2024.07.26
DENKEN-TEST PRESS（Newsletter）weekly email newsletter “DENKEN-TEST PRESS” No. 17
We are pleased to present you with the 17th issue weekly email newsletter “DENKEN-TEST PRESS”
The top story in this issue is Chu-cyan’s “Go Straight Towards Japanese Traditional Culture” Part 9, "Tools that Support Skills and Beauty."
“Warm-up Quiz” includes answers and explanations from the previous quiz, as well as questions from Ceramics and Grass fields.
We are also running promotion to give away official textbook to 100 people chosen by lottery from among those who sign up for the newsletter! Please tell people around you to sign up for the newsletter.
DENKEN-TEST textbook
https://bookpub.jiji.com/book/
table of contents
・ Chu-cyan’s “Go Straight Towards Japanese Traditional Culture” Part 9: Tools that Support Skills and Beauty
・ “Warm-up Quiz” No. 17 (Ceramics and Grass) = "Coloring Techniques"
・News from the DENKEN-TEST Association
Chu-cyan’s “Go Straight Towards Japanese Traditional Culture” Part 9: Tools that Support Skills and Beauty
Kondo Chuji = Director of Japan Traditional Culture Testing Association
Lacquer brush by Seikichi Izumi
(https://www.torakichi-izumi.com/)
With Mount Kinka, topped by Gifu Castle built by Nobunaga, in the background, cormorant fishing takes place on the Nagara River from May to October every year. The sight of streamlined cormorant boats with orange bonfires floating down the clear stream reflecting the night sky in the indigo space that is almost dark, is truly one of the original landscapes of the Japanese. However, how many tourists give any thought to the fact that this fantastical summer tradition is actually based on a technical tradition so fragile that no one knows what tomorrow will bring?
The existence of cormorant fishermen, who have passed down the techniques of cormorant fishing for over 1,300 years through a tradition passed down from father to son, is itself miraculous, but the survival of the cormorant boats they ride on is even more endangered. Currently, there is only one person who can make cormorant boats - a father and son pair. The cormorants that the cormorant fishermen control are placed in woven bamboo cages with beautiful snake-eye patterns, but until recently, only one person could make these cages.
Some of the traditional crafts that delight our eyes are in a situation where there is no guarantee that they will be made tomorrow, even if the craftsman wants to show off his skills. The "traditional crafts" designated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry are promoted under the Law Concerning the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries (Traditional Crafts Law) enacted in 1974. However, Article 2, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the law, which defines the crafts covered, states that they are "mainly used for daily life," and therefore not only Japanese swords, which are not used for daily life, but also the traditional tools used in their production have been excluded from the government's promotion measures.
For example, urushi brushes are used to apply transparent lacquer such as Shunkei lacquer to a mirror-like finish without leaving any brush marks. These brushes are made from "kamoji" (human hair extensions) used in tying Japanese hairstyles, and are made from old kamoji that have lost their oil over the years, hardened with barley lacquer, and sandwiched between cypress boards that are over 100 years old and will not warp. Unlike ordinary brushes, the bristles run all the way to the end of the board like a pencil, and the board can be sharpened as needed. As a tool that is never seen by others, it has no decorations, but its presence exudes the dignity of finely honed handiwork. Even urushi brushes that have been used by lacquer artisans for a long time and are now short still have the proud and dignified presence that only something that has been trusted and loved for a long time can have.
When making washi paper, the extremely delicate bamboo blinds woven with raw silk are sandwiched between a bamboo blind swaying back and forth inside the water tank. In particular, the orderly appearance of the blinds used to make Tosa Tengujo paper, which is likened to the wings of a mayfly, exudes a quiet elegance, even though they are not particularly beautiful.
In Japanese, there is a profound expression, "the power behind the veil." Like "Itadakimasu" (thank you for the meal) and "Gochisousama" (thank you for the meal), this expression oozes with careful consideration for the invisible. I hope that many people will have a deep affection for the tools that are the "power behind the veil" that are essential to the continuation of traditional crafts, and that they will continue to experience the craftsmanship and beauty that are created by the artisans who use them.
“Warm-up Quiz” No. 17 (Ceramics and Grass) = "Coloring techniques"
～伝検公式テキスト（9月20日先行発売予定）のジャンルごとに出題します～
"Sake cup" by traditional craftsman Nakata Kingyoku
Question: One of the coloring techniques for Kutani ware that is said to have originated in the Taisho era is the raised overglaze technique seen in the photo, which uses a special tool and technique called ichichin to draw round dots. What is the name of this technique?
[Previous answer and explanation]
Question: The Noh drama style established by Zeami, in which the protagonist is a spiritual being such as a deity or a ghost from the past, as typified by "Izutsu", is called "( ) Noh". What word goes in the parentheses?
Answer: Dream
Commentary: Noh can be broadly divided into "Present Noh" and "Dream Noh." "Present Noh" depicts the ongoing drama of living people in the present. On the other hand, "Dream Noh" is characterized by spiritual beings from another world, such as gods, demons, and ghosts, reminiscing about the past, looking back on local legends, and re-enacting stories from the past. "Dream Noh," which can deeply depict human psychology, is a theatrical form established by Zeami, who inherited the mysteriousness that his father Kan'ami aspired to.
News from DENKEN-TEST Association
Recently, I attended a symposium on the topic of "Ginza Washi," a paper made from paper mulberry grown on the rooftops of buildings in Ginza, Tokyo. In a demonstration by ink-wash artist Toun Kobayashi, he painted almost identical tree-themed designs on three different types of washi paper, including Ginza Washi, to check the differences in the way the ink faded and bled. In his work, he added a full moon and depicted snow piled up on the branches to depict seasons such as autumn and winter. His technique of expressing a sense of the seasons with subtle brush strokes and light and dark ink was impressive.
Editor's Note
What did you think of the 17th DENKEN-TEST PRESS Tsushin? I was shocked by Sora-chan's comment that the makers of tools that support traditional crafts are disappearing. The impact of a declining population is often talked about, but I didn't think that in addition to the lack of workers, it would also make it difficult to pass on skills. No matter how advanced AI becomes, these are things that must be made and passed on by human hands. I think it would also be effective to pass them on through various educational institutions.
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