Monday, October 20, 2008

Do you Feel Lucky?


People in every culture want to have good luck. Some people believe that they make their own luck, while other people believe that it doesn’t exist and still others think that a symbol will help you get it or keep it if you already have it.

The objects do not have to be anything major or even anything big. Most people think of a rabbits foot, or a horseshoe, or a 4-leaf clover, or a Maneki Neko 招き猫.

"A what?" you ask.

This is a maneki neko—a waving cat. If you have ever eaten in a Japanese or Chinese restaurant, you have probably seen this. The web site The Beckoning Cat, quotes The Cult of the Cat (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1963) by Patricia Dale-Green. She says:

. . . the Beckoning Cat is associated with an ancient cat-shrine on the grounds of a temple known as Gotoku-ji near Tokyo.

This temple was originally a very poor one, no more than a thatched hut run by poverty-stricken and half-starved monks. The master-priest had a cat of which he was fond, and shared with it such little food as he had.

One day the cat squatted by the roadside and, when half a dozen Samurai appeared on splendid horses, it looked up at them and raised one of its paws to its ear, as if it were beckoning to them. The noble cavaliers pulled up and, as the cat continued to beckon, they followed it into the temple. Torrential rain forced them to stay for a while, so the priest gave them tea and expounded Buddhist doctrine.

After this one of the Samurai—Lord Li—regularly visited the old priest to receive religious instruction from him. Eventually Li endowed the temple with a large estate and it became the property of his family.

Visitors who pass under the temple's gateways, walk through its broad avenues of towering trees and enjoy the beautifully laid-out gardens, discover, near the cemetery of the Li family, the little shrine of the beckoning cat -- which, it is said, still draws pilgrims from all parts of Tokyo.

Because the Beckoning Cat had lured a wealthy patron to the poor temple, images of this cat soon became talismanic emblems and were particularly favored by shopkeepers. . .


When you see it in store windows and in restaurants, it is supposed to attract customers into the shop, thus growing the owner’s business, and bringing them luck.

In the Western world, many unusual objects are considered good luck charms. On Good Luck Symbol, they mention several that I have never heard of.

During the Norman Conquest, the English carried dried acorns to protect themselves from the brutalities of the day. They were considered to be an emblem of luck, prosperity, youthfulness and power; it also represents spiritual growth.

This is called a caduceus, and most of us know it as a medical symbol. It was used as a good luck symbol in Egypt, India and ancient Greece, this emblem was said to ward off sickness, quarrels, and bring peace to any situation. The wings represent those on the feet of Mercury who was the messenger of all the Greek gods. The snakes represent the balance between good and evil.

Most Americans are familiar with the horseshoe as a good luck symbol. I was told that when the horseshoe is place over the door or elsewhere in the house, it must be in the upright “U” so that the luck doesn’t drain out. I was never told exactly how it was supposed to get in the horseshoe, but never mind.

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Let’s jump back into the East for a moment, and talk about another interesting good luck symbol: a daruma.

A Daruma is supposed to represent the 5th century monk, named DARUMA - Father of Zen Buddhism – who obtained enlightenment after he sat for nine years against a wall. His arms and legs withered away, which is why the doll is round. Similar to a

weeble, when tipped, the daruma pops back up.

When you buy a daruma, there are no eyes on it.
You make your wish, and paint in the RIGHT EYE only.

Then you put it in your house and when your wish come true, hopefully within a year, then you paint in the LEFT EYE.

Then you take the finished daruma to your local temple at New Years, where it is burned, and you buy a new (and bigger) one.

Jade turtles, like this one, can be very cute. The ancient Chinese used to use turtle shells for fortune telling and since jade was considered a precious stone, jade turtles, in Chinese belief, came to symbolizes good luck, health and a long life.

This symbol is also Chinese, and it is called SHOU. The October 14, 2008 ed. of the ShanghaiDaily.com says “ . . .Shou, meaning longevity and prosperity, is a traditionally lucky Chinese character.

It can be found on inscriptions of ancient bronze objects, royal seals, paintings, books, coins, chinaware and epigraphs, according to the dictionary's editor-in-chief, Wang Rongtai. "The earliest forms of the character date back to the Shang Dynasty (17th century-11th century BC)," Wang said.

Shou is also widely used in modern decoration and art, including sculpture, calligraphy, seal cutting, miniature gardening and paper cutting.

The shou character can be presented in numerous shapes, each one with their own meaning. For example, a round shou suggests complete and perfect life and health. . .


***
It is interesting to look at the things that various cultures attach meaning and symbolism to. They are usually innocuous, simple things that were common in everyday life and were simple passed down to us, though the meaning are being lost to time.

And remember to keep your keys handy. Three of them worn together open the doors to health, wealth and love.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Kimono 着物 or Thing to Wear


In my last post, I talked about Anime and a very little bit about the samurai. Today, I’d like to talk briefly about another aspect of Japanese culture that I find so interesting and that many people love: Kimono.

In Japanese, the word simply means “a thing to wear,” and only in the last 140 years has it come to denote traditional Japanese clothes, as opposed to Western clothes.

One of the nice things about kimono is that there is so much information about the wearer built right into the garment.Look at this young lady and this doll. Both of them are wearing a style of long sleeved kimono called a Furisode. Furisode are worn by young unmarried girls.



The fancy stytle of the obi or belt on the girl also indicate that she is unmarried. Their obis have fancy names like Butterfly bows, Fukuro Tsuzume or Fat Sparrow.

