The origins of the Japanese people is not entirely clear yet. It is common for Japanese people to think that Japan is not part of Asia since it is an island, cut off from the continent. This tells a lot about how they see themselves in relation to their neighbours. But in spite of what the Japanese may think of themselves, they do not have extraterrestrial origins, and are indeed related to several peoples in Asia.
We shall have to go back a long way through history and analyse in depth the genetics, culture and language of the archipelago and try to find out whether the Japanese are indeed unique, and in what way.
During the last Ice Age, which ended approximately 15,000 years ago, Japan was connected to the continent through several land bridges, notably one linking the Ryukyu Islands to Taiwan and Kyushu, one linking Kyushu to the Korean peninsula, and another one connecting Hokkaido to Sakhalin and the Siberian mainland. In fact, the Philippines and Indonesia were also connected to the Asian mainland. This allowed migrations from China and Austronesia towards Japan, about 35,000 years ago. These were the ancestors of the modern Ryukyuans (Okinawans), and the first inhabitants of all Japan.
The Ainu came from Siberia and settled in Hokkaido and Honshu some 15,000 years ago, just before the water levels started rising again. Nowadays the Ryukuyans, the Ainus and the Japanese are considered three ethnically separate groups. We will see why.
Genetic evidenceIt is now believed that the modern Japanese descend mostly from the interbreeding of the Jomon Era people (15,000-500 BCE), composed of the above Ice Age settlers, and a later arrival from China and/or Korea. Around 500 BCE, the Yayoi people crossed the see from Korea to Kyushu, bringing with them a brand new culture, based on wet rice cultivation and horses.
As we will see below, DNA tests have confirmed the likelihood of this hypothesis. About 54% of paternal lineages and 66% the maternal lineages have been identified as being of Sino-Korean origin.
DNA analysis of the Japanese peopleTwo kinds of DNA tests allow to trace back prehistoric ancestry. The first one is mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), DNA found outside the cells' nucleus and inherited through the mother's line. The other is the Y-chromosome (Y-DNA), inherited exclusively from father to son (women do not have it). They are both inherited in an unaltered fashion for many generations, which allow geneticists to identify very old lineages and ancient ethnicities.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Go (囲碁)
Go (known as “囲碁 (Igo) in Japanese)is an oriental board game that originated in China. Today it’s quite popular in East Asia that has been made more accessible in recent years through internet gaming. The rules of the game are fairly simplistic, but despite this, Go is a game rich with strategy.
Go is played by two players (who use black and white “stones” or pieces respectively) on a board with a 19 x19 line grid. Stones are placed on the points of the board where lines intersect, and black always moves first. The goal of the game is to surround more of the board or control more “territory” on the board then your opponent. Once a stone is placed on the board, it cannot be removed unless it is surrounded on all sides by an opponent’s stone, in which case it is “captured” and taken off the board. To form a group of stones on a board, they must be connected via straight and not diagonal lines.
There are some differences in scoring from country to country, but the differences do not largely impact the strategy of the game. At the end of the game the winner is determined through calculating the amount of territory each player has, which is done by counting the number of empty points a player’s stone’s surround.
Pictured above is an example of how a stone(s) can be captured.
Pictured below is a 碁盤 (goban) on which Go is played.
Professional Go players exist and are for the most part, all of Asian descent, though Professional Go players from other countries do exist. Most professional players begin to study Go seriously as children, and some even turn professional before they’re 11. In Japan student professionals are called insei, and have to play in internal insei competitions to qualify; mostly they are adolescents, and must decide whether to continue based on their chances of a career in Go, or go to university. Insei rarely take part in amateur events, but some of the top amateurs are ex-insei.
The release of the manga and anime Hikaru no Go in 1998 had a huge impact on popularizing Go among young players in Japan and abroad.
Go has, historically been a male dominated game. Special tournaments for women existed, but until recently, men and women did not compete together at the highest levels. Recently however, the creation of new, open tournaments and the rise of strong female players have seen (notably Rui Naiwei, who is the only woman to have won one of the major open go titles) will hopefully open the field up to more woman players in the future.
