2010/02/01

Katana (2) - Tsuba, Menuki

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Katana (2) - Tsuba, Menuki, Daruma and the Sword
刀、鍔、目抜きとだるま― 武芸散歩



. Katana 日本刀 Sword (1)  


In this story we will talk about the Japanese samurai sword first and then look at some special decorations featuring Daruma san.

The first Japanese sword may have come from the gods, as we saw in Part 1, but a more realistic version has it come from Mainland China and Korea to Japan. Swords from the Heian period to the Muromachi period are called "Old Swords" (kotoo, koto 古刀), from the first year of Keichoo (1596) we talk about the "New Sword" (shintoo, shinto 新刀) and during the later half of the Edo period the "New New Sword" (shinshintoo 新新刀) came to be known.

The older great sword (tachi 太刀) had been hung from the belt. The long sword (katana 刀) and a shorter companion sword (wakisashi 脇指), both stuck in a sash, as we can see on typical Samurai pictures, came into use during the Momoyama period. Fighting shools for one or two swords developed during the peaceful Edo period and the decorative parts of a sword, the guard (tsuba) and other hilt decorations (menuki) became more and more elaborate.
The most famous hero fighting with two swords is maybe Miyamoto Musashi, who will be subject of a yearlong TV series on NHK in 2003.
Musashi also painted Daruma san.
Reference : Kumamoto : Musashi

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You find all the knowledge about the Japanese Sword on this extensive HP in English.

For example the History of Swords.
A Glossary of Japanese Sword Terms.
A Museum full of famous Japanes swords.

And there is also our Empress Jinguu Koogoo with the War God Hachiman



source : www.sho-shin.com


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The Sword Guard 鍔 Tsuba  



. Tsuba 鍔  .


quote               
The sword guard is a heavy metal disc attached between the hilt and the blade.
This part of a sword fitting has always been considered one of the most esteemed posessions of a samurai. During the Muromachi period and the Momoyama period feudal lords and powerful clans fought fierce battles against each other. Therefore the functionality of the sword guard was more important than its decoration. The Edo period brought an uninterrupted period of 256 years of peace to Japan. Now the Japanese sword guard rapidly developed into a refined piece of art.

The primary purposes of the guard are to balance the sword, prevent the hand from sliding down the blade and, as a last resort, to use it as a block against a thrust or slash. Thus the guard protected the hand of the samurai, but more important it was a reflection of himself, an expression of this thoughts and imagination. Simple open work in early pieces as well as lavish and intricate techniques often allow us only an idea of what the original owner was attempting to express. Intellectual principles, mostly with a deep religious background, have been woven into a group of artifacts, which illustrate as clearly as any other the cultural and sociological development of Japan throughout history.

The strong connection of Zen Buddhism with the way of the samurai makes Daruma san a suited object on the sword decorations.
The sword guard had patterns on both sides and some extra holes to permit the insertion of a utility knife (kozuka 小柄), a skewer (koogai 笄) to scratch the head under the helmet and chopsticks (waribashi 割り箸).
These items were called the "Three Things" (mitokoro mono 三所物).
source : ils.unc.edu

More online reference :
source : Reference

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from online auctions

















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Here is a very useful introduction:

Günther Heckmann - Tsuba
Nurtingen : H.U.B. Verlag, 1995

This book is composed of 143 colour plates with descriptions in English, German and Japanese. It also contains glossaries and indices in the same languages.
Mr. Heckmann has been a guest at my Paradise Hermitage (GokuRakuAn) in Okayama a few years ago. He restores laquer art items of Japan and other Asian countries.

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Sword Decorations 目抜きとほかの刀装飾道具   




. Menuki 目抜き  .

Menuki are pairs of small metal ornaments, secured one to each side of the hilt of the sword by means of a braid that covers the hilt. They are functional, miniature works of art that portray a wide range of subjects. Their original purpose was to hold the peg that locks the blade and hilt together. Later their position was moved and their purpose was to allow a better grip on the handle. From the late Kamakura period onward, the menuki were placed on each side of the handle under the grasp of the fingers to prevent slipping.
Nowadays we even find menuki reworked to be used as cuff links in an American crosscultural version.

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What is the connection
between the sword and Daruma after all, you might ask again.


During the Edo period, many "WAYS" were developed, based on the principles of Zen and practised by the samurai, and "The Way of the Warrior" (Bushidoo) was of course one of them. One aspect of Bushidoo is "The Way of the Sword" (Kendoo) and the "Way of the Bow" (Kyuudoo). Part of the training of a young lord was to spend time in a Zen temple and meditate about Life and Death and the non-existence of Life and Death in order to prepare him not to fear anything that came along his way.
During my many years of practising with the bow in a Zen temple in Kamakura we usually started a training session with a meditation period. And if you read the concepts of modern Kendoo Federation, you find some of them quite close to Zen concepts. For example "to forever pursue the cultivation of oneself" is quite close to the pursuit of Enlightenment. Therefore I guess the appearance of Daruma on items connected with the sword were ment to remind the samurai of the most noble WAY of all.



