Don't Bother Knocking

Well, finally.

Thanks to Hans, Anna's good decision, and the voice(Morgan Freeman(cameo)) . I couldn't even launch a blog without them. This time I saw Twitter timeline occasionally, I was glad to know that everyone seems to be doing well, and some seemed to remember me unexpectedly, thank you. Especially, Ali, I received a lot of criticisms in the way I cannot fight back during my Twitter service, but your comments were sensible and also full of wit and charming. If I wanted the same thing as you, I would have listened to your sharp comments on my tweet. And your lively cheerful and positive everyday tweet reminded me of good things on Twitter and made me decide to get back to the Twitter world almost. Thank you, Ali. I like you. Thank you, V, if you there. Now I have finished blogging as promised. I don't know if I could have accomplished this blogging adventure without you.

I enjoyed breathing English after a long time.

When an adventure ends, this blog ends. However, the blog stays. If there is anything, you can comment on posts or mail me. I mean anything, "I love you", "I hate you", "I challenge you", "I offer you", "I patronise you", "I feed you", "I stroke you", "I groom you", "I tame you", anything.

If I find the next adventure, I will fly a bird to you.

Until then, farewell.



The wind shines, when Japanese bush warblers tweet.

Hans in the Wind 2: A wind of Japanese Poetry of Spring 1

REVIEW: Woman In Gold

'Woman in Gold' is a film, based on the true story of Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish refugee, who took on the Austrian government to reclaim Gustav Klimt's iconic painting of her aunt, 'Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I', which was plundered by the Nazis.

The trailer of the film caught my attention because it was gold, Klimt, Helen Mirren. The film was compelling.

In the film, young Maria says that the painting is gold but her aunt somehow looks blue. And this is a film of "Blue and gold". The contrast between blue and gold gave me a unique sensation, it made this film alive. "A brisk elderly woman and a young lawyer who has difficulty in his career", "American accent English in a European court", "Painful memories of the defilers in a magnificent city Vienna" and so on. The score has the same characteristic and made this film memorable. Music by Martin Phipps and...Hans Zimmer. I couldn't notice him while I was watching because there was no his signature. In early spring, I heard the news that Hans was saying Auf Wiedersehen to the Spandex, and I've been thinking if he really has retired from "super hero business" what is going to be the next stage? This score might be a hint of it. I am looking forward to his future works.

Hans in the Wind 3: A wind of Japanese Poetry of Spring 2

REVIEW: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Introduction of the films about Heian part 2

A short review of 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya かぐや姫の物語' as a long appendix to the previous post REVIEW: 'The Tale of Genji'.

Film / Director

The film is based on the classic work of the Heian period, 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter 竹取物語', and the plot is basically the same as the original.

Directed by Isao Takahata 高畑勲 belonging to Studio Ghibli, the Mochi director, and my Mochi brother. He has the same type of personal qualities as me. I have sympathy for his philosophy of nature and life. His conclusion is obvious; Mochi. It's everywhere in his works. O-Kiyo おキヨ of 'Pom Poko 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ' is my ideal girl. 

And again he made this film Mochi, this is Mochi film expect the grown-up Princess and Mikado the Emperor. The Emperor is portrayed as the symbol of Money, Power, Vanity. The Emperor's chin and outfit are designed to be the complete opposite quality of Mochi. Maybe Takahata needed to face this motif as a Mochi director before he ends his career.

REVIEW: The Tale of Genji

You have slept with thousand people? Cool. I am sleeping with people of recent thousand years. --Yeah?

Okay, I have finished exchanging "That's not too bad" facial expressions with some of you, now then shall we dive into the Heian period?

'The Tale of Genji 源氏物語' is a classic work of Japanese literature, written by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period. 

If you ask modern Japanese people about Heian literature, they will mention this work. Because it is so important, some call it the world's first novel, everybody learns it at school. And also because it is a masterpiece, its story is thrilling and sensational.

Heian Max: Furyū Road

The Heian period, from the 8th century to the 12th century, between Nara and Kamakura period, named after the capital city Heian-kyō, which is now known as Kyoto. Heian 平安, literally "tranquillity and peace", was eventually a relatively peaceful and stable period, and that made possible the birth of Wayō and the prosperity of Japanese literature.

Let me introduce my viewpoint on the period this time.

Wayō(Japanese style beauty) / Karayō(Chinese style beauty)

Everything is connected, more or less. However, if there are particular examples of the influence on Japanese culture, that would be China and the U.S. China is the father, the U.S. is the stepfather. Mother? It's the earth--God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too--of course. In the 8th century, Japan entered an era of the prosperity of its own art, there was a movement away from Karayō then. Wayō 和様 is a contrast to Karayō 唐様. These terms are normally used in the field of calligraphy but occasionally also in general art. The environment develops human mind, and it's a great inspiration. China gave us great gifts, but our natural environments are very different from each other. 

Upper: Chinese / Lower: Japanese

So when our ancestors looked closely at their environment, when they tried to portray what they really felt in everyday life, Wayō had begun as a matter of course, although it progressed gradually and they were wavering between two styles, philosophies. For instance, they say that Sukemasa Fujiwara(944-998) the Saseki 佐跡 described their contradictory feelings at that time as follows, "漢詩だけでは、また和歌だけでは、何かさびしくものたりない、こうして漢詩における自己充足感の減退と、和歌における未成熟の意識と、こういう方向のすきま、空虚を満たすものとして、和漢をならべたてるという傾向が生まれてくる"

Kanamoji / Brush Calligraphy

When Japanese people were still having communications only orally in ancient times, Chinese character was introduced into Japan. In the Nara period, in the 8th century, people started to describe oral Japanese language by Chinese character. In the early Heian period, in the early 9th century, those Chinese characters were redesigned and simplified by men. And by the end of the 9th century, the movement toward Japanese style progressed, those Chinese characters were again redesigned and developed into Kanamoji by women.