Japan has been a magnet for Europeans for centuries. For 214 years, however, the Japanese have pursued a policy of isolation known as Sakoku, which severely restricts Japan's contact with the outside world. When these restrictions were lifted, Japanese culture began to spread rapidly around the world, presenting it with a cultural heritage never seen before. Here are 10 of the most astonishing creations of the Japanese imagination.
10. Kintsugi
The Japanese sense of aesthetics sometimes differs from traditional European ideas. While the ancient Romans and Greeks preferred perfection in works of art, the Japanese found beauty in imperfection, believing that even broken and shattered can become a masterpiece in the right hands.
One day a Japanese lord invited a philosopher to dinner. He really wanted to impress his guest with his tea cup. The lord put her right in front of the philosopher, but he did not seem to notice her. In despair, the lord broke the bowl immediately after the guest left. His friends collected all the fragments and glued them with gold varnish. The varnish highlighted the cracks and it looked amazing. When the philosopher returned and saw the recreated bowl, he exclaimed, "Now it is delicious!"
This is how the art of Kintsugi, the "golden patch", was born. It helps to understand that objects with flaws can be even more beautiful than those without them. Perhaps this also applies to people.
9. Kabuki
One of the distinctive Japanese theatrical forms — No. Actors acting out historical scenes slowly move along the stage in heavy, rich attire. They wear masks that realistically convey the character of the character to the audience. While Noh was popular with the ruling class, a completely different form of theatrical art began to gain popularity.
In the hot, dry summer of 1603, the ritual dances of a young girl named Izumo No Okuni at the dry mouth of a river in Kyoto attracted many onlookers. Okuni became the founder of Kabuki, "the art of singing and dancing," still popular today. She did not wear a mask, and people could watch her rich facial expressions.
Dances without masks had their own nuances. Initially, only women participated in Kabuki. The performers were in demand among men, so the shogunate in 1629 banned women from performing on stage. They were replaced by young men who, as it turned out, also did not have high morality. Ultimately, only middle-aged men were allowed to perform in Kabuki.
8. Origami
Shortly after paper was invented in China in the 6th century, the art of Origami began to develop in Japan. The first pieces of paper folded into figures probably had ritual significance. At wedding ceremonies, paper was folded in the form of butterflies, depicting husband and wife, and placed around the bottles of sake. The first written mention of this art is found in a poem:
Butterflies,
in Roseia's dream,
would be Origami.
For a long time, books on the art of folding paper figures were very popular. However, only in the 20th century did the powerful development of Origami begin and its spread throughout the world. Complex geometric shapes, realistic masks, moving shapes made of paper appeared. The story of 1000 paper cranes is especially famous. The Japanese girl Sadako, who received a dose of radiation as a result of the explosion of an atomic bomb, fell ill with leukemia. She was told that if she folded 1000 paper cranes, her cherished wish would come true. Every day she folded the cranes in the hope of getting well. But when it became clear that the disease was progressing, she made a wish for world peace. A statue of Sadako, installed in the Hiroshima Peace Park in memory of all the children killed by the atomic bomb, is surrounded by 10,000,000 paper cranes every year.
7. Dogu figures
Some forms of art were very popular but disappeared over time. However, now they again seem very modern, for example, the Dogu figurines dating back to the 10th to the 2nd millennium BC. Someone thinks that these bulky figures with goggles look like astronauts. Dogu — statues of ancient aliens? No.
Archaeologists have studied how the appearance of the figurines developed. Initially, Dogu resembled women with narrow waists, steep hips, and lush breasts. Most likely, they represented the mother goddess who was worshiped by people in ancient Japan. Later, complex decorations were added to the Dogu figures, their shape changed greatly. It is these figurines that have caused speculation about their cosmic origin.
6. Bonsecs
Bonsecs, literally "a tray of stones" - are miniature images of the landscape, made on a dark tray only of small stones and white sand.
