Fu thru Gen

JAPANESE PRINTS

A MILLION QUESTIONS

TWO MILLION MYSTERIES

Ukiyo-e Prints

浮世絵版画

Port Townsend, Washington

INDEX/GLOSSARY

Fu thru Gen

The photo of the 'dead end' sign was taken by

our friend Ben Peyronnin. We then altered it for

our own purposes. Our bad! It is being used

to mark additions made from May thru August 2013.

The ferris wheel image was also

taken by Ben. All we did with that one was

crop it for our own selfish reasons.

It was used in October thru December 2012.

TERMS FOUND ON THIS PAGE:

Fú, Fuda, Fudō Myōō, Fugu,

Fuji, Fūkei-ga, Fukinuki yatai, Fukiwa, Fukujusō,

Fukurokuju, Fundō, Fūrin, Fusuma, Futame jigoku,

Futatsu-tomoe, Ga, Gagō, Gaikotsu, Gama,

Gama sennin, Gandō, Ganpi (also gampi), Ganpishi,

Gassaku, Gehō no hashigozori, Genga, Genji kuruma,

Genji monogatari, Genjina, Genpei and Genpei Nunobiki no Taki

蝠, 札, 不動明王, 河豚, 藤, 風景画,

吹抜屋台, 吹輪, 福寿草, 福禄寿, 分銅, 風鈴,

襖, 両婦地獄, 画, 雅号, 骸骨, 蝦蟇, 蝦蟇仙人,

雁皮, 雁皮紙, 合作, 原画, 源氏車, 源氏物語, 源氏名, 源平,

源平布引瀧 and 原色浮世絵大百科事典

ふ, ふだ, ふどう.みょうおう, ふぐ

ふじ, ふうけいが, ふきぬきやたい, ふきわ, ふくじゅそう,

ふくろくじゅ, ふんどう, ふうりん, ふすま,

ふためじごく, が, がご, がいこつ, がま, がませんにん,

がんどう, がんぴ, がんぴし, がっさく,

げほうの梯子剃り, げんが, げんじ.くるま,

げんじ.ものがたり, げんぺい, げんじな,

げんぺいぬのびきのたき and

げんしょくうきよえだい.ひゃっかじてん

One more note about this page and all of the others on this site:

If two or more sources are cited they may be completely contradictory.

I have made no attempt to referee these differences, but have simply

repeated them for your edification or use. Quote anything you find here

at your own risk and with a whole lot of salt.

TERM/NAME

KANJI/KANA

DESCRIPTION/

DEFINITION/

CATEGORY

Click on the yellow numbers

to go to linked pages.

Fú (a Chinese word)

蝠

ふ

(But with a rising tone in Chinese unlike Japanese)

Chinese character, rising tone, for bat 1, 2 The Japanese for bat is kōmori (蝙蝠 or こうもり).

There is a Chinese herbal from the 16th century which stated that some bats live to be one thousand years old. "...white as silver [they] are believed to feed on stalactites, and if eaten will insure longevity and good sight." (Source and quote: Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs by C. A. S. Williams, p. 61, 2006 edition) We mention this because of the similarity to stalactite eating in our entry on sennin. Go there and you will see what we mean.

Below is a picture of Honduran white bats posted at commons.wikimedia.org by Leyo. We couldn't find any stalactite eating 1,000 year old Chinese bats so we are using the next best thing. They don't look very old, do they?

Fuda

札

ふだ

One definition of this term is "charm/talisman". Below is a detail from a Hiroshi Yoshida print, Utagahama (歌ヶ浜 or うたがはま), from 1937 showing fuda applied to the beams and posts of the structure.

See also our entries on O-fuda and senjafuda.

