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Japanese Folk
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 Japanese Folk Toy Straw Horse Votive Silkworm Talisman  US $34.99
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Here are some more information for Japanese Folk:
Mingei - The Concept
The literal meaning of 'Mingei' (the abbreviation of minshu-teki kogei) is "arts of the common people" or "folk arts." It refers to the Japanese Folk Art movement (began 1926) that gained prominence in the late 1920s and 1930s. Potters Hamada Shaji (1894-1978) & Kawai Kanjira (1890-1966), and art critic & philosopher Yanagi Saetsu (1889-1961), who is also known as the father of Japanese Mingei, coined the term 'Mingei.' The distinguishing feature of this type of artworks is their functionality and affordability, justifiably proving it as the people driven creativity. In fact, these products were not created for an aesthetic or decorative purpose.
The commonest products of this genre include lacquer products, wooden articles, textiles, and ceramics to name some. In describing Mingei and its beauty, Yanagi used adjectives, such as simple, pure, natural, honest, and free. Unknown artisans created these handmade items, with features unique to their place of manufacturing.
The History
With the Japanese Government's encouragement of mass production in the late 19th century, crafts work began to vanish in Japan. The focus shifted to the production of those goods in large quantities that were cheaper and easier to develop than the handmade ones. Yanagi began to concentrate on bringing back the lost glory and the recognition of Japanese craftwork, which had received a setback because of the fast-paced industrialization during the 1920s. The three, Yanagi, Hamada Shaji, and Kawai Kanjira Saetsu, travelled across Japan to collect unappreciated pots and pieces of crockery that the common people used during the Edo Period (1603-1867) and Meiji Period (1868-1912).
The Development
In his persistent efforts, Yanagi also wrote a book called 'The Unknown Craftsman (1989),' which introduced the rich Japanese heritage and Mingei to the West. Along with friends Hamada and Kanjiro, Yanagi also formed the Japan Folk Art Association, called the 'Nihon Mingei Kyokai' in 1934, and published a journal called 'Mingei,' (1931) whose publication continues until date. Yanagi founded the Mingeikan Museum. He himself selected the majority of the exhibits in the museum. He said, "The name of the museum is not mere words. It stands for the arts of the people, returned to the people." While most of the artworks in the Mingeikan are Japanese, a few of the articles are from the Korean Yi Dynasty (1392-1910). Yanagi's fascination for Korean Art inspired him to develop Mingei.
Conclusion
In sharp contrast to the Japanese elite's porcelain crockery and tea utensils, the modest Mingei crockery that satisfied the common man's needs in the Edo and Meiji periods.
Annette Labedzki received her BFA at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. She has more than 25 years experience. She is the founder and developer of an online art gallery featuring original art from all over the world. Please visit the website at http://www.Labedzki-Art.com It is a great site for art collectors to buy original art. Artists can join for free and their image upload is unlimited.
3 Fun Ways To Learn Japanese
I recently had the chance to talk to an American living in Japan, who had mastered the Japanese language. He told me he first took some free language lessons online, but those didn't clear up much so he followed a local language course in his home town. Slowly, he managed to build up his knowledge and eventually he learnt Japanese but as he told me, it was a long, hard process that almost drained him of his energies.
Since I noticed this is the case with more and more people that start learning Japanese, I decided to write up a small guide featuring a few fun ways to learning Japanese "organically" instead of following a strict, boring and oftentimes annoying step process.
Now I'm not a scientist, but I do know that when we have fun doing something, we automatically learn new information without even knowing it. Take a medieval themed PC game for example. While playing it and having fun, you'll also be learning bits and pieces of history. The following Japanese fun learning methods are based on the same concept.
Fun Ways to Learn Japanese - Anime and Manga
Oftentimes these two terms are confused. Manga means "comic book" in Japanese, whereas the Anime refers to the animation of a Manga comic. Think about the X-men comics... they were "Manga" first (the actual comic books), after which they became Anime (the cartoons) and nowadays, they're a movie series. Anyway, it doesn't really matter what you call them, Anime and Manga are a good way to learn Japanese naturally and they're quite fun to watch/read.
One particular advantage of Anime and Manga is that most of these comic books or cartoons have a limited word and phrase list in use. You'll be amazed how quickly you can catch on to these basic words, so Anime can be used as a starting point to your Japanese learning process.
Fun Ways to Learn Japanese - Movies and Music
I'd rate movies a much better learning source than music, but hey, if you're into Japanese music, why not use it as a helping hand in your learning process? Movies have the advantage of offering the audio-video combination which helps you understand what's going on easier. They can also be subtitled in English, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on the quality of the subtitles (however, since Japanese words often have extensions in English translations, subtitles can be more harmful than helpful).
One movie I found particularly interesting in this sense was "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise. I won't go about the movie's plot, suffice to say that an American veteran finds himself trapped in a Japanese samurai settlement, learning their ways and learning how to speak Japanese. While the Japanese folk are teaching Tom Cruise some of their language, you'll be picking it up as well.
Fun Ways to Learn Japanese - Flash Cards
Flashcards are well known to be a great way to learn a new language, but they're even more useful when learning Japanese. Using flash cards to learn Japanese is fun and it will boost your vocabulary in no time. If you can't find suitable flashcards on the Internet or in local stores, try making your own! Just cut up some cardboard in matching sizes, write an English word on one side and the Japanese translation on the other and practice with it. Try splitting the cards up in nouns, adjectives, verbs and so forth so they're easier to handle. You can also try drawing up what the word on the flashcard illustrates and it doesn't really matter how skilled you are in drawing: even a rough sketch or a silly stick figure will help your brain memorize words easier.
I didn't add raw conversation in between these fun learning methods, simply because if you're that far into the Japanese learning process as to be able to hold out a conversation, then you really don't need the above mentioned methods. I found that learning Japanese, more so than any other language, is like a rolling snowball. The further down the hill the learning process is, the faster it goes and the bigger your knowledge base gets. Once you get started, it's easy to become fluent in it. Just remember, learning Japanese is only as hard as you let it become.
About the Author
Increase your Japanese language vocabulary at Japanese lessons at InternetPolyglot by playing online games.
Does anyone know of any good Japanese folk music I can buy on cd or itunes?
So ye just wondering the title says it all really!
Thanks in advance!
Really, I dunno what you mean by "folk music," but I'll give you some good artists for Japanese music in general.
The artists are all available on iTunes.
A'sh Doll, GO!GO!7188, L'arc~En~Ciel (I know it doesn't sound Japanese, but they're a popular Jpop band)
Palo Alto Buddhist Temple to host 62nd annual Obon Festival
Japanese culture will be celebrated and explored through food, music and dance at the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple's 62nd annual Obon Festival this weekend.
Thanks for visiting!
