무시무시한

무시무시한 is a Korean word that, transliterated, looks like this: mushimushihan. 

Guess what it means? Hellacious, ghastly, horrific, and many other such synonyms. A word that sounds like "mushy"! (Of course, "Muschi" in German means vagina... You can imagine my classmates' reactions the first time I used the word "mushy" in English class...)

...That's pretty much all I have to say about mushimushihan. I just thought it was a neat word (and "hellacious" as well)! You're welcome?

Bonsai

A bonsai (盆栽, literally "plantings in tray")is a tree that is carefully pruned and shaped to remain a diminutive size while mimicking the style and shape of mature, full-size trees. The Japanese art of bonsai began in the 6th century, when Japanese diplomats brought back penjing (盆景, literally "tray scenery") from mainland China, though the Japanese repidly developed their own aesthetics for the art.

From Wikipedia: "Generally speaking, tree penjing specimens differ from bonsai by allowing a wider range of tree shapes (more "wild-looking") and by planting them in bright-colored and creatively shaped pots. In contrast, bonsai are more simplified in shape (more "refined" in appearance) with larger-in-proportion trunks, and are planted in unobtrusive, low-sided containers with simple lines and muted colors." (It seems, however, that different regions of Japan developed different styles - by the late 1860s Tokyo and Kyoto had different styles when it came to bonsai, and neither approved of the other.)

In Utsubo Monogatari (Tale of the Hollow Tree, year 970), Japan's oldest full-length narrative (a literary style comparable to the epic), there is a passage that illustrates the Japanese mindset in this point in history fairly well: "A tree that is left growing in its natural state is a crude thing. It is only when it is kept close to human beings who fashion it with loving care that its shape and style acquire the ability to move one."

One has to say, though, that Japanese aesthetics are manyfold and intricate, considered in Western society as more of a philosophy than anything else while within Japan they are considered an integral part of life. A key point of Japanese aesthetics is mono no aware, a concept originated by Motoori Norinaga in the 18th century, which describes empathy towards beauty. In his Shibun Yoryo (The Essentials of the Tale of Genji, 1763), Norinaga describes it as such:

For instance, if a man, viewing beautiful cherry-blossoms in full bloom, appreciates them as beautiful, he is aware of mono no kokoro or the heart of the thing. Being aware of the beauty of the blossoms, he is moved by it. That is, he is sensitive to mono no aware. In contrast, if a man, whatever beautiful flowers he sees, does not feel them to be beautiful, he is not aware of mono no kokoro. Such a man is never moved by the beauty of the flowers. That is to say, he is not sensitive to mono no aware.

In Japanese culture, a main point of life is to appreciate ephemeral things such as the cherry blossoms, and this certainly extends to bonsai, for which there are many rules. These little trees are trimmed and shaped to best reflect wabi-sabi, perhaps the most important of Japanese aesthetic ideals. This ideal concerns the elegance in imperfection, simplicity and age. In art books, it is typically defined as "flawed beauty". Being moved by wabi-sabi is to be sensitive to mono no aware, and I hope you feel a part of these concepts when admiring the below bonsai from the Japanese collection of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum.

Japanese Maple, in training since 1906

Hornbeam, in training since 1935

Japanese White Pine, training date unknown

These miniature trees are cultivated over decades, often more than a century, but I do have to giggle at the phrase "in training since"! An interesting turn of phrase to use for trees. It makes me think more of martial art than the art of careful trimming.

Laconic

Today I learned something very neat about the origins of the word "laconic" (meaning "using very few words", "brief", or "terse"), and thought I'd share it here! Taken directly from onestopenglish.com:

The word laconic is derived from a region of ancient Greece called Laconia, the capital of which was the city of Sparta. The inhabitants of Sparta were famed for their warfare but also for the economy of their speech. The story goes that Philip II of Macedon once called on the Spartans to surrender, sending them the following message: "if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city”. The Spartans, in typical laconic style, sent a reply containing just one word: “If”.

