Harunobu's Lovers in the Snow

Harunobu Lovers in the Snow 

Something to enjoy on Winter Solstice Day

Wishing my followers Peace and Joy

Hokusai's Storm

#hokusai #storm #japaneseprint 

Good Impressions of this late print by Hokusai are hard to find. The hand coloring for that dark cloud effect seems to have so overwhelmed some of the inkers that they neglected the foreground and i've seen some impressions in which vice versa the clouds are light and the foreground is darker.

This print demonstrates #ukiyo-e print production was a team effort. You needed a good artist a good cutter and carver for the blocks and both an inker and a colorist with a firm but sensitive touch to finish the print.

When Meguro was a Green Hill 2 views by Hiroshige

#Hiroshige seems to have been like many #Edo residents fond of visiting #Meguro

#japaneseprints #landscapeprints

When Meguro was a Green Hill 

The building in the lower right corner is a teahouse. Nowadays I've read Meguro is more noted for coffee and laneways with small shops. 

Another view by Hiroshige. The river is still there though partly canalized and smaller. 

How things have changed over the years and centuries! 

There are other prints by Hiroshige and others on this theme. These seem to be 2 of the best?

Ochanomizu Two

#ochanomizu #edo #tokyo #japaneseprints

Once upon a time only a century and a few more decades Ochanomizu had NO tall buildings!

This is Hiroshige's view of it. Mid 19th century

A mid 20th century view.

How things have changed!

Ochanomizu One

#ochanomizu #japaneseprints #edo #tokyo #history #megalopolis #ukiyo-e

Thanks to the Japanese love of landscapes and the residents of Tokugawa Edo loving scenes of their own city we have many surviving images of Tokyo from the 18th century to this one as prints!

One locale loved by printmakers was #Ochanomizu in #Tokyo.

Your first thought may be

"Ochanomizu a railway station and maybe if you've been on a train going through that station you have briefly noticed the narrow stream below curving between high banks and taller buildings above.

This is Ochanomizu in late autumn / early winter as late as the middle 19th century as depicted by Kuniyoshi
.

Cold wet empty and obscured by drizzle

Kuniyoshi has probably removed some of the trees known to have grown along the banks and the footpaths and roads are hidden by the rain. The total absence of any human shows us what a dreary day it was and Kuniyoshi seems to have picked this subject to show off the skills of himself and his colorist in creating an effect very similar to an actual watercolor on paper or silk.

Next post more images of Ochanomizu in the past!

Sute-jo's Higurashi Haiku

#sute-jo #higurashi #haiku

SUTE-JO'S HIGURASHI HAIKU

This poetess become a nun in later life and was part of the Basho lineage of Haiku writers

Higurashi ya!

Sutete oite mo 

Kururu hi wa 

Oh higurashi 

Abandoned Left behind 

By the sun 

I have read but not experienced Higurashi singing mainly in the evening but sometimes in the morning or if the weather suddenly becomes overcast and cloudy. I have taken some liberties with the string of verbs in the middle shifting to the passive in English.

Sutete may be a pun on' Sute-jos name "abandoned wife"  

Oite is a shortened form of okite used when it was combined with other verbs?

Kururu is not kuru - come but an older literary form of kureru ! 

The last line could also be translated as darkens day 

This is the sort of haiku in which the Japanese is so compact and dense you have to make the lines longer or shorter in English. The closest I can get to the assonance of suteTE oiTE is aBandoned left Behind By ...

Higurashi Japanese Sculptures

#Japanese #Sculptures of Higurashi

Here's an actual #higurashi cicada and heres some 3d sculptures

I hope you've enjoyed this medley

Please check the archives for more collections of images based on themes also poetry translations!

What are Higurashi ?

#higurashi #japanesecicada #cicada  #utamaro #print #kachoga

SO WHAT IS A HIGURASHI
and how does it differ from #semi

The usual word for Cicada is Semi but there is another cicada species called #higurashi

This is Tanna Japonensis the cicada that sings at dawn or dusk or when the sky is overcast.
Its numbers and song peak in mid October. As well as featuring in various waka and haiku it is also the subject of one of Utamaro's Insects and Flowers series published to illustrate a book:

Although mentioned in many poems it doesn't seem to have been as popular as a theme for visual arts apart from some netsuke. I was surprised to find so few prints and this is the best of them.

Utamaro is best known for bijin beautiful women prints and he brings the same elegant style  to this depiction of plants and insects. 

