Tanabata (七夕), Wishing upon a Star

 

Tanabata, also known as the "star festival", takes place on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year, when, according to a Chinese legend, the two stars Altair and Vega, which are usually separated from each other by the milky-way, are able to meet.

Altair is said to breed cattle while Vega weaved cloths in the heaven. On this special day, a popular custom is to offer livestock miniatures made of the early summer vegetables in the season such as putting short-cut chopsticks into the body of eggplant, cucumber, and corn to compare them to the legs of cattle and horse miniatures and put the miniatures under the bamboo tree.

 

 

Another popular Tanabata custom is to write one's wishes on a piece of paper, and hang that piece of paper on a specially erected bamboo branch, in the hope that the wishes become true. As Tanabata approaches, decorated bamboo branches can be seen all around the neighborhood, signaling that summer has finally arrived and that summer vacation is just around the corner.

Delicacies of the summer, such as chilled watermelon, somen (fine noodles usually eaten cold), edamame (young soya beans in the pod), azuki bean jelly and pickles are also eaten to welcome the season.

 七夕さま, The Tanabata Song

ささのは　さらさら      The bamboo leaves rustle
のきばに　ゆれる           shaking away in the leaves
お星さま　きらきら      The stars twinkle
きんぎん　すなご          on the gold and silver grains of sand
ごしきの　たんざく      The five-colored mulberry paper strips
わたしが　かいた          I have already written
お星さま　きらきら      The stars twinkle,
空から　　見てる          they watch us from heaven.

Mt Fuji, a Symbol of Japan

"South Wind, Clear Sky" Katsushika Hokusai

Mt Fuji,  a source of artistic inspiration, and an object of worship, resides deep within every Japanese people. That’s why the sacred mountain is deserved to be designated as a World Cultural Heritage site.

Since ancient times, Japanese people have regarded Mt Fuji as a symbol of national spirit and a source of inspiration. The breathtakingly beautiful mountain was featured prominently in literature and artwork such as wood blocks painting, Ukiyo-e, that has influenced many European artists, like Vincent Van Gogh. Renowned for its symmetry and serenity, it is photographed for its marveling scenery-snow-covered tranquility in winter and vitality and energy in summer.  

Mt Fuji has also been an object of religious worship as Japanese people traditionally regarded that divinity resides in all aspects of the nature. In the past, Mt. Fuji erupted many times and was feared by the people living around it. They believed in the Great God, Asama who resided at the top of the mountain, had the ability to keep Mt. Fuji calm and so Mt. Fuji's peak was considered sacred. After Mt. Fuji entered into a period of no eruptions, this faith changed into a form of mountain climbing activities. From the beginning of the 20th century that eventually developed into a new religion called Fuji-ko, a group of pilgrims climbing Mt Fuji for religious beliefs. The popularity of the pilgrimage reached its peak in the latter half of Edo period which spread mainly amongst commoners. The result, now, a drastic increase in the number of people who come to climb Mt. Fuji.

July 1st is the traditional opening day for climbers because perilous snow remains above the fifth level, until the end of June and climbing season comes to a close end of August because summer on Mt. Fuji is rather short. Located between Yamanashi and Shizuoka, Mt. Fuji is the main attraction of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. There are also museums, shops and hot springs to visit and many fun activities, such as fishing and marine sports. There are also many hotels and summer villas lining the waters of the lake and the natural beauty of the surrounding area will guarantee an enriching experience.

The Japanese Tea Ceremony: Cha-no-yu

The act of preparation and drinking of matcha, the powdered green tea known as “The Japanese Tea Ceremony”, is referred to as ‘Cha-no-yu”, (茶の湯) by Japanese people, literally means “Hot water for tea”. The procedure involves much more than its name implies. Better translated as Sado (茶道), ”the way of tea”, it is a way of life or a life style in devotion to preparing the best possible bowl of powdered green tea for the guests, Sado is a choreographed art and spiritual discipline requiring many years of study to master. (This “way of life style” also applies to disciplines, like, Budo (武道)-martial art, Kado (華道)-flower arrangement and Shodo (書道)-calligraphy as well).