Go is played by two players (who use black and white “stones” or pieces respectively) on a board with a 19 x19 line grid. Stones are placed on the points of the board where lines intersect, and black always moves first. The goal of the game is to surround more of the board or control more “territory” on the board then your opponent. Once a stone is placed on the board, it cannot be removed unless it is surrounded on all sides by an opponent’s stone, in which case it is “captured” and taken off the board. To form a group of stones on a board, they must be connected via straight and not diagonal lines.
There are some differences in scoring from country to country, but the differences do not largely impact the strategy of the game. At the end of the game the winner is determined through calculating the amount of territory each player has, which is done by counting the number of empty points a player’s stone’s surround.
Pictured above is an example of how a stone(s) can be captured.
Pictured below is a 碁盤 (goban) on which Go is played.
Professional Go players exist and are for the most part, all of Asian descent, though Professional Go players from other countries do exist. Most professional players begin to study Go seriously as children, and some even turn professional before they’re 11. In Japan student professionals are called insei, and have to play in internal insei competitions to qualify; mostly they are adolescents, and must decide whether to continue based on their chances of a career in Go, or go to university. Insei rarely take part in amateur events, but some of the top amateurs are ex-insei.
The release of the manga and anime Hikaru no Go in 1998 had a huge impact on popularizing Go among young players in Japan and abroad.
Go has, historically been a male dominated game. Special tournaments for women existed, but until recently, men and women did not compete together at the highest levels. Recently however, the creation of new, open tournaments and the rise of strong female players have seen (notably Rui Naiwei, who is the only woman to have won one of the major open go titles) will hopefully open the field up to more woman players in the future.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The largest wooden temple! (Todai-ji)
Constructed in 752 on the order of Emperor Shomu, Todai-ji Temple's Great Buddha Hall in Nara is the largest wooden structure in the world and houses an immense statue of Rushana Butsu. The Daibutsu Hall contains this 14.84 metre bronze statue of the "Cosmic Buddha" (Mahavairocana), later known as Dainichi Nyorai in Japan's esoteric Buddhism. Todaiji is a temple of the Kegon sect of Buddhism, which reveres the Buddha Vairocana (Birushana in Japanese) as the cosmic, central Buddha. The principal image of the temple is a bronze statue of Vairocana, colossal in scale.
According to legend, nearly 2,600,000 people helped construct the Buddha — but as that would amount to nearly the half of the people in Japan at the time, the figure is probably exaggerated. Nevertheless, by the time the Buddha was completed in 751, it had consumed most of Japan's bronze production for several years and left the country almost bankrupt.
According to legend, nearly 2,600,000 people helped construct the Buddha — but as that would amount to nearly the half of the people in Japan at the time, the figure is probably exaggerated. Nevertheless, by the time the Buddha was completed in 751, it had consumed most of Japan's bronze production for several years and left the country almost bankrupt.
Nihonto (Japanese Sword)
Nihonto are an important part of Japanese history and culture. There are many varieties of Nihonto, but they can generally be organized into three main catagories, classified by their blade length. The traditional unit used in measuring blade length is shaku, a unit roughly equivalent to 33 cm, or 1 foot.
Less than 1 shaku is known as a tanto (dagger)
Between 1 and 2 shaku is a shoto (short sword)
Greater than 2 shaku is a daito (long sword)
There are also subclassifications denoted by the prefixes "O" for big, and "Ko" for small. For example, a katana (daito) with a length around 2 shaku would be called "Ko-katana", and a wakizashi (shoto) with a length just under 2 shaku would be called "O-wakizashi".
There is also a special classification for very long swords with a blade over 3 shaku. Such swords are called either Odachi, meaning "great sword" or Nodachi, meaning "field sword". Such weapons were usually used by foot soliders to give them an advantage of reach. Due to their extremely effective killing capability, it is now illegal to own one of these swords, except for ceremonial purposes.
Traditionally, swords were generally made by one of five different schools, known as the Gokaden (Five Traditions). These schools were located in the Soshu, Yamato, Bizen, Yamashiro, and Mino provinces, and even today very old swords can still be traced back to their place of origin through certain characteristics that were unique to each school.
Less than 1 shaku is known as a tanto (dagger)
Between 1 and 2 shaku is a shoto (short sword)
Greater than 2 shaku is a daito (long sword)
There are also subclassifications denoted by the prefixes "O" for big, and "Ko" for small. For example, a katana (daito) with a length around 2 shaku would be called "Ko-katana", and a wakizashi (shoto) with a length just under 2 shaku would be called "O-wakizashi".
