The Return Of The King (Imam Mahdi)

"Allah sends to this nation at the beginning of each century those who renew the religion." [Sunan Abi Dawud (4291)]. This is an authentic hadith that has enjoyed widespread acceptance among Muslims. Muslims believe that a Messiah-type figure (Imam Mahdi) will appear at a difficult period of history to restore the faith and ensure the final victory of Islam.

  

The Holy Qur'an

Surah 50:41-45

And listen for the Day when the Caller will call out from a place quite near. 
The Day when they will hear a (mighty) Blast in Truth: That will be the Day of Resurrection. . . .
We know best what they say; And thou are not one to overawe them by force.
So admonish with the Qur'an such as fear My Warning!

surah 50:41-45 Qaf
(Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, Amana Corporation, 1989.)

The Return Of The Imam Mahdi

“The Mahdi, (the name of the last of the twelve imams, the first being Ali, son-in-law of Mohammed) according to Islam, and in particular its Shiite branch, is the Savior to come at the time of the Last Judgment to save the world. The function of the Mahdi is similar to those attributed to the Kalki of the Hindus, the Maitreya of the Buddhists or the Christ King of the Christians. The return of the Mahdi constitutes the most frequent prediction of the imams. Al-Kultani and Al-Nu'mani consecrated an entire chapter and Ibn Babunye passed down in thirteen chapters the predictions of the Prophet, Fatima and of the eleven imams on the subject of the Twelfth imam.

The obscure presence of the Mahdi dominates totally the religious conscience of imamism during the period of the disappearance of Ali until the return of the awaited Savior. But here and there, throughout the prophetic texts, there are hints of an esoteric knowledge. "At the moment of birth a light pierced the top of the child's head (a possible reference to the opening of the seventh chakra) and reached into the depth of the sky. This child is the Mahdi, He who will fill the earth with equality and justice just as it is now filled with oppression and injustice." ²

The universal precursory Sign of the return of the Mahdi, "He who Guides," consists of the general invasion of the earth by Evil and the victory of the forces of Evil over those of Good. Without such a manifestation, the entirety of humanity would be engulfed by darkness.

Here we find extracts from the eulogies of Ali Talib describing various components of the sign announcing the return of the Mahdi. The Sign consists of the following traits: the people will neglect prayer, squander the divinity which is conferred on them, legalize untruths, practice usury, accept bribes, construct huge edifices, sell religion to win this lower world, employ idiots, consult with women, break family ties, obey passion and consider insignificant the letting of blood. Magnanimity will be considered as weakness and injustice as glory, princesses will be debauched and ministers will be oppressors, intellectuals will be traitors and the reader of the Koran vicious. False witness will be brought openly and immorality proclaimed in loud voices. A word of promise will be slander, sin and exaggeration.

"The sacred Books will be ornate, the mosques disguised, the minarets extended. Criminals will be praised, the lines of combat narrowed, hearts in disaccord and pacts broken. Women, greedy for the riches of this lower world, will involve themselves in the business of their husbands, the vicious voices of the man will be loud and will be listened to. The most ignoble of the people will become leaders, the debauched will be believed for fear of the Evil they will cause, the liar will be considered as truthful and the traitor as trustworthy… They will resort to singers and musical instruments … and women will horse ride, they will resemble men and the men will resemble women. The people will prefer the activities of this lower-world to those of the Higher-World and will cover with lambskin the hearts of wolves." ³

The Qaim (Mahdi) comes to re-establish the lost sense of sanctity. Firstly He will re-establish Islam to its original purity and integrity. 4  The imam is described also as energy-giving. The imam says: "As to the way of benefiting from my presence (literally – "to benefit of me") during my disappearance, it is similar to the profit we gain from the sun while it is hidden from sight by the clouds." ⁵

According to Majid Golpur, a scholar who reviewed the relationship between ancient Muslim writings and new revelations, some language seem to refer to new cognitive powers that may be associated with the rise of the Kundalini. All the faithful joining the ranks of the Mahdi will be gifted with special miraculous powers, in particular those of super sensitive communication with the imam. "At the time of Advent of our Qur'an," says Ja'far, "God, may He be exalted and glorified, will develop the hearing and sight of our faithful in such a manner that, without there being a messenger between the Qa'im and themselves, He will speak with them and they hear Him and see Him without Him having left the place where He is." ⁶

