title: Thomas Robinson (basketball)

text: Robinson is engaged to Kai Cyre Craig, a nurse and famous Instagram model. Together, they have a daughter and a son named Rain and Ryder Robinson


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Kevin Antonio Joel Gislain Mirallas y Castillo (born 5 October 1987), known as Kevin Mirallas (), is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Cypriot side AEL Limassol.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas started his professional career in France with Lille and Saint-Étienne before moving to Greece with Olympiacos in 2010. Mirallas enjoyed success during his time at Olympiacos, scoring 34 goals in 52 league games. He was top scorer in his second season with Olympiacos with 20 goals in 25 games. His impressive performances attracted the attention of Everton F.C., who signed him in the summer of 2012 for £6 million.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas has 60 caps for Belgium since his senior debut in 2007. He has represented Belgium at various youth levels and has featured for them at senior level at the 2008 Olympics as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas spent his youth career playing for his hometown club, Standard Liège. He then left Belgium and began his first team career in France with Lille OSC in the 2004–05 season. Mirallas participated in the UEFA Cup in his first season at Lille. Mirallas was transferred to AS Saint-Étienne for €4 million, and made a name for himself by scoring against Lyon on his debut in the Rhone-Loire derby.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: In June 2010, Mirallas joined Greek club Olympiacos on a one-year loan for a fee of €2.5 million. Mirallas made his debut in a 5–0 win against KS Besa Kavaje in the Second Qualifying Round of the UEFA Europa League Qualifiers and scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–1 home win against Olympiakos Volos. Mirallas scored in a 2–1 away loss to their greatest rivals Panathinaikos in the Derby of the eternal enemies, after which his contract was extended to four years. Olympiacos won that season's Greek Super League and Mirallas finished as the club's top scorer with 14 goals, with only Panathinaikos's Djibril Cissé scoring more league goals. The following season Mirallas scored his first ever hat-trick for Olympiacos in a 4–0 away win against Levadiakos F.C. and scored four in a 7–2 victory over Asteras Tripolis. Olympiacos again won the league, and Mirallas was the league's top scorer with 20 goals.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: In August 2012, Mirallas joined Premier League club Everton for a reported fee of £6 million. He made his debut as a second-half substitute during a 3–1 league win over Aston Villa at Villa Park in which he had a headed goal disallowed after he was ruled offside. In his first start four days later, Mirallas scored twice and provided two assists as Everton won 5–0 against Leyton Orient in the second round of the League Cup. He scored his first league goal on 22 September 2012, in a 3–0 away win against Swansea City after heading in his initial effort which rebounded off the underside of the bar. Mirallas suffered a number of injuries that limited his playing time during the middle part of the season. He made a number of brief cameos, notably against Tottenham Hotspur in December. Mirallas' next goal came against Oldham Athletic in a 3–1 win on 26 February 2013 in the fifth round of the FA Cup. He then scored his second league goal of the season against Reading in a 3–1 win on 2 March 2013. He scored his first league brace in David Moyes' last home game in charge of Everton, a 2–0 win against West Ham United.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas scored and assisted a goal during a 3–3 draw in the first Merseyside derby of the 2013–14 season on 23 November. He also received a booking for a high challenge on Luis Suárez, which opposing manager Brendan Rodgers described as reckless and insisted Mirallas was lucky to remain on the pitch. He went on to score eight goals before suffering a season-ending groin injury in April. Mirallas created 61 chances for his teammates during the season, the most of any Everton player.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: On 18 September 2014, Mirallas scored his first European goal for Everton in a 4–1 win over Wolfsburg in the first match of their Europa League campaign. He signed a new three-year contract with the club in August 2015.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas scored his 29th Premier League goal for Everton on 11 March 2017 as Everton cruised to victory over West Bromwich Albion at Goodison Park in a 3–0 win. On 12 May 2017, Mirallas signed a new three-year contract deal with Everton until the end of June 2020.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: On 7 January 2018, Mirallas agreed to return to former club Olympiacos on loan until the end of the 2017–18 season. The club did not have an option to purchase Mirallas as part of the contract. On 16 April, Mirallas scored a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area on the stroke of half-time in a 5–1 home win against Kerkyra. On 4 May, his loan spell was terminated by mutual consent due to Everton's high asking price to purchase Mirallas outright, as well as Mirallas' overall subpar performances with Olympiacos.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: On 4 August 2018, Mirallas signed for Fiorentina on a season-long loan deal with the option to make the transfer permanent.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: On 24 January 2022, Mirallas joined Moreirense on a free transfer until the end of the 2021–22 season.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas has represented Belgium at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level, and was one of the leading figures in guiding the under-21s to the semi-finals of the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: He scored twice in the 2008 Summer Olympics football tournament, once against China (2–0 victory) and once against Italy (3–2 victory).


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: He made his full international debut for the senior team in 2007 and scored his first ever international goal against Serbia in Brussels on 23 August of that year, as a Mousa Dembélé brace helped the Red Devils to a 3–2 home victory.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas was part of the Belgian squad which reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his tournament debut in the second group match, a 1–0 win over Russia at the Maracanã, as a 75th-minute substitute for Dries Mertens. In a game of few opportunities, Mirallas hit the post with Belgium's first shot on target. Another substitute, Divock Origi, scored the game's only goal two minutes from full-time.


title: Kevin Mirallas

text: Mirallas was deployed as a centre forward for Olympiacos, but after his move to Everton he has been deployed mainly as a winger or a free-roaming forward. He is known for his pace, close ball control, passing ability and proficiency in one-on-one situations.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Romuva is a neo-pagan movement derived from the traditional mythology of the Lithuanians, attempting to reconstruct the religious rituals of the Lithuanians before their forced Christianization in 1387. Practitioners of Romuva claim to continue Baltic pagan traditions which survived in folklore, customs and superstition. Romuva is a polytheistic pagan faith which asserts the sanctity of nature and ancestor worship. Practicing the Romuva faith is seen by many adherents as a form of cultural pride, along with celebrating traditional forms of art, retelling Baltic folklore, practising traditional holidays, playing traditional Baltic music, singing traditional (songs), as well as ecological activism and stewarding sacred places.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Romuva primarily exists in Lithuania but there are also congregations of adherents in Australia, Canada, Russia, the United States, and England. There are believers of Baltic pagan faiths in other nations, including Dievturība in Latvia. According to the 2001 census, there were approximately 1,200 people in Lithuania identifying with Romuva. That number jumped to around 5,100 in the 2011 census.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: The terms "Romuva", "Romovė", and "Ruomuva" came from medieval written sources in East Prussia mentioning the pagan Baltic temple Romowe. The word has meanings of "temple" and "sanctuary", but, further, also "abode of inner peace". The Baltic root "ram-/rām-", from which "Romuva" derives, has the meaning of 'calm, serene, quiet', stemming from the Proto-Indo-European .