Fuda were originally applied to columns and beams at temples and shrines by pilgrims using niwaka, a kind of gelatin glue. "The act of visiting temples and shrines to paste fuda appeared to be more fun than devotional, and became particularly unpopular with those in charge of the buildings who saw it as a form of vandalism akin to grafitti nowadays. This is an even greater problem today, when fuda are mass-produced as sticky seals which can damage buildings; the original paste was at least the relatively harmless nori (rice paste). Many shrines and temples now outlaw the activity, although this can act as encouragement to renegade pasters who try it anyway. [¶] The art of pasting the fuda underwent technical development too. Originally they were stuck by hand, in low places, but it then came to be seen as a challenge to paste them as high up as possible. An extraordinary early technique was called nagebari; a pasted fuda was placed on a damp towel and hurled high up at a beam or the ceiling. This may have been effective, but it lacked the control over position and placement which was important for the Edoite competitive spirit inherent in pasting. The preference was for a prominent spot where everyone could see and appreciate not only the design of the fuda but also acknowledge that the person had visited. These spots were called hitomi (literally 'seen by people')..." but had the disadvantages of being exposed to the natural elements or removal by others and might last at most only a few years. Another method was called 'secret pasting' or kakushibari where they were hidden away from the wind and rain and other humans and therefore might last for 50 to 60 years undisturbed. ¶ In time someone invented a long extension pole of bamboo to which could be attached two brushes, the meotobake or 'husband and wife brush.' One brush would dust a spot clean and the other brush would moisten the area before the fuda would be applied. (Source and quotes from: Japanese Popular Prints: From Votive Slips to Playing Cards by Rebecca Salter, pp. 96-97)

Fudō Myōō

不動明王

ふどう.みょうおう

Originating in the Hindu pantheon he came to be regarded as one of the five wise kings who despite his stern countenance is a saver of souls. His attributes are the sword with which he fights evil and the rope which he uses to lasso individuals who can be saved.

Anyone familiar with Fudō Myōō knows that he is always accompanied by flames. Daisetz T. Suzuki tells us why: "Acala's [the ancient Indian name for Fudō Myōō] anger burns like a fire and will not be put down until it burns up the last camp of the enemy: he will then assume his original features as the Vairocana Buddha, whose servant and manifestation he is. The Vairocana holds no sword, he is the sword itself, sitting alone with all the worlds within himself."

Quote from: Zen and Japanese Culture, Daisetz T. Suzuki, Bolingen Series LXIV, Princeton University Press, 1993, p. 90. 1

Patricia Graham in her paper Naritasan Shinshōji and Commoner Patronage During the Edo Period notes some of the prominent iconographic features of Fudō. "He either stands or sits on a rock with his body framed by a aura of fire. His facial expression is fierce, with one eye peering up and the other down and two fangs, also pointing in opposite directions. He usually holds a sword in his right hand to slash demons and a cord in his left to bind them and also to capture devotees and lead them into Paradise."

The detail shown above is from a print by Toyokuni III portraying an actor as Fudō.

Notice the fangs - one pointing up and one down. The eyes are not following true to form.

Instead one eye is crossed - a dramatic technique invented by one of this actors predecessors.

The image below is a detail of a photo posted at commons.wikimedia.org by Kenpei.

It is of a sculpture of Fudō of indeterminate age but clearly modern. But that is not the point -

the fangs are pointing in different directions. Again the eyes are not so easily read.

Fugu

河豚

ふぐ

Blowfish, pufferfish - "There was a good trade in aphrodisiacs for those who could afford them. Extracts and drinks were made from Chinese and Korean ginseng roots mixed with local herbs that could still be found along the banks of Edo's rivers, tiger balm and pulverized rhinoceros horn. Fugu, the Japanese blowfish, purportedly another aphrodisiac, was a favourite among courtesans and wealthy guests, though the poison from the fish, if not properly extracted, could be fatal. The risk seems only to have increased the thrill of sampling the tissue thin slices of fish." Quoted from: Tokyo A Cultural History by Stephen Mansfield, p. 35.

The image to the left was posted at Flickr by furibund. The image shown above was also posted at Flickr, but this one was put there by tsuda.

"Blowfish is a generic name for several members of the fish family tetraodontidae, a fish that can swell itself to several times its normal size by swallowing air or water. The tetraodontidae family has 187 known species, of which about fifty can be found in Japan, and about ten of which are regularly eaten there. The most common blowfish served in Japan is torafugu (Takifugu rubripes), or tiger blowfish, the largest among Japan’s species. It is also one of the most poisonous. ¶ The poison, tetrodotoxin, is highly concentrated in the organs, especially the liver and the ovaries. Generated by bacteria that live in the fish, the poison is 1250 times deadlier than cyanide and 160,000 times more potent than cocaine. One fish can kill thirty adults. ¶ A small amount of poison creates a stinging numbness in the lips, tongue, and extremities. A bit more produces the same effect, and eventually paralysis, in the lungs, which leads to death. There is no known antidote; the treatment usually consists of pumping the patient’s stomach, placing him on artificial respiration and intravenous hydration, and feeding him activated charcoal to bind the toxin." Quoted from: 'Haley and the Blowfish' by Mark West in the Washington University Global Studies Law Review, p. 429.

"The folk story holds that when Hideyoshi Toyotomi sought to conquer Korea in 1592, he amassed a force of 158,800 troops on Kyushu, where blowfish was a favorite dish, for the task. Many men died of blowfish poisoning before they reached Korea, and as a result, Hideyoshi banned consumption.... The story is often told, but I find no evidence of it in primary or secondary academic sources. ¶ A ban appears to have been in place during the Tokugawa period (1603–1868), but its scope and enforcement is questionable. Englebert Kaempfer, physician to the Dutch embassy in Nagasaki from 1690 to 1693, noted that 'Soldiers only and military men, are by special command of the Emperor forbid to buy and to eat this fish. If any one dies of it, his son forfeits the succession to his father’s post, which otherwise he would have been entitled to.'.... ¶ The standard account holds that the blowfish ban was lifted during the Meiji period (1896–1912) but reinstated by the legislature in either 1882 or 1885 pursuant to the Order for the Disposition of Petty Crimes... The standard account further holds that in 1888, Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito traveled to his hometown in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan’s blowfish capital, and sampled the dish. He immediately lifted the ban—but only in Yamaguchi prefecture.... I find no evidence for this often-told story. The Order for the Disposition of Petty Crimes was enacted in 1885, but it is a general statute that contains no mention of blowfish or anything resembling blowfish.... But Prime Minister Itō had no authority to legislate or otherwise dictate policy in the Yamaguchi prefecture, and there is no primary source evidence that he did so." (Ibid., fn. 36, pp. 432-3)

The image shown above was posted at Flickr by Kojach.

On August 21, 2010 Laura Roberts wrote an article for The Telegraph about deaths which shocked the Japanese: "In 1975 Bandō Mitsugorō VIII, a Japanese kabuki actor, died of severe poisoning when he ate four fugu livers (also known as pufferfish). The liver is considered one of the most poisonous parts of the fish, but Mitsugorō claimed to be immune to the poison. The fugu chef felt he could not refuse Mitsugorō and lost his license as a result."

Today fugu can be farm raised to be poison free. One can even eat its liver.

Fuji

藤

ふじ

Wisteria: "Originally a wild mountain plant that twined itself around trees....was domesticated at an early date, and by the late Heian period was celebrated at parties sponsored by Japanese aristocrats. [Its]...trailing racemes of purple flowers, among the most popular of family crest and general decorative motifs..."

"The Fujiwara, whose name contains the ideograph for wisteria, was the most prominent court family in the Nara and Heian periods and had a tutelary relationship with those two religious institutions." (Quoted from: Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design, by Merrily Baird, p. 67)

While this mon was used mainly by 97 different branches of the Fujiwara clan there were others who used it as well.

Above is a detail from a May 1932 print of

the wisteria at Kameido.

"Transcribed literally, the Fujiwara surname means 'field of wisteria,' and in both their textile and landscape design, the clan made prominent display of the wisteria. Despite this natural association, however, Japanese genealogies reveal that in the later centuries only a small percentage of the families descended from the greatest of Japanese aristocratic lineages actually used the wisteria as their main family crest. Families with 'fuji' as aprt of their name sometimes combined calligraphy and design, as in the crest of the Kato family... where the character for ka was enclosed in a circular wisteria pattern (to is the Chinese reading for wisteria). Families expressing devotion to the Kumano Shrine also used wisteria, one of the plants associated with it." (Quoted from: The Elements of Japanese Design by John W. Dower, p. 82)

