Japan and the Sea / Acquatic Life and Folk Lore in Japanese Art
The waters that surround the islands of Japan and flow from its mountain ranges to form rivers and lakes, host animal life that have sustained humans since prehistoric times. In Japan, Ocean Day, (...
The fox-like Tanuki, (Japanese raccoon dog), appears often in Japanese folklore, and are real animals with a reputation for mischief and magic, known as masters of illusion. The Tanuki does have a...
Kaeru / Japanese Creation of Myth
Frogs have been represented for centuries in a variety of cultures as unique symbols, playing important roles in myth, folklore, fairytales, drawings, paintings, and sculptures. In Japan, the frog,...
Japan's Antique Segemono Paraphernalia / Fashionable Smoking Implements
It is not clear when tobacco was first introduced to Japan, but soon after the arrival, the custom of smoking seems to have spread quickly throughout the country. Kyoto planted tobacco seeds and in...
Japanese Miniatures / Tiny Goodwill Ambassadors
The Japanese have always understood “crafts” or “applied art”, particularly as related to miniature carvings and three-dimensional forms in the areas of ceramics, metalwork, textiles, woodwork, lac...
The Japanese Folklore about the Rabbit and Its Relationship to the Moon According to legend, an old man who lived on the moon decided to visit Earth. A group of animals saw what they thought was ...
Maneki Neko / The Japanese Beckoning Cat
There has been an increase recently in Japan in the number of people who have cats and their related items. It is said to be a boom for collectors of this type of craft. However, way before this re...
The Craft of the Japanese Bako / A Box Needs a Purpose
The Box Firstly, in Japan, the box carries great importance, and is treasured and not to be thrown away. Wrapping and boxing in Japan is a very serious business. The box for most artwork is a work ...
The Scholar’s Calligraphy Tools / Brush Pot, Brush Washer, Inkstone, and Brush
Historically, most of the Japanese scholars, who were highly educated male calligraphers, practiced the art of ink painting, an early form of brush painting that only used black ink in different co...
Chinese Shiwan Art Pottery / Folklore and Artistry
Importance and Poetic Appreciation Chinese Shiwan Ware Shiwan Art Pottery, also known as Shekwan ware, is an important part of the Chinese traditional culture. Ceramic wares have a long history ...
Kogo / Incense Containers Open the Atmospheric Paths of Creativity & Socialization
Kogo is a Buddhist tea and altar accessory, refers to a small, lidded container for incense, which is placed in the Kogo before making tea, in order to burn incense in a hearth when preparing the ...
Buddhist Monk Craftsmen / In Service of the Temple
Monks not only preside over the important events in a person's life but work to support the temple for which they are associated. Since the earliest times of Buddhism, the Buddhist monk has played...
Japanese Traditional Metalwork / Artisans & Craftsmanship
Specialist craftsmen of Japan started to create their own appreciation of materials and objects, honing and perfecting the already traditions of Folk Art which were started by common people in the...
Japanese Tree Root and Bamboo Carving / Flower, Ikebana, Aesthetic Sculpture Tree
Tree Root and Bamboo carving is a traditional art in Japan, and has a long history among the Folk Art carvers and practitioners specifically focused on supporting Ikebana, displays of precious art...
The Japanese Farm Family / Mother, Oshin & Child
How parents raise their children is one of the main ways that culture and tradition are conveyed from generation to generation. When we generalize and say that the Japanese act a particular way, w...
Japanese Folk Arts, Symbolism, and Society
Japanese society, and particularly women and the older population, has been represented in sculpture throughout Japanese history. Depiction of religious traditions and attitudes about all age leve...
O-Choko / Overview of Traditional Sake Vessels
Overview of Sake Sake is a traditional alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. Sake is a traditional alcoholic beverage in Japan. Sake is a staple food in Japan and an integral part of the J...
Lacquerwork / An Important Intangible Ancient Art
Throughout Japan, woodworkers produce beautiful lacquerware pieces, which include some of the most prized utilitarian and decorative objects coveted by the Japanese people. The Japanese are known ...
Daruma and the Kodama Tree Spirits / Tears of the Forest
The historical Bodhidharma was an Indian sage who lived sometime in the fifth or sixth century AD. He is the undisputed founder of Zen Buddhism, and is credited with the Ch'an Buddhism introduced...
Kirigami — Origami / Japanese Paper and Art Fabrication
The Japanese art, or technique, of cutting and folding paper into objects or designs is said to have developed with the invention of Tesuki Washi paper, brought to Japan by Doncho, a Buddhist monk...
Illumination of the Minka / Hands of Light
Japanese Mingei (folk art) tradition is embodied in the objects the people used to illuminate their dwellings, gardens, and public spaces. The lights are simple and elegant, and provide an importan...
Ukiyo-e / Interpretations of Beautiful Women
Until the eighteenth century, woodblock printing remained primarily a convenient method of reproducing written texts and disseminating Buddhist scriptures. The designer and painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu...
Rakugo / Story Teller Figurines | Hakuin & Otafuku
Stories are told throughout the world as a way for people and communities to communicate. Words of warning, morals, lessons, and most importantly, entertainment, have been spread through the art of...
Sosaku Kokeshi / Artistry Embodied in Wood
The art of Sosaku, (Creative), and modern Kokeshi doll making began in the early 1940s, grew and flourished in the 1950s, and well into the 70s. This 30+ year period produced the greatest, most end...