Maki Haku- Woman

Poem 70-8 (Woman)

This is Haku's modernized rendition of the Chinese character, 女, meaning "woman". Haku was born as Maejima Tadaaki, but went by his alias name. Haku's was known best for his abstract-calligraphic prints.  

This print strongly embodies the meaning of a woman not just through the script but also through the shape and color.  The vibrant red against the black captures the viewer's eyes, giving the strokes of the character a striking image.  At the same time there's a feeling of serenity to it.  The strokes of the characters are calligraphic and curvaceous like a woman's figure.  Though the red color is bold and vivid, the simplicity of the art and the flow of the strokes adds an elegance to it.  When I looked closer at the red strokes, the surface of the strokes didn't look completely flat. I noticed that there are black markings on them.  The texture of the strokes looked rough and uneven, but as a whole it still creates a meditative and calmness to it.

I find it interesting that the artist chose to use red, which is a powerful color in traditional Japanese society.  Red represents power and energy.  In the past, Japanese women carried a subservient image, rather than power.  But in a different and more modern interpretation, red could also represent love and intimacy. In this aspect women are seen as important for bearing children and perpetuating family, rather than just objects of love.  While still conserving the traditional character, I feel as though Haku stylized the character while trying to incorporate a more modern aspect and meaning to the word.

Ukiyo-e Kabuki Dancer

This woodblock print is by Utagawa Kunisada.  It is titled "Eight Views of the East: Dew on the Flowers in the Evening Glow at Ryogoku."  This is one of the eight views of a section of Edo (known today as Tokyo), called Ryogoku.  Kunisada was one of the most popular and successful ukiyo-e woodblock print artist in 19th century Japan. His main occupation were woodblock designs of kabuki and actors.

Kabuki is a form of traditional Japanese drama with stylized song, mime, and dance.  Kabuki originates back in during the Edo period (1603-1868). Kabuki theatre was established as a popular type of theatre for the lower social classes.  In this print, Kunisada is depicting a male Kabuki actor portrayed as a woman. The actor's name is Nakamura Utaemon. He is wearing a kimono of many layers. Formal kimonos were comprised of many visible layers and patterns, which dictated a woman's social status, season, and occasion for which the kimono was worn. Kabuki actors dictated what was popular at the time.  The sense of fashion became stronger during the Edo period, and it was common for people to follow what a kabuki actor did.  The multi-layered kimono signifies that it is still cold outside, despite the blooming flower tree behind him. The flowers called cherry blossoms bloom during the end of winter to early spring.  In addition, the actor is wearing a floral layer part of the kimono, denoting that it is around spring time.

Seeing male actors playing female roles isn't foreign to the foreigners. Since in some societies it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on stage, only men could become actors. Similarly, men took over female roles when women were banned performing during the Edo period.  Women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the widespread prostitution of actresses and violent quarrels. Kabuki was restored in the Edo period in which more modern styles were adapted. It was the norm after 1629 that actors were performed only by men. Kabuki actors who specialized in female roles were called onnagata.  

In this print, the actor is in a mie pose, which is a moment frozen in time expressing a character's high emotional state through gestures and body movements. The actor in the print is expressing an emotion of surprise or shock.  By the way the actor's hands are lifted as if he is holding something, and how his gaze is fixed on his covered hands leaves the viewer curious and confused. Since the expression is a bit exaggerated, the actor's eyes widely open and his mouth slightly apart, it gives off a bit of a humorous element to this depiction because there is nothing to be seen to be interpreted as shocking or surprising. Then I focused on the other parts of this print, and saw writing to the left and right.  The writing is a poem celebrating the beauty of the cherry blossoms of the evening.  I went about researching the significance of cherry blossoms, and discovered that the flowers connotes a form of festivity and celebration.  At the time, cherry blossoms were seen as a metaphor for life.  It is praised for its delicate and beautiful appearance yet ephemeral existence, symbolizing the brief and transient nature of life. It was common that people ate and drank in cheerful feasts under these trees. 

What I got out of this print is that the actor was in the midst of carrying laundry baskets when suddenly a flower had fallen off the tree and landed on his kimono. 

The size of this print is oban (10w x 15h).  The quality of this print was great, nor was it poor.  There were a few smudges and noticeable fading of ink. Some colors were more concentrated in some areas than others. There were also some colors that went outside the borders of lines. 

Ueno Hikoma Samurai and Foreigner 1860s or early 70s

This is a portrait titled “Samurai and foreigner” taken by Ueno Hikoma.  What immediately caught my attention was the only standing foreigner in the middle, who is surrounded by seven samurai.  The foreigner is wearing a western hat and jacket, while the samurai wear what seems like the everyday-wardrobe type of kimono.  It seems to me that the older men are standing in the back, and the younger men are sitting.  The samurai holding a white item in the middle looks the youngest.

What I found interesting were the contrasting qualities between the foreigner and samurai.  The foreigner stands in a tall and upright posture, compared to the frail and delicate looking samurai on his left, and the unhappy samurai with downcast eyes and tilted head.  In addition, I thought the arrangement of the men had an effect on the foreigner.  The foreigner sticks out like a sore thumb since he’s outnumbered and the fact that he's standing in the middle made it seem that the foreigner had some sort of superiority and importance, while the samurai are just sitting and standing in a pretty laid-back manner (excluding the samurai with arms crossed).  
The gazes of the men are dispersed in all different directions.  Most the samurai and the foreigner look pretty focused, while a few of them look like they are about to fall asleep.  By the looks of the samurai, many of them look disinterested. When I think of samurai, I associate the term with power and the feeling of intimidation. Their expressions don’t portray the usual honor, valor, and determination, the qualities of a samurai that I normally imagine. 

