Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar

Kaitlyn Ugoretz

@kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social

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That chick obsessed with torii gates. ⛩️🔍🗺️ Ethnographer of Japanese religion (Shinto), digital tech, media & pop culture | ABD @ UCSB | Lecturer & Assoc. Editor @ Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture | YouTuber @ Eat Pray Anime | Cultural consult

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Helen McCarthy's avatar Helen McCarthy @glider.bsky.social
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Coincidence is spooky. The morning after watching Wes Anderson's formal experiments with animation in The French Dispatch, I read this story about the merger of classic bunraku puppetry with animated backdrops, soon to tour the USA. Story: japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/mang...

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WildGorillaMan's avatar WildGorillaMan @wildgorillaman.bsky.social
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You had me at “exceedingly dry in-jokes for recherché subcultures”

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Dr. Paula R. Curtis's avatar Dr. Paula R. Curtis @paularcurtis.bsky.social
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Come have a conversation with us about how we can support Japanese language instructors at your institution! 🗾 Share with your dept!

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Not that I’m aware of! At least they didn’t eat it like Daoist internal alchemists 🤣 Don’t lick the paint!

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Myōjin torii can be made from a variety of materials. You'll see them in wood, metal, and stone. But they tend to be red for these reasons!

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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bactericide and insecticide properites, helping to fight against wood degradation. In other words, the red paint helps protect wooden structures, like torii. Not to mention, red is a lucky color!

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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There are many reasons a torii may be red, or to be more specific, vermillion. They may face south. They may have a special syncretic connection to Buddhism, such as Inari shrines and Hachiman shrine. The vermillion pigment made w cinnabar (mercury sulfide) has…

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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The Myōjin style of torii is thought to date back to at least the ninth century. It is often associated with Shinto traditions that were significantly influenced by Buddhism, so you can reliably find them at shrines dedicated to, for example, Inari Ōkami and Hachiman Ōkami.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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The classic Myōjin torii has a lil bit of everything. According to Fujimoto Yorio in "Torii Daizukan" 鳥居大図鑑 (2019) it is the most commonly seen torii type. ✅ kasagi (curved) ✅ shimaki (curved) ✅ nuki ✅ tsuka (middle strut) ✅ kusabi (wedges) ✅ pillars (slight angle)

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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That trick doesn't always work though. For example, last week we saw a Shinmei torii with a curvy upper beam. And there are some more straight-laced Myōjin torii too! But that's a topic for a future #ToriiTuesday.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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My simple way to remember it is: S is for Straight 📏, M is for (curvy like) the Moon 🌙.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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If counting the beams is too much trouble, you can usually tell Shinmei and Myōjin style torii apart by the shape of their upper beam.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Let's review the basics! The main architectural difference is that Shinmei torii have two beams, an upper beam called kasagi & a tie-beam called nuki. Meanwhile, Myōjin torii have THREE beams: the upper beam, a support beam called shimaki, & a tie-beam.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Happy #ToriiTuesday! Today we start the 'shapes & sizes' mini-series on Myōjin torii. First time I saw one I was struck by its vibrance. Obvi it left a deep impression! When ppl think of #Shinto, its iconic color & shape often comes to mind. Heck, it's the Shinto emoji! ⛩️ 1/🧵

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Exactly. I’m supposed to be focusing on finishing my dissertation but I feel it is imperative I write something abt this for educators… we should not be participating in the suffering of the arts community & exploiting of the Global South. The AI photo content win was a good dose of schadenfreude 😏

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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I’ve also had a lot of conversations w academics who have no idea. Many are incorporating genAI in certain ways in order to teach digital literacy, curb plagiarism, & explore innovative pedagogies. I’m so torn bc on the one hand, they’re trying their best & AI is likely here to stay, but also NOOOO.