A kimono for an older or married woman has shorter sleeves, and is called a Tomesode. They also wear a simpler obi tie called a Taiko or Drum Knot.


There is also a scarf called an obi age that is worn in the front of the obi, at its top. The more of the scarf that is showing, then the girl is unmarried.

Men’s kimonos are much simpler, as you see here, with a simpler obi. For formal dress, men add a pair of pleated, pants called hakama.



Finally, a yukata is a simple, unlined kimono that is worn in the summer and in the past, the plain ones were warn as pajamas.


Yukata are easily distinguished from regular kimono by the fact that they have simpler obi, and don't usually have an under kimono with them.

Here’s how to put on a modern Kimono.


6 minute Kimono dressing with English explanation



***

The kimonos that we all know now are actually period. This style came into fashion during the Edo Period (1601-1867).

During the Heian Period (794-1185), kimonos for women were called Junihito, or 12 Layers.
















Yes, 12. Until the sumptuary laws were passed in 1074, some kimonos had as many as 15 to 40 layers, and were so heavy that the women spent most of their days lying down.
Junihito is derived from a story about a lady-in-waiting who drowned trying to save the Child Emperor. It was said that her ‘twelve unlined robes’ weighted her down." Exactly where this story came from is unknown. But this legend gave name to the style of court dress, even if it was a bit of a misnomer. . . After 1074 CE, this number was reduced to five. . . (from Here)
Regardless of the number of layers, wearing colours was important, and the order of the colours was also important. Some colours were associated with certain seasons—for instance wearing yellow, a fall colour in the summer would be see as a sign of vulgarity and bad taste. You can see the colours and layers in this in this picture and in the video.


Dressing KIMONO Juni-hitoe 十二単




The kimono that the model is wearing has some red in it. Why is that important? Well, red was a colour that could only be worn by a woman who was shown favour by the Empress. Here’s a list of the layers needed for a Junihito kimono:


Juni-hitoe Glossary:


*Kosode: An under-kimono with small sleeves

*Hitoe: A chemise or unlined first layer


*Itsutsu-ginu: The 5 layers of lined uchigi or kinu robes


*Uchiginu: A stiff-silk garment worn between itsutsu-ginu and uwagi that provided stiffening for formal gowns


*Uwagi: Formal over-robe that trailed the floor in varying lengths due to each woman's position in the Imperial Court


*Karaginu: Short Chinese Jacket that could be brocaded, embroidered, or painted


*Mo: An apron-skirt that was worn on the back to act as a cascading train'



These kimonos are indeed beautiful, but it is no wonder they spent so much time sitting around and not walking!





Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Samurai Anime

I know that many of you were waiting for my next Egyptian or archaeological update, but I thought I’d take a short tangent or two into a few other topics that I enjoy. I have talked about cosplaying a few posts back, but I glossed over the anime aspect of that brings most people, myself included to cosplay.

Anime has been shown in the United States since the late 1960’s. Everyone know this show which was the first anime shown in the US in 1967:



Speed Racer Theme


Well! Now that you have that re-embedded into your ear, let’s move on to some of my favorite animes. I have always loved the samurai and I have always carried a great respect for the Bushido code.
Seven Codes of Bushido


Justice (Gi)



Bravery (Yuu)



Benevolence (Jin)



Politeness (Rei)



Veracity (Makoto)
Honor (Meiyo)



Loyalty (Chuugi)



So instead of 10 I Really Wish You Wouldn’t’s, we have a list of 7 things you can aspire to be. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like the 10 I Really Wish You Wouldn’t's, but some of these are a little easier to remember.



That said, most of the anime I love revolve around the samurai theme. Rurouni Kenshin is still my number one samurai anime, if I had such a list. The main character, Himura Kenshin, is a ronin or master-less samurai. He wanders into Tokyo one day, meets a girl named Kamiya Kaoru and has lots of interesting adventures.



Number two on my list would have to be Tsukikage Ran. In this show, we have a female samurai named Ran and her sort of side-kick, Meyo. Ran drinks sake like she needs it to live, which is why she is always broke. Meyo wants to help out everybody she meets, and keeps dropping herself into affairs that don’t really concern her. And getting paid for it.

Unlike Rurouni Kenshin which ran an exhaustive 98 episodes and three movies or OVA’s, Tsukikage Ran is very short, only 13 episodes, none of which are really related to each other.

My third favorite is Samurai Deeper Kyo. In this relatively short series, only 28 episodes, we meet a man named Kyshiro, and another man named Kyo. Kyoshiro is a nice person. He’s a little silly and sells medicine out of a bundle on his back. He was a samurai, but has hung up his sword for the simple life.

Kyo on the other hand is called Demon-Eyes Kyo because of his red eyes and red armour. He’s not thought to be a nice person. Kyo and Kyoshiro had a battle 10 years before the story starts, at Sekigahara. Kyoshiro defeated Kyo and hid his body, but Kyo hid his soul in Kyoshiro’s body. Now, Kyo wants his own body back.

Those are just my top three. Don’t even get me started on Inuyasha, Samurai Champloo, Afro Samurai, Samurai Gun, Blade of the Immortal, Samurai Jack . . .

I’ll stop, but I must leave you with the opening theme for Samurai Champloo. It is one of my favorite openings.



Samurai Champloo Opening Theme "Battlecry"