Woodblock Print

Shoji Sanpo-in Kyoto
by: Kiyoshi Saito

Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997) is a famous print maker and one of the first Japanese print makers to be awarded for his work. Much of his earlier work depicts the populace with a great deal of realism and three-dimensionality. It is interesting that his more "mature" and famous pieces resort to two-dimensional designs of Architecture with a combination of Japanese tradition.

He shows this sense of tradition in the work above titled "Shoji Sanpo-in Kyoto". As the name implies, it is a depiction of the temple Sanpoin located in the hills of Kyoto. The temple was destroyed in a fire but in 1598, one of Japan's key historical figures, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, sought its reconstruction. The temple now houses important paintings and a garden supposedly designed by Hideyoshi himself.

The above work is so reduced from three-dimensional that it relies mostly on geometrical shapes. The flatness of this image provides a modern abstractness that really allows its viewers to interpret it in numerous ways. This is a level of openness not found in more realistic three-dimensional images. Like other two-dimensional prints it is incapable of presenting depth. However, the illusion of depth is presented by the combination of smaller shapes put side by side. This is seen between the relation of walls in the "background" (term used loosely). The walls vary in the length creating the illusion of one is set further back than the other (depth). An interesting feature of this print is that what appears to be a rock garden that is depicted through the use of a heavy wood grain that Kiyoshi Saito left on the print.

Ukiyo-e

"Lady and Her Attendant Reading, Blossoming Tree"
by: Utagawa Kuniyoshi

First of all, this print is in pretty bad shape. The entire print is has become discolored with a heavy brown tint and appears to have stains in several places. It has severely crumpled and torn edges. The condition it is in now suggests it was handled extensively; probably bought for someone’s collection. The lines in the print vary in thickness but they remain relatively sharp. You can tell by how sharp the lines get by looking at the hairlines of the ladies in the photo. The colors have faded a great deal but Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s skill is still evident in this print. The patterns on the clothes of the women are incredible, especially in comparison to the women’s unimaginative faces. It is hard to tell in the image but in the background you can make out what looks to be a gust of wind. This effect looks to be an element of texture rather than paint or ink.

This print is fairly hard to analyze without knowing the narrative. The blooming cherry blossoms in the background add a lot of appeal to the print. They also suggest warmer weather. It is a simple image. At first glance it appears to be just a woman, possibly a servant reading to another woman. These two women, besides their dress, are completely identical. I believed that the image showed a focus on these two women. The women and their attire remind me of “The Tale of Genji” and the extravagant court life found within its pages. However, the standing woman’s outstretched arm was quite peculiar. Without knowing the narrative I focused a lot on the posture of the two women and what it could suggest. The standing women appeared, to me, as a religious figure. Her open hand hovering above the head of the woman kneeling before her suggests that she is possibly blessing the other. This interpretation I have of the image is shattered by the posture of the other woman. She is not even on one knee. She is still on her feet with her knees bent. Even though I am not able to interpret this image further without knowing the narrative, I am still sensing something from the woman’s outstretched arm and open hand. It looks as if she is reaching for something… or someone?

This print is actually an illustration of a poem by Fujiwara no Michimasu. His poem is titled "Now that my love must die" and is number 63 in the Hyakunin Isshu (a collection of a 100 Japanese poems).

“Now that my love must die” by: Fujiwaru no Michimasu

Now that

My love must die

I just wish

I could tell you

Without a messenger

It turns out that the poet was seeing a princess in secret. The Princess was in charge of a shrine. Because of her relation with the shrine, she was supposed to be celibate. This obviously angered the Emperor a great deal when he found out and as punishment she was put under the surveillance of female guardians and was no longer able to see the poet. The poet wrote to the princess stating that he accepts the Emperor’s decision but he wishes he could express his feelings in person.

The narrative really puts the print into perspective. It explains the outstretched hand that I was trying to analyze. It also makes me believe that the focus of the print is not the women (and their blank faces) but rather the hand. She is reaching towards the words of her lover or more frankly her lover, this time in the medium of one of her female guardians. It is pretty peculiar how Utagawa Kuniyoshi is able to present these emotions through the gesture of a single hand.

Kajima Seizaburo Ainu 1895

I searched the interweb and sadly but obvious, there is no information on the photographer Kajima Seizaburo. Above is a photo of his depicting an older Ainu man. I think the first thing people of any nationality or cultural background (except Ainu of course) would find his attire peculiar. I am not really sure how to describe his “tunic” other than it would be comparable to wearing only shorts during this time. I am not sure if Japanese men would wear something similar to this unless maybe working outside? I am not sure. But I could imagine Japanese of this day referring to him as barbaric. More so that he is Ainu than his clothing. The Ainu man’s gaze is pretty cool. It seems to be a positive gaze. It looks that his eyes are closed (although I can’t tell because of the shading) but you can see that his brow is tense. Looks as though he is focusing on that pipe pretty hard.

A lot of times I hear the Ainu being compared to the Native American Indians and how their histories with invading cultures are pretty similar. So this image of an Ainu man sitting Indian style out in the wilderness (in his case it looks like a wasteland) smoking a pipe reminds me of an image of a native American sitting around a fire enjoying a peace pipe. However I am not sure if this pipe is any different from a Japanese one.

What is pretty cool is how cultural differences really play a part in this photo. A Japanese man or woman of this time would, most likely, would be shocked of his dress and his long grey beard (things that are different, scary) and would most likely view this man as being of at least a lesser nature than themselves An Ainu man or woman however would see this photo and in a calm voice say “Oh hey, its Cletus.”

Kajima Seizaburo Ainu 1895

I searched the interweb and sadly but obvious, there is no information on the photographer Kajima Seizaburo. Above is a photo of his depicting an older Ainu man. I think the first thing people of any nationality or cultural background (except Ainu of course) would find his attire peculiar. I am not really sure how to describe his “tunic” other than it would be comparable to wearing only shorts during this time. I am not sure if Japanese men would wear something similar to this unless maybe working outside? I am not sure. But I could imagine Japanese of this day referring to him as barbaric. More so that he is Ainu than his clothing. The Ainu man’s gaze is pretty cool. It seems to be a positive gaze. It looks that his eyes are closed (although I can’t tell because of the shading) but you can see that his brow is tense. Looks as though he is focusing on that pipe pretty hard.

A lot of times I hear the Ainu being compared to the Native American Indians and how their histories with invading cultures are pretty similar. So this image of an Ainu man sitting Indian style out in the wilderness (in his case it looks like a wasteland) smoking a pipe reminds me of an image of a native American sitting around a fire enjoying a peace pipe. However I am not sure if this pipe is any different from a Japanese one.

What is pretty cool is how cultural differences really play a part in this photo. A Japanese man or woman of this time would, most likely, would be shocked of his dress and his long grey beard (things that are different, scary) and would most likely view this man as being of at least a lesser nature than themselves An Ainu man or woman however would see this photo and in a calm voice say “Oh hey, its Cletus.”

Five Image Album

14

A woman decides to go for a midday stroll through the garden. There was a great sense of leisure in her step as if she had forgotten of her duties as a woman. The only reason a woman should be outside should be to hang my laundry. Even if this was a high class woman, her time-wasting ability to admire the flowers is incredibly pointless. She didn't plant them.

58

A group of girls are just leaving school. I asked around and found out that the school they are intending is indeed a Catholic school. Despite being a 'Catholic' school it is nice to know that the word of the lord is finding its way into the hearts and minds of the country's youth. They will not be doomed to an eternity in hell like their heathen parents. But I did notice their skirts seem to be a bit high...

64

Never did I find an event in Japan as amusing as this. A group of women, Japanese women, attempting to play the great American sport of basketball. It is nice to know that American customs are being adopted here but never did I want to see the sport desecrated in such a way. Despite the poor performance they put forth an admirable great deal of effort. I find it very amusing that they were able to try as hard as they did in their school uniforms

65

A quite frightening scene during my stay in Japan. During school they seem to put the female students through a series of military style drills. Never should a woman waste her time with such a thing. I don't see how this will make her able to make a better sandwich. Despite the awkwardness they showed an incredible physical effort. I would not be surprised if the lazy whipper snappers back home would not be able to do half the drills these women were able to do at such a high level of proficiency.

66

I am not at liberty to tell you how or why I came across this event. All I can say is that I find it very strange. Two ladies sleeping so close to each other, in the same bed! Yes, strange indeed...

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As you could tell I tried to have fun by adopting the persona of a man particularly ignorant to other cultures. I pictured maybe a blue-collared man from the deep south USA. So these images are all in relation with his sense of fascination with Japanese women.

Globetrotters' People

Above is an image of a Japanese pipe seller. He is located on the streets of I don't know where. This image came without a description. The pipe seller appears to be making or maybe repairing a pipe as he waits for business. But the greatest thing about this image is that he is ignoring the camera. This is an older gentleman who I believe even if he was asked to "hey smile for the camera" he would not. I am not sure if the photographer conversed with the pipe seller before this picture was taken but I would like to think that he did and the pipe seller being an old man, ignored him. The old man displays a intra-diagetic gaze, focusing on his work. I guess I like this photo becuase it is unlike the extravagant, exaggerated, and staged photos we have seen before.

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Globetrotters' Places

Above is an image of Yokohama's main street. The reason I chose this photo is becuase besides a couple elements I would not think this is a street in Japan. The houses from this level look very western. The small coaches, besides probably being man-powered, look very western themselves. Our only real clue that that is Japan is that further down the street there is a Japanese styled gate. It is has large red doors but the signifier is the small roofing the gate has that looks clearly Japanese. Another clue would be the signs for the shops lining the street. All the signs are written in english but on the cigar shop sign it has a Japanese name printed on it. However, that name is written in roman characters. I get a sense of accommodation from this photo. The shops down main street are made to look appealing and accommodating to westerners.

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