Miminashi Hoichi #2

This is a picture I developed from the first in the series of drawings entitled Miminashi Hoichi. In the first picture I draw a face covered in Kanji characters. In this picture, I took the kanji script and changed it to roman alphabet but kept the same brsh stroke kanji style.

Miminashi Hoichi #1

This picture entitled "Miminashi Hoichi 1" was inspired from one of the scenes from the play "Miminashi Hoichi". In Japanese ghost stories, ghosts don't attack the living but haunt them for a long time making their lives miserable.

"Miminashi Hoichi" is a ghost story set in the Amidato temple in Shimonoseki city in Yamaguchi prefecture. This type of ghost story is called "Kaidan" in Japanese. The Greek Author Koizumi Yakumo (his Japanese name) turned this traditional story into a short story.

You can read more about the story of Miminashi Hoichi here.

Japanese Art: Wheel Tracks #3

This picture shows a "tenugui" or headscalf or handtowel with a pattern developed from my previous wheel track painting. These tenugui were traditionally used to wipe the hands and face dry. These are worn in festivals and recently have become popular as souvenir gifts with various patterns printed on them. 

Tenugui photo - Here is an example of how tenugui are used in traditional festival dances. Click the link to see the works of Keisuke Serizawa, a skilled pattern designer and cloth dyer.

Japanese Art: Wheel Tracks #2

In this picture, I took the wheel track motive from last week's post and turned it into a pattern. 

Japanese Art: Wheel Tracks #1

Japanese modern art "Wheel tracks"

At the end of a Japanese festival, you can see the remaining wheel tracks of the ceremonial floats on the ground. This inspired this piece where you can see the wheel tracks in the ground that represent the fun and excitement of the festival long after it has ended and the town has fallen silent. Like a typhoon, it is the calm after the storm. 

Wheel tracks on the road after a festival in Japan

In Japan, there are many festivals. Each festival has it's own main theme and events. In the case of the Autumn festival in Kakegawa in Shizuoka prefecture, street stalls are one of the main attractions. Local people visit the stalls from mid-day into the night. Also, people pray for a good harvest during the festival, a custom that has continued since the Edo period. 

Japanese Art: Taimatsu #3

Taimatsu 3

This is the 3rd and last in the series of paintings entitled Taimatsu. This picture was developed from the first two Taimatsu paintings I made. I took the first two paintings and turned them into a pattern that can be used for fashion. In this painting, the flame is the scarf and the lantern is the dress. 

Links:
Taimatsu #2
Taimatsu #1

Japanese Art: Taimatsu #2

Taimatsu 2

This the 2nd in series of painting entitled Taimatsu. This painting was developed from the 1st one I made here. In this picture a woman waits for the return of her ancestors next to the Taimatsu and ceremonial bonfire.