Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom in Ueno

(oops forgot where to get the picture of my print)

This print is by Hiroshige, and is entitled Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom in Ueno. It belongs to a series of prints; Famous Places in Edo, and pictures Cherry Blossoms blooming in Ueno Park. The actual condition of the print is fair; there is mild discoloration, wear, and line and registration problems.

The artist behind this print, Hiroshige, showed artistic skill from a young age, and became a fireman at age 13, and used the large amount of extra time he had to continue to develop his skills as an artist, reported to be influenced by Hokusai. At age 15, he apprenticed under Toyohiro, after being rejected by Toyokuni, whom had too many students to take on another.
Under Toyohiro, Hiroshige was apparently a somewhat rebellious, but good student, and as he progressed, was eventually asked to take on the name of his master, which he declined. At first specializing in pictures of actors and women, Hiroshige later changed to mainly landscape ukiyo-e, and secured fame with his '53 Station of the Tokaido'.
He himself took on few pupils, as Hiroshige believed that art was mainly a self-learning process. He kept producing artwork into his later years, although they generally did not hold as much popularity as his earlier and mid works. Before his death, Hiroshige became a monk, but died not long afterward from Cholera.

The print itself features a Cherry Blossom viewing in Ueno, a clear denotation of a spring activity. It is a familiar setting, one that most likely occurs in Ueno park, still a prominent spot for cherry blossom viewing, with over 1,000 cherry trees.

The composition is unified by the straight line of buildings in the background, allowing the viewers eye to travel horizontally across the image. The cherry blossoms intersect along this line, connecting the eye to the main theme of the image. Along with this, the eye is also allowed to move vertically due to the tall trees and foreground building, which are distributed evenly along the image.
The image is flattened, but still posses perspective. Diagonal lines are used largely in the architecture, and originate from the lower left hand corner of the piece.
The subject of the picture consists of a mixture of human and naturalistic components, with an emphasis on the naturalistic. People present in the picture are small and not heavily defined, although distinction is made between the men and women present in the picture. In contrast, the naturalistic components are varied and appear much larger than the people themselves. The only human element comparable is the building in the foreground. However, both natural and humanistic elements are nicely integrated, as both move into the space of the other. There is also a sense of movement in this print; the indistinct nature of the people gives them a crowd like feel, and it would seem as if they are moving all over the image. The cherry blossoms themselves also must fall, and thus carry a sense of movement as well. The image also sports a juxtaposition of warm and cool colors, which helps to balance the composition.

Cherry blossoms serve as a signifier of many signified values, such as spring, nature, beauty, transience, and change. Together with the large gathering of people, and the fact that the print is presented to us as being in Ueno, one could also discern the signified values of Ueno Park, festivals, cherry blossom parties, and anything else specific to the viewer. Together with the other naturalistic elements combined with the humanistic ones, it also connotes a feeling of integration with nature. The tall trees jagged edges and dark coloring also contrast with the dreamy quality of the cherry blossoms, leading to a more natural than dream-like feeling. The warm colors against the cool ones also signifies spring, as it is during this season when warmer weather begins to break out from the cold weather. Overall, a very calming, naturalistic and spring focused work.

Rebel Curls

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I found this image to be really striking. I suppose what draws me in most is her expression; although none of her facial features are every strongly defined, she still carries a very intense, even a little rebellious look. Her gaze is very focused, and unlike most of the pictures of women we have seen so far, she is not looking away from the viewer, but up and outside the frame of the picture, with a 3/4 shot of her face. Her hair itself is also of interest; showcasing a new, non-traditional style, it feels rebellious, especially as it helps to mask her face.

Her expression here may just be due to her concentration on her hair, but I still feel that it is a powerful and important component of the image. I think this is especially true in the context of the image, where she is modeling her hair after a bob-cut, connoted with youth and liberation, all of which I feel play off of each other.