Hagi no hana Waka

From the Man'yo shu MYS X:223

*hagi #waka #manyoshu

Hagi no hana            hagi flowers 

sakitaru nobe ni           blooming continously spreading   

Higurashi no                   while higurashi cicadas 

Naku naru naheni                are singing together with 

Aki no kaze fuku          the wind of autumn blowing 

word for word hagi = bush clover of flowers verb saku = taru suffix nobe spreading extending higurahi a kind of cicada that sings early morning or evening or when its overcast and cloudy
naku sing naru being naheni adverb aki autumn kaze wind fuku verb again

Courtesans and Bush Clover

Courtesans and Clover

There is a famous #haiku by #basho which is part of his most famous #haibun Oku no hosomichi - about his pilgrimage to the #Dewa regions and back again. It is often quoted out of context.

Hitotsu ya ni / yuujo mo netari / hagi to tsuki

one inn at courtesans even sleeping bush clover and moon

 lets turn that into something more poetic in English without changing the Japanese too much

Under one roof
Even the courtesans were still sleeping
Hagi and Bush Clover

Many commentators and translators take that as saying even the courtesans were still asleep although Basho was up or had gotten up looking at the Moonlight on Hagi bushes however some aspects of this scene they don't mention.

Perhaps this is pointed out in one of the many Japanese commentaries?

In the haibun this haiku comes at the end of a section in which Basho states he was in an inn near the Ichifuri Barrier on the main road to Kanazawa. He writes of trying to sleep and hearing 2 young women talking loudly in a front room along with an old man. Their conversation revealed they were yuujo - sexworkers from Niigata but Basho is not specific about their actual rank and if they were Oiran or Tayu. The women were talking about being on their way to visit the Shrine at Ise on the other side of the Island.

Although they talked about visiting Ise the next day they approached Basho who was dressed like a Buddhist priest for assistance.

Understandable that two women would seek company and protection on the main road but why were they not part of a pilgrim group or have a hired guard? Did pilgrim groups from Niigata refuse to accept sex workers? Had the women only recently bought out their contracts and been released from a brothel? Had they run away stealing some other women's travel documents? Were they taking the long journey to Ise hoping to find a nunnery as far away from their old lives as possible? The road from Niigata to Ise would have gone past many temples and shrines?

Or was Basho worried they had heard he was a famous poet and hoped to get money off him and were running a scam?

If they were former Oiran of high rank and skills they might have stayed awake to view the moon light on the bush clover or tried to use their knowledge of poetry to impress Basho?

Another possibility perhaps they were actually named Hagi and Tsuki ?

He did however advise them to wait for a larger group of travellers and proceed with them.

Perhaps a good idea as an elderly poet and his companion Sora might not have been much protection against bandits ?

If you are a student of Basho and Haiku do try to finish a copy of the whole haibun?

HAGI STYLIZED

#hagi #bushclover #japaneseart #japaneselacquer

I've seen Hagi - Bush Clover represented in a variety of stylized ways so here's what it actually looks like compared to its rendering in 3 different media

However on lacquer 

and on a print 

finally a painting 

The September theme is ...

September #Kigo

Which of the Seven Autumn Plant is draped over this Wild boars back?
Which plant tops the list and features in waka and haiku as far back as the Manyoshu ?

HAGI 

Hagi also known as Lespedeza and Bush Clover is the September theme !

Kawase Hasui's Lotus Pond

#KawaseHasui #Hasui #shinhanga #japaneseprints

Some people regard Hasui's works as sentimental or sweet or merely charming so I want to tell you a short story about him. His family at first willn't let him study art, Western or traditional, but he finally as an adult got training in both and went to work for a company that supported the #ShinHanga style.

During the Great Kanto Quake most of his sketch books and the wooden printing blocks for all the major series he had done so far were destroyed. Hundreds of images of pre Quake Tokyo and Japan lost!

What did he do?

He got new sketch books as soon as possible and created a new series from memory and observation.

His work once dismissed as catering for tourists and nostalgia is more popular now.

Toyohiro Summer Painting

#toyohiro #japanesepainting #summer 

For those of you enduring the northern hemisphere summer this is the right season to share Toyohiro's famous work:
Enjoying the Evening Cool Under a Trellis

The bottle is probably earthenware clay and perhaps full of sake?

Both of them seem to be glancing up at the sky maybe not admiring the white flowers but hoping to see signs of evening rain? 

Surimono Still life Shunman

#surimono #stilllife #ukiyo-e #japaneseprint #shunman #shumman

Here's a print by Shunman showing Lotus stems and Ginger plus a Lobster or Shrimp
All of which were edible but also had other cultural significance.

It seems very minimal and sketchy compared to the lust detailed still-lifes of European art but the limited color and detail on the plant stems seems to be a delibarate choice to emphasize the areas of greater detail and color. Visual wabi sabi ? Or even poetic elegance given the accompanying poems.

