After-reading - An e-mail to Queen Elizabeth

Dear Queen of England Elizabeth

You are afraid to let me go free because I have friends in England. The English Catholics want me to be Queen of England. not you.

But I don't want to so.

Before I asked you for help, but you didn't give me your army. Then the Earl of Moray told lies about me. Bothwell and I didn't kill Darnley! It's true! Really true!!

Scotland people don't want a Catholic Queen. They want a Protestant king, a king like James.

And Moray and his friends killed Riccio and stole my husband Bothwell and my son.

Elizabeth!  Do you know what to do?   Really to do?

Would you please talk James the true story?

Please think about England and Scotland. we are Queens.

Please let me go free!

I want to go back to Scotland!

and I want to see James alive!

 Mary

Posted for Yoko

After reading - a short history of religion in Japan

There are 8 million gods in Japan long long ago. For example, there is a god in the river, forest, and

mountain. The ancient people believed those natural gods in Japan.

The middle of six century, the buddhism came from Korea. The religion war happened with Mononobe and the Imperial Court. It was the first religion war of the Japanese history.

Mononobe supported traditional Japanese gods, the Imperial Court supported the Buddhism. At the end the Imperial Court won. But Japanese traditional gods never died out. The Imperial Court supported Buddhism and Japanese gods.

After that, Buddhism had many religion. They never had big troble with each Buddhism religion.

But 19 century, revolution happened in Japan, new government commanded Buddhism change to godist. After that, Japanese emperor is living god till the world II war finished.

Now, Japanese family have a 'Kamidana' and a 'Butsudan'. Kamidana is godist, Butsudan is Buddhism.

Both religion have been staying in Japanese people now. It is very rare case all over the world. Japanese love ambiguity. I think that both religion suit Japanese.

Posted for Misuzu

After-reading - film review of Elizabeth

In England, in the 16th century there was a big conflict between old religion and new religion, Catholicism and Protestantism. English Queen Mary at that time oppressed Protestantism and confined Elizabeth (Kate Blanchett) of the Protestant, sister by a different mother, to the Tower of London.

However Queen Mary died from an illness soon. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne as English Queen at 25 years old. England faced a crisis. The chief minister suggested New Queen to marry the Lord Anjou (French King Henry Ⅲ) or the Spanish King to get through a difficult situation. .Elizabeth was often meeting with Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) secretly, so she didn’t agree it.

The domestic finance of England was tight, furthermore England lost for war with Scotland. Elizabeth got Protestant Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush) to her side and decided to unify country in Protestantism. The Pope got angry, Protestant inside and outside never accepted the policy. The situation surround England was getting worse and worse, until an assassination of Elizabeth was attempted.

To break a situation, Walsingham assassinated Scottish Queen Mary who was a strong Catholic. Elizabeth knew Robert had a wife. Elizabeth arrested main Catholisism groups and executed them. Elizabeth had her hair cut and declared in front of the people that she would marry nation.

Posted for Misako

E-mail to Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

I am writing this E-mail from Fotheringhay Castle.  You must be surprised to see my E-mail.  Tomorrow, I am going to die and meet my God.  You cannot imagine how I feel now, but my heart is peaceful and quiet.

Promise me.  Please take care of my son, James.  He becomes the King of Scotland tomorrow, but he is a young boy and doesn’t know how he should rule his country.  Please support him and never let him die by unnecessary fight.

Before God, I have to tell you the truth.  You may still believe I killed James’s father, but I didn’t.  I know nothing how Darnley died on that day.  I was not there when he died and don’t know who killed him.  I know I had a lot of enemies and someone wanted kill me, not Darnley.

You know, the King or Queen is always lonely.  I had a few good friends, but more than that there were a lot of enemies around me.  I could not believe the people from the bottom of my heart.

James will fall into the same situation with us.  I just hope he will find a good woman who will love him and support him all his life.

I did want to see my son, James before the end of my life.  Please pass my message to him, I really love him.

Yours sincerely,

Mary

Mary, Queen of Scots sends an email to Elizabeth I

Dear Elizabeth,

Hello, how are you? It’s been a long time since I met you last. When I was first put in this prison castle, I cursed you every day. You were just jealous me because I’m beautiful and clever.

Now, however, I don’t have any anger, and I just want to see my son, James. I beg you very much to see my son. Please order him to come here.

There is one more thing that I hurt my heart. It’s about the rumor that I killed the father of James. I never killed Henry. I think I have told many times to you, but I declare clearly here once again that I didn’t kill my husband.

I heard that Kirk O’Field is broken, and I immediately ran there. I never expected that my husband is dead, but there was his dead body exploded when I got there. I was in a party. How can I kill him at Kirk o’field. It’s physically difficult.

Now, I don’t care how people think about me, but for my son, I want him to know the truth. Please tell my son James that I never killed his father.

I know you will soon order execution to me. I won’t curse you anymore. I just beg you to raise James as a good king, and give him lots of love for me that I couldn't do.

Best Regards,

Mary

(pp Yumi)