陰陽座 - 覇道明王

Standard edition, in a jewel case (no slipcase).

Transliterations and translations:
Album title: Hadou Myouou (High-handed Overlord)

1. Haou (Supreme Ruler)
2. Haja no fuuin (Seal of The Dark Lord)
3. Itsumade
4. Ouka Ninpouchou (Ninja Scroll of Cherry Blossoms)
5. Rei (Petty Official)
6. Fushoku no Ou (King of Corruption)
7. Ippondatara
8. Izuna Otoshi (Ambush Technique)
9. Tetsuso no Yan (Mark of Tesso)
10. Bureikou (Rude Lecture)

Itsumade is the name of a youkai first published in a collection of pictures, the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki, by Toriyama Sekien in 1779. It takes the form of an eerie bird that stops nearby the corpses of those who died from battle or starvation and cry "itsumade itsumade" (Until when? Until when?), basically meaning "until when will this corpse be left here?". Other tales say that it is the vengeful spirit (onryou) of those same corpses, just taking on the shape of a bird.

Track 5, 隷 (Rei), is a term that does not translate cleanly into English. This word stems from the word reisho (隷書), which translates into clerical script. Clerical script is an old way of writing Chinese and Japanese characters, it is succeeded by regular script, and preceded by seal script (篆書, tensho). Clerical script arose out of a need during the later years of the Warring States period (戰國時代, 475 – 221 B.C.); a need for a writing system faster and easier than seal script, increasing speed of communication, and increasing accessibility of writing tools (such as the invention of paper) encouraged the development of an easier and faster writing system. One of the explanations given by historian for its peculiar name (隷, “rei” in Japanese means a “slave”, but also a “petty official”) is that it was initially used by lower class clerks, servants, etc., and the fact that it was secondary to seal script. Considering some of the other titles have ties to aristocracy when translated, I’m using the “Petty Official” as the translation.

Ippondatara is a youkai depicted has having one thick, trunk-like leg and a single saucer-like eye. It is shy and stays away from human inhabited areas, except for December 20th, when it turns violent and crushes any travelers in the mountains it inhabits under its powerful foot. The name Ippondatara comes from tatara, the bellows that a blacksmith would use in the old days. This yōkai is said to resemble a master blacksmith who lost the use of one eye from years of starting at the intense flames, and lost the use of one leg from years of heavy work pumping the bellows.

Track 8, Izuna Otoshi, refers to a technique used by ninjas where they ambush their targets from roofs or tree-tops. It translates into "Spinning Piledriver" but the term "Ambush Technique" is a bit more accurate.

Track 9, Tetsuso no Yan, ties into the story about the origin of the youkai Tesso. Long ago, during the reign of Emperor Shirakawa (1073-1087 CE), there lived a monk named Raigou at an abbott called Mii-dera. One day, Raigou was approached by The Emperor because The Emperor had no heir, and Raigou prayed fervently to the gods until an heir was bestowed upon him. The Emperor was so overjoyed that he asked Raigou for what he wanted in exchange for his services, and he requested an ornate ordination building at Mii-dera so that he could train new priests. However, Raigou's request challenged the legitimacy of Enryaku-ji, a rival temple and also a powerful political force, and The Emperor ended up not granting Raigou's request. In retaliation, Raigou goes on a hunger strike for 100 days, passes away, and turns into an onryou (vengeful spirit) who was accused of taking the Emperor's son's spirit away a few days later. But Raigou's hatred continued, and it took the form of a gigantic rat named Tesso. Tesso summoned a massive army of rats upon Enryaku-ji. Nothing could stop Tesso and the army of rats until finally a shrine was built at Mii-dera to appease his spirit, and that shrine still stands at Mii-dera today. An interesting footnote to the story: while Buddhist buildings are typically built facing the east, Raigou’s shrine is built facing the north. It points to the top of Mt. Hiei, directy at Enryaku-ji, the target of his rage.