Japanese Language Blog

Kyoto (京都) is a beautiful city with strong links to traditional Japanese architecture and culture. When people think of Kyoto, the image of Pontochō (先斗町) is probably one of the first images that spark the imagination. Pontochō is a well-known geisha district where traditional Japanese theatre, dance and song are still alive and entertaining the masses. In addition even some of the buildings in Pontochō have been preserved and are still used as tea or geisha houses.

When tourism agencies advertise the city of Kyoto, the most commonly used icon is the five-story pagoda of Tōji (東寺). Tōji is the name of a Buddhist temple that is famous for its 55 meter high pagoda. The pagoda is the tallest in Japan and is only open a few days out of the year for visitors who want go gain an entrance into the pagoda. Tōji is a historic monument that dates as far back to 796 or the Heian Period. However, the pagoda was built much later in the Edo Period.

The Iwatayama Monkey Park (山モンキーパーク) is where visitors can see and feed wild macaque monkeys. To enter the park, visitor must pay an entrance fee. This fee is separate from the purchase of food that can be used to feed the monkeys. There are certain rules that all visitors are required to obey when interacting with the macaque monkeys. One rule is that touching the monkeys is not allowed. Touching them may transfer illnesses from the monkey to the human and vice versa.

The Shugakuin Imperial Villa (修学院離宮) is popular for its beautiful gardens. The gardens of the Shugakuin Imperial Villa are examples of top-notch Japanese gardening and are touted as cultural treasures. To an effort to preserve the beauty of the gardens the number of visitors are carefully controlled. Visitors may only view the gardens by appointment and with the permission of the Imperial Household Agency, which is the agency that administers the gardens.

Nijō Castle (二条城) is a large castle in Kyoto that contains two palaces, other miscellaneous buildings, gardens and ponds. Before Nijō Castle became a tourist attraction, it was a fortification site surrounded by moat. Since Nijō Castle was a defensive site, there is a guard tower and several rooms for the Shogun’s bodyguards. The outer rooms were where low ranking guests were received and the inner chambers were where high ranking guests could enter.

Although Japanese paintings get a lot of international attention, Japanese sculptures are also quite amazing and should get the reverence that Japanese paintings get. For example, one of the more famous sculptors in Japan is Tankei (湛慶). The most famous sculpture by Tankei is the sculpture in a temple called Sanjusangendō (三十三間堂). The sculpture is considered one of the premier national treasures of Japan.

Jōchō (定朝) was the most famous and beloved sculptors ever in Japan. The sculpture on the left is an example of Jōchō’s work. If you look at the expression on the Buddha’s face, it is tender and gentle. The merciful expression on the Buddha’s face is something that no other artist did before Jōchō. Jōchō revolutionized a new style of Buddhist imagery by sculpting a compassionate expression on the Buddha’s face.

You may have seen some of Kaikei’s (快慶) work without even realizing it. There are many of Kaikei’s original works all over Japan. The sculpture of the Bodhisattva on the left is a wooden statue made with gold, copper crystal and lacquer. Many of Kaikei’s works relatively small in size, but they are nevertheless famous for their originality. Kaikei is famous for sculpting intelligent and elegant looking expressions on the faces of his statues.

Unkei’s (運慶) sculpture of the guardian statues at Tōdaiji (東大寺) or Tōdai Temple is probably one of the best-recognized sculptures in Japan. His works are famous for being realistic. Like the photo of the statue on the left, his figures are muscular rather than delicate. His style of sculpture broke with the style of his predecessors. Instead of making figures with soft lines and ephemeral expressions, his statues were solid and lifelike.

Tori Busshi (止利仏師) was originally a saddle maker who became a sculptor through hard work. Although he had no formal training in sculpting images, his work was renown and respected by his contemporaries for the peaceful expressions on the faces of his figures. One of his patrons was Suko Tennō (推古天皇) or Empress Suiko . She was so impressed by Tori Busshi’s work that she granted him a title and some land, which was unusual for someone of his rank to receive.

If you’re ever in the mood to pick up a new hobby, what not try making a hobby out of a traditional Japanese art? There are many varieties of traditional Japanese art, but probably one of the most famous is Ikebana (生け花), which is an artform that involves flower arrangement. There are many styles of Japanese flower arrangement, with some being very minimal-looking in appearance. Ikebana is a wonderful way to hone your creativity in a disciplined artform!

If you want to try your creative side on a grander scale, then you might be interested in dabbling in Nihon Teien (日本庭園) or ‘Japanese Gardens’. Constructing a Japanese garden takes a lot of time and financial investment, so if this isn’t a suitable venture to take on as a hobby, you might like to try looking into bonsai (盆栽) trees. Bonsai is a miniature tree that has been carefully arranged to fit certain a proportion and harmonious balance.

In many ways chadō (茶道) or what we call ‘tea ceremony’ is a ritualized art of drinking and making tea. Learning chadō is considered a high artform. Performing chadō includes following rules of etiquette and being consciously mindful of the many steps and movements in carrying out a tea ceremony. Chadō is a long standing tradtional Japanese artform that is really a niche in itself. It’s where you learn to make tea with various instruments in a orderly and sequential manner.

In addition to learning Japanese tea ceremony, it can also be fun to learn the art of making a type of bowl called Hagiware or hagiyaki (萩焼). Making these bowls takes skill and time. It may take many years to truly master the art of making hagi. Many of the hagi are used as tea bowls in tea ceremony, so these two artforms go hand in hand. Hagiware is deceptively simple in appearance, but great pains are made to make them look graceful, functional and elegant.

If you’re creative in the more intellectual arena, then why not try the art of writing a Haiku (俳句)? Although Haikus look simple in appearance (17 moraes total), they are hard to construct because you are limited to using 17 morae (morae of sort of like syllables, but not quite). The ideal Haiku will be deep in meaning but yet slightly ambiguous in meaning. That’s hard to do, considering the constraints of writing a Haiku!