As an art, the tea ceremony is an occasion to appreciate the simplicity of the tea room’s design, the tranquility of the garden, the feel of the chawan or tea bowl in the hand, the company of friends, and simply a moment of purity. As a discipline, aesthetic contemplation of flower arranging, ceramics, calligraphy, is required. The ritual preparation requires the host or Teishu to know how to arrange the flowers which will be placed in the alcove or Tokonoma, how to cook a Kaiseki meal in a special occasion, When choosing tea utensils, the host has to consider the rank and type to make sure that they will stand out. Even when placing the tea utensils, the host has to considered the guests’ view point, gestures and movement

Tea is said to have been brought to Japan from China during the Nara period. It was gradually accepted after the Zen master Eisai wrote the book “Kissa Yojo-ki” (喫茶養生記, Cure on Drinking Tea for Health) during the Kamakura era, stressing the effectiveness of tea as medicine. The act of drinking tea became a special experience during the Muromachi period, during which the shoin design was developed, which evolved as the tea houses that we see today. Procedures for making tea called Temae for tea ceremony were established, with deep roots to the philosophy of Zen,

The culture and spirit of the Tea Ceremony: Sen Rikyu, Wabi-sabi and Ichi-go-ichie

Sen Rikyu was a tea master during the Azuchi-Momoyama era in the 1500s. He served two Shoguns, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a time when tea ceremony had been popular among warriors as a symbol of refined culture. A tea master needs to be able to properly determine the utensils for tea ceremony. With his discerning eye, Rikyu stood out among the tea masters. Rikyu surprised those around him by introducing innovative ideas for tea ceremony such as the  four-and-a-half mats koma or dark, tiny tea room where the ceilings were too low to stand upright, and the use of black raku-ware tea bowls he had made by Japanese craftsmen to use in place of Chinese imports for use in the wabi-style tea ceremony.

Wabi-sabi refers to a quiet, serene world in its simplicity. In its root form, wabi includes “the pain of not having things proceed as desired”, and sabi means “the state of the power of life deteriorating”, both negative expressions of condition. Inversely, it is possible to see a uniquely Japanese sense of beauty and culture from the use of these terms as “appreciating the beauty of things that are simple and natural,” and that began after the Edo period as “positive terms for expressing the beauty of Japan. “The tea room’s interior will seem imperfect and rustic. The wall might be unpainted and visible wooden pillars and beams are untreated, just as it would look like in nature”.

Ichi-go-ichie: “One opportunity, one encounter”, meaning that every encounter should be cherished as it may never happen again. Today, remains a symbol of the spirit of tea ceremony, the term Ichi-go-ichie was mentioned by Yamanoue Soji, an apprentice of Sen Rikyu as, “This tea ceremony, held on this day of this year, is an irreplaceable moment that will never again be repeated. Tea ceremony can only be a success when the minds of both the person serving and those being served come together as one”. Ichi-go-ichie applies not only to tea ceremony but other situations as well, where every moment is unique, and will never come again

Art Masters Who Inspire (3): Yayoi Kusama, Queen of Polka Dots

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese conceptual artist inspired by Andy Warhol & Allan Kaprow and whose long-lived career has brought her success across the globe She has worked in a variety of media, like painting, collage, performance art, sculpture and installations. She is most famous for her clashing colors and repeat patterns of dots, lines and figurative elements that includes eyes, faces and flowers.

Yayoi Kusama with her recent works in Tokyo 2016

Named by Artsy as one of the “Top 10 Living Artists of 2015” and by “Time” magazine as one of the 100 most influential people, the prolific 87-year-old artist opened two exhibitions simultaneously at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, called, “Infinity Mirrors” from Feb 23 to May 14, 2017 and at the National Art Center, Tokyo, called “My Eternal Soul” from Feb 27 to May 27, 2017.

While her trademark dots were already part of her style back then, the “My Eternal Soul” exhibition in Tokyo tracked her progression from her earliest drawings to her current period, some of her work that are significantly in style, including “Sex Obsession” and “Flowers that Bloom” series.

Another of her trademark work is a oversized, vivid yellow pumpkin covered with an optical pattern of black spots painting and sculpture, following the success of her project at the Venice Biennale in 1993—a dazzling mirror room filled with pumpkin sculptures,. She also went on to produce major outdoor sculptural commissions, mostly in the form of brightly hued, monstrous plants and flowers.

Pumpkins Sulpture

Yoyoi Kusama’s splash of dots also arrived in the realm of fashions from the luxury brand, Louis Vuitton bags, sunglasses, shoes and coats, showcased at its French  boutiques around the world.

Louis Vuilton Boutique

She said, “Our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity”. "I want to create a thousand paintings, maybe 2,000 paintings, as many as I can draw, I will keep painting until I die.” Is seems that the wealth of art as she continues to produce near her 90th birthday, is more than just a passion, it is her lifetime.



Paints life for art installation 2012

 

The Carps Streamers, Koinobori

Koinobori, (鯉のぼり) carp streamers or carp banners, decorate the landscape of Japan from April through early May, in celebration of Tango no Sekku (端午の節句), a calendrical event which is now designated a national holiday, Children's Day (子供の日) on May 5.

