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Meibutsu
is a term most often applied to regional specialties (also known as ). can also be applied to specialized areas of interest, such as , where it refers to famous tea utensils, or Japanese swords, where it refers to specific named famous blades. Definition could be classified into the following five categories:According to a paper by Laura Nenzi cited by Jilly Traganou in ''The Tokaido Road: Traveling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan'' (Routledge, 2004), (72) * , regional Japanese food specialties such as the roasted rice cakes () of Hodogaya, and the Yam (vegetable), yam gruel of Mariko; * Japanese crafts as souvenirs such as the swords of Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura or the shell-decorated screens of Enoshima; In the past, also included: * Supernatural souvenirs and wonder-working panaceas, such as the bitter powders of Menoke that supposedly cured a large number of illnesses; * Bizarre things that added a touch of the "exotic" to the aura of each location ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Craft
Traditional in Japan have a long tradition and history. Included in the category of traditional crafts are handicrafts produced by an individual or a group, as well as work produced by independent studio artists working with traditional craft materials and/or processes. History Japanese craft dates back since humans settled on its islands. Handicrafting has its roots in the rural crafts – the material-goods necessities – of ancient times. Handicrafters used naturally- and indigenously-occurring materials. Traditionally, objects were created to be used and not just to be displayed and thus, the border between craft and art was not always very clear. Crafts were needed by all strata of society and became increasingly sophisticated in their design and execution. Craft had close ties to folk art, but developed into fine art, with a number of aesthetic schools of thought, such as , arising. Craftsmen and women therefore became artisans with increasing sophistication. However, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Swords
A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794 – 1185) to the present day when speaking of "Japanese swords". There are many types of Japanese swords that differ by size, shape, field of application and method of manufacture. Some of the more commonly known types of Japanese swords are the ''katana'', ''tachi'', '' odachi'', ''wakizashi'', and ''tantō''. Classification Classification by shape and usage In modern times the most commonly known type of Japanese sword is the ''Shinogi-Zukuri'' ''katana'', which is a single-edged and usually curved longsword traditionally worn by samurai from the 15th century onwards. Western historians have said that Japanese katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history, for their intended use. Other types of Japanese swords inclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokusanhin
is a Japanese term for specialty food products associated with particular Japanese regions.''Japan's Socio-Economic Evolution: Continuity and Change'' (Japan Library, 1996), eds. Sarah Metzger-Court & Werner Pascha, p. 157. ''Tokusanhin'' are often showcased in ''ekiben'' and packaged as ''omiyage'' (souvenirs). Tokusanhin are a category of meibutsu, regional specialties. Examples * Akita ** ''Kiritanpo Nabe'' * Fukuoka ** ''Mentaiko'' * Fukushima ** Fukushima beef ** '' Ikaninjin'' ** '' Kitakata ramen'' * Hiroshima ** ''Momiji manjū'' * Hokkaido ** ''Shiroi Koibito'' ** Royce' * Kanagawa ** '' Hato Sabure'' * Kobe ** ''Castella'' ** '' Fugetsudo'' * Kyoto ** ''Yatsuhashi'' * Mie ** Spiny lobster ** Matsusaka beef * Nagoya ** '' Hatcho miso'' * Niigata ** '' Noppe'' ** '' Sasa dango'' * Osaka ** ''Takoyaki'' ** ''Okonomiyaki'' ** '' Chinsuko'' * Shiga ** Ōmi beef * Shikoku ** ''Sanuki udon'' * Tokyo ** Tokyo Banana ** Yokohama ''Baumkuchen'' * Yamagata ** ''Imoni'' ** ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshida-juku
was the thirty-fourth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in the center of what is now the city of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was from the start of the route in Edo's Nihonbashi and from Futagawa-juku to the east and from Goyu-shuku to the west. History Yoshida-juku was established in 1601 as a post station within the castle townYoshida-juku to Goyu-shuku Tōkaidō Hitoritabi. Accessed December 11, 2007. surrounding , an important and |
Goyu-shuku
was the thirty-fifth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in Goyu-chō in the city of Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. A pine tree colonnade, one of the few remnants from the Edo period post town, is a well-known tourist spot. It was approximately from Yoshida-juku, the preceding post station. History Goyu-shuku was established in 1601, at the behest of Tokugawa Ieyasu. At its most prosperous, there were four ''honjin'' in the post town, though there were never less than two at any point. The classic ukiyo-e print by Andō Hiroshige (Hōeidō edition) from 1831–1834 depicts the main street of the post town at dusk, with aggressive female touts (for which the post station was infamous) attempting to drag travellers into teahouses and inns for the night. During the Meiji Restoration, the central office for the Hoi District, making it the center of the district. However, when the Tōkaidō Main Line was laid down and bypassed Goyu-shuku, it did not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ... of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; Flora of Japan, flora and Wildlife of Japan#Fauna, fauna; and Shunga, erotica. The term translates as "picture[s] of the floating world". In 1603, the city of Edo (Tokyo) became the seat of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate. The ''chōnin'' class (merchants, craftsmen and workers), positioned at the bottom of Four occupations, the social order, benefited the most from the city's rapid economic growth, and began to indulge in and patronise the entertainment o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Fifty-Three Stations Of The Tōkaidō
