On a recent trip to Mii-dera, I saw they frequent boast of being "one of the four largest temples in Japan" but I can't seem to figure out what the other three are... Internet searches keep pointing me to the 大和四寺 of Nara, which is clearly unrelated. Any ideas out there?

My latest article, on how how the concept of ki evolved in aikido, its relationship with religion in Japan and the United States, how it differs from the concept of ki as "energy," and some reflection on the connections and discontinuities between aikido and Reiki ... and it's open access!

Just got back to Vancouver after an incredible trip to South Korea and Japan (I'm on a one-term sabbatical) where I learned so much, reconnected with friends and teachers, met some new ones, gave some book talks, and repped KPU Asian Studies :)

Hi everyone! I'm new to BlueSky and I'm not sure how much I'll post here (I mostly just lurked at the old place) but it's nice to see all of you smart, funny, compassionate people here doing your things! I have been doing some cool stuff recently, so I'll put up a few posts about that at least :)