curious ordinary

I seem to have a lot of photos with cats too. 🙂

So gorgeous, thank you for sharing.

A white cat playing with a coloured ball with a long red string. A black cat lies nearby. Background is silver.

'Playing cats' - Takahashi Hiroaki, ca. 1930.
#Caturday #JapaneseArt

A black and white cat stands before a deck that leads into a room with a circular window with a view to a lush green garden beyond.

This gorgeous cat also seemed to enjoy visiting the Meigetsuin Zen Temple in Kamakura.
#Caturday #Japan

A black and white cat sits on pavers before a stone with a shimenawa in between designating the sacred space.

I was looking through some old photos from my first trip to Japan and found this one of a cat at a Shinto Shrine on Enoshima.
#Caturday #Shinto #Japan

official museum photo of the object, quarter turn profile small painted papier mâché figure of a chonky white / black / red dog with a bamboo basket on its head “They are used as lucky charms to pray for safe childbirth and the healthy growth of children. Safe Childbirth: Because dogs give birth relatively easily and have multiple puppies, they symbolize fertility and easy labor. Protection: They act as "guardian dogs" to ward off evil spirits and are believed to take on any physical misfortunes in place of the child. The "Basket-Wearing" Dog (Zaru-kaburi Inu) is a play on words: the kanji for "bamboo" placed over "dog" resembles the kanji for "to laugh", symbolizing a home filled with laughter and health (as the basket also helps "drain" away sickness).” (info via tokyo.yokai.tales)

i just love him ok

#Dog with Basket On Head (Zaru-Kaburi-Inu-Hariko)
Tokyo, Kanto District, Japan, 20th c.
Papier mâché, bamboo, paint
3 in. x 3 in. x 3 in. (7.62 cm x 7.62 cm x 7.62 cm)
Mingei International Museum 2001-69-022 collections.mingei.org/objects-1/in...
#DogsInArt #JapaneseArt

Ah, so that's why I haven't been able to get anywhere with my attempts to learn Japanese. 🤔 😂

A landscape scene with some buildings leading through fields to trees. The roof of a temple can be seen above the trees.

'Distant View of Daibutsu-Den' - Fujishima Takeji, 1948.
#JapaneseArt #shinhanga

A creature that looks like a weasel with long razor-like claws.

In #JapaneseFolklore kama itachi is a #yokai that in English translates as sickle weasel. They look like weasels with spiky fur and long razor sharp claws and appear riding on dust whirlwinds, sometimes barking like dogs. They move so fast that they become basically...
#FolkloreThursday
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An octopus sits on a rock with large waves looming around it.

There is a strange Japanese tale from Shikoku Island about a fisherman named Yazaimon and a giant octopus. One day a giant octopus was having a sleep on a rock just off the coast of Kagawa. Yazaimon saw it there and thought how delicious it would be, so he climbed up...
#FolkloreThursday
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A goddess in white rides on a white fox and has a torii crown. Below a man is standing looking over his shoulder at her.

'Aki no Kami Taira Kiyomori' from the series 'Characters from the Chronicle of the Rise and Fall of the Minamoto and Taira Clans' - Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1840.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe

This is my favourite too.

I like the cool tones too.

Yes, the colours almost seem to glow.

I think it's my favourite too.

A set of dolls greet visitors for Hina Matsuri.

It's a little late, but the dolls are ready to greet the guests🎎🍑🙇‍♂️

#Kyoto #京都 #HinaMatsuri #ひな祭り #雛人形 #雛飾り #DollsFestival #Japan #DollsDay #dolls

🎎 Hinamatsuri 雛祭り 🎎

Hinamatsuri, celebrated every March 3rd, is a day wishing for the health, happiness, and prosperity of girls. It is one of the five seasonal festivals (五節句, gosekku) held on auspicious dates of the lunisolar calendar: the first day of the first month, ...

I like the way the light reflects on the water in that one, compared to the first greener one. Every time I look I notice new details.

I think it's my favourite too.

That one is my favourite too.

A full moon in the sky reflected on still water on which a boat with three people is passing. Reeds grow on the shore in the foreground.

A full moon in the sky reflected on still water on which a boat with three people is passing. Reeds grow on the shore in the foreground.

Here are two more colour variations of the same print.

I absolutely love Japanese prints and I was surprised when I first saw them in real life and discovered they look even better than I could have imagined.

Oh yes, you're right. I hadn't noticed that. There are a couple of others too, a blue one I think.

I agree, it's one of my favourites.

I feel the same 🙂

Flat boats on a river with trees alongside and a full moon low in the sky beyond.

'Moon at Seba' from the series '69 Stations of the Kisokaido' - Utagawa Hiroshige, ca 1834.
#FullMoon #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt

A full moon in the sky reflected on still water on which a boat with three people is passing. Reeds grow on the shore in the foreground.

Here is the same print in warmer tones. Which do you prefer?
#FullMoon #JapaneseArt

A full moon in the sky reflected on still water on which a boat with three people is passing. Reeds grow on the shore in the foreground.

'Moonlit Sea' - Koho, ca. 1930's.
#FullMoon #JapaneseArt

I understand that he used woodblock printing. It's pretty amazing, I'm glad you like it.

A large stone torii stands on the shore framing a view of Mt Fuji across the water. Several people are on the beach and a few boats can be seen on the water. There is a clear blue sky.

'Enoshima' from the series 'Thirty-six Views of Mt.Fuji' - Utagawa Hiroshige, 1858.
#ToriiTuesday #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt