DENKEN-TEST Quiz | Traditional Japanese Culture Test

Benikake Sorairo (Red-glazed Sky Blue)

A pale sky with a slight reddish tint is called "benikakezorai." It is a color that blends the blue of the sky and the red of the sunset at dusk, and was named after the dyeing method in which safflower is layered over an indigo-based sky-color. Other expressions for the sky as dawn breaks and the sun begins to lighten it, "amairo" for a clear, sunny sky, and "meishoku" for the dim evening sky, all of which express the colors of the sky in beautiful Japanese, taking into account the changing of the seasons and time.

Tsutaya Juzaburo

"Kansei Three Beauties" is one of the masterpieces of Kitagawa Utamaro, an ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period who specialized in painting beautiful women. Publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo was in charge of publishing, promoting and selling the book, and it is said that it sold like hotcakes due to the popularity of Utamaro and the three beauties. The woman in the upper row of the painting is Tomimoto Toyo Hina, a geisha in Yoshiwara and a performer of the Joruri Tomimoto Bushi. The two women in the lower row are both poster girls of teahouses that served tea in the precincts of temples and shrines and allowed passersby to rest. The one on the left is Takashimaya Ohisa in Ryogoku Yagenbori, and the one on the right is Namba-ya Ohisa in front of Asakusa Suijinmon. Tsutaya Juzaburo will be the main character of the 2025 NHK Taiga drama "Berabou."

Hiroshima

The standard-shaped rice scoop is said to have originated in Miyajima (Itsukushima) in Hiroshima Prefecture, one of the Three Most Scenic Spots of Japan. It is a famous Miyajima craft product named after the carpenters who were invited to build Itsukushima Shrine, and the prefecture boasts the largest production volume in Japan. Rice scoops are said to have become lucky charms for praying for victory because of the sound they make when struck, which sounds like "kachi kachi" (win, win), and the wordplay on the phrase "take (rice) your enemy."

Straw

Sparklers started as stick-shaped fireworks with gunpowder attached to the end of thin straw, and were born in the Kansai region during the Edo period, a rice-growing region where straw was easy to obtain. They are said to have been named after the resemblance of incense sticks when placed up in an incense burner or brazier. They were later introduced to the Kanto region, where papermaking was popular, and Japanese paper was used instead of straw, and long, colorful pieces of paper wrapped around gunpowder became popular.

Aochibu (green grain)

Kutani ware is called "Aochibu" in the local Ishikawa dialect. It is a technique of overglaze painting in which tiny dots are densely packed together, and requires precise technique to ensure that the size, color, and spacing of the dots are uniform. In addition to blue dots, there are also Shirochibu and Kinchibu dots. The vessel in the photo was made by Nakata Kingyoku, a traditional Kutani ware craftsman. It is characterized by the beautiful balance of tiny dots painted in a swirling pattern at equal intervals and the gorgeously shining gold-floured patterns, and he is said to be a leading expert in the blue dot technique.

Mugen Noh

Noh can be broadly divided into "Present Noh" and "Dream Noh." Present Noh depicts the ongoing drama of living people in the present. Meanwhile, 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 reenacting 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.

Somen (thin noodles)

It is said that the origin of Tanabata dates back to the story of an ancient Chinese prince who died of a fever on July 7th, who became an evil spirit and spread the fever, but was appeased by offering his favorite sweet, "Sakubei." This story was brought to Japan, and Sakubei was used as one of the offerings in the Tanabata ceremony. Later, somen noodles, made from the same wheat flour, began to be eaten, and have since become a Tanabata food to pray for good health. The "Five Seasonal Festivals" are also called "Five Seasonal Offerings" because of the custom of making offerings to the gods on these festivals.

Fukui

In Fukui Prefecture, mizu yokan (a type of confectionery jelly) begins to line souvenir and confectionery shops in rows every November, and the people of the prefecture sense the onset of winter. There are various theories about the origins of Fukui Mizu Yokan, including one that says that a young boy who was indentured to Kansai during the Edo period made it from red beans he brought back with him when he returned home at the end of the year, and another that says that the yokan he brought back was recooked with water and agar and eaten. Mizu yokan has a low sugar content and cannot be stored well, and because the harsh winters of Fukui are ideal for hardening the agar, it is said to be in season in the winter.

１２

Currently, there are about 200 castles that are open to the public across the country, but many of them were rebuilt after the war, and there are only 12 castles with surviving castle towers that were built before the Edo period. Of these, five castles are designated national treasures: Matsumoto Castle in Nagano Prefecture, Inuyama Castle in Aichi Prefecture, Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture, Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, and Matsue Castle in Shimane Prefecture, while seven castles are designated important cultural properties: Hirosaki Castle in Aomori Prefecture, Maruoka Castle in Fukui Prefecture, Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Okayama Prefecture, Marugame Castle in Kagawa Prefecture, Matsuyama Castle and Uwajima Castle in Ehime Prefecture, and Kochi Castle in Kochi Prefecture.

Three-square pattern

The pattern, which depicts the shape of large, medium and small boxes nested together as seen from above, is called the “Mimasu pattern" and was used as the official crest by the first Ichikawa Danjuro, the founder of Aragoto (Rough Acting). The Danjuro family's stage name, Narita-ya, is written as “Mimasu" and has been passed down for generations. At the time, Kabuki actors used it on hand towels and furoshiki wrapping cloths, and used it for advertising purposes such as gifts for name-taking ceremonies and presents to loyal fans. In addition to scattered “Mimasu," there are various other patterns, such as those combined with stripes and checks, and it is still used on Yukata and hand towels today.

