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The Payback Cigar He takes a puff and looks at the large Fu mask hanging on his wall. “There’s only so much I can do on my own.” Matt Booth, creator of the Payback Series of Cigars
Transcendence I have mentioned my affinity for the Japanese culture before. The culture of the Samurai Warriors and the traditions that have been honed over thousands of years, continue to flourish in Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, Hokkaido. Hokkaido is a vast island on the northern edge Japan and is the second largest after Honshu. The Chrysanthemum Throne is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world, and records show the royal male line to be unbroken for 14 centuries. Naruhito, the 126th Monarch, is a direct descendant of Japan's first emperor Jimmu, circa 660 BC. The Chrysanthemum Throne
Miyajima Island, between Iwakuni Cho and Hiroshima is an example of a completely isolated island, not overly developed with the freshest seafood in Japan. The First MAW Band performed at the recognition day of the first atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima. I needed a break after that experience and took a liberty to spend the weekend on the island. It was an experience, in 1978, that I have returned many times to this idyllic place to find rest for a troubled soul The Torii Gate Entrance
My existential experience in lighting up a Payback is so comforting to my inner soul and reminds me of the Sakura festivals in Honshu Prefecture of Japan. Shinto is the underlying spiritual belief system of Japan and has developed over eons. The life, traditions and respect come from the core values of Shinto. Purity, Makoto – Sincerity, Harmony with Nature, Matsuri – Festivals, Focus on Now. Shinto is involved in every aspect of Japanese culture: it touches ethics, politics, family life and social structures, artistic life (particularly drama and poetry) and sporting life (Sumo wrestling), as well as spiritual life.
Grounds of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island. In the background is the iconic, giant torii gate which is erected in the middle of a small bay in the Seto Inland Sea
