Kuniyoshi and Japanese Art: Tranquility During a Period of Rapid Change Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Kuniyoshi like many ukiyo-e artists tackled the usual themes of the “floating world.” However, Kuniyoshi really came alive when focusing on mystical tales and Japanese folklore. Yet this article is based on glimpses of tranquility and the [...]
Japanese Culture and Art in Full Bloom: Isoda Koryusai Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Isoda Koryusai (1735-1790) produced many stunning pieces of art related to culture, females, norms within high culture, and other important areas. Unlike most ukiyo-e artists, Isoda Koryusai was born into an elite samurai household and this aspect certainly influenced his [...]
Okubi-e Portraits By toshidama Okubi-e refers to the distinctive large head to frame ratio of certain ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock print) portraits from eighteenth and nineteenth century Japan. There’s no strict definition here as to what constitutes a portrait as separate to an okubi-e, although there perhaps should be. Much of Japanese woodblock print production was [...]
South Korean Fashion in Japan: Mixxo in the Footsteps of Forever 21, H&M and Zara Ri Kuk-Chol and Sarah Deschamps Modern Tokyo Times Throughout Japan major fashion brands like Forever 21, H&M and Zara continue to attract much attention because all three companies are highly desired by hip fashion lovers. The above three brands provide a [...]
Art, Industrial Landscapes and France: L.S. Lowry, Oka Shikanosuke and Henri Rousseau Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The British artist L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) and Oka Shikanosuke (1898-1978) from Japan belong to the same period of history but both artists were influenced by different individuals. Also, the internal situations in both nations, religious differences, development [...]
Japanese God of Fortune and Ainu Kindness: Ebisu the Disabled Child Defeated Adversity Tomoko Hara Modern Tokyo Times Ebisu in old Japan was known by the name of Hiruko which means “leech child” and it is clear that during his early childhood he faced many severe problems. According to Japanese mythology Ebisu came into the [...]
Japanese Art and European Modernism: Kamisaka Sekka and Beauty within Simplicity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942) lived in a very fascinating period of history in Japan and likewise his art encompasses much about the inner-struggles of this nation. He was only two years old when the Meiji Restoration of [...]
Japanese Fashion and Vogue: Young and Over Thin Model Changes 1 Year Later in July 2013 Tomoko Hara and Sarah Deschamps Modern Tokyo Times In the middle of 2012 last year Vogue issued new guidelines whereby over thin models would no longer fit the bill. The other major guideline which stood out was that [...]
Japanese Art and Yamamoto Shoun: Adorable Artist Born in Kochi (1870-1965) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods of Japanese history were extremely dynamic and chaotic because you have many bright periods followed by dark moments in history. However, just like the phoenix rises, then in the final years of [...]
Asai Chu and Japanese Art: Impact of Western Art and Great Teacher Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Asai Chu (1856-1907) was a young boy when the Meiji Restoration of 1868 began and just like this period of Japanese history he also was curious about the outside world. Times were changing rapidly and the familiarity [...]
Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith (1858-1918) Tomoko Hara and Sarah Deschamps Modern Tokyo Times Richard Gordon Smith was born in 1858 and died in 1918 and during his lifetime he wrote a delightful book called the Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan. He was known for being a very keen [...]
Mimesis – Bunraku Puppets and Living Dolls By toshidama There is a long tradition of puppetry in Japan that stretches back to the seventeenth century. Puppet theatre predates kabuki theatre and informed much of the style, dramas and conventions that kabukiadopted and made its own. Not only does puppet theatre (bunraku) have an important place in Japanese culture but so [...]
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