THE SEA OFF SATTA by HIroshige

THE SEA OFF SATTO (1858)

by

Hiroshige

Hiroshige's version of "The Wave" dated 1858, part of the 36 Views of Mt. Fuji series.

SAMURAI FIGHT

SAMURAI FIGHT (c. 1890)

(Artist Unidentified)

A riot - bands of samurai fighting in a snowy street in Edo as innocent citizens flee to safety.

A Change Of Season, A Change of Hours

A Change of Season, A Change of Hours

Winter, if you live deep underground and hadn’t noticed, is rapidly approaching. The splendid colors of autumn are gone, the trees now naked against the gray sky, casting long, thin shadows on the streets and houses below. Oh there are a few stalwarts on my street who have managed to hang onto their yellow leaves, but even their golden canopies are growing thin.

The sun travels daily on an ever lowering and shortening arc, although as I go about my daily errands, I tend to be unaware of its presence. The sun is more often hidden behind a thick gray blanket of clouds and fog adding an extra note of darkness to what I generally consider an already bleak time of year.

Darkness. In the winter it comes early and leaves late, though more often than not on a foggy day, it never entirely leaves at all. Even today, darkness comes earlier than yesterday and departs later. This morning the sun officially rises at 7:13 am and dips below the horizon at 4.44 pm – later than yesterday and earlier than tomorrow. December 21 at 7:04 am, even before it comes up that day, the sun will have reached its lowest arc and then begin its too slow climb higher and higher into the sky – the longest night and the shortest day.

The beginning of winter. Some people see it as a “bright” time of opportunity, as a time of light and warmth! Ice skating, snowmobile riding, skiing, Christmas decorations and lights making the “season bright”. I suppose these are the people who always tend to see the proverbial glass as being half-full. I tend to see it as almost totally empty. It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s going to get colder, and I have to dress up like Eskimo to go outside! As the “Kitty Mafia” would say (if they could talk), “Fogedaboudit!”

Ah yes, the “Kitty Mafia”: Max our menopausal senior kitty, and her evil henchman “Mr. Saito”, named for a courageous member of the Shinsengumi of Kyoto at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and later a police officer in Meiji Tokyo. I think sometimes that perhaps “Igor” or “Quasimodo” might have been a more appropriate name. And then there is Sumie, the mafia “gun-moll”, at once hardboiled and yet seductive in getting her own way from my hapless wife. But I digress. Winter to the “Kitty Mafia” is just a minor inconvenience. It means they get to spend more time in the house; but then, there is plenty to do there so “it’s all good”. The fact that they are inside more than out, simply means to them that the proprietors of the “inn” simply must adjust to their presence.

More food, of course, must be on hand and readily available upon demand. In fact, “It’s best if you keep the ‘Meow Mix’ bowl topped off at all times, but don’t let the stuff at the bottom become stale.” Cans of cat food must be stockpiled in a wide variety of flavors and then opened and submitted for approval before serving. Cat’s boxes must be maintained to the utmost standards of cleanliness on a daily basis; in fact, it would be preferred if undesirable material was removed immediately after each use. Saito, as a point of fact, will break into a short operatic aria just after use, to signify his completed task and the beginning of the tasks for the “clean-up crew”.

Winter also means that additional cat toys must be acquired so that those members of the “mafia” who desire to play may have a wide variety of amusements to choose from. Heaters must be turned up with clear access for sitting, meditating, or sleeping at each cat’s whim, and in sufficient numbers so that no one is forced to share with their fellow cats – cat’s do not like to share.

Any forced allotment of anything, be it food, toys, or sleeping space runs counter to cat culture. Sleeping space seems to be a “biggie” at our house, more specifically, futon space. Max must have the bottom of the futon to herself: left side, right side, or between the legs. The lower part of the futon is hers and may not be trespassed upon by her underlings. Saito likes the head of the futon where he can watch the human occupants sleep, knead their faces in his own sleepy ecstasy, or more to the point, watch for any sign that REM sleep has started so that he may awaken the sleeper in order to have their undivided attention. As for Sumie, sleep is always best on top of a warm, breathing human body and the liberal use of claws ensures that she stays in place despite her “bed” tossing and turning.

Ah, to sleep, perchance to dream! There is the rub! Winter and the “Kitty Mafia” mean a change in hours for their human employees (yes, that is really all we are you know, underpaid and overworked). As you may know, when I am not seeking out “evil doers” or battling against crime in our universities during the winter, I work a lot at home. To work at home, more or less keeping your own hours, and thus avoiding the daily trek to the office has become quite popular in the last few years. I think really it started out to be a great thing: being able to drink coffee anytime at your desk, take a snack break, work in your jimmies – great stuff. One could, in theory, sleep late, do their work, and probably have playtime left over each day or at the least a low-stress, casual environment in which to work. Not so with the “Kitty Mafia” in winter. My hours have changed, now dictated by “Max & Company”. 3:30 am has been determined to be the optimal time for me to awake, prepare breakfast, clean kitty toilet facilities, and provide either entertainment for mafia members or to be a temporary playmate – more often than not the target of “play” rather than a “mate”.

The early hours of the morning are also the time when I must open the blinds so that Max can peer out into the night and see all the things that go “bump” in the night and are otherwise invisible to us humans. She has no concept of how much cold comes through an uncovered window. 3:30 AM is also the best time for Sumie to practice for her next action movie role by climbing up on furniture and jumping across the room from great heights. It is also the best time for Saito to practice his interpretations of “Pavarotti’s Greatest Hits.”

