Ah, so that's why I haven't been able to get anywhere with my attempts to learn Japanese. 🤔 😂
05.03.2026 13:43
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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
1/4
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
A path leads through a red torii (gate) flanked by red and white banners towards a bridge with red railings. The path is shaded by tall evergreen trees surrounding and beyond.
Setagaya Hachimangu Shrine, Tokyo.
#ToriiTuesday #Shinto #Japan
After taking a break last month (and most of this month) I have finally published a new article about nushi, the spirits of ponds, lakes and rivers in #JapaneseFolklore. I've included several folktales, some yokai, and plenty of #JapaneseArt. I hope you enjoy it.
open.substack.com/pub/curiouso...
Asakusa Kannon Shrine on a rainy day. A woman walks in the foreground holding a blue umbrella. The temple and tree in the background and a pagoda in the distance beneath a grey sky.
'Asakusa Kannon Temple' - Tsuchiya Koitsu, 1933.
#JapaneseArt #shinhanga
I hope you enjoy it too.
A ukiyo-e print depicting an actor dressed as a fox with nine tails. He holds a branch with red flowers in each hand.
In #JapaneseFolklore kitsune (fox) #yokai are accomplished shapeshifters and tricksters whose supernatural powers and tails increase with age.
🎨'Actor Nakamura Utaemon III as a nine-tailed Fox' from the series 'Dance of Nine Changes' - Toyokawa Yoshikuni, 1825.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe
A bird hangs upside down in the branch of a flowering cherry tree.
'Bird on Cherry Branch' - Utagawa Hiroshige.
#JapaneseArt #ukiyoe