Another Bumping Sunday

People I'll in ...well on my bed cos I have to alternate short hobbles in an aircast boot with raising or at least supporting the weight of my right leg.
(Stable fracture of right distal fibula)
And I can't go outside cos the current weather is making my chronic bronchitis flare up
(Lots of windswept dust n pollen)
posts to this blog or my Patreon will be irregular so today I ask
Will you join me in bumping and sharing older posts  ?
Thank You

Harunobu Print

#Harunobu #print

Girls gathering waterlilies or water lotuses is a theme that appears in a variety of literature and art.
Here's Harunobu's treatment of the topic. Some Ukiyo-e artists depict a whole pond of lotus or just the plants and flowers but Harunobu balances both the human element of the girls in a boat with the simple beauty of the plants themselves. It is not an elaborately colored print but has a simple elegance that lets the lines work.

Take a good look at the composition too.The balance of horizationals and verticals.

 The contrast of straight stems with the round curve of leaves and sleeves and obi. 

Orange Technozi

You may remeber I blogged last year on #orange the fruit and the hanzi used to write the word.

I have a new RED BUBBLE design that I'ld appreciate your support of even if its just a RT or other share

Please consider a visit and do feedback? I want your comments as I'm currently (july 2019) stuck in or rather on bed with a bad ankle sprain ...

Hydrangea Medley - Japanese Art

Here's a Medley of the best #JapaneseArt #Hydrangea #ajisai Images I've found this month

An Ito Jakuchu Scroll painting (18th century)

with Hydrangeas as a prominent counterbalancing element to the foreground.

Hiroshige Ukiyo-E Print 

A Lacquer Box Lid 

Koson Shin Hanga Print

Hokusai Hydrangea and Swallows

Ajisai in Japanese Lacquer

#hydrangeas #ajisai #japaneselacquer

As its #hydrangea season in Japan I kept on hunting for images and found this beautiful example of Japanese lacquer from the Taisho era

Yes the Japanese lacquer masters studied exported Chinese lacquer using imbedded pieces of shell.

Here's a closeup

Enjoy ! 

More About SHIKIMI

#shikimi #staranise #japanesestaranise

Chinese Star Anise and Japanese Shikimi are 2 closely related plants of the same genus that seem to originated somewhere in Yunnan and been spread across the rest of  Asia by humans.

Shikimi however unlike Chinese star anise is ALERT toxic dangerous poisonous

Do not ingest it

It seems to have been planted around Buddhist temples shrines and graveyards as an insect and animal deterrent and because of its limited medicinal applications (experts only!) and the use of the leaves for making incense when dried and powdered and because of the lingering fragrance of its flowers and leaves made it popular as a plant for altars.

Do not confuse it with Chinese Star Anise which is called Ba Jiao and is perfectly safe 

If you're tempted to plant it for the fragrance and religious and cultural associations make sure people know its fruit and seeds are dangerous and INEDIBLE

While researching this nearly every site describing this plant mentioned stories of people confusing the two plants even in Asia and mixing them together.

Yes its that dangerous but I can see how those white flowers would appeal to the Japanese !

Next time back to Hydrangeas

Shikimi tsumu by Kojiju

Kojiju a Heian woman poet and courtier who became a non later in life wrote many #waka

This one was a response to a set theme of a Buddhist winter Retreat or Sanka written about 1200 AD

I was unable to find a kana or kanji version of the text even on wakanet  but I did have the romaji

Its SKKS 1666? or 4 The 2 texts I consulted for notes had mismatched numbers!

I have no idea what sort of Nun Kojiju was but given her a courtier perhaps Tendai ?

She may have looked like the woman wearing black and white at the back of the print?

Shikimi tsumu

yamaji no tsuyu ni

nurenikeri

akatsuki oki no

sumizome no sode


Shikimi also known as Jinko is Japanese star anise a plant that looks very similar to Chinese Star Anise but its fruit is toxic tho the leaves and branches are used for offerings and incense by the Japanese

I will provide more detail on this on the next post

tsumu gather pluck pick

yamaji mountain path and tsuyu dew

nure be wet soaked damp nikeri past action leading to present result

akatsuki oki no

she got up at dawn to do this but wait akatsuki can also refer to enlightment and can be written with a kanji that can also be read as satori and a further possibility is akatsuki meaning dirt attached or entirely dyed

sumizome no sode ink / black dyed sleeves of a nuns robes

so she got up at dawn and got her sleeves soaked wet not having a romantic affair or picking a branch of flowers to send with a note to a lover but to collect plants for an offering and while doing so may also have had a "dawning" or moment of clarity and insight?