In the early morning hours, as I sit and drink my coffee and try to read the news, I am meowed at, poked, prodded, climbed over, and bitten on ankles and feet, “Excuse us, but you really do need to pay attention to us. News and coffee can wait”. Of course there is method to this madness. No more working to the sounds of birds chirping or to the smell of fresh mowed grass carried on a warm summer breeze. The dark, cold silence of early morning is now the prefect time for me to work. (Actually this is true but I’ll never admit it to them). Naptime is permitted in late morning, after a sufficient amount of work has been completed and any outside errands, such as the purchase of more cans of food or litter. Early afternoon, beginning about 1 PM is the time to become active once again, allowing for the preparation of lunch, the completion of chores and work, and the preparation and serving of dinner. Following dinner it’s bedtime. Was it Ben Franklin who said “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise?” Well, I feel neither healthier nor wiser, and certainly not wealthier. Obviously he did not live with cats! I feel more as if I have been dragged unwillingly over to the “dark side”.

Those persons who see the “half-full glass” are sure to say that the days will quite soon start to grow longer and thus the days warmer. I on the other hand, from the bottom of my now empty glass, see clouds, rain, snow, a lack of any worthwhile sleep, and typing away on some essay or work of Japanese scholarship, in the bitter cold, dark, damp, early hours of the morning: just as I’m doing now. Fogedaboudit!


Copyright 2008 by Hayato Tokugawa

JAPANESE AESTHETICS: Plants in Japanese Visual Arts

JAPANESE AESTHETICS: Plants in Japanese Visual Arts

(Geijutsu to Shokubutsu)

The illustrative arts of Japan, indeed, many other art forms, have reflected the artist’s sensitivity to nature and lean toward compact, simple, spare, graceful and elegant images. Traditional Japanese representations of landscapes do not, for example, exhibit the wide range of colors and detail that one might find in Western oil paintings. Even in sculpture, works are generally delicate and small in scale.

Plants, flowers, and birds (or their patterns) are commonly reproduced in lifelike colors on fabrics, lacquer ware and ceramics. This love for the forms of nature and an passion to express them in an “ideal” fashion have been key motivations in the development of traditional Japanese arts, for example: ikebana, (flower arrangement), Chanoyu (tea ceremony), tray landscapes (bonkei), bonsai, and landscape gardening. Through these art forms the Japanese have tried to integrate the beauty of nature into their daily lives as well as their personal religions and spiritual values.

JAPANESE AESTHETICS: Concepts of Nature

JAPANESE AESTHETICS: CONCEPTS OF NATURE

(Nihonjin no Shizenkan)

The basic meaning of the Japanese word shizen, which is generally used as a translation of the English word “nature,” can also be used the mean “the highest good” or “spontaneous, “ that is, the power of spontaneous self-development and what comes from that power. The kanji for shizen literally can mean, “from itself thus it is.” This suggests and expression of a state of being rather than the existence of some “natural order” of things.

It is interesting to note that the word “shizen” as an representation of nature doesn’t seem to be found in ancient Japanese. The reason would seem to be that the early Japanese people recognized literally every occurrence of nature as a expression of the kami1. Such expressions as ametsuchi (heaven and earth) and ikitoshi ikerumono (living things) seem to come closes to any all-inclusive word for nature.

In Nihon Shoki2 (720 A.D.), the “precursor” deities Izanagi3 and Izanami3 created or gave birth to the Japanese islands and everything thereon; thus, human beings were not superior or in opposition to nature (as in Western religion and thought) but rather directly descended from them; thus, the lives of the Japanese people were deep-rooted into the islands. This concept can be seen expressed in a variety of Japanese cultural forms such as Zen paintings, sumi-e, the tea ceremony and ikebana (flower arranging). In nature, the subject and the object become merged into one reality (which explains the use of various seasonal flowers, animals, sights, etc., in Japanese poetry). It was only in the Meiji Period that shizen became increasingly associated with the Western concept of a “natural order” to things.

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Kami is the Japanese word for the objects of worship in the Shinto faith, sometimes translated as “god” or “deity.” In the case of Izanagi and Iznami, the kami are personified deities similar to ancient Greek or Roman gods. In other cases, such as in matters of nature and natural objects, the spirits that, for example, live in trees or streams, or the forces of nature.

The Nihon Shoki, or The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is also referred to as Nihongi. It begins with mythological tales but continues its account through contemporary events

Recorded in the Nihon Shoki, Izanagi and his spouse Izanami are deities born of the “seven divine generations” in Japanese mythology and Shintoism. The story is generally that these “Gods” bore many islands, deities, and forefathers of Japan.

MOONSET

moonset -

no words were necessary

no words were possible

GEISHA PAUSES

GEISHA PAUSES

autumn dusk

geisha pauses -

next appointment






Copyright 2006, Hayato Tokugawa and East Meets West Fine Arts

Manners Lesson

Manners Lesson

Gray beard walks in peace

Youths want to bully –

Painful manners taught

From an incident of yesterday's morning walk. There is not always strength in numbers and the old are not always weak. There are always surprises! Yet, I also failed by my response. Today my harmony is now restored.

POEM ON NEW GLASSES

Poem On New Glasses (Not Haiku)

new windows now resting on nose

many more haiku to compose

BUSHIDO LESSON: ON ONE'S OWN DEATH

On One's Own Death

One who follows Bushido believes that it is of prime importance to keep their death in mind at all times. This means every day, every night: from New Year’s Day morning until New Year’s Eve night.

If one keeps their own death in mind at all times, and by this I mean an awareness or consciousness of ones own death (but not to the point of obsession) one will always be able to fulfill the needs of loyalty and family duties. With this “consciousness” one can also then avoid a myriad of evils, calamities, and hardships. One is likely to be more physically sound and healthy; thus, they may actually have a longer life. An additional benefit is likely to be that one’s character will improve and they will grow in virtue.
You may well ask, “Why?” All life, including human life, can be likened to the evening dew or to a morning frost; that is, life is something that is indeed quite fragile and ephemeral. This is true of anyone’s life, no matter what his or her station in life may be.
If a person blinds themselves to the inevitability of their own death, that is, if they take comfort in the belief that they will live a long time, that they will live “forever,” it may indeed be possible that something will happen to them. They may think that they have “forever” to do their work and to take care of their families. Because of this belief that “tomorrow will never come,” they may well feel that it is not necessary to work hard or to tend to their families with less care and intensity.