Glaikit and Other Scottish Vernacular

Glaikit is a Scottish word meaning stupid, foolish, thoughtless or vacant. Here it's specified as being used often "of gadgies, minkers and schemies". It seems these nouns are used for people characterised by a lack of intellect, dress sense and money, and generally living in the Central Belt (the area of highest population density in Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, among others). They are not very kindly described in the above link, and a similar term, "midgie raker", is described as being "a manky, mingin, barkit, bastirt gadgie". From what I could tell, most of those words mean "smelly"!
I highly recommend skimming through the rest of the Scottish Vernacular Dictionary - it's hilarious and wonderful! I particularly like this entry:

Cow:
The worst, the VERY WORST insult you can give a Scots woman is to call her a cow. All other sweary words pale into insignificance beside this most-powerful of derogatory terms.
"Please Miss Magrit-Anne said a bad word"
"What did she say Condoleeza?, you can spell it out if you don't want to swear."
"She said ah wis a fuckin C.O.W. Miss."

Chutzpah

Apropos nothing, the word chutzpah - meaning audacity, self-confidence, courage, temerity, nerve, cheek, effrontery, impudence, presumptuousness, gall - derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "cheek" or "audacity". The first known use was apparently in 1883. (That's quite a few synonyms there, huh!)

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtle from previous WIP!

After a lecture on cosmology and the structure of the solar system, William James was accosted by a little old lady.
"Your theory that the sun is the centre of the solar system, and the earth is a ball which rotates around it has a very convincing ring to it, Mr. James, but it's wrong. I've got a better theory," said the little old lady.
"And what is that, madam?" Inquired James politely.
"That we live on a crust of earth which is on the back of a giant turtle,"
Not wishing to demolish this absurd little theory by bringing to bear the masses of scientific evidence he had at his command, James decided to gently dissuade his opponent by making her see some of the inadequacies of her position.
"If your theory is correct, madam," he asked, "what does this turtle stand on?"
"You're a very clever man, Mr. James, and that's a very good question," replied the little old lady, "but I have an answer to it. And it is this: The first turtle stands on the back of a second, far larger, turtle, who stands directly under him."
"But what does this second turtle stand on?" persisted James patiently.
To this the little old lady crowed triumphantly. "It's no use, Mr. James – it's turtles all the way down."

—J. R. Ross, Constraints on Variables in Syntax 1967

The phrase 'turtles all the way down' seems to have originated in the form 'rocks all the way down', for which a similar story to the one above was printed in an unsigned anecdote about a schoolboy and an old woman living in the woods. (Unwritten Philosophy, 1838)

          In my school-boy days, when I loved better to rob birds'-nests and plunder orchards than acquire knowledge, I have often deserted the school-room and pursued the above-mentioned avocations in the forest, in my usual quiet manner. I recollect once, when having been lost in the intricacies of the wood, I stumbled upon a little hut. Being extremely thirsty, and rightly concluding that a spring would be found in its vicinity, I wended my way thither. I found it occupied by an old woman, of whom I requested a draught of water. It was soon furnished; and when I had despatched it, I was overwhelmed with questions.
          "Ar'n't you one of the 'cademy boys?" inquired she.
          "Yes, marm," was the reply.
          "Well, I declare!" ejaculated the old woman; "they say you learn queer things down there. Why, they say the world is round!"
          "The world, marm," said I, anxious to display my acquired knowledge, "is not exactly round, but resembles in shape a flattened orange; and it turns on its axis once in twenty-four hours."
          "Well, I don't know anything about its axes," replied she, "but I know it don't turn round, for if it did we'd be all tumbled off; and as to its being round, any one can see it's a square piece of ground, standing on a rock!"
          "Standing on a rock! but upon what does that stand?"
          "Why, on another, to be sure!"
          "But what supports the last?"
          "Lud! child, how stupid you are! There's rocks all the way down!"

The concept of the earth resting on turtles may have come from Hindu mythology, where the World Serpent, Shesha, is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his multitude of heads. The idea of several World Elephants holding up the Earth, they in turn standing on the back of a large turtle, may have come from confusion over the Sanskrit noun Nāga, which has the dual meaning of "serpent" and "elephant" (named for its snake-like trunk).

According to Bertrand Russell: "It is exactly of the same nature as the Hindu's view, that the world rested upon an elephant and the elephant rested upon a tortoise; and when they said, 'How about the tortoise?' the Indian said, 'Suppose we change the subject.'"