Perhaps she's also gently chiding courtiers who wrote love poems with a reminder poetry can be used for other things?

Artwork as prints screensavers and poemcards inspired by this verse will be posted to my https://www.patreon.com/JVartNdesign soon

Japanese Hydrangea prints

#hydrangea #japaneseprints #Bairei

Some of the most beautiful hydrangea prints come from #ShinHanga artists.

Perhaps because of the new aniline dyes ?

Bairei chose white hydrangeas as a subject and uses the mass and size of the bloom as a focal point .

#Koson uses more blue and adds a bird for contrast and contrasts large with small for both flowers and leaves and likewise a strong contrast of dark and light tones.

Hokusai and Hydrangeas

#ajisai is the japanese naeme for #Hydrangeas and also a #june #kigo

Here's 2 prints by #Hokusai  featuring #hydrangeas

Note  that the Japanese don't seem to regard lighter colored hydrangeas as less attractive than the deep blue ones.

2 Shibata Zeshin works

Here's an example of the same master as a painter and a sculptor.

Both of these were parts of doors originally.

Notice the similar tones and use of grays without the grays being the least bit dull or "neutral"

the strong lines of branches sticks and grasses, solid blacks creating depth, and the simplicity of the subjects, poetic yet common, and ... and ... look if I was a multi-millionaire I'ld definitely be collecting Zeshin. 

Sea Ripples Screensavers Patreon posts and Poem Cards

#patreon #sea #umi #iris

This months themes for my Patreon posts were #sea #umi and #irises #iris

If you're not following me on Patreon you missed out on a screensaver version of this !

Yes I'm enlarging some the backgrounds I use for #haiga #poemcards into #screensaver size. 

Haiga on Patreon

I have been busy doing #digitalhaiga as screensavers as well as poem cards  for my Patreon
If you would like to see them
Some are free others are in a $1 reward tier
I hv birthday next week
Love to hv more pledges

Https://www.patreon.com/JVartndesign

Irises by Shibata Zeshin

#irises are one of the flowers for May in Japanese culture.

There are two very well known Rimpa style screen paintings of Irises but there are also #prints.

These two are 19th century works by #ShibataZeshin also famous for #lacquer and #painting

This first image is part of a set and is a comparison of Irises to Bamboo Shoots.

While this is a woodblock print the style is more like #nanga or #haiga 

This print 1878 also shows more the woodblock printmakers responded to the new aniline dyes as well as showing Shibata Zeshins brush and composition skills. 

Purple and green can sometimes look rather lurid together but the colorist who did the actual printing  has followed the painters sketch or instructions on a black ink sketch ( both methods seem to have been used) and used lighter greens to contrast with the rich deep blue violet of the flowers.

Omi Hakkei Lacquer Box

#omihakkei #japaneselacquer #lacquer
This is the only "Omi Hakkei" I could find using #lacquer as a medium. There may be others I'm unaware not available as images online.

The artist has suggested the snow capped mountains and the bridge using grey metal and included boats returning and a shoreline village plus the geese returning and the night rain shrine and the temple of the bells. I suspect the autumn moon over Ishiyama is on the outside of the lid not included in the photo.  An excellent and elegant balance of gold and grey on black.

2 Edo Hakkei by Toyohiro

#ukiyoe #japaneseprints

Harunobu and Hiroshige were not the only artists to do #EdoHakkei in response to the #OmiHakkei theme

Hiroshiges teacher #Toyohiro also did them!

This is Utagawa Toyohiros Ueno Temple Bell print

Note Toyohiro seems to prefer pinks and reds and less blues than Hiroshige

Sunset on Awazu became sunset at the Ryogoku bridge in the Edo Hakkei theme

The river is the Sumida

Early Omi Hakkei Prints

So you love #ukiyo-e ?
 You've heard of #omihakkei #hakkei and seen copies of the famous set by #hiroshige ?

Did you know he was not the first artist to do prints on that theme?

This is by Utagawa Toyoharu 

He's tried to fit all of the Hakkei onto one print and has rather distorted the proportions to include everything. The Ishiyamadera was further down the river that flows out from Lake Biwa and he has included an old castle that has since been destroyed tho a small park marks its site. Otsu ss shown as a village which is now a suburb of the modern city. Curiously though the the site of the moorings for the trade ships and barges is still a marina.

Other artists who dealt with the Hakkei theme often did so indirectly. Study the background in this Harunobu print. It is actually an Edo scene but refers to the Omi Hakkei tradition by depicting boats.

The tradition of comparing Edo scenes to those of the Omi Hakkei is also used by Hiroshige himslef in this print. Thats not geese returning to Katata. That's Umida !

Whereas this is Katata !