This text probably refers to the dawn of collective consciousness, whose property is the connectivity described in the previous chapters. More specifically, we can recognize a mention of the vibratory consciousness of the chakras, which correspond to specific locations in the hands. "For decisions which they have difficulty in taking, they will receive instructions and direction from the imam who will write on the palm of their hands, they need only look and then execute the orders."⁷

The following language could possibly indicate a succession of imams or the collectivity of realized souls, through the reference of the wind. But, without subtler the subtler spiritual experience, it can easily feed the delusion of self-appointed elect fanatics. God speaks: "O Mohammad. These are My friends, My pure elect, and My proof after you for mankind. They are your legatees and your priests and the best of My creatures after you. By My Glory and My Majesty I will manifest through them My Religion and I will raise through them My Word; by the last of them (Mahdi) I will make the earth pure of My enemies. I will establish him from the sunrise to the sunset throughout the entire earth; I will confer to his power the wind and will lower for him the stubborn clouds. I will help him with My Army and aid him with My Angels until he raises My Name and the creatures acknowledge My uniqueness, and then I will prolong his reign and I will ensure the succession of My Friends over the time until the Day of Resurrection." ⁸

In this way the awaited Imam (al-Muntazar) Mad-dhi, Qaim, will prepare the earth for the Last Judgment and the Resurrection. The battle of Qa'im will mark the ultimate victory of the 'believers' against their 'enemies' and the universal and final establishment of the 'religion' of the imams. The community of the faithful is a familiar theme of all eschatology.

It is interesting to know that these texts imply a profound criticism of Islam as some parts of the Arab world seem to know it. The returned Mahdi will do as did the Prophet, destroying that which was before, just as the Prophet destroyed the rituals of the period of ignorance, and He will establish once again Islam. Our Qa'im will repair the Mosque and will reconstruct His Mecca. The Qa'im will bring a new Order, a new Book, a new Legislation and a New Tradition. ⁹

Of course the primary ambiguity of these prophecies is that they may refer to more spiritual and ethical realities or be understood as a militant call for a violent upheaval. But there are texts indicating that these prophecies do not invite the fight of Islam against other religions but rather, the fight of all religions for their inner renewal. Mahdi will equally re-establish the other religions, also abandoned and disfigured, in their original Truth and Purity.

Indeed: "The Mahdi will extract the Torah and the other Divine Books from their caverns and will judge amongst the faithful of the Evangiles according to the Evangiles, amongst the faithful of al-Zabur (The Book of David) according to the al-Zabur and amongst the faithful of the Koran according to the Koran." ¹⁰

It is the universal initiation by the imam of all men into the secrets of existence and of their own religions, and this is without doubt the meaning which must be understood by the term Mahdi given by the fifth imam al-Bagir: Mahdi (the Guide) is named as such because it is he who will guide (Yahdi) us in the secret teachings." ¹¹

If so, the prediction of the Mahdi does not announce the victory of zealot warriors who will wipe out non-believers, understood to be other races or religions. Rather, the prophecies talk of the power of love, not the might of hate. They would then refer to the fight against ignorance, no doubt the most formidable of all battles. But if Allah is indeed the Merciful and Compassionate, such is the most likely meaning of the predictions of the imams. The real jihad is an internal fight for our own purification, so that out full spiritual potential might finally manifest. Consequently, even in the stern Muslim prophecies we can read the hopeful and promising light of mankind's renewal. This may or may not combine with events of massive destruction that can still manifest. But let us focus on the hopeful dimension of this momentous period.”

Gregoire de Kalbermatten, The Third Advent
King Printing 2003, pg. 205-8

"The Prophet has declared: The Day of Resurrection will not take place until the True Qa'im rises. This will happen when God permits him to do so. Anyone who follows him will be saved, and anyone who opposes him will perish. O servants of God, keep God in your mind and go towards him even if it happens to be on the ice, for indeed he is the caliph of God, the Exalted and Glorified, and my successor."

Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity, www.al-islam.org

"Allah sends to this nation at the beginning of each century those who renew the religion." [Sunan Abi Dawud (4291)]. This is an authentic hadith that has enjoyed widespread acceptance among Muslims. Muslims believe that a Messiah-type figure (Imam Mahdi, or the Mahdi) will appear (or re-appear) at a difficult period of history to restore the faith and ensure the final victory of Islam.

The Messianic Leader, Mahdi, In Other Religions

Engineer Madani: Is belief in the promised Mahdi confined to the followers of Islam, or does it exist in other religions too?

