Man Feeding a Child

Ivory carving of a man feeding a child, Edo period, Japan.

 

Shichi - Go -San ( seven - five - three )

Shichi-Go-San, via Calligraphy in the View

Do click through to see more photos of these adorable children in traditional dress. 

Shichi-Go-San is a traditional rite of passage and festival day in Far east.

For three and seven year-old girls and three and five year-old boys, held annually on November 15.

Shichi-Go-San is said to have originated in the Heian Period (794-1185) amongst court nobles, who would celebrate the passage of their children into middle childhood.

Three Sisters

 

Three Sisters by Yamakawa Shūhō

Simply delightful!

In Praise of Shadows

In Praise of Shadows, Calligraphy and View

There are shadows to the same extent as light. Humans may only see the light side.

Japanese culture and traditions have valued shadows.

But it can be hard to feel.

Maybe you know little of the shadow side. It can't be helped.

There are a number of gorgeous photo of light and shadow and how they are used in Japanese esthetics of everyday living. At the end is a link to the documentary, In Praise of Shadows. I will definitely be watching it. Click through and check it all out.

The Carp Streamers Bless Children

Calligraphy and View, The Carp Streamers Bless Children

 I love the way these carp streamers look as if they are swimming in the blue sky as if it is the sea. The blogger tells us:

In the Far East, the carp is an auspicious fish.
They had continued swimming the festival history more than 1000 years.

Now, I am seeing wind.
The carp streamers ( Koinobori ) are swimming in the deep blue firmament.

Time, Space, Existence, 　 Eternally.. 　Stream of Universe...

A Movie You Might Have Missed #80 — Shall We Dance? (1996, Japan)

It's been 12 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

Passion is about to find two unlikely partners.

A middle-aged Japanese businessman’s dull life takes an interesting turn when he signs up for a ballroom dance class just to meet the beautiful instructor. But he keeps the lessons secret because in Japan ballroom dancing —where you hold a stranger closely in public — is considered perverted.

Meanwhile, his wife feels the changes in the behavior of her happier husband, and hires a private eye to investigate whether he is having an affair.

This charming and funny movie gives foreigners real insight into Japanese life in the city and suburbs and the cultural restraints that everyone must live with daily in modern life. It isn't really about dancing or romance so much as it is about social commentary on several levels, albeit with a light hand.

When you dance you’re exposing your inner self. You are out there for the world to see. This has so much potential for embarrassment. You have to ignore that if you want to enjoy what you’re attempting. You have to allow yourself to trust or you don’t get the full experience in living — to varying degrees everyone in the movie makes that connection.

I originally watched this in 1997 with an intern fresh from Japan who had seen it twice already. She was surprised at some of the places the American audience laughed and had to ask why some things were funny. Clearly the director had a good understanding of both Japanese and English speaking audiences to be able to hit both so accurately!

NOTE

Scott and I discussed this on episode 105 of A Good Story is Hard to Find.

Plum bonsai that looks cold

Plum bonsai that looks cold, Calligraphy and View

Sun drying of Sakura shrimp, Shizuoka

Sun drying of Sakura shrimp, Shizuoka, Japan, via Find/47

 

The Legendary Old-District

The Legendary Old-District, Japan
from Calligraphy and View

Daikon-gashi, from the series Twelve Scenes of Tōkyō (Tōkyō jūnidai)

Hasui Kawase, Daikon-gashi,
from Twelve Scenes of Tōkyō (Tōkyō jūnidai)

Fireworks in Japan

Fireworks in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Koichi_Hayakawa

 Be sure to click the photo so you can see it full size. It is really stunning.

Amezaiku Goldfish

Amezaiku goldfish by Shinri Tezuka

 

Yesterday, we saw a painting featuring a Japanese candy seller working on a piece of Amezaiku candy. Wikipedia says:

Amezaiku (飴細工) is Japanese candy craft artistry. An artist takes multi-colored mizuame and, using their hands and other tools such as tweezers and scissors, creates a sculpture. Amezaiku artists also paint their sculpted candy with edible dyes to give the finished work more character. Animals and insects are common amezaiku shapes created to appeal to children. Intricate animal characters are created with expert speed. Some amezaiku artists are also street performers who perform magic tricks and tell stories along with their candy craft entertainment.

A Water Conduit, A Scene in Sado

A Water Conduit, A Scene in Sado by Kawase Hasui