Chapter XVIII: The Art of Genji, Part 3 - Still Life

The third aspect of Genji art that I want to explore is the concept of still life, or capturing moments in our lives that show us as we really are, every day.

In general, the concept of still life in art often refers to baskets of fruit or flowers. In Genji, however, I would argue that this refers to how the people are depicted in the pictures. That is, they are never "posing" for the shots, unlike portraits from, say, European artists. Instead, Genji images show us how the people of the courts lived their daily lives, moment to moment. As official ladies of the court, the characters often found themselves idling around, passing the time with games, poetry, music and art. In the image above, for example, two girls brush each others hair as the other reads. (Maybe she is supposed to be reading Genji?)

YOUR TASK:

In your Genji picture, be sure to draw at least three or more people inside the room that you have chosen. These people should be engaged in daily activities, like the characters that you see in the pictures from Genji.

Chapter XVII: The Art of Genji, Part 2 - Golden Clouds & Flowery Seasons

The next aspect of art we will explore with Genji prints is the ubiquitous golden clouds that frame each of the pictures. When I saw the small images of Genji at the museum, this was their most striking feature, because even after 900 years, the gold leaf (it was real!) shined like the prince himself!

Why do you think Genji artists find this world to be floating in golden clouds?

Next, regarding time, we know that each picture corresponds to a section of the story. This setting is represented usually with flowers, but it could also be leaves, or other parts of nature such as snow or rain.

Japan is a country of seasons, I now recall as I move from one place to the next, sweating under a hot summer sun. These seasons play an important role in how Japanese artists imagine themselves in their art.

YOUR TASK:

Remember to include some indication of "season" in your drawing. Your drawing should also be framed by some aspect of nature, but it does not have to be clouds.

Chapter XVI: The Art of Genji, Part I - Perspectives

After seeing Genji scrolls in person for the first time, I'm inspired to write five small chapters specficially dealing with the art commonly found in the images created for this story. For each of these small assignments, you will be asked to explore the images and write about what you see, but the final assignment will be for you to create a picture of your life, in the style of Genji scrolls. To do this, we have to examine the major artistic characteristics of the pictures, and I think we should start with perspective.

Perspective is like point of view -- it is where we view the picture from.

For example, in movies, perspective is where the camera is located as the scene is being recorded. Looking at the image above, where do you think "the camera" would be located?

First, Genji images always take a 'bird's eye' perspective; that is, we look down on the images as if we were a bird. That said, it is interesting that these images also come to us at a angle, so we can see, in perspective, the traditional sliding paper doors, outer walls, and gardens of Genji. In order for us to do this, something has to be missing: the roof.

Here in Japan, I find the roofs to be one of the most distinctive parts of Japanese architecture: their dark, ceramic tiles; the curved slope; the turned-up edges. (See photo above.) For me, this is the best thing about Japanese castles and larger, traditional homes. It is interesting, then, that that is the first thing removed from these prints. Obviously, the 'bird's eye' perspective -- and perhaps, really "getting into the story" -- was very important to these artists!

Now, remember, YOUR TASK is to draw your picture using the same kind of perspective. In other words, you need to remove the roof of whatever room you are drawing.

You should also write a short paragraph explaining how this perspective helps the reader "get into the story."

Chapter XV: Some things Never Change

For this small chapter, I'd like to return to an idea that I had earlier in this blog: What is the same about Japan, and what is different?

First, when looking at Genji, it is clear the image of this novel has seen various permutations through the years. At times it has been viewed as classic literature, other times it has simply been a soap opera, or perhaps historical record. The point is, like Genji, some things change, while some things remain the same.

I came to this country for the first time in 1989, when I was still a teenager. Back then, everything seemed so modern, so fast and efficient. In fact, everything seemed very "21st Century."

Now, I'm back, and it is the 21st Century. As I walk the streets and talk to the people, I am amazed by some of the things that have changed, and some of the things that have remained the same. For example, despite all modern digital technology, Japan still has a old school "photo booth" in all of the train stations. People take pictures here for ID cards, passports, etc. Seeing one of these reminded me of how much fun we used to have taking pictures in these booths. Of course, I had to do it again, just for the sake of feeling young again.

Technology, it seems, is unpredictable in Japan. On one hand, it would seem that they would be the most advanced in everything; on this trip, however, I have learned that their cell phone technology is far behind ours (having just purchased my own iPhone back in the States.) Japanese digital, 3D, animated movies are also behind America. In fact, only this summer Japan has produced its first main stream, full length digital film (See Japan Times article below), compared, of course, to Pixar, which has been producing digital films now for well over a decade. I'm sure this has something to do with Miyazaki Hayao's (the Japanese 'Walt Disney') insistence on not using the medium. (He continues to draw everything by hand, including the latest movie to be shown in the U.S. "Ponyo.")

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20090807a1.html

Still, I think it's funny how some things change, and how some things never do!