Mr. Hoshyar: In fact, this belief is not limited to the Muslims alone. In almost all religions and heavenly creeds one can find a similar belief in the future savior. The followers of these religions believe that there will come a time when the world will become corrupt and engulfed in a crisis. Evil and injustice will become the rule of the day. Disbelief will cover the entire world. At that time, the universal savior of the world will appear. With remarkable divine help he will restore the purity of faith and defeat materialism with the help of divine worship. Not only are the tidings to be found in revealed books like the Zand and Pazand, and Jamaspname of the Zoroastrians, the Torah and other Biblical books of the Jews, and the Gospel of the Christians, such information can also be seen, more or less, among the Brahmins and the Buddhists.

The followers of all religions and traditions maintain such a belief and are awaiting the appearance of such a commanding figure under the divine protection. Each tradition recognizes this figure with a different name and specific title. The Zoroastrians call him Saoshyant (meaning the 'savior of the world'); the Jews know him as the messiah, whereas the Christians regard him as the Savior Messiah. However, each group believes that this divinely ordained savior will be among them. The Zoroastrians believe he is Persian and among the followers of Zoroaster. The Jews maintain that he will be among the Children of Israel, and the follower of Moses. The Christians think he will be one among them. Muslims believe that he will be among the Hashimites and among the direct descendants of the Prophet. In Islam he has been fully introduced, whereas in other religions this is not so....

It is not appropriate to confine the deliverer of the world, the Mahdi, to one particular nation. He will actually come to fight against all discriminatory claims of racial, creedal and national distinction. Consequently, he should be regarded as the Mahdi of the whole of humanity. He is the savior and deliverer of the people who worship God. His victory is the victory of all the prophets and all the righteous ones on earth. He will be restoring the religion of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all of the heavenly revelations, namely, Islam; he will revive the pure religion of Moses and Jesus which had foretold the prophethood of Muhammad.

Let us be clear that we have no intention of proving the existence of the promised Mahdi by referring to the ancient books, nor are we in need of doing so. Our intention is to demonstrate that the belief in the appearance of the unique savior of the world is a common religious belief, stemming from divine revelation, of which all prophets gave glad tidings. All nations are awaiting his emergence, but they have made errors in identifying him....

After having demonstrated the necessity for general prophethood to guide humanity to its this- and next-worldly goals, it is accurate to hold that the same proof can be utilized to establish the fact that, whenever the prophet dies, there must exist in his place someone who can lead the community to those ends. This person should be someone who can continue the work of the prophet in providing the divine ordinances and reach out to the people in their search for the religious and spiritual path. God's purposes cannot be fulfilled without such a person existing among the people to promulgate those laws without errors of omission or commission. Thus, in the absence of the prophet, God's benevolence makes it necessary that there should be someone among the people to make sure that divine revelation is protected from human interference and interpolations, and that divine laws are made accessible to the people at all times.

This outstanding person must also, like the prophet, be immune and protected from committing any error and mistakes in receiving, recording and delivering the divine ordinances to establish the proof that God's guidance for the people is intact. Moreover, he should be fully knowledgeable about the truth of the religious ordinances and should himself act upon those ordinances so that others can bring their own acts and opinions into conformity with his and follow his example in their search for truth, without falling into doubt and confusion and without resorting to excuses for not having found the proof of religious truth. Since the Imam must also be protected from committing any error in carrying out this great responsibility, it must be pointed out that the Imam's knowledge is other than that acquired through sense perception. Hence, his knowledge is different from the knowledge of an ordinary person. Through the Prophet's own guidance the Imam possesses clear insights into religious knowledge. Moreover, he is endowed with direct experience of the truth through his inner eyes. It is because of this that he is protected from any error or forgetfulness, and so acts in accord with this experience and direct observation of religious truth. More importantly, it is this attribute that qualifies him to assume the Imamate of the Muslim community.

In other words, there must exist among the people a perfect individual, one possessing absolute faith in God's revelation and exemplifying the best character and personal qualities in order to lead people in the minutest details of God's ordinances. At all these levels he must be protected from error, forgetfulness, and acts of disobedience. He must be ma'süm. It is the coming together of faith and action, knowledge and practice, that makes him the personification of all the possible human potentials of perfection. The realization of these potentials indisputably annoints him the leader of humanity. If humanity, at any point, is deprived of this leadership, the situation could lead to the disappearance of the divine ordinances which were proclaimed for the betterment of humankind. Moreover, it could lead to the discontinuation of divine help and could sever the connection between the divine and human realms.

