Posts under "Culture"

Japanese Sculpture

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Sep 12 2011

Although Japanese paintings get a lot of international attention, Japanese sculptures are also quite amazing and should get the reverence that Japanese paintings get. For example, one of the more famous sculptors in Japan is Tankei (湛慶). The most famous sculpture by Tankei is the sculpture in a temple called Sanjusangendō (三十三間堂). The sculpture is considered one of the premier national treasures of Japan.

 

Jōchō (定朝) was the most famous and beloved sculptors ever in Japan. The sculpture on the left is an example of Jōchō’s work. If you look at the expression on the Buddha’s face, it is tender and gentle. The merciful expression on the Buddha’s face is something that no other artist did before Jōchō. Jōchō revolutionized a new style of Buddhist imagery by sculpting a compassionate expression on the Buddha’s face.

 

You may have seen some of Kaikei’s (快慶) work without even realizing it. There are many of Kaikei’s original works all over Japan. The sculpture of the Bodhisattva on the left is a wooden statue made with gold, copper crystal and lacquer. Many of Kaikei’s works relatively small in size, but they are nevertheless famous for their originality. Kaikei is famous for sculpting intelligent and elegant looking expressions on the faces of his statues.

 

Unkei’s (運慶) sculpture of the guardian statues at Tōdaiji (東大寺) or Tōdai Temple is probably one of the best-recognized sculptures in Japan. His works are famous for being realistic. Like the photo of the statue on the left, his figures are muscular rather than delicate. His style of sculpture broke with the style of his predecessors. Instead of making figures with soft lines and ephemeral expressions, his statues were solid and lifelike.

 

Tori Busshi (止利仏師) was originally a saddle maker who became a sculptor through hard work. Although he had no formal training in sculpting images, his work was renown and respected by his contemporaries for the peaceful expressions on the faces of his figures. One of his patrons was Suko Tennō (推古天皇) or Empress Suiko . She was so impressed by Tori Busshi’s work that she granted him a title and some land, which was unusual for someone of his rank to receive.

Traditional Japanese Arts

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Sep 9 2011

If you’re ever in the mood to pick up a new hobby, what not try making a hobby out of a traditional Japanese art? There are many varieties of traditional Japanese art, but probably one of the most famous is Ikebana (生け花), which is an artform that involves flower arrangement. There are many styles of Japanese flower arrangement, with some being very minimal-looking in appearance. Ikebana is a wonderful way to hone your creativity in a disciplined artform!

If you want to try your creative side on a grander scale, then you might be interested in dabbling in Nihon Teien (日本庭園) or ‘Japanese Gardens’. Constructing a Japanese garden takes a lot of time and financial investment, so if this isn’t a suitable venture to take on as a hobby, you might like to try looking into bonsai (盆栽) trees. Bonsai is a miniature tree that has been carefully arranged to fit certain a proportion and harmonious balance.

 

In many ways chadō (茶道) or what we call ‘tea ceremony’ is a ritualized art of drinking and making tea. Learning chadō is considered a high artform. Performing chadō includes following rules of etiquette and being consciously mindful of the many steps and movements in carrying out a tea ceremony. Chadō is a long standing tradtional Japanese artform that is really a niche in itself. It’s where you learn to make tea with various instruments in a orderly and sequential manner.

In addition to learning Japanese tea ceremony, it can also be fun to learn the art of making a type of bowl called Hagiware or hagiyaki (萩焼). Making these bowls takes skill and time. It may take many years to truly master the art of making hagi. Many of the hagi are used as tea bowls in tea ceremony, so these two artforms go hand in hand. Hagiware is deceptively simple in appearance, but great pains are made to make them look graceful, functional and elegant.

If you’re creative in the more intellectual arena, then why not try the art of writing a Haiku (俳句)? Although Haikus look simple in appearance (17 moraes total), they are hard to construct because you are limited to using 17 morae (morae of sort of like syllables, but not quite). The ideal Haiku will be deep in meaning but yet slightly ambiguous in meaning. That’s hard to do, considering the constraints of writing a Haiku!

Japanese Festivals in September

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Sep 3 2011

Some people think that once the summer season comes to a close the festival seasons will stop, but the festival season is never really over in Japan. In fact it is of my opinion that the really interesting festivals start in September. For instance the Furusato Hyappei Festival (ふるさと百餅祭り) is a festival that occurs in the city of Iwamizawa (岩見沢市) in Hokkaidō (北海道). The highlight of this festival features a large wooden pestle that is hoisted in the air and dropped in 60kg of glutinous rice to make rice cakes.

