JAPANESE ART of Recent Article

Gallery of Mr. Yukiya Izumita who is ceramic artist of Iwate in Japan.

These are the traditional craft potteries of Japan that is called 小久慈焼[KOKUJI-YAKI.].
KOKUJIYAKI is earthenware made in Iwate Prefecture Kuji City.

Work 1-Title: 積層花器 [A laminated flower bowl]

 

The origin is Edo period[1603-1868].
The person named 初代熊谷甚右衛門 became a disciple of a famous ceramic artist named 嘉蔵 in the Edo period of Japan and the technology was acquired.

Work 2-Title: 交[The Intersection]

 

Afterwards 初代熊谷甚右衛門 discovered the clay of Iwate Prefecture Kuji City that was his hometown. He invented a thing original as for frit, and made tea-things etc.

Work 3-Title: 溝[Ditch]

 

However, his technological succession has declined gradually afterwards.

Work 4-Title: 帯[Belt]

 

But, it revived by the effort of Kuji City in 1953.

Work 5-Title: 扁壺[Flat stoneware bottle]

 

 

A typical work of 小久慈焼き[kokuji-yaki] is a lipped bowl with long lip for pouring.

Work 6-Title: 盤[Board]

 

When sake and the soy sauce are transferred to the vessel with a small mouth, this is used.

Work 7-Title: 引き出し黒掛け分け茶碗[Drawing out black multiplication division cup]

 

Besides this, tableware and the daily pottery, etc. are made from 小久慈焼[kokuji-yaki]..

Work 8-Title: 多面花器[Flower bowl of many sides]

KOKUJIYAKI is simple pottery only of putting the drug solution named 糠白釉, 糠白釉, and 糠白釉.

 

About Mr. Yukiya Izumita

He is 43 years old now.

He is taking a lot of prizes, and he is often holding the one-man show.

Perhaps, he will grow up to a famous ceramic artist in Japan in the future.

 

His website is very simple.
It is a website because there are a lot of photographs that can be enjoyed enough even if you cannot read Japanese.

 

Mr. Yukiya Izumita's website

 

 

Hararie

 

 

 

"UKIYOE" which is typical art of Japan.

This is a Japanese magazine called Brutus published this month[August, 2009].

It features UKIYOE of Japan.

Various questions about UKIYOE are featured on this book.
I explain some of those questions.

This is continuation of the Part 2.

All the image of this page are expanded by click.

[ It becomes very big.]

A Question;
Is there any ukiyoe that nobody knows?

An answer;
"Sharaku's ukiyoe" was discovered in Greece.

 

< Sharaku's Ukiyoe -Sharaku's ukiyoe which a Greek national Corfu Asia art museum owns->
　"四代目松本幸四郎の加古川本蔵と松本米三郎の小浪 "  

They were discovered out of the collection collected by the diplomat "Gregory Manos" of Greece.

It was an event of July, 2008.
He is a person of the beginning at the 20th century.
He was being absorbed in work-of-art collection of Japan, China, and Korea.
And he spent on his most assets for work-of-art collection.

It was concluded that these were genuine (Sharaku's autograph) by the investigation of the Japanese science investigation committee.

This is the greatest discovery in Japan's history.

 

< Utamaro Kitagawa's ukiyoe which the British Museum owns.>
　 "歌まくら"

 

 

 

< Utamaro Kitagawa's ukiyoe which a Greek national Corfu Asia art museum owns.>

　　"歌撰恋之部　深く忍恋"

 

 

A Question;
Is the ukiyoe popular out of Japan?

An answer;
Yes, it is extremely popular.

In Europe and America, Ukiyoe is bought and sold at the large sum exceeding anticipation of Japanese people.

The price of big-ticket successful bid record of an ukiyoe print is 288,500 pounds of "Gaifu kaisei of Hokusai Katsushika" in Christie London of 2007.

Furthermore, in September of the next year, "the ukiyoe print of Utamaro Kitagawa" came to successful bid possibility price of ten thousand 100~150 dollar in Christie's America New York.

After all, this Utamaro's work was made a successful bid for nobody.

But, in the market, the shortage state of the work is continuing for approximately 5 years.

Overseas collectors to say nothing of Japan are impatiently waiting for the work.