Bonseki's art is believed to have developed in the 7th century under Emperor Tenmu, who created pictures of the world around him on a tray of sand. Bonseki may have been an ancient way of planning the layout of gardens. The Bonsecs are a temporary miniature, a sand and gravel pattern that is easy to change and that is the charm of this art. Sitting over a tray and moving the caves is primarily a contemplative act. One of the Bonseki schools says: "The importance of Bonseca is in the feeling of peace and satisfaction from the creation of the scenes, and not from the final result."
5. Irezumi
Tattoos were found on the surviving human skin about 5,000 years ago and have spread throughout the world. In Japan, they were of particular cultural significance. For many years, a tattoo on the body has been a sign of belonging to the Japanese mafia — the Yakuza. Until now, some consider tattoos to be a dangerous sign. Many Japanese public baths do not accept tattooed people.
But Irezumi, literally "driving ink", has survived as a unique form of Japanese art. Masters, drawing picturesque tattoos, have created many masterpieces. In 1872, tattoos were banned and used only by prisoners. Traditionally, tattoos were applied with a stick with a needle at the end. Some Irezumi masters still use this tool, while others have switched to an electric tattoo gun. Irezumi is not performed in the form of separate drawings, but is stuffed with a full sleeve on the arm or leg or all over the body. Today, anyone with a high pain threshold can own a tattoo with complex scenes from Japanese history.
4. Kimono
Not many people in Japan wear kimonos — they cost a fortune. But, when you delve deeper into the process of its creation, you understand that the high price is justified. To create silk, it is necessary to process thousands of silkworm cocoons and make yarn. Then it must be soaked in a specific way, stretched and dried. To stretch the silk, it must be wound on sticks standing a few meters from each other. The person stretching the silk walks, going up and down with the cloth, several kilometers every day.
Then the silk is dyed. The final drawing of the fabric will depend on how it is dyed. Silk is traditionally dyed with natural products such as iron-rich mud. To make one kimono, you need 12 m of fabric.
If the dyed fabric does not look rich enough, a variety of patterns are hand-embroidered on it. It is not surprising that kimonos are highly prized by their wearers and are inherited.
3. Netsuke
Where do you put the little things you need when you put on your kimono? The Japanese wear them not in their pockets, but in cloth bags, which are attached to the kimono with pendant key chains. Wealthy Japanese people wore decorated key rings called netsuke.They were made of ivory, wood, or metal in the form of animals, humans, or mythological creatures. At the request of the owner, netsuke could be philosophical, playful or frivolous. The netsuke were small and easily hidden in the belt, thus giving their wearers the opportunity to display a sense of humor, whether it be a cocky mouse or people copulating on a turtle.
2. Ikebana
Ikebana is an art form that attracts the Japanese with its fickleness. After all, no matter how wonderful the result of your efforts, the flowers will wither and die. Ikebana - "flowers come to life" - a way to make plants look their best while they are still alive.
The Japanese art of flower arrangement was originally associated with religion. The first flower arrangements were created as offerings to the gods. A breakthrough in art came with the emergence of the tatebana style — a whole flower arrangement was created around one branch in the center of the vase.
Today the Japanese art of plant arrangement is prevalent throughout the world. Those who appreciate the exquisite simplicity of flowers can immortalize them with an ikebana.
1. Getaku
How to boast of your rich catch, if it was a long time ago and there is nothing left of the fish? The Japanese invented the Getaku — the imprint of the fish — to show their catches to posterity.
The art is deceptively simple. The caught fish is covered with ink, paper is put on it and a print is made. You can then release your catch or eat it — the fish print will remain on paper for a long time.
In an alternative way of creating a print, paper is, on the contrary, applied to a wet fish, and then ink is applied along the contour of the fish, gently tapping. A print created in any of these ways can then be supplemented with other colors, so that the beauty of the drawing lasts longer than the smell of fish on paper.
