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A Day At the Races - Samurai Style
In the northeast region of Japan, in the prefecture of Fukushima, the Soma Nomaoi, an age-old tradition handed down from samurai times, is celebrated to this day with a fanfare of medieval parades, horse racing, and horse chasing.
Nomaoi means “wild horse chasing” and dates back over a thousand years. Warriors in full battle dress would chase wild horses in the areas of Shinto shrines dedicating the best horse to the gods.
The Soma Nomaoi was started by the Soma clan, a small but valiant clan surrounded by powerful enemies. They used the Nomaoi festival as a military exercise in order to keep their fighting skills sharp.
Perhaps another reason they survived the Sengoku (Warring States) Period was their horses. Soma had a reputation for excellent horses in the Tohoku area (northern Japan). Good horses were always in demand by warring clans and it would not have been wise to wipe out the best horse trainers in the area. In 1622, when the country was at peace, Soma’s wild horses began to be painted onto teacups and pottery.
The Soma Nomaoi festivals spans three days: July 23-25. The first two days are held in the small town of Haramachi, two hours by train from Fukushima City. The first day is more like a preview of the second with a short parade and a few horse races.
In the northeast region of Japan, in the prefecture of Fukushima, the Soma Nomaoi, an age-old tradition handed down from samurai times... more -
Crazy Angel Company Band from Tokyo Design Festa
Here's a bit of a big band I caught at Tokyo Design Festa called Crazy Angel Company.
They have a lot of energy and it shows in their performance.
http://www.crazy-angel.com
Here's a bit of a big band I caught at Tokyo Design Festa called Crazy Angel Company. ... more -
Taiko Drum Festival brings Cheer to Old Island of Exile
In olden days, going to Sado Island generally meant one of two things: exile or gold. Sado Island, the 6th largest island of Japan, was for a long time not the pleasure excursion that is today. During the Heian Period (794-1192), Sado was often the dumping ground of political exiles from the Kyoto capital. The trend continued for nearly a thousand years up until 1700 with a scattering of dissent poets, irate Buddhists monks, and even an unfortunate emperor.
In 1601 gold was discovered and a new breed of exiles was flung upon the island: convicts and homeless. The gold came under the ownership of the Tokugawa Shogunate Government. No gold-digging prospectors or women of low virtues were allowed to clutter up the island. It was strictly controlled for the sake of the Shogunate’s coffers. Hard work and deadly misery not sudden fortune was the fate of these hard-pressed workers.
In more recent times, Sado became infamous for North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. Lying off the coast of Niigata in Northwestern Japan, it was in convenient reach of North Korea.
Given the island’s rather grim history, it would seem a strange place to hold a music festival celebrating taiko drumming and the earth itself. Yet this is exactly what happens every summer in the normally sleepy town of Ogi in the South-Eastern section of Sado. In olden days, going to Sado Island generally meant one of two things: exile or gold. Sado Island, the 6th largest island of Japan, wa... more -
A Quick Glance at the Music Scene in Tokyo
Here are some snippets of three bands I caught a bit of at the Tokyo Design Festa
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The Secret Desire of the Ninja
These stealthy assassins of yore...what lurks deep in their hearts?
Their whole lives are dedicated to their craft...to stealth, to sabotage, to espionage, to theft, and to assassination.
But what do they dream of when they allow themselves to succumb to sleep's gentle embrace?
What is it that they secretly yearn to do?
Watch this video and learn "The Secret Desire of the Ninja" These stealthy assassins of yore...what lurks deep in their hearts? ... more -
Artistic Chaos - The Tokyo Design Festa blog
As I entered the futuristic-looking Tokyo Big Site building on Odaiba Island, I was greeted by a person with the head of fish. Beyond him/her/it and all about the place wandered a colorful assortment of strange characters which appeared to have been born in fertile imaginations bred on Japanese Anime, Gothic Horror, and Salvador Dali. It was then that I knew I had reached my destination: the Tokyo Design Festa.
Design Festa is a chaotic showcase of artists, musicians, craftsmen, designers, dancers, and performers - the sublime mixed with the avant garde. The Design Festa takes place twice a year in Tokyo and has been going on for 14 years.
Artists come from all over the world to participate. Booths are set up to showcase their creations and crafts. Visitors can look at, handle, and purchase their favorite pieces. In addition they have the chance to talk with the artist to learn more about them and their artwork.