There is also a special classification for very long swords with a blade over 3 shaku. Such swords are called either Odachi, meaning "great sword" or Nodachi, meaning "field sword". Such weapons were usually used by foot soliders to give them an advantage of reach. Due to their extremely effective killing capability, it is now illegal to own one of these swords, except for ceremonial purposes.
Traditionally, swords were generally made by one of five different schools, known as the Gokaden (Five Traditions). These schools were located in the Soshu, Yamato, Bizen, Yamashiro, and Mino provinces, and even today very old swords can still be traced back to their place of origin through certain characteristics that were unique to each school.
一休さん＜いっきゅうさん＞
一休さんis an anime based on the historical Zen Buddhist monk 一休 that follows his mischievous adventures as a child during his stay at Ankoku Temple. In each episode, 一休 relies on his intelligence and wit to solve all types of problems, from distraught farmers to greedy merchants.
A running gag of 一休さん is that whenever 一休 is trying to think of a plan, he sits in a lotus position, wets his two index fingers, and rotates them above his head.
THE REAL 一休さん...
一休宗純, ＜いっきゅうそうじゅん＞（1394-1481) was an eccentric, iconoclastic Japanese Zen Buddhist priest and poet. He had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals.
一休 is one of the most significant (and eccentric) figures in Zen history. To Japanese children, he is a folk hero, mischievous and always out-smarting his teachers and the shogun. In addition to passed down oral stories, this is due to the very popular animated TV series "一休さん". In Rinzai Zen tradition, he is both heretic and saint. 一休 was among the few Zen priests who argued that his enlightenment was deepened by consorting with pavilion girls. He entered brothels wearing his black robes, since for him sexual intercourse was a religious rite. At the same time he warned Zen against its own bureaucratic politicising.
WIKIPEDIA 一休さん
A running gag of 一休さん is that whenever 一休 is trying to think of a plan, he sits in a lotus position, wets his two index fingers, and rotates them above his head.
THE REAL 一休さん...
一休宗純, ＜いっきゅうそうじゅん＞（1394-1481) was an eccentric, iconoclastic Japanese Zen Buddhist priest and poet. He had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals.
一休 is one of the most significant (and eccentric) figures in Zen history. To Japanese children, he is a folk hero, mischievous and always out-smarting his teachers and the shogun. In addition to passed down oral stories, this is due to the very popular animated TV series "一休さん". In Rinzai Zen tradition, he is both heretic and saint. 一休 was among the few Zen priests who argued that his enlightenment was deepened by consorting with pavilion girls. He entered brothels wearing his black robes, since for him sexual intercourse was a religious rite. At the same time he warned Zen against its own bureaucratic politicising.
WIKIPEDIA 一休さん
Gionmatsuri
Gionmatsuri is one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It takes place in Kyoto every year for the enitre month of July. The festival is crowned with the big parade on July 17th called Yamaboko Junko. Three nights prior to the parade are called yoiyoiyoiyama(July 14th), yoiyoiyama (July 15th), and yoiyama(July 16th).
The streets are lined with many different vendors selling all sorts of food. They include such foods as takoyaki(baked octopus), taiyaki(japanese fish cake), yakitori(grilled chicken), and okonomiyaki(japanese pancake), frozen chocolate dipped bananas, and many other types of sweets. Women wear their Yukata(summer kimono) and carry traditional purses and paper fans.
This festival wasn't as always a big party as it seems today. It has a lot of history behind it. In 869, the people were suffering from plague and pestilence from the rampaging Deity Gozu Tenno. Emperor Seiwa then ordered the people to pray to the god of Yasaka Shrine, Susanoo-no-mikoto. They decorated 66 Halberds, one for each province of Japan, and were erected at Shinsen-en.
This tradition was followed everytime there was a bad year, but in 970 it was declared an annual event and was held almost every year since then.
Now a days they have floats for the parade instead of halberds called Yamaboko. There are 9 floats that represent the 66 halberds. And 23 smaller floats that carry life-size figures on it of famous and important people of history. All the floats are decorated with the finest tapestries from all over the world.
