JapanCorner - The Benihana Guide to Japan

2008

Japanese traditions and customs have been evolving over a period of thousands of years and involve every aspect of Japanese life. The kimono or traditional Japanese dress was the basic form of dress for all Japanese until recent times however, even today it is customary to wear kimono for special celebrations and cultural events. The refined arts of tea ceremony (shadoh), flower arrangement (ikebana) and bonsai (the cultivation of miniature trees) are still enjoyed and practiced by Japanese young and old alike and have quite a following worldwide. Even origami (the art of paper-folding) is so popular that children in the United States have come to enjoy this traditional pastime just like children in Japan. Another less well known but common Japanese custom is a traditional form of fortune telling called omikuji. Because of increased worldwide interest in the esoteric, omikuji has also come to the attention of many.

Tea Ceremony (cha-no-yu) or (sadoh)

The Japanese tea ceremony is a ritualized way of preparing and drinking tea which was perfected in the latter half of the 18th century by Sen-no-Rikyu. It was inspired by Zen and continues to reflect the Zen ideals of aestheticism, peace, harmony and discipline. Today it is still a popular pastime, and for many it is a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of busy modern-day life. Continue...

Flower Arrangement (ikebana)

Ikebana or the art of flower arrangement, is the traditional Japanese way of arranging flowers to represent the earth, the sky and man based on strict aesthetic ideals and the ultimate harmony of all nature. Beginning more than six hundred years ago, ikebana was first practiced in Buddhist ritual. Like the Indian custom of honoring Buddha by strewing flowers all about the alter, the Japanese adopted this custom introduced directly from China and began making more formal arrangements which were placed on Buddhist alters. Eventually this practice evolved to include the making of flower arrangements to honor the dead and they were done in adherence to Buddhist beliefs and almost exclusively by priests. A strict style emerged in which a tall upright central stem was accompanied by two progressively shorter stems representing heaven, earth and man, accordingly. By the fifteenth century, ikebana was elevated to an art form which also became a popular pastime among the nobility and eventually the middle-class.

Over the years many different schools of ikebana developed including the first and perhaps most famous, Ikenobo. A Buddhist priest from the Rokkakudo Temple in Kyoto became so adept at flower arrangement that priests from all over came to him for instruction. Since he lived alongside a lake, his style came to be known as ikenobo meaning "next to the lake". To this day, the Ikenobo school of flower arrangement is one of the most beloved in Japan and there are many schools which teach this style. Later in the fifteenth century, the rikka style emerged which was based on the ikenobo style but with more formal rules of arrangement. The seika or shoka style developed in the late eighteenth century and is characterized by a tight bundle of stems which support a three branched, asymmetrical triangular design. These styles together are referred to as the "classic style."

In the early twentieth century, ikebana became popular among well-to-do women and many new styles emerged. While the type of vase used in arrangements was always given great artistic consideration, it wasn't until much later when two styles emerged which were specific to the actual shape of the vase used to hold the flowers. The moribana style is characterized by a low, shallow, broad vessel and a very open arrangement while the nageire style features a tall vase and an arrangement which is supposed to look like it was casually "thrown into the vase". The moribana style was developed by a professor of the Ikenobo school, Unshin Ohara who started using the shorter stemmed Western flowers brought to Japan during the Meiji period and put them in squat vases accordingly. When he asked the Ikebono school to incorporate his new style into their teachings and was refused, he started his own ikebana school, the Ohara school, which is still popular today. Gradually freer and more colorful styles of ikebana emerged and in 1926, Sofu Teshigahara founded the Sogetsu School.

Over the years, there has been some borrowing of styles between Japan's ikebana schools and sometimes in more modern styles, the incorporation of inanimate objects and dried flowers in arrangements. At the same time, ikebana which was originally an art form associated with Buddhist tradition, has become a popular decorative element in Japanese style and beautiful arrangements can be seen in hotels, restaurants, galleries and of course, the Japanese home. While there are numerous ikebana schools and styles today, the three most famous are the Ikenobo school, the Ohara school and the Sogetsu school. Traditionally, masters of ikebana were men beginning with the Buddhist priests of the early fifteenth century, however, in recent years, Japanese women have become ikebana masters in their own right. Schools of ikebana are located throughout Japan and it continues to be a popular pastime among young and old, men and women.

Kimono

In the early 7th century, a kimono-like woven cotton undergarment was introduced to Japan from China and is considered to be the immediate predecessor of the kimono as we know it today. During the Heian period (794-897), the kimono evolved into an elaborate outer garment, however it was not until Japan severed ties with China in 894 when a distinctly Japanese style of dress emerged. Court nobles wore long trailing robes tied with a simple sash and open-ended elongated sleeves which reached the floor. On ceremonial occasions, it became popular for ladies of the court to wear multiple layers sometimes as many as 20 kimono at a time. These were carefully selected based on their design and color and each layer was meticulously revealed at the collar, sleeve end and lower skirt. Men too wore elaborate kimono, however, loose fitting trousers continued to be worn underneath. Continue...

Bonsai

Bonsai (planting in trays) is the art of cultivating miniature trees which was introduced to Japan from China around the thirteenth century. In China, bonsai is believed to have originated over a thousand years ago as the potting of tree specimens. Later, these trees became prized for their gnarled roots which resembled animals, dragons and birds and became associated with myth and legend. Over the years, Japanese bonsai evolved into an expression of personal aesthetic consistent with the teachings of Zen Buddhism and the interrelationship of man, nature and the elements. It is said that the three basic tenets of bonsai are shin-zen-bi which means, truth, goodness and beauty.

Bonsai trees are grown in small ceramic pots and through careful and systematic pruning, root trimming, transplanting, watering and fertilization are cultivated to become works of art in their own right. Like their counterparts in the wild, bonsai trees can live to be hundreds of years old and it is not uncommon for a family to pass on a bonsai tree from generation to generation. Although an ever widening variety of trees are used in bonsai, traditionally, pines, azaleas and maples are the most popular. Bonsai trees are usually cultivated in their pots outdoors but sometimes they are brought into the Japanese home on special occasions and displayed. Those cultivated outdoors experience the usual seasonal changes including the changing of leaf color in autumn, the dropping of leaves in winter and the new growth of spring.

The Art of Folding Paper (origami)

How to make origami

Origami is the Japanese art of paper-folding. Ori comes from the verb oru which means "to fold" and gami comes from the word kami which means paper. Since the Chinese invented paper sometime during the first century A.D., they also began folding paper to create a variety of useful and decorative objects. Buddhist priests studying in China first brought paper to Japan during the sixth century and paper-folding was soon adopted in religious rituals and daily customs. Paper-folding was primarily used as a way to wrap special objects and gifts and this tradition continues to this day. Over the years, paper-folding developed into a popular pastime for children who learned how to fold a variety of origami "toys" including, birds, boxes, animals and fish. The first book written about origami was, "Senbazuro Orikata" (The Way to Fold a Thousand Cranes) which was published in 1797.

The paper crane is perhaps the most popular and famous of all origami objects. Legend has it that 1,000 folded cranes will bring health and good fortune and it is customary to make 1,000 paper cranes for people who are ill with the hopes that they will recover. Each year millions of paper cranes are sent by people from all over the world to the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima as a symbol of peace and in memory of those who died as a result of the atomic bomb dropped on the city in 1945.

In the 1930's, a Japanese artist named Akira Yoshizawa began creating new origami designs and innovative techniques for folding paper never before seen. His work has greatly inspired not only Japanese people but paper-folders the world over. Today origami has become so popular that there are hundreds of origami associations and clubs in countries throughout the world including the U.S., England, Spain, Germany, Colombia, Israel and Singapore. It is not uncommon to find young American school children who know how to make one or two basic origami objects just like children do in Japan.