In other words, there should always be a person among the people who is endowed with special guidance from God and is protected through God's benevolence in order for him to provide the necessary guidance and lead the people to their perfection in accord with their divinely endowed potentials. Moreover, through his knowledge and in any way possible, he should aid them in their journey towards their Creator. It is the existence of the sacred presence of the Imam as the Proof of God and as a perfect example of religious life that can make the divine presence known and divine worship possible in a society. Without the Imam's existence God cannot be known or worshipped perfectly. The inner self of the Imam is the receptacle for God's knowledge and divine secrets. It is like a mirror that reflects the realities of the material world, and people derive benefit from these reflections."

www.al-islam.org/mahdi/

"The date of the actual Hijrah as given in Caetani may be accepted as Sept.-Oct. 622, being the month of Rab'i 1. If the ninth of that month would be accepted as the date of the departure from the cave of Thawr, the best synchronised date would be the 22nd of September 622 C. But as the first month of the Arab year was (and is) Muharram, the Hijrah year 1 is counted as beginning on the 15th or 16th July 622 (= 1 Muharram A.H. 1.)"

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, 1989, p 1032.

"In AD 622 Muhammad, encountering religious opposition to his teachings of the unity of God and his denunciation of idolatry, moved north from his birthplace Mecca to Medina, both in Saudi Arabia. This hejira marks the start of the Muslim calendar."

David V. Barret, Sects, 'Cults' and Alternative Religions
Cassell PLC, 1996, p. 27.

"To believe in Him as the Second or the Promised Messiah is an article of faith, because first of all His coming early in the 15th century of the Hidjra was predicted by Muhammad."

H.A.R. Gibb, J.H. Kramers, Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam
E.J. Brill, Leiden 1953, p.24.

"Allah sends to this nation at the beginning of each century those who renew the religion." [Sunan Abi Dawud (4291)] This is an authentic hadith that has enjoyed widespread acceptance among Muslims.

Listed below are the major prophecies of various religions. May the Ummah remember what the Qur'an has said regarding this Great Event - "And [Jesus] shall be a sign [for the coming of] the Hour [of Resurrection]. Therefore, have no doubt about the [Resurrection] but follow Me: this is a straight way. (43:61)"

1. Kingdom Of God Has Arrived (Bible)

2. Young Men Have Seen Visions (Bible)

3. Comforter Has made Mysteries Known (Bible)

4. Holy Spirit Has Arrived To Baptize (Bible)

5. Lord Jesus' Warning Is Now Enforced (Bible)

6. Humans Are Being Born Of The Spirit (Bible)

7. Fatima's Third Secret Being Fulfilled (Christian Prophecy)

8. Golden Millennium Has Arrived (Christian Prophecy)

9. Gospel Of Kingdom Preached (Bible)

10. Scattered Of Judah Are Returning (Torah, Qur'an)

11. Winds Of Resurrection Blowing (Qur'an)

12. Angels sent Forth Have Arrived (Qur'an)

13. Signs Within Souls Shown (Qur'an)

14. Solar Eclipse Of Qiyamah Has Occurred (Qur'an)

15. Blast Of Truth Announced (Qur'an)

16. Allah's Iron Delivered (Qur'an)

17. Revelation Of Light Completed (Qur'an)

18. Imam Mahdi Has Surfaced (Shiite Prophecy)

19. Saoshyant Has Pronounced Judgment (Zoroastrian Prophecy)

20. "I Incarnate Myself Age After Age"

21. Shri Kalki Is Manifesting (Srimad Bhag. & Vishnu Purana)

22. Great Yogi Has Arrived (Nadi Granth)

23. Maitreya (Mother Threefold) Has Come (Buddhism)

24. Nostradamus (Middle Age Prophecy)

25. The Eagle Has Landed (Native American Prophecy)

26. Hunab Ku Has Flashed Like Lightning (Mayan Prophecy)

27. Scriptures Have Contradicted (Bhagavad Gita)

28. Sophianic Millennium Has Arrived (Gnostic Prophecy)

29. Age Of Aquarius Has Begun (New Age Prophecy)

30. Mayan End Age 12-21-2012 (Mayan Prophecy)

Another Sign of Allah that indirectly links Al-Qiyamah and Imam Mahdi is that the  path of 1995 total solar eclipse  originates in Shiite Iran. Those able to contemplate and comprehend this fact will understand the Sure Signs of Allah to lead the Believers to the Reality of the Night of Power and Honor (Al Qadr).