The streets are lined with many different vendors selling all sorts of food. They include such foods as takoyaki(baked octopus), taiyaki(japanese fish cake), yakitori(grilled chicken), and okonomiyaki(japanese pancake), frozen chocolate dipped bananas, and many other types of sweets. Women wear their Yukata(summer kimono) and carry traditional purses and paper fans.
This festival wasn't as always a big party as it seems today. It has a lot of history behind it. In 869, the people were suffering from plague and pestilence from the rampaging Deity Gozu Tenno. Emperor Seiwa then ordered the people to pray to the god of Yasaka Shrine, Susanoo-no-mikoto. They decorated 66 Halberds, one for each province of Japan, and were erected at Shinsen-en.
This tradition was followed everytime there was a bad year, but in 970 it was declared an annual event and was held almost every year since then.
Now a days they have floats for the parade instead of halberds called Yamaboko. There are 9 floats that represent the 66 halberds. And 23 smaller floats that carry life-size figures on it of famous and important people of history. All the floats are decorated with the finest tapestries from all over the world.
The Tokyo Tower
The Tokyo Tower is one of the largest structures in Japan. Actually, it is the second largest structure in Japan. At nearly 332.5 meters it's gigantic. Conversion wise, that's 1,091 ft high! that's almost a mile in height! The tower was built back in 1958 and is mostly for tourism and antenna leasing purposes. Several major Japanese television companies use the Tokyo Tower for broadcasting power through the use of antennas set up there. To give a description, the Tokyo Tower looks similar to the Eiffel Tower only it's a maroon-ish color instead of silver.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Sport of Jūdō 柔道
Jūdō (柔道), literally "gentle way" is a martial art founded in Japan by Kanō Jigorō (嘉納 治五郎) in the late 19th century. It mainly involves throwing and subduing one's opponent. Striking and weapon defenses are also taught, but these aren't used in competition or sparring.
Judo has evolved much over the years and is now an Olympic sport (my aunt was once in the Olympic judo team!). A referee judges the match and makes all scoring and penalty calls. If needed, he will call "sonomama" which means "do not move" and may discuss some element of the match. He will then call "yoshi" which will restart the match.
The object of a judo match is to score one point, or ippon (一本). This can be scored immediately by throwing your opponent on his or her back, or by subduing your opponent with a choke or armlock. It can also be scored if you keep your opponent on the mat off his or her feet for 25 or more seconds.
A waza-ari counts as half a point and is awarded for a throw that does not have quite enough power or control to earn an ippon, or for keeping your opponent on the mat for 20 seconds.
A yuko is even lower than a waza-ari and is mostly used for tie-breaking. It is awarded for a hold of 15 seconds, or an even weaker throw. A waza-ari beats any number of yuko, but a waza-ari with yuko beats a waza-ari without yuko. No number of yuko can make an ippon.
The lowest score is a koka, and is only used when both players have equal waza-ari and yuko. One yuko beats any number of koka. A koka is scored for even weaker throws.
Penalties can be issued by the referee. The first is a warning, the second is a yuko for the opponent, the third is a waza-ari for the opponent, and the fourth is an automatic ippon for the opponent.
Judo has evolved much over the years and is now an Olympic sport (my aunt was once in the Olympic judo team!). A referee judges the match and makes all scoring and penalty calls. If needed, he will call "sonomama" which means "do not move" and may discuss some element of the match. He will then call "yoshi" which will restart the match.
The object of a judo match is to score one point, or ippon (一本). This can be scored immediately by throwing your opponent on his or her back, or by subduing your opponent with a choke or armlock. It can also be scored if you keep your opponent on the mat off his or her feet for 25 or more seconds.
A waza-ari counts as half a point and is awarded for a throw that does not have quite enough power or control to earn an ippon, or for keeping your opponent on the mat for 20 seconds.
A yuko is even lower than a waza-ari and is mostly used for tie-breaking. It is awarded for a hold of 15 seconds, or an even weaker throw. A waza-ari beats any number of yuko, but a waza-ari with yuko beats a waza-ari without yuko. No number of yuko can make an ippon.
The lowest score is a koka, and is only used when both players have equal waza-ari and yuko. One yuko beats any number of koka. A koka is scored for even weaker throws.
