Have you ever seen the Genji Monogatari in the form of an 絵巻物 emaki-mono, an Illustrated Handscroll of the Tale of Genji based upon the famous novel by Murasaki Shikibu at a museum or reproduced in a book? I'm sure you were surprised to see the beautiful and delicate paper of the Genji Monogatari illustrated from the book written about the year 1000. That paper is one type of "Kana Ryoshi". Classical Kana calligraphy has been written on beautifully made special paper. "Kana" refers to … [Read more...]
Is it Bad to be Too Decorative ?
The 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 constructed in the 17th century. From the name “Villa” you might imagine a gorgeous royal palace, but, in fact, the villa is, from my point of view, … [Read more...]