Yoshida

 Enclosure <Village>, 1962

This is a print based on the youth rebellion during 1960s Japan by Hokada Yoshida (1927-1995). Japanese student movements began during the Taishō Democracy (the period right after the Meji Period), and turned into activity after World War II.

Hokada’s father and mother were both leading artists in Tokyo in oils, watercolors, and woodblock prints. Hodaka's older brother became the heir to the Yoshida Studio, and worked in oils and woodblock prints (the Yoshida family is a famous family of artists). At end of the Second World War, he defied his father by becoming an artist and focused on the style abstraction which his father despised the most.

This photo shows an abstract view of a village. The village is being entrapped by different size stones. There appears to be four pillar stones on the very outside. I think that these pillars maybe the Four Pillars of Destiny which describes the four components creating a person's destiny or fate. There are also twelve smaller rocks that could be the Earthly Branches which give a system for computing time.  

The wood structure represents the village with the focus being on the black whirlpool. The print shows the village and the black whirlpool being enclosed by stone circles on both sides. Everything besides the objects (wood structure, whirlpool, and stones) is a darker grey. The grey circles to me represent people surrounding the village. The people surrounding the village are stone which signifies that they are older. The adults realize that they must contain what has been created before it is too late. The whirlpool signifies the youth because their frustration has been building up like raw energy and has become too big. There is also blue behind the black whirlpool which connotes good because the youth’s frustration is understandable, and there actions root from good intentions. The black in the whirlpool connotes the evil in the youth’s activism. The darkest grey signifies the mood in the village which is sorrowful and also represents narrow-mindedness.

The condition of this print is satisfactory. The lines are dull and sharp, and the colors both fit and go outside of the lines.  The colors are dull because they have faded somewhat. There are no creases, stains, and unintentional stray marks.

This print ultimately depicts the attempt of containment of the youth by the older generations. This print also tells of the artist’s life by defying what his father and family wants him to be.

KUNIYOSHI

Two characters from the Popularized “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”

This is a print based on the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” by Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861). “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” by Luo Guanzhong  in the 14th century is based on the events at the end of the Han Dynasty between the years 169 and 280. It is the story of three states that emerged from the remnants of the Han Dynasty trying to replace the dwindling Han Dynasty and/ or restore it. The novel deals with the plots, personal and army battles, intrigues, and struggles of these states to achieve dominance during these years.

This print is also a part of the collection called The Twenty-four Chinese Paragons of Filial Piety. Each print in the collection depicts a hero for the Twelve Signs.

This photo shows the fighting between two warriors on a hillside. The warriors depicted in this print are Chôkô and Chô-un. I only know that Chôkô was one of the heroes for the Twelve Signs.  Unfortunately I could not find any information on Chô-un so we can assume that Chô-un is fighting for the wrong reasons.

Both warriors are wearing very detailed battle armor with vivid colors with hairy hands and beards. The print captures them in the moment of them clashing their weapons together. They are fighting on a hillside that is covered with what appears to be lava and surrounded by smoke. It is hard to make out separate figures and makes them appear to be one. Both faces are drawn Western-like which signifies that these prints are meant for the West to buy. Chôkô’s face is intense with his gaze upon Chô-un while Chô-un has a malicious laugh with an outward gaze. Chô-un’s face is red which connotes evil because his red face looks like that of a devil. In the middle of the battle is a sharp black line that separates the two figures. One side of the line makes the print darker which is Chô-un’s side and the other side is the lighter side which is Chôkô’s which connotes good and evil as well. The fact that darker side is much smaller than lighter side signifies that good will defeat evil in this fight.

The condition of the print is in a pretty good one. Most of the lines are sharp, the colors fit inside all of the lines, and the colors are vivid with no sign fading. However there is one crease and some stains on the right side which make the Japanese words unreadable.

This print ultimately depicts the classic battle of good versus evil by using two characters from the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms”.

Assignment 6

Taguchi Studio Family 1888

This is an image of the Taguchi family in 1888. The photograph is in the inside of a carved wooden frame.  There are six people (four males and two females) on a wooden floor with a white backdrop. Four in the family are wearing Japanese clothing; the color of the Japanese clothing signifies age because the eldest is wearing the lightest and the youngest is wearing the darkest. The other two in the family are wearing suits. The suits are Western which may connote that they have traveled to a Western country. All of their gazes are of direct address which is the most common gaze for posed photographs.  All members have a serious and stern look which signifies that Japan is a serious nation. This image connotes Japan opening up to the West because the photograph has the two members in suits with the members of Japanese clothing. This photograph also tells of Japan’s rich history and its future because a part of each generation is in this photograph and that their lineage will continue into the future. The eldest are the past (the tradition they bring is present) and the young are the future (members in the suits show dealings with the West are part of the future).

