Japanese Culture

TJC Professional Translation and Interpreting Services since 1981

History

With a rich and various history spanning back over thousands of years, and now incorporating elements of Asian, European and North African influence, Japanese culture includes a diverse range of elements, including fine art and pottery, cuisine, clothing and garden design. Traditionally, Japan has had bursts of influence from outside cultures, and then gone for periods involving a minimum of contact with the rest of the world – due to the country's island status.

Arts

Painting and printmaking: Screen prints and paintings, from around the 10^th century onwards, firmly established the Japanese visual tradition, and their asymmetric and striking composition would later have a huge effect upon Western artists. During and after the Edo period, from around 1600, painting and printmaking in Japan flourished. Woodblock prints and or ukiyo-e paintings were popular, with artists such as Utamoro gaining acclaim for depictions of landscapes or series showing the lives of courtesans. However, the most well-known of these artists were Hokusai and, in the 19^th century, Hiroshige. Hiroshige's bold and linear prints, often in sets depicting a particular city or view, had a huge influence upon later painters van Gogh and Degas; for example in Degas' paintings of ballet dancers, with chopped of and apparently floating limbs glimpsed from round corners or outside of the scope of the painting – such striking and apparently imbalanced composition could only have come from Japanese influence.

Calligraphy: Due to the prevailing use of brush over pen, and the flowing and strikingly visual nature of the Japanese language itself, the art of calligraphy has long been an esteemed and established form of art in the country. The art form is known as Shodo, and is not merely a pedestrian writing exercise, but rather a deliberate and delicate dual-purposed feat, to convey both the information of the test – whether it be a poem, story or just a single character – and, through the style and precision of the writing, to capture the subject matter.

Sculpture: Often depicting Buddhist images, Japanese sculpture is another long-held artistic form. 　 It originated under the influence of the Silk Road culture, and in particular the Chinese version of the art form, starting with the clay figure. Materials used include bronze and wood, with statues often brightly painted or gilded.

Porcelain and pottery: Japanese pottery is one of the country's oldest and most richly conceived art forms, and has had immeasurable influence upon the art of other countries, in particular the English porcelain makers. As in their painting and printmaking, Japanese potters and porcelain-makers are revered for the simplicity and striking design of their works. Types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, glazed pottery, enamelware, porcelain, and blue-and-white ware – the latter of which would become familiar to Westerners through its reincarnation in Thomas Minton's Willow pattern. Imari porcelain is another far-reaching form of pottery, with its striking reds, greens and golds.

Ikebana: Ikebana is the art of flower arrangement, and is world-renowned for its emphasis upon colour, harmony, and simple design. It often focuses upon leaves or stems of flowers, and simplicity in use of colour, line and form – as opposed to a more Westernised flower-bouquet which would value a multitude of colour and more random and busy arrangement of flowers. The art reaches back over five hundred years, and is still popular today.

Japanese gardens: As important as architecture, the Japanese garden is an art form in itself, and is very closely linked to the pared-down beliefs of Buddhism. Perhaps best known to a Western audience in the form of rock gardens and the cultivation of bonsai, Japanese gardens often feature water, a teahouse, a lantern, stone arrangements, a hedge or fence, and a bridge to an island, or stepping stones. Where there is no water, it may be represented symbolically, just as the formation of rocks may be used to represent mountains.

Cuisine

Japanese food: Japanese cuisine has a long tradition, and is world-renowned for the freshness and delicacy of its ingredients, for its presentation and, of course, for its taste. Almost always featuring a base of rice or noodles, dishes such as teriyaki, tempura and sushi have gained global popularity, and many dishes feature fish due to Japan's status as an island nation. For more information, please see our detailed guide to Japanese food.

Japanese culture today

Clothing: Japan is famed for the kimono, which as a word refers simply to an item of clothing in general, but has become synonymous with the long-sleeved, full-length garment which is worn on special occasions, such as weddings and other official ceremonies. However, in popular Japanese culture, fashion is very important – many people choose to display their disposable income through expensive designer outfits, using a Californian sense of style as an influence.

Sport: Popular sports in Japan include martial arts such as Sumo, Judo and Jujutsu. Football and basketball are also widely played, and watched.

Pop culture: Japanese popular culture is famed for its anime and manga, which have a worldwide renown, leading to crossovers with American animation forms. Bowling alleys, cinemas, karaoke and gaming are popular leisure activities, as well as watching television and listening to music such as J-pop. The animated works from Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, remain some of the highest grossest films of all time in the country, and have raised the bar for animated films for children and adults alike.

For our language support, please visit the following pages;

Japanese Agricultural interpreters
Japanese Automotive Related Interpreters and Translators

Japanese to English, English to Japanese
Japanese Translator: London England
Japanese Banking, Investment, IR Interpreters
Japanese Biochemical Related Interpreters
Japanese Biofuel Related Interpreters
Japanese Business Meeting Interpreter
Japanese Words & Phrases

Japanese Global Warming Issues Related Interpreters
Japanese Healthcare/Welfare Related Interpreters
Japanese Hospital Interpreters
Japanese Humanities, Humanitarian Related Interpreters
Japanese Interpreting Services by Japanese Interpreters
Japanese International Relations Interpreters
Japanese Insurance Related Interpreters
Japanese IT and Computer Related Interpreters
Japanese Legal Interpreter

Japanese Translation
Japanese Technical Translator
Japanese Technical Translation
Japanese Translator: London England

Useful links

http://www.sabotenweb.com/bookmarks/culture.html

http://www.us-japan.org/edomatsu/

http://www.inside-japan.com/japanese-culture-guide.html

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TJC Professional Translation and Interpreting Services since 1981

Japanese Culture

TJC Professional Translation and Interpreting Services since 1981