Penalties can be issued by the referee. The first is a warning, the second is a yuko for the opponent, the third is a waza-ari for the opponent, and the fourth is an automatic ippon for the opponent.
日本語 の キーボー ド
Japanese keyboards are in QWERTY format just like the English-language keyboards we’re all used to. The Japanese can use their keyboards to type in both ローマ字 (romanji) and 仮名(kana). Writing in Japanese on the computer however is much more difficult in Japanese than it is in English. The biggest reason for this is because there are very few “character” or letter possibilities in English, whereas in Japanese there are hundreds of characters causing complications.
Katakana and hiragana don’t tend to pose too much of a problem to type on the computer, but kanji is a bit trickier, as there are far more kanji than there are keys on a keyboard. To input kanji on modern computers, the reading of kanji is usually entered first, then an input method editor (the process is pictured below) or front-end processor, shows a list of kanji that are possible phonetic matches.
Katakana and hiragana don’t tend to pose too much of a problem to type on the computer, but kanji is a bit trickier, as there are far more kanji than there are keys on a keyboard. To input kanji on modern computers, the reading of kanji is usually entered first, then an input method editor (the process is pictured below) or front-end processor, shows a list of kanji that are possible phonetic matches.
すも
Sumo wrestling is an ancient sport that originated in Japan. A sumo match takes place inside of small, circular arena. The object of the match is for one sumo to push the other outside of the ring. Surprisingly, sumo is a sport shrouded in ancient rituals. These rituals are based in the Shinto religion. Today, sumo wrestlers are known as gendai budou (げんだい ぶどう） or martial artist and are very popular and famous, similar to MLB and NFL players in America.
Cultural Note: カプセルホテル
My cultural note is on a concept that originated in Japan. Though, it is now in other countries, it has not become as popular as it has in Japan. Capsule Hotels have become a a very cheap way for travellers or locals to spend a night in a hotel.
They range from anywhere between 2000-4000 yen. That is roughly $20 to $40 American dollars. The reason Capsule Hotels are so cheap is because, as the name suggests, you stay in a capsule. The dimensions are around 2mx1mx1.25m. And they are made from either plastic or fiberglass. The capsules are stacked on top of each other and next to each other. There are stacked two capsules high.
Though, they are small, they still have some modern conviences in them. Such as television, internet, or some kind of electronic console. The one thing that the hotel owners ask that the people do not do is smoke or eat inside. Most likely due to cleanliness or the health risk it could have on the people.
Of course the capsules are too small to have any type of restroom of sorts. So there is a communal restroom set up. There is privacy between the capsules. There are curtains or a fiberglass door. The hotels also may provide a yukata for the person spending the night.
The first capsule hotel was the Capsule Inn Osaka. It was designed by Kisho Kurokawa and located in the Umeda district of Osaka. It opened up on February 1st, 1979 and the rooms only cost 1600yen.
They range from anywhere between 2000-4000 yen. That is roughly $20 to $40 American dollars. The reason Capsule Hotels are so cheap is because, as the name suggests, you stay in a capsule. The dimensions are around 2mx1mx1.25m. And they are made from either plastic or fiberglass. The capsules are stacked on top of each other and next to each other. There are stacked two capsules high.
Though, they are small, they still have some modern conviences in them. Such as television, internet, or some kind of electronic console. The one thing that the hotel owners ask that the people do not do is smoke or eat inside. Most likely due to cleanliness or the health risk it could have on the people.
Of course the capsules are too small to have any type of restroom of sorts. So there is a communal restroom set up. There is privacy between the capsules. There are curtains or a fiberglass door. The hotels also may provide a yukata for the person spending the night.
The first capsule hotel was the Capsule Inn Osaka. It was designed by Kisho Kurokawa and located in the Umeda district of Osaka. It opened up on February 1st, 1979 and the rooms only cost 1600yen.
Culture Note: 芸者（げいしゃ）
芸者（げいしゃ）are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance. The word consists of two kanji, 芸 (げい) meaning "art" and 者 (しゃ) meaning "person" or "doer". The most literal translation of geisha into English would be "artist" or "performing artist". Another name for geisha used in Japan is 芸子（げいこ）, which is usually used to refer to geisha from Western Japan, including Kyoto.