Mizusawa Station

The Nanbu wind chimes (Nanbu ironware wind chimes) at JR Tohoku Main Line's Mizusawa Station (Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture) were selected as one of the "100 Soundscapes of Japan We Want to Preserve" by the Environment Agency (now the Ministry of the Environment) in 1996. Every year from June to August, numerous Nanbu wind chimes are hung inside Mizusawa Station, making it a tourist attraction and a symbol of the summer season. Nanbu ironware is said to have originated in Oshu City when the Oshu Fujiwara clan invited metalworkers from Omi to make military equipment in the late Heian period, and in Morioka City when the lord of the Nanbu clan invited kettle makers from Kyoto to make tea kettles in the mid-Edo period.

Kumejima

The origins of “Kumejima Tsumugi” date back to the late 15th century, when a man named “Dounohiya" brought silk-raising techniques from China back to Kumejima. The distinctive feature of “Kumejima Tsumugi“ is that the entire process from spinning to weaving is done by one weaver by hand. Kumejima plants and mud are used as dyes, and the fabric is carefully woven by hand using a tenagehi shuttle. This gives “Kumejima Tsumugi” its unique supple texture and rustic, warm feel.

Nanakomon (Fish roe pattern)

“Edo Kiriko” is characterized by beautiful patterns engraved into the surface of the glass. The design is a combination of several auspicious patterns. The pattern in this Kiriko photo is called “Nanakomon" (Fish roe pattern) because the fine reflection of light on the cut glass surface looks like a string of fish eggs. The name comes from the fact that “Fish" was read as “Na" in the olden days. Nanakomon is a traditional Japanese design that can also be seen in metalwork and dyeing and weaving, and is imbued with the meaning of prosperity of descendants.

Matsubamemono

Matsubame is a stage setting in which an old pine tree is painted on the front of the Kabuki stage. It is used in plays based on Noh and Kyogen. It is said that “Kanjincho" was the first play to be performed using matsubame during the Edo period, and it was created to create a high-class performance like Noh and Kyogen. In addition, many other plays are still performed today, such as “Funabenkei" and “Tsuchigumo", which are based on Noh, and “Migawari Zazen" and “Suou Otoshi", which are based on Kyogen.

75 days after the first fruits

First Fruits are foods that are just beginning to come out or are in season. People have enjoyed various agricultural products and seafood in each season, such as the first bonito, first eggplant, new tea, and new rice. “Seventy-five days of first fruits" means that if you eat the first fruits, your life will be extended by 75 days. The seventy-five days refer to the turning point in the season when the first fruits are harvested. The origin of this expression is said to be that in the Edo period, when a criminal who was to be executed was asked what he would like to eat before he died, he would ask for the “First Fruits" that were a little further in the future, which extended the execution of his sentence and allowed him to live longer.

Saicho

According to the “Hiyoshisha Shinto Himitsu-ki" (Hiyoshi Shrine Shinto Secret Record), which is kept at Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture), Saicho, who studied Buddhism and continental culture in China as a Japanese envoy, brought back tea seeds from China in 805 and planted and cultivated them at the foot of Mt. Hiei (present-day Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture). It still exists today as Japan's oldest tea garden, “Hiyoshi Tea Garden," and every year on the 88th night, the “Tea Picking Festival" is held, where new tea is offered to Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine and Enryakuji Temple.

Queen Elizabeth

Ryoanji is a Zen temple founded in 1450 by Hosokawa Katsumoto, a powerful figure in the Muromachi Shogunate. Karesansui is a garden style that uses stones, sand, plants and topography to express the flow of water without using water, and rock gardens that give the impression of infinite expanse in a limited space were particularly popular in Zen temples during the Muromachi period. In 1975, Queen Elizabeth II of England praised the rock garden during her official visit to Ryoanji, which helped boost the Zen boom of the time and made it world famous. In 1994, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the “Cultural Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".

Hemp Leaf Pattern

The Asanoha pattern is featured on the kimono of Nezuko, a character in the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. It is a layout pattern based on regular hexagons, and has been used as decoration for Buddhist statues since the Heian period. It later came to be called the Asanoha pattern because of its resemblance to the hemp leaf. It became hugely popular in the Edo period when Kabuki actor Arashi Rikan used it in his daughter's role. As hemp is strong and grows quickly, it was often used for baby clothes and children's kimonos in hopes of healthy growth for children.

Kinma (Kinma Paste)

One of the decorative techniques for lacquer art. A pattern is carved into the lacquer base with a special kinma knife, and the carved grooves are filled with colored lacquer and ground flat to create the pattern. It is characterized by its intricate lines and beautiful colors. Tamakaji Zokoku, a lacquer craftsman in the late Edo period, studied lacquerware techniques introduced from Thailand and China and developed it further. It is now a representative technique of Kagawa lacquerware, and has produced many Living National Treasures of Kinma.

Isamu Noguchi

American sculptor Isamu Noguchi became interested in Gifu Lanterns in 1951 when he stopped by Gifu Prefecture to see cormorant fishing on the Nagara River. The day after visiting the lantern factory of Ozeki Jushichi Shoten (now Ozeki), he designed two lanterns. The washi paper lamp "AKARI" is the culmination of Isamu Noguchi's philosophy of expressing the infinite world in simple objects and Japanese aesthetics. Currently, it is exhibited in many museums and galleries, and its artistic quality is highly regarded around the world.

Hidasuki (Fire Sash / Scarlet Sash)

Hidasuki is one of the patterns of Bizen ware firing. Bizen ware has a history of 1000 years and is the oldest of the "Six Ancient Kilns of Japan". It is characterized by putting the shaped body into the kiln without applying glaze and firing it for a long time using split pine wood. Hidasuki is made by wrapping rice straw around the shaped and dried piece and firing it, which turns the burnt straw scarlet, which looks like a red sash, hence the name Hidasuki. The harmony of earth, fire and human skill creates the simple yet profound charm unique to Bizen ware.

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