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Whatever religion the original inhabitants of the Baltic region had predates recorded history. Mesolithic hunters, gatherers, and anglers of the region practised a religion focused on their occupations. Marija Gimbutas controversially suggested that agrarian settlers of around 3500–2500 BCE were examples of Earth-worshipping Old Europeans. After this, Indo-Europeans entered the area and brought with them their Proto-Indo-European religion. This religion, including elements from the religious past of the region, evolved into the paganism which is attested in the Middle Ages and later.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: The adherents of this Baltic religion prospered relatively unhindered until the 9th century when they began to come under pressure from outside Christian forces. The Annals of Quedlinburg mention a missionary, Bruno of Querfurt, who was killed along with 18 men by Yotvingians while attempting to convert the pagans in the area of Lithuania and Prussia in 1009 CE. This was the first time the name of Lithuania was mentioned in written sources. Other sources suggest Bruno had been killed for violating The Holy Forest and destroying statues of gods.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Beginning in 1199, the Roman Catholic Church declared crusades against Baltic pagans. Grand Duke Mindaugas was Christianized with his family and warriors in 1251 so that the Crusades might be ended by the Church. But Mindaugas still worshiped pagan deities as the Hypatian chronicle mentions. He sacrificed to the pagan Supreme god (*Andajus, later Dievas), Perkūnas, Teliavelis (god of smiths), and *Žvorūna (goddess of forests and hunters). Despite any insincerity and realpolitik in his Christian faith, some subsidiary states of Mindaugas' Grand Duchy rebelled in protest. In 1261 Mindaugas renounced his Christian faith as his official conversion failed to placate the Crusaders.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Even in the face of Crusaders, by the time of Grand Duke Gediminas, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded its influence until it formed the political centre of a vast and prosperous "pagan Empire". Lithuanians thus survived late into history as appreciable representatives of ancient European paganism, preserving this tradition as the official, state religion until the late 14th and early 15th centuries when Christianity was finally accepted by the states of the Grand Duchy, again for political reasons. Lithuanians were thus the last non-nomadic people in Europe practicing a European ethnic religion. Unofficially, Lithuanians continued in their adherence to traditional paganism.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: The Romantic epoch started in the 19th century. This led Lithuanians to look back to their past for both intellectual and spiritual inspiration. The national revival started and Lithuanian intelligentsia idealised ancient paganism and folklore. Some historians wanted to prove the beauty of ancient polytheism and even started creating new aspects of Lithuanian mythology. One of the most famous of these was Theodor Narbutt who edited Ancient Greek myths and created new Lithuanian ones.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: In the beginning of the 20th century, ancient pagan traditions were still continued in folklore and customs. People were celebrating ancient pagan festivals mixed with Christian traditions. Such festivals include Vėlinės (day of dead souls, similar to Celtic Halloween), Užgavėnės (festival when winter ends and spring begins), and Rasa or Joninės. For Užgavėnės, people in Samogitia may dress in costumes including masks and burn an idol of an old lady, called Morė or Giltine, goddess of death.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: The philosopher Vydūnas is taken as a sort of founding father of Romuva. He actively promoted awareness of and participation in pagan festivals. Vydūnas saw Christianity as foreign to Lithuanians, and instead he brought his attention to what he saw as the spiritual vision of the adherents of the traditional Baltic religion. He ascribed to this a sense of awe in their cosmology, as they saw the universe as a great mystery, and respect for every living being as well as the earth in their morality, as they saw the whole world and every individual as a symbol of life as a whole. The Divine was represented by fire, which was as such used ritually to worship the divine and itself held sacred. Vydūnas had given special treatment to this religion of the Lithuanians in his drama "Amžina ugnis" ("An Eternal Flame"). Among this and other works, Vydūnas exalted the faith as being on the highest level of spiritual expression, along with other forms which he recognized.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Domas Šidlauskas-Visuomis (1878–1944) began to create Vaidevutybė (Baltic paganism) in 1911. In the 1920s the Latvian folk religion movement Dievturība was started by Ernests Brastiņš. The main problem was that the first movements were based on limited folklore sources and influenced by Far Eastern traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Even so, the idea of Romuva did not die during the Soviet occupation of Lithuania.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: The Lithuanian pagan movement was stopped by Soviet occupation in 1940. Due to the nationalist nature of Romuva, the faith was suppressed during the Soviet occupation and many practitioners were executed or deported to forced labor camps in Siberia. After Joseph Stalin's death the cultural life became more free.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: A clandestine Romuva group is known to have existed within a labor camp in Inta, Russia. After the members were released and returned to Lithuania around 1960, some of these practitioners, along with Jonas Trinkūnas, formed the "Vilnius Ethnological Ramuva" and began organizing public celebrations of traditional Lithuanian religious holidays, starting with Rasa in 1967. In 1971 the Soviets expelled the members from the university they attended and exiled the leaders. By 1988, when the power of the Soviet Union was waning and Lithuanian independence was on the horizon, Romuva groups began reorganizing in the Baltic nations and practising their religion in the open.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: After Lithuania regained independence in 1990, Romuva was recognised as an Ancient Baltic faith community in 1992. Under the auspices of the "Law on Religious Communities and Associations" which was passed in Lithuania in 1995, Romuva gained recognition as a "non-traditional" religion. The law requires a minimum of 25 years of existence before such a religion can receive the state support reserved for "traditional" religions.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: In 1990, Trinkūnas created Kūlgrinda, a band that performs in many Romuva festivals. The community was organized and led by "krivių krivaitis" (high priest) Jonas Trinkūnas until his death in 2014. He was buried according to the old Baltic traditions. His wife Inija Trinkūnienė was chosen as the new "krivė" (high priest) and her ordination was held on 31 May 2015, in Vilnius on the Gediminas Hill. She is the first woman to become "krivė" in the long pagan history.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: On 24 May 2018, Seimas passed a proposal for granting state recognition to Romuva and began discussing it in the parliamentary committees. In June 2019, Seimas voted to reject Romuva's petition to be recognized as a "traditional" religion. The law provides that the petition could be resubmitted in ten years. The proposal was opposed mainly by the members of the Homeland Union, particularly by Žygimantas Pavilionis. Romuva sued Lithuania in the European Court of Human Rights and won a unanimous decision in June 2021 that the Seimas did not remain "neutral and impartial in exercising their regulatory powers". Romuva will be allowed to reapply for recognition after three months of the ruling.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: The Baltic or "fire altar" is a stone altar in which a fire is ritually lit. Participants wash their hands and face before approaching the , and then they sing or ritual hymns as the fire is lit. Food, drink, grasses, and flowers are offered to the flame as the group sings the . After the primary offering, participants offer their own verbal or silent prayers which are carried to the Gods with the smoke and sparks of the flame.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: A Romuva priest is known as a "vaidila" (plural "vaidilos"), and a Romuva priestess is known as a "vaidilutė" (plural "vaidilutės"). As a recognised figure of authority in his or her community, the priest must have the proper skills and knowledge he or she needs to conduct religious ceremonies to honour the Gods.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: A Romuva shrine is a field with one or several idols in front of a sacred fire where sacrifices are burned, known as an "alka".


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Samogitian Sanctuary was originally planned to be rebuilt on Birutė hill in Palanga but was not agreed to by the mayor of Palanga. Instead, it was built on a hill near Šventoji which also has 11 sculptures of pagan gods. There are four main festivals in a year:


title: Romuva (religion)

text: The Romuva religion shares similarities with Hinduism. For example, in Lithuanian, the word "darna" means harmony and coherence, and for Lithuanian pagans, that is a religious tenet as well – the balance of the world. It also superficially resembles the word dharma, Hinduism's cosmic order. The linguistic similarity between darna and dharma is likely a coincidence – scholars say the two do not necessarily share an etymology. But for Lithuania's Romuva community, which traces its traditions back to ancient folklore, it is evidence of a connection to India, Hinduism and Sanskrit that has become a part of their Romuva identity, along with its pantheon of gods and fairly standard pagan rituals. Some believe that the connection between Hinduism and Romuva made Romuva to be more than a "primitive, shamanic religious tradition".


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Jonas Trinkūnas, a leading founder and priest of modern-day Romuva, performed marriages in the same manner as Hindu Vedic weddings. Mantras and chants were recited and the couple took vows after doing rounds of the fire. Trinkūnas further claimed that Rajputs were the ancestors of a Romuva tribe that once ruled Lithuania for many years and some of their ancient practices are practiced today.


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Similarly Ašvieniai are divine twins in the Lithuanian mythology, counterparts of Vedic Ashvins. The Ašvieniai are represented as pulling a carriage of Saulė (the Sun) through the sky. Ašvieniai, depicted as "žirgeliai" or little horses, are common motifs on Lithuanian rooftops,


title: Romuva (religion)

text: Romuva and Hindu groups have come together on numerous occasions to share prayers and participate in dialogue. These events have taken place in Lithuania, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Boston, Massachusetts, Epping, New Hampshire, and elsewhere.


title: Nanban trade

text: The "Nanban" trade as a form of European contact began with Portuguese explorers, missionaries, and merchants in the Sengoku period and established long-distance overseas trade routes with Japan. The resulting cultural exchange included the introduction of matchlock firearms, galleon-style shipbuilding, and Christianity to Japan. The "Nanban" trade declined in the early Edo period with the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate which feared the influence of Christianity in Japan, particularly the Roman Catholicism of the Portuguese. The Tokugawa issued a series of "Sakoku" policies that increasingly isolated Japan from the outside world and limited European trade to Dutch traders on the island of Dejima.


title: Nanban trade

text: Following contact with the Portuguese on Tanegashima in 1542, the Japanese were at first rather wary of the newly arrived foreigners. The culture shock was quite strong, especially due to the fact that Europeans were not able to understand the Japanese writing system nor accustomed to using chopsticks.


title: Nanban trade

text: The first comprehensive and systematic report of a European about Japan is the "Tratado em que se contêm muito sucinta e abreviadamente algumas contradições e diferenças de costumes entre a gente de Europa e esta província de Japão" of Luís Fróis, in which he described Japanese life concerning the roles and duties of men and women, children, Japanese food, weapons, medicine, medical treatment, diseases, books, houses, gardens, horses, ships and cultural aspects of Japanese life like dances and music. Several decades later, when Hasekura Tsunenaga became the first Japanese official arriving in Europe, his presence, habits and cultural mannerisms gave rise to many picturesque descriptions circulating among the public:


title: Nanban trade

text: Renaissance Europeans were quite fond of Japan's immense richness in precious metals, mainly owing to Marco Polo's accounts of gilded temples and palaces, but also due to the relative abundance of surface ores characteristic of a volcanic country, before large-scale deep-mining became possible in Industrial times. Japan was to become a major exporter of copper and silver during the period. At its peak, 1/3 of the world's silver came from Japan.


title: Nanban trade

text: Japan was also noted for its comparable or even exceptional levels of population and urbanization with the nations of the West (see List of countries by population in 1600), and some Europeans became quite fascinated with Japan, with Alessandro Valignano even writing that the Japanese "excel not only all the other Oriental peoples, they surpass the Europeans as well".


title: Nanban trade

text: Early European visitors noted the quality of Japanese craftsmanship and metalsmithing. The later sources, most notably those written after the end of Japan's isolation period, also report Japanese blades and swords in general as good quality weapons with a notable artistic value.


title: Nanban trade

text: Ever since 1514 that the Portuguese had traded with China from Malacca, and the year after the first Portuguese landfall in Japan, trade commenced between Malacca, China, and Japan. The Chinese Emperor had decreed an embargo against Japan as a result of piratical wokou raids against China – consequently, Chinese goods were in scarce supply in Japan and so, the Portuguese found a lucrative opportunity to act as middlemen between the two realms.


title: Nanban trade

text: Trade with Japan was initially open to any, but in 1550, the Portuguese Crown monopolized the rights to trade with Japan. Henceforth, once a year a "fidalgo" was awarded the rights for a single trade venture to Japan with considerable privileges, such as the title of "captain-major of the voyage to Japan", with authority over any Portuguese subjects in China or Japan while he was in port, and the right to sell his post, should he lack the necessary funds to undertake the enterprise. He could charter a royal vessel or purchase his own, at about 40,000 xerafins. His ship would set sail from Goa, called at Malacca and China before proceeding to Japan and back.


title: Nanban trade

text: In 1554, captain-major Leonel de Sousa negotiated with Chinese authorities the re-legalization of Portuguese trade in China, which was followed by the foundation of Macau in 1557 to support this trade.


title: Nanban trade

text: The state of civil-war in Japan was also highly beneficial to the Portuguese, as each competing lord sought to attract trade to their domains by offering better conditions. In 1571, the fishing village of Nagasaki became the definitive anchorage of the Portuguese and in 1580, its lord, Omura Sumitada, the first Japanese lord to convert to Christianity, leased it to the Jesuits "in perpetuity". The city subsequently evolved from an unimportant fishing village to a prosperous and cosmopolitan community, the entirety of which was Christian. In time, the city would be graced with a painting school, a hospital, a charitable institution (the "Misericórdia") and a Jesuit college.