If one realizes that the life that is here today may not be here tomorrow, then when one is given a task by their employers or when they look at their families, they may have the sense to realize that “this could be the last time.” In doing so, one cannot help but to become more attentive to their work and to their family.

Be that as it may, if one unmindful of death and thus becomes careless or inattentive, they will have a tendency to be less cautious and careful in their lives. For example, one may be more inclined to say something that is offensive to another and get into an argument, which could itself lead to any number of consequences. One might find themselves in places or in situations that they perhaps would not have otherwise gotten into, again with any number of consequences for themselves or for those around them or for their employer, parents, siblings, or children. The consequences of our actions can have far reaching results sometimes, results that perhaps should have been easily avoided, had one kept in mind their own mortality.

With one’s own transience in mind, when one speaks and in replying to what is said by others, one is more likely to understand the substance and significance of every word. One will be less likely then to engage in pointless arguments.

People from all economic and social groups tend to excess, that is, they overeat, they tend to drink too much, and they indulge in their desires to a harmful degree, all because they give not even a small thought about their own death. This kind of behavior, this kind of “lifestyle,” over time can put a strain on their bodies. As a result, there is every possibility of their dying at a younger age or at the least, becoming sickly and weak. With the potential of one’s own death in mind, even if one is young and healthy, they will automatically know how to take care of themselves. They will be moderate and be mindful of food and drink, avoid addictions, and are more likely to be more sensible. The result is that they will tend to remain healthy and to increase the opportunity for a longer life.

On the assumption that one will “live forever” or that their passing is so far into the future so as to not be worth consideration, one will be likely to develop a money-oriented or acquisitive mentality. That is to say, they will have a tendency to become more desirous of things, cling to their possessions, and to desire more. When one realizes that life may be very short indeed, greediness, acquisitiveness, and materialism weakens and thus the character improves.

How does one keep death in mind? Well, certainly it is illogical and therefore wrong for one to simply sit there and wait for death, or for one to become obsessed with it. This may be all well and good for a monk but with such a mindset, one cannot function or survive in the modern world. To regard one’s death in that way is to turn one’s back on their duties to themselves, their families and to their employers and it defeats the entire purpose of thinking about it at all.

The idea is for one to go about their duties every day, and at some time when their mind is free of distraction, to give some thought to the transience of their existence. Perhaps, in the morning, before going out and about they duties is a good time to give thought to this matter, for the thought of life’s fragility will stay in their mind for the entire day. Perhaps also at night, before retiring, is another good time for such thoughts. Think about the day just past and recall everything that ha happened. Ask yourself questions.

“Did I do well today?” The answer will be either “yes” or “no.” “If I have another day to live, can I do better?” The answer will always be “yes.” And as your eyes close at the end of that day, take that thought with you and bring it on to the next.

HAIKU: IVY LEAVES

tsuta no ha ya
nokorazu ugoku
Aaki no kaze

ivy leaves -

every one of them flutters

in the autumn breeze

-Basho (1644 - 1694)

The print is by Sadao dated about 1930.

HAIKU HELP

Haiku Help

Here is a very helpful link to about 500 kigo or season words for use in haiku!

http://renku.home.att.net/500ESWd.html#AUTUMN

and since you are there, please visit the Home Page as well:

http://renku.home.att.net/index.html

Lots of helpful information!

A UKIYO-E FOR AUTUMN

Daitokuji Takagiri-in

(Daitoku Temple Takagiri Villa) or Takagiri Pavillion at Daitoku Temple in Kyoto)
The temple compound, which was built by Lord Hosakawa Tadaoki in 1601 as a memorial to his later father, is known for the teahouse and the beautiful autumn colors to be found there. This hanga (modern ukiyo-e) is dated sometime between 1935 and 1960 by Kantatsu Yoshizawa (1915 – 1993)

HAIKU: EARLY MORNING FOG

morning fog
creeps through field and forest –
frozen trail

BUSHIDO LESSON: RIGHT AND

RIGHT AND WRONG

As long as it is both realized as well as accepted that people must comprehend right and wrong, and in doing so strive to do right and to avoid wrong, then Bushido is alive.

“Right and wrong” means the same as “good and evil.” Right is good, wrong is evil. It is that simple. Generally, people are not totally lacking in an understanding of good and evil, right and wrong; however, they find it rather boring and tedious to act rightly and to strive for decency and integrity. Acting wrongly and behaving badly is “fun” and it is familiar (it seems more so now than in earlier days) so people can drift toward things that are wrong and bad. Indeed, it becomes rather dull for them to do right and to cultivate good.

A person who is truly insane, or a person who has never developed a proper capacity for thought and reason cannot distinguish good and bad or right and wrong so they should not be included in this discussion. Once one has determined something to be wrong or bad, to avoid social demands and justice and do what is wrong is not the proper attitude for a follower of Bushido and it is the “high point” of the immaturity of our modern times. This can be attributed to a lack of inner strength and perseverance in people.

It is really and truly important for one to be aware of wrong and to seek right.

There are three ways of doing right. For example, suppose you are going somewhere with a friend who has a large sum of money with him, and he asks to leave it at your house until he returns, rather than carry it with him. And suppose you take this money for him and put it away where no one can find it. And suppose further that your friend suddenly dies and no one but yourself knows that he left the money at your house and no one knows that you have it.

Under these circumstances, if you have no thought other than sorrow at the loss of your friend and you tell his relatives of the money and give it to them without delay, then you can be said to have truly done right.