Above is the same scene as the Hasui, but from a

somewhat perspective. This one is by Hiroshige

and the original is in the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

The Kameido (亀井戸 or かめいど) Shrine is a popular spot in the Edo/Tokyo area devoted to Sugawara no Michizane. In 1908 Florence Du Cane wrote: "Perhaps the most popular haunt of the pleasure-seeker in the month of May is the celebrated Kameido Temple in Tokyo. Words fail me to describe the beauty of the scene: it is a real feast of fuji; the long purple trails cover the large trellises, the wide rustic galleries, and connect the little matted restaurants, where hosts of people throughout the day sit feasting under the purple roof and feeding the goldfish in the lake. The matted benches are set out on a thick mauve carpet of fallen blossoms, and the little maids seem to have a never-ending task in sweeping away great heaps of freshly fallen flowers, as though fearing that their guests will be smothered by them.... I sat surrounded... by the blossoms, inhaling their delicious scent and listening to the droning of bees, I could graze across the water at the reflection of a never-ending vista of mauve blossoms reaching on one side to the celebrated round wooden bridge, the delight of children, who seemed to cross it in one endless stream, and on the other to the fine old temple, where a few ancient pines are placed just where they will best harmonise with the long purple blossoms. The late sweet-scented white variety will prolong the fuji season by a few days; their glory is but short-lived, a few days and then the colour begins to fade.... I turned away sadly, not forgetting the Japanese theory that the wistaria loves saké. So strong is their belief, that I was told if you set a jar under the plant, its spray will grow longer from its desire to reach the jar; so I ordered my little cup of saké, sipped it, and then emptied the cup on the roots, according to their custom, hoping that I might help to contribute to its great size and beauty." (Quoted from: The Flowers And Gardens Of Japan by Florence Du Cane, pp. 147-9)

Some of the individuals and families that used the fuji as their crest or mon: the Noda (野田 or のだ); the Kitagawa (喜多川 or きたがわ); the Kubo (久保 or くぼ); the Sugiyama (杉山 or すぎやま); Katō Yoshiaki (加藤嘉明 or かとうよしあき) as daimyō at Minakuchi in Omi; Gotō Matabei (後藤又兵衛 or ごとうまたべえ); Natsuka Masaie (長束正家 or なつかまさいえ); the Naitō (内藤 or ないとう) as daimyō at Nobeoka in Hyuga, as daimyō at Murakami in Echigo; as daimyō at Takato in Shinano, as daimyō at Unagaya in Mutsu, as daimyō at Korano in Mikawa, as daimyō at Iwamurata in Shanano; the Naruse (成瀬 or なるせ) as daimyō at Inuyama in Owari; the Andō (安藤 or あんどう) as daimyō at Iwakidaira in Mutsu; Itō (伊藤 or いとう); the Katō (加藤) as daimyō at Osu in Iyo; the Tōyama (遠山 or とうやま) as daimyō at Naeki in Mino; Naitō Masanari (内藤正成 or ないとうまさなり) as daimyō at Murakami in Echigo and also at Nobeoka in Hyuga; the Shibata (柴田 or しばた); and Andō Naotsugu (安藤直次 or あんどうなおつぐ) as daimyō at Tanabe in Kii. (Source: Mon: The Japanese Family Crest by Kei Kaneda Chappelear and W. M. Hawley, p. 9) And more families and individuals who used a wisteria crest: the Fukatsu (深津 or ふかつ); the Kawai (川井 or かわい); the Tsubouchi (坪内 or つぼうち); the Kamiya (神谷 or かみや); the Masaki (正木 or まさき); the Nigao (仁賀保); Hasegawa (長谷川 or はせがわ); Ōkubo (大久保 or おおくぼ); Shinjo (新庄 or しんじょ) as daimyō at Aso in Hirachi; Uchida (内田 or うちだ); Kuroda Nagamasa (黒田長政 or くろだながまさ) as daimyō at Fukuoka in Chikuzen and as daimyō at Akizuki in Chikuzen; the Shitatei (下田丁); the Uratsuji (裏辻 or うらつじ); Ōmikado (大炊御門); Konagaya (小長谷 or こながや): Higashirokujō (東六條 or ひがしろくじょう); Kujō (九條 or くじょう); Nagai (長井 or ながい); Chiba (千葉 or ちば); Kawamura (川村 or かわむら); Tsuji (辻 or つじ); Ōkubo Hikozaemon (大久保彦左衛門 or おおくぼひこざえもん) as daimyō at Karasuyama in Shimotsuke; the Itami (伊丹 or いたみ); the Hosoda (細田 or ほそだ); the Suzuki (鈴木 or すずき); the Makita (蒔田 or まきた); the Nijō (二條 or にじょう); Ichijō (一條 or いちじょう); Nishirokujō (西六條 or にしろくじょう); the Daigo (醍醐 or だいご); the Sagara (相良 or さがら); the Tominokōji (富小路 or とみのこうじ); the Matsuzono (松園 or まつぞの); the Tōyama (とうやま); the Andō as daimyō at Taira in Mutsu; and Ōkubo Tadayo as daimyō at Odawara in Sagami. (Ibid., pp. 10-11)

