The Tanabata series following the previous blog “The Star Festival“. This time for the second time is “Five Colors of Strips (Tanzaku)”.

In the ancient Chinese ancestral event “Kikoden”, they were decorating the five colors threads, and after being transmitted to Japan, they have been changed to strips to decorate Japanese poems (Waka). And from the Edo era when ordinary people spread to wishes and the “Milky Way” and other words and pictures wrote down on the strips, turning to hang them on bamboo leaves. Incidentally, Tanabata remains as a custom in China, Korea, Taiwan, etc., but only in Japan, writing a wish in a strip and hanging it on the bamboo leaf. I thought again that Japanese culture likes to write songs and write something.

There are also meanings for the five colors, and the color based on the Chinese Yin-Yang five-line theory is derived. The Yin-Yang five-line theory is that everything has two conflicting aspects of “yin and yang” and has five elements of “Tree / Fire / Earth / Gold / Water” which is the root of all of this world. The color applied to these five elements is “Blue / Red / Yellow / White / Black“, each of which has its own meaning.

There are many annual events in Japan, among them there are many people to participate in and there is a high awareness of Tanabata (The star festival) today. I did not know its origin which seemed to know but actually I did not know well, so I searched it.

– Ancient Japanese event “Tanabata”
– Chinese ancient events “Kikoden”
– Legend of Orihime and Hikabi (Orihime represents Vega, Hikoboshi represents Altair)

It seems these three stories combine and is connected to the present Tanabata.

Today, I would like to start with a riddle.

“What is me which disappears at the moment of calling my name, although it exists when it is quiet?”

I was surprised of the news of June 30, “The 42 th World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to the World Cultural Heritage of ‘Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region’ (Nagasaki, Kumamoto Prefecture) , the rare religious culture that continued faith in the Christianity repression of the Edo period was appreciated”. Because it was right after I wrote the blog “Movie ‘Silence’” on the 29th of the previous day!

Latency Christian related heritage is an asset group that shows the cultural tradition of hidden Christianity who secretly continued faith while harmoniously coexisting with existing religion and society under the Christianity prohibition of about 250 years in the 17th – 19th century. It consists of 12 assets such as Nagasaki prefecture mainland, Goto islands, Amakusa archipelago that keeps the scenery at the time, and “Ohoura Cathedral” (Nagasaki City) where latent Christian confessed faith to French Father after opening the country.

Today it is about Japanese world heritage, receiving this news!

A man who embodied Dandyism who decorates the cover of the magazine even after thirty years after his death, which is described as such “The man who wore jeans for the first time in Japan”, “Japan’s coolest man”, “The only Japanese who is obedient”, “Oily boy”, “Principle guy”, Jiro Shirasu. I went to his and his wife’s house (Buaiso) the other day.

In 1943, the couple moved and lived in “Buaiso”, naming it because of the desire to twist Jiro’s unique in addition to this land in the border of Musashi and Sagami.

After walking down from Tsurukawa station and walking for about 15 minutes, you will see a green covered mountain. “Buaiso” which has come to be ahead of the wide walking path. On the right hand side of the reception building, the Jiro’s favorite agricultural equipment is placed in the barn, the semi-outdoor area like a barn was renovated, it became a cafe, the atmosphere of the British such as a favorite car and a bar was good. In addition, the cafe & restaurant which renewed was also a mixed Western and Japanese atmosphere.

Today is June 30th. Half of the year passed in 2018. The remaining half of the year starts from tomorrow.

It is an event called “Nagoshi no Harae (Summer Purification Ceremony)” in Japan, that is done on such a day of separation. It is called “Kayano wa kuguri” to pass down the thatch ring created in the shrine and to reduce sin and impurity. Chigaya ring is a ring knitted with grass called Kaya. This is the event that thanks to appreciate being able to spend safely with excellence of the first half of this year, and pray for spending well the rest of the year. What is done at the end of June is “Summer Purification Ceremony”, and “Year end Purification Ceremony” at the end of December.

In the last blog I wrote about lost in translation (it is impossible to correctly transcode different cultures altogether and something will always be lost), today is about understanding and belief in cross cultural thought when I saw the movie “Silence”.

Original piece was written by Shusaku Endo, the movie director Martin Scorsese. It is a masterpiece that was translated in more than 20 countries and was finally made into a film after 28 years since Scorsese first read the original. Since it is 2 hours and 40 minutes, you also need physical fitness to watch, but I think there is a reasonable response.

I have not read the original and I do not know much about Christianity, perhaps my thoughts would change if I study the original and study Christianity more, but I write obliviously watching movies without various knowledge and information and write what I thought.

It is the continuation of the last “What kind of dream is Yumeji‘s dream?”

I introduce the impressive contents from the book “Takehisa Yume bi-art book collection” that summarizes Yumeji’s poems and essays, related to the exhibition “Takehisa Yumeji: Master of Japanese Modern Illustration” held at Tokyo Station Gallery until 7/1.

Last time I was talking about poetry, today I pick up “Yukata should wear casually” from the essay.

Many women appear in Yumeji’s paintings, most of them are wearing kimonos and yukata. As expressed in organic lines, the suppleness of kimono and the curvaceous beauty of the women imagined from it are very impressive, Yumeji seems to have been committed about dressing.

An extremely popular painter whose exhibition is held somewhere every year in Japan, Yumeji Takehisa. I have been to the exhibition “Takehisa Yumeji: Master of Japanese Modern Illustration” held at Tokyo Station Gallery now.

See you at Tokyo Station!

The exhibition consists of four sections. Section 1 is about Takehisa Yumeji (1884-1934) in his youth. Section 2 focuses on his work, such as publishing, printing and woodblocks. Section 3 explores in more detail his work connected with music and score sheets, and Section 4 covers such topics as the original artwork for his autobiographical novel Shuppan (Sailing Off), and publications by Ryuseikaku after Yumeji’s death.
(from TOKYO STATION GALLERY website)

As the title of this exhibition “Takehisa Yumeji: Master of Japanese Modern Illustration”, inside the hall the paintings of Taisho Romantics drawn by Yumeji were in full bloom. A thin, supple and colorful world is like a dream. In the Taisho Period when Western culture began to enter, Japanese and Western mixed up, love was enjoyed, popular culture blossomed. It is an era like a slumber, which is fascinated by the fleeting images of the shortness of only 15 years.

Yumeji was a perfect match to the atmosphere of the times, but today I would like to pay attention to Yumeji as a poet not as a painter.

I like the chief editor of “The Notebook of Living” Yataro Matsuura, and I read his books sometimes. Today I introduce one of his book “The keys of thinking”.

Thinking of “Why, What, What is it”.
The secrets of
Working rich,
Living politely.

Handbook on teaching by the chief editor of “The Notebook of Living”.