Art Sunday; Japanese Tattoo Art... ( and more)

Today; I found myself at a loss as to what to ‘do’ for Art Sunday. (Hence the lateness of this post)

And then I had a conversation with my daughter about tattoos and as usual one thing led to another. I started looking at tattoo art and then at specifically Japanese tattoo art.

Tattoo art has become an art form in itself, and the Japanese seem to have taken this art form and produced designs which are a wonderful mix of contemporary and traditional Japanese Art. This led me to thinking about the vast range of ‘Japanese Art’.

This is what wikepedia says about Japanese art

''Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper and more recently manga, cartoon, along with a myriad of other types of works of art. ''

''It also has a long history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present.''
Read on…..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_art

It's the bit about ‘’wide range of styles and media’’ that interests me. One of the most traditional and possibly the most well known Art form from Japan is the Dance, costume, make up and general phenomenon of the Geisha Girl.

I could see a connection between the stylised white faces of the Geisha and the stylised flowers of todays tattoo design, as if one is directly descended from the other.
Another reason this post is so late is because, once started on that train of thought; I became mesmerised by a six part BBC documentary about a young 15 year old school girl, in modern Japan, who made the extraordinary decision to quit school and train as a Geisha. She had to leave home and have no contact with her family for the initial 6 month training period.

After the first 6 months she was tested on every thing she had learnt to see if she was good enough to become a Maiko and start the 5 year apprentice to become a Geisha. (Maiko being a Geisha in training). The whole documentary takes more than an hour which is why I’m not posting it, but if you can spare the time, it’s fascinating and found here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrDGTUm2vBc

The video below shows how the traditional white face, neck and chest with red and black touches around the eyes and mouth is achieved.

Video; Maiko or geisha putting on face make-up in Kyoto.

And then, last but not least…………..lets not forget Origami

Poetry Wednesday; Japanese Poetry

Japanese poetry

http://lauritasita.multiply.com/journal/item/1376/Poetry_Wednesday_070809_Sign_in_and_take_the_tour

Left on the beach
Full of water,
A worn out boat
Reflects the white sky
Of early autumn.

Nagisa naru
Sutareshi fune ni
Mizu michite
Shiroku utsureru
Hatsu-aki no sora

YOSANO AKIKO
----------------------------------------------------

When I went out
In the Spring meadows
To gather violets,
I enjoyed myself
So much that I stayed all night.

Haru no nu ni
Sumire tsumi ni to
Koshi ware zo
Nu wo natukashimi
Hito yo nenikeru

AKAHITO 8th century
---------------------------------------------------

The hanging raindrops
Have not dried from the needles
Of the fir forest
Before the evening mist
Of Autumn rises.

Murasame no
Tsuyu mo mada hinu
Maki no ha ni
Kiri tachi noboru
Aki no yugure

THE MONK JAKUREN
---------------------------------------------------

The hanging raindrops
Have not dried from the needles
Of the fir forest
Before the evening mist
Of Autumn rises.

Murasame no
Tsuyu mo mada hinu
Maki no ha ni
Kiri tachi noboru
Aki no yugure

THE MONK JAKUREN
---------------------------------------------------
If you liked these you can find lots more here.
http://www.fisdk12.net/ba/japan/poems.htm



Hokusai (1760-1849)
Katsushika Hokusai, Japan's best known artist, is ironically Japan's least Japanese artist. Japan's best known woodblock print, The Great Wave, is very un-Japanese. Welcome to the artist often known as Hokusai.
Hokusai (1760-1849) lived during the Tokugawa period (1600 to 1867). In a Japan of traditional Confucian values and feudal regimentation, Hokusai was a thoroughly Bohemian artist: cocky, quarrelsome, restless, aggressive, and sensational. He fought with his teachers and was often thrown out of art schools. As a stubborn artistic genius, he was single-mindedly obsessed with art. Hokusai left over 30,000 works, including silk paintings, woodblock prints, picture books, manga, travel illustrations, erotic illustrations, paintings, and sketches. Some of his paintings were public spectacles which measured over 200 sq. meters (2,000 sq. feet.) He didn't care much for being sensible or social respect; he signed one of his last works as "The Art-Crazy Old Man". In his 89 years, Hokusai changed his name some thirty times (Hokusai wasn't his real name) and lived in at least ninety homes. We laugh and recognize him as an artist, but wait, that's because we see him as a Western artist, long before the West arrived in Japan.
Hokusai started out as a art student of woodblocks and paintings. During the 600-year Shogun period, Japan had sealed itself off from the rest of the world. Contact with Western culture was forbidden. Nevertheless, Hokusai discovered and studied the European copper-plate engravings that were being smuggled into the country. Here he learned about shading, coloring, realism, and landscape perspective. He introduced all of these elements into woodblock and ukiyo-e art and thus revolutionized and invigorated Japanese art.

Information from
http://andreas.com/hokusai.html