The famous samurai Miyamoto Musashi even painted Daruma, as we have seen above.
source : www.museum.pref.kumamoto

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Tsuba with design of Bishamon and centipede

MFA, Boston



source : www.mfa.org/collections

. Bishamon-Ten . 毘沙門天 .   


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From the collection of my friend George O Hawkins
Look at many more here:
source : Facebook album

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Kurikara menuki 倶利伽羅



- shared by : Bradford Pomeroy - fb 2014


. Fudō Myō-ō, Fudoo Myoo-Oo 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O
Acala Vidyârâja – Vidyaraja – Fudo Myoo .


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. kappa 河童 / 合羽 / かっぱ Kappa water goblin - Kappapedia .

a rather large tsuba with Kappa motives, too big to attach to a sword.




One side shows a kappa and a tree monster, the other side a willow tree with a woman ghost.
If the Kappa is on the front side, it is for a wakisashi sword 脇差, if the woman ghost is for the front, it is a long sword 長刀.
- source : Kappa Museum -





. . . CLICK here for Photos !


. Kappa,Tsuba and Menuki - MORE .


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source : facebook

. Mount Fuji 富士山, Fuji-san, or Fujiyama, .


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. Katana 日本刀 Sword (1)   


. Fuchi Kashira and Menuki Set
more about
TSUBA, the sword guard  


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Katana (1) Sword

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Katana - Daruma and the Japanese Sword
日本刀とだるま― 武芸散歩


CLICK for more photos

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A sword together with a mirror (yata no kagami) and a comma-shaped jade jewel (yasakani no magatama) is one of the three Imperial regalia of Japan.

The Imperial Sword of the Billowing Clouds.

CLICK for more photos

"The sword Susanooh discovered in the tail of the slain eight-headed dragon (orochi) and gave to the gods was eventually given to Ninigi (great grandfather of Emperor Jinmu, the first Japanese emperor), a grandson of Amaterasu the sun goddess, when he came down to earth. The sword is one of the three divine articles that are part of the Japanese Imperial regalia, but it was lost in the 12th century. The sword's name is "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" (sword of heavenly gathering of clouds), and it is also known as "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi" (grass cutting two-edged sword) when it was used by Yamato Takeru to cut grass to make an escape route when he was surrounded by fire in one of the Ainu subjugation campaigns. So, both Murakumo and Kusanagi refer to the same thing, the sword of Orochi, the Dragon-King of the Sea.
This sword could only be wielded by the Emperor of Japan."

The close connection of the Imperial power with the heavenly sword maybe explaines why the Japanese have such a special veneration for swords, later to be called "The soul of the Samurai" and always handled with great respect. We will explore the religious aspect of the sword in Part 1 and the more materialistic one in Part 2.

八咫鏡(ヤタノカガミ), 草薙の剣(クサナギノツルギ)、八尺瓊勾玉(ヤサカニノマガタマ) - 剣は三種の神器として昔から日本人にとって大事なものでした。武士の魂とも言われているほど侍の大事な道具でした。パート1では、宗教で見られる刀、パート2では、具体的に刀の話をすすめます。
http://inoues.net/yamataikoku/3shu/3shu_jingi.html



Read more about the legendary AMA-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI, the Sword of the Billowing Clouds on the following HP, which will be introduced in detail in Part 2.
http://www.sho-shin.com/yam1.htm


. Ninigi ニニギ and Sakuyahime 花咲屋姫命 .


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. Futsumitama 布都御魂 Futsu no mitama .
The personification of a divine sword.

Futsumitama no tsurugi 韴霊剣、布都御魂剣(ふつみたまのつるぎ)
Sajifutsu no kami 佐士布都神(さじふつのかみ)
Mikafutsunokami 甕布都神(みかふつのかみ)


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The Buddhist Sword of Wisdom 知剣 Chiken  
In Buddhism, we have a more philosophical form, the Sword of Wisdom. It is carried by Monju Bosatsu and the Wisdom King Fudoo (see below).