Also known as the Boys' Festival traditionally, it is an event expressing hope that each boy in the family will grow up healthy and strong like carps. Carp symbolizes courage and strength because of its ability to swim up a waterfall. During this festival, families with boys, like the doll festivals for girls, set up a warrior doll or a yoroi armor set in the house and raise the Koinobori outside the house, allowing it to flutter in the wind

Originally, the banners were used by samurai warriors on the battlefield. Whenever the warriors were on the battlefield, they wore full yoroi armor and flew banners. The banners were painted in various colors and shapes. Some of them had carp pictures on them. Then they became carp banners at the beginning of the modern age.

A typical koinobori set consists of, from the top of the pole down, a pair of arrow-spoked wheels (yaguruma) with a ball-shaped spinning vane followed by streamers (fukinagashi) down the pole that look like windsocks, with a black koinobori and a red koinobori representing the father and mother. If more children are in the household, an additional blue, green and then purple or orange koinobori are added. Traditionally, the set would contain a black koinobori representing the father, followed by a smaller, red koinobori representing his eldest son. (This is why the mother is not present in the children’s song, See below.) After the government's decree that converted Boy's Day into the present Children's Day, the holiday came to celebrate the happiness of both boys and girls.
 

 

Japanese iris bloom in spring and are especially associated with the month of May for Children’s Day. An alternate name for Japanese iris is shōbu (菖蒲 ) which is a homophone for martial spirit (尚武 ). During the Edo period Edo, it was celebrated with mock duels between boys using shōbu in place of swords. In some families, boys take iris-power water bath in the hope that they would grow up healthy and strong enough to survive through the summer heat.

Today, along with the raising of Koinobori carp streamers, children also eat kashiwa-mochi, sticky rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves, and other sweets and thank and show respect for relatives, parents, and teachers for support throughout their life.

 
Children’s Song, Koinobori, (鯉のぼりの歌)

 

やねより　たかい　こいのぼり        Higher than the roof-tops are the carp-streamers
おおきい　まごいは　おとうさん      The large carp is the father
ちいさい　ひごいは　こどもたち      The smaller carp are the children
おもしろそうに　およいでる            They seem to be having fun swimming.

Japanese Dashi Broth

Dashi is an incredibly simple fish broth and it forms one of the culinary cornerstones of Japanese cooking. It's made in about 10 minutes with just three ingredients: water, kombu (dried kelp), and katsuobushi or bonito flakes (dried and smoked skipjack tuna that is shaved into thin flakes). The resulting clear broth forms the base for miso soup, noodle broth and many kinds of simmering liquid.  Kombu is rich in glutamic acid while katsuobushi is especially high in inosinic acid, with the synergy effect identified as a source of umami, one of the five basic tastes in Japan, besides sweetness, sourness, saltiness and bitterness .

There are also other ingredients for making homemade dashi broth like dried iriko or niboshi (anchovies/sardine) or dried shiitake (mushroom) but the most common fish based stock is made from a combination of kombu and katsuobushi/bonito flakes, a basic all-purpose stock and 80% of most cooking this goes well with this dashi. Dashi stock made from these dried ingredients creates a savory umami flavor so you don't need to season the food much. These days, you can also find granulated or liquid instant dashi sold in supermarkets but it tend to have a strong and less subtle flavor than the homemade one.

The best buy of dried kelp or kombu comes from Hokkaido, namely, the hidaka-kombu and rausu-kombu and rishiri-kombu, dried and cut into sheets. The powdery crystals clinging to the surface of the seaweed contains glutamate and when dissolve in the water, give the dashi much of its umami flavor. Bonito flakes in packs are available easily in Japan, in various prices depending on the process of drying and smoking the tuna. The best striped tuna comes from Shizuoka, Miyagi, Mie and Miyazaki.

How to make dashi broth with kombu and bonito flakes?

First broth
1. Soak kombo in a four-cup (800ml) water in a saucepan.
2. Set over medium heat and remove the kombu before the water comes to a full boil
3. Add bonito flakes and simmer for about 1 minute
4. Remove the pan from heat and let the bonito flakes steep in the broth for an additional 5 minutes before straining the broth
The broth can be used immediately or refrigerated up to a week

Second broth

(remaining resultant liquid that is less subtle but can still be used for home cooking)

Add additional two cups of water (400ml), pouring through the strained kombu and bonito flakes and set over medium heat for 4-5 minutes and then strain the broth.

Washoku (和食)、Japanese Dietary Culture

Washoku was added to UNESCO’s intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2013. Wa (和) means Japan or Japanese and shoku (食) means food or to eat. (Other examples are Wagyu means Japanese beef, Wagashi, means Japanese confectionary and so on). What makes Washoku special and why does it mean more than just a Japanese food? Let’s explore and discover the world of Washoku and its flavors.

