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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.