title: Nanban trade

text: Among the vessels involved in the trade linking Goa and Japan, the most famous were Portuguese carracks, slow but large enough to hold a great deal of merchandise and enough provisions to travel safely through such a lengthy and often hazardous (because of pirates) journey. These ships initially had about 400–600 tons burden but later on could reach as many as over 1200 or 1600 tons in cargo capacity, a rare few reaching as many as 2000 tons — they were the largest vessels afloat on Earth, and easily twice or three times larger than common galleons of the time, rivalled only in size by the Spanish Manila galleons. Many of these were built at the royal Indo-Portuguese shipyards at Goa, Bassein or Daman, out of high-quality Indian teakwood rather than European pine, and their build quality became renowned; the Spanish in Manila favoured Portuguese-built vessels, and commented that they were not only cheaper than their own, but "lasted ten times as long".


title: Nanban trade

text: The Portuguese referred to this vessel as the "nau da prata" ("silver carrack") or "nau do trato" ("trade carrack"); the Japanese dubbed them "kurofune", meaning "black ships", on account of the colour of their hulls, painted black with pitch for water-tightening, and later the name was extended to refer to Matthew C. Perry's black warships that reopened Japan to the wider world in 1853.


title: Nanban trade

text: In the 16th century, large junks belonging to private owners from Macau often accompanied the great ship to Japan, about two or three; these could reach about 400 or 500 tons burden. After 1618, the Portuguese switched to using smaller and more maneuverable pinnaces and galliots, to avoid interception from Dutch raiders.


title: Nanban trade

text: By far the most valuable commodities exchanged in the "nanban trade" were Chinese silks for Japanese silver, which was then traded in China for more silk. Although accurate statistics are lacking, it's been estimated that roughly half of Japan's yearly silver output was exported, most of it through the Wokou (Japanese and Chinese), Ryukyuans and Portuguese, amounting to about 18 – 20 tons in silver bullion. The English merchant Peter Mundy estimated that Portuguese investment at Canton ascended to 1,500,000 silver taels or 2,000,000 Spanish dollars. The Portuguese also exported surplus silk from Macau to Goa and Europe via Manila.


title: Nanban trade

text: Nonetheless, numerous other items were also transactioned, such as gold, Chinese porcelain, musk, and rhubarb; Arabian horses, Bengal tigers and peacocks; fine Indian scarlet cloths, calico and chintz; European manufactured items such as Flemish clocks and Venetian glass and Portuguese wine and rapiers; in return for Japanese copper, lacquer and lacquerware or weapons (as purely exotic items to be displayed in Europe). Japanese lacquerware attracted European aristocrats and missionaries from Europe, and western style chests and church furniture were exported in response to their requests.


title: Nanban trade

text: Japanese captured in battle were also sold by their compatriots to the Portuguese as slaves, but the Japanese would also sell family members they could not afford to sustain because of the civil-war. According to Prof. Boxer, both old and modern Asian authors have "conveniently overlooked" their part in the enslavement of their countrymen. They were well regarded for their skills and warlike character, and some ended as far as India and even Europe, some armed retainers or as concubines or slaves to other slaves of the Portuguese.


title: Nanban trade

text: In 1571, King Sebastian of Portugal issued a ban on the enslavement of both Chinese and Japanese, probably fearing the negative effects it might have on proselytization efforts as well as the standing diplomacy between the countries. The shogun of Japan Toyotomi Hideyoshi enforced the end of the enslavement of his countrymen starting in 1587 and it was suppressed shortly thereafter. However, Hideyoshi later sold Korean prisoners of war captured during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) as slaves to the Portuguese.


title: Nanban trade

text: The overall profits from the Japan trade, carried on through the black ship, was estimated to ascend to over 600,000 "cruzados", according to various contemporary authors such as Diogo do Couto, Jan Huygen van Linschoten and William Adams. A captain-major who invested at Goa 20,000 "cruzados" to this venture could expect 150,000 "cruzados" in profits upon returning. The value of Portuguese exports from Nagasaki during the 16th century were estimated to ascend to over 1,000,000 "cruzados", reaching as many as 3,000,000 in 1637. The Dutch estimated this was the equivalent of some 6,100,000 guilders, almost as much as the entire founding capital of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) (6,500,000 guilders). VOC profits in all of Asia amounted to "just" about 1,200,000 guilders, all its assets worth 9,500,000 guilders.


title: Nanban trade

text: The monopoly of Portugal on trade with Japan for a European nation started being challenged by Spanish ships from Manila after 1600 (until 1620), the Dutch after 1609 and the English in 1613 (until 1623). Nonetheless, it was found that neither the Dutch nor the Spanish could effectively replace the Portuguese, due to the latter's privileged access to Chinese markets and investors through Macau. The Portuguese were only definitively banned in 1638 after the Shimabara Rebellion, on the grounds that they smuggled priests into Japan aboard their vessels.


title: Nanban trade

text: The Dutch, who, rather than ""Nanban"" were called ""Kōmō"" (Jp: 紅毛, lit. "Red Hair") by the Japanese, first arrived in Japan in 1600, on board the "Liefde" (""liefde"" meaning "love"). Their pilot was William Adams, the first Englishman to reach Japan.


title: Nanban trade

text: In 1605, two of the "Liefde"'s crew were sent to Pattani by Tokugawa Ieyasu, to invite Dutch trade to Japan. The head of the Pattani Dutch trading post, Victor Sprinckel, refused on the ground that he was too busy dealing with Portuguese opposition in Southeast Asia. In 1609 however, the Dutchman Jacques Specx arrived with two ships in Hirado, and through Adams obtained trading privileges from Ieyasu.


title: Nanban trade

text: The Dutch also engaged in piracy and naval combat to weaken Portuguese and Spanish shipping in the Pacific, and ultimately became the only westerners to be allowed access to Japan from the small enclave of Dejima after 1638 and for the next two centuries.


title: Nanban trade

text: The Japanese were introduced to several new technologies and cultural practices (so were the Europeans to Japanese, see Japonism), whether in the military area (the arquebus, European-style cuirasses, European ships), religion (Christianity), decorative art, language (integration to Japanese of a Western vocabulary) and culinary: the Portuguese introduced the tempura and european-style confectionery, creating , "southern barbarian confectionery", with confectioneries like "castella", "konpeitō", "aruheitō", "karumera", "keiran sōmen", "bōro" and "bisukauto".


title: Nanban trade

text: The Japanese were interested in Portuguese hand-held guns. The first two Europeans to reach Japan in the year 1543 were the Portuguese traders António da Mota and Francisco Zeimoto (Fernão Mendes Pinto claimed to have arrived on this ship as well, but this is in direct conflict with other data he presents), arriving on a Chinese ship at the southern island of Tanegashima where they introduced hand-held guns for trade. The Japanese were already familiar with gunpowder weaponry (invented by, and transmitted from China), and had been using basic Chinese originated guns and cannon tubes called ""Teppō"" (鉄砲 "Iron cannon") for around 270 years before the arrival of the Portuguese. In comparison, the Portuguese guns were light, had a matchlock firing mechanism, and were easy to aim. Because the Portuguese-made firearms were introduced into Tanegashima, the arquebus was ultimately called Tanegashima in Japan. At that time, Japan was in the middle of a civil war called the Sengoku period (Warring States period).


title: Nanban trade

text: Within a year after the first trade in guns, Japanese swordsmiths and ironsmiths managed to reproduce the matchlock mechanism and mass-produce the Portuguese guns. Barely fifty years later, ""by the end of the 16th century, guns were almost certainly more common in Japan than in any other country in the world"", its armies equipped with a number of guns dwarfing any contemporary army in Europe (Perrin). The guns were strongly instrumental in the unification of Japan under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, as well as in the invasions of Korea in 1592 and 1597. The daimyo who initiated the unification of Japan, Oda Nobunaga, made extensive use of guns (arquebus) when playing a key role in the Battle of Nagashino, as dramatised in Akira Kurosawa's 1980 film "Kagemusha" (Shadow Warrior).


title: Nanban trade

text: European ships (galleons) were also quite influential in the Japanese shipbuilding industry and actually stimulated many Japanese ventures abroad.


title: Nanban trade

text: The Shogunate established a system of commercial ventures on licensed ships called , which sailed throughout East and Southeast Asia for trade. These ships incorporated many elements of galleon design, such as sails, rudder, and gun disposition. They brought to Southeast Asian ports many Japanese traders and adventurers, who sometimes became quite influential in local affairs, such as the adventurer Yamada Nagamasa in Siam, or later became Japanese popular icons, such as Tenjiku Tokubei.


title: Nanban trade

text: By the beginning of the 17th century, the shogunate had built, usually with the help of foreign experts, several ships of purely "Nanban" design, such as the galleon "San Juan Bautista", which crossed the Pacific two times on embassies to Nueva España (Mexico).


title: Nanban trade

text: With the arrival of the leading Jesuit Francis Xavier in 1549, Catholicism progressively developed as a major religious force in Japan. Although the tolerance of Western "padres" was initially linked to trade, Catholics could claim around 200,000 converts by the end of the 16th century, mainly located in the southern island of Kyūshū. The Jesuits managed to obtain jurisdiction over the trading city of Nagasaki.


title: Nanban trade

text: The first reaction from the kampaku Hideyoshi came in 1587 when he promulgated the interdiction of Christianity and ordered the departure of all "padres". This resolution was not followed upon however (only 3 out of 130 Jesuits left Japan), and the Jesuits were essentially able to pursue their activities. Hideyoshi had written that:


title: Nanban trade

text: Hideyoshi's reaction to Christianity proved stronger when the Spanish galleon "San Felipe" was wrecked in Japan in 1597. The incident led to twenty-six Christians (6 Franciscans, 17 of their Japanese neophytes, and 3 Japanese Jesuit lay brothers – included by mistake) being crucified in Nagasaki on February 5, 1597. It seems Hideyoshi's decision was taken following encouragements by the Jesuits to expel the rival order, his being informed by the Spanish that military conquest usually followed Catholic proselytism, and by his own desire to take over the cargo of the ship. Although close to a hundred churches were destroyed, most of the Jesuits remained in Japan.


title: Nanban trade

text: The final blow came with Tokugawa Ieyasu's firm interdiction of Christianity in 1614, which led to underground activities by the Jesuits and to their participation in Hideyori's revolt in the Siege of Osaka (1614–15). Repression of Catholicism became virulent after Ieyasu's death in 1616, leading to the torturing and killing of around 2,000 Christians (70 westerners and the rest Japanese) and the apostasy of the remaining 200–300,000. The last major reaction of the Christians in Japan was the Shimabara rebellion in 1637. Thereafter, Catholicism in Japan was driven underground as the so-called "Hidden Christians".


title: Nanban trade

text: After the country was pacified and unified by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 however, Japan progressively closed itself to the outside world, mainly because of the rise of Christianity.


title: Nanban trade

text: By 1650, except for the trade outpost of Dejima in Nagasaki, for the Netherlands, and some trade with China, foreigners were subject to the death penalty, and Christian converts were persecuted. Guns were almost completely eradicated to revert to the more "civilized" sword. Travel abroad and the building of large ships were also prohibited. Thence started a period of seclusion, peace, prosperity and mild progress known as the Edo period. But not long after, in the 1650s, the production of Japanese export porcelain increased greatly when civil war put the main Chinese center of porcelain production, in Jingdezhen, out of action for several decades. For the rest of the 17th century most Japanese porcelain production was in Kyushu for export through the Chinese and Dutch. The trade dwindled under renewed Chinese competition by the 1740s, before resuming after the opening of Japan in the 1850s.


title: Nanban trade

text: The "barbarians" would come back 250 years later, strengthened by industrialization, and end Japan's isolation with the forcible opening of Japan to trade by an American military fleet under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1854.


title: Nanban trade

text: "Nanban" is a Sino-Japanese word derived from the Chinese term "Nánmán", originally referring to the peoples of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Japanese use of "Nanban" took a new meaning when it came to designate the early Portuguese who first arrived in 1543, and later extended to other Europeans that arrived in Japan. The term "Nanban" has its origins from the Four Barbarians in the Hua–Yi distinction in the 3rd century in China. Pronunciation of the Chinese Character is Japanised, the 東夷 (Dōngyí) "Eastern Barbarians" called "Tōi" (it includes Japan itself), 南蛮 (Nánmán) "Southern Barbarians" called "Nanban", 西戎 (Xīróng) "Western Barbarians" called "Sei-Jū", and Běidí 北狄 "Northern Barbarians" called "Hoku-Teki". Although "Nanban" just meant Southeast Asia during the Sengoku and Edo periods, through time the word turned into the meaning "Western person", and "from Nanban" means "Exotic and Curious".


title: Nanban trade

text: Strictly speaking, "Nanban" means "Portuguese or Spanish" who were the most popular western foreigners in Japan, while other western people were sometimes called "紅毛人" (Kō-mōjin) "red-haired people" but Kō-mōjin was not as widespread as "Nanban". In China, "紅毛" is pronounced Ang mo in Hokkien and is a racist word against white people. Japan later decided to Westernize radically in order to better resist the West and essentially stopped considering the West as fundamentally uncivilized. Words like ""Yōfu"" (洋風 "western style") and ""Ōbeifu"" (欧米風 "European-American style)" replaced ""Nanban"" in most usages.


title: Nanban trade

text: Still, the exact principle of westernization was "Wakon-Yōsai" (和魂洋才 "Japanese spirit Western talent"), implying that, although technology may be more advanced in the West, Japanese spirit is better than the West's. Hence though the West may be lacking, it has its strong points, which takes the affront out of calling it "barbarian."


title: Nanban trade

text: Today the word ""Nanban"" is only used in a historical context, and is essentially felt as picturesque and affectionate. It can sometimes be used jokingly to refer to Western people or civilization in a cultured manner.


title: Nanban trade

text: There is an area where "Nanban" is used exclusively to refer to a certain style and that is cooking and the names of dishes.


title: Nanban trade

text: Nanban dishes are not American or European, but an odd variety not using soy sauce or miso but rather curry powder and vinegar as their flavoring, a characteristic derived from Indo-Portuguese Goan cuisine. This is because when Portuguese and Spanish dishes were imported into Japan, dishes from Macau and other parts of China were imported as well.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite is a crystalline mineral composed primarily of iron(II) oxide and chromium(III) oxide compounds. It can be represented by the chemical formula of FeCrO. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. The element magnesium can substitute for iron in variable amounts as it forms a solid solution with magnesiochromite (MgCrO). A substitution of the element aluminium can also occur, leading to hercynite (FeAlO). Chromite today is mined particularly to make stainless steel through the production of ferrochrome (FeCr), which is an iron-chromium alloy.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite grains are commonly found in large mafic igneous intrusions such as the Bushveld in South Africa and India. Chromite is iron-black in color with a metallic luster, a dark brown streak and a hardness on the Mohs scale of 5.5.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite minerals are mainly found in mafic-ultramafic igneous intrusions and are also sometimes found in metamorphic rocks. The chromite minerals occur in layered formations that can be hundreds of kilometres long and a few meters thick. Chromite is also common in iron meteorites and form in association with silicates and troilite minerals.


title: Chromite

text: The chemical composition of chromite can be represented as FeCrO, with the iron in the +2 oxidation state and the chromium in the +3 oxidation state. Chromite, when presented as an ore, or in massive form, forms as fine granular aggregates. The structure of the ore can be seen as platy, with breakages along planes of weakness. Chromite can also be presented in a thin section. The grains seen in thin sections are disseminated with crystals that are euhedral to subhedral.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite contains Mg, ferrous iron [Fe(II)], Al and trace amounts of Ti. Chromite can change into different minerals based on the amounts of each element in the mineral. Chromite is a part of the spinel group, which means that it is able to form a complete solid solution series with other members in the same group. These include minerals such as chenmingite (FeCrO), xieite (FeCrO), magnesiochromite (MgCrO) and magnetite (FeFeO). Chenmingite and xieite are polymorphs of chromite while magnesiochromite and magnetite are isostructural with chromite.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite occurs as massive and granular crystals and very rarely as octahedral crystals. Twinning for this mineral occurs on the {III} plane as described by the spinel law.


title: Chromite

text: Grains of minerals are generally small in size. However, chromite grains up to 3 cm have been found. These grains are seen to crystallize from the liquid of a meteorite body where there are low amounts of chromium and oxygen. The large grains are associated with stable supersaturated conditions seen from the meteorite body.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite is an important mineral in helping to determine the conditions that rocks form. It can have reactions with various gases such as CO and CO. The reaction between these gases and the solid chromite grains results in the reduction of the chromite and allows for the formation of iron and chromium alloys. There could also be a formation of metal carbides from the interaction with chromite and the gases.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite is seen to form early in the crystallization process. This allows for chromite to be resistant to the alteration effects of high temperatures and pressures seen in the metamorphic series. It is able to progress through the metamorphic series unaltered. Other minerals with a lower resistance are seen to alter in this series to minerals such as serpentine, biotite and garnet.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite is found as orthocumulate lenses in peridotite from the Earth's mantle. It also occurs in layered, ultramafic intrusive rocks. In addition, it is found in metamorphic rocks such as some serpentinites. Ore deposits of chromite form as early magmatic differentiates. It is commonly associated with olivine, magnetite, serpentine and corundum. The vast Bushveld Igneous Complex of South Africa is a large layered mafic to ultramafic igneous body with some layers consisting of 90% chromite, forming the rare rock type chromitite (cf. chromite the mineral and chromitite, a rock containing chromite). The Stillwater Igneous Complex in Montana also contains significant chromite.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite suitable for commercial mining is found in just a handful of very substantial deposits. There are 2 main types of chromite deposits: stratiform deposits and podiform deposits. Stratiform deposits in layered intrusions are the main source of chromite resources and are found in South Africa, Canada, Finland, and Madagascar. Chromite resources from podiform deposits are mainly found in Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Albania. Zimbabwe is the only country that contains notable chromite reserves in both stratiform and podiform deposits.


title: Chromite

text: Stratiform deposits are formed as large sheet-like bodies, usually formed in layered mafic to ultramafic igneous complexes. This type of deposit is used to obtain 98% of the worldwide chromite reserves.


title: Chromite

text: Stratiform deposits are typically seen to be of Precambrian in age and are found in cratons. The mafic to ultramafic igneous provinces that these deposits are formed in were likely intruded into continental crust, which may have contained granites or gneisses. The shapes of these intrusions are described as tabular or funnel-shaped. The tabular intrusions were placed in the form of sills with the layering of these intrusions being parallel. Examples of these tabular intrusions can be seen in the Stillwater Igneous Complex and Bird River. The funnel-shaped intrusions are seen to be dipping towards the center of the intrusion. This gives the layers in this intrusion a syncline formation. Examples of this type of intrusion can be seen in the Bushveld Igneous Complex and the Great Dyke.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite can be seen in stratiform deposits as multiple layers which consist of chromitite. Thicknesses for these layers range between 1 cm to 1 m. Lateral depths can reach lengths of 70 km. Chromitite is the main rock in these layers, with 50–95% of it being made of chromite and the rest being composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, and the various alteration products of these minerals. An indication of water in the magma is determined by the presence of brown mica.


title: Chromite

text: Podiform deposits are seen to occur within the ophiolite sequences. The stratigraphy of the ophiolite sequence is deep-ocean sediments, pillow lavas, sheeted dykes, gabbros and ultramafic tectonites.


title: Chromite

text: These deposits are found in ultramafic rocks, most notably in tectonites. It can be seen that the abundance of podiform deposits increase towards the top of the tectonites.


title: Chromite

text: Podiform deposits are irregular in shape. "Pod" is a term given by geologists to express the uncertain morphology of this deposit. This deposit shows foliation that is parallel to the foliation of the host rock. Podiform deposits are described as discordant, subconcordant and concordant. Chromite in podiform deposits form as anhedral grains. The ores seen in this type of deposit have nodular texture and are loosely-packed nodules with a size range of 5–20 mm. Other minerals that are seen in podiform deposits are olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, pargasite, Na-mica, albite, and jadeite.


title: Chromite

text: Chromium extracted from chromite is used on a large scale in many industries, including metallurgy, electroplating, paints, tanning, and paper production. Environmental contamination with hexavalent chromium is a major health and environmental concern. Chromium is most stable in its trivalent (Cr(III)) form, seen in stable compounds such as natural ores. Cr(III) is an essential nutrient, required for lipid and glucose metabolism in animals and humans. In contrast, the second most stable form, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), is generally produced through human activity and rarely seen in nature (as in crocoite), and is a highly toxic carcinogen that may kill animals and humans if ingested in large doses.


title: Chromite

text: When chromite ore is mined, it is aimed for the production of ferrochrome and produces a chromite concentrate of a high chromium to iron ratio. It can also be crushed and processed. Chromite concentrate, when combined with a reductant such as coal or coke and a high temperature furnace can produce ferrochrome. Ferrochrome is a type of ferroalloy that is an alloy in between chromium and iron. This ferroalloy, as well as chromite concentrate can introduce various health effects. Introducing a definitive control approach and distinct mitigation techniques can provide importance related to the safety of human health.


title: Chromite

text: When chromite ore is exposed to surface conditions, weathering and oxidation can occur. The element chromium is most abundant in chromite in the form of trivalent (Cr-III). When chromite ore is exposed to aboveground conditions, Cr-III can be converted to Cr-VI, which is the hexavalent state of chromium. Cr-VI is produced from Cr-III by means of dry milling or grinding of the ore. This is due to the moistness of the milling process as well as the atmosphere in which the milling is taking place. A wet environment and a non-oxygenated atmosphere are ideal conditions to produce less Cr-VI, while the opposite is known to create more Cr-VI.


title: Chromite

text: Production of Ferrochrome is observed to emit pollutants into the air such as nitrogen oxides, carbon oxides and sulfur oxides, as well as dust particulates with a high concentration of heavy metals such as chromium, zinc, lead, nickel and cadmium. During high temperature smelting of chromite ore to produce Ferrochrome, Cr-III is converted to Cr-VI. As with chromite ore, Ferrochrome is milled and therefore produces Cr-VI. Cr-VI is therefore introduced into the dust when the Ferrochrome is produced. This introduces health risks such as inhalation potential and leaching of toxins into the environment. Human exposure to chromium is ingestion, skin contact, and inhalation. Chromium-III and VI will accumulate in the tissues of humans and animals. The excretion of this type of chromium from the body tends to be very slow which means that elevated concentrations of chromium can be seen decades later in human tissues.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite mining, chromium, and ferrochome production can toxically effect the environment. Chromite mining is necessary when it comes to the production of economic commodities.


title: Chromite

text: As a result of leaching of soils and the explicit discharge from industrial activities, weathering of rocks that contain chromium will enter the water column. The route of chromium uptake in plants is still ambiguous, but because it is a nonessential element, chromium will not have a distinct mechanism for that uptake which is independent from chromium speciation. Plant studies have shown that toxic effects on plants from chromium include things such as wilting, narrow leaves, delayed or reduced growth, a decrease in chlorophyll production, damage to root membranes, small root systems, death and many more. Chromium's structure is similar to other essential elements which means that it can impact the mineral nutrition of plants.


title: Chromite

text: During industrial activities and production things such as sediment, water, soil, and air all become polluted and contaminated with chromium. Hexavalent chromium has negative impacts towards soil ecology because it decreases soil micro-organism presence, function, and diversity. Chromium concentrations in soil diversify depending on the different compositions of the sediments and rocks that the soil is made from. The chromium present in soil is a mixture of both Cr(VI) and Cr(III). Certain types of chromium such as Chromium-VI has the capability to pass into the cells of organisms. Dust particles from industry operations and industrial wastewater contaminate and pollute surface water, groundwater, and soils.


title: Chromite

text: In aquatic environments, chromium could experience things such as dissolution, sorption, precipitation, oxidation, reduction, and desorption. In aquatic ecosystems chromium bioaccumulates in invertebrates, aquatic plants, fish, and algae. These toxic effects will operate differently because things such as sex, size, and the development stage of an organism may vary. Things such as the temperature of the water, its alkalinity, salinity, pH, and other contaminants will also impact these toxic effects on organisms.


title: Chromite

text: Toxicology tests done in labs on rats and mice provides information on the doses of chromium in food or water which produces health problems in mammals such as reproductive harm, reduced growth and survival, behavioural changes, and cancer.


title: Chromite

text: Chromium is critical for good health since sufficient amounts should help with glucose intolerance in humans. Studies showed that chromium supplements can be beneficial for people with insulin resistance and type two diabetes. Chromium lowers glucose levels and it enhances insulin sensitivity. Some studies also showed that chromium can help with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Excellent dietary sources include things such as wheat germ, broccoli, organ meats, and mushrooms.


title: Chromite

text: Chromite can be used as a refractory material, because it has a high heat stability. The chromium extracted from chromite is used in chrome plating and alloying for production of corrosion resistant superalloys, nichrome, and stainless steel. Chromium is used as a pigment for glass, glazes, and paint, and as an oxidizing agent for tanning leather. It is also sometimes used as a gemstone.


title: Chromite

text: Usually known as chrome, it is a very essential industrial metal. It is hard and resistant to corrosion. This is used for things such as nonferrous alloys, the production of stainless steel, chemicals that process leather, and the creation of pigments. Stainless steel usually contains about 18 percent of chromium. The chromium in the stainless steel is the material which hardens making it resilient to corrosion.


title: Chromite

text: A lot of car design like decorations are chromium plated. Superalloys that contain chromium allow jet engines to run under high-high stress, in a chemically oxidizing environment, and in high-temperature situations.


title: Chromite

text: Porcelain tiles are often produced with many different colours and pigmentations. The usual contributor to colour in fast-fired porcelain tiles is black pigment, which is fairly expensive and is synthetic. Natural chromite allows for an inexpensive and inorganic pigmentation alternative to the expensive and allows for the microstructure and mechanical properties of the tiles to not be substantially altered or modified when introduced.


title: Iraivi

text: Iraivi () is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by C. V. Kumar, K. E. Gnanavel Raja and Abinesh Elangovan under their banners Thirukumaran Entertainment, Studio Green and Abi & Abi Pictures, respectively. The film features an ensemble cast with S. J. Surya, Vijay Sethupathi, Bobby Simha, Kamalinee Mukherjee, Anjali, and Pooja Devariya playing leading roles. The plot revolves around three financially struggling men try to overcome their problems, by getting involved in criminal activities though not realising the impact their efforts are having on the women in their lives.


title: Iraivi

text: Karthik Subbaraj drafted the script during the production works of "Jigarthanda" in September 2013 and took more than a year for its completion. The film was formally announced in September 2014, with principal shooting of the film began in May 2015 and filming completed that September. The film is based on a real life incident from a Christian family, though Subbaraj gave importance to the women characters, so as to influence their characters in the society. The film features music composed by Santhosh Narayanan with cinematography handled by Sivakumar Vijayan and edited by Vivek Harshan.


title: Iraivi

text: "Iraivi" released on 3 June 2016, and received mixed to positive reviews. Critics lauded the performances of the cast, particularly that of SJ Surya and Anjali alongside the technical aspects of the film. However the film did average collections at the box office. In 2017, Anjali was nominated for the Best Actress award at the 2nd IIFA Utsavam awards, and Pooja Devariya received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress award at the 6th South Indian International Movie Awards.


title: Iraivi

text: The film centers around three men and the women in their life: a struggling and alcoholic film director Arul (S. J. Surya) and his wife Yazhini (Kamalinee Mukherjee); Arul's best friend Michael (Vijay Sethupathi) and his wife Ponni (Anjali); and Arul's younger brother Jagan (Bobby Simha).


title: Iraivi

text: Arul was a renowned film director until he fell out with the producer of his latest directorial film, because of which the film never released. To overcome his sorrow, he became a chronic alcoholic and started harassing Yazhini. Though Yazhini often threatens to divorce Arul for his behavior, she changes her mind each time due to her love for him.


title: Iraivi

text: Michael, an artifact dealer, is forced to marry Ponni, despite being in love with a widow named Malar (Pooja Devariya). However, Malar has no love for Michael, merely considering their relationship as friends with benefits. Michael openly reveals to Ponni that he is not interested in being her husband and ignores her.


title: Iraivi

text: Yazhini tries to convince Arul to seek the producer's forgiveness and get his film released so that they both could return to a normal life. When Arul refuses, the producer himself steps in and asks Arul to pay him 4,00,00,000 to get his film released. Michael and Jagan, with the help of their friend Ramesh (Karunakaran), steal a temple idol and sell it for 4,00,00,000 so that Arul's film can be released. Unfortunately, the producer has already decided to remake Arul's film with an entirely new cast and with his own brother as the director. Arul confronts the producer, who tries to kill him. In a fit of rage, Michael bludgeons the producer to death and is soon sentenced to seven years' imprisonment for his crime. An angry Ponni starts ignoring her husband, never visits him in jail, gives birth to their daughter, and eventually returns to her village. Meanwhile, Yazhini returns to her parents' house and files for a divorce against Arul, fed up of his alcoholism.


title: Iraivi

text: Arul is sent to rehab to overcome his alcoholism and is released two years later. Now sober, Arul tries to convince Yazhini to return to him, to no avail. Meanwhile, Arul and Jagan bail out Michael, who leaves for Ponni's village in an attempt to restart his married life with her. Ponni agrees to come back with him on the condition that he breaks his friendship with Arul. The deceased producer's widow and brother meet with Arul and decide to sell the production rights of his film to him for 20,00,000. In order to get the money, Michael and Jagan again team up with Ramesh to steal an idol from a Kerala temple and sell it. However, Ramesh drugs Michael and runs away with the idol. Michael is arrested the following morning, but he manages to escape from the police and return to Chennai.


title: Iraivi

text: On confronting Ramesh, he finds out that Jagan was responsible for getting him arrested at Kerala. Jagan was also in love with Ponni and was disgusted at the way Michael treated her. When Michael was in jail, Jagan declared his love for Ponni, who reciprocated but was forced to return to her village the next day as she was unable to decide between Michael and Jagan. Jagan then decided to get Michael arrested so that Ponni could leave Michael for good and start a new life with him. After confronting Ponni over her love for Jagan, both Michael and she decide to forget everything that happened and plan to leave Chennai to start a new life.


title: Iraivi

text: Arul, who has successfully acquired the production rights for his film, decides to once again convince Yazhini to return to him. Yazhini, who is getting engaged to another person, Vasanth (Vaibhav), forgives him and agrees to return to him as long as Vasanth agrees. Meanwhile, Michael picks up a fight with a drunk Jagan over Ponni. During the fight, he accidentally kills Jagan, forcing him and Ponni to go into hiding, but he does not tell her that he killed Jagan. When the train that Michael and Ponni are travelling in stops at Palur, Arul, who has found out that Michael had killed his brother, notices him and shoots him in revenge. As Arul is taken to prison, he contacts Yazhini and pretends that he has once again returned to his drunken habits as he does not want her to suffer with the stigma of being a criminal's wife, effectively ending their relationship.


title: Iraivi

text: In the end, with their respective husbands out of the way, Ponni and Yazhini relish their newly found freedom by enjoying the rain. Yazhini only watches the rain, leaving the viewers to introspect on how she is not ready to venture out into the world alone yet, while Ponni allows herself to get drenched, finally letting go.


title: Iraivi

text: Karthik Subbaraj began writing for his untitled third project before the completion of "Jigarthanda" in September 2013, but the launch of the film has been pushed ahead due to the delay in "Jigarthanda"s release. In September 2014, few reports claimed that the film will be titled as "Iraivi" and will be produced by C. V. Kumar's Thirukumaran Entertainment banner, but Karthik Subbaraj said that "The reports are not true. We also did not finalize the script work of the film. We have zeroed in few titles and "Iraivi" is also one among those. But it's not yet concluded." In October 2014, Thirukumaran Entertainment officially confirmed the project with Gavemic U. Ary who worked with Subbaraj in "Jigarthanda", and Santhosh Narayanan, who earlier collaborated with the director in his previous movies has been roped in to compose music. But the former was replaced by Sivakumar Vijayan during the start of the shoot.


title: Iraivi

text: During August 2015, Subbaraj revealed that the title 'Iraivi' is the feminine word for 'Iraivan' which means God. He added that "The film is women-centric. But the plot of the story also revolves around the relationship between two brothers, which is based on a real incident from a Christian family. We added importance to the female characters, to state that how women in this day and age influence the society. The story also has a crime angle, but we cannot reveal the discussions further." In a May 2016 interview with Vishal Menon for "The Hindu", Subbaraj stated that the works of K. Balachander, Balu Mahendra and J. Mahendran, whose films being women-centric had inspired him to do the film and stated that their works will be credited during the beginning of the film.


title: Iraivi

text: Subbaraj revealed the casting process of the film during November 2014 that Bobby Simha and Karunakaran had bagged one of the roles in the film, followed by Vijay Sethupathi. S. J. Surya had also confirmed being a part of the cast in February 2015, and was reported to play a character with negative shades. In April 2015, the film crew held discussions for the female lead roles with actresses Pooja Devariya and Anjali considered, with the latter later signed on. Pooja Kumar was also reported to play a pivotal role in the film, but she was replaced by Kamalinee Mukherjee in June 2015, though she did not divulge details about her role. In a press interaction during August 2015, Karthik Subbaraj stated that the film will be centred on how women influence men in today's society and has a lot of scope for the heroines.


title: Iraivi

text: The film had an official launch on 20 May 2015 and principal shooting began the very same day. Scenes featuring Bobby Simha and S. J. Surya were shot first during the schedule. In July 2015, Vijay Sethupathi and Anjali began shooting for their portions at Chennai. Filming silently progressed with 80% of sequences being completed as of 2 September 2015; few scenes were shot in Wayanad apart from major portions being set in Chennai. Anjali completed shooting her portions in mid-September 2015. On 30 September 2015, it was announced that shooting of the film has been completed and the team also began post-production works. Dubbing works of the film began in November 2015.


title: Iraivi

text: The soundtrack album is composed by Santhosh Narayanan, who earlier collaborated with Karthik Subbaraj in his previous movies, "Pizza" and "Jigarthanda". The album features six tracks with lyrics written by Vivek, Muthamil and Mani Amudhavan. On the occasion of Women's Day (8 March 2016), Santhosh recorded a powerful song dedicated to women, with his mother Mahalakshmi Rajagopalan rendered vocals for the song. The film's audio tracklist revealed on the occasion of Tamil New Year's Day (14 April 2016) and the following day, 15 April 2016, the makers revealed the entire soundtrack album at a promotional event held with the presence of the cast and crew in Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai.


title: Iraivi

text: The album opened to positive reviews from critics. "Behindwoods" gave 2.75 out of 5 to the soundtrack, stating, "Iraivi stays true to the riveting combination of Santosh Narayanan and Karthik Subburaj with some quirkiest songs of the season!" "Sify" gave 3.5 out of 5 to the album and stated "Santhosh Narayanan is back in style!". "Indiaglitz" stated that the album is "wholesomely innovative" giving a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Karthik Srinivasan of "Milliblog" wrote "Less album-friendly (perhaps more situational) soundtrack from Santhosh."


title: Iraivi

text: Karthik Subbaraj announced that the first look and teaser will be released during the occasion of Diwali (10 November 2015) and the film will be scheduled for Christmas release (25 December 2015). However, post-production delays prompted the team to postpone the release to the first quarter of 2016. On 20 January 2016, the first look poster along with the teaser released through social media to positive response from viewers.


title: Iraivi

text: During February 2016, a source reported that the film will be released theatrically on 25 March 2016. However, the producer refuted such claims citing the release of Vijay Sethupathi's other two films "Sethupathi" and "Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum" on the same month. The film's trailer was released at the audio launch event held on 15 April 2016, where the makers announced a new release date of 20 May 2016. Due to the release of other big-budget films and also the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly elections being held during the month, the team pushed the release to 3 June 2016. The same was announced on 9 May 2016.


title: Iraivi

text: The Tamil Nadu theatrical rights of the film were sold to KR Films and Skylark Movies, whereas the Chennai city theatrical rights were acquired by Jazz Cinemas. The satellite rights of the film were sold to Jaya TV. As a part of the promotional campaign, the making of the film will be premiered as a four-episode web series, starting from 22 May 2016. The producers also collaborated with The Sight Media, to launch an in-auto LED branding, with the clips and video promos of the film being available for customers traveling in Chennai autos through the LED panels installed there.


title: Iraivi

text: The film opened to positive response from critics. M. Suganth of "The Times of India" gave 3.5 out of 5 and stated "Karthik's writing is novelistic, with each character having their own well-sketched arcs." In his review for "The Hindu", Baradwaj Rangan wrote " "Iraivi" is an unusual feminist film, in the sense that it's seen entirely through the prism of sympathetic male characters. This is bound to happen when there are so many people, so many strands, when we don't follow one person's simplistic “you go, girl” journey. But when the parts are so well-crafted, we don't complain as much about their sum not adding up to a satisfying whole." Gauthaman Baskaran of "Hindustan Times" wrote "Iraivi in the end seems like a story gone astray, the lives of several people destroyed by male egoistic rage that seeks solution in blood and gore. There is very little to cheer in the 160-minute work, which, though has some interesting performances by Simha, Surya and Anjali." Kirubakar Purushothaman of "India Today" gave 3 out of 5 and stated "The story of Iraivi is about the victimisation of the females in the film by the malevolent arrogance of their respective not-so-better halves." "Indiaglitz" gave a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stating "A hard hitting film that has power packed performances from the top notch lead cast that is worth the watch." "Behindwoods" gave 2.75 out of 5 stating "Iraivi has something profound that is best felt than explained. With just good intentions, a film won't grow up to be a product that a filmmaker wishes; Support from the performers and the technicians is a mandate and Karthik has enjoyed the luxury of having it."


title: Iraivi

text: S. Saraswathi of "Rediff.com" gave 3.5 out of 5 to the film stating that "The beautifully etched out characters, the performances, the exceptional music and the thought-provoking message makes Karthik Subbaraj's "Iraivi" a must watch." Giving 3 out of 5 stars, Anupama Subramanian of "Deccan Chronicle" wrote "The movie has a feminist theme and the bold characters have semblance to one we used to see in K. Balachander's films." Vikram Venkateshwaran of The Quint wrote ""Iraivi" disturbingly tells you that gender is not based on one's plumbing. All of the characters, including the women who are victimised, only seek happiness for themselves. And that's what makes it so real and relatable." Sowmya Rajendran of "The News Minute" reviewed "Subbaraj does suggest that women ought to stop depending on men for their happiness but sadly, even then, none of his female characters MAKE that choice actively. The men do it on their behalf. The women are like characters from Waiting for Godot, hoping that someday, things will get better without taking charge of their own lives. This is a very simplistic depiction and does injustice to both genders. It is also unreal though we may be tricked into believing that it is completely realistic."


title: Iraivi

text: The film featured a character of an egoistic film producer played by Vijay Murugan, who is shown as ruthless, money-minded person who does not care about the feelings of a struggling director (played by SJ Suryah). Post-release, few members of Tamil Film Producers Council including P. L. Thenappan criticised Subbaraj for allegedly portraying the producer's character in poor light and also threatened to issue a "red card" against the director. K. E. Gnanavel Raja, who co-produced and distributed the film also expressed his disappointment against the issue. Many reports claimed that Subbaraj's fallout with film producer Kathiresan during the production of "Jigarthanda" (2014) is the reason why he portrayed the character in poor light. After Subbaraj issued a letter to the Tami Film Directors Union explaining his position, the problem was amicably resolved.


title: VR Troopers

text: VR Troopers (Virtual Reality Troopers) is a syndicated live action superhero-adventure television series produced and distributed by Saban Entertainment from 1994 to 1996. The show tried to profit from the fascination with virtual reality in the mid-1990s as well as the success of Saban's other property, "Power Rangers". "VR Troopers" was the first official "sister series" to "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers". Much like it, this was an Americanization of a Japanese tokusatsu children's program series by Toei Company. The series is a co-production of Toei and Cyberprod.


title: VR Troopers

text: The show featured early CGI and video effects mixed with Japanese stock footage from three different "Metal Hero Series": "Superhuman Machine Metalder", "Dimensional Warrior Spielban" and "Space Sheriff Shaider". On May 7, 2010, the copyright for "VR Troopers" was transferred from BVS Entertainment to Saban Capital Group.