1.    Characteristics of Washoku - Ichiju-sansai (一汁三菜):

Known as Ichiju-sansai  “One Soup and Three Dishes” , Washoku consists of rice, one soup, one main dish and two side dishes. This structure provides the very foundation from a daily home cooking meal to a full-course cuisine. So if you buy a full lunch box at any of the obento kisok or at the supermarket, you will notice that dish fillings in the spaced case keep to this basic structure of Ichiju-sansai.


Typical Japanese Ichiju-sansai dishes

2. Fresh and Natural Ingredients

Japanese meals and cuisine values the natural bounty and is distinguished by the different types of ingredients available in that season. It is also consumed with minimal cooking with the used of dashi. Dashi is a delicious stock made from boiling flakes of dried bonito and dried kombu (kelp) to create a savory natural umami flavor. Thus, dashi stock made in this way can helps to bring out the natural flavors of the ingredients in washoku dishes with just little seasoning.

3. A well-balanced and healthy Diet

Washoku meals which consist of more fish and vegetable and less meat promotes a well-balanced and low fat diet. Washoku is found to possess the ideal balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, thus contributing to the long life expectancy of the Japanese.

4. Beauty in Presentation

Natural decorations are used to decorate the food. Bamboo leaves are used to adorn the dishes in summer while carrots are made to resemble maple leaves in autumn. The presentation usually reflects the beauty of the changing seasons.

5. Connecting People, Community and Country

Washoku dishes plays an important role on occasions such as New Year’s Day celebration in fostering stronger family and community ties through the harmony of food. Washoku also has important functions to play in the society. Technology to transport fresh and seasonal ingredients is developed, precise touch to cuisine and hospitality are born out of the need to improve. Washoku indeed helps to define the Japanese identity.

Why are Japanese people fond of cherry blossoms?

For many Japanese, cherry blossoms (Sakura) symbolize human life and its transience. Cherry blossoms, the country’s national flower comes into full bloom around the end of March to April, depending on the weather and varying by regions. April is the month when Japanese children start the new school year. It is also the month when companies start their new business financial years and when many new graduates start to work. So the cherry blossom season starts as a new beginning for people from all walks of life.

After a brief one-week of full blooming, however, the small round-shaped flowers start to flutter gracefully from their trees. The blossoms are said to be the most beautiful when the pink petals float gently onto the ground. This final moment epitomizes that “all things will eventually pass” and embodies natural symbols of impermanence, hope and renewal in life.

Sakura cannot be separated from Japan’s culture. It is written about frequently in traditional poetry like haiku and tanka, appears in several songs, both traditional and contemporary, serves as inspiration for kimono prints and textiles and even has a niche in the food and confectionery market (wagashi -和菓子）. Sakura will always have a cherish place in the heart of Japanese people who look forward to hanami (cherry blossoms viewing) every year. 

Hina Matsuri, Girl’s Day on March 3

March 3 is Hina Matsuri (Doll or Girls’ Festival) when people pray for the happiness and healthy growth of girls. Families with young daughters mark this day by setting up a display of dolls inside the house and offer Hina-arare rice crackers and other food to the dolls.

Traditionally, this day is called Joushi (上巳) or Momo no Sekku (Girl’s Day), one of the five days in the year, each announces the change of the season in the traditional Japanese calendar. It is said that Joushi was first celebrated by courtiers during the Heian period (794-1192). On the third of the lunar month, courtiers floated rice wine down a stream in the palace garden. Each guest would take a sip and then write a poem called Waka (和歌). At some point, paper dolls were introduced and this gradually began to be celebrated as Girl’s Day. In some rural parts of the country, people would release paper dolls into rivers after the festival to be washed away, praying that the dolls would take people's place in carrying away sickness and bad luck and pray for health and prosperity. The event is also celebrated with bowls of claim broth. Claims are thought to be a symbol of luck in marriage for girls, as one half of a claim shell will only match perfectly with its other half, and no other half.


Display of dolls in a five-tier decoration platform

While it’s rare to see several tiered platform display like the picture above in a small crammed apartment in big cities, it’s more common to see a single-tiered decorations with one male and one female doll that to do not take up much space and at the same time parents are able to celebrate this occasion with their daughters.

Nevertheless in a traditional house, different dolls wear costumes of the imperial court during the Heian period and are placed on a tiered platform covered with red felt. The size of the dolls and number of steps vary, but usually the displays are of five or seven layers.
The top tier is reserved for the emperor and the empress. A miniature gilded folding screen is placed behind them. On the second tier are three ladies-in-waiting, and on the third are five male court musicians. Ministers sit on either side of trays of food on the fourth step, and the fifth row features guards flanked by an orange tree to the left and a cherry tree to the right.
 