5 Picture Album

016 

I heard great things about the culture, art, and places of Japan. I wanted to see for myself, so I figured Japan would be my next destination to explore. I woke up just before dawn to begin my journey to Japan.  The day was clear.  The sun had yet to peak out of the parted hilltops , but the morning sky had a pretty pink hue. As i walked towards my boat, I felt the dewy grass brushing against my feet.  I got on my boat and headed to my first stop, Nagasaki harbour.  I saw that there were a few other boats heading east, the same direction I was going.  The water was calm, and the boats ahead created swift trails of waves, as if it was leading me to my destination.

129

After I reached Nagasaki Harbour, I wanted to visit a nearby garden.  This is a photo of a Japanese garden with stone-walled ponds and blooming iris.  In the background are trees, and pines.  What i found interesting about this garden was that it was unlike anything known in the west.  Unlike western gardens, gardens in Japan weren't all colorful flowers and plants.  Japanese gardens were designed in a more natural scenery, such as collections of pines, stones, plants and water.  This photo shows that Japan has a great amount of respect for nature, and you can see that their gardens aren't altered by man.  

081

Next, I stopped by in a village in Kyoto where there were many craftsman hard at work.  I stopped by one workshop and I observed a man and a woman making fans.  Both fanmakers are working independently and look very focused.  The man has his back hunched slightly and his head down in a way that shows he's very concentrated.  The woman looks not as hard at work, but it looks as though she's analyzing the fan she's holding. By the look on her expression, she doesn't look too happy about the way the fan has turned out.  It seems there is a defect.  The way I see it, the fanmakers are in their own stations.  I see some sort of an assembly line going on.  The man in charge of the skeletal process of the fan, and the woman in charge of the art and design.  Seeing the large pile of fans in the middle, this couple is running a pretty productive workshop.

065 

After visiting the fanmakers,  I heard music being played.  I crept closer to the sound of music, and found a beautiful woman playing a string instrument called a samisen.  The woman was dressed in a sky blue kimono with white cloud-like patterns, and pale pink obi around her waist.  Her hair was pulled back in a chignon.  From the sound of the music, I knew she was a musician with long years of experience.  As I got nearer, I caught her attention, and her gaze met my gaze, but she continued to play the samisen.  

217

To change the environment, I decided to visit a Japanese school.  I came across Jiyu Girls' School in Tokyo. There was a classroom of school girls singing. The group of girls all had very similar hairstyle-- short with bangs, some without. There were a few girls who had longer hair tied in braids.  I noticed that their attire weren't uniform.  The colors of their clothes were different from each other, yet all the girls were wearing long knee-length dresses.  There is one teacher accompanying on the piano. The teacher seemed like a middle-aged woman.  There was anything in particular about this setting that was different from a western setting.  It was a casual girl group choir singing along to the piano.


This album was created by a globetrotter who isn't afraid of trying something new in a different part of the world.  This is a globetrotter who developed a new found interest and appreciation for Japanese art and music.

Globetrotters: Places & People

Source

This is an image of Mt. Fuji. This image definitely emphasizes the beauty and vastness of Mt. Fuji.  There are some elements of reflection or asymmetry that enhances this photo aesthetically. The first thing I noticed was the reflection of the mountain on the surface of the water, though if you notice closely the veins of the snow at the tip of the reflected mountain and the color of the sky don’t seem to exactly replicate the actual mountain and sky.  Second, the grassy parts are divided and are parallel to each other, also somewhat mirroring each other.  Then there are two boatmen on either side.  They are asymmetric in that one is standing up, and the other is sitting, with their boats angled towards each other. In the distance there is steam from the hot springs, adding a mystic feel. I like how the green color of the grass pops out.  I also like how the soft pinkish color of the sky illuminating behind the mountain accentuates Mt. Fuji’s majestic form.  The artist of this photo wanted to capture the beauty of the mountain so the viewer can appreciate the naturalistic scenery.  The connotation of this image is that Japan is beauty in its nature.

Source

This is an image of two craftsman working on Japanese-style lanterns.  The man on the left is bald and older than the more youthful looking man on the right.  I can’t tell if it’s a father-son relationship, or if it’s just a craftsman and his assistant.  Anyway, it seems the older craftsman is staring at his lantern looking pretty satisfied the way it is turning out, whereas the younger man looks like he’s bored by the way he’s sitting Indian style with a slouched back and decorating his lantern with a lack-of-interest facial expression.  I thought it was interesting that there’s seems to be a teapot in every room, even in a workplace.  Behind them are many multi-colored lanterns hanging on a string, and a few colorless umbrellas.  The artist played with defining the décor on the lanterns.   You can see the attention to detail the craftsman put into each lantern.  Some lanterns are long, in the shape of a cylinder, and some are round.  One lantern that stands out the most is the one on the left.  It clearly resembles the Japanese flag.  When these lanterns are lit at night, it gives off a very aesthetic effect.  This image shows yet another side of Japan’s artistic skill in its crafts.