Monju Bosatsu (Manjushri Bodhisattva)  文殊菩薩
In his left hand he holds a sutra by which he dispenses wisdom to people, and in his right hand holds a sword for cutting off delusion. He sometimes rides on a lion, which is called the king of a hundred animals, and this expresses how he lives grandly with a powerful and correct wisdom.
"If three people are together, the Wisdom of Monju emerges" is a common saying in Japan which showes the strong connection with Monju and Wisdom.
Legend says that Monju was an Indian monk, born after the death of Shakyamuni. He reached the status of Bodhisattva through his serious ascetic studies. His religious dispute with the lay Buddhist Vimalakirti is reported in a famous sutra, Yuimakyoo.
Manjushri is very popular in Tibet, Northern China and Mongolia. The name of the region "Manjuria" might be taken from a deformed prononciation of "Manjushri".           
source://www.shingon.org/



Chiken (知剣, Buddism sword of wisdom)
on a sword at Yahiko Shrine (弥彦神社), Niigata
source : Taisaku Nogi


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If you repeat the Holy Mantra of Monju, On A Rahashanoo, you might gain the wisdom of Monju, if you practise seriously.

オン ア ラハシャノウ  
オン アラハシャノウ
この真言(五字文殊法)

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The Wisdom King Fudoo Myoo-oo and
the Sword Kurikara
不動明王と倶利伽羅不動剣
The unmovable Fudoo (Acala Vidyaaraaja) is one of the Wisdom Kings (Myoo-oo). He is usually depicted in a very wrathful way. He is a typical Japanese deity, introduced by Kooboo Daishi about 806 and soon became a special protector of the Mountain Ascetics (yamabushi). An impressive waterfall is considered the personification of Fudoo, for example the Great Waterfall at Nachi, which we met in the story about Kumano.
Fudoo is portrayed holding a two-edged sword with a three-pronged hilt in his right hand and a coiled rope in his left hand. With this sword of wisdom, Fudoo cuts through deluded and ignorant minds and with the rope he binds those who are ruled by their violent passions and emotions.             
http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/fudo.html


Kurikara Fudo
is another personification of this deity, this time in the form of a Dragon-Sword. The Dargon King Kurikara (Sanskrit: Kulikaa Nagaraajaa) is said to have a golden body color and is sometimes depicted with one or two horns on his head.
Legend has it that Fudoo had to fight the representative of a different religion. He changed himself into a flaming sword but the opponent did the same and the fighting went on without a winner. Now Fudoo changed himself into the Dragon Kurikara, wound himself around the opposing sword and started eating it from the top. This episode gave rise to the iconographic rendering as we know it now.
The dragon used to be a vasall or symbol of the deity, but in this unique case the symbol and the deity came to be honored as the same thing. Especially during the Edo period where the sword was a symbol of the vasall's loyalty to his lord, the statues and steles of Kurikara Fudoo were produced in greater numbers.
倶利加羅は、「倶梨迦羅」「古力迦羅」「倶力迦羅」などと書れ、黒色の龍を意味し、不動明王の化身とされる。この龍が燃え盛る炎に包まれながらも岩上の利剣に巻き付き剣を飲み込まんとする尊像が倶利加羅不動明王で、危険な修羅場の守り神、火消し・博奕打ちが好んで刺青に使った尊像である。
http://www.jsdi.or.jp/~kirara80/meisho/narusawa/index.html/index412.html

This Kurikara Fudoo is the protective deity of a waterfall of Terazawa.        
On the following HP you find another beatuiful stone stele with the Kurikara Fudoo and an explanation about other wayside deities (kooshin) in Japanese.
倶利迦羅明王は不動明王の化身で、庚申塔(こうしんとう)によくある青面金剛(しょうめんこんごう)とは少し違います。
source : mejirofudo

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Lately, maybe because of the play of words using
KEN (sword) and SHIKEN (examination)
the Kurikara Fudoo is sought after by students who have to pass an examination and want to ensure some divine help in this endeavor.

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Now let us go back to the Japanese sword. Here is a fine engraving of a Kurikara Fudoo on a companion sword (wakizashi).
脇指にすばらしい倶利伽羅不動があります。                 

source : kunihiro.htm
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. Kurikara, the Sword of Fudo Myo-o
不動明王と倶利伽羅不動剣 .





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Sword bag "Daruma" 刀袋 達磨

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The story about the samurai sword continues with Part 2,
where we will talk in detail about the sword guard and other sword ornaments.