In the Japan Encyclopedia by Louis Frédéric (p. 196) it says: "Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda), climbing leguminous plant with showy purplish flowers. There are many varieties: cultivated (kushakufuji, shirobanafuji, with white flowers; akabonofu, with pink flowers), which climbs in a clockwise direction, and wild (yamafuji, Wisteria brachybotrys), which climbs counterclockwise."

Below is a haiku by Bashō:

wisteria beans:

I'll make them my poetry

with the blossoms gone

fuji no mi wa/ haikai ni sen/ hana no ato

In the Man'yōshū is a poem by Yakamochi (718? - 785). Part of it reads

I love the wisteria that scatter

At the brush of the cuckoo's wing;

I pluck the petals off

And tuck them in my sleeves -

If they stain they stain.

Yakamochi went rowing on Lake Fuse and wrote

Waves of wisteria

Reflect on the clear sea -

The pebbles on the bottom

Are like jewels.

Fuji Musume

藤娘

ふじむすめ

The Wisteria Maiden - "The Wisteria Maiden was originally one of five dances performed one after the other in rapid sequence by the same dancer who effected multiple quick changes of costume, wig, and makeup. These transformation dances (hengemono) were very popular in nineteenth-century kabuki and exhibited the virtuosity of the actor- dancers. The entire dance from which Wisteria Maiden derives was known as Ōtsu of the Ever-Returning Farewells (Kaesu Gaesu Nagori no Ōtsu). It featured characters that appeared in the popular, naive folk pictures known as Ōtsu-e (Ōtsu pictures), which were sold in the Ōtsu region to tourists visiting the area around Lake Biwa. In the original dance, Seki Sanjūrō II (1786-1839) performed as five different characters: the wisteria maiden, the god of calligraphy, a footman (yakko), a boatman, and a blind man. The only dance that has survived is the first, Wisteria Maiden." Quoted from:

Kabuki Plays on Stage: Darkness and desire, 1804 - 1864, volume 3, p. 166.

The image shown above of the Fuji musume was posted at Flickr by cheran.

In "....1937, when Onoe Kikugorō VI (1885-1949), known as 'the god of the dance,' changed the entire format of Wisteria Maiden. It is not known in exactly what setting the first dance was performed; perhaps it was in front of panels representing the five Ōtsu pictures, which came alive as the actor stepped out of the panels to dance. Kikugorō changed the decor to the brilliant one used today used today: the trunk of a pine tree from which bright purple wisteria blossoms fall in dazzling profusion. He also replaced the 'Itako Dejima' section with a newly composed 'Fuji Ondo' (Wisteria Dance), based on a folk song and dance. It stresses the more mature, experienced, womanly feelings of the wisteria maiden and is danced twice, the second time in slightly inebriated fashion, since during the first round the maiden has partaken of sake. The skill of the dancer is revealed in his ability to express drunkenness without vulgarity." (Ibid.)

"The lyrics of Wisteria Maiden are a tissue of allusions, esoteric references, and plays on words, thus making ready comprehension virtually impossible, even for the scholar. Because the meaning is somewhat tenuous, the movement patterns (furi) are often less realistic than those in more down-to-earth dances. Instead, they tend to suggest emotions, character, and attitudes in a general way. The lyrics pile meaning on meaning..." (Ibid., p. 167)

Fūkei-ga

風景画

ふうけいが

Landscape print or picture

The image to the left by Hokusai was posted at Flickr by Cea.