Apprentice geisha are called maiko (舞子＜まいこ＞) or hangyoku (半玉＜はんぎょく＞), (meaning that they are paid half the wage as opposed to a full geisha), or by the more generic term o-shaku (御酌＜おしゃく＞), literally "one who pours (alcohol)". Maikos' white make-up and elaborate kimono and hairstyle is the popular image held of geisha. A woman entering the geisha community does not have to start out as a maiko, having the opportunity to begin her career as a full geisha. Either way, however, usually a year's training is involved before debuting either as a maiko or as a geisha. A woman above 21 is considered too old to be a maiko and becomes a full geisha upon her initiation into the geisha community. However, those who do go through the maiko stage can enjoy more prestige later in their professional lives.
Tokyo geisha are more likely to start at 18 years old for hangyoku, so on average, Tokyo hangyoku are slightly older than their Kyoto counterparts.
Throughout history, geisha often began the earliest stages of their training at a very young age, sometimes as early as at 3 or 5 years. The early shikomi (servant) and minarai (watching apprentice) stages of geisha training lasted years, which is significantly longer than in contemporary times.
It is said that geisha and courtesans inhabit a separate reality which they call the karyukai or "the flower and willow world." Modern geisha continue to use this term. The courtesans were referred to as the colorful "flowers" and the geisha were the "willows" because of their modest, strong, and resilient nature.
Wikipedia
the famous movie :the Memoirs of a Geisha 小百合＜さゆり＞
, which is acted by three famous Chinese actress and Japanese actors and actreses.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
two main religions
The two main relgions of Japan are Shinto and Buddhism; with shrines basically resembling the shinto and temples representing buddhism. Shinto means way of the gods and also does involve formal structure of rules. Shinto religion involves the belief of there being gods everywhere in nature, in such places as forests, mountains, and rivers. These represent good and bad spirits.
Buddhism was inherented from china during theKamakura period in which its Nara kanji was derived from. Buddhism revolves around the path to self liberation in which the three jewels are followed. 1.)Dharma=the teachings. 2.)Sangha= the community. 3.)and the Buddha.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Culture Notes: Jump Magazine
The ジャンプ or the“Jump” Magazine line is published by 株式会社集英社 (Shueisha Inc.), which is a major publishing company in Japan. Shueisha’s first attempt at creating a manga magazine was “おもしろブック” (which literally means “funny book”) and a magazine for girl’s manga called “Soujo Book”. Following Soujo Book’s success, Shueisha created a “Shounen” version aimed at a boy demographic. “Shounen Book”, while it was still in publication, ran several historically famous mangas (Speed Racer, for example). In the middle of Shounen Book's publication, Shounen Jump was created, making Shounen Book a special issue. Eventually Shounen Jump became a weekly magazine and Shounen Book was discontinued. Jump’s magazine line today includes it’s weekly magazine Weekly Shounen Jump (週刊少年ジャンプ), It’s monthly magazine Jump Square or Jump SQ (ジャンプスクエア)and V Jump (ブイジャンプ) which is magazine all about new manga and video games based on popular manga. Jump also publishes a series of Seinen manga aimed at young adults/men. Jump’s magazines are aimed at a male demographic, but are also popular among female fans.
Moku Hanga (木版画)
Japanese woodblock printing, called moku hanga (木版画), began in the 11th century in Japan as a way for Buddhists to record sutras and mandalas. Mass production was not possible until a movable-type press was brought back from Korea in the last 1500s. The first secular and mass-produced print was the Setsuyōshū (節用集), a Chinese-Japanese dictionary.
From this, not only was literature made, but art. The first type was Sumizuri-e (墨摺り絵), or "ink-printed pictures". These pieces were made by drawing an image, laying a piece of wood over the image, and cutting the wood into the shape of the picture. This wood piece would become the print, and after applying ink, the artist could make as many copies of his art as he or she wanted.
Here is an example of sumizuri-e: http://japaneselanguageculturefood.com/graphics/culture/japanese-culture-woodblock-printing.jpg
Later, colored ink would be introduced, some orange, some red, some blue. My favorite is aizuri-e (藍摺り絵), or "indigo-printed pictures".
