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Seiko Matsuda to appear in NHK period drama

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in March 2002 shows veteran Japanese singer Seiko Matsuda. Matsuda has been cast as Gion Nyogo in ''Taira no Kiyomori,'' NHK's period drama for 2012, which will be her first appearance in the yearlong drama series of the public broadcaster.

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Miyajima Island,Aki

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine was completed by Taira-no-Kiyomori during the Heian Period, and its splendor is still intact today. The Gakubo and Kadomarodo shrines are viewed from the western side of the Hirabutai stage in the main shrine building. In the distance is Toyokuni Shrine (Senjokaku Hall) on Tonooka Hill with cherry trees in full bloom and the five-story pagoda (Important Cultural Asset) constructed in 1407. On the left is the grass-covered Mt. Kamei.==Date:unknown, Place:Miyajima, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number59‐41‐0]

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Daibutsu (the Great Buddha),Hyogo

The Great Buddha of Nofukuji Temple (present-day Hyogo Ward) taken in the latter half of the Meiji Period. This is an important Tendai Sect temple and is a place remembered in connection with Taira Kiyomori, who traded with Sung Dynasty China in the latter part of the Heian Period. After the opening of the port of Kobe, Christianity gained popularity. This statue of Vairocana Buddha was unveiled on March 15, 1891 as part of an effort to revive Buddhism. The statue attracted people to the faith and gained fame among foreigners as well.==Date:unknown, Place:Kobe, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number56‐18‐0]

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ITSUKUSHIMA shrine

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine at Miyajima was built in 592, when Emperor Suiko succeeded to the throne. It served as a place of worship for the imperial family as well as for the daimyo (feudal lords) during the Warring State Period. At the end of the Heian Period, Taira-no-Kiyomori completed the shrine buildings that are still standing today.==Date:unknown, Place:Miyajima, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number37‐15‐0]

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Miyajima Island,Aki

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine was completed by Taira-no-Kiyomori during the Heian Period, and its splendor is still intact today. The Gakubo and Kadomarodo shrines are viewed from the western side of the Hirabutai stage in the main shrine building. In the distance is Toyokuni Shrine (Senjokaku Hall) on Tonooka Hill with cherry trees in full bloom and the five-story pagoda (Important Cultural Asset) constructed in 1407. On the left is the grass-covered Mt. Kamei.==Date:unknown, Place:Miyajima, Photo:Ogawa Kazumasa, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number10‐33‐0]

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Kiyomorizuka mound

Taira Kiyomori died in 1181. His body was cremated in Atago and buried in Tsunegashima, an artificial island made by Kiyomori in Owadahaku (presently Hyogotsu). The exact location is unknown, but Tsukushima Temple in the present Hyogo district is said to console the spirits of the workers who were sacrificed as hitobashira (people buried as offerings to the deities at difficult construction sites) during the construction of the artificial island.==Date:unknown, Place:Hyogo, Photo:Ogawa Kazumasa, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number9‐36‐0]

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The thousand Kannon images in Sanjusangendo Temple

The Sanjusangendo in Higashiyama-ku of Kyoto City. The temple enshrines the thousand Kannons offered by Taira Kiyomori at the request of the ex-Emperor Goshirakawa. The thousand Buddhas (wooden statues of thousand-handed Kannon, actually 1001 statues in all) are based on the anclent theory that if a ruler creates many Buddhas, the whole nation will be promised happiness. There are 500 statues in ten rows on both sides of the principal image of the seated thousand-handed Kannon, and one in the back. The inscription in the bottom reads 10000 .==Date:unknown, Place:Kyoto, Photo:Kusakabe Kinbei, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number1‐24‐0]

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Seiko Matsuda to appear in NHK period drama

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken in March 2002 shows veteran Japanese singer Seiko Matsuda. Matsuda has been cast as Gion Nyogo in ''Taira no Kiyomori,'' NHK's period drama for 2012, which will be her first appearance in the yearlong drama series of the public broadcaster. (Kyodo)