There are also strong western signifiers in this image. Her hair style, clothing, make-up, and possibly even attitude all seemed to be influenced by U.S. fashion. From reading the information from here she may have even been a 'moga'; one of the Japanese women whom began to embrace western culture. Her more powerful gaze and less conservative dress seem to support this. There is also the question of what is simply modernization and what is westernization.


I feel that this photograph is also interesting in that it is done in a portrait style, yet is not a traditional portrait. Instead, the photograph reaches beyond the typical standards of a portrait and allows itself both to focus on the woman and her task at hand. I feel that this helps to emphasize her modern outlook, and also distances the photograph from photography marketed towards globetrotters. In any manner, a captivating and interesting portrait.

Globetrotee

So! I finally decided to catch up with my ol' chap Winchester, and become a real globetrotter myself by traveling to the mysterious land of Japan! The journey itself was quite interesting, what with all of those exotic peoples along the way, but I must say by far that Japan was my favorite! Hohoho.

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After arriving in Yokohama, I immediately wanted to see everything and more! One of my first favorite scenes was of this quaint Japanese garden; it was so different from our own, rich bustling home! Since the Japanese still aren't quite on the up and up yet, they have much of this scenery still preserved; it's really quite relaxing. Hohohohoho. You can see the still great use of wooden framework too! Quite pretty architecture, I must say. Moving on...

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As I progressed through my journey into this beautify wild and exciting country, I began to admire its people as well as its scenery! These three lovely ladies are dressed in the traditional dress of the country, which as you can see is quite different from our own. Still quite flowing, modest and feminine though, hohohoho. The more well bred youth in he country is tasked with learning the arts, though I'm not sure how artful this music was, hohohohoho. Quite fascinating though, to see how different their use of instruments is from ours.



Their country folk though, are quite a different story! Not as interesting I would say, as the young girls about the town, but quite quaint! They seem to be hard working people, rough and tumble, I would say, hohoho! Didn't feel the need to stray much in small towns such as in the one where we saw these folk, but they seem to share the same passion for that plain tea as much as the rest of the Japanese!

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Some of the Japanese architecture were really quite a sight! Pagodas and temples often fit in well with the greenery around them, looking almost as old as the forest! In this particular one, you can really see the ornate detail the Japanese put into their work. Very fun coloration as well, really added to how exotic this building felt! The stone lanterns in front really add to the mysterious atmosphere as well, eh?



Perhaps one of the most intriguing things I saw was a sacred dance by the natives! Quite strange sounding and slow, but perhaps appropriate for the worship of their own heathenish gods, eh? Hohohoho. It almost appeared as something pulled out of the depths of time, what with the ancient stone surrounding us, the manner of dress and the manner of worship going on. Quite the interesting costumes and scenery, though!

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So, for this post, I attempted to take on the persona of a rich old man with some time on his hands whom decided to follow the globetrotter trend. The man I portrayed very clearly had a sense that the west was superior to Japan, and chose to look only at the portions of Japan that resonated with his view that Japan was not modernized; commenting upon the untouched nature of Japan, what looked to be ancient traditions and its architecture, which is quite different from the east. He also seems to think that Christianity is superior to any Japanese sort of worship, and is thus intrigued by any sort of Buddhist or Shinto practice, which also helps him to classify the Japanese as 'other'. Overall, he views the western world as more modernized, educated and 'right', while viewing Japan as underdeveloped, exotic, and as a place to be viewed and studied.

Globetrotting

So, there were many images in this galley that I really liked, however I chose this one because I felt it more personally tied me to the concept at hand.

While going through the Globetrotters : Places galley, I found myself being attracted to certain pictures that reminded me of my own stay in Japan, which I found to be pretty ironic.

Pictures of places I had been to, pictures that reminded me of scenery I had seen in Japan, and even pictures of places that I had not gone to, but heard about stuck out in my mind. Thinking about that, I could more easily understand how photography companies at this time were able to make so much money off of globetrotters.