Here is my favorite aizuri-e piece: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/White_Falcon_in_a_pine_tree%2C_woodblock_print_by_Sawa_Sekky%C3%B4%2C_13.5_x_7.75_inches.jpg
Eventually, moku hanga began a whole new genre of visual art, called Ukiyo-e (浮世絵), which literally means "pictures of the floating world", because artists would normally depict the vivid natural landscapes of Japan. The most famous is "Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura" (神奈川沖浪裏) or "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai from his series 26 Views of Mt. Fuji.
You can probably recognize it immediately: http://math-art.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/the_great_wave_off_kanagawa-small.jpg
From this, not only was literature made, but art. The first type was Sumizuri-e (墨摺り絵), or "ink-printed pictures". These pieces were made by drawing an image, laying a piece of wood over the image, and cutting the wood into the shape of the picture. This wood piece would become the print, and after applying ink, the artist could make as many copies of his art as he or she wanted.
Here is an example of sumizuri-e: http://japaneselanguageculturefood.com/graphics/culture/japanese-culture-woodblock-printing.jpg
Later, colored ink would be introduced, some orange, some red, some blue. My favorite is aizuri-e (藍摺り絵), or "indigo-printed pictures".
Here is my favorite aizuri-e piece: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/White_Falcon_in_a_pine_tree%2C_woodblock_print_by_Sawa_Sekky%C3%B4%2C_13.5_x_7.75_inches.jpg
Eventually, moku hanga began a whole new genre of visual art, called Ukiyo-e (浮世絵), which literally means "pictures of the floating world", because artists would normally depict the vivid natural landscapes of Japan. The most famous is "Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura" (神奈川沖浪裏) or "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai from his series 26 Views of Mt. Fuji.
You can probably recognize it immediately: http://math-art.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/the_great_wave_off_kanagawa-small.jpg
Japanese Population
The population of Japan is approximately 128 million people. During the 20th century- Japan experienced a high increase in population although it has been slowly declining ever since. Both birth rates and immigration have been decreasing for the last 10 years. One of the main factors of Japan's great population is their high life expectancy. The average japanese citizen lives to about 81 years of age, making it one of the highest life expectancy countries. 95 % of Japan's population live in urban areas with only 5% among the country side. Population rates have became a serious issue in Japan's future; If the population does not continue to grow then their economy may face serious threats as well as its social stability. It is estimated that 1/4 of the population of Japan will be over 65 in the year 2030.
Bullet Train (しんかんせん)
The bullet train, called shinkansen (しんかんせん) in Japanese, is one of the fastest mode of transportation in Japan. The earliest shinkansens were in use by the early 1870s and play a huge role in daily travel. These trains aren't called bullet trains for no reason. The some of the lastest models have a clocked speed of 300 km/hr or roughl 180 mph. Not only are these trains fast, but also very punctul. A shinkansen is considered to have arrived late if it arrives even 1 second after it was scheduled to be at a destination. According to amphi.com, the average lateness of a shinkansen is about 24 seconds. For most of us, we would consider that to be on time.
日本語2 Cultural Note ギャル - Yamamba
ギャル in English is translated to the word 'gals'. The word is taken from a popular jean company from the 1970s. The word can be used in many ways to describe many different types of females in all different times of their life. The particular style I am going to talk about is the Yamamba style.
Yamamba style is very... 'odd' so to say. But, if you try to compare it to how girls dressed in the 80s in the USA, it's not that much more odd. From what I have seen in pictures and have read online, the girls pretty much try to be as flashy as possible. They wear these very bright colors for makeup and often have their face painted with either white or silver color. They can also use a rub-on tan to make their skin look very, very dark. Their hair is usually dyed blonde or another bright color. Such as orange or pink. And of course, their clothes are just as bright.
So, if you are walking around Japan and happen to see a group of girls dressed in such fashion, don't run. Take a picture.
Yamamba style is very... 'odd' so to say. But, if you try to compare it to how girls dressed in the 80s in the USA, it's not that much more odd. From what I have seen in pictures and have read online, the girls pretty much try to be as flashy as possible. They wear these very bright colors for makeup and often have their face painted with either white or silver color. They can also use a rub-on tan to make their skin look very, very dark. Their hair is usually dyed blonde or another bright color. Such as orange or pink. And of course, their clothes are just as bright.
So, if you are walking around Japan and happen to see a group of girls dressed in such fashion, don't run. Take a picture.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)