Chapter XIV: IIlustrations of Genji @ Gotoh

Today I had the privilege of visiting the beautiful Gotoh museum in Tokyo. A private museum, the Gotoh is only open a few days a week -- and then, only for a few hours -- so I was lucky to get in. Although the museum has a large holding of Genji materials, unfortunately I missed the anniversary show that the museum had last year. Nonetheless, a few of the pieces were on display, and I was amazed by the pictures.

First, each of the pieces (at least in this collection) were only slightly larger than a large postage stamp. (!) We examined them in their glass cases through magnifying glasses, which is very strange, considering that many believed these minature masterpieces were created hundreds of years before this kind of technology was introduced to Japan. Another thing I found interesting was the timing of the illustrations: the holdings at Gotoh, which come from three different schools of art, represent the 1100s, 1300s and 1500s, respectively. Obviously, these come some time after Genji was originally written; and only one of the pictures I observed had any kind of writing. In other words, the original text of Genji probably did not contain any illustrations, and conversely many of the later illustrated versions did not contain the text.

I also found it interesting to learn that Genji was written not as a book, but as a scroll. In the novel itself, many of the characters communicate to one another by writing letters on scrolls, so it is not hard to think that is how Murasaki originally penned her story. Ladies in the Heian court often wrote stories for one another on these scrolls, which they would then put in the square, wooden boxes they used as pillows (see picture above). For this reason, Genji and other stories are known as "pillow books."

Maybe this is why Genji is so full of romance and intrigue. After all, we all enjoy a good story before going to sleep, don't we?

YOUR TASK:

1) Visit a local museum, either for art, nature or history. Record what you did and saw. How were the items displayed? Why do you think they were displayed that way?

Chapter XIII: Locker Room Talk in Genji?

In the woodblock print above, Genji and

his best friend are peaking through a

latticed fence to spy on the women they admire.

It's been a while since we looked into the story of Genji. Last time we were there, he had just been married at age twelve to a daughter of a high ministry official. He had fallen in love, however, with a different woman, Aoi.

Chapter Two places Genji, who is now around 17, in a room with two of his best friends. It is night, an the three are quietly discussing what makes women from different social classes perfect. In many ways, this reminds me of the stereotypical conversations young men are said to have in locker rooms, or in other places where the opposite sex is not around.

That aside, this conversation also brings us to a large theme clearly found in Genji: What makes a perfect man or a perfect woman? And does social class have anything to do with their being perfect? Thinking back on our conversation about beauty, is it necessary for someone to have a beautiful face or body to be perfect? What about money, education, a sense of humor, or personality?

YOUR TASK:

1) Imagine you are Hikaru Genji, it's 2009, and you are placing a personal ad on http://www.matchmaker.com/. What will his personal profile look like? What will he list as his requirements for the perfect partner? (Feel free to use a template from any current matchmaking web site to complete this assignment, but please keep everything Rated PG.)

Chapter XII: Genji in Many Forms

As promised, today's first blog is about the various versions of Genji that are available in Japan. Despite the fact that Genji is written using simple characters, in the original it nonetheless reads like Shakespeare, since the language is old and very stylized. For this reason, it is difficult for many people to pick up and read.

Yesterday we learned in the survey that most people read the manga version (cover and a few pictures posted above). It is interesting to note that even in the modern comic, the images are highly reflective of woodblock prints: often there is a lot of "blank space;" images of nature are always included; charcters faces are also stylized (small hooks for noses and slits for eyes), with little to no expression.

Nonetheless, the comic employs many of the same literary techniques as the original book: there's a distinct, omniscient narrator; dialogue between the charactes (often idle gossip regarding people and their behavior); and of course, the basic plot elements.

But this is where the versions differ. Genji, in its original form, only alludes to sexuality. It is up to the reader to determine how far Genji goes in each of his encounters with the women in his life. The manga version is different in the sense that you go much farther in these scenes than in the book. So, at times, the manga version feels like "soft porn" -- obviously something not appropriate to be taught or studied in school!

That said, there are other versions that are not as sketchy. Take, for example, the Takarazuka version above. Takarazuka is a highly stylized form of modern Japanese theater. Originally from Kobe, Takarazuka now has a large theater in several cities in Japan, including, of course, Tokyo. Here the performers are all women (a counteract to Kabuki, where all professional actors (even today) are men).

Only running two hours, Takarazuka's version of Genji was a reduction of the original, and it did spend most of its time focusing on the human relationships rather than the drama which is also fully present in the novel. Still, it was a highly refined, lavish show, full of subtle colors that reflected seasons, emotions and elements of high society. I was very lucky to see it.

Today I'm off to two museums -- Gotoh and Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation -- to see original illustrations of Genji from as far back as the 1100s. This will be the perfect way to further my understanding of the visualization of Genji before I leave Tokyo and head into the western countryside tomorrow.

YOUR TASK:

1) Take a favorite book, movie, or comic book and describe its evolution in a timeline. What version came first? What came after? Why do you think stories like this go from one genre to the next? What happens in the process?