Smoke
Ignore-Amus
Victrinia in her zeal to put down in words her ideas for a western idea is getting the cart before the horse.
First we have to define what it is we wish to do.''Literal translations don't always come across so good so lets try to define what it is we wish to display.
Bonsai. Good word. Japanese, means plant in a pot. Great, do we have a word in the western world that caprures this better? Not really. So we are stuck again with a Japanese term.
Tokonoma. Good word. Japanese, means floor with space. Great, do we have a better word for the western world? Maybe alchove fits that discription.
Bonsai and Tokonoma are both still good words to use for our Japanese art form.
Scroll. Good word. Japanese form of displaying painted artwork. Do we have an equall in the western world? Not really. In the west we frame art.
Shitakusa. Good word. Japanese, means kusamono displayed with tree. Kusamono means grass planting. So Kathy Shaner calls them "companion plants". Shitakusa ( Shee-eets ska).
So Victrinia has mentioned that she wishes to display a tree with a companion planting/ art piece and scroll. This all sounds pretty Japanese to me. We already have some very good rules for formal/keido Tokonoma display. Why deviate? Let's assume for giggles that we wish to come up with a formal idea on how to display bonsai trees. Do we still use a Tokonoma? This is very Japanese and not a traditional way of displaying art pieces in the west. Do we use a scroll? The west has never really ever displayed painted art work by mounting in on a brocade scroll mounting, we are more comfortable useing picture frames in a more horizontal configuration. We write left to right while the Japanese write top to bottom so this more verticle configuration is normal for the east.
Do we display formally our tree on a table top or do we sit it on the floor? Do we continue to display our tree on a Japanese looking table? Should it maybe have French Provencial legs or maybe Queen Anne? Maybe something heavy and dark with distressed edges and wrought iron nail heads from Mexico?
How far do we go? Hows this for a western display. A single olive tree on a tallish table. An image of Christ crucified on a cross, and a single communion wafer on a small silver salver? For many this would be a wonderful display dipicting Christs sacrifice for our sins. For others it may be blasphemis. It would be truly western and a true religious Japanese Buddhist person may not get it.
So if displaying a tree with a scroll and an accent is what we are trying to do, then why not continue to use the tried and true Japanese model and really do that justice.
Barbara's little boy, Al
( it's almost Mothers Day)
First we have to define what it is we wish to do.''Literal translations don't always come across so good so lets try to define what it is we wish to display.
Bonsai. Good word. Japanese, means plant in a pot. Great, do we have a word in the western world that caprures this better? Not really. So we are stuck again with a Japanese term.
Tokonoma. Good word. Japanese, means floor with space. Great, do we have a better word for the western world? Maybe alchove fits that discription.
Bonsai and Tokonoma are both still good words to use for our Japanese art form.
Scroll. Good word. Japanese form of displaying painted artwork. Do we have an equall in the western world? Not really. In the west we frame art.
Shitakusa. Good word. Japanese, means kusamono displayed with tree. Kusamono means grass planting. So Kathy Shaner calls them "companion plants". Shitakusa ( Shee-eets ska).
So Victrinia has mentioned that she wishes to display a tree with a companion planting/ art piece and scroll. This all sounds pretty Japanese to me. We already have some very good rules for formal/keido Tokonoma display. Why deviate? Let's assume for giggles that we wish to come up with a formal idea on how to display bonsai trees. Do we still use a Tokonoma? This is very Japanese and not a traditional way of displaying art pieces in the west. Do we use a scroll? The west has never really ever displayed painted art work by mounting in on a brocade scroll mounting, we are more comfortable useing picture frames in a more horizontal configuration. We write left to right while the Japanese write top to bottom so this more verticle configuration is normal for the east.
Do we display formally our tree on a table top or do we sit it on the floor? Do we continue to display our tree on a Japanese looking table? Should it maybe have French Provencial legs or maybe Queen Anne? Maybe something heavy and dark with distressed edges and wrought iron nail heads from Mexico?
How far do we go? Hows this for a western display. A single olive tree on a tallish table. An image of Christ crucified on a cross, and a single communion wafer on a small silver salver? For many this would be a wonderful display dipicting Christs sacrifice for our sins. For others it may be blasphemis. It would be truly western and a true religious Japanese Buddhist person may not get it.
So if displaying a tree with a scroll and an accent is what we are trying to do, then why not continue to use the tried and true Japanese model and really do that justice.
Barbara's little boy, Al
( it's almost Mothers Day)