Latest news with #Manyoshu
The Mainichi
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Japan's Dogo Onsen hot spring bathhouse adorned with star festival ornaments, wind chimes
MATSUYAMA -- The courtyard of Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu hot spring bathhouse in this west Japan city is adorned with decorations for the July 7 Tanabata star festival, exuding an illusionary atmosphere with illuminations at night. The installation, titled "Dogo Tanabata Story 2025," features wooden lanterns and Tanabata ornaments, and is lit up every evening between 7 and 11 p.m. until Aug. 7. In the corridor in front of the annex building, 288 wind chimes are hanging, ringing cool sounds as "tanzaku" slips of paper rustle in the wind. On the paper are quoted traditional Japanese "waka" poetry related to Tanabata from the 7-8th century "Manyoshu" anthology. A woman in her 20s visiting the annex with her two daughters, aged 4 and 2, wrote her wishes for her family's health on one of the paper slips. Her children also penned their respective wishes, including one for a toy, before attaching them to bamboo grass bearing Tanabata ornaments, with smiles on their faces. A representative at the Dogo Onsen Office commented, "We hope many people will enjoy strolling the town in Dogo in the evening." For inquiries, call the Dogo Onsen Consortium at 089-932-1126.
Yomiuri Shimbun
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nihonga Paintings Express World of Classical Text ‘Manyoshu'; New Book Shows How Artforms Connect
Japanese literature specialist Susumu Nakanishi has published a book introducing the appeal of manyo nihonga, paintings inspired by works in Manyoshu, a compilation of classic waka poems of the eighth century. The 95-year-old author of 'Nakanishi Susumu to Manyoga o Tanoshimu' (Find enjoyment in manyo nihonga with Susumu Nakanishi), published by Tankosha Publishing, believes that poetry and painting are closely related. He talked about the pleasure of enjoying waka poetry together with paintings in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun. Manyo nihonga was created for the opening of the Nara Prefecture Complex of Man'yo Culture in Asuka, Nara Prefecture, in 2001. Nakanishi served as the complex's first director. The collection features work by 154 artists, including Matazo Kayama and Shoko Uemura. They depict landscapes and figures described in Japan's oldest anthology of poems. The ancient waka poetry and modern paintings meet and resonate with each other, creating vivid imagery. Nakanishi said that adding pictures to poetry is something 'essential' for human beings. The leading scholar of Manyoshu was a member of a university art club when he was a student. 'What you hear becomes literature, and what you see becomes pictures. Poetry and pictures are two sides of the same coin in terms of sensitivity, and, depending on the way we perceive nature, it becomes a picture or a poem,' he said. Manyoshu is a collection of poems by a wide range of people, from emperors to commoners. Various areas in Japan serve as settings, with many being composed by people while traveling for leisure or for example, a poem by Yamabe no Akahito about snow-capped Mt. Fuji reads: 'Tagonoura yu / uchiidete mireba / mashiro niso / fuji no takane ni / yuki wa furikeru' (When going out along the shore of Tago and looking at the lofty peak of Mt. Fuji, I see white, glittering snow on top) Inspired by this poem, Tamako Kataoka, in 'Mt. Fuji Seen from Tagonoura,' boldly depicted the mountain with a halo of light. 'The painting depicts well the deep shock the people of that period, who were accustomed to rounded mountains, must have had when they saw the sharp figure of Mt Fuji. It depicts the sacredness of the mountain, too,' Nakanishi said. He said Kataoka did not paint the mountain as it was, but instead 'broke down the concrete image of the mountain and reconstructed people's surprise.'Nakanishi also talked about colors. Shunei Nishida painted 'Losing My Way among Autumn Leaves,' inspired by a poem by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, which reads: 'Akiyama no / momichi o shigemi / matoinuru / imo o motomen / yamaji shirazumo' (With the lush yellow leaves of autumn mountain, I wander the mountain path seeking my lost wife) Nishida painted most of the canvas in red, depicting a landscape of autumn leaves. 'I was stunned by the bold blood-red color,' said Nakanishi. He also pointed to a small white waterfall painted in the background. Since ancient times, white has been considered a sacred color, and that is why he sees the waterfall as a symbol of an 'unobtainable, pure white soul' that Hitomaro was seeking. 'While you stare at paintings, you begin to feel as if they grow eyes and stare back at you,' Nakanishi said. The new book carries about 30 paintings and text by Nakanishi containing knowledge and thoughts about Manyoshu and columns by Sayaka Inoue, the planning and research section chief at the cultural facility. Written in simple yet profound language, the book serves as an introduction to the world of Manyoshu. Nakanishi believes that the world of poetry, which conveys something more than facts, is indispensable for modern people. He compared it to 'frills' on clothing. 'They may not serve any practical purpose but can comfort people and soothe their hearts. The role of poetry is essential to human beings,' he said. Poems in Manyoshu still stir the imaginations of people and touch their hearts. Manyo nihonga, which bring together the sensibilities of ancient and modern times, remind us of poetry's universal power.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
What we can learn from Japanese movies like ‘Spirited Away' and ‘My Neighbour Totoro' about life
In Japanese aesthetics, Yūgen (幽玄) is a profoundly philosophical concept that encapsulates the subtle, mysterious beauty of the world. Unlike direct beauty, which can be easily seen and described, Yūgen refers to an intangible, profound sense of wonder, often evoked by things that are unseen, fleeting, or beyond words. It is the moment when a mist-covered mountain evokes emotions too complex to articulate or when a poem suggests more than it explicitly states. Yūgen has been integral to Japanese art, poetry, theatre, and philosophy for centuries, influencing everything from Noh theatre to haiku poetry and traditional ink paintings. The term itself translates to 'mysterious depth' or 'subtle profundity,' reflecting the idea that true beauty is found in what is hinted at rather than fully revealed. The concept of Yūgen can be traced back to classical Chinese philosophy, which was initially used to describe profound truths. In Japanese aesthetics, it became a defining feature of artistic expressions that sought to evoke emotions through suggestion rather than explicit detail. Yūgen in Literature: The Heian-period poetry collection Manyoshu often used this idea to craft verses that left much to the imagination. The 13th-century Zen monk Kenko Yoshida, in his work Tsurezuregusa (Essays in Idleness), also emphasized the beauty of the unfinished and the unknown. Yūgen in Noh Theatre: Zeami Motokiyo, the father of Noh theater, described Yūgen as the highest artistic ideal—something that should evoke a quiet, profound sense of awe. A performance achieves Yūgen not through grand gestures but through subtle movements and silence, allowing the audience to feel rather than see. Yūgen in Art and Nature: Traditional Japanese ink paintings (sumi-e) use blank space to create depth and ambiguity, while Japanese gardens often feature hidden pathways, misty water bodies, and asymmetry to suggest unseen beauty. Even in contemporary times, Yūgen influences Japanese cinema, photography, and literature. Filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki evoke Yūgen through breathtaking landscapes and quiet moments of introspection in films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. Haruki Murakami's novels often leave things unexplained, allowing readers to fill in the gaps. In a world obsessed with clarity and instant gratification, Yūgen reminds us that some experiences are best left mysterious and open-ended, inviting deep personal reflection.