Fukinuki yatai

吹抜屋台

ふきぬきやたい

Bird's-eye-view used in Japanese art where the roof has been removed to allow views of interiors. "Paintings of indoor scenes depict them from an aerial perspective of modest elevation, famously 'blowing off' the roofs (fukinuki yatai) and the architectural cross-beams to provide unobstructed views of the interior." Quoted from: Envisioning the Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, and Cultural Production by Haruo Shirane, p. 66.

Louis Frederic in his Japan Encyclopedia (p. 214) gives basically the same definition of fukinuki yatai: " 'Houses with blown-off roofs,' an artistic convention used in paintings in the Yamato-e style, in which houses, seen from above, were drawn without a roof so that the interior could be seen."

The image shown above is a detail from a hand scroll in the Kyoto National Museum

posted at commons.wikimedia.org.

Fukiwa

吹輪

ふきわ

An elaborate headdress worn by a princess.

Professor Samuel Leiter translates fukiwa as literally meaning "blow circle." A "...beautiful wig worn mainly by princesses (hime or himesama) in jidaimono. The large, round topknot (mage) contains a red hand drum-like ornament inserted horizontally through it, with a red bow and decorative starched paper strips (takenaga) hanging from beneath the topknot. Flower combs with silver plum blossoms and butterflies are inserted at the front."

Quoted from: New Kabuki Encyclopedia: A Revised Adaptation of kabuki jiten, compiled by Samuel L. Leiter, 1997, p. 99. 1

The floral comb at the front of the wig is referred to as a hanagushi (花櫛 or はなぐし). The entire wig is called a mage-fukuwa.

Fukujusō

福寿草

ふくじゅそう

Literally "the grass of luck and longevity" and also referred to as the "pheasant's eye". This is the Adonis flower a symbol of the New Year and prosperity. Hokusai included it in more than one surimono.

The image to the left is a detail from a print by Yoshitoshi where a woman is trying to decide between the purchase of two different Adonis flower selections.

In Mock Joya's Things Japanese (pp. 193-4) it states that the "Fukuju-so (Adonis amurensis) has bright little golden blossoms. Its buds are silver gray, the leaves are green, but its blossoms are bright gold. Its name in Japanese means 'wealth-long-life-plant.' Because of its golden blossoms and also its lucky name, the flower is much admired by the people who use it especially for decorating their homes for the New Year celebration." This plant prospers in colder climes and is said to have originated in Hokkaido which was called Ezo-ga-shima. There is a story that says that "Once there lived in Ezo a beautiful goddess called Kunau. Her father betrothed her to the god of the earth-mole. But she did not care for the groom-elect selected by her father. Her refusal to marry the god of the earth-mole so angered her father that she was reduced to becoming a common wild blossom as punishment for disobeying her father. ¶ Thus she turned into a blossom which came to be known as Kunau or Kunau-nonnon. ¶ By the Ainu people, fukuju-so is still called Kunau. The tale of the Goddess Kunau is related by Ainu parents to their little daughters as a lesson teaching them the duty of obeying their parents. But if they were sure to be transformed into such beautiful blossoms, Ainu maidens might oppose the command of their parents to marry and follow the example of the Goddess Kunau."

These photos are shown courtesy of Shu Suehiro at http://www.botanic.jp/index.htm.

Fukurokuju

福禄寿

ふくろくじゅ

One of the Seven Propitious Gods. He is the god of wealth and longevity. 1

Fundō

分銅

ふんどう

A weight or counterweight: One of the symbolic lucky treasures.

To the left (above) is an image of a fundō from the robe of a beautiful woman or bijin in a print by Eishō. Her kimono is covered with this and other treasure symbols. Often seen along with other treasures as decorations on ceramics, fabrics and other items.

The image on the bottom left is another variation on the fundō motif - also found on an Eishō print.

In Japanese Art Motives (1917, p. 155) Maude Rex Allen wrote: "The fundo is a weight used by tradesmen. It is symbolic of commerce."