This particular image, of the Grea Buddha in Kamakura is definitely a location that would stick out in a globetrotters mind. It for one, is representative of the myth of foreign religion in Japan, something that westerns of that time would both be intrigued in, yet also feel superior from, due to the fact that Christianity was considered the only true religion in their eyes. This is enhanced by its large size, which creates a feeling of larger worship, and thus serves to be even more interesting.

The location itself is also quite memorable, with many temples in the surrounding area as well. Together, this culminates to make the Great Buddha appear representative of all the Buddhist influence a globetrotter may have experienced in the area.

Overall, this image would have captured both of the hegemonic western/globetrotter myths about Japan's 'otherness' in its beautiful and exotic, but also perceived to be barbaric nature.




These were the two pictures I managed to get of the Great Buddha. From these, you can kind of see how it is actually very tourist oriented today, with stalls nearby where you can buy various Buddhist influenced items, and even an opening made in the side of the Great Buddha so that you can go inside of it and make your way to the top. Just thought it was interesting how it changed over time...and how many westerners visiting Japan are still interested in it.




I thought this image was interesting, kind've cute and different at the same time, which I think is where its appeal lies...

It is obviously staged, but showcases many various Japanese connotations, the dress, the hair, the setting, the method of dance, etc. Yet, it also shows young girls, (one whom may have the mumps?), which is a little different from the standard showcasing of grown women.

Due to this, globetrotters could remember any dance performances they might have witnessed, along with any memories of children they might have kept. Again, this image also draws upon the exotic myth of Japan, and allows the viewer to make their own interpretations of what childhood for a young girl in Japan may have been like, suturing themselves into the image.

Felice Beato's Japan

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I feel as if Felice Beato tried to capture a Japanese sort of essence in this photo, while also making it relateable to a western viewing audience by including the myth of a band of musicians.
The musicians here are very plainly dressed in Japanese style clothing, and also sport very Japanese hairdos. Their instruments also appear foreign, and differ from the style of instruments used by western street performers, creating a feeling of what is Japanese to a westerner. At the same time, their instruments are also recognizable enough so that westerners may have been able to guess at what they sounded like, contributing to the street performer myth.

Together, I think these components make this image very marketable to a western audience. The Japanese feeling derived from the way of dress, and foreign instruments combined with the common myth of street performers allows for an image of Japanese life to be painted in the eyes of a westerner. By building upon the base of the street performer myth, they can create something that is familiar and yet foreign, simultaneously allowing them to make their own inferences about Japanese life and see it in a way that is pleasing to them. Together with the description to the left of the photo, viewers are able to paint an exotic picture of Japan while incorporating their own views.


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This image seems to work to capture the grandeur of Japan's architecture and the pristine feeling of the greenery around it. The foreign design style along with the beauty of the land helps to add to the Westerner's sense of Japan's mystery, and foreign, but intriguing looking architecture.

The buildings featured in the picture are on a grander scale, giving them a sense of importance, greatness, and longevity. The stairs leading away to the buildings enhance this effect, as do the tall trees lining the outskirts of the buildings. Together with a foreign style of construction, these factors would build on Westerner's interest in Japan and its perceived nature of being different, and by relation, somewhat mysterious. The people included within the photo are also dressed in a Japanese style, further adding to the 'foreign' feeling of the photo and appealing to western taste and intrigue.

The text included with this photo is also interesting, as it contrasts with the serene scene, but yet also appeals to western interests in their differences with Japan, such as how justice is delivered. The death of a large number of individuals by beheading would be even more so shocking to a westerner, adding to the perceived foreign nature of Japan, and the picture's worth to the photographer.

Portraits

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I really like the contrast between these two. Actually, I quite like the portraits done by the Japanese in general. Anyway...