Shiites also believe that the Imam Mahdi will draw out the hidden essence of the Holy Qur'an and usher an era of true Islam. Till the advent of His Ruh not even a single Muslim have been able to explain the priceless parables and esoteric truths of the Holy Qur'an, and raise the consciousness of the human race as to its living, breathing Reality.

"The Unbelievers may, for a time, make a better show in worldly position, or in people's assemblages where things are judged by the counting of heads. But Truth must prevail even in this world, and ultimately the position must be reversed."

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an
Amana Corporation, p. 759, 1989.

"The great root of Evil and Unbelief is self-glory or Arrogance, as is pointed out in several places with regard to Satan. This leads to Envy and separatism, or a desire to start a peculiar doctrine or sect of one's own, instead of a desire to find common grounds of belief and life, which lead to the Religion of Unity in Allah. . . Teaching, Warning Signs have been given by Allah to all nations and at all times, and yet nations have rebelled and gone wrong and suffered destruction. If only later generations could learn that wrongdoing results in self-destruction!"

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an
Amana Corporation, p. 1161, 1989.

LAA UQSIM BI-YAWM AL-QIYAMAH;
  WA-LAA UQSIM BI-AN-NAFSAL-LAWWAAMAH
I do call to witness the Resurrection Day;
  And I do call to witness the self-reproaching Spirit.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Of what do they ask one another?
Of the Tremendous Announcement bout which they differ.
Nay, they will soon know;
Nay, again, they will soon know.

The Holy Quran, Chapter 78
Al-Naba: THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Islam is rising in the EAST (Malaysia & Indonesia )

 

Most people know about the predictions of Nostradamus (a French Jew) concerning the coming of a saviour that he mentioned as “the man with the blue turban”.

A Dutch writer, G. H. Brill wrote in his book The First Encyclopaedia of Islam (1913) about the rise of Islam from the East by someone he called “the standard bearer of Mahdi”.

And in an ancient and famous Javanese book known as Babad Jawa, there is mention about the coming of one “Ratu Adil” (Imam Mahdi) and “Satria Piningit” (The Bearer of his Banner ) who will govern Indonesia and the Malay Archipelago with pure Islamic teachings. Permadi SH is a famous name in Indonesia.

He said clearly that Satria Piningit is the person who will lead to Ratu Adil. Before him is Satria Kinunjara and Satria Mukti Wibawa. Satria Kinunjara is the one who spent most of his life in prison and who set Indonesia free from colonization.

That was Soekarno. Permadi SH also said clearly that Satria Piningit is an admirer and he echoes the message of Soekarno. Satria Mukti Wibawa is a leader full of charisma who filled Indonesia’s independence. That was Soeharto. But Permadi SH also mentioned that Soeharto’s era was still an era of chaos and anarchy. There was no justice until the arrival of Satria Piningit.

Satria Piningit literally means a hidden warrior. He exists but appears non-existent. He is non-existent but appears to exist. This means he is protected by God. In Indonesia, Satria Piningit is also known as Satrio Pinandato Sinisihan Wahyu. This means he will be guided by the knowledge of God or Ilmu Laduni. In Malaysia, Satria Piningit is also known as Pemuda/Putera Bani Tamim.

On one side, Satria Piningit has the good character of Soekarno. On the other side he has the good character of Soeharto. He is brave, vocal but calm and bound by strategy.

That is why Permadi SH said he is the combination of both Soekarno and Soeharto.

His arrival results in the merger of Malaysia and Indonesia. This is a continuation of the success of the Kingdom of Majapahit and Srivijaya. That kingdom united the Malay Archipelago with the influence of Hindu and Buddhist religions.

This time, the Malay Archipelago will unite under the banner of pure Islam. Permadi SH also mentioned this is the turn of the Malays to lead the world. The light of Islam will emerge from the Malay Archipelago and will brighten the whole world.

The signs are already clear and the emergence of Satria Piningit is very near. He will emerge exactly at the time he is needed.

These predictions of Permadi SH are almost similar to the predictions of the Jewish Nostradamus and the writings of G. H. Brill. Verily God in His own way has spread this dazzling news about the rise of Islam in the last era to most races and languages of the world. Almost all races have heard about it. It is exciting and elating news to all Muslims. But to the enemies of Islam, they are wary and very sad.

It is interesting to note that Hindu people is also waiting for a great King in the end of time whose name is Qalki. The name Qalki means the "destroyer of foulness," "destroyer of confusion," "destroyer of darkness," or "annihilator of ignorance." This was prophesized in the Hindu religious texts the Agni Purana which explains that when the evil men who pose as kings begin to feed on human beings and try to destroy the righteous, Qalki, as the son of Vishnuyasha, and Yajnavalkya as his priest and teacher, will destroy these evil men with His weapons. He will establish moral law in the form of the fourfold varnas, or the suitable organization of society in four classes. After that people will return to the path of righteousness. (16.7-9) 

We can see what is happening in the East beginning from the early 15th Hijriah century. We will notice the revival of Islam in the Malay world that is growing and expanding although it is being hindered and obstructed. This is a strange phenomenon.

Malays are becoming the best people in the practice of Islam and they are in the forefront of the Islamic struggle in the whole world today. It is not yet perfect, but is certainly progressing. This is no longer a secret. Although Islam was brought to the Malay Archipelago by Arab Traders more than 700 years ago, only now is Islam beginning to flourish in this region albeit in an era where the second age of ignorance has enveloped the whole world. Islam here did not die nor did it perish although it is was colonized and its enemies tried to kill it countless times.

This second revival of Islam does not follow the system or process of political elections. Islam has its own system. The Prophet choose a different system from the system of his time to bring up and to raise Islam.

He did it through dakwah (missionary work) and education using the divine revelations and the Hadith. His approach was through love, care, brotherhood and fraternity. When the hearts and minds of people are processed through divine revelations which are heartfelt and supreme, there will be an overall shift in the hearts and minds of people and of the society towards the truth and virtue that will bring about an Islamic nation followed by an Islamic Empire.

We should emulate the Companions of the Prophet who rushed to realise the promise of Allah to be the good military leader who would capture Constantinople from the Nasranis as said by the Prophet. They were not told who the good military leader was.

So they wanted to try to be him including Sayidina Abu Ayub Al Ansari who was then more than 90 years old. He advanced towards Constantinople and because he was not the promised one, he died a martyr beside the walls of the city. They were not disappointed if they failed. What is important is to fight for what Allah has promised and to gain His forgiveness and acceptance. Not trying is much worse than failing.

Major Japanese buzzword: “Setsuden” - Part 2

While I was at Korakuen Station, I noticed the word “setsuden” crawling past on an electronic announcement display. This might strike some people as ironic, but if the displays have to be kept on to inform passengers of information such as suicide delays, they may as well also include some positive messages about saving energy.



The elevators were also still on at the station — as
they must be for the sake of the disabled, the elderly and people with baby carriages — but this sign asks, “stesuden no tame” (for the sake of setsuden),  that people refrain from using them as much as possible.



This sign next to an elevator at a public gym and pool in Kawaguchi has a hortatory tone: “Please! Everybody setsuden! Genki people use the stairs!”



Meanwhile, at a similar facility in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, which has its entrance on the ninth floor, a setsuden sign announces that the middle elevator in a bank of three has been shut down to save energy. The air conditioning in the elevators apparently had also been shut off at the time of my last visit there, and air inside the glass elevator cars was baking.



A setsuden sign upstairs in the same building asks for everyone’s cooperation.



A sign in the window of a Domino’s pizza shop in Kawaguchi announces that their setsuden measures include turning off their neon sign.



Daitune, an udon and tempura shop in Ginza where I had lunch yesterday, has a hand-written setsuden sign in its window. There was no air conditioning inside, but the doors were kept wide open.



A bar in the Yaesu district adjacent to Tokyo Station had a similar sign, and a similar practice.



Here’s a close-up of the Yaesu bar sign. Next to the word “setsuden-chuu,” you can see three characters that are read “shou-ene.” This is short for “shou-enerugii,” which means saving energy. This seems redundant to me, but it is another common feature of many setsuden signs.



Here’s a setsuden sign at a bar in Ginza.



This setsuden sign is in the front window of a Ginza shop called Kyukyodo, a purveyor of traditional Japanese luxury goods that is currently emphasizing its selection of elegant fans and cooling furin wind chimes. They should do a booming business this summer.



This setsuden sign at the Washington Building, home of Uniqlo’s main Ginza store, says that the lights have been dimmed.



This setsuden sign on an ATM in Korakuen Station says its operating hours have been reduced to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to save electricity.



A sign at an ID photo booth in the same station says
its lights — presumably not including the flash — have been dimmed for setsuden. Interestingly, the sign describes the machine as a “jidoubaiki,” or vending machine. Before stopping to take this photo, I hadn’t realized that photo booths count as vending machines in Japanese.



Here’s a setsuden sign on a more conventional vending machine, run by Pepsi Japan.



Here’s a setsuden announcement at another dimly lit vending machine. In addition to reducing or turning off their lights, many vending machine operators have also reduced the daily hours during which their refrigeration units are running.



On this drink machine’s sign, the word “setsuden” appears next to a three character word pronounced “hanbai-chuu,” which means “now selling” — or in this case, “now still selling.”



On this drink machine’s sign, “hanbai-chuu” gets pride of place, and “setsuden-chuu” gets second billing.



Here they get more equal emphasis.



And here’s one more drink vending machine pleading
its case. Vending machine companies have been on the defensive since Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara condemned their business as wasteful, but if you live or work in Japan and don’t belong to a group that Ishihara has criticized, then you probably aren’t doing anything interesting or worthwhile.

This has been quite a long blog post, but there are two special setsuden signs that I have left out. The signs to which I refer are my favorites — one for its appealing visual style, and one for its amusing wordplay. The’re so good I’m going to give them each their own blog entry later this week. So stay tuned!

Source: http://tokyotombaker.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/major-japanese-buzzword-setsuden/

Major Japanese buzzword: “Setsuden” - Part 1

High-end shops in Ginza don’t normally plaster their windows with hastily photocopied announcements, but the photo above shows that a men’s shoe store that ritzy district has become one of countless Japanese businesses to jump on the “setusden” bandwagon.

“Setsuden” means “saving electricity.” The sign in the shoe shop window informs customers that the shop is lit more dimly than usual for the sake of conserving power. With many of Japan’s power plants shut down as a direct or indirect result of this spring’s earthquake and tsunami, “setsuden” has become this summer’s big buzzword.

The term is written with the pair of kanji characters at the top of the shoe shop’s sign. Take a moment to look carefully at those characters. If you live in Japan or plan to visit (and please do visit — our economy over here could use the help), you’re going to see these two characters everywhere.





For example, here is a sign at an entrance to the
Matsuya department store in Ginza, telling customers that the air conditioning has been turned down to save power. The message is printed on a background shaped like a hand-held paper fan, suggesting an alternative way to keep cool.

The fan’s lettering reads, “Kotoshi wa, setsuden o kangaeruu,” which means, “This year, we are thinking about saving electricity.” The last word is written in katakana phonetic characters to emphasize that it is a pun. ”Kangaeru” is the correct Japanese word for think, but here it has been slightly altered to make it sound more like “kangaruu,” which is the word for kangaroo.  And that’s why there is a kangaroo holding the fan — not just because it is cute.




The power hand driers in many public restrooms have been turned off to save electricity, such as this one I photographed at a shopping mall in the Tokyo suburb of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture. Here, the two characters for “setsuden” are followed by a third character.

This simple-looking character is an extremely versatile one with many uses, but here it is pronounced “chuu” and means “in progress,” “under way,” or “in the middle of.” It is often used as a suffix to words that describe activities, so here it means something like “now conserving energy.” Walking around town, you’ll see the three characters for “setsuden-chuu” quite a lot.



For example, here we see “setsuden-chuu” on a
closed escalator at Yoga Station on the Denentoshi Line in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.




And back at the Kawaguchi mall, here are two ”setsuden-chuu” signs, explaining why an advertising video screen and a beverage heater/cooler have been turned off.




Even fish are getting into the act, with these
specimens in the lobby of my sports club bragging that the light in their tank is from LEDs.




Here’s a Ginza dental clinic whose setsuden sign includes an anthropomorphic tooth mascot climing Tokyo Tower in King Kong style.

The McDonald’s at Korakuen subway station in Tokyo is displaying a setsuden sign that turns a lightbulb filament into its golden arches. I’m not sure this is such a good idea, because at first glance it seems to associate their logo with electricity use rather than savings. The word “setsuden” is not prominently displayed on this poster, but it’s there if you look.

Go to Part 2