title: VR Troopers

text: While the series was almost as successful as "Power Rangers," it was canceled after only two seasons. This was primarily because the available Japanese footage was quickly exhausted. In a number of extreme cases, multiple tokusatsu scenes were put together in one episode, forcing stock footage to be reused multiple times throughout the series. "Big Bad Beetleborgs", another Saban adaptation of a "Metal Heroes" series, encountered similar problems. The show spawned a toy line and a video game for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear.


title: VR Troopers

text: The show focused on three teenagers in their late teens, Ryan Steele, Kaitlin Star, and J.B. Reese, living in the fictional West Coast town of Cross World City, California. They regularly attended and were teachers at "Tao's Dojo," a karate studio. Ryan was the most focused martial artist; J.B. was the computer wizard; while Kaitlin was a photographer & budding reporter for the local newspaper, the "Underground Voice Daily". One day, Ryan's search for his long-missing father led him and his two friends to a strange laboratory. Inside, a digitized head of Professor Horatio Hart (who is a friend of Ryan's father Tyler) explained the truth about his life's work of having developed extremely advanced virtual reality technology in secret. "VR" is a dimension existing alongside our own; within it lie mutants bent on conquering both worlds. The main ruler of these is a creature known as Grimlord, who, unbeknownst to anyone on Earth, has a human identity as billionaire industrialist Karl Ziktor. As Karl Ziktor tries to overcome the barriers of the true reality to allow his armies easy passage from virtual world, the responsibility falls to Ryan, Kaitlin and J.B. of defending the planet on both sides of the dimensional barrier. They have assistance in the form of armored bodies having incredible firepower. This included eventual additions to their arsenal, such as a Turbo Cycle, Techno Bazooka, VR Troopertron, VR Shoulder Cannon, VR Battlecruiser/Interceptor and a flying, laser-blasting Skybase.


title: VR Troopers

text: Other regular characters on the show included Zeb as Jeb, Ryan's hound dog who after an accident in Professor Hart's lab, was now capable of human speech; Woody Stocker, Kaitlin's wacky hat-loving boss at the "Underground Voice Daily"; Percival "Percy" Rooney, the local mayor's nephew and Kaitlin's bumbling rival reporter; and Tao, the wise martial arts sensei who owns the dojo and a family friend of the Steele Family. Recurring villains include General Ivar, Colonel Icebot, Decimator, the Skugs and more throughout.


title: VR Troopers

text: During the second season, the show changed format very slightly. Ryan's father Tyler was finally found and restored to normal. Then he quickly left to help the government research further Virtual Reality based technology. With him came Ryan's new V.R. armor and an upgrade to his powers. Grimlord's base of operations switched from the virtual dungeon to a massive spacecraft and added new Generals such as Oraclon, Despera, Doom Master and his Vixens. The Skugs now had the ability to become more powerful in the form of Ultra Skugs.


title: VR Troopers

text: In pre-production, the series was known as "Psycon" and "Cybertron", focusing on a single hero with a technological theme instead of a team of heroes with a virtual reality theme.


title: VR Troopers

text: In the "Psycon" pilot script, the main character was Adam Steele who merged with the cyborg Psycon instead of transforming into it. The enemy was Grimlord, whose alter ego was Cyrus Ritker, who led a robot army known as Cyberdrones. Cyrus had a son called Percy who was Adam's martial arts rival. Adam's mentor and caretaker was a martial arts sensei called Tao. Adam was friends with Tao's daughter Mia, and a young kid called Mouse MacKenzie.


title: VR Troopers

text: The "Cybertron" pilot starred Jason David Frank as Adam Steele and drew its source footage from "Metalder". Frank's character was depicted as a solo hero going up against an army of robots known as Wardrones who were led by Grimlord. Grimlord's alter ego in the pilot was Cyrus Rikter (Gardner Baldwin), who had a son named Percy, who was Adam's martial arts rival. Tao Chong (Richard Rabago) served as Adam's caretaker and mentor. Tao also had a daughter named Mia and Doug Sloan played the part of Tyler Steele in flashbacks. The pilot included a pair of bumbling news reporters named Elmo (played by Jamie Kennedy) and Scuzzy, who would've served as the series' comic relief. Its theme song was based on Ron Wasserman's "Go Green/White Ranger Go" song in the "Power Rangers" series.


title: VR Troopers

text: In the original "VR Troopers" promo, Kaitlin had the last name of "Hall" instead of "Star" and Professor Hart was played by a different actor with an entirely different voice and personality than the Professor that was later used.


title: VR Troopers

text: Like "Power Rangers", "VR Troopers" used a combination of American footage spliced with fight scenes from Japanese shows. The Japanese shows adapted in to "VR Troopers" are "Space Sheriff Shaider", "Dimensional Warrior Spielban", and "Choujinki Metalder". All three come from Toei's "Metal Hero Series". "Choujinki Metalder" provided footage of Ryan Steele's season one robotic suit, Grimlord, the Virtual Dungeon, Grimlord's four lieutenants, Dark Heart, and the military-type robots that are featured in several episodes, as well as the exterior of Ziktor Industries. "Dimensional Warrior Spielban" provided footage of J.B.'s and Kaitlin's robotic suits, Ivar, Icebot, skugs, and the battle scenes involving the Skybase, shark cruisers, tanks, and fighter jets. "Space Sheriff Shaider" provided the new footage for season two, including Ryan Steele's season two robotic suit and the ultra-skugs.


title: VR Troopers

text: Out of all of Saban's tokusatsu adaptations, "VR Troopers" uses the oldest source-footage of any series. "Shaider" was aired from 1984 to early 1985, making it 10 years old when first used for "VR Troopers" in 1995; "Spielban" was aired from 1986 to early 1987, making it eight years old when originally used in 1994; and "Metalder" was originally aired in 1987 to early 1988, making it seven years old when it was adapted in 1994.


title: VR Troopers

text: Because more than one Japanese show was used in an episode at any given time, Ryan's alter-ego was never in the same action scene as JB or Kaitlin's (since they were taken from two different shows). Due to this, many episodes involved some sort of plot device that separated Ryan from the other two, forcing them to fight separately. Almost every episode ended with either Ryan or JB destroying the monster of the day (Kaitlin never got to destroy any on her own), at which point his missing comrade(s) would come running up to inquire how the fight went. The only time the group fought "together" or in battle grid mode was all original American footage, with the Battle Grid suits being low-quality spandex and the helmets simple recolors of the red ranger's from "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers". For the show's first season, there was almost never any original American footage outside of the Battle Grid. Similar to "Power Rangers", more U.S. fights were featured in the show's second season.


title: VR Troopers

text: "VR Troopers" as an adaptation is different in many ways from "Power Rangers" and "Big Bad Beetleborgs". Because it was syndicated (instead of broadcast on Fox Kids like the former two), the monsters were destroyed more violently; mutant/robot destructions included the monster being split in half, impaled, and decapitated. None of the VR Trooper forms were given names since none of them had one main color.


title: VR Troopers

text: The show lasted two seasons (1994–'95 and '95–'96) with nearly 100 episodes. Although the show generated ratings almost comparable to the "Power Rangers" franchise, by 1996 all of the fight footage had been used up. All three of the "Metal Hero" shows used in the series had a lot of "human vs. human" battles. However, because the fights featured close-ups of Japanese actors, it was deemed unusable. Distance shots of Japanese actors from "Shaider" were usable in some of the fights, and battles with the monster footage were also kind of limited (splicing up to 2–3 episodes), but otherwise such footage was limited. In addition, because many episodes of fight footage from "Metalder"/"Shaider" and "Spielban" were being used in a single episode, the footage ran out faster. As a result, it was cancelled, without a resolution to the series storyline, in favor of "Big Bad Beetleborgs", which continued to use footage from the "Metal Hero Series" "Juukou B-Fighter" and "B-Fighter Kabuto".


title: VR Troopers

text: In Season 1, the show would open with the traditional "Today on "Saban's VR Troopers"" teaser, showing scenes from the episode and narrated by Dave Mallow. After the "Quest For Power" mini-series in Season 2, however, Ryan, Kaitlin, or J.B. took over the part and narrated the teaser in first-person).


title: VR Troopers

text: Various voice actors were listed under different pseudonyms in this series. For example, in the Season 1 end credits, Kerrigan Mahan was credited under his pseudonym, Ryan O'Flannigan (which was also the name credited for doing the voice of Goldar in the early seasons of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"); in Season 2, he would be credited under his real name and was properly identified as Jeb's voiceover. Likewise, Richard Epcar was occasionally listed in the end credits under a pseudonym of his own, Richard George (although he was credited under his real name for the first two episodes of the series), and Mike Reynolds was credited under the name Ray Michaels.


title: VR Troopers

text: In the US five VHS videos were released: "Lost Memories", "Oh Brother", "Computer Captive", "Error in the System", and "Virtual V6". Each VHS release contained a bonus music video.


title: VR Troopers

text: In the U.K., two videos were released through PolyGram Video and 4 Front Video (a subsidiary of PolyGram), Vol.1 contained "The Battle Begins: Parts 1 and 2" and Vol.2 contains "Battle For The Books" and "Katlin's Little Helper". In the 2000s, four DVDs were released by FOX Kids Europe/Jetix Europe and Maximum Entertainment Ltd. They included three single disc Volumes and a Mega-Disc DVD that contained 8 various episodes that were released across the first three volumes and a couple of episodes that were not released on any of the three previous discs.


title: VR Troopers

text: On June 15, 2011, all episodes of "VR Troopers" were made available on Netflix until February 1, 2021. In 2015, episodes were available on Kabillion, a video-on-demand service.


title: VR Troopers

text: On March 12, 2012, it was revealed in "Home Media Magazine" that Power Rangers ("Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" to "Power Rangers RPM"), "VR Troopers", "Big Bad Beetleborgs"/"Beetleborgs Metallix", and "" would be released on DVD through a deal signed by Shout! Factory and Saban Brands.


title: VR Troopers

text: On October 2, 2012, VR Troopers: Season 1, Volume 1 was released on DVD in the US by Shout! Factory. Shout! Factory released VR Troopers: Season 1, Volume 2 on DVD in the US on January 15, 2013. On May 14, 2013 Shout! Factory released VR Troopers: Season 2, Volume 1 on DVD in the US. VR Troopers: Season 2, Volume 2 on DVD in the US was scheduled for release by Shout! Factory on September 10, 2013. However, due to poor sales of the first three volumes, the release was cancelled.


