MWW Artwork of the Day (3/27/16) Shin'ichi Suzuki (Japanese, 1835–1919) Actor in Samurai Armor (c. 1872-76) Albumen silver print from glass negative, 24.6 x 18.9 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Gilman Collection)
Adventurous Westerners like Felice Beato and Baron Raimund von Stillfried-Rathenitz brought photographic technique to Japan in the 1860s and by the next decade there were dozens of Japanese practicing the new art. Suzuki Shin'ichi I – not to be confused with a younger photographer with the same name – was one of them. He began his working career in his family’s sericulture business, but on trips to Yokohama fell in love with the new magic of picture-making and enrolled himself as an apprentice at the Yokohama photographic studio of Shimooka Renjo in 1867. In 1872–1873 he was commissioned by J. R. Black, publisher of “The Far East,” to produce a photographic series documenting rural life, images of which continued to appear in his albums until the 1880s. In November 1873 Suzuki set up his own studio, producing portraits and souvenir albums. In 1884 he moved to a newly-built, western-style two-storey studio. A branch studio was opened in Kudanzaka, Tokyo and operated by his son-in-law, Suzuki II. Suzuki’s photographs were highly acclaimed and he won an award for them in 1877, and in 1889 he and Maruki Riyo were commissioned to photograph Emperor Meiji and his wife. Purchasers of his works were mostly foreign residents and visitors, and in addition to sales from his own studio, Suzuki’s photographs were distributed by Sargent, Farsari & Co. His studio was advertised as early as 1880, in Keeling’s Guide to Japan, and subsequently in the Japan Directory until 1908, offering daguerreotypes, photographs (including large format hand-coloured albumen prints), and Suzuki’s innovation of photographs printed on porcelain, the latter selling for 12 yen each. Suzuki Shin'ichi retired in 1892 and died in December 1918 at the age of 83.
Suzuki’s pictures reveal a country moving toward Westernization in the decades after Commodore Perry’s black ships stormed into Yokohama Bay. Whereas Beato’s samurai was a warrior who exuded the pride and disciplined ferocity of his caste, this samurai here is actually an actor. He wears the martial trappings of a feudal class abolished in the early years of the Meiji Restoration. Following Beato’s practice of coloring photographs to please local taste, Suzuki had the image heavily tinted, probably by a painter attached to the photographic studio solely for that purpose.
The picture is one of a group of forty-eight images that offer a rather conventional sampling of Japanese characters and genre scenes by various photographers. Roughly captioned in English, they were inserted into an elegant album of Chinese photographs captioned in French.
(adapted from several sources)
* This is one of a series of photographs from the 19th c. – all of great historical interest – that are included in the MWW “Camera Eye” Special Collection. Some of the commentaries for these pictures contain information about the early history and development of photography.
Experience Maiko Entertainment At Yasaka-Dori Enraku In Kyoto
This restaurant offers a fun and uniquely Kyoto experience. You can be entertained by a maiko girl, chat with her in person, and can even take pictures together!
Hidarugami [ヒダル神] (sometimes referred to as Daru [ダル] or Dari [ダリ]) is a type of entity called Yukiai/Ikiai-gami [行逢神] that roams around mountain paths and plateau mostly recorded in Western Japan ①. Encountering this entity is said to cause the victim (both human and animal) to suddenly experience extreme hunger and exhaustion which may at times lead to the subject’s termination ②.
In Wakayama Prefecture, Hidarugami is said to the wraiths of people who died from starvation that frequently appear on the archaic paths of Kumano-kodō [熊野古道] (below) leading to the Grand Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture, but the way to repel them is rather easy where possessed travellers may eat a single grain of rice or trace the Kanji character of rice (米) on the palm of their hand with their finger tip then lick it in order to get away from them ③.
While in Uda Dist. [宇陀郡] (Nara Prefecture), there were few check points on a path marked by venerative statues established in 1863 where Hidarugami are said to possess anyone who walks on it without carrying any food or on an empty stomach ④.
Though in most places such as Kōchi, Nagasaki, and Kagoshima Prefecture, there are deities called Shibaori-sama [柴折様] (like this Shibaori-jizō [柴折り地蔵] below within Mt. Yuzuruha [諭鶴羽山] in Hyōgo Prefecture) who guards entrances of mountain paths that protects travellers from Hidarugami if the travellers leave a branch from a thicket or green grass as votive offerings ⑤.
(sources):
1. “Nihon-wo-shiru-shōjiten” [日本を知る小事典] (1980) by Tatehiko Ōshima [大島 建彦] (1932-present)
2. “Yōkai-jiten” [妖怪事典] (2000) by Kenji Murakami [村上 健司] (1968-present)
JLPT Level: Unlisted, but the kanji are N1 and N3 respectively.
Alright, this is a pretty interesting word that’s seen some changes in meaning and usage over the centuries.
滅
On-yomi: metsu
Kun-yomi: horo.biru, horo.bu, horo,bosu
Meaning: destroy, ruin, overthrow, perish
法
On-yomi: hou, ha, ho, furan
Kun-yomi: nori
Meaning: method, law, rule, principle, model, system
If we put the two together, we get “The Law of Destruction,” which could be a pretty rad metal song.
