Bonsai Trees in Japanese Prints – Small is Beautiful By toshidama I suppose that if you were to ask most people about traditional Japanese culture, they would talk about geishas and samurai, sushi, kimonos and bonsai trees. It’s likely though that few people would know much about the bonsai tree and probably would not have seen one. [...]
Japanese art and Ogata Korin: nearly the “forgotten artist” Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Ogata Korin (1658-1716) was nearly “the forgotten man” of Japanese art until individuals like Sakai Hoitsu (1761-1828) brought his art back to life. This is rather surprising given the nature of his individualism and the quality of his [...]
Japan tourism and culture: Hakone Jinja, historical treasure museum and Mount Fuji James Jomo and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Hakone is a very popular tourist destination because you have so many places to visit and the views of Mount Fuji in certain locations are extremely stunning. Throughout Hakone you have many museums and [...]
Otokodate – Black Sheep of the Floating World By toshidama It’s easy to use a phrase over and over without ever really thinking about it or explaining it in any great detail. The word Otokodate is one such instance and I am aware that we use it at the gallery without clearly defining it. Otokodate [...]
Japanese art and Isoda Koryusai: unique background and stunning art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The ukiyo-e art of Isoda Koryusai highlights the richness of Japanese culture and his unique style and background is a wonder to behold. Indeed, individuals like Koryusai and Nishikawa Sukenobu bless the ukiyo-e art world because of their different [...]
Japanese tourism and art: Hakone and Hokusai Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Katsushika Hokusai was a sublime Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker and his art had many faces and styles. However, when you think about the stunning nature of Hakone then the refined art of Hokusai springs to mind. Alternatively, if you close [...]
Japanese art and Buddhism: Sesshu Toyo and Sengai Gibon in opposite directions Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sesshu Toyo (1420-1506) and Sengai Gibon (1750-1837) are two famous individuals in Japanese history. However, despite belonging to the same Rinzai school of Buddhism both individuals had hugely different views of art and the faith they shared. [...]
Japanese art and Kawanabe Kyosai: the power of folklore and culture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyosai is extremely fascinating because of his individualistic spirit and this is witnessed in his art. Kyosai, just like the mysterious Tengu, belonged to two worlds and this applies to the old Edo period [...]
There – Not There – Woodblock Prints and the Work of Paul Morrison By toshidama In ukiyo-e, as in all prints produced from blocks, there is little margin for hesitation – no grey area for the artist to prevaricate. In relief printing at its most basic, there is only the presence of a mark (black or [...]
Japanese art and Ogata Korin (1658-1716) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The art of Ogata Korin remains potent because of clarity and his own unique ways. However, at one point it appeared that the winds of time would threaten his legacy and if this had happened, then Japanese art would have been the loser. [...]
Dragons of the Orient “Hengeyokai” Shape-shifters By Ledia Runnels Mysterious Japan The awesome Dragon of the orient is sacred, beautiful, and blessed with infinite wisdom and vast knowledge. They are playful by nature, but also have the capacity to destroy entire cities with one swipe of their mighty claws and terrifying magic. They are associated with [...]
West Meets East in Japanese Prints (earlier than expected) by toshidama Most people tend to think of Japan as being sealed from the rest of the world until Commander Perry’s famous gunboat diplomacy of 1854. This is true in the main but there are notable examples of Dutch fraternisation prior to the reforms that led to [...]
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