Art Masters Who Inspire (1): Ito Jakuchū (伊藤若冲）

My first art master to write about is Ito Jakuchū(1716-1800). His work is a source of inspiration for many artists in Japan, including myself for his meticulously detailed and vivid-colored paintings.

Ito Jakuchū is well-known for his 30-scroll series of classical paintings called “Colorful Realm of Living Beings”(動植綵絵, doushoku-saie) created over a span of some 10 years (1757-1766). These scroll paintings on silk are one of Japan's most renowned cultural treasures, present a range of natural world subjects- chickens, butterflies, insects, flowers, birds and plants.

⏪ (In the" Roosters" (群鶏図, Gunkei-zu), Jakuchū painted different shades of lights and layers making the roosters in their surrounding taking on a life)

Notably, Jakuchū's popularity has soared in recent years in Japan, a powerful “Jakuchū boom”, with wide media coverage and a long waiting queue to more than 2 hours at exhibition halls. More than 14,000 visitors per day come to see his extraordinary works

A study of the pigmentation has found that he layered one color on top of another after each drying and added a sub-layer of color on the back of the silk to give it a spatial depth. He also experimented with mineral and vegetal pigments to achieve different grades of opacity and transparency. His innovative and experimental style was influenced by direct observation of nature and patterns and designs of Kyoto textiles while study Zen Buddhism and Chinese painting in 1755.

The “Colorful Realm” is now with the Museum of the Imperial Collection, Tokyo.  They were first donated to Shoukokuji, a major Zen monastery in Kyoto. Another of his famous 3-set hanging scrolls, “ Sayamuni Triptych" (釈迦三尊図 ) is exhibited at Shoukokuji. You may recognize this famous piece of art “Birds and Animals in the Flower Garden” (鳥獣花木図屏風, Choujuukaboku-zu byoubu) from the Price Collection in Los Angeles along with several other collections that had crossed Pacific Ocean.

 

 It depicts a white elephant and a number of other animals in a garden. But a closer look shows the precision work on each grid of 1 cm square shape he had created in the pair of six-folded screen.

 

Year 2016 celebrates the 300th anniversary of his birth. If you have a chance to be in either Tokyo or Kyoto, be sure to look out for an exhibition work of his paintings worth an awesome visit.

 

Why are Japanese toilets so high-tech?

As we use the lavatory several times a day, a great deal of attention is given to technologies that make toilets clean. To the Japanese, to be “cleaned” means “hygienically cleaned”, that is, guarding oneself against infection or disease, and this must first come from keeping the hands and lavatory “clean”.

The age of high-tech toilets in Japan started in 1980. Since then, the country has been replacing regular flush toilets with modern style washlets, providing users a wide variety of functions like bidet heated seats, nozzles (warm water jets) and flushing at the touch of a button, and even some seats and lids can be raised and lowered automatically. Recent years have seen the appearance of antibacterial toilet seats and toilets that consume very little water, not to mention, eco-friendly customized toilets catering to the needs the graying society and the blinds.

In the crowded living conditions of Japanese cities, the toilet is one of the few rooms in the house that allows for privacy. As most houses lack central heating, the little space heating on the toilet seat can be quite comfortable and enjoyable to sit on. Some toilet rooms are filled with character goods, pictures and fans’ posters, others are equipped with shelves for books or newspaper reading.

The toilet is not only a place to relief yourself. With technologies, toilets not only make our lives more comfortable but play an important role in maintaining personal and conserving environmental health.

Shichi-Go-San (七五三）

Shichi-Go-San is a celebration for children from late October to mid-November. It is said to have originated in the Heian period amongst court nobles who would celebrate the passage of their children into middle childhood. Shichi-go-san literally means “seven, five three”, the age of children who are blessed on this day.  It is believed that children are given the gift of language at the age of three, intelligence at five, and teeth at seven. The 15th of the month was chosen for the celebration in the old days because the sum of the three numbers, 15 is regarded as having strong power to repel evil spirits. It’s not difficult to imagine parents’ joy at celebrating the growth of their kids when children’s mortality rate was high.

During the 18th century, children, up to age of three, who were required by custom to have shaved head were allowed to grow their hair. Boys of age five could wear hakama (袴）for the first time, while girls of age seven replaced the hifu (被布ーvest cover) and simple cords they used to tie their kimono at age three with the traditional obi, a shigoki (しごき帯) cloth covering part of the obi tied with a ribbon knot behind and a hakoseko（箱せこ）purse tugged under her chest. This is a day for children to get a sense of their own growth.

Chitose Ame (千歳飴) literally means “thousand year candy” is given to children on this day. It is a long, thin, red and white candy, which symbolizes healthy, growth and longevity. It is given in a bag decorated with a crane and turtle which represent long life

The tradition hasn't changed much since the Meiji period. While the ritual regarding hair has been discarded, these days, modern ritual of dressing up in kimonos, visiting a shrine, photo-taking session and family dining are still common practices.