Originally, this was a Buddhist term used to refer to…something too hard for me to wrap my pea brain around haha. Really trying to remember everything I learned in that one Buddhist Philosophy course I took in uni back in the day.
Okay okay. Basically, all things in existence are divided into two categories:
Conditioned existence (a.k.a. things created by fate). This is known as saṃskṛta in Sanskrit.
Those that have transcended conditioned existence. This is known as asaṃskṛta in Sanskrit.
Meppou is the old Japanese Buddhist term for “things that have transcended conditioned existence.” This can mean that a thing has reached Nirvana, something that is “absolute.”
From that meaning, meppou came to mean something “extraordinary” or “terrible and intense” like a historic typhoon.
Most of the time, meppou is used in the phrase 滅法強い meppou tsuyoi, “terribly powerful.”
Okay. I knew going in that this kanji wasn’t going to have a very cheerful etymology because of its meaning, but it’s way, way darker than I had imagined. Brace yourselves for some pretty morbid stuff.
嘆 is made of two parts: 口 (mouth) and 漢 without the ⺡. Generally, 漢 represents “China.” But not in this kanji. Ohhhhh no. Strap yourselves in.
In ancient Japan, many different sacrifices were made to different gods, and when there were famines due to drought, miko (Shinto shrine priestesses) were burned alive as human sacrifices.
The 漢 part of this kanji represents 旱魃 Kanbatsu, which can mean either “drought” or “the God of Drought.”
So if you put mouth 口 and the God of Drought 漢 without the ⺡together, you get, “a cry to the God of Drought.”
Nowadays, I would say that almost no Japanese people know about the dark rituals this kanji alludes to. This word is used most often for grieving or mourning, though, so there is still a connection to death.
It’s Obon here in Kyoto, ancestors’ homecoming (or somewhat sober Halloween?). Obon is one of the two important events for Japanese in a year (the other is new year celebration), which often leads to family reunion for the living, too.
In Kyoto, people invite their ancestors’ spirits into home in the evening of August 12 with “muka'e'bi [moo-kah-eh-bee]” (literally meaning “inviting/welcoming fire”), and send ancestors back to the next world at the night of August 16 with “Gozan Okuribi [oh-coo-ree-bee]”, (“bonfires on five mountains for sending ancestors back”), according to lunar calendar. For Obon, people clean up their family graves beforehand, and confort and offer their hospitality to ancestors such as with foods and pray with monk’s sutras at home.
To invite ancestors, we do a little ritual “muka'e'bi” at home: burn dry hemp stems in front of the house, fire three stick incenses, and set it at the family’s Buddhist altar. Ancestors’ spirits are believed to “ride on” the special smoke of the incense, come into the house, and settle at the family’s Buddhist altar in a denser or more concrete form than usual (I’m not died and don’t know how it is actually, though).
We serve “omuka'e somen”, or “welcome somen noodle (angel-hair udon, so to speak)” for the first night. While Obon, vegetables and fruits, Chinese lantern plant, water on a lotus leaf with a sprig of Koya prodocarp (“Koya maki”/高野槙), mochi and/or dango (sweet dumplings), and sugar starch snacks (“rakugan”) are also displayed. Vegetarian dishes and steamed rice are served everyday until they leave. The dishes served are kept in the fridge and taken to the temple a family belongs to with other vegetables just when Obon ends (to send the foods with ancestors’ spirits precisely, or if you eat them, it’s believed you would get ill. Dishes and vegetables served during Obon are simply for the repose of the dead).
Since the Obon customs differ by region and denomination, I totally don’t know other styles. No “Bon dance” or “summer festival” is held in my neighborhood. No making horse and ox figures with vegetables and toothpicks. I’ve seen them only on TV. The case explained above is only of a certain family in Kyoto.
By the way, what about spirits who don’t have any descendants? …It’s said no home to go and loitering here and there. So people give a little service for the benefit of suffering spirits as well as avoid going to sea or river in fear of evil spirits during Obon.
The five-colored-rope bracelet which was given at Hasedera temple in Nara for the occasion of Eleven-face Kannon (a Bodhisattva) special viewing (usually hidden). I have not known what to do with the rugged, easily slackening rope loop, showing a tie to the humongous Kannon, but recently found that Hasedera introduces with footage untying and remaking to agemaki-musubi (a decorative rope work with supernatural intention) for a talisman.
As I went into agemaki knotting, I knew it’s been used for quite a long time (since the tumultuous period—the mid-third century to the seventh century) and there two types exist: hito-gata (人型) to protect against evils and dangers, and iri-gata (入型) to invite good luck and happiness (the 人 and 入 kanji letters are according to how two sides crossing of the knot looks like. 型 means shape). Whereas hito-gata is often used for samurai’s helmets and armors (protection), iri-gata is used for bridal costume and furnishings (happiness). I also found Hasedera’s footage showed hito-gata (against evil), though shrines use iri-gata (good luck), so it turns out shrine and temple are using opposite-direction knotting—I don’t know what it means.
I just simply followed Hasedera’s iri-gata knotting (protection) since the rope should be connected to Buddha, not god (kami). Then I removed silk scarf from my Coach bag and tied the rope to the handle. …Pretty stands out unexpectedly. I could even say traditional something of Spain or Italy (something’s what?).
Anyway, the five-colored-rope bracelet is effectively utilized and now I’m protected. Great.
