Carpe Diem #1156 Bonsai, the Japanese Tree-scaping Art

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

As I told you all earlier I have decided to create one episode of CDHK in every weekend, starting in March, because the lack of time gives me no other choice. I also will change a little in the appearance of CDHK. I am busy to create a new CDHK logo (as shown in the background) which I will use every month again, except in our anniversary month October. And I will cut back the special features, for example Universal Jane will be a bi-weekly feature. Our new feature Namasté will be a bi-weekly feature too, so these both special features will alternate. Than ... our CD Specials created after every kukai, will stay were they are and of course the Tokubetsudesu episode (for the "runner-up") will stay also.
Of course I will have the opportunity to treat you sometimes with one of our other special features here as for example "Imagination"  and "Only the First Line".
Next to these changes I am busy with creating a Five Years of CDHK survey to hear from you. Your opinions, your thoughts and ideas and most of all how do you think about CDHK and do I need to change CDHK.
To give you already something to thing about "I am looking for a way to make it easier for myself, the first thing I thought of was "only an episode of CDHK on weekdays and no longer in the weekend". What do you think of that?

Bonsai the Japanese Art of Tree-scaping

Earlier this week I told you that I would bring a few episodes about Japanese art forms, we have already seen Sumi-e, Ikebana and the Tea Ceremony and today I love to tell you all a little bit more about Bonsai, the Japanese Art of Tree-scaping.

A bonsai is created beginning with a specimen of source material. This may be a cutting, seedling, or small tree of a species suitable for bonsai development. Bonsai can be created from nearly any perennial woody-stemmed tree or shrub species that produces true branches and can be cultivated to remain small through pot confinement with crown and root pruning. Some species are popular as bonsai material because they have characteristics, such as small leaves or needles, that make them appropriate for the compact visual scope of bonsai.

The source specimen is shaped to be relatively small and to meet the aesthetic standards of bonsai. When the candidate bonsai nears its planned final size it is planted in a display pot, usually one designed for bonsai display in one of a few accepted shapes and proportions. From that point forward, its growth is restricted by the pot environment. Throughout the year, the bonsai is shaped to limit growth, redistribute foliar vigor to areas requiring further development, and meet the artist's detailed design.

Bonsai (sumi-e painting) (found on Pinterest)

Bonsai aesthetics are the aesthetic goals characterizing the Japanese tradition of growing an artistically shaped miniature tree in a container. Many Japanese cultural characteristics, in particular the influence of Zen Buddhism and the expression of Wabi-sabi, inform the bonsai tradition in Japan. A number of other cultures around the globe have adopted the Japanese aesthetic approach to bonsai, and, while some variations have begun to appear, most hew closely to the rules and design philosophies of the Japanese tradition.

Over centuries of practice, the Japanese bonsai aesthetic has encoded some important techniques and design guidelines. These design rules can rarely be broken without reducing the impact of the bonsai specimen. One of these techniques, principles is the following:

No trace of the artist: The designer's touch must not be apparent to the viewer. If a branch is removed in shaping the tree, the scar will be concealed. Likewise, wiring should be removed or at least concealed when the bonsai is shown, and must leave no permanent marks on the branch or bark.

In this principle we can find ourselves I think, because isn't that one of the rules or principles of haiku? I think it isn't a great sin to find the poet back in his/her haiku, but in a way it makes the haiku less strong, less beautiful, but ... at the other hand ... haiku is written right from the heart and than we, the poets, are visible or invisible, in our haiku.
"No trace of the artist", is what makes Bonsai and Haiku a strong pair ...

Pine Tree Bonsai

As I saw this beautiful Pine Tree Bonsai I thought immediately at that wonderful place Basho visited while on the road to the Deep North, Matsushima and I ran through my archives to find some beauty to share here with you. I ran into a wonderful cascading haiku, which I have re-done into a "twin-tanka":

anxious to see
the twin pine of the stories
once told
a tale on pine trees
bonsai like

bonsai like
the islands of Matsushima
covered with pines
but the wondrous twin pine
stays invisible

© Chèvrefeuille

Well I hope you did like this episode. You can submit your haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form right now until February 21st at noon (CET).

Carpe Diem #1155 Sumi-e, the Japanese Way of Painting (2)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

First this during lack of time I will not publish a new episode of Universal Jane this week, I hope to release a new episode next week. Because of this everlasting problem of time I have decided to create Universal Jane once in two weeks and I have a little change for the weekends. In the weekends I will publish only one episode of Carpe Diem Haiku Kai from now on. In other words I will have six (6) regular prompts a week instead of seven (7). I hope you are okay with that.

Today I love to tell you a little bit more about Sumi-e, the Japanese Way of Painting.

Ink wash painting, also known as literati painting is an East Asian type of brush painting of Chinese origin that uses black ink—the same as used in East Asian calligraphy, in various concentrations. Names used in the cultures concerned include: in Chinese shuǐ mò huà, in Japanese sumi-e or suibokuga , in Korean sumukhwa , and in Vietnamese tranh thủy mặc .

Textual evidence suggests that Shan shui style painting existed during China's Liu Song dynasty of the fifth century. Ink wash painting developed further during the Tang dynasty (618–907). The 8th-century poet/painter Wang Wei is generally credited as the painter who applied color to existing ink wash paintings. The art was further developed into a more polished style during the Song Dynasty (960–1279).

Asian aesthetic writing is generally consistent in stating the goal of ink and wash painting is not simply to reproduce the appearance of the subject, but to capture its spirit. To paint a horse, the ink wash painting artist must understand its temperament better than its muscles and bones. To paint a flower, there is no need to perfectly match its petals and colors, but it is essential to convey its liveliness and fragrance. East Asian ink wash painting may be regarded as a form of expressionistic art that captures the unseen.