Menuki 目抜き <> Sword Decoration
Menuki ... Sword Part 2


Tatara and Fuigo, making metal for the sword
高殿鑪,鞴

. Edo Shokunin - 江戸の職人 Craftsmen of Edo - .

tookoo 刀工 Toko, blacksmith, making a sword
sword craftsmen

- quote -
Complex Techniques of Crafting Katana
Tatara-buki (Japanese style of making high-quality steel)
Mizuheshi (removal of carbon using water)
Tsumi wakashi (stacked and heated)
Shita-gitae (founding forging)
Tsumi wakashi (stacked and heated) again
Forging (Age-gitae, final forging)
Tansetsu (forge welding) and Wakashi-nobe (heating and elongating)
Sunobe (Forming the blank)
Hizukuri (Shaping with heat)
Karajime (Cold forging)
Namatogi (Raw grinding)
Tsuchioki (Soil coating)
Yaki-ire (Quenching)
Kajioshi (Final grinding)
Nakago jitate (core shaping)
Meikiri (Carving inscription)
- - - After all the process of forging, Saya-shi (Sheath craftsman) creates the Saya (sheath) appropriate to the Katana. Katana are not completed soley by a sword craftsman, other craftsmen including a Togi-shi (polisher) and Saya-shi (Sheath craftsman) add the finishing touches.
- source : doyouknowjapan.com/katana -

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. Yamato Takeru and Shrine Sakaori no Miya 酒折宮  

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H A I K U

笈も太刀も五月に飾れ紙幟 
oi mo tachi mo satsuki ni kazare kami nobori

satchel and sword, too,
displayed for Fifth Month:
carp streamers

Tr. Barnhill

The temple where Basho stayed when he wrote this poem was in possession of the famous sword of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and the satchel (bag) by Benkei.

Oku no Hosomichi - - - Station 14 - Sato Shoji, Satoshoji 佐藤庄司 旧跡 - - -
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


. Minamoto no Yoshitsune 源の義経 .

. tango no sekku 端午の節句 Boy's Festival .
with Carp Streamers (koinobori 鯉幟)


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tachi, daitoo たち / 太刀/大刀 long sword




梅さくや雪隠の外の刀持
ume saku ya setchin no soto no katanamochi

plum blossoms--
outside the outhouse
a sword bearer


by Issa, 1824
Shinji Ogawa notes that katanamochi means "a sword holder"... an attendant. He explains, "A samurai of decent rank could afford such an attendant because human labor was so cheap."
Tr. David Lanoue


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一太刀の光を海に雷鳴す
hito tachi no hikari o umi ni kan narasu

the sparkling
of one big sword on the sea -
thundering thunder


Matsudaira Tomoko 松平知子

source : masaokato.jp


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The "Soul of a Samurai" 武士の魂 bushi no tamashi

魂をせっぱつまって質に置き
tamashii o seppa zumatte shichi ni oki

a last resort:
the samurai puts his soul
in pawn

Tr. Makoto Ueda

. Senryu in Edo .

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怪談と名刀 Kaidan to Meito
本堂 平四郎 (著), 東 雅夫 (著)
and
- more books about swords at amazon com -

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The Edo samurai knew how to look sharp
‘The World of Edo Dandyism: From Swords to Inro”

at the Nezu Museum is a splendid collection of Edo Period (1603-1868) swords and sword accessories that includes blades, scabbards and metal fittings, as well as decorative sets of inrō (pill boxes) and netsuke (carved toggles). The exhibition looks back to a fascinating period of Edo history when prosperous samurai and merchants sought out the most stylish outfits and accessories that would establish them as refined men.



. inrō 印籠 / 印篭 / いんろう Inro, pillbox .

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Jimotsu - What is Daruma holding?

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Jimotsu - What is Daruma holding?
持物 - 達磨さんがなにを持っていますか?


Recently a friend asked me:
"Why is this Lady Daruma holding a duster?
Is she going to clean her home?"

Well, that was the origin of this story. Here are some answers.





To identify a Buddhastatue one clue is the item that the deity is holding in its hands. In Japanese this is called "jimotsu" 持物. Since many renderings of Daruma feature a tumbler doll with no arms or legs, he is not carrying anything, but this absence of arms and legs itself helps to identify a Daruma.
Daruma as represented in his form as Zen master, Daruma Daishi, is seated or standing, hands folded below the robe, hands in meditation pose or holding something with one or two hands.

The statues of a Kannon Bosatsu with 1000 arms are maybe the most representative to study the things a Buddha can carry. Here are two illustrations of the things carried in the left and right hands (remember, there should be 500 each!) but here we have just a small sample.


Kannon Bosatsu with 1000 Arms (Avalokiteshvara)
千手観音菩薩


This is a typical statue of esoteric Buddhism. Each item represents one of the vows of the Bosatsu to help and save all of mankind. On the palm of each hand an open eye is usually painted or engraved too, so this Bosatsu can see all the misery in the wolrd and rush to help. In an abbreviated form most statues have only 42 arms holding different things, since it is said that one hand can fulfill 25 vows.