But, suppose also that instead of being a friend, the person was simply a casual acquaintance and no one knows about the money he left with you and there are likely to be no questions asked about it. And suppose further that you are in bad circumstances financially yourself at that time. Well, on one hand this might seem like a stroke of luck! Why not just keep quiet about it and keep the money for yourself?

If one finds themfself ashamed to find such a thought occurring to them, and they change their mind and return the money to the rightful heirs, then one could be said to have done right out of a sense of shame.

Now, suppose that someone in your home, perhaps your wife or child, knows about the money and suppose further that you return the money to the rightful heirs out of shame for any possible recriminations from your family and perhaps out of fear for the legal consequences. In this case you could be said to have done right out of shame in relation to others.

Ah, but what would you do if no one knew about it at all? Even in such a case, it could still hardly be said that you were not a man who knew what is right and does it.

The process of developing the habit of doing right begins with the fear of being disrespected by those close to you, starting with your family. It then advances to refraining from doing wrong and intentionally doing the right thing out of fear of laying yourself open to the shame of being criticized and ridiculed by the community or society you live in. If you do this, it will naturally become habitual, so eventually you develop a mentality that prefers to follow what is right and scorns doing wrong.

Within the context of military matters (which might be seen as a metaphor for modern business life) there are those who are born brave and are not deterred by attacks on the battlefield, no matter how intense. They make targets of themselves, framed between loyalty and duty. The courage of their spirit can show physically so that it goes without saying that they were splendid in action.

There are also those who are hesitant in the face of danger and their hearts are pounding and their knees tremble, yet they go forward, right along with the brave ones, in the realization that their comrades will see them if they remain behind and thus are determined not to expose themselves to derision later on. Although they are not the same as the “brave ones”, when they have gone through this several times, over and over again, they become used to it. Eventually their minds settle and they become praiseworthy, strong and firm, and in the end, not so different at all from those who are naturally brave.

So then, when it comes down to doing what is right and to being courageous, there is nothing to go on but a sense of shame. If you do wrong and are unconcerned for its consequences or that people will say it is wrong, or if you care nothing that people will despise your for your spinelessness, then there is nothing that anyone can teach you.

CRIMSON STAIRS

stairs crimson carpet

old bones groaning as they climb -

winter gust deceds

AN AUTUMN UKIYO-E

An Autumn Ukiyo-e

Here is an ukiyo-e for autumn. It is from "Azuma Fuzoku Nenju Gyoji" or "customs and Manners of Yearly Events at Eastern Capitol" for the month of October (Jugatsu), by Chikanobu Toyohara (1838-1912). This print from about 1890 shows a mother and her little child holding a red balloon while they enjoy an Autumn day together.

RED LEAVES: Haiku

RED LEAVES, LONG SHADOWS-
KYOTO'S HOLY PLACES
A HEART LONGS TO SEE

JAPANESE AESTHETICS: Bigaku

JAPANESE AESTHETICS (Bigaku)

A characteristic feature of long-established aesthetics within Japan is the inclination to value symbolic portrayal more highly than realistic representation. Another trait is the assumption that true art involves a selective presentation of the beautiful and skirting of the humble and vulgar. As a result, artists have tended to choose nature for their subjects, thus shunning the portrayal of everyday life for the ordinary people. The taste for grace and elegance by the Heian court exerted a lasting effect on later cultural traditions, and established elegance as one of the main standards for beauty. Such important notions as okashi, fūryū, yūgen, and iki all carried a nuance of elegance.

Another highly valued attribute was impermanence, which could be considered a variation of elegance, for delicate beauty was considered fragile and ephemeral. Buddhism, with its emphasis on life’s uncertainty, merged with this ideal and provided a certain “philosophical” depth. Such aesthetic values are aware, mono no aware, yūgen, wabi, and sabi all thus implied transience.

An artistically created empty space, either in time or in space, became an important idea in aesthetic practices. Simplicity fit together with the concept of mimesis, which stressed symbolic depiction. Concepts like wabi, sabi, ma, yojō, and shibui were all oriented toward simplicity in their basic inferences, consistently showing distaste for rich or ornamental beauty.

Simplicity also means “naturalness,” or a lack of pretension, in artistic expression. In traditional Japanese aesthetics the gap between art and nature is considerably shorter than in the West. The mystery of nature could never be presented through description; however, it could only be suggested and the more brief the suggestion, the greater its success.

(First published 2008.09.16. Copyright 2006 by Hayato Tokugawa. All Rights Reserved)

SOME USEFUL HAIKU TERMS

SOME USEFUL HAIKU TERMS

MORA

Mora (plural is morae) is a unit of sound used in the study of words that determines the weight of syllables and thus their stress and/or timing, in some languages such as Japanese. The term meaning “period of time” comes from Latin meaning a pause or a delay. A syllable containing one mora is said to be monomoraic, two is bimoraic. Generally, monomoraic syllables are said to be “light syllables,” bimoraic syllables are said to be “heavy syllables” and trimoraic syllables are said to be “super-heavy syllables.”
Japanese is famous for its moraic qualities. Most dialects including Standard Japanese use moras (or morae) as the basis of the sound system rather than syllables. For example, in modern Japanese haiku, one does not always follow the pattern 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables as is commonly believed, but rather the pattern 5 moras/7 moras/5 moras. As just one example, the Japanese syllable-final n is moraic.

KIGO

Season words or Kigo (季語) are words or phrases that are generally associated with a particular season. They were originally used in the longer “linked-verse” form known as renga, and especially in the opening phrase of a renga, the hokku, to indicate the season when the stanza is set. The are valuable in providing an economy of expression (extremely important I have recently learned) for haiku to indicate the season in which the poem is set.

HISTORY OF KIGO

Representation of and reference to the seasons has always been important in Japanese culture and poetry. Japan is, of course, long from north to south so seasonal features can vary from place to place. The sense of a season in kigo is; however, based on Kyoto since classical Japanese literature was developed mainly in this region, especially up to the early part of the Edo Period.