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𝙴𝚝𝚝𝚊. 𝙱's avatar 𝙴𝚝𝚝𝚊. 𝙱 @worder.bsky.social
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This thread is full of valuable insights 🧵 良スレッド。 農地のリアルタイム監視や自然災害予測など、あたかも「AIが世界を救う」とでもいうようなグリーンAIに関するキラキラ記事が多いけれど、Sam-OpenAI—Altman自身もその事実を認め危惧する人工知能の開発と運用にかかるとてつもなく大規模なエネルギー消費について、今こそ注目されるべきですよね。

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Happy #ToriiTuesday! Today's the last Shinmei style #torii (I think!) and it's got major flair. ⛩️💃🌊

Ōuo Shrine 大魚神社 in Tara, Saga Prefecture features a trio of striking vermillion Kashima torii submerged in the Ariake Sea. 1/🧵

photo credit: Totti, Wikimedia

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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That's all for this #ToriiTuesday! Next week, we'll start to look at different shapes of Myōjin torii, my favorite. 😁 /END

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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The minister repented & prayed to the gods for rescue. Just then, a giant fish (probably a porpoise) appeared & carried him to shore. At that site, the minister promised to b a better person & founded the Ōuo (Great Fish) Shrine in gratitude for the divine assistance he received.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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According to legend, some 300 yrs ago, a wicked government official was lured by the unhappy locals to a remote island for a 'party.' They got him drunk as a skunk & left him there. When high tide came, it swallowed up the island. The minister was sure he'd drown... 4/

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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At high tide, the water reaches as far up as the lower tie-beam (nuki). And at low tide, the full torii emerge & a walkway appears. This is when u can see the small support pillars. These torii remind ppl of the floating torii of Miyajima but have their own quirks & charm. 3/

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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These torii stand out thanks to their unique upper beam (kasagi), which gradually widens w a curve on one end. Looking at all three, the flare alternates right/left/right. According to Fujimoto Yorio (鳥居大図鑑, p. 162), the reason is a mystery! 2/ Photo: Pekachu, Wikimedia

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Happy #ToriiTuesday! Today's the last Shinmei style #torii (I think!) and it's got major flair. ⛩️💃🌊

Ōuo Shrine 大魚神社 in Tara, Saga Prefecture features a trio of striking vermillion Kashima torii submerged in the Ariake Sea. 1/🧵

photo credit: Totti, Wikimedia

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Reposted by Kaitlyn Ugoretz

Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst's avatar Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst @profirmf.bsky.social
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one hot look around will tell you insufficiently understanding religion is dangerous

grab our book—fittingly (?) out on Guy Fawkes Day, 5 November!!—wherever you get books

(but @mpgphd.bsky.social & I suggest your local shop!)

bookshop.org/p/books/reli...

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Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc)'s avatar Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc) @shengokai.bsky.social
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"Bullshit" is an actual technical term in philosophy. We have papers on it. You have my permission to start using "bullshit" for the garbage generative algorithms produce. I'm partial to "Epistemic Fuckery," myself.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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I would really like to see discussion of environmental and social harm caused by AI in the classroom. We all know students will plagiarize if they want to/feel it’s necessary to plagiarize. But it’s way bigger than that, it has broader consequences beyond grades, & we need to make sure they know.

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Case study: the bitcoin mining controversy at Seneca Lake in upstate NY (this one’s personal for me). Lots of articles from different angles to use in the classroom in you like. www.ewg.org/research/pro...

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Petition to start measuring AI usage in units of water. Worth reading the OP re: AI beauty pageant, but I’m BEGGING ppl take a beat & sit with the fact of the environmental harm caused by AI (esp generative) & crypto farms. We are feeding our planet to data centers for funsies. Linking resources ⬇️

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Kuma Miko! The rep is questionable but the protagonist is characterized as having Ainu heritage. The show is quite cute. I’ve got a Kagura video planned bc I gotta use this scene SOMEWHERE 😂

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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I had to scroll past a loooot of questionable gifs 😂

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Fr check’em out. Close up is cool. Wholesome thing looks like a bottom tier Final Fantasy villain or eldritch mimic scheme (and I mean that as a compliment 😂)

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Kaitlyn Ugoretz's avatar Kaitlyn Ugoretz @kaitlynugoretz.bsky.social
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Y’all this is some next level kiln witchery! 😲🏺🐙

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