For artists, the Design Festa gives them the opportunity to get their work noticed and possibly sold. The event is a breeding ground for future art as a lot of networking goes on between artists which can lead to potential collabrations.
There is so much to see, do, and absorb in a weekend at Design Festa. The place is literally a beehive of activity. There are performances to see, workshops to attend, bands to hear, painters to watch, and oddity to puzzle over.
Some of the booths offer short workshops to teach visitors a bit their craft. I tried my hand at the ancient art of Japanese calligraphy. Calligraphy in old Japan was considered an all important skill. In the far off days of the Heian Period (794-1192), a person’s calligraphy was believed to be a mirror of their character. I would have been laughed out of the Heian Court with my paltry attempt at the turtle kanji character. My turtle looked a bit more like a sickly chicken strung up by clumsy anti-poultry vigilantes. My teacher, a ten year old girl, was patient with me and guided me as best as she could.
At a makeup special effects booth, visitors were able to get horrific body scars which didn’t hurt a bit. I got myself a nice deep scar running down my arm which later fooled a few drunks at my local bar.
There were several fantasical creations from this booth wandering around surprising the unwary and small children. One was tall elegant alien creature frighteningly realistic but fortunately sweetenly demure.
Another creation was a ghastly sculpture of a half-tree half-woman monster with the severed head of a man in her/its hand. Her/Its roots were nourished with the blood and gore of other men. It was a macarbe cocktail of environmentalism and feminism blended horrifically together.
Along with the countless booths, there are a variety of showings throughout the day in different sections of the event area. Bands, short films, musicians, eclectic performers can be seen outside, upstairs, and in the main hall. I was able to see rock bands, taiko drum groups, naughty nurses, a gyrating eyeball man, and a dancing ninja troupe.
One of the popular returning performance groups is Mr. Eyeball Love Globe from Taiwan. The group is headed by man with an enormous eyeball as his head. His outfit is covered with a similar pattern. His story from his flyer is that he is an alien here to spread love. The Eyeball group was one of the most out-there groups and attracted a lot of attention. They have been to Design Festa several times before.
Design Festa takes place twice a year in May and November. For more information please check:
http://www.designfesta.com/index.html
As I entered the futuristic-looking Tokyo Big Site building on Odaiba Island, I was greeted by a person with the head of fish. Beyond ... more -
Drumming Rabbits - Usagi All Female Taiko Group (Tokyo Design Festa)
This footage is from the Tokyo Design Festa of the female Taiko Drum Group known as Usagi. Usagi means rabbit in Japanese.
http://usagi-8.com
This footage is from the Tokyo Design Festa of the female Taiko Drum Group known as Usagi. Usagi means rabbit in Japanese. ... more -
Save The Ninja!!!
With the recent sighting of the rare and elusive Ninja in the wilds of New Jersey, I thought it prudent to re-address an old cause of mine - saving the endangered majestic Ninja.
Where Have All The Ninja Gone?
Cheap fuel-efficient cars, VCRs, and stereos weren’t the only Japanese exports that flooded into America during the 70s and 80s. The plucky indigenous ninja cleverly smuggled themselves over the sea to dazzle American audiences with their seemingly magical martial arts abilities. They were soon to find fertile ground in American pop-culture and almost immediately a Ninja Boom was born.
There was a time when ninja were as abundant as the stars in the skies. They were everywhere in America. They were in movies, on TV programs, in comic books, in newspaper personals, on street corners.
Just opening the pages of any comic book back then you could find throngs of ninja taking on small bands of heroes. On TV you could watch ninja fight each other, the A-team, greying old ex-pats, G.I. Joe, and so on. Less respectable movie theaters showed Ninja movies every other week. In bookstores, you had your pick of ninja books that detailed every aspect about these secret warriors from their skills, their weapons, to their breakfast cereals.
Everybody wanted to be a ninja or at least own their weapons. Nun-chunks were once as plentiful as handguns in American households. No impressionable 13-year old boy could hold his head up high amongst his peers if he did not own at least half a dozen shurikens (”throwing stars”). That these JC Penny shurikens failed to stick in anything did not deter their popularity one bit.
As for the real Ninja, they served as the perfect martial arts foil for any aspiring hero whether they were samurai, shaolin monks, police officers, superheroes, or redneck truck drivers. Ninja were readily available for heroes to test their mettle against. It didn’t take much to find a few ninja back then as they were just about everywhere. A hero could hardly go for a leak without bumping into a pack of them along the way.