Some examples are (for spring)” “spring begins” (haru tatsu), “warm” (atakakashi or nurumu”, spring haze (kasumi).

I am told that many Japanese haiku poets often use a book called a saijiki, which is a dictionary for kigo. An entry in a saijiki might include a description of the kigo itself plus a list of similar or related words, plus a few examples of haiku that included that kigo. The saijiki is divided into the four seasons plus there is a list for “season-less” or “muki” words.

(First published 2008.09.16.) Copyright 2006 by Hayato Tokugawa. All Rights Reserved)

Swordman - Dai Chikamatsu Zenshu

Swordman - Dai Chikamatsu Zenshu

I came across this ukiyo-e today and thought that I would share it with everyone. It is by Yamaguchi Sohei and dates to about 1923 to 1926. What I find rather striking about this print is the expression on the samurai's face - not the fierce look or even glee that one would see in an old movie with Mifune Toshiro, but something else - anguish, horror? What do you think?

(First published 2006.09.14.)

THOUGHTS FROM A TAKAYAMA ROOFTOP: Is Globalization Changing Japan (Part 2)

IS GLOBALIZATION CHANGING JAPAN (PART 2)

The book everyone was talking about last month at the first World Economic Forum (WEF) ever held in Tokyo was not Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat, or some other volume on globalization. It was a slim Japanese volume called The Dignity of a State. Written by mathematician Masahiko Fujiwara, the book is seemingly a longing call to return to ancient Japanese virtues. But it's also a sharp, angry outburst that blames free markets for a wide assortment of Japan's and the world's woes. "Globalism," Fujiwara writes, "is merely a strategy of the U.S. that seeks world domination after the Cold War." The author also calls the market economy "a system that clearly divides the society into a minority of winners and a majority of losers." WEF members, most of them advocates of free markets and open economies, might want to reject Fujiwara as part of the radical fringe of vocal anti-globalization protesters. But the book has touched a nerve in Japan, where many feel economic reforms are destroying the country's egalitarianism, creating a nation of haves and have-nots.

The Dignity of a State has sold 2 million copies since last November, making it Japan's second best-selling title of 2006. (It trails only the latest Harry Potter installment). A grassroots backlash against reform in the world's second largest economy is worrying to some WEF delegates. "This book's popularity is not a positive development," says Charles D. Lake II, vice chairman of AFLAC Insurance in Japan. But it is an important one. Despite Japan's much-heralded success in modernizing its economy, the fact remains that a large segment of Japanese society loathes the way things are heading.

In summary:

“Globalism,” Fujiwara writes, “Is merely a strategy of the U.S. that seeks world domination after the Cold War.” The author also calls the market economy “a system that clearly divides the society into a minority of winners and a majority of losers.” According to Time Magazine, the book’s popularity is fed by a popular response in Japan that sympathizes with the notion that “economic reforms are destroying the country’s social equality, creating a nation of “haves” and “have- nots".

Another review of the book says that according to the author, Japan’s distinguishing “national character” is a set of behavior standards based on the spirit of Bushido, the samurai code of honor. That spirit, he writes, was shattered by Japan’s defeat in World War II and completely abandoned after the collapse of the assist-inflated “bubble economy of the 1990s. Japanese society is now set to fall into ruin, the author continues. Ideas that Japan eagerly accepted along with “Americanization,” such things as the market –oriented principle of economics, do not offer a solution to the problems facing the nation. Rather, emotion and empathy form the basis of Japanese civilization and Bushido is the core of ethics. Japan should not aim to be a universal country, but a unique and dignified one.

According to what I have been able to read about Fujiwara-san and his book, he believes that Japan should return to Bushido because capitalism has destroyed Japan. As usual (I guess he is referring to Tokugawa and Meiji eras), “evil foreign devils” and their ideas have damaged the purity of Japan and the Japanese people.

I would be very interested to get anyone’s opinion on this topic, especially if you are familiar with this book and have similar or differing viewpoints.

BAMBOO LEAVES RUSTLE (HAIKU)

Bamboo Leaves Rustle

Bamboo leaves rustle


Dancing on warm summer breeze –


Shadows through shoji

WALK IN THE PARK (HAIKU)

Walk In The Park

walking in the park

gold and green beneath my feet -

autumn's golden rain

HAIKU, PART I

HAIKU, PART I

Haiku is a style of Japanese poetry a modification or alteration of the older form, hokku (the opening verse of a coupled verse form referred to as Haikai no renga, in the 19th Century by Masaoka Shiki. A conventional hokku consists of a pattern of 5, 7, and then 5 morae or “phonetic units” which one can relate to syllables in English, but not totally. A traditional hokku also contains a special kigo or “season word” which tends to describe the season of the year in which the renga is set. Hokku often joins two and occasionally three different components into a cohesive sensory thought, with a key grammatical pause or kire, which is, as a rule, located either at the conclusion of either the first set of five morae or the second set of seven morae. These fundamentals of the older hokku are held to be indispensable to haiku as well, although modern writers of more “free-form” haiku may not always include them. Senryu is a related poetic form that tends to put emphasis on humor and human idiosyncrasies and shortcomings instead of seasons.

Masaoka Shiki (1867 – 1902) was a Japanese author, poet, critic and journalist. He is honored as the last of the great masters of Japanese poetry and is often credited being solely responsible for the revitalization of Japanese poetry, particularly the old waka form, then referring to it as tanka and using the term haiku to take the place of “hokku”.