Pine Trees (Sumi-e painting)

In landscape painting the scenes depicted are typically imaginary, or very loose adaptations of actual views. Mountain landscapes are by far the most common, often evoking particular areas traditionally famous for their beauty, from which the artist may have been very distant. Water is very often included.

"The painter ... put upon the paper the fewest possible lines and tones; just enough to cause form, texture and effect to be felt. Every brush-touch must be full-charged with meaning, and useless detail eliminated. Put together all the good points in such a method, and you have the qualities of the highest art".

Arthur Wesley Dow (1857–1922)

As I read the above again than I realize that sumi-e and haiku are almost similar with each other. Why? Well both art forms are representing an impression from a scene. Sumi-e  through the paintwash and haiku through the pencil of the poet. Both art forms make use of the moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. Maybe we can say "sumi-e is haiku in paint" and "haiku is sumi-e in words".

I have tried to paint with words ...:

one summer day
poppies coloring the meadows -
raindrops start to fall

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until February 20th at noon (CET).

 

 

Carpe Diem #1154 Sumi-e, the Japanese way of painting, Imagination introduction

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

We are still discovering the beauty of Japan and as I told you earlier this week I love to introduce a few Japanese ways of art and today I love to "trigger" you with an introductory episode on Sumi-e with a piece of fine Sumi-e to inspire you. Another Imagination I would say.

Sumi-e Landscape

Let this fine sumi-e piece inspire you to create haiku or tanka. Have fun!

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 19th at noon (CET). (By the way I will try to publish our new Universal Jane episode tomorrow).

Carpe Diem #1153 Raku, Japanese pottery

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Several episodes ago I told you a little bit more about the tea ceremony and I treated you on a haibun about the tea ceremony. I love to go back to that haibun for a while with this quote:

[...] "The tea ceremony is coming to an end. I admire the earthenware tea bowls." [...]

The tea bowls are wonderful pieces of art work and they are created with a beautiful and aesthetic manner of pottery. This pottery is called Raku. And I love to tell you a little bit more about this other wonderful Japanese art form, Japan is really a country in which art is very important and we will see several kinds of Japanese art work this week. Yesterday I started with Ikebana and today that will be Raku, the Japanese way of pottery.

Black Raku Tea Bowl, with Crane

Look at that beautiful tea bowl ... isn't it wonderful, so fragile, but strong, not perfect, but almost perfect as it was meant to be.

Raku ware (raku-yaki) is a type of Japanese pottery traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies, most often in the form of chawan tea bowls. It is traditionally characterized by being hand-shaped rather than thrown; fairly porous vessels, which result from low firing temperatures; lead glazes; and the removal of pieces from the kiln while still glowing hot. In the traditional Japanese process, the fired raku piece is removed from the hot kiln and is allowed to cool in the open air.
Raku means "enjoyment", "comfort" or "ease" and is derived from Jurakudai, the name of a palace, in Kyoto, that was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598), who was the leading warrior statesman of the time.

In the 16th century, Sen Rikyū, the Japanese tea master, was involved with the construction of the Jurakudai and had a tile-maker, named Chōjirō, produce hand-moulded tea bowls for use in the wabi-styled tea ceremony that was Rikyū's ideal. The resulting tea bowls made by Chōjirō were initially referred to as "ima-yaki" ("contemporary ware") and were also distinguished as Juraku-yaki, from the red clay (Juraku) that they employed. Hideyoshi presented Jokei, Chōjirō's son, with a seal that bore the Chinese character for raku. Raku then became the name of the family that produced the wares. Both the name and the ceramic style have been passed down through the family (sometimes by adoption) to the present 15th generation (Kichizaemon). The name and the style of ware has become influential in both Japanese culture and literature.

Raku ware marked an important point in the historical development of Japanese ceramics, as it was the first ware to use a seal mark and the first to focus on close collaboration between potter and patron. Other famous Japanese clay artists of this period include Dōnyū (grandson of Chōjirō, also known as Nonkō; 1574–1656), Hon'ami Kōetsu (1556–1637) and Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743).

White Raku teabowl Fuji-san (Mount Fuji) by Honami Kōetsu

The above white tea bowl named Fuji-San is in my opinion the top perfection. I love these rough style non-glazed tea bowls to me this is the beauty and the aesthetic of Raku, but that's just my humble opinion.

I found a nice haiku by Basho which in a way directs to the tea ceremony:

A monk sips morning tea,

it's quiet,

the chrysanthemum's flowering.

© Matsuo Basho (Tr. Robert Hass)

Is he referring to the tea ceremony created by Rykyu? I don't know, but it creates that scene in a very nice way.

Or this beauty inspired on a tea bowl written by Kikusha-Ni

in the tea bowl

this motion of the clouds

of 'little spring'

© Kikusha-Ni (Tagama Kikusha Zennshu (1753-1826)

Kikusha-Ni describes a tea bowl in this one and it looks fabulous.

A last one written by Yozakura, the Unknown haiku poet:

in this tea house

the smell of cherry blossoms

scooping hot water

© Yozakura

Awesome!

Tea Bowl (Raku art) image found on Pinterest

To close this episode about Raku I love to share a haiku from my archives. I wrote this back in 2014:

crystal clear water

ghostly curls of steam -

the perfume of tea

© Chèvrefeuille

And ... of course ... I have tried to create a new haiku also, more related to Raku:

perfection
this tea bowl
and cherry blossoms

© Chèvrefeuille

translucent tea cup

hides a deep secret

ghost of tea

geisha gathering tea leaves

for her lover’s ceremony

© Chèvrefeuille

Well .... I hope I have inspired you today. This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 18th at noon (CET). Have fun!