 

 

<Hokusai Katsushika's Ukiyoe>
　　"凱風快晴"  

 

A Question;
What kind of kind of "the forms and sizes" of an ukiyoe print is there?

An answer;
As for it, various kinds exist according to a use.

It seems that the ukiyoe was used in many ways.
It is because the form and size of an ukiyoe print had various kinds.

There were "Sensu<扇子> type" and "Uchiwa<うちわ/団扇> type" in the ukiyoe, too.

 

A Question;
Where in Japan can I see the ukiyoe?

An answer;
It is possible to see ukiyoe in various art museums in Japan.

 

 

<The list of art museums in Japan which is exhibiting the ukiyoe print.>

No.	Name of museum	Trait of exhibit
A	山口県立荻美術館萩美術館・浦上記念館 [ Yamaguchi enritsu Hagi Bijutsukan/Urakami Kinenkan] Yamaguchi Prefectural Hagi-Museum of Art/Museum Urakami. 山口県荻市平安古586-1 Yamaguchi Prefecture Hagi city Hiyako 586-1 Phone: 0838-24-2400	Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Sharaku toshusai, excellent work are exhibited. Cannot link for each page though there is a wonderful ukiyoe in the website in this museum. Then, I made the route to each work page at the last of this page.
B	日本浮世絵博物館 [ Nihon Ukiyoe Hakubutsukan] Japan Ukiyoe Museum. 長野県松本市島立小柴 2206-1 Nagano Prefecture Matsumoto city Shimadete koshiba 2206-1 Phone: 0263-47-4440	Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige etc., excellent work are exhibited. The greatest art museum in Japan with the work of 100,000.
C	太田記念美術館 [ Ohta Kinen Bijutsukan] Ohta Memorial Museum of Art. 東京都渋谷区神宮前 1-10-10 1-10-10, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Phone: 03-3403-0880	Hokusai Katsushika, Sharaku Toshusai, Hokusai Katsushika etc.,excellent work are exhibited. The exhibition art work of this art museum changes every month.
D	那賀川町馬頭広重美術館 [ Nakagawa-cho Unagashira Hiroshige Bijutsukan] Nakagawa-cho Umagashira Hiroshige art museum. 栃木県那須郡那賀川町馬頭 116-9 Tochigi Prefecture Nasu-gun Nakagawa-cho Umagashira 116-9 Phone: 0287-92-1199	Museum with a lot of works of Hiroshige Utagawa. Additionally, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Kunisada Utagawa, Toyokuni Utagawa. Website
E	北斎館 [ Hokusai-kan] Hokusai pavilion. 長野県上高井郡小布施町大字小布施 485 Nagano Prefecture Kami-takai-gun Obuse-machi county Obuse 485 Phone: 026-247-5206	An art museum with many works of Hokusai Katsushika. Hokusai visited this "Obuse-cho" repeatedly and he has drawn many works during stay. Those works are exhibited here. "鳳凰", "龍", "男浪", "女浪"etc. Hokusai's work
F	平木浮世絵美術館 [ Hiraki Ukiyoe Bijutsukan] Hiraki ukiyoe art museum 東京都江東区豊洲 2-4-9 ららぽーと豊洲 2-4-9, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo Rarapoto Toyosu Phone: 03-6910-1290	Many wood-block prints of Moronobu Hishikawa and Hashiguchi Goyou are exhibited. Moreover, it has the work of about 6000 containing "11 important cultural properties and 238 important art objects."
G	東京国立博物館 [ Tokyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan] Tokyo National Museum. 東京都台東区上野公園 13-9 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo Phone: 03-5777-8600	The exhibited ukiyoe changes every month. "冨獄三十六景　神奈川沖浪裏" of Hokusai Katsushika, "猫のすゞみ" and "金魚づくし" of Kuniyoshi Utagawa, there are exhibited until September 6, 2007. It is "Museum in eminent Japan" with 110,000 works. Website
H	礫川浮世絵美術館 [ Koishikawa Ukiyoe Bijutsukan] Koishikawa ukiyoe art museum. 東京都文京区小石川 1-2-3 小石川春日ビル５階 1-2-3 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Koishikawa Kasuga Building, 5th Floor Phone: 03-3812-7312	The small art museum of private management. But, it has a famous work of Utamaro, Hokusai, and Hiroshige, etc. Website
I	川崎・砂子の里資料館 [ Kawasaki, isago no sato Shiryokan] Material pavilion of KawasakiEIsago. 神奈川県川崎市川崎区砂子 1-4--10 Kanagawa Prefecture Kawasaki city Kawasaki district Isago 1-4-10 Phone: 044-222-0310	This pavilion has only one Sharaku's work in the world. And, monthly different Japanese Ukiyoe print is exhibited. Website
J	中山道広重美術館 [ Nakasendo Horoshige Bijutsukan] Nakasendo Hiroshige art museum. 岐阜県恵那市大井町 176 Gifu Prefecture Ena City Ooicho 176 Phone: 0573-20-0522	In this art museum, "the ukiyoe of a highway", such as Hiroshige Utagawa, Eisen Keisai, and the Kuniyoshi Utagawa, is mainly exhibited. Here you can experience the Ukiyo-e prints.
K	葛飾北斎美術館 [ Katsushika Hokusai Bijutsukan] Katsushika Hokusai art museum. 島根県鹿足郡津和野町大字後江田 254 Shimane Prefecture Kanoashi-gun Tsuwano-cho Ushiroda 254 Phone: 0856-72-1850	In this art museum, Hokusai Katsushika's "print, print book, and autograph drawing" were collected. Furthermore, many works of Hokusai's school artist are also exhibited.

 

 

A. 山口県立荻美術館萩美術館・浦上記念館
[ Yamaguchi enritsu Hagi Bijutsukan/Urakami Kinenkan]
Yamaguchi Prefectural Hagi-Museum of Art/Museum Urakami.

 

1. Please access.

Yamaguchi Prefectural Hagi-Museum of Art/Museum Urakami.

The top page appears.

 

2.Click the place of red yen at the left of the screen.[ The image is expanded by click.}

3.This page appears.

If there is the ukiyoe work which you want to see, please put in the words and phrases contained in the name of a Ukiyoe work. [ It is not Indispensable.]

Please put in an author name. [ Indispensable conditions. ]

4. This page appears.
Please click the place of the arrow.

5. This page appears.

6. Please click the place of the arrow.
Please click the place of the arrow.

7.This page appears.
The image of the page which appeared spreads by click.

 

Please enjoy.

 

P.S.
This Japanese magazine I have three books.
If you want this Japanese magazine, please email me.
I want you to pay only "the price and the mailing cost" of a book.

 

Hararie

 

 

"UKIYOE" which is typical art of Japan.

This is a Japanese magazine called Brutus published this month[August, 2009].

It features UKIYOE of Japan.

Various questions about UKIYOE are featured on this book.
I explain some of those questions.
This is continuation of the last explanation.

 

All the image of this page are expanded by click.

[ It becomes very big.]

A Question; What kind of place is YOSHIWARA ?

An answer;
Eating, drinking, playing.
[Faithful translation of answer written in this magazine.]

 

YOSHIWARA is an official recognition prostitution region of the EDO age of Japan.

"The business bachelors BUSHI" gathers for EDO from Japanese every place.

As a result, the male population of EDO was twice the female population.

As a matter of course, prostitution becomes popular.

So, Japanese government thought.

"The prostitutes' free business is not good on the discipline hygiene side !!"

But, this is public principle of the Japanese government.
The true reason was authorizing prostitutes and raising tax revenues.

 

YOSHIWARA was an institution like the huge theme park made on "the land of the area of 16.34 acre surrounded by the black wall."
[ Though the theme is prostitution.]

And in YOSHIWARA, various people were living besides the prostitute.
About 10,000 people [a prostitute's care staff, ordinary craftsmen, a merchant, etc.] lived in YOSHIWARA.

YOSHIWARA was "the place of yearning" for people.
With the latest interior design and the latest fashion, many very beautiful prostitutes were in YOSHIWARA.

Without money, it cannot even approach prostitutes.

-Longing place and harlots.
EDO may be the fountainhead of Japanese culture.

 

A Question; Why are all the members the same face?

An answer;
The female face which Utamaro writes has a minute difference.

 

As for the majority of the ukiyoes at that time, The women in ukiyoe had the same face.

And it was simple UKIYOE for which a showy color is not used.

And Utamaro Kitagawa appeared.

His work became extremely popular.
All faces of women whom he draws have a faint difference.

And women's face and the body were drawn more beautifully than the actual condition.