SAMURAI ARMOR

Samurai Armor

A modern ukiyo-e print showing samurai full armor and decorative helmet, by Tokuriki Tomikichiro (1902-1999). The print itself is dated about 1950. Tomikichiro Tokuriki was one of the members of the Sosaku Hanga movement. He was born in Kyoto where he attended the School of Fine Arts and Crafts. After World War II he established his own publishing company, Matsukyo Publishing Company. Tomikichiro Tokuriki was a passionate Sosaku Hanga printmaker. However he earned his living with prints in Shin Hanga style. Today everybody knows him for the Shin Hanga style prints published by Uchida and Unsodo

TANKA FOR TAMAKI

Tanka For Tamaki

Squirrels come for food
Gently touch her hand in thanks
Old friends meet again

A SMALL WISDOM

A Small Wisdom

"To love nature is to become one with the spirit of the way" (doshin),
Which is one step on the way to enlightenment.


From Muso's "Muchu Mondoshu” (lit. "Dialogues In A Dream")

AKI APPROACHES

aki approaches
crickets sing, cicadas cry –
trees begin to blush

-Tokugawa

AUTUMN MOON

Autumn Moon

Autumn moon, geese fly
Fleeing winter’s cold embrace
My heart flies with them.

A LESSON IN BUSHIDO: OUR DUTIES TO OUR PARTENTS, PART II

Our Duties To Our Parents, Part II

When a person who has embraced the spirit of Bushido takes on an employer; that is, he becomes an employee of a person or company, he will understand the requirements of loyalty and of duty in that position. When such a person’s employer or business is successful and perhaps even thriving, that is taken for granted. It should also be so that when something happens to his employer or company (perhaps there are all sorts of serious problems) that person is still fiercely loyal and does not leave his employer, even when 100 co-workers, or friends and associates of the employer are reduced to ten and then perhaps even to one,

Parents and employers, duty to family and loyalty to employer – these things differ in name only. There truly should be no difference in the genuineness of the heart. It was said long ago, “ Look for loyal ministers in homes with filial sons.” There is no such thing as someone who is on one hand disrespectful to his parents and yet on the other, is faithful to his employer. It cannot be. If someone is so immature as to be neglectful in care and respect for his family, who are the very origin of his or her existence, there is no way that he can be moved by the kindness of an employer, who is not his own flesh and blood, and be completely loyal.

If a man who is not caring toward his parents at home goes out and goes to work for someone, he will keep his eyes on his employer’s balance sheet and as soon as he sees a little slip, his attitude will change. In an emergency, he will flee or turn traitor. It has always been so and yet, this is something to be ashamed of and something that we all must be wary of.

A Lesson In Bushido: Our Duties to Our Parent, Part I.

A Lesson in Bushido

Our Duties to Our Parents, Part I

05.16.06.

For a person who follows Bushido, the taking good care of one’s parents is fundamental. If people do not care for their parents, they are lacking in principle, even if they are exceptionally smart, talented, well spoken, and good looking. That is to say, a person may have many of the blessings and gifts of life, but if that person does not take care of their parents, all that amounts to nothing.

Allow me to explain. In Bushido, it is essential to do things right and to do things completely: from the root to the branch so to speak. If one does not understand the principle of the root and the branch, then they cannot truly understand their duties in life; furthermore, one who does not know his duty cannot consider themselves followers of Bushido even in a modern context.
To begin to understand the principle of the root and the branch, one might consider going to a garden, any garden, and looking carefully at what can be found there. Then one should think deeply about what one sees. Understanding the principle of the root and the branch means understanding that our parents are the roots of our bodies. Our bodies are the branches, in the form of flesh and bones, of our parents. In a modern world, it is because of our desire to establish ourselves in our careers, and in society, acquiring status and material things, that we tend to neglect our parents, who are the roots. Further, if we think about it, no plant, though it may have strong and deep roots, can long survive if there are no branches and leaves. We move away from our parents, to other cities or towns, in pursuit of “things” and leave our parents behind, only to see or hear from us on rare occasions. When we have children (our parents grandchildren, who may be thought of as the leaves), we tend to keep them separated also. This is not a good thing and shows a lack of understanding for “roots and branches.”

There are two basic ways of taking good care of our parents.

Let us presume that there are parents who are kind, considerate, and of a mild temperament and character, who have educated their children with real kindness and affection and who have provided well for their children. Normally, it should be most easy for us to do our duties to such parents and it would just come naturally and be worthy of no particular praise. Yet, many of us are guilty of not giving our kind parents the thought and care they deserve. So in this modern world, the performance of such duties is worthy indeed of praise.
Remember that even with strangers, when they have treated us with kindness or have helped us out personally, we tend not to overlook it – if they, in turn, become in need of something we can do or provide for them, we are willing even to set aside our own affairs to see to it. How much less could we ever expect to think that we have done enough to care for our parents, in view of the depth of the love that they have shown us in every way! Therefore, to take care of our parents is our duty!

But suppose that we have parents who re or were cranky, argumentative, intrusive, bossy, inconsiderate, demanding or who interfere our daily lives, or who complain to others how troubled they are by the poor treatment that they get from their children; thus, damaging the reputation of those children. To honor such unreasonable parents as parents and to take the trouble to humor them, to praise them, to lament their aging, and to take care of them in a sincere manner, without negligence, this is truly noteworthy and of praise and something we should strive for. It is our duty as children. It is the duty of leaves to take care of the roots, no matter what.

Next Time: How our care for our parents reflects on the rest of our lives.

COURAGE: AN OLD FABLE FOR MODERN TIMES

Courage: An Old Fable for Modern Times

04.30.06.

Once, long, long ago, in Kamakura, there lived an old Samurai. Well, he was not just an old samurai. Actually, he was really not such an old man, but his hair (now thinning) was silver as were his neatly trimmed beard and mustache, and he was at the age when every injury he had every received in battle, every scar, reminded him daily that they were there and thus how he came to have them. He was a man of great fame in the province and had a reputation for courage, honesty and wisdom. A master swordsman, a sensei of kendo, iaido, and bushido, he was hatamoto to the shogun himself in Edo, and ready at a moment’s notice to go into battle for his lord. It was said that he was never seen to smile, yet, it was also said, that if you looked closely, you could often see a twinkle in the old man’s eyes.