title: VR Troopers

text: In 1995, Marvel Comics published a flipbook five issues mini-series entitled "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Ninja Rangers/VR Troopers" which featured the Power Rangers on one side and the VR Troopers on the other.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Dominion is a card game created by Donald X. Vaccarino and published by Rio Grande Games. It was the first deck-building game, and inspired a genre of games building on its central mechanic. Each player begins with a small deck of cards, which they improve by purchasing cards from a common supply that varies from game to game. Cards can help the player's deck function, impede their opponents, or provide victory points.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: The game has a medieval theme with card names referencing pre-industrial, monarchical, and feudal social structures. Comparisons about the game's feel are often drawn with collectible card games such as "". Vaccarino, however, denies that "Magic" was the inspiration.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: When "Dominion" was released at the Spiel game fair in 2008, it was voted "best game of the fair" by the "Fairplay" polls. The next year it won the Spiel des Jahres and Deutscher Spiele Preis awards. It was one of five winning games in American Mensa's 2009 MindGame competition. By 2017, more than 2.5 million copies of "Dominion" and its expansions had been sold worldwide.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: In a game of "Dominion", two to four players compete to gather the most victory points by strategically building a deck of cards. Each player starts with a small deck containing a few weak cards, with which they acquire more cards with different and more powerful abilities. Some provide more of the in-game currency; others let the player perform more actions or buy more cards per turn; others let them draw more cards, harm the other players, remove unwanted cards from their decks, or do other things. As players improve their decks, they also think about how to improve their scores; a powerful deck may be worth no victory points. The game has been compared to the "draft" gameplay style of collectible card games where players vie for the best deck from a common pool of cards.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Cards are classified into types, which are listed at the bottom of each card. The six types in the base set are:


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Cards may have more than one type, such as action and attack. Certain cards are affected by other cards' types; for instance, some reactions are triggered when another player uses an attack card.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: In addition, cards are divided into two groups: base cards, which are present in every game, and kingdom cards, of which each game has a different assortment. The base cards consist of curse cards, three kinds of treasure, and three kinds of victory cards. Kingdom cards are mostly actions, but some have other types, including treasure and victory. There is one pile of each card in the game; once the pile is empty, players can no longer buy that card. Together, these cards form the supply. Note that a few cards from expansions change these rules.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: To begin a game, players decide on the kingdom cards they are going to use, either selecting them or choosing randomly, and setting out the supply. Cards from any sets of "Dominion" can be mixed freely, creating a large number of possible setups. Then, each player gets the same starting deck of ten cards, consisting of seven copper cards (low-value treasure) and three estate cards (low-value victory). Each player shuffles their deck and draws the top five cards to form their hand.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Each turn, the player gains one action and one buy and performs the following phases in order (abbreviated as "ABC" as a mnemonic for newer players):


title: Dominion (card game)

text: If the player must draw a card from their deck, but their deck is empty, they shuffle their discard pile to create a new deck. Some action cards can "trash" cards, removing them from players' decks and into the "trash", where they are out of the game (though a few actions from expansions can recover them).


title: Dominion (card game)

text: The game usually ends under one of two conditions: when the stack of Province cards (the highest-value victory card in the base game) has been exhausted, or when any three stacks in the supply have been exhausted. Players then count the number of victory points in their decks, and the player with the highest score wins. Other end-game conditions have been introduced in the game's expansions.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Since possessing victory cards is often necessary to win the game, but they usually have no value during gameplay itself, players must balance the acquisition of victory cards with useful action and treasure cards that maintain the player's ability to play effective turns. Usually, the game's main strategy is to build a deck that maximizes the player's ability to draw hands that can buy the province card (worth 6 victory points and costing 8 coins).


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Due to the game’s commercial success, several expansions have been released. The basic set is simple, but each expansion adds more complexity, typically through the addition of new Kingdom cards but may be through additional rule implementations, such as adding new card types or changing the composition of each players' starting deck when using that expansion.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Some expansions have added "landscapes" to the game setup. These are distinguished from cards by having landscape orientation rather than portrait, and do not enter the players' hand or deck, but are either resolved immediately or placed in the players' play area for later use. These have different effects on the game; for example, the "Adventures" expansion introduced the ability to buy events, which provide immediate bonuses but never enter a player's deck. Other expansions have introduced tokens for tracking game progression. The "Prosperity" expansion introduced victory point tokens, which can be earned by playing certain kingdom cards; these increase players' scores but do not dilute their decks with victory cards. If players use kingdom cards that require these non-supply card stacks or tokens, those are set up alongside the supply prior to play.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Many reviews recommend buying expansions to increase the variety of the game, as cards from different sets may be freely mixed with each other.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Vaccarino was a software developer in the 1980s and 1990s. At this time, he created supplements for Dungeons and Dragons and created games based on existing board games. After the release of "Magic: The Gathering" in 1993, he began designing more seriously and created a 90-card fan expansion, "Edge of the World", and became an informal contributor towards additional "Magic" works; he is credited in the official "Magic" rulebook. Later, he developed several game ideas and discussed them with "Magic"s creator, Richard Garfield.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: In 2006, Vaccarino invented the deck-building mechanic while working on a fantasy adventure card game called "Spirit Warriors II". He struggled with the mechanics before a deadline of showing the game to his gaming group, and spent a weekend stripping it down to its core elements; specifically, having problems with introducing new cards over the course of the game, Vaccarino opted to simply have all cards available at the start. The game immediately became popular with his gaming group, overshadowing the usual staples, including "Magic", for the next two years.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: With this success, Vaccarino began looking to refine and publish the game. During the 2007 Origins Game Fair, Vaccarino demonstrated the game and gained the interest of Rio Grande Games. Shortly after he signed with Rio Grande, BoardGameGeek's columnists Valerie Putman and Dale Yu requested permission from Rio Grande to develop the game. During development, "Dominion" was called "Castle Builder", owing to its theme of building rooms in a castle, and then, later, "Game X". Yu came up with the final name of "Dominion". Vaccarino had, early on, planned for the game to grow through expansions, though focused these on maintaining the core functionality of the game instead of immediately adding "exotic things"; this was to ensure that, if the game did take off, early expansions would not create incompatible sets of cards: one focused on the normal "Dominion" play, and others with a strange new mechanic. In a post to BoardGameGeek, Vaccarino suggested that he had originally planned seven different expansions, and, tuning the core game for release, brought cards into the base game that were originally planned for later expansions.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: As more expansions were released, Vaccarino added new rules to prevent undesirable game situations and permit new mechanics. In 2016, Rio Grande Games began releasing a second edition of the game, which improved layout and adjusted some card effects. The base game and Intrigue were most affected, as some cards were removed, more powerful ones were added, and the base cards were removed from Intrigue. Upgrade packs for players who already owned the first editions of these sets were also sold.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Numerous expansions have been released for "Dominion", and mini-expansions, most consisting of a set of a single kind of kingdom card, have been released as promotional items. "Intrigue" has been recommended as the first expansion to purchase after the base set for play. Vaccarino originally planned to stop expanding the game after "Guilds", though he conceded:


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Two "Big Box" sets have been released. The first contained "Dominion" First Edition, "Alchemy", "Prosperity", and the promotional cards Envoy and Black Market. Later editions included alternate promotional cards: Walled Village and Governor. This was released in 2010 and is no longer available. Big Box II was released in 2016, and contains "Dominion" Second Edition, "Intrigue" Second Edition, and additional base cards for 5 and 6 player games.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: After the release of "Menagerie", "Dominion" included 585 differently named cards and landscapes (such as events), and there were 366 kingdom card piles, including the 6 each in the 1st Edition Base and "Intrigue" releases that were later replaced. In 2021, researchers calculated that there were over 66 sextillion possible unique game combinations.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Since the game and its expansions feature over 4,000 individual cards, Rio Grande Games has licensed manufacturers' creation of containers to store all the cards into one or two boxes.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Several unofficial online implementations of Dominion existed before there was a licensed online version; Rio Grande Games requested that these be discontinued once the official online implementation was released. One of these unofficial implementations, however, located at dominion.isotropic.org, was used by Dominion designer Donald X. Vaccarino and his playtesters during the development of new cards, even long after the site was closed to the public.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: A licensed browser-based online implementation of Dominion, hosted by Goko, went live in early March 2013. It was originally intended to be released to the public on August 16, 2012, but because of bugs and server overload, it was withdrawn from public release and returned to beta testing. The official app provided the base Dominion game free to play, and cards from the expansions available for a fee. In October 2015, the official Goko online implementation of Dominion transitioned to a new official 2.0 online implementation developed by Making Fun. Making Fun honored all purchases made by customers from the original Goko implementation, but in February 2016, John Welch, CEO of Making Fun announced that the license granted to Making Fun by Rio Grande Games to develop the official online Dominion game would expire at the end of 2016, and would not be renewed with Making Fun. From January 1, 2017, development of the official online Dominion game is licensed to Shuffle iT, a company formed by two high-ranked "Dominion" players. They were dissatisfied with all prior online implementations of "Dominion" and proposed their new approach to Vaccarino, who was impressed with what the two developers were able to do and gave them the license.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: Temple Gates Games released a licensed version of "Dominion" for Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android devices in early access in October 2021. This game was developed using artificial intelligence and neural networks to provide viable computer opponents, which the developers claim was advanced enough to be able to learn new cards that were not used in training. The game is offered as a free-to-play game that includes the original base "Dominion" game, with paid downloadable content for each of the card game's expansions.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: The original "Dominion" set won several awards, including the Spiel des Jahres, the Deutscher Spiele Preis, an Origins award and a Diana Jones Award. In addition, it and the expansions have sold more than 2.5 million copies and been translated into 18 languages: Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, bokmål Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.


title: Dominion (card game)

text: "Dominion" is one of the first board games that included a deckbuilding mechanic. Board games, such as "Mage Knight Board Game", use deckbuilding as a core game mechanic, the origins of which can be attributed to "Dominion".