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Flywhisk Hossu  払子



This is a whisk used to flick mosquitoes away. This tool had its practical use in India and other hot countries. Usually the whisk was made of the hair of Tibetan yak and used by highranking priests. It came to be symbolized especially in Zen Buddhism, where it stands for the swishing away of delusive thoughts and ideas which are continuously troubling the normal human being. Since Daruma is a high-ranking priest, of course he carried such a flywhisk to flick away the moskitoes around him and the "spiritual moskitoes" in the minds of his disciples.


Daruma with a Flywhisk  払子を持つだるま
This is maybe most often found as an attribute of Daruma san. Even some tiny MINI ones where depicted with it. And he does not even need hands to hold it, it can just be painted on the body. Daruma can hold the hossu in his right or left hand, have it hanging down or hold it straight upright or even recline and let it dangle over his shoulder.


. Daruma carrying a flywhisk  

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Priest's Szepter  Nyoi 如意



NYOI means "To Fulfill all Wishes",
as in the use of the "Wishfulfilling Jewel"(nyoi hooju 如意宝珠), another attribute of the Kannon with 1000 Arms and very often a Jizoo Bosatsu. (Sometimes this jewel is painted on the belly of a Princess Daruma.) Nyoi is a kind of broad ladle with the top part formed like an auspicious bat (koomori 蝙蝠) and is used by priests during the recital of sutras or lectures to emphasize a point. It is about 30 cm long. In ancient China the top part was sometimes made out of a mushroom with an auspicious shape to symbolize long life. You can see it with statues of high priests of the Zen sect and esoteric Buddhist sects. When Daruma Daishi is depicted as a normal priest, this is his iconographical symbol.

. Wishfulfilling Jewel (nyoi hooju 如意宝珠)
Sanskrit: cintamani




. Koraiyaki 白高麗焼 - White Korean Pottery .


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Rosaray Nenju (Juzu)  念珠、数珠



Rosaries were introduced to Japan with Buddhism. Originally rare and precious, the spread of Buddhism brought wider use of "Nenju" from the Heian Period (8th-12th century) to the Kamakura Period (12th-14th century). Permission to trade in rosaries during the Edo Period (17th-19th century) made them available to the general public. Kyoto has many head temples of various Buddhist sects, and the techniques of making Rosaries have been passed down from generation to generation. Usually they have 108 beads.                  

. Rosaray (nenju, juzu)  念珠、数珠, 誦数



There are old rosaries, which Kooboo Daishi brought back from China to Japan.
They are of the long type with 108 beads.



Daruma with a Rosary  数珠をもつだるま
We found the rosary in the story about KATSU! and Yakimono (1). 

Daruma Museum


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Daruma carrying other things  
ほかの物を持つだるま




Daruma is holding a rosary and also a scroll with a sutra.
This is a very special statue in my museum, with an individual facial expression. And there is at least one more like this in Japan.




We met Daruma carrying one shoe in the story about Sekiri.
Sekiri Daruma carrying one sandal 靴を持っている達磨さん:隻履達磨


In the story about Yakko Daruma, he was carrying a helbard, but that is the iconographic item of a Yakko, not Daruma himself.
Yakko Daruma / 奴だるま Papermachee Dolls



Finally here is Daruma carrying a small Monkey, at least that is what the animal looks to me. If you know about similar features, please share them with us.
This is a wooden Chinese Daruma statue with a tiny animal, probably a monkey.
(Picture to be added)



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- - - Who is Daruma ? - - -



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Fusuma sliding doors

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. Edo shokunin 江戸の職人 Edo craftsmen .
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Fusuma - Daruma on a Sliding Door
襖絵とだるま



Paintings of Zen Patriarchs on sliding doors
Temple Joho-Ji (Joohooji)
大雄山 正法寺  本堂正面襖絵
source : chikurin


The traditional Japanese house is a wonderful construction to adapt to the needs of its inhabitants and the changes of climate. With the use of sliding doors the four little rooms of my old farmhouse change into a big hall to entertain a lot of guests; the bedding disappears in a shelf (oshi-ire 押し入れ) closed with sliding doors and between the windows and the living room there is a small veranda which can be shut off with "sliding doors to view the moon" (tsukimi shooji 月見障子). This is a special type of doors, made of a wooden frame coverd with Japanese paper and with a glass panel at the bottom. This panel is covered with a set of smaller sliding panels which are again covered with Japanese paper and can be moved up to let you look out of the window and enjoy the autumn moon while sitting on the floor sipping ricewine. In this ingenious way the room keeps warm, outside is cold and you still can enjoy the moon.

The door type called "fusuma" is usually made of thick paper or wood panels. These large surfaces provide a superb canvas and gave rise to the most beautiful examples of the art of Japanese paintings. Pictures on Fusuma are also called "Pictures on movable walls" (shoohekiga 障壁画). Another name for fusuma is "Chinese Paper Sliding Door" (karakami shooji 唐紙障子). Fusuma are well adapted to the Japanese climate. When it is humid, they absorb moisture. On the other hand, when it is dry, they emit moisture to keep up a comfortable atmosphere.

