Unique Japanese Arts
Japan is known to the western world as the land of the rising sun, and this archipelago of 6,952 islands doth live up to its name with its plethora of natural splendor and its deep vibrant culture that takes much from Buddhist philosophies and ideologies that spans back to 30,000 BC. It’s no wonder that throughout its history, the natives of this beautiful land have incorporated an austere philosophy of elegance, sophistication, and aesthetics into every facet of their ethos, be it in their architecture, horticulture, literature, art, music even down to the way they serve their tea and prepare their food all in arcane consistency. Japans renown throughout the world for their impeccable economic standing and ground breaking technological advancement is nothing but a sign of their great passion for creation, as the world’s third-largest economy japan imposes great influence to the rest of the world in the field of empetrei entertainment, technology and commerce. Comprehending the beauty and majesty of the vast culture of this magnificent nation would take a lifetime of study and immersion but the grandeur and uniformity of it all is evident when you observe each of the smaller aspects it comprises, surely there is something for everybody to appreciate within the ways of the people of the rising sun.
Origami
Perhaps the most familiar Japanese art forms known to the western world is the art of paper folding, where simple pieces of paper are turned into wonderful and astonishing works of art. Ranging from extremely simple to the most out worldly complex difficulties everything from cranes, to dragons to miniatures of existing structures can be crafted through the folding of flat pieces of paper without employing the use of gluing or cutting. The history of paper folding is said to be tracedback to the age of antiquity around 500 AD in china then brought to japan by Buddhist monks where it was refined into the art form it is todayreportedly in the early 17th century AD.It only made waves throughout the world in the mid-1900s. Now modern artists found this ancient art form as a new way of expressing their ravenous visual concepts and today people from all walks of life are drawing inspiration from origamiand it has now crept into the world of fashion, food and even architecture.
In the present the world record for the largest origami crane was created by the Peace Piece Project in Horishima, Japan. It stood 268 feet and 10 inches tall and had an enormous wingspan of more than 260 feet. commentmaigrirvite.org But records like these are only meant to set the bar higher and higher for future groups who will aim to surpass them. Records aren’t only set for size standards but also for numbers and the most origami cranes created were for the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing which counted up to 250,000 paper cranes.
Chado
With a culture such as japans with a feverish fixation towards elegance and subtlety you won’t be surprised by how seriously they take their tea. Chado or sometimes Sado is the ceremonial preparation and presentation of Matcha or Japanese powdered green tea, this intricate ceremony can last for up to four whole hours depending on formality of the occasion.Chakai would be a shorter simpler ceremony complemented by lighter food and thin tea and is usually held to show hospitality to guests while Chaji is includes a full course meal that goes with both thick tea and thin tea and is held for more formal gatherings.
To establish the sanctity of the ceremony, the tea room is adorned with a kakemono; a Japanese wall scroll that would sometimes comprise of calligraphy and the flowers of the season would be placed in a hanaire(a receptacle for arranging flowers). The tea is then prepared with the Kama (Iron Pot), Mizusashi(Water Container), Chaire(a ceramic pot for storing powdered tea), Chawan(Tea Bowl), Chanshaku(Bamboo Spoon). Each of these implements are chosen carefully by the host beforehand to suit the theme, the season, of the taste of a particular guest for the purpose of impressing the guest or as conversation pieces as the guests are welcome to ask about how the items were chosen in particular.
Anime
The word -anime- is actually taken from how the pronunciation of the word -animation- is abbreviated when spoken in Japan, but to date it’s as if the word has taken a life on its own as 60% of the world’s animation-based entertainment consists of this very distinct and unmistakable style. The oldest known anime clip in history was screened in 1917 as early 20th century filmmakers in japan used techniques that were pioneered by western countries such as France, the United States and Germany, the two-minute clip already possessed the distinct illustrative elements that are being utilized in modern day anime films and shows, this is another sign of the amazing uniformity the Japanese employ in all their arts. About two decades later anime has taken its place as an alternative medium to live-action films in Japan and despite having fierce competition overseas it ultimately gained a surge of popularity as many Japanese comics or Manga in the 1970s were animated.
Although sometimes reviled and judged as a juvenile form of entertainment, many anime shows and films receive critical acclaim for the proficient use of the styles unique storytelling devices and visual styles that relay the full range of human emotion. Some anime use very stylized art and voice acting to produce extremely exaggerated characters that usually portray light hearted content and premise, whereas other anime films and shows utilize lesser stylized art and dubbing to further emulate realistic settings and portray more serious plots that sometimes border on brooding and dark themes.
Other than its fans, many film and entertainment enthusiasts consider anime as a legitimate art form on to itself as it clearly caters to a wider audience and incorporates a broader scope of story genres.
Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e literally translates to -paintings of the floating world- are woodblock prints that were very popular during the 17th to 20th century in japan. These mass produced prints were prevalent due to the urbanization of Edo (which is now known as Tokyo). During the period not everybody could afford original paintings and these woodblock prints totally appealed to the common folk as these inexpensive prints were highly available and could be easily pasted to the walls of their homes.
The production of Ukiyo-e would start with a master painting in ink drawn by an artist, it would then be traced by an assistant or an apprentice and the copy would then be glued faced on a block of wood, now craftsmen would cut away the parts where the area was white producing a negative relief of the original painting, The block would then be inked in black and used to produce copies that would closely resemble the original drawing of the artist. Other woodblocks would then be made from the prints to give the final products one or more colors.
Ukiyo-e prints usually portrayed the metropolitan lifestyle of Edo during the period. Very much alike to modern day posters; ukiyo-e prints would showcase prevalentfigures of society to attract purchasers Popular courtesans, sumo wrestlers, and famous actors engaging in their daily activities or participating in some particular pastime that would be deemed appealingwould be the subject of these prints. This sort of hints in some sort of vicarious lifestyle similar to how fans buy posters of their favorite bands or stars nowadays.
Sumo
Another popular art form that is familiar to the world beyond japan is Sumo, a full-contact sport where two fighters called Rikishi attempt to throw their opponent outside a ring meticulously fashioned from clay, straw and sand called a Dohyo, the dohyo is further adorned with a suspended roof that resembles that of a Shinto shrine establishing the ritualistic aspects of sumo. For every sumo tournament a new Dohyo is made by handymen called Yobidashi especially for that tournament only to be destroyed after.
The Rikishi themselves are trained to respect Shinto rituals and follow a very strict training regimen which starts very early in the day, the younger the Rikishi the earlier has to wake up in order to finish his training before proceeding to do chores and cook for the whole stable. Their weight gain diet consists of eating Chankonabe; a one pot dish consisting of chicken broth soup loaded with proteins and vegetables paired with beer and rice to for calories.
Sumo www.commentmaigrirvite.org has a very long history and its popularity and use varied over time as different rulers saw the sport to be used differently from being a part of Shinto rituals, to becoming a training tool during war periods, and ultimately the competitive sport that it’s known as today. Over the ages its ritualistic and competitive aspects have mutated and turned it into an elaborate national phenomenon unique only to the country of japan although foreign competitors from America, Korea, Hawaii and Samoa have been participating for quite some time now.