Adventures of Anette: Traditions

Showing posts with label Traditions. Show all posts

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Japanese New Year Card (年賀状) Sumi-E Workshop

Anette 11:03:00 AM

Sumi-e (墨絵) is a traditional ink wash painting style introduced to Japan in the Muromachi-period (1338-1573) through Korea. Although sumi-e originally was developed in China during the Tang-dynasty (618-907) it gained its own characteristic style in Japan by masters like Sesshu Toyo and under the influence of Zen Buddhism.

Sumi-e is still popular in modern Japan, and I've been lucky to meet Mimi Wada who is an contemporary sumi-e artist. She arranges workshops for people interested in learning to make sumi-e paintings, and since the year is coming to an end she gathered a group of interested painters (an amateurs like me) for a New Year card workshop.

Next year we enter the year of the horse, making the animal a natural choice considering the design for this year's New Year cards.

How to make a sumi-e horse

We received handouts from Mimi-san showing how to paint the horse step by step. Still, it was quite hard to make the horse look as natural as Mimi-san's version of the horse. Seemed like the other participants also had a lot more experience than me, so I kinda was the only one making somewhat disproportionate horses with crooked legs.

At least I made some improvement throughout the lesson

Mimi-san demonstrating

Mimi-san and Yuki

This is what it looks like when you're a Sumi-e master. Work by Mimi.

...And this is what is looks like when you're an amateur. Still, not too bad though.

Again, Mimi-san's skills are "slightly" better then mine..

Le saint opera decorated with Mimi-san's sumi-e scroll

All in all it was a great chance to learn more about sumi-e and its painting techniques. And now I also have my own original New Year cards to send of to some friends! Just hope they'll ignore my lack of artistic skills.. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, isn't it?? ^^

Mimi's sumi-e scroll has been exhibited in Le saint opera since mid-November.
For more information about Mimi's Sumi-e art, check out her website Sumiracle

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Travel

Weekend trip to Jeongju

Anette 3:16:00 PM

A couple of weeks ago my dad came to visit me in Korea, and this was the first time for me to meet him since last year, when he and my anya Haini came to visit me in Kyoto.

We had decided to spend the weekend outside Seoul, as we only had the weekend, and since he would have some days to explore Seoul by himself as I had school to attend during the week. Anyway, it was great meeting my dad again, and to spend time walking around in Jeonju's beautiful traditional Korean village with him.

Here you can see my pictures from the village (한억마을), including a video from a drumming performance there.

I used the ipad-application 'Instaframe' to make this one^^

Another performer

Man skal tidlig krøkes.! So cute~

Some more highlights of the traditional Korean village

A couple getting their wedding pictures taken

Monday, April 23, 2012

Wedding

Bridal Modeling in Kyoto!

Anette 10:36:00 PM

Last Friday I did some bridal modeling for Kyoto Weddings in Gion, and today I got the first picture from the photo shooting! I'll be back with a longer update when I get the rest of the pictures:)

Me and Marcus doing bridal modeling in Gion, Kyoto. Photographer: Yuuki Kuwabata

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Traditions

Setsubun 節分 - The Bean Throwing Festival

Anette 11:08:00 PM

Friday the 3rd of February is considered the last day of winter here in Japan, and this day is celebrated with a so-called Bean Throwing Festival, or Setsubun in Japanese. It was something we just couldn't miss, so Yuma and me went on a visit to Ken's dorm where they were going to have a small Setsubun-celebration for the students living there.

One of the special things about Setsubun is that some grown-ups wear masks picturing oni (鬼), a type of demon or devil typically appearing in Japanese folklore, so that the kids can "drive away" these evil creatures by throwing beans at them.. Of course we had to try it out too! Haha:)

Me, Yuma and Ken wearing devil masks, prepared to be thrown beans at in the shrine

But before going out it was time for some traditional Setsubun food: the “lucky direction roll” Eho-maki (恵方巻き). This is basically a role of sushi (makizushi), which can grant you a wish if you eat it while facing in a compass direction determined by the year’s zodiac. In addition to this, you are supposed to keep your eyes shot and not make any noise while you are eating it.