In ancient times, Buddhist subjects formed the nucleus of Japanese paintings, but by the early 8th century, secular objects began to appear. Paintings on walls, doors and screens existed in Japan since the Nara period, but they show a strong influence of Chinese art. Truly Japanese-style paintings (yamato-e 大和絵) with motives of flowers and birds of the four seasons, court scenes and landscapes appear during the Heian period. In Japan, art was an integral part of architecture, and painting was considered of primary importance in filling the large panels and movable walls of the numerous rooms in temples, shrines, castles and mansions of the nobles and warriors.

In the late Muromachi period, the artist Kano Motonobu (Kanoo Motonobu 狩野元信1476-1559) introduced a combination of monochromatic Zen art with its strong ink brushstrokes with the more delicate lines, but vivid colors of the native Yamato-e. In the following Momoyama period his grandson, Kano Eitoku (Kanoo 狩野永徳1543-90) brought the style fo full frutition. The sliding doors and screens of this era are mostly executed on a gold foil background and they are considered the golden age of Japanese painting.

The most famous pictures on sliding doors are to be found in the great temples and mansions. The subject had to match the purpose of the room and the mood of the owner. Therefore many temples feature a Daruma picture on the sliding door, but unfortunately I could not find them on the Internet.
If someone can provide a quotation, please do so.



. Kano Eitoku 狩野 永徳 .
. Kano Motonobu 狩野元信 Kanō Motonobu .
Artist name : Kohoogen, Kohōgen こほうげん (古法眼)

. Kano Kazunobu 狩野 一信 .
1816 - 1863

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. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Fusuma, the facts at JAANUS

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Genjibusuma 源氏ふすま Genji Fusuma
a papered sliding door with a dormer


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. Genji Monogatari  源氏物語 The Tale of Genji .

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The temple Ichijoo-In 一乗院 on Mt. Koya features with picutres of the Kanoo School (Kanoo-ha 狩野派).
襖絵は江戸時代狩野派の絵師狩野探採によって画かれたものです。

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http://www.itijyoin.or.jp/


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The famous Golden Temple Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto 金閣寺。
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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The Rinzai Zen-Temple Zuigan-ji in Matsushima close to Sendai.
松島にある瑞巌寺(宮城県)

This long HP has many beautiful paintings.
http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~zuiganji/oheya.html


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Temple Hootoku-ji in Iwate prefecture 宝徳寺
岩手県の宝徳寺
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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CLICK on the thumbnails for many more photos !
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Finally, let us have a look at two of my sliding doors.
Photos TBA

They come with the following story from the painter friend:
"I was very sick a while ago and prayed a lot to get better. Now I am well again and full of gratitude. So I started to write the Heart Sutra and paint Daruma san, starting with small pictures and now doing large ones. Since you like Daruma san too, I give you some of my work for your new Daruma Hall!"

They are paintings, but we had them mounted on the sliding doors to give them more space. There is one on each side of the partition. The Chinese characters on the one with the sutra read "Heart of Buddha" (busshin 佛心), the others are a famous Zen word from the Chinese Zen Master Wu-Men (Mumon 無門).
"Every Day is a Good Day" (nichinichi kore koonichi 日々是好日).

. Every Day is a Good Day .


In Zen you do not fret about things that are over and you do not worry about things to happen in the future. Just experience the moment, be it full of pleasure or full of sorrow, do not judge its quality but experience it to the fullest. Then every day will be a "Good Day", may it be rain or storm or sunshine.
Here is a quotation to help you solve your Koan Problem.

"When you are assigned a koan by your meditation instructor, such as, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "Why did Bodhidharma come from the west?" you have to ask yourself, "What does this have to do with my real suffering - my depression, my fear, or my anger?" If it does not have anything to do with these real problems, it may not be a path you need. It may be just an escape. Practice you koan in a way that your suffering is transformed". Lama Surya Das (1997) gained insight from his elderly Zen master about the use of the koan. The elderly master stated, "We all have to solve it in our own way; how we live our lives day by day and what we do depends ultimately on ourselves."
http://www.uwec.edu/greider/Buddha/Buddhism.Course/Students_Projects_Sites/larson.koan/zen_koan.htm

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Please continue to read the story about folding screens, Byobu, to learn more about art and Japanese homes.

Byoobu and Tsuitate - Daruma on a Screen 屏風, 衝立とだるま.

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. Edo shokunin 江戸の職人 Edo craftsmen .

tateguya 建具屋 making doors and sliding doors
interior finishing carpenters


source : edoichiba.jp.tategusi...

