Random stuff you enjoy from Japanese culture?

Shima

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The only version of this show worth watching.
If you go to the youtube channel page there are 200 videos. Everyone of them worth a watch.

They were great! and there's Scotty Kilmer!
 

Shima

Omono
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From smallest to largest. A modern 1.5 jiari shakuhachi from Japan, maker unknown but plays like a professional instrument. Next a 1.8 jiari made by Yokoyama Ranpo considered by many to be among the all time top makers. He was also the father of my teachers teacher. The tone color in this video strikes me as very similar to the sound of my Ranpo on the rare occasions that I manage to play it well. A kind of darker almost gritty kind of timbre that I really like.

Next, pro model 1.8 cast bore jiari by Monty Levenson from California.

Next one a jiari 2.2 takeharu from Japan.

2.55 wide bore jinashi in G by Ken Lacosse from San Francisco. Ken very recently passed away and his flutes are in very high demand. He specialized in wide bore jinashi shakuhachi “taimu”.
One of Ken’s flutes in action here...

Lastly another wide bore jinashi, hotchikku style currently under construction by myself, 3.1 in Eb bamboo from France.

I don’t suppose anyone here lives near a grove of Madake bamboo? Good blanks are difficult to come by.
A sound beyond words!
 

A. Gorilla

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From smallest to largest. A modern 1.5 jiari shakuhachi from Japan, maker unknown but plays like a professional instrument. Next a 1.8 jiari made by Yokoyama Ranpo considered by many to be among the all time top makers. He was also the father of my teachers teacher. The tone color in this video strikes me as very similar to the sound of my Ranpo on the rare occasions that I manage to play it well. A kind of darker almost gritty kind of timbre that I really like.

Next, pro model 1.8 cast bore jiari by Monty Levenson from California.

Next one a jiari 2.2 takeharu from Japan.

2.55 wide bore jinashi in G by Ken Lacosse from San Francisco. Ken very recently passed away and his flutes are in very high demand. He specialized in wide bore jinashi shakuhachi “taimu”.
One of Ken’s flutes in action here...

Lastly another wide bore jinashi, hotchikku style currently under construction by myself, 3.1 in Eb bamboo from France.

I don’t suppose anyone here lives near a grove of Madake bamboo? Good blanks are difficult to come by.

I tried to make one. Could not for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong though.
 

Carol 83

Flower Girl
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My dad spent some time in Japan when he was in the Navy in the 50's. One of the things he brought home was a miniature ivory chess set, which I now have. The other was a tea set, that my grandma would let my siblings and cousins drink from when we stayed at her house and watched Charlie Chan movies. That tea set was the only thing I requested of hers when she passed away, fun memories. I would post pictures, but I have a terrible cold and am too lazy to get up and do it🤧
 

wireme

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I tried to make one. Could not for the life of me figure out what I was doing wrong though.

Amateur makers can on occasion produce a great instrument by luckily using a bamboo that naturally has a good bore profile but that’s very rare. Most amateur makers can’t tell the difference anyways and many tend to overrate what they make.
But a basic ah, let’s call it “shakuhachi look-a-like” is pretty easy to make. You may have done nothing wrong and had something playable but just didn’t try to play it hard enough. It’s not uncommon for people to spend a very long time trying before getting any sound at all out of even top level flutes.
Because they are so difficult to play it’s also very difficult for your average person to asses the quality of a shakuhachi. If anyone is looking for a shakuhachi at a lower price point and wants to be confident that the instrument is a good one I will say that the bell shakuhachi by John Kypros is very, very good. It’s a composite, not real bamboo but the durability is nice anyways.
 

penumbra

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Katana are or were, the soul of a samurai
That is a beautiful example and I have seen a number of antique Katana. The Dao, an ancient sword of China that predates the Han Dynasty is the father of the Katana. The Japanese did what they still continue to do, take a craft or an art form and perfect it to its max. There are so many examples of this and if you study Asian history and art well, it becomes evident. It is interesting that Japan had guns long ago, I have seen very old examples, but they abandoned the gun for the sword. There was an entire book devoted to this subject that I read many years ago.
 

Bolero

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Japanese Culture of Bushido, extreamly violent, Japanese Military showed their violence in the Pacific during WWll....Samurai also showed their violence...……..All must be taken with a cautious eye.....Their World of Art and Respect for the Old or Elderly is commendable...…………….
 

shinmai

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At one time I had two akitas, a male that weighed 120 pounds and a female that went 140. As a breed, they are fiercely loyal and incredibly protective of family, most especially children. They are also, however, VERY territorial. Mine considered theirs to be a block in every direction, and they took it with them wherever we went.
I have a wonderful memory of the female, Maho, who loved beer. One summer evening I was walking her in the neighborhood, and decided to try and buy her a beer at one of the bars in the area. We went to four places, all of whom turned us away because they served food, and if the health inspector came in they could lose their license since she was not a service dog. At the fifth place, a bouncer at the door asked me what I was up to, and I said my dog wanted a beer. The bouncer asked, is she going to bite anybody? I said no. He then asked, is she going to shit on the floor? I said of course not. He then said, in that case, she's better behaved then some of our regulars. Bring her on in.
 

Gsquared

Shohin
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That's talent man! If my paintings are ever gonna be half as nice as yours I'm going to be really happy :)
Are you a professional painter?
Thanks! Yes, I do paint professionally, but the bulk of the work I do is somewhat anonymous, as in illustration, art for licensing, digital art etc. I paint under a couple of different pseudonyms for that sort of art. The stuff I posted is what I do for myself, things that are meaningful to me. I put my signature to my oils and my ceramics.

As a painter, what I would suggest is to just keep doing it. I went to art school, but never took painting. I hid out in abstraction for a few years to cover for my poor technique. Ironically what did happen during that time is I learned a lot about painting and my technique improved. It really is a matter of giving yourself time to let your talent develop. I think Hokusai said he could paint when he hit about 60 or 70 and was about 80 when he started signing his work “old man mad about painting.” I guess I have a few years to go still.
 

Canada Bonsai

Shohin
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I really like japanese architecture and design, especially residential courtyards and outdoor baths, as well as alcoves and bonsai-related display in general

(tokonama photo from valavanis blog from this morning)
 

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Thanks! Yes, I do paint professionally, but the bulk of the work I do is somewhat anonymous, as in illustration, art for licensing, digital art etc. I paint under a couple of different pseudonyms for that sort of art. The stuff I posted is what I do for myself, things that are meaningful to me. I put my signature to my oils and my ceramics.

As a painter, what I would suggest is to just keep doing it. I went to art school, but never took painting. I hid out in abstraction for a few years to cover for my poor technique. Ironically what did happen during that time is I learned a lot about painting and my technique improved. It really is a matter of giving yourself time to let your talent develop. I think Hokusai said he could paint when he hit about 60 or 70 and was about 80 when he started signing his work “old man mad about painting.” I guess I have a few years to go still.

Thanks for your reply, I will keep getting at it :). 80 is still a bit off thankfully.
 

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
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I really like japanese architecture and design, especially residential courtyards and outdoor baths, as well as alcoves and bonsai-related display in general

(tokonama photo from valavanis blog from this morning)
Any suggestions on where to find a good goza mat for a tokonoma display? Not a tatami mat with the frame, just the thin mat? Thx!
64729968-FB31-47A1-8935-A8A455182D56.jpeg
 

Canada Bonsai

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Any suggestions on where to find a good goza mat for a tokonoma display? Not a tatami mat with the frame, just the thin mat? Thx!
View attachment 278081

I’m getting my tatami from a place called Tatami Imports in Toronto. I have one now, and will be getting others from them once i’m settled in my new place. They import high-quality products from Japan. I would get in touch with them - they can surely get you a goza mat if they don’t have any in stock!
 

thumblessprimate1

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Although, due to a weird convergence of circumstances it's called Brazilian jiu jitsu outside of Japan. And then stranger still, it went back to Japan under that name and is a separate sport.

Probably because the official sources in Japan are rigid and traditional about what cam be called what.
I too enjoy judo. I eat lots of Japanese food. Big fan of Japan Uniqlo. Most random stuff would be I like going through Japanese 7-11, drugstores, hardware stores, and motorcycle shops. 🤣
 
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