These days, most families take their beautiful collection of dolls out of the closet around mid-February and put it away again as soon as Hinamatsuri is over. This is because of an old superstition that families that are slow in putting back the dolls have trouble marrying off their daughters.

Children's Song  うれしいひな祭り（Happy Hina Matsuri)

あかりをつけましょ　ぼんぼりに          Let's light up the paper-shade lamps
お花をあげましょ　桃の花                    Let's wreathe the platform with peach flowers
五人ばやしの　笛太鼓                         And, enjoy flutes and drums of the five court musicians           
今日はたのしい　ひなまつり                For today we celebrate the doll festival

お内裏様(だいりさま)と　おひな様       See the emperor and the empress
二人ならんで　すまし顔                        Sit side by side still and composed
お嫁にいらした　姉様に                        And, see snow-white faced court lady 
よく似た官女の　白い顔                        Reminds me of my sister when she was a bride                    

金のびょうぶに　うつる灯(ひ)を           Dim lght reflected on the golden folding screen    
かすかにゆする　春の風                      With spring breeze swaying feebly felt
すこし白酒　めされたか                        Did he take a sip of the sake from the altar?
あかいお顔の　右大臣                          The bearded reddish face of that minister

着物をきかえて　帯しめて                    Change in your kimono and fasten your obi belt
今日はわたしも　はれ姿                       For today we make our formal appearance
春のやよいの　このよき日                    Warm spring bless this good day
なによりうれしい　ひなまつり                There is nothing more wonderful than the doll festival

Art Masters Who Inspire (2): Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa

The renowned ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎, 1760-1849）has been attracting renewed attention in Japan. The Sumida Hokusai Museum opened in Tokyo in November 2016,  displaying more than 1,500 artworks, sketchbooks, illustrated albums, poetry, instructional manuals. Best known for his iconic print, “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”, Hokusai was an important influence on the nineteenth-century Western artists like Degas and Van Gogh. Composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) drew inspiration from the artist for his orchestral work “La Mer”.

The first exhibition Hokusai no kikan (Hokusai’s Return) features 120 works, including some of the artist’s most famous creations. There is also a seven-meter long emaki scroll displaying a panoramic view of the Sumida River. Other exhibits at the museum include portraits of Hokusai and works depicting everyday activities in Sumida where the artist spent most of his lifet there.

Many of the Hokusai’s famous prints, including those from the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series are exhibited. The large, colour wood-block prints series depict Mt Fuji in differing seasons from different places and distances were produced from 1830 to 1832 when Hokusai was around age of 72 and at the height of his career. In this series, Hokusai’s wide-ranging imagination allowed him to “played around” with Mt Fuji, dwarfing, coloring, turning it upside down or hiding it against a surging or imposing background to the delights of his audience.

As an artist who sought perfection, Hokusai was always dissatisfied with his creations. At the age of 75, he created another series of sketches known as One hundred Views of Mount Fuji and in a postscript to this 1834 collection, he wrote:

“At the age of 90, I will come closer to the essence of art, at 100 I will reach the level of the divine, and at 110 each point and line will have a life of its own. I hope the gods of longevity will grant me the time to confirm the truth of my words".



Great Wave off Kanangawa in Thirty-Six Views of
Mt Fuji





Great Wave off Kanangawa in One hundred
Views of Mt Fuji

Comparing the “Great Wave off Kanagawa” in Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series on the left and One- Hundred Views of Mount Fuji  on the right, you can find that that in the former, the crest of the wave looks like claws against the silhouette of Mt Fuji while the latter, crest of the wave looking like flying birds, thus depicting his ever-changing imaginations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides the Mt Fuji series, Hokusai also went on to create other impressive landscape works like the suspension bridge series from “The Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces” and the waterfall series called “A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces”. Like the “Great Wave off Kanagawa”, composition consists of a dwarfed against a surging background frame the scene yet the dual presence is nevertheless a harmonious part of this magnificent view.

 

The Suspension Bridge on the Border of HIda and
Etchu Provinces



Kirifuri Waterfall at Kurokami Mountain in
Shimotsuke

 

 

Hokusai Kirifuri Sketchbook of Manga, also attaches attention for the influence on contemporary mangaka, a collection of sketches focusing on pictorial and humorous storytelling, introduce the charms of unique field of Japanese culture.

This new museum certainly allows visitors to explore the rich life and creations of the artist, a day worth a visit.