Maho beauty

2015 m. balandžio 28 d., antradienis

The gorgeous palladium prints of Taichi Gondaira

http://gon-ta.com/portfolio_one.html

2015 m. balandžio 26 d., sekmadienis

Japanese traditions captured in photography of Hiroshi Watanabe

Hiroshi Watanabe is a photographer interested in places and people. Capturing traditions and locales that hold a personal interest for him, Watanabe was drawn to various elements of Japanese culture.

Photography of H. Watanabe
http://www.hiroshiwatanabe.com/HW%20website%20Folder/Pages/Kabuki/Mari%20%20Ito.html

Particularly interested in forms of theatricality, Watanabe sought to capture individual performers within the traditions of Sarumawashi, Noh, Ena Bunraku and Kabuki.

Stylized human actors, monkeys, masks and puppets become the subject matter of Watanabe’s striking and powerful photographs. Though the traditions come from different regions and periods of history, they are tied together by Watanabe’s eye.

http://beautifuldecay.com/2014/03/12/hiroshi-watanabes-photos-capture-japanese-theater-traditions/

Source: http://beautifuldecay.com/2014/03/12/hiroshi-watanabes-photos-capture-japanese-theater-traditions/

2015 m. balandžio 23 d., ketvirtadienis

TAKE - Japanese bamboo

Japanese bamboo (take) is a very strong plant. In Japan, the symbolism of the bamboo plant runs deep and wide and offers practical lessons for life and for work. Some of bamboo inspired wisdom:
Bend but don't break. Be flexible yet firmly rooted;
Remember: What looks weak is strong;
Be always ready;
Find wisdom in emptiness;
Commit to (continuous) growth;
Express usefulness through simplicity.

Simple and unadorned, the bamboo is also symbolic of purity and innocence. "Take o watta youna hito (a man like fresh-split bamboo)" refers to a man with a frank nature.

More here: http://www.photography-match.com/ and http://regex.info/blog/ http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2010/07/be-like-the-bamboo-trees-lessons-from-the-japanese-forest.html

Bend but don't break. Be flexible yet firmly rooted
One of the most impressive things about the bamboo in the forest is how they sway with even the slightest breeze. Their bodies are hard and firm and yet sway gently in the breeze while their trunks stay rooted firmly in the ground below. Their foundation is solid even though they move and sway harmoniously with the wind, never fighting against it.

Find wisdom in emptiness
It is said that in order to learn, the first step is to empty ourselves of our preconceived notions. One can not fill a cup which is already full. The hollow insides of the bamboo reminds us that we are often too full of ourselves and our own conclusions; we have no space for anything else. When you empty your mind of your prejudices and pride and fear, you become open to the possibilities.

Unleash your power to spring back
In winter the heavy snow bends the bamboo back and back until one day the snow becomes too heavy, begins to fall, and the bamboo snaps back up tall again, brushing aside all the snow. The bamboo endured the heavy burden of the snow, but in the end it had to power to spring back as if to say "I will not be defeated."

Remember: What looks weak is strong
Bamboo may not look impressive at first sight at all. But the plants endure cold winters and extremely hot summers and are sometimes the only trees left standing in the aftermath of a typhoon.

Be always ready
Unlike other types of wood which take a good deal of processing and finishing, bamboo needs little of that. As the great Aikido master Kensho Furuya says in Kodo: Ancient Ways, "The warrior, like bamboo, is ever ready for action."

Express usefulness through simplicity
Aikido master Kensho Furuya says that "The bamboo in its simplicity expresses its usefulness. Man should do the same." Indeed, we spend a lot of our time trying to show how smart we are, perhaps to convince others — and ourselves — that we are worthy of their attention and praise.Source: http://www.photography-match.com/ and http://regex.info/blog/ http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2010/07/be-like-the-bamboo-trees-lessons-from-the-japanese-forest.html

2015 m. balandžio 21 d., antradienis

Folding an adorable towel bunny Japanese way!

Super mielas zuikutis išlankstytas iš rankšluosčio!

Fold the towel in half diagonally so you make a triangle. Slightly offset the top points. It looks like Mount Fuji! Perlenkite rankšluostį suformuodami trikampį, galls palikite šiek tiek prasilenkiančius, kad atrodytų kaip kalno viršūnės :)

Pull on the top points a little to make them completely straight. Grasp the bottom of the towel (Mount Fuji’s base) and roll it 3/4 of the way up.

Suimkite "kalno" apačią ir sukite į rulonėlį link "viršūnių". Tada šiek tiek įlenkite ties viduriu duformuodami būsimą zuikučio snukutį. "Kalnų viršūnės" dabar bus zuikučio ausys. Timptelkite jas ir išgaubkite, kad įgautų gražią ausų formą.

Just to make things a lot easier while finishing off the rest of the body, secure a rubber band around the rabbit’s neck (the part behind the ears). You can skip this part once you’ve gotten used to making towel bunnies, but for now, let’s use it.
Kad zuikutis neprarastų formos, sutvirtinkite jo kūnelį gumyte (apsukite vietą už jo ausų).

Slightly open the two rolls of towel that are sticking out. Cross the two open rolls over each other. These are your bunny’s legs! Fold the legs under the bunny’s body, making sure the front legs are nestled under his chin. Secure the bunny’s feet with the same rubber band that’s around his neck.
Šiek tiek praskirkite ir sukryžiuokite likusius rankšluosčio "rulonėlius", tada sulenkite juos, kad galai atsidurtų ties zuikučio snukučiu - tai bus zuikučio pėdutės. Sutvirtinkite pėdutes ta pačia gumute, kurią apvyniojote už jo ausų.

Fluff up the backside and you’ve got yourself an adorable towel bunny!
Dabar tiesiog papurenkite zuikučio kūnelį, kad ygautų daugiau tūrio. Štai ir viskas - mielas minkštas zuikutis baigtas :)