Then the butt-kicking would begin. With the recent sighting of the rare and elusive Ninja in the wilds of New Jersey, I thought it prudent to re-address an old cause of ... more -
Master Japanese drummer Oguchi dies
Master Japanese drummer Daihachi Oguchi, who led the spread of the art of "taiko" drumming to the U.S. and throughout Japan, has died after being hit by a car. He was 84.
A former jazz musician, Oguchi was one of the first to elevate the traditional folk sounds of taiko to modern music played in concert halls, not just festivals and shrines.
Master Japanese drummer Daihachi Oguchi, who led the spread of the art of "taiko" drumming to the U.S. and throughout Japan, has died ... more -
Scenes from the Aoba Festival of Sendai, Japan
This is old, old footage taken before I had a video camera. I shot these scenes with a digital photocamera so they're very low-res.
Anyway, these are some scenes from the first day of the Aoba Festival in Sendai which is several hundred miles north of Tokyo in the Tohoku region.
The festival celebrates the founder of the city - Date Masamune who was a warlord from the 16th-17th Century.
This is old, old footage taken before I had a video camera. I shot these scenes with a digital photocamera so they're very low-res. ... more -
Tokyo Decadance - bringing the Underground up
Tokyo Decadance is a melting pot for the underground scene of Tokyo. It started up about 3 years ago by Adrien Le Danois as a way to mix and ultimately strneghten the overlooked "decadants" of the Tokyo Underground scene.
Tokyo Decadance is now put on in cities around the world. Tokyo Decadance is a melting pot for the underground scene of Tokyo. It started up about 3 years ago by Adrien Le Danois as a way to m... more -
Tokyo Decadance - Underground Dance Scene Goes Above Ground
Here's a little slice of life of a melting pot of Tokyo's underground subcultures that have been making themselves felt on the international scene in fashion and culture.
Tokyo Decadance is the brainchild of French Drag Queen Adrein Le Danois who wanted to bring together the various elements of Tokyo subcultures from goth, cyberpunk, ko garyu, lolita, etc... and give them a place to express themselves.
Tokyo Decadance is now an international event with shows going on throughout Europe.
Here's a little slice of life of a melting pot of Tokyo's underground subcultures that have been making themselves felt on the interna... more -
First European Sumo Wrestler Wins Sumo Emperor's Cup
Bulgaria's Kotooshu became the first European to win a prestigious Emperor's Cup when he won the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday.
The 25-year-old, who was promoted to the sport's second highest rank of "ozeki" in November 2005, barged out Mongolian Ama to boost his record to an unassailable 13-1 in Tokyo.
"I'm so happy," a beaming Kotooshu told Japan's NHK television after becoming the seventh foreigner to win an Emperor's Cup. "I'm speechless. I did it at last."
Kotooshu, whose real name is Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov, could rise to the elite rank of "yokozuna" if he wins the next major event in Nagoya in July.
The popular Bulgarian's victory will give Japan's ancient sport a welcome shot in the arm following a series of scandals in recent months.
The arrest of a former gym chief on suspicion of assault following the death of a teenage wrestler sent shockwaves through the sport.
That affair came after Mongolian yokozuna Asashoryu was banned after being caught on TV playing soccer while supposedly injured, triggering outrage among the sumo establishment.
Sumo dates back some 2,000 years and still retains many Shinto religious overtones.
Modern professional sumo has more than 60 foreign-born wrestlers in Japan, drawn from countries ranging from South Korea to Brazil with many more from Eastern Europe.
Bulgaria's Kotooshu became the first European to win a prestigious Emperor's Cup when he won the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Satur... more -
A Look at the Emperor of Japan - the institution, the history, the birthday
Japan's Imperial System stretches back of two thousand years. According to Japanese mythology, the emperor is descended from Jimmu, a semi-divine being whose grandmother was Amaterasu-Omikami, the Sun Goddess. Jimmu reigned in 600 B.C. However, there is little evidence to support this. Most scholars believe the Imperial system developed from the Yamato culture in central Japan around the 3rd century A.D. with Chinese influences.
The emperor was seen as the divine manifested in the flesh; a representative of the gods on earth. To oppose the emperor was to oppose Japan itself. This made it quite risky for any usurpers not of Imperial blood to try and take the throne.