Japanese Tea Ceremony

The other day I started reading up on the Japanese tea ceremony. It's such a complex and interesting tradition that I rapidly found myself caught up in it, reading about the tools, phrases, and of course, the tea.

The complex ceremony evolved due to the scarcity of tea from the Nara to the Heian period (794-1192), making tea a valuable and treasured beverage. From then on, the tea ceremony evolved until reaching the level of detail and sense of ritual that it has today. (Read about the influence of the Samurai and zen monks on the tea ceremony here!)

Called chanoyu (茶の湯), the Japanese tea ceremony is the ritualistic preparation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea. There is another, less common style using sencha - loose tea leaves like the ones we are familiar with. This tea ceremony is called senchado (煎茶道).
Matcha, however, is made from shade-grown tea leaves that are steamed and laid out flat to dry; as a result they crumble somewhat, and at this stage the tea is called tencha (碾茶). Tencha is also supposed to be very delicious, but if the tea leaves are taken and de-stemmed, de-veined, and ground, then you end up with matcha - a fine, vivid green powder that has great health benefits. One glass of matcha supposedly equals 10 glasses of regular green tea in terms of nutritional value and antioxidant content. Impressive!

If you had a look at the kanji (Chinese symbols), you'll have noticed that each one contains the kanji 茶, cha, which means tea. Japanese people will respectfully call tea "o-cha", as O is a prefix that shows respect. "O-cha" in Japan tends to refer to green tea, and Western black tea is commonly referred to as "koucha" (紅茶), which literally means "red tea".

Interestingly, matcha has experienced a surge in popularity outside Japan, being sold the world over in matcha lattes, chocolates, cakes, and a variety of other forms. If you should want to try matcha yourself, there's a very thorough and interesting review of matcha brands here!

The tea ceremony, however, remains an integral part of Japanese culture. 

I found it fascinating to read about the chanoyu (tea ceremony with matcha), and watched this video showing tea being prepared for two women. It takes a little while for things to be set up, so if you skip to 5:30 you'll see the woman preparing the tea (called a Teishu - the host of the tea ceremony) carefully folding a cloth napkin to wipe the lid of the container holding the matcha powder. The way she folds the cloth with slow deliberation into a shape that reminds of origami, then wipes the lid with careful strokes in the shape of the letter ko, こ, is captivating. Each gesture is clearly choreographed, the weight of tradition behind it.

Also of particular interest to me are the phrases and expressions used during the ceremony; it's a choreographed conversation between the Teishu (host) and Shokyaku (main guest), with only occasional comments between the guests. The Shokyaku, regardless of how many guests are present, is the only one to speak with the host.

Then, there are the items that the guests carry on them - if in the video you skip to 11 minutes, you'll see the younger guest pull a napkin out of the overlap of her kimono at chest height, proceeding to use it as a sort of dish to eat one of the provided candies. I was so surprised when she pulled the napkin seemingly out of nowhere!


There is a lot more to say about the tea ceremony, but these are the main points that were interesting to me. I definitely want to enjoy a proper cup of matcha someday! If you want to read more about the chanoyu, I highly recommend the webside www.japanese-tea-ceremony.net.

Yamato Nadeshiko - the ideal Japanese woman

Yamato Nadeshiko is a Japanese aesthetic and cultural concept defining the perfect woman. It has its basis in the Confucian concepts of Feudal Loyalty (Li) and Filial Piety (Hsiao), and the main characteristics of a yamato nadeshiko are loyalty, domestic ability, wisdom, maturity, and humility.

“Yamato” is one of the more poetic names for Japan, similar to “Eire” for Ireland, while “Nadeshiko” is the name of a wildflower (Dianthus superbus) native to not only Japan, but also parts of Europe. The kanji for the term, 大和撫子, translate into English as “caressable child” or “wide-eyed barley”. (Not sure how flattering the barley term is!) 

In anime and more, a properly portrayed yamato nadeshiko will have a subtle touch of iron, unwilling to let circumstances hurt the ones she cares about or distract her from her goals or missions. A poorly done yamato nadeshiko will often appear as what tvtropes.org refers to as an “Extreme Doormat”, or a character who is “silent and submissive without the inner strength of a true yamato nadeshiko”. 