Karasuzumo (烏相撲) is a festival that takes place at Kamigamo Jinja (上賀茂神社) or Kamigamo Shrine. The Karasuzumo is a very eccentric festival where the shrine priests caw like crows. Normally these men are reserved, but when the priests caw it’s like seeing another side of the priesthood! It’s especially hard to stifle a giggle when the priests starts hopping around like birds! Afterwards there is a amateur sumo competition, but the priest ritual is so more entertaining.

The Okuma Kabuto Festival (お熊甲祭) will take place in the town of Nakajima (中島町) in Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県). The Okuma Kabuto Festival is a boisterous festival with day long parades of shrine carriers, flag bearers, musicians singing and playing instruments and men pushing large floats. One of the interesting rituals of this Festival is when a man dressed in a goblin outfit and mask dances in the streets. It’s a festival I really recommend for the autumn season!

Sports Arenas of Japan

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 22 2011

Spectator sports are a huge pastime in Japan and its only natural that there will be some spectacular sports arenas to accommodate all the fans. The Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム) is a famous baseball stadium that also hosts an entertainment complex that includes an amusement park, restaurants, souvenir shops, game centers and a horse race betting track.

 

 

Ryōgoku Kokugikan (両国国技館) is a sumo arena in Tokyo. The Ryōgoku Kokugikan is primarily used for sumo tournaments, but other indoor sporting events like boxing and wrestling are also hosted at this arena. The Ryōgoku Kokugikan also houses a museum that details the history of sumo, so it’s a place that you can go to get your fill of all things sumo.

 

 

The Nippon Budokan (日本武道館) was originally a judo hall for the 1964 Olympics, but now other martial arts tournaments in karate, kendo and akido are also held at the Nippon Budokan. In addition to hosting martial arts tournaments, the Nippon Budokan is also a large concert hall, so it has a multi functional purpose.

 

 

Kokuritsu Kasumigaoka Rikujō Kyogijō (国立霞ヶ丘陸上競技場) is the National Olympic Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo that was built to be the main stadium for the 1964 Summer Olympics. Today the Stadium mostly hosts major soccer matches in Tokyo, but other sports matches like rugby also take place at this Stadium.

 

 

The Tōkyō Taiikukan or the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (東京体育館) is a large gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo. The events that have taken place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymansium range from tennis matches, wrestling matches, figure skating championships, table tennis games, gymnastics tournaments and volleyball games.

Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 15 2011

This year several historic monuments and sites of Hiraizumi were declared World Heritage Sites in Japan. One of the sites chosen as a World Heritage site was Chūsonji (中尊寺) of Chūson Temple. One of the best rooms of the the Chūson Temple is the Konjikidō (金色堂), which means ‘Golden Hall’ in English. The Golden Hall contains the mummified bodies of the leaders of the Ōshū Fujiwarashi (奥州藤原氏) or Northern Fujiwara Clan. The Northern Fujiwara Clan was a noble family that used to rule areas of northeastern Japan.

Kinkeizan (金鶏山) or Kinkei Mountain is a name of a mountain used for sutra burials. The Kinkeizan is considered a sacred mountain. It is also considered a historic site because the remains of Zaō Gongen (蔵王権現) were discovered. Zaō Gongen was the name of a deity.

Yanagi no Gosho (柳之御所遺跡) was formerly believed to be a castle. Excavations of the area revealed that there was a moat and a garden with a lake. Now, there is very little of the castle that remains, but the foundations of the castle can still be seen.

Kanjizaiōin (観自在王院跡) was part of the temple grounds and was considered a form of paradise on earth. The site can be traced back to the 12th century. At its height, it was a garden with a running stream littered with pebbles. Records show that it had an artificial pond shaped into that of an island with a waterfall.

Muryōkōin (無量光院跡) also used to be a lovely garden from the 12th century. Like the gardens of Muryōkōin and other temples in the area, it was the patronage of the Fujiwara Clan that was responsible for the flourishing of such gardens. These sites like the Muryōkōin are really the lasting legacies of the Northern Fujiwara Clan.

Mōtsūji (毛越寺) has not lost any of its beauty since the 12th century. The gardens of Mōtsūji still retain their original stone paved gardens with ornamental rocks that serve to mimic islands and peninsulas.

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