JP.III: Ancient Modernity - Cultural Art Relics

Following our conversation and exploration of Japan's dynamic "Ancient Modernity," the story would not be completed without addressing the significant essence of traditional art relics' presence during Japanese daily life. The concept of traditional art, or cultural craftsmanship alike, does not bear its own uniqueness solely to Japan. Every historical culture in the world has a certain form of preserved and survived artistic value of its own. Art is a part of the culture that belongs to a group of people, with its skills and knowledge passed down through generations [1]. Beyond the physical existence of the crafts, along with it carried the verbal techniques and mentorship from an older master to his apprentices. Like a waterfall cascading down the rough cliff stones, these generational values diverted into various different streams of flows, diversifying and promoting their arts across periods of time and territories. The beauty of Japanese traditional art does not necessarily stem from its originality nor ownership of the crafts, but rather from its people's ability to level them to another high ground.

Left: The art of traditional candy making. Right: The details on the craftsmanship of a traditional portable shrine. 06/2023

One such example is the art form of tea ceremony [2]. Tracing its footsteps back to the introduction of Zen Buddhism from China to Japan, tea drinking was more than just an action to refresh and calm one's self. It was, and has always been a ritualistic taste. To the high-class literati and officialdom of ancient Japan, tea represented elegance, harmony, and grace. Back in ancient times, the ability to recognize the subtle sweetness within a cup of bitterness carries more of a philosophical way of living to a devout Japanese Buddhist monk. Besides its medicinal value, modern Japanese continue to adore tea-drinking culture as a way to celebrate their heritage and admire the elegant qualities associated with it [3]. Other highly refined traditional arts include from minimal forms such as calligraphy, ikebana (the art of flower arranging), and gardening to as grande scale as architecture, sculpture, and performing arts. During my short time visiting Japan, I had the honor to experience a snapshot of each major category at the Gion Center. Noh (classical dance-drama), Bugaku (court music performance), and traditional comedy shows were among what I had to appreciate. Beyond the Center, however, Japanese performing art's presence and popularity is undeniably depreciating and slowly being replaced by the influence of Western art in the country. Even in the city of Kyoto alone, once the capital of kimonos, if you see a person dressed in kimono strolling down the street, there is almost a 60 percent chance of guarantee that they are a foreigner. In a very literal sense, I felt being contradicted. Yet at the same time, I totally understood the reason.

Picture taken at the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Arts, showing the different processes of bamboo basket crafting. 06/2023

The easily accessible and massively broadcasted Western culture dominates the global networks of entertainment. Since early childhood, the younger generations of Japan have access to it at the tip of their fingers. Consequently, the popularity of Western content thus fosters a sense of familiarity with its audience. Outside of their home environment, to Japanese children, school uniforms with a tie, salarymen with black suits, or advertisements that endorse a Western lifestyle are common scenes. In bitterness, I walked slowly through the rather empty Kyoto Museum of Traditional Arts. To be in such an environment and to touch, feel, smell, and learn about their crafts - I knew that if the young students had been exposed to it, they would feel just as inspired and excited as I was. I am glad, however. Glad that it was also not too uncommon to see groups of middle schoolers having field trips to their culturally significant heritage sites. I hope they too get to touch, feel, smell, and learn about their own beautiful history, and to light up that spark within their heart into a torch and carry on their story.

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Citation:

1. “Traditional Art.” Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/traditional_art

2. "The Arts of Japan." Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan/The-arts

3. “History of Tea Culture in China and Japan” World Treasures, https://worldtreasures.org/blog/history-of-tea-culture-in-china-and-japan