But, he was retired now, as retired as any samurai can be. Now he spent much of his time in the beautiful garden of his home in the hills of Kamakura, or writing haiku, and producing beautiful works of shodo and sumi-e that were renowned all over. He also had a small dojo where he taught selected students in the samurai arts as well as in the culture of Japan.

The old samurai had a grandson, Ichiro, whom he loved early. The samurai’s son, Ichiro’s father and also a samurai of some position, was far too busy going about his duties, against the old samurai’s advice and teaching, to pay proper attention to his wife or to see to the proper training and preparation of his son. Therefore, the old samurai chose to take Ishiro under his wing, and sought to provide him with the best training and examples possible.

Ishiro was 8 years old, small for his age; yet, good looking and perhaps even a bit “cute” which is probably not a good thing to say about a future samurai. Ichiro worked very hard on all of his lessons, from swordsmanship, to hand-to-hand combat, to reading, writing, and even mathematics. Whenever studies for the day were over, Ichiro and his friends would do what all young boys do: rough and sometimes dangerous things that tested themselves and each other in terms of their physical ability and courage. While the old samurai was satisfied with Ichiro’s over-all abilities, he knew also that often his grandson lacked confidence and was hesitant or failed to keep up with the other boys. Ichiro was also aware of this.

One day, in summer, one a warm afternoon, as the old samurai sat in his garden “watching the rocks grow” he was interrupted by the presence of his grandson. “I am so sorry to bother you Grandfather,” the boy said. But I must talk to you.” His voice was sad and perhaps even trembled a bit.

“What is it Ichiro? You know that you may ask me anything,” answered the grandfather.

“It is something unworthy of your time I am sure, but I have know one else to ask. I feel so badly because I am not nearly as strong, brave, or courageous as my friends. They all seem to have great courage and I have none, Grandfather. Where can I find courage? How can I find it, get it,” Ichiro asked.

“Oh, so you think you have no courage?” The samurai asked.

“No grandfather, I don’t and I have no idea where to look for it or how to find it,” the boy answered.

Grandfather thought and thought, all the while with a sparkle in his eye and fighting to hold back a smile. “Well, this is indeed a serious matter Ichiro. Tell your mother to bring you here hone-half hour before sunset tomorrow, in your best clothes. Tell her only that it is for a very special ceremony that I will conduct, and nothing more than that. Now, you may go. I will see you tomorrow evening.”

After Ichiro had left, the old samurai went to the kitchen of his household and asked the head cook for small portions of the bitterest herbs he had on hand. Carefully, and with a slight smile on his face, he wrapped each of the herbs carefully in small silk packages and set them aside for the following day.

The next day, at the appointed time, Ichiro arrived at his grandfather’s gate accompanied by his mother. The old samurai’s wife, Midori-san, took the boy from his mother at the front door and said only, “Ichiro will return home shortly. His grandfather wishes only to do tea with him, nothing more.” As the boy and Midori-san walked down the hallway toward the garden, she explained to Ichiro that his grandfather was preparing a very special and secret ceremony, during which he would receive courage and instructed him that he was to say nothing to his grandfather but to observe strict silence and respect. Furthermore, he was never, under any circumstances, under pain of severe punishment, to ever tell anyone of this.

Now both frightened and excited, he entered the garden and walked along the path and over the small footbridge to the small teahouse at the rear of the garden. There his grandfather waited for him. Silently, the boy made a deep bow and then, has he had been trained, took the proper position at the old samurai’s side. The old man only nodded to the boy and began the ceremony, as formal as any tea ceremony you could ever imagine, with the difference that in addition to the traditional macha, the old man made a point of showing the boy each of the “special” herbs as he opened their packages and added them to the “tea.” At the end of the preparation, the old man offered Ichiro the cup, a beautiful cup of many blue and white glazes. The boy accepted the cup and began to take the first sip.“Oh! This is terrible grandfather! So sorry, but I cannot drink this at all. You cannot expect me to drink such a thing! What is it?” Ichiro blurted out.

Calmly, the old samurai turned to his grandson and said, “Well, if it was inside of you, it would be courage. Even just a taste of it has given you the courage to speak to me in such a rude and disrespectful manner. Now, finish it,” he ordered in the sternest fashion he could muster.

Hesitatingly, the boy looked deep into his grandfather’s eyes, then bowed deeply, and with difficult, drank from the cup until it was empty. Then the old samurai took the coup from his grandson and dismissed him, reminding him to never mention any of this to anyone, under any circumstances.

In the following days, Ichiro, despite his small size, began to change, and gradually was able to keep up with his playmates and even to challenge their abilities to keep up with him. The old samurai noted this with great satisfaction.

Then one day, his grandson came to him again. “Grandfather, I think you most deeply for the courage you have given me, but I fear that it is gradually diminishing.”

"Oh, whatever can you mean Ichiro-chan?” the old man asked.

“Well,” answered Ichiro, “Sometimes my friends and I, when we are doing things after class, playing or climbing, or well, doing many things, sometimes they are very dangerous, and I find myself hesitating to do them or not wanting to do them. I am worried that my courage is wearing away. What should I do, Grandfather?”

“Well,” answered the old samurai, again with a sparkle in his eyes and nothing but kindness in his voice, “Perhaps it is not that you have lost any courage at all. Only perhaps, it is the beginning of wisdom.”

© 2006, Hayato Tokugawa

IS GLOBALIZATION CHANGING JAPAN?

Is Globalization Changing Japan?

2006.04.26

I have many questions, which I really don’t expect answers to but which I bring up here in the hopes of opening some discussion or debate on the subject.
Historically, Japan has in modern history, undergone two, maybe three significant periods of change. The first period of change was in the ending stages of the Tokugawa Shogunate, when the “barbarians” came out of the East and West, and forced the opening of Japan to the rest of the world, followed by the Meiji Era. I think in this case, at this point in history, Japan had no choice but to change and it’s people made drastic and wonderful achievements at becoming a member of the world nations.