 

< Eyes of woman of Kitagawa Utamaro's Ukiyoe >

 

< Nose of woman of Kitagawa Utamaro's Ukiyoe >

 

 

< Mouth of woman of Kitagawa Utamaro's Ukiyoe >

 

 

A Question; Is this a beautiful woman?

An answer; This is the woman of the ideal of people in those days.

In the first place, the woman of such a somatotype cannot have existed probably.

Japanese people are short, the head is big and the body of the Japanese is long.

Because the ukiyoe of the beautified woman was popular, the ukiyoe masters drew the ukiyoe of the beautified woman.

In addition, an ukiyoe masters at that time willingly drew a popular town girl.

It is the town girls of cafe.

Finally please see the ukiyoe of "鳥高斎栄昌[Chokosai Eisho]".

This is UKIYOE in which the prostitutes of YOSHIWARA are viewing the cherry blossoms.

Hararie

"UKIYOE" which is typical art of Japan.

This is a Japanese magazine called Brutus published this month[August, 2009].

It features UKIYOE of Japan.

Various questions about UKIYOE are featured on this book.

I explain some of those questions.

 

All the image of this page are expanded by click.

[ It becomes very big.]

 

A Question; What is the ukiyoe?

 "EDO", The metropolis in Japan with a population of 10 million.

An answer;
It is the print with which the Edo citizen's "a fashion, a sport, entertainments, a gourmet, customs", etc. were expressed by UKIYOE.

And, UKIYOE is a duplicate print by clear color and bold composition.

 

A Question; What kind of man became a UKIYOE?

An answer;
It is the EDO citizens, and a samurai, etc.

Generally, "an EDO citizen[A townsman, a samurai, etc.]" became an ukiyoe artist.

Additionally, a special ukiyoe master existed, too.
It is an ukiyoe master who serves the EDO shogunate.

The EDO government chose the government purveyor's ukiyoe artist from the Kano group, and had employed them as a local civil servant.

Moreover, woman's ukiyoe master existed.

A Question; How much was the income of the ukiyoe artist?

An answer;
One piece of large size ukiyoe print seems to have been several dollars.

It is unexpectedly low-priced.

Since the ukiyoe print was wood engraving, the pain of the carved wooden block was intense and the reprint of 2000 sheets was a limit.

2000 sheets are the cases of "the ukiyoe which sells best."

That means, it is an income of only 8,000 dollars if one piece of large size ukiyoe print is 4 dollars even if it sells 2,000 pieces.

Many processes and time and hands are necessary for production of one piece of ukiyoe print.

Considering the manufacturing process, do you think that the amount of money of 8000 dollars is large amount of money?

 

A Question; Who is SHARAKU?

An answer;
SHARAKU is a Noh player of Awa.

He did not announce an own real name and own personal history intentionally.
And his activity as the ukiyoe artist was a very short period of ten months.

"A mystery ukiyoe artist."
It seems to be his popular cause.

A Question; They are the same actor.
Which was popular?

An answer;
It is the right.

Left ukiyoe is a work of SHARAKU.
The work was disrepute because he drew truth too much.
The active period of SHARAKU as the ukiyoe artist was very short.
This seems to be the reason.

The right ukiyoe is a work of Toyokuni Utagawa.

Because ukiyoe was existence like the poster that brought dreams to people at that time, his work was very popular.

Then, finally please see Hokusai Katsushika's "SHUNGA".

This work is "AMA and the octopus" which are called "everlasting masterpiece SHUNGA in history."

Hararie

Wadaiko is Japanese unique percussion instrument.

 

Taiko means "drum" in Japanese (etymologically "great" or "wide drum").

Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums ('wa-daiko', "Japanese drum", in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, "kumi-daiko").

 

[Quotation from Wikipedia]

 

Most Japanese people will get excited if the sound of Wadaiko is heard.

The sound of Wadaiko shakes a Japanese soul.

 

Let's watch several kinds videos today !

 

These all are videos of the Wadaiko performance in Japan.
It will be understood what kind of musical instrument Wadaiko of Japan is.

 

[ Hino Ikki ]

 

[ No. 6 Japan Wadaiko festival ]

 

[Keyaki-Za ]

 

 

[ Matsumura Gumi ]

 

Please also see the video of other Wadaiko performances of these.

 

Hararie