane (天児屋根命) to go back with the gods. She agreed, and light came back to the earth.
Uzume is still worshipped today as a Shinto kami. She is also known as Ame-no-Uzume, "The Great Persuader", and "The Heavenly Alarming Female".
Susanoo
Susanoo (Japanese: 須佐之男命, "Susanoo-no-Mikoto"; also romanized as "Susano'o", "Susa-no-O", and "Susanowo") is the kami of the sea and storms in Shinto.
Susano'o is the brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. All three were created from Izanagi, when he washed his face to clean the dirtiness of Yomi, the underworld. Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed out his left eye, Tsukuyomi was born from the washing of the right eye, and Susano'o from the washing of the nose.
The tales tell of great between Susano'o and his sister. When he was to leave Heaven forever because Izanagi ordered him to, he went to say goodbye to his sister. Amaterasu, suspicious, proposed him a challenge: each of them was to turn an object of the other's into people. Amaterasu created three women from Susano'o's sword while he created five men from her necklace. Amaterasu said the men were hers because they were born of her necklace. Susano'o destroyed her rice fields, threw a dead pony into her loom, and killed one of her assistants in anger. For this, Amaterasu, sad, angry and scared, went to hide inside Ama-no-Iwato, the ""heavenly rock cave"", so the Sun was hidden and the world became dark for a long time.
Amaterasu later was made to come out of the cave, but Susano'o was punished by being banished from Heaven. He came down to the province of Izumo, where he met an old couple. Seven of their eight daughters had been eaten by the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi and it was about to come for the eighth, Kushi-inada-hime. After the couple promised their daughter's hand in marriage to Susano'o, he agreed to kill Orochi. With the help of eight bowls of "sake" (one for each head), Susano'o cut the head off the monster when it was sleeping.
From one of Orochi's tails, Susano'o took out a sword, which he called "Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" ("Heaven's Cloud-Gathering Sword"), later known as the "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi". The sword was given to Amaterasu as a gift and was later given to her descendant Ninigi (the great-grandfather of Emperor Jimmu), with the "Yata-no-Kagami" (a mirror) and "magatama" (sacred jewels) as proof of his divine right to rule on Earth (the three Imperial Regalia of Japan).
Amaterasu's shrine is at Ise Shrine, and Susano'o's is in Izumo, where he came down to Earth when banished from heaven. Izumo is home to the oldest shrines in Japan.
Ninigi-no-Mikoto
Ninigi no Mikoto (瓊瓊杵尊) is in Japanese mythology the son of Ame no Oshihomimi no Mikoto, and grandson of Amaterasu, who sent him down to earth to plant rice there. He was the great-grandfather of Emperor Jimmu.
Amaterasu sent him to bring peace to Japan by bringing the three gifts from Heaven used by the emperor. The sword, Kusanagi, the mirror, Yata no kagami, and the jewel, Yasakani no magatama. These three gifts mean to the world that the emperor is the descendant of Amaterasu herself.
The tale of Ninigi no Mikoto being sent to earth is told in the Nihon Shoki.
Preston
Preston is a city in North West England which is the county town of Lancashire. It is near the River Ribble. It became a city in 2002. This was the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
Chorley and Leyland are towns not far away from Preston. In 2001, a census said that there were 335,000 people living in Preston.
In 1179, Preston was given a charter (document) which let the town's trader travel around the United Kingdom without paying tolls.
Preston Guild is held in Preston. The chief industry of Preston was formerly the making of cotton cloth. The Preston bypass (road around the city) was built in the 1950s. Among the important buildings in Preston are the Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Public Library, and the county council's headquarters. Preston railway station is an importance junction on the west coast main line; the M6 motorway connects Preston to Cumbria (northwards) and Cheshire (southwards).
The football team in Preston is Preston North End F.C. which plays at Deepdale. They were the first team to be English football champions.
Preston is home to the University of Central Lancashire, established in 1828 and originally being called The Institution For The Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. It is one of the largest universities in the UK, having around 38,000 staff and students.
Onryō
Onryō (怨霊) is a Japanese ghost ("Yūrei", 幽霊) who is believed to be able to return to the world of the living to seek revenge. Some onryō are male, mostly in Kabuki, but most of them are women. They usually suffer at the hands of their male lovers when they were alive, because they were weak, but they become strong in death.
In Japanese tradition, the spiritual world has Yomi (hell) on one side and the world of the living in the other. In the middle, there is a waiting area, like a purgatory, where spirits lie in doubt before moving on. Some spirits, especially those of murdered people, can go back to the world of the living, influenced by feelings of anger, sadness, or love.
Onryō and yūrei do not have a particular look. But the popularity of Kabuki in the Edo Period meant that a costume was created to show what they look like. This usually included a white burial kimono, long and black, messy hair, and white and purple make-up. The influence of this image can be seen in modern movies about Onryō, like "Ring".
British Chinese
British Chinese, also Chinese British, Chinese Britons or British-born Chinese (often informally referred to as BBCs), are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in the United Kingdom or have moved to the United Kingdom. According to the 2001 UK census, there are 247,403 British Chinese people living in the United Kingdom. They make up almost 0.5% of the population of the United Kingdom.
British African-Caribbean community
The British African-Caribbean (Afro-Caribbean) community are residents of the United Kingdom who are of British West Indian background, and whose ancestors first came from Africa. Around 566,000 people fit this description.
Flag of Switzerland
Switzerland’s national flag was adopted on December 12, 1889, which is one of the world’s oldest flags. The Flag of Switzerland is a red field, a white cross whose arms are one-sixth longer than their width. The relationship between the span of the cross and the width of the flag has not been established, but in practice the ratio is about 2:3 or 7:10.