, in the Hōeidō edition (1833–1834), is a series of ukiyo-e woodcut prints created by Utagawa Hiroshige after his first travel along the Tōkaidō in 1832. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tōkaidō Gojūsan tsugi''" in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 973. The Tōkaidō road, linking the ''shōgun''s capital, Edo, to the imperial one, Kyōto, was the main travel and transport artery of old Japan. It is also the most important of the " Five Roads" (''Gokaidō'')—the five major roads of Japan created or developed during the Edo period to further strengthen the control of the central shogunate administration over the whole country. Even though the Hōeidō edition is by far the best known, ''The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō'' was such a popular subject that it led Hiroshige to create some 30 different series of woodcut prints on it, all very different one from the other by their size (''ōban'' or ''chuban''), their designs or even their number (some series inclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shibori
is a Japanese manual tie-dyeing technique, which produces a number of different patterns on fabric. History Some discussion exists as to the origin of as a technique within Japan, and indeed, the exact country of origin of some of the earliest surviving examples. Much of the debate surrounds the technical capacities within Japan at the time to produce the variety of fabrics seen in some of the earliest examples. One of the earliest written descriptions of dates to 238 CE, where it was recorded in the Chinese document '' Chronicles of the Clans of Wei'' () that Queen Himiko gifted the Emperor of the Wei dynasty over of "spotted cloth" – potentially describing a form of wax-resist decoration on the fabric. The earliest surviving examples of -dyed cloth date back to the mid-8th century, donated to the Tōdai-ji Buddhist temple in Nara in 756 CE, as part of the goods donated by the Emperor Shōmu upon his death. The techniques seen on these earliest fragments show bound resi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tie-dye
Tie-dye is a term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. The process of tie-dye typically consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment, before binding with string or rubber bands, followed by the application of dye or dyes. The manipulations of the fabric before the application of dye are called resists, as they partially or completely prevent ('resist') the applied dye from coloring the fabric. More sophisticated tie-dye may involve additional steps, including an initial application of dye before the resist, multiple sequential dyeing and resist steps, and the use of other types of resists (stitching, stencils) and discharge. Unlike regular resist-dyeing techniques, modern tie-dye is characterized by the use of bright, saturated primary colors and bold patterns. These patterns, including the spiral, mandala, and peace sign, and the use of multiple bold colors, have become clichéd sinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chadō
The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is seldom ceremonial in practice. Most often tea is served to family, friends, and associates; religious and ceremonial connotations are overstated in western spaces. While in the West it is known as a form of tea ceremony, in Japan the art and philosophy of tea can be more accurately described as "Teaism" as opposed to focusing on the ceremonial aspect. Zen Buddhism was a primary influence in the development of the culture of Japanese tea. Much less commonly, Japanese tea practice uses leaf tea, primarily , a practice known as . Tea gatherings are classified as either an informal tea gathering () or a formal tea gathering (). A is a relatively simple course of hospitality that includes confections, thin tea, and perhaps a light meal. A is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akasaka, Tokyo
is a residential and commercial district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, located west of the government center in Nagatachō and north of the Roppongi district. Akasaka (including the neighboring area of Aoyama) was a ward of Tokyo City from 1878 to 1947, and maintains a branch office of the Minato City government. Notable sites * Akasaka Sacas * Embassy of the United States, Mexico, Cambodia, Canada, Iraq, Spain and Syria as well as San Marino *Ark Hills and Suntory Hall * Hikawa Shrine * Nogi Shrine *Tokyo Midtown - currently the tallest high-rise complex in Tokyo *Takahashi Korekiyo's residence and memorial park * Riki Mansion home of Rikidōzan In neighbouring Moto-Akasaka (literally "original Akasaka") to the North: *Akasaka Palace (State Guest House) * Togu Palace Residence of the Crown Prince of Japan Companies based in Akasaka * DefSTAR Records 4-5 Akasaka * EMI Music Japan 5-3-1 Akasaka * Epic Records Japan 9-6-35 Akasaka * Fujifilm * Fuji Xerox [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanpyō (food)
, sometimes romanized and pronounced , are dried shavings of ''Lagenaria siceraria'' var. ''hispida'', a variety of calabash gourd. The gourd is known as ( 夕顔) or ( フクベ) in Japanese. Kanpyō is an ingredient in traditional Edo style Japanese cuisine. Cooked and flavored kanpyō is commonly used in futomaki sushi roll. Kanpyō was originally grown in the Osaka region. Now it is a specialty product of Tochigi Prefecture, where it is a cottage industry. The region is so tied to the food product that it hosts the "Kanpyō Highway with History and Romance". The yuru-chara for Oyama, Tochigi is (), an anthropomorphized calabash. The gourd is harvested between late July and September. The white flesh of the gourd is cut into strips 3 cm wide and 3 mm thick, then either dried in the sun or dehydrated. Over 200 tons a year of dried kanpyō are produced per year. Kanpyō available in the United States is sometimes chemically bleach-dried to a very w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