The second period was that following WW2. What can one say about that, except that it happened and Japan again did marvelous things to rebuild and to, in many ways, re-invent itself?

Perhaps the third period was during and immediately after the “Bubble Economy.” Now there is a trend toward “world globalization”: instant communication and commerce anywhere in the world - instant exchanges of information, instant business. I am wondering if this could (or is) having a negative effect on Japanese culture and the Japanese people.

I wonder if the Japanese government and the people in the Diet haven’t gone about things wrong, at the sacrifice of its people and culture. The government has done things so quickly, so rapidly that it makes me question whether they have really thought about what they are doing. Has the government in its diplomatic and economic decisions, really considered or thought about Japan and the people, instead of only catering to the wants and desires of their political friends. I am concerned that there has been little thought given about the people and the culture and that in the long-term, the ordinary Japanese people will suffer and pay for the effects of government decisions.

Everything is done these days in such a hurry – rush, rush, dash, and dash. I think that this has potentially done great damage to Japanese culture and society. One of the things that made Japan great, that enabled it to make so much wonderful progress in the Meiji Period and after, was Japanese diligence. Japan was famous for its quality craftsmanship and industrial ability because Japanese people (even the “little people” – artists, crafts people, etc.) took the time to do good planning, and to properly investigate things before doing something. They took their time and did not rush. It would seem that the Japanese government, Japanese business, and now even the people themselves, no longer take the time, the thought, the care, that made them so special and unique in the world.

Politicians are not connected to the lives of the real people – to the real world. There is now a vicious cycle of the people paying more, for example gasoline, and then having to work more to pay for things, and because they are working more and are earning more, the prices go up once again. It is potentially a never-ending cycle. It is like a dog trying to catch its own tail – it doesn’t happen. And because they are caught up in this cycle, there is not time for anything else – no time for art, for culture, not even to be kind (which is something else that made Japan and the Japanese people stand out in the world).

The good news is that it all can be changed, while Japan still maintains its place in the world. Greed and the seeking of power I think, drive globalization. There is no vision of tomorrow, unless it is only about how profits will appear on the next quarterly report. No one, from the top and now progressing downward to the average person, things about the future. It is, in my mind, becoming more a world of only “now” and of “self”, which I will admit is the way of things in the US now. Most sad.

I am wondering if such things as Bushido have even more relevance now in the life of Japan, on all levels. Should it come back? Can it come back? I think so. I think everyone it is an important consideration – to be accountable or responsible for our mistakes and to move forward from them with discipline. It is something that is missing in American culture and is disappearing from Japanese culture, and I think it is necessary.

Today we play the “Blame Game.” It used to be if there was something wrong, you stopped, thought about the problem, fixed it, and then moved on. The “American Way” has been to find someone to blame, punish him or her, and then move on. That is becoming more of a “global” attitude towards things. It saddens me.

I come from an older generation that had a respect for the land and for other people. In Japan, people felt a responsibility, a duty; to do not only what was asked of them, but in addition, what was not asked of them. It gave strength of character that is lost in the US and is being lost here. We no longer take the time to sit and talk to our children, and they do not take the time to sit and listen, and to learn from older generations with the result that American culture has slipped away, and Japanese culture is rapidly slipping away.

I an American, not a Japanese, and while I love and embrace many things of Japanese society and culture, I will always be an American. But with globalization I see a trend for young people (especially) to try so hard to be “non-Japanese” and I worry about there becoming a “non-Japanese Japan.” Englishmen are Englishmen, Americans are Americans – there is nothing wrong with that. What is so wrong with being Japanese? We don’t expect Japanese people to be like us or us to be like them. It is one of the things that makes us all unique, makes Japanese unique, and makes the world a sometimes fun and interesting place. I think young Japanese people should enjoy being Japanese. This is from someone who is on the “outside” looking in. Sometimes I think (especially young people) are on the “inside” looking out, and forget to see themselves. Be yourself! It’s nice!

Lastly I am wondering, does it fall on people of my generation to teach again, how to be Japanese or to be the preservers of Japanese culture? Is that right or is it wrong? Is there a place for such people as myself, who studies the old ways and teaches the old ways, and practices the older arts, in Japan? Should fathers and mothers take the time to teach their children, or make it possible for their children to learn about what makes Japan a most unique place in the world?

I wonder.

Thoughts From A Takayama Rooftop

THOUGHTS FROM A TAKAYAMA ROOFTOP

Minna-san Konnichiwa!

Irasshaimase!

Thank you for visiting.

I began writing essays about Japanese art, culture, aesthetics, history, Budo, Bushido, and even politics several years ago. When placed on the Internet in the form of a blog, these essays (much to my surprise) grew immensely popular. But blog hosting sites come and go, things disappear or suddenly become inaccessible. As a consequence, we have had many requests both from long-time readers and new, to re-print the early essays and articles. To that end we have created this blog. We have also had numerous suggestions and requests to compile many of the articles, essays, poetry and stories into some sort of printed collection. To that end, we are working toward finding a solution.

I am a writer, artist, I hope sometimes a poet, and a teacher of several forms of martial arts and Budo. I have even been accused of being a humorist. We shall see! Often the source of what I write is not so much any particular muse, although if I had to name one, it would be my wife Aoi. Often my thoughts, ideas, coming from walking the streets lined with old shops and buildings, walking by the river, or just sitting up on the rooftop. Thus the title of this collection, “Thoughts from a Takayama Rooftop.”

I hope that you will visit us often as I try to discuss a variety of topics from Japanese art and culture, to Bushido, Asian philosophy, and even the weather and find enjoyment here.

-Tokugawa Hayato-
15 October 2008