Historically, most nadeshiko were noble women with traditional upbringings, and as many came from samurai clans they had some martial skills, typically trained at least in the use of the naginata (a polearm with a slightly curved blade at the end), if not more.

Konoka Konoe from Mahou Sensei Negima!

I found it interesting to go through the examples on the TV Tropes page, and though I didn’t know many of them I certainly agreed with the ones I recognized! Of interest to most people I know would be the mention of the concept in Mulan: “Men want girls with good taste, calm, obedient, who work fast-paced. With good breeding and a tiny waist.” Mulan herself has some of the characteristics of a yamato nadeshiko, possessing the looks and the devotion to her parents, and her core of steel is shown in taking her father’s place in going to war not for glory or any reason but to spare her father’s life and the family honor.

From the anime section I had to smile at the mention of Belldandy from Ah! My Goddess, Hinata from Naruto, Tomoe from Rurouni Kenshin, Konoka from Mahou Sensei Negima!, and several other manga/anime characters; in the literature section I was overjoyed to see a mention of the Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce, in which the Yamani women (the Fantasy counterpart culture for Japan) are known for their politeness, stoicism, and carrying weapons that look like decorations (such as war fans, called “shukusen” in the books).

 
Interesting to read in comparison to the concept of yamato nadeshiko is the concept of the "Proper Lady". Mainly retaining a Victorian British mindset, the Proper Lady is gentle yet strong, incorruptible and intelligent, witty and well-mannered, and typically upper class. Examples would be Disney's Snow White, Margaret (Meg) from Little Women, Penelope (Odysseus' wife) from The Odyssey, and Pygmalion/My Fair Lady, which is all about how one becomes a true lady.

Short Definition of Art and Aesthetics

AESTHETICS

“A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty.” Also, “the branch of philosophy which deals with questions of beauty and artistic taste.”

The definition of aesthetic, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is: of or relating to art or beauty.

 

According to Oxford Dictionaries, an aesthetic is “a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement”, such as the Cubist aesthetic. As such, aesthetic theory is often divided into branches such as art theory, film theory, and music theory.  

The word aesthetic is derived from the Greek αἰσθητικός (aisthetikos, meaning "sensitive, perceptive"), and had originally been used merely to mean “sensibility” or “responsiveness to stimulation of the senses”. It received its contemporary meaning of “taste” or “sense” of beauty by Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten.

The German philosopher first introduced the concept of good and bad “taste” (and as such, good and bad art) in his book Die Metaphysik. He defined “taste” as the ability to judge according to the senses, instead of according to the intellect.

Originally published in Latin in 1739, his concept received a lot of criticism from other philosophers, including Immanuel Kant, though the latter eventually came to conform to Baumgarten’s usage of the word and himself employed the word aesthetic to mean the judgment of taste or the estimation of the beautiful.

ART

Generally, art (or “fine art”) is when the artist’s skill is used to express his or her creativity, or to engage the audience’s aesthetic sensibilities. 

If this skill is being used in a functional object, it is more likely to be considered a craft rather than art; when the skill is being used in a commercial or industrial way it may be considered design instead of art, though the term “applied art” may also be appropriate. 

Typically, art implies no function other than to please the eye or communicate an idea.

For many centuries it was implied that all art aims at beauty, but art movements such as Cubism and Dadaism struggled against the conception that beauty is central to the definition of art – with great success. 

After the works of such artists as Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol one could believe that “art” is basically a sociological category, and that whatever art schools, museums and artists define as art is considered such regardless of formal definitions. After all, most people didn’t consider the depiction of a store-bought urinal or Brillo Box to be art until Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol (respectively) placed them in the context of art (i.e. the art gallery), which then provided the association of these objects with the associations that define art. 

However, there are other possible definitions, such as that suggested by proceduralists: That it is the process by which a work of art is created or viewed that makes it art, not any inherent feature of an object, or how well received it is by the institutions of the art world after its introduction to society at large. Leo Tolstoy, on the other hand, claims in “What is art?” (1897) that what decides whether or not something is art is how it is experienced by its audience, not by the intention of its creator. 

There are a number of other theories, ranging from the practical (the instrumentalist theory of art, Monroe Beardsley) to the obscure (“Art is an anti-destiny”, André Malraux). In general, one can agree that the definition of art is limited by both era and culture.