Eating Eho-maki, all facing in the same direction

After having eaten, Yuma, Ken and me went to the Yoshida Jinja-shrine (吉田神社) to take a closer look at the celebration itself. Yoshida This shrine dates back to the Heian period, or more precisely to the year 859, when it was founded by the Fujiwara-clan. For the celebration of Setsubun nowadays, the bonfire in Yoshida Jinja is apparently the biggest in Kyoto. No wonder why there are so many people visiting this shrine.. Anyway, here are some pictures from the event:

The firemen keeping watch over the bonfire

Yuma wearing an oni-mask with the bonfire and the crowd in the background.

The huge red tori and the bonfire

Ken wearing his oni-mask too

Without the demon masks.

You can buy all sorts of dried food at the shrine. What about some dried squid?

More dried food

Bonsai!

Japanese style barbecue!?

No Japanese festival without some snack for sale.. :)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Traditions

十日戎：I'm gonna be a Fuku Musume（福娘）!

Anette 12:50:00 AM

Today I went to Osaka for an interview in the Imamiya Ebisu shrine regarding the upcoming Toka Ebisu festival that is going to be held in January.

The interview was for a role as one of the so-called Fuku Musume (福娘), or what one could translate to something like the Daughters of Luck. We are going to be shrine maidens at a famous festival called Toka Ebisu, which is taking place in the Imamiya Ebisu shrine in Osaka in January. Here we will be selling lucky charms to people who wants their businesses to thrive.

Each year there are apparently more than 3000 girls applying, so the competition is tough. That is to say, of the 50 girls who are chosen to become Fuku Musume 10 of the girls are foreigners. And since the number of foreigners applying is way below the number of Japanese applicants we gaijin do have a big advantage here.

Anyway, out of the foreign girls who was chosen to be a Fuku Musume, one of them was me!

Which means I will have some pretty busy weekends from now!

There is going to be various arrangements before the festival in January, like for instance a TV interview this upcoming Sunday. So I've decided to keep this first blog-post short, and come back with more information and pictures later.

Stay in tuned;)!

Me in the official Fuku Musume-kimono for January 2012

Related blogposts

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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Traditions

Japanese traditions: Tea-ceremony

Anette 8:03:00 PM

And so another week here in beautiful Kyoto has gone by..

As usual there has been a lot to do, not at least because all the midth-term tests are coming up. Non the less, I´ve had the time to do some explorations this week as well; I´ve joined the dance studio Tokiwa, which is really close to our dorm, so now I´m taking samba-classes every Wednesday. Perhaps not exactly the most traditionally Japanese experience I´ll get here, but of course it is a lot of fun and I already like it a lot.

Besides this I also joined a volunteer-circle at school, so in the upcoming months I might be able to combine my love for traveling with the chance to help others as well. Nice deal! :D

Other than that the days are passing by as usual: studying in the library and hanging out with friends.

Yesterday my usual ceramic class involved a new experience for me though: We went to a traditional Japanese house to take part in a tea-ceremony.

It was really interesting! Firstly, the house was really old; The ceiling was low and the style was quite what I would call typical Japanese. The house was quite big though, and though Japanese houses like this tends to be a bit cold during the winter I still thought it would be a nice place to live cause it was so peaceful.

The room where the tea-ceremony was quite small, but that only made the atmosphere better.

I´ve uploaded a couple of my photos from the tea-ceremony for those who wants to take a look:

A picture displaying the lady of the house mixing Japanese maccha-tea (抹茶) for the ceremony. This tea is supposed to be very healthy, so I´m tempted to start drinking this everyday instead of the cheap apple-tea I bought when I came to Japan in September.

The alcove (Tokonoma; 床の間) in the tea-cermony room. The scroll and the flower arrangements in the alcove are supposed to bring forth a spiritual atmosphere, and at the same time they are reflecting the current season.

The inside of the Japanese house. Most of us had to be really careful walking here due to the low ceiling.. But it looks really cozy! :)

一期一会

This calligraphy print shows what is considered to be a typical spirit of the tea-cermony: Ichigo-ichie (一期一会). The meaning behind the expression is that every encounter is unique, and that you therefore should care extra for your guests cause the moments that goes by will never come back.