From BBC’s announcement to raise its female presenters’ salaries significantly to the ECB and European Commision’s nominations of Christine Lagarde and Ursula von der Leyen respectively for their first female presidents, second half of 2019 started with good news for women. However, in Japan, the empowerment of women is still facing barriers. Japan is far…
Read MoreChiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat who, in July of 1940, through extraordinary measures and under seemingly impossible circumstances, selflessly saved the lives of endangered Jews. To honor his memory and that of those whose lives were both lost and saved, artwork by Rona Conti can now be viewed at the Sugihara Foundation and Museum…
Read More2015年、第二次世界大戦の最中に活動した日本の外交官 杉原千畝についての映画が監督チェリン グラックによって制作された。この映画は、杉原によって救われリトアニアから逃れてきたユダヤ人難民の殆どが暮らしているポーランドで撮影された。
Read MoreThe famous German architect Bruno Taut, who influenced modern architects such as Le Corbusier, fled from the Nazis and lived in Japan from 1933-36. During his stay in Japan, he wrote many comments about various elements of Japanese architecture, but he was especially fascinated by the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto; a palace which was…
Read MoreJapanese mandalas are typically graphic visualizations of scenes described in a particular Sūtra. The most known examples are probably the Kongōkai (Diamond) and Taizōkai (Womb) mandalas introduced in Japan by the monk Kūkai (空海 774~835) in the Heian period. The calligraphic mandala, known as Moji-Mandala, conceived by the monk Nichiren (日蓮 1222~1282), equally describes a…
Read MoreUnpei fude is also known as kami maki fude (紙巻筆, かみまきふで), or, maki fude, literally meaning “(paper) wrapped brush”, and the construction of maki fude
Read MoreI had promised to print a lithograph for Saburo and had told him – “anytime, the stone is prepared”. I had my own press and several lithographic stones on which
Read MoreCalligraphy can be considered a formative art that uses writing as its medium. While typical writing is used as a set of signs designed to replace spoken words
Read MoreA total of 21 copies of Wang Xizhi works survived. All of them were created during the Tang dynasty by the order of Emperor Taizong of Tang
Read MoreContinuing the story of the Hankeido (桂堂攀, はんけいどう, Hankeidō) workshop, the construction of maki fude (巻筆, まきふで) is most unusual. The first 3rd of the root of the tuft is wrapped and strengthened with a hand-made Japanese hemp paper, also known as washi (和紙, わし). Thus, the name maki (to wrap) fude (brush). Because of…
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