On the right we have Commodore Perry, and on the left we have his son, Oliver. From looking through his portraits, Perry's drooping features generally tend to be emphasized by the Japanese, along with his more foreign features, such as his nose, and the same is true for this portrait.
I feel this exaggeration of his less attractive features signifies his less attractive actions. Due to the fact that he gained influence in Japan through brandishing his power, I feel as if the artists that painted him painted his face with the same rude message that Perry came to Japan with. (Portraying his face as almost melting off must have been a nice venting exercise. :) ) The exaggeration of Perry's features also helps to exemplify him as foreign, clearly identifying him, and also associating his image with all of the foreignness connected with America.

In contrast to Perry, Oliver is painted much more handsomely. He still bears a larger nose, but not overtly so, has redder lips, a move even complexion, and his eyes definitely aren't attempting to slide off his face. This also helps to make him more relatable. In this manner, I think Oliver signifies both the possibility for more attractive (ideologically) Americans, as he did not directly act as forcefully as his father; and thus can be separated from him. Being young, he also has the potential for growth, like Japan's relationship with America.

Overall, Perry's portrait carries feelings of resentment towards America's actions and foreign influence, while Oliver's gives hope to a successful relationship with America.

OH!NIKKO

So, the plan I originally had in mind was to analyze an advertisement for a Japanese Homestay group. That was when the familiar phrase, 'OH!NIKKO' jumped back into my mind, and made me decide to analyze it instead.


(Photo courtesy of my friend Travis's fb account.)

During the short time 2 summers ago when I was in Japan, my group of friends and I often saw this 'OH!NIKKO' advertisement in train stations near Tokyo.

This ad, in the most basic sense, is geared to bring more tourism to Nikko.
Looking at the background in the advertisement, you can see a lush green forest interspersed with waterfalls. From researching Nikko a bit, it seems that it is known for both its temples and greenery, and as this ad was around in the middle of summer, Nikko would have definitely been green and relaxing at the time, a lure for people looking for somewhere to take some time off at, and signifying Nikko as an attractive place to vaction.

However, what I find to be the most striking part of the advertisement is the happy (and unsettling) mannequin family. We have Mama, Mikey, and Papa, all whom seem to be thrilled at the prospect of Nikko. Mama tells Mikey about how Nikko received 3 stars in the Michelin Green Guide, Mikey is surprised at this, Papa confirms, and also adds a few things I'm not good enough to translate yet.
Now, the Michelin Green guide, as I found out today, is a tourism guide, and 3 stars is the highest ranking that can be given to a specific location. So, again, we see an appeal to possible tourists.

The mannequin family also seem to have an obnoxious tourist-like air about them, which is what makes them fun, and likable. They seem overly happy, appear to be a foreign family with names to match, and serve as a nice parody to a stereotypical family. The tourist vibe of the mannequins also causes the viewer to associate being in Nikko with tourism, consequently giving the viewer thoughts of themselves as a tourist in Nikko. Although they are a little creepy and weird, this aspect also makes them eye-catching, memorable, and funny. Designers of the ad most likely intended to make them so over the top so that viewers would realize that they are one big, happy joke, promoting good feelings about Nikko while also associating it with tourism.
I definitely would not have remembered this advertisement had it not been for the happy family of mannequins. Together with the bold, rhyming (and thus easier to remember) 'OH!NIKKO' at the top of the advertisement, and the beautiful background scenery, the advertisement works to make the idea of tourism in Nikko memorable.

I also feel that this advertisement was aimed at both foreigners and everyday people in Japan. Being positioned mainly around the Tokyo area where there are more busy train stations, it was seen by both groups of people. For foreigners who generally cannot read Japanese, it plainly states 'NIKKO', in big, bold letters, and gives off this 'crazy Japanese' vibe, which dually acts as a parody to the Japanese, as the mannequins are really crazy foreigners. This simultaneously appeals to both groups. In fact, two of my friends whom I met in Japan actually went to Nikko solely due to this advertisement. I also happened to remember this advertisement from a year and a half ago for this blog, both of which I think attests to its memorability.

Overall, an effective, memorable, and fun tourism ad. : )


Also, just for kicks, I found a more fall-like version: