All Things Japanese – Page 39

Lacquerware

One of the most beautiful Japanese handicrafts – in my opinion at least – is lacquerware, also called shikki or urushi. Like maný things Japanese, lacquerware originally came from China, but once again, the Japanese have refined the techniques and raised them to new heights.

Lacquer is the filtered sap of the urushi tree, and as the midsummer sap is of the best quality, the tree is usually tapped between June and October, in a similar way as rubber or maple syrup is gathered: by making cuts into the tree’s bark at different places. A sign of quality is the amount of urushic acid in the sap (80 – 85 % is optimal), and the sap from different trees should be kept apart. Interestingly, liquid lacquer is very toxic and needs to be handled with care and safety clothing, but once hardened it is practically insoluble, and drinking from a lacquered cup for example is harmless.

Producing a lacquered object is relatively easy: A thick layer of lacquer is applied, left to dry – lacquer dries best in a somewhat damp environment between 20 and 26 degrees – and then polished. This process is repeated numerous times until the desired thickness of the lacquer has been reached; different types of lacquer require different periods of drying (from two days to one month), and different means of polishing (from simple whetstones to deerhorn powder). The complicated parts are the preparation of the object to be lacquered – the core – and the final ornamentations that may be applied at the end.

In principle, any material can be lacquered – metal, porcelain, ivory, etc., I once even saw a lacquered leaf – but the core of most lacquer work is wood. Clearly, the size of the object determines the type of wood that lies underneath, but for small, everyday things like bowls or boxes, a core made of cypress wood is most commonly used. When the core has been made, a single layer of lacquer is applied. After drying, channels and joints of the core are carefully covered with a mixture of lacquer, hemp, and rice starch, and then the piece is dried again. This layer is rubbed down to give a smooth surface, then another one of sabi, a mixture of lacquer and burnt clay, is applied. When this is dry, the piece is covered with cloth (hemp or linen) to prevent the wood from cracking. Again, several layers of sabi are applied on top of the cloth, dried and polished each time. Only after this procedure is finished, the “true” lacquering as described above will start.

Natural lacquer is transparent, but often coloured pigments are added, for example India ink or – traditionally – iron filings boiled with vinegar give black, silicate powder gives white, vermillion red, metallic powders give gold, silver, or copper tones. Coloured lacquer is used in lacquer carvings, for example. Numerous layers of – sometimes differently coloured – lacquer are applied to the core, and then an image is carved into the lacquer, showing the different colours.

Metal powder is also used in Maki-e, a kind of painting lacquer ornamentations, that has been developed in the Nara period (645 – 794). Essentially, a design is painted with lacquer onto the piece. The wet lacquer is then dusted or rubbed with coloured powder, and so, layer by layer, the final image is created. When the design is complete, a final layer of clear lacquer is applied to even out the surface, which is then polished.
Lacquerware remains an expensive artwork that takes a long time to create. Even if some steps can be automated with the help of machines (making the wooden core for example), the final decorations lie still in the hands of an artist.

Equinox

Today was a holiday, the Shunbun-No-Hi, the day of the vernal equinox that marks the beginning of spring. It is the equivalent to the Shubun-No-Hi in autumn, of which I have written here. As a national holiday, people are supposed to have the day off, but I noticed that some of the construction work in my area continued regardless. You probably only have a day off as a salaryman, office lady, or if you have your own business and can close when you like.

Anyway, the city did seem a bit more quiet today. Traditionally this is one of the days when you visit your family and your ancestor’s graves. I wonder how many people still do this though, there seem to be so many of those occasions. The day was a rather usual spring day: It started out cold and windy, and it rained until noon. Later it became a bit warmer, and in the afternoon I opened the window and lay in the sun for a while. I also did my laundry today and a bit of spring cleaning, just as it’s supposed to be. And now I am ready for the first big Japanese happening in spring:

Hanami – watching the cherry blossoms…

March Was Made of Yarn

March Was Made of Yarn
Various Authors

This book is a collection of writings by various Japanese authors on the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe.

My personal favourite is “lulu” by Shinji Ishii: Lulu is a little dog that sneaked into one of the numerous shelters for orphaned children that were established after the quake. In the night, she sees mysterious, ghost-like women, who, coming down amidst a shining light from the ceiling, comfort the sleeping children. All of them, except five, who seem too wrapped up in darkness for the women to notice. So, Lulu decides to comfort these children on her own, in the only way she knows – the way of a dog…

Another story I enjoyed, although it is much darker, is “Grandma’s Bible” by Natsuki Ikezawa, where a man called Kimura tells his story to a rescue team: Though born in Matsubetsu, he lives in Tokyo, but has an offer to move to Arizona for business, which he is going to accept. Wishing to travel light, he packs his most valuable belongings into a trunk and sends it to his brother, still in Matsubetsu, for safekeeping. However, during the scheduled delivery, the tsunami comes and wipes out the little village, and Kimura now feels obliged to stay…

Note that not all of the stories talk about the tsunami or have a direct connection to it. The book is simply a collection of stories expressing the writer’s feelings at that time; in Japanese many things are left unspoken. A part of the proceeds will go towards disaster relief in Japan.

Check out the book on amazon.

Full Japanese Menu

This complete Japanese menu has five dishes plus dessert, and except for the dessert which comes last, there is no strict order to the food. Japanese people take a nibble from here and there, according to their own tastes and preferences. The bitter gourd recipe is the only one that is not standard Japanese food, it’s from Okinawa and thus tastes different, well, bitter. Many Japanese enjoy Okinawan food, though, so it’s worth trying.

Main Ingredients
(4 people)

Chestnut Rice (kuri gohan)

– 80 g chestnuts
Peel the chestnuts and soak them in a bowl of slightly salted water.

– 200 g Japanese white rice
– 60 g sticky rice
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– twice as much water as rice (by volume)

Mix and wash the rice and put it into a rice cooker. Drain the chestnuts and put them on top of the rice. Do not mix them under yet. Add the water and salt, then cook the rice as usual
When the rice is cooked, mix the chestnuts into the rice.

Grilled Chicken Skewers with Vegetables (Yakitori)

– 400 g chicken thighs
– 2 spring onions
Cut the chicken into small cubes (3 cm side length) and the spring onions into 3 cm pieces.

– salt and pepper

Soy-based Sauce:
– 2 tablespoons of whole soybean sauce
– 3 tablespoons of sugar
Mix the soy sauce with the sugar.

Coat 300 g of the chicken with the soy-based sauce.
Thread the chicken and spring onions alternately onto bamboo skewers, thread the remaining chicken onto skewers and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill the skewers on a grill or open fire.

– 1 paprika
– 8 green peppers
– 8 shiitake mushrooms
Trill the vegetables (or fry them in a pan with oil) and garnish the skewers of meat.

Boiled Chrysanthemums With Radish (daikon no hana no oroshiae)

– 200 g daikon radish
Grate finely and drain from the resulting water.

– 2 blossoms edible chrysanthemums
Take the petals and boil them quickly, then put them in cold water and drain.

– 150 g cucumber
Slice thinly.

– 2 tablespoons baby sardines
Pour boiled water over them, then drain and let them cool.

Sweetened Vinegar as Dressing:
– 2 tablespoons of vinegar
– 2 tablespoons of sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
Mix together.

Mix all the above ingredients together and dress with the sweetened vinegar.

Stir-fried Okinawan Gourd and Tofu

– 1 bitter gourd
Cut in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and slice in 5 mm pieces.

– 1/2 pack deep-fried tofu
Cut into slices of about 8 mm.

– 1/2 tablespoon oil
– 1 tablespoon sugar
– 1 tablespoon miso

Fry the bitter gourds in oil. When they are softened, add the sugar and the miso. Towards the end, put in the tofu and fry for another minute or so.

Japanese Clear Soup (Dashi)

Dashi:
– 1 litre water
– 20 g dashi konbu (dried seaweed)
– 20 g katsuo bushi (dried bonito)
Put the konbu into the water and heat up. Just before the water starts boiling, remove the konbu and add the katsuo. Boil for one minute, reduce the heat and wait until the katsuo sinks. Strain the dashi through a wet cloth.

– 1/2 pack tofu
– 1/2 pack nameko mushrooms
– 1/2 pack daikon radish sprouts
– 1 tablespoon light colored soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon salt
– fragrant garnish (suikuchi)

Prepare the dashi, add salt and soy sauce. Place the tofu into the hot dashi and boil it. To serve, put the tofu, nameko, daikon, and suikuchi into a soup bowl and pour the dashi over it.

Potato Rice Cakes (Imo Mochi)

– 100 g sweet potatoes
– 1 rice cake
– 80 g red bean jam (anko)
– some kinako (soybean flour)

Peel the potatoes, cut them in 1 cm slices and put them in water to eliminate the bitter taste. Put the potatoes on a dish and cook them in the microwave for 5 minutes.
Water the rice cake and heat it in the microwave for 1 min.
Crush the boiled potatoes in a bowl and mix with the heated rice cake. Put the mixture into a bowl covered with kinako, and make four pieces.

Divide the anko into four pieces and wrap it with the potato mixture. Lightly sprinkle the finished rice cakes with kinako.

Exhibition

Last Monday, when I was wandering around Heian shrine taking pictures of unsuspecting young people in their wonderful kimono, all of a sudden a woman approached me and gave me a ticket for an art exhibition at the Kyoto Municipal Museum which is nearby Heian shrine. It came completely out of the blue, I was very surprised and thanked her with many arigatou’s and bows. I am not sure if she had given tickets to other people as well, but it was nice to have the foreigner bonus this time…

Anyway, as I had nothing better to do and needed to find a topic for yet another blog post, I went to the museum this afternoon, where the 45th Nitten Kyoto Exhibition takes place until Sunday. This exhibition is organised by the Japan Art Academy, an organisation that was founded in 1907 and is considered the highest ranking artistic organisation in Japan. The JAA, with its at most 120 members, elected for life, advises the Minister of Education and promotes art in general. There are three distinct categories: Music and Drama, Culture (essentially literature) and Fine Arts, the last being divided into Japanese and Western painting, sculpture, crafts, and calligraphy. 300 works of Fine Arts from Japanese artists travel around Japan in this exhibition and at the Nitten Kyoto Exhibition another 300 works from artists based in or around the Kyoto area are added. You can find all works of art that are exhibited on this Nitten page, you need to do quite some clicking to get to the pictures unfortunately.

I did not bring a watch with me, but it must have taken me close to two hours looking at all the art, and that although I did not go into the calligraphy section. Sadly, I don’t know what to look for in calligraphy beyond the meaning of the words – which is obscured by my lack of vocabulary. I can see that the writing is beautifully executed and certainly better than anything I could produce, but the finer details escape me.

I am a big fan of sculptures though, and although there was only one room dedicated to them, I spent quite some time there. The nude female body obviously still inspires many artists, but ultimately I found many of them comparatively static in posture and thus uninspiring. My favourite was this sculpture by Kuwayama Yoshiyuki, the angle of the photograph is not well chosen; the hands are holding a puppet in traditional Japanese dress, it is facing away from the camera, so it is hard to recognize.

The whole second floor of the museum was dedicated to paintings and crafts. I am not a huge fan of paintings (I like Dali though), but some of them struck a chord within me, and I bought a few postcards at the end. My most favourite piece of art from this exhibition however, is the following “painting” by Namiki Tsunenobu. Actually, it is not a painting, but a piece of exquisit lacquerware (urushi or shikki) with inlaid pieces of gold for the stream at the bottom and a golden moon on top. Once again, the photograph does not quite do it justice, the stream appears more golden than silver in reality. It is 162 x 112 cm large and of perfect craftsmanship, the black lacquer is flawless. It must be worth a fortune.

Omiai

Last Saturday, after our Soroban class in the Kyoto International House, our little group came across a flyer that was displayed there, and which caused quite some hilarity… It said, with a pretty heart on top:

Marriage Matchmaking in kokoka

Come and meet lots of people from diferent cultures at our fun and casual matchmaking at kokoka. We’re hosting this event for singles, Japanese and foreign alike, as an opportunity to meet in an exchange of language, culture, and friendship. We encourage you to leave your worries behind and open the door to a new future.

It is scheduled for the beginning of March, and in the best case there will be 100 people, half women, half men, all between 30 and 50 years old. Foreigners can live all over Japan, but the Japanese must be based in Kyoto. In four hours there will be a workshop (how to conduct a good marriage?), a quiz (what are you looking for in a partner for life?), games (grab our favourite now?), and a party – and you can be sure that everything will be finished on time. Although there are 15 companies sponsoring the event, you still have to pay 3000 YEN for admittance, but you’ll get snacks and drinks – it’s a party, remember.

What we found so funny about it was that it was so clearly targeting foreigners. Among Japanese, these kinds of meetings are quite common, especially in the age bracket mentioned. As a Japanese woman you are expected to be married by the age of 25, as a man you have five years more time. If they did not succeed in securing a husband or wife by that time, many people resort to matchmaking like the above.

These meetings are called O-miai, literally see-meeting. Omiai are strictly conducted for the purpose of finding a partner to marry, and their history dates back to the 16th century. There are many rules, and often the whole family on both parts is involved, and an additional go-between.

Anyway, I may write a more detailed post about this at a later stage, maybe after first hand experience? While I have to admit that I was intrigued, I will not attend the party – the application deadline had already passed by the time I made up my mind…

Seijin no hi

Today was a holiday, the seijin-no-hi, Coming of Age Day. In Japan, you become a legal adult at the age of 20, and seijin-no-hi celebrates all the young people who turned 20 in the last year. That this is a special day can even be deduced from the language: 20 years old is irregularly named hatachi instead of nijusai as would be normal.

All over Japan, there are official celebrations at government offices, and groups of youngsters dressed up in their best finery (i.e., kimono with sleeves to the ground for the girls and hakama and haori for the guys) can be spotted everywhere all day long. The young people are obviously having a blast, and the atmosphere is lighthearted, joyous, and festive, despite the low temperatures. The nice thing is, that they are all happy to have their pictures taken, and both Japanese and foreigners seek out the best places for a photo opportunity.

One part of the celebrations – besides official and family parties – is to go visit a shrine for a quick prayer. So, I went down to Heian shrine this afternoon to take some pictures of my own. I took more than 250 photos, even though I only stayed one hour until my fingers froze to the camera… Here are a few of my favourites:

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki are savoury Japanese pancakes, and there are probably as many recipes out there as there are people who cook them. Essentially, there are two styles: Osaka style – put all ingredients into the batter and fry them – and Hiroshima style – the ingredients are carefully cooked layer by layer. As I live in Kyoto, I will probably end up with more Osaka style recipes, but in the end, both are delicious anyway!

Okonomiyaki à laTokumura Sensei
(for 15 pieces)

– 250 g flour (ideally one half wheat flour and one half okonomiyaki flour)
– 250 ml water
– 3 eggs
– 2 teaspoons of salt
Mix together to a batter with a somewhat liquid consistency.

– 1/2 cabbage
Cut into pieces of roughly 1×1 cm; omit the hardest part of the stem.

– 150 g of sliced raw pork (some fat is good, think bacon)
Cut into pieces of roughly 3×3 cm and fry them in olive oil with salt and pepper.

– 150 g of raw shrimp
Wash and clean the shrimp, remove shells, heads, and guts.

Add the cabbage, fried pork and shrimp to the batter and mix thoroughly.
Grease a pan with olive oil and let it get hot- put a ladle full of okonomiyaki mixture into the pan, flatten it a little and fry it like a pancake from both sides until it is done. It takes about 10 minutes for one piece that is 1 cm thick and 10 cm in diameter.
Serve with special okonomiyaki sauce and dried tuna flakes (traditional) and/or mayonnaise and parsley (optional).

Japanese New Year Traditions

In Japan, the New Year is the most important holiday. It is celebrated with efforts the West reserves for Christmas. There are lots of routines, rituals, and traditions surrounding New Year’s in Japan, so I will focus on the two things I did myself this time.

Joya-no-Kane
Like in Austria, where the large bell of the Stephansdom in Vienna rings in the New Year, temple bells play an important role in Japanese New Year’s Eve. In a ceremony called joya-no-kane, Buddhist temples all over the country ring their large bronze bells. It depends on the temple how formally this is done; for example in Kyoto’s Chion-in, one of the most famous spots for the ceremony, the bell is rung exclusively by the monks of the temple, whereas in many smaller temples, even normal people can ring the bell. In any case, the bell is struck 108 times at New Year’s Eve – once for each of man’s earthly desires which, according to Buddhism, cause suffering. Each time the bell is rung, one desire is eliminated from those who listen, so they can start the New Year with a clean slate.

A Buddhist temple bell is a huge affair, the one in Chion in being 3.3 metres high, 2,7 metres in diameter, and 70 tons heavy. It is rung – or rather, struck – from the outside with a large wood beam, and it takes 17 people to do so. The sound of such a temple bell is very loud and deep, it carries a long way and when you are close enough, it resonates deep within your body. Only when the tone has completely stopped, the bell is struck again – so, the larger the bell, the longer the joya-no-kane will take. The starting time depends on the temple. In Chion-in it is timed so that the 108th strike happens in the New Year. Other temples have different rules. This time, I could year temple bells from around 11 pm to 1:30 am approximately.

Hatsumode
Once the joya-no-kane is over, it is time for your hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year. People go and make their first prayers, buy new Omamori charms of various types (from general luck charms to getting married and easy delivery), and buy O-mikuji, their “personal” fortunes for the New Year. Those fortunes are either paper strips directly pulled out of a jar, or you draw a piece of wood with a number on it in exchange for the fortune strip. There are both luck and curse fortunes of various degrees, and a neutral one. No matter which one you draw, it is best to leave it at the shrine, tied to a pine tree if possible. A curse will stay at the shrine and wait for your return, and a good luck will multiply for you at the shrine. Especially now this is popular, I have never seen such masses of O-mikuji tied to twigs around shrines…

In Kyoto, the most popular shrines for hatsumode are Yasaka jinja, Heian jingu, and Fushimi-inari Taisha. As you should perform your hatsumode as soon as possible after New Year, these places are packed with people. I have heard that Fushimi-Inari alone drew 2.5 million visitors in the first three days of this New Year…

My New Year? I went with my housemates to Shinyodo temple where we were allowed to ring the temple bell. I did not count, but we must have been cleansing ourselves of desire #35 or somesuch, hopefully something serious. After having some of the hot tea served there by the monks (it was freezing…) we went to Yoshida shrine for our hatsumode. I did not buy a charm, but I prayed for a new job – you’ll never know. Anyway, as fireworks are forbidden in Kyoto, the New Year came very quietly, without making a huge entrance like in the West. I liked it, it very much matches my own style…

Kinkaku-ji

The Golden Pavillion Temple Kinkaku-ji is the most striking of all the famous sights in Kyoto and should be on the very top of your must-see list when coming here. The Golden Pavillion is the main building of a zen temple – officially known as Rokuon-ji, Deer Garden temple – in Northern Kyoto and it is golden indeed: The two top floors of the three story building which stands in a large lake with several islands are covered in gold leaf on laquer and a golden phoenix crowns the centre of the roof. If you look closely you may notice that each floor is representative of a different architectural style: The ground floor is typical of the Heian period style palace buildings called shinden, the first floor is a guilded version of the bukke style of samurai residences, and the top floor – covered in gold leaf in- and outside – is built in the style of a Chinese zen hall. The pavillion houses Buddha statues and similar relics, but it is not open to the public.

The pavillion and the garden date back to the late 14th century, when the third shogun of the Muramachi period, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, bought the property from another statesman and built his own villa there. After his death, according to his wishes, the whole estate was turned into a Buddhist temple. The golden pavillion is the only “original” structure left from that period; I use the quotes because the building has burnt down and been restored several times in its history, the last time it was destroyed by arson in 1950 and rebuilt five years later. Below are the old abbot’s quarters, with beautiful screen paintings – but it’s not open to the public either.

The large garden surrounding Kinkaku-ji is truly original though, and considered an especially fine example of garden design from the Muromachi period. The garden was meant to represent the pure land of Buddha in this world. The pavillion lies in a pond with ten small islands, and on a clear day the impression of the golden building is heightened by its reflection in the water.

The one-way path leads you along the pond to the back of the pavillion and from there into the garden, where a number of little springs can be seen and several places where people throw coins for luck. The second floor of the garden on top of the hill contains another little pond called Anmintaku that allegedly never dries up, and the Sekkatei, an Edo-period tea house that has been specifically built to enjoy the view on Kinkaku-ji during the afternoon – the best hours to view it.