They make shōji 障子, ranma 欄間 and many wooden decorations for windows and partitions.




建具職人の千太郎


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kigo for all winter

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. Sliding doors between the rooms, fusuma 襖 ふすま
winter doors, fuyu fusuma 冬襖
fusumagami 襖紙(ふすまがみ)washi Japanese paper for fusuma
karakami 唐紙(からかみ)special paper for sliding doors
ebusuma 絵襖(えぶすま)fusuma with paintings
shirobusuma 白襖(しろぶすま)white sliding door
fusumashooji 襖障子(ふすましょうじ)fusuma sliding doors

karakami shooji 唐紙障子(からかみしょうじ)fusuma with karakami colored paper
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for all summer

fusuma hazusu 襖はずす (ふすまはずす )
taking the fusuma away

kazatooshi 風通し(かざとおし)"letting the wind in"
kazatoori 風通り(かざとおり) "letting the wind pass through"

Especially in the machiya merchant homes of Kyoto the preparations for summer and winter were quite necessary to keept the rooms cool in summer.


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kigo for mid-autumn

. shooji arau 障子洗う (しょうじあらう )
to wash the sliding doors
 
shooji fusuma o ireru 障子襖を入れる (しょうじふすまをいれる)
to put in sliding doors between the tatami rooms
and many more kigo.

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- quote
Edo Karakami 江戸からかみ
Hand-Made Patterned Paper for Interiors




Traditional Technologies and Techniques
There are four techniques used by the karakami craftsman:

1- Hikizome 引き染め (brush dyeing):
① Iro-gubiki 色具引き (undercoat application):
A brush that has been soaked in pigment is drawn across the paper.
② Bokashizome ぼかし染め (shade dyeing):
A single brush that includes color which has been gradated by water is drawn across the paper to create a shading effect.
③ Chojihiki 丁子引き (striped-pattern dyeing): A brush with bristles intermittently removed to achieve a comb-like effect is used to create choji (stripe) patterns on the surface of the paper.

2- Application of mica (kirabiki 雲母引き) through hand-rubbing:
Although mica is sometimes applied simply when rubbed in by hand, in most cases pigment or gold/silver paint is applied in two layers. Following rubbing in by hand, the paper is stretched out and dosa どうさ (a protective "sizing" glaze) is applied to the surface.

3- Mica pattern application using a woodblock 木版雲母摺り:
Mica 雲母(きら) and gofun 胡粉 (crushed seashells) are passed through a screen membrane onto a pattern-carved woodblock, and paper is then placed over the woodblock and rubbed gently. Gold/silver flakes are then sprinkled over the paper that has had paste applied to it, and after drying, the excess flakes are removed and a dosa glaze is applied to the surface of the paper.

There are five techniques used by the craftsman who applies decorative powders:
1- Haku-chirashi 箔散らし (flake sprinkling):
A special tube-shaped tool used for sprinkling flakes (a tube made of bamboo with strings stretched over the end), and a tool similar to chopsticks called hakuhashi 箔箸 are skillfully utilized to sprinkle gold /silver flakes over the surface of the paper.
2- Sunago-maki 砂子まき (sunago powder sprinkling):
Flakes reduced to a fine powder are inserted into a special tube-shaped tool (a tube made of bamboo with a fine mesh of copper wires over the end). The powder is repeatedly sprinkled over the surface by shaking the tube.
3- Deibiki 泥引き (paint application):
Gold/Silver paint is applied to one end of a brush, and then the brush is drawn across the paper lengthwise along a ruler with one side of the brush elevated.
4- Migakidashi 磨き出し (pattern rubbing):
A pre-patterned woodblock is placed below washi (traditional Japanese paper) that has undergone the deibiki process. The painted portions of the paper are then rubbed from above using a boar's tusk. This causes the painted portions to physically rise up.
5- Picture painting/drawing: 描絵(かきえ)
A traditional nihonga 日本画 (Japanese painting) or sumi-e 水墨画 (ink painting) is added for decorative effect.

There are two techniques used by the craftsman who does cotton printing (calico printing):
Print-type textile dyeing:
nassenzuri 捺染摺り(なっせんずり)
1- Monochrome printing: 単色摺り
Pattern paper treated with astringent persimmon juice is placed on top of washi (traditional Japanese paper) and pigment and/or dye is used to print designs.
2- Multicolor printing: 多色摺り
A number of sheets of pattern paper treated with astringent persimmon juice (5 to 7 sheets) are used to print colors one at a time until the intended design is complete.