Assignment 5: Album

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All I have ever wanted to do in my life was travel the world. My job sends me on business trips all over the world, but unfortunately I have never been sent to Japan. Because of my line of work, I am able to speak to others about the places they go. All that I have spoken to told me that I must see it for myself. I only have three weeks of vacation time a year. I had the money to afford it and had not used my vacation time so I went. For this trip I was a tourist taking in what I saw, not a business man focusing on the task at hand.

I first arrived at the Nagasaki Harbour. My ship had arrived next to workers carrying coal up the hull of a large ship. I was shocked to see that this task was a spectacle. The amount of coal and number of workers was astounding, and how easy the workers made the hard labor look. They were very organized, each person focusing on only their own part of the job, and doing it at a rapid pace. I never thought that when I arrived it would be the sight that it was.


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My next stop was Kyoto. Here I visited one of the most famous temples in Japan called the Chion-in Temple. When you first arrive, you stand in front of this welcoming giant main gate. After walking around for a while you realize how it is one of the bigger temples and why it is as famous as it is in Japan. This temple ground is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen with the view of all directions being nature. Chion-in structures are of wood with stylistic rooftops that I had never seen before This temple has a great bell in it which is the second biggest ringing bell in the world (it is so massive that it takes seventeen people just to ring it). Unfortunately I was not able to stay in the small or large guest rooms in the temple because of the long waiting list.


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While traveling in Japan, I wanted to visit the Imperial Shrine of Ise. I did not know at the time that access to both sites was strictly limited. The only thing I could see was the outside of the central structures blocked by wooden fences. Disappointed I went into Uji-tachi and was informed that this was a shrine for the god of agriculture and industry. I was also told that there was high priest from the Japanese imperial family that watches over the shrine. Rumor has it (because of its restricted access) that somewhere in the shrine is the Yata no Kagami which is a sacred mirror of the Japanese.


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While on the road, I met an old couple taking a break to eat and asked if I could join them. We were sitting on grass on the side of the road with plants from a field on the side of us. There were also giant hills and it was a nice sunny day with a clear sky. It was the perfect spot for us to relax. The man was wearing a red and white striped shirt, and the woman was wearing a purple robe with a white head band; both were barefoot. I could tell that this was couple was not wealthy, but not poor as well because of what they were wearing and that they had food with them. For two hours we had a good time sharing experiences to each other, and then was back on the road continuing my journey.


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My last spot on my journey was the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. In this large area lives the Emperor and the imperial family. The palace (built on the site of the Edo castle) includes the main palace, private residences, an archive, museum and administrative offices. The buildings of the Imperial Palace were constructed of wood with blue rooftops. There are also two huge and beautiful gardens in different parts of the grounds. Because the palace grounds are enormous, you can get around by water to get to certain places faster. This was the most interesting place to visit because there is so much history and so much to see. Visiting the palace was a great way to finish off a great experience in Japan.

Blog Assignment 4

Source: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/gt_japan_places/ga2_vis_kyo12.html

Source

This is an image of the Great Bell (made in 1633) located in Kyoto, Japan. Placed in the Chion-In Temple, it is Japan’s biggest bell and is the second-largest ringing bell in the world weighing 74 tons. It takes 17 monks to ring it for the New Year ceremony. In the image are the bell and two visitors present. In the background are nature and a dirt path leading to other parts on temple grounds. Behind the two visitors is a wood wall with markings, and to the side looks to be maps and directions to help find your way around the temple. One visitor is gazing at the bell and the other’s attention is somewhere else.  The connotation of this image is that of Japan’s national pride because they have this bell which is the second-largest in the world.

Source: http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027/gt_japan_people/ga1_visnav09.html

Source

This is an image of two sumo wrestlers going at it. Sumo wrestling is a competitive full-contact sport where one wrestler attempts to force the other wrestler to touch the ground with anything besides the soles of his feet and/or attempts to force the other wrestler out of the circular ring. Sumo is the national sport of Japan and originated in ancient times for the entertainment of the Shinto gods. There are two sumo wrestlers and one referee. The two sumo wrestlers have long hair to form topknot which is like that of samurai hairstyle. Each sumo wrestler is wearing a mawashi which is a belt that they wear during training or competition.  The connotation of this image is that sumo is an important part of Japanese tradition and makes Japan unique from other countries.