My recent topics and interests, Episode 8-1
(by S. Miyauchi, Professional Engineer, Doctor of Engineering, JSME Fellow)
<About Kyoto and Kyoto University (京都大学, https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/) >
Kyoto has a very long cultural tradition since becoming the capital of Japan in 794. Thus, the cultural continuity more than 1200 years after Xi'an, Luoyang and Rome. Kyoto is Japanese center of traditional cultures and arts such as Tea ceremony (茶道) and Flower ceremony (華道), as well as many traditional industries and brands such as Nishijin silk fabrics (西陣織), Kyo ware (京焼), lacquerware (漆器), inlay (螺鈿), sake (酒) and Japanese food (http://hellokcb.or.jp/densan/card/). The gardens of temples are the microcosm that condensed nature, and people love the change of the four seasons. Japanese love both flourishing spring with cherry blossoms and melancholy autumn with colored leaves, and feel their lives to change with four seasons. This would be a major reason why 55 million tourists visit Kyoto annually from home and abroad.
Furthermore, there are many companies with proprietary technologies such as SHIMADZU, HORIBA, KYOCERA, OMRON, Nidec, Murata and ROHM whose sales are several hundred billion yen to over one trillion yen.
Also, Kyoto has many shrines and temples. Because of its large number, it can be said that it is most religious city in the world. The reason is, of course, Japan is polytheism. And Japanese Buddhism is generous to split out to denominations, and differentiated from national religion to popular religion.
As is the ultimately typical with these, Shinran (親鸞) in the 12th century thought that Buddha and its "TAIAI" (大愛, 摩訶, mahā , Like Agape) are absolutely far beyond people and their wisdom and "SAGA" (性, Adherent personality that is unchangeable like fate, both good and evil). Thus "TAIAI" will rain down on all people. Thus he denys dualism of good and evil, and preached "The door of the kingdom of God is opened to not only good people but also evil people" (悪人正機説, evil manipulator theory, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinran). In addition, Shinran and his thought also empathizes with Romain Loran. Everyone might think that "good and evil" is similar to " light and shadow", that is, duality of the front and back like Shiva God in India. Because all people receive this absolute love of God, it is important for people to respect, to know and to love each other. Everyone knows that everyone opens his heart when he is loved and trusted by others. This idea that "God loves and saves all people" is the same basic idea as humanitarianism and fraternity (together with liberty and equality, three basic ideas of France). It is a prerequisite condition of the human being who is a social animal. Thus, it is not mere religion or morality, it must be realized as effective policies.