Traditionally Used Raw Materials
Washi (traditional Japanese paper), textiles, mica, gofun (crushed seashells), pigments, dosa (sizing glaze), nikawasui paste (glue), gold flakes, adhesives (funori seaweed glue, shofunori wheat starch paste and konnyaku glue)
和紙、織物、雲母(きら)、胡粉(ごふん)、顔料、どうさ、膠水(にかわすい)、金属箔、糊・・・布海苔、正麩糊(しょうふのり)、こんにゃく糊

History and Characteristics
Edo Karakami is patterned traditional Japanese paper that is affixed to fusuma sliding doors and folding screens, etc., for decorative purposes. Woodblock printing using pre-patterned blocks, Ise-Katagami 伊勢型紙 stencil printing, hikizome brush dyeing, hand-sprinkling of sunago decorative powders 砂子手蒔き, and a wide range of other techniques are employed when making Edo Karakami.

Karakami patterned paper was introduced from China to Japan during the Heian Period (approx. 794-1185) and Japanese craftsmen subsequently imitated Chinese karakami using washi (traditional Japanese paper) as a base. Karakami was mainly produced early on in Kyoto as paper for writing waka (classical Japanese poetry).

During Japan's medieval period, people began to use karakami for decorating fusuma, hanging scrolls and the like, and during the Edo Period (1603-1868) many karakami craftsmen in Edo began to make products that could be used in such decorative roles.

In contrast to Kyo Karakami (Kyoto-style karakami 京からかみ), which focuses almost exclusively on woodblock printing, Edo Karakami is unique in its use of woodblock printing as a base along with print-type textile dyeing using patterned paper, brushwork and a variety of other techniques.

Many Edo Karakami works in the past were free-spirited and stylish, reflecting the tastes of the samurai classes and townspeople. Although some works were damaged by war or fire, craftsmen restored them on each occasion. Thus, Edo Karakami continues to provide both color and a sense of repose in people's lives even today.

Edo Karakami Cooperative Association
- source : www.sangyo-rodo.metro.tokyo.jp ...

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- quote -
Edo karakami paper is a government-designated traditional craft made by adding designs and decorations to washi, Japanese handmade paper. As the name implies, it was developed in Edo (today’s Tokyo), and reflects a townspeople’s culture established by craftsmen and merchants who worked in the city during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The craft features free and fluid designs, many depicting familiar objects and scenes from daily life at the time, as well as natural subjects that give a rich sense of the seasons.

The origins of Edo karakami can be traced back to the Heian Period (794-1185), when patterned mon-toshi paper was introduced from Tang dynasty China. This paper was used as a model for the first karakami paper, which was handmade using wooden blocks engraved with designs and decorative materials such as mica powder or gofun, a whitewash made from ground shells. At first, this paper was used as eiso – paper for transcribing poetry, such as short tanka poems or haikai linked verse – but as time passed, its use spread to wallpaper, byobu room partitions, fusuma heavy sliding doors and shoji, traditional light-weight sliding doors with translucent paper screens.



As the city of Edo grew under the Tokugawa government, both demand and uses for karakami paper expanded. As need for the paper increased, the various decorating techniques and designs of Edo karakami came into being, developing into the unique and original forms that came to distinguish the art.

There are two key traditions of Edo karakami decoration, each building off an ancient style. One is a technique that embellishes works such as Buddhist scriptures with gold and silver powders, used since the Nara (710-794) and Heian Periods (794-1185). The masterpiece of this style is known as the Heike Nokyo, a series of 33 Buddhist scrolls dedicated to Hiroshima’s Itsukushima Shrine in the hope of bringing prosperity to the Heike clan. The other technique is that of ryoshi writing paper decoration, which centers around a wooden karakami block that adds decorations to eiso paper. Its masterpiece is said to be the Nishi-Honganji Collection of Thirty-six Anthologies (Nishi-Honganji-bon Sanju-rokunin-kashu), a collection of the work of 36 waka poets assembled at the end of the Heian Period .

Today, the traditional decoration techniques of Edo karakami are still passed on even as they continue to evolve. There are many galleries that display this traditional craft in Tokyo, offering plentiful opportunities to examine its beautiful forms firsthand.
- source : japan-brand.jnto.go.jp/crafts/paper ... -

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amado 雨戸 "rain door"
exterior sliding door, to keep out the cold and rain and protect the glass windows during a typhoon.
They are traditionally made out of wood and pulled back during the daytime in a special box at the side of the house. When in place at night they have a special lock at the inside to keep burglars from opening them.

Modern plastic versions with insulation are also available.

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hikite 引き手, 引手 catch to open the fusuma door
They can be made from simple wood or highly decorated metal.



MORE samples
source : nkmr/SHIPPOU


These hikite can be works of art in themselves.



MORE samples
source : fusuma.jp/design

木瓜(もっこ)引手



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. Sliding Doors with Dragon paintings .

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