The history of the Imperial Line is a rocky one filled with political intrigue, murder, war, and betrayal. Emperors had been manipulated by politically-saavy ministers and later by powerful warlords. Emperors had been imprisoned, driven off, exiled, forced to abdicate and used to further the careers and schemes of others.
Today's Imperial Palace is off-limits except on the Emperor's birthday and January 2nd when the Emperor gives a New Year's Address. Japan's Imperial System stretches back of two thousand years. According to Japanese mythology, the emperor is descended from Jimmu, a ... more -
Zen Priest Playing the Shakuhachi
Get your Zen here with a Zen Buddhist Priest known as a Komuso playing the Shakuhachi while the world drifts by in a hurried haze. The music is actually superimposed as the original music was difficult to pick out of the noise of the city.
Komuso were Zen Buddhist Priests who used to travel about playing the Shakuhachi (Japanese Flute) for meditation and alms. Komuso means "Priest of Nothingness."
I encountered this Komuso while I was in Nagoya. Komuso ceased to exist from the late 19th Century onwards.
The titles are bits of Zen sayings from samurai and Zen Masters. The subtitles tell the tale of the Komuso and their ultimate fate.
Get your Zen here with a Zen Buddhist Priest known as a Komuso playing the Shakuhachi while the world drifts by in a hurried haze. The... more -
Chance Encounter with a Komuso Zen Priest - A Vision from Japan's Past
While in the city of Nagoya, I happened upon a fellow dressed up as Zen Buddhist priest/monk from olden days playing the Shakuhachi - Japanese bamboo flute. I did some digging into the past of this strange apparition to discover where these Komuso, as they were known, had come from and what had happened to them. While in the city of Nagoya, I happened upon a fellow dressed up as Zen Buddhist priest/monk from olden days playing the Shakuhachi - ... more
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Some Thoughts on “Lost in Translation” and Tokyo by semi-longterm foriegn resident
Lost in Translation was Sophia Coppola's brief look into modern Tokyo from the eyes of two alienated foriegners trying to come to grips with their own mundane lives. In this essay I look at Tokyo from the point of view of film and from my own experiences.
“Lost in Translation,” in my opinion, is not “anti-Japanese,” as a few people apparently thought it was. It is rather “anti-Tokyo,” and subsequently, “anti-big city.”
Tokyo is a huge city even for the Japanese, more megalopolis than metropolis. One of the main complaints from residents is that the city has very little in the way of nature. At times it can seem as though every square meter of Tokyo has been covered in concrete and has a convenience store placed upon it.
The city however may be crammed with buildings, but it does possess parks where city dwellers can completely lose themselves and forget they are in one of the largest cities in the world.
Lost in Translation was Sophia Coppola's brief look into modern Tokyo from the eyes of two alienated foriegners trying to come to grip... more -
Often Overlooked Odawara Pt 2 - A Castle Town Remembers It's Past
Odawara, the once great city of the Kanto region, declined over the centuries. Yet on May 3rd every year, like ghosts summoned from across the void, armor-clad samurai, spear-toting footmen, mounted warriors, and elegant noble ladies appear to reclaim their lost glory. The Hojo Godai festival allows the citizens of Odawara to relive their city’s great past through an impressive historical procession.
Without the rise of the Odawara Hojo clan and their subsequent fall, there would be no Tokyo as it is today.
Odawara, the once great city of the Kanto region, declined over the centuries. Yet on May 3rd every year, like ghosts summoned from ac... more -
Tokyo Rockabilly Dancers of Harajuku
Harajuku these days is famous for the Goth Lolita crowd but years ago it was home to the takenoko-zoku (bamboo-shoot kids). One group took after early rock-n-roll fashion and dance away to old rock.
They were driven off by the police en masse ten years ago but some diehards still get together and dance away to old rock-n-roll tunes. Harajuku these days is famous for the Goth Lolita crowd but years ago it was home to the takenoko-zoku (bamboo-shoot kids). One group ... more -
Often Overlooked Odawara Part 1 - Japanese Castle Town
Odawara is a little over an hour southwest of Tokyo. It's relatively a small town that many speed by on the train. Centuries ago, however, Odawara was an important city and capital of the powerful Hojo clan. Odawara has a rich history whose destiny eventually led to the founding of modern-day Tokyo. Odawara is a little over an hour southwest of Tokyo. It's relatively a small town that many speed by on the train. Centuries ago, howe... more
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