Fūrin

風鈴

ふうりん

Wind chimes which are considered a sign of summer. The two kanji characters mean 'wind' 'bell'.

The top example to the left is from a print by Toyokuni III in combination with Hiroshige. The one at the bottom is a detail from a Chikanobu print. Click on the numbers to the right to see the full prints. 1, 2

The Japan Encyclopedia of Louis Frédéric (2005, p. 221) says "Small bronze or porcelain bell to the clapper of which is attached a long strip of paper (tanzaku), bearing a poem or prayer, which flutters in the wind. The clear sound of these bells is said to freshen the air and ward off insects. They are usually hung in tree branches or along the eaves, mainly in summertime."

Fusuma

襖

ふすま

Sliding screen used as a room partition

"Rooms in houses rarely have more than one solid wall.... The other sides are closed off with sliding windows and doors, which move on double runners at the top and the bottom. At the bottom is a groove level with the floor or the mats, at the top a rafter one or two ells below the ceiling so that panels can be opened up and taken away as one pleases."

Quoted from: Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed, edited and translated by Beatrice M. Bodart-Bailey, University of Hawaii Press, 1999, p. 263.

U. A. Casal in his "Lore of the Japanese Fan", Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 16, no. 1/2, 1960, p. 82 tells the story of Araki Murashige (荒木村茂 or あらきむらしげ) who is summoned for an audience with Oda Nobunaga (織田信長 or おだのぶなが), but suspects that this could be dangerous. In those days "In lordly mansions the sliding doors (fusuma) were not of paper, but of heavy, wooden panels in even heavier frames. They moved in shallow grooves, as the paper fusuma (or karakami) still do. It was just outside of the open fusuma that the vassal had to make his first kowtow which would bring his neck right above the grooves..." Suspecting that this was the moment he feared he whipped out his long metal-based war fan and held it right below his chin. Suddenly the wooden panels were propelled toward his head, but stopped short with a loud noise.

There were similar scenes akin to this loads of movies: Star Wars, Flash Gordon. Not exactly the same, but similar where the walls were closing in until the heroes figured out a way to stop their progress.

Cool as a cucumber Murashige acted as though nothing had happened. Nobunaga was so impressed he forgave him whatever it was that had angered him in the first place. Their detente didn't last forever, but that is another story.

Fusumashōji (襖障子 or ふすましょうじ) were opaque sliding panels as opposed to akarishōji (明障子 or あかりしょうじ) which are lighter weight and translucent. First employed during the Muromachi period (室町時代 or むろまちじだい: 1392-1568).

Futame jigoku

両婦地獄

ふためじごく

Two-wives hell: Generally it is represented by a man with two snakes with the heads of women entwined around his body. The jealousy of the first wife has transformed the women into reptilian hybrids.

Futatsu-tomoe

二つ巴

ふたつともえ

A two-comma tomoe.

画

が

Literally this means picture or drawing, but following a signature it means "drawn by" or "did this picture." 1

Gagō

(also called a gō)

雅号

がご

An art name.

In the West we have Christian names, surnames, nicknames, noms de plume, stage names, etc., but we have nothing quite like the assortment of names the Japanese have. Not only that but they are often changed and this makes it difficult for a novice to the field to know who is who. "You can't tell the players without a scorecard."

Richard Lane, who actually calls the gō a nom de plume, notes: "Indeed, of the thirty or more alternative names that Hokusai employed during his seventy-year career, about half were passing fancies. Most were used with the previous name for some time, so as not to confuse his public..."

Quoted from: Hokusai: Life and Work, published by E. P. Dutton, 1989, p. 23.

It is interesting that a quick search on the term gagō can also mean refined diction or polite expression. Gō by itself means word or language.

Gaikotsu

骸骨

がいこつ

Skeleton(s)

To the left is a detail from a print by Kyōsai.

For much more about skeletons in Japanese art go to our web log at http://printsofjapan.wordpress.com/. Today is June 19, 2010. As of now we have two posts devoted to skeletons, skulls and bones and will be adding a third post soon.

Gama

蝦蟇

がま

Toad: In The Animal in Far Eastern Art... by T. Volker it says on page 167 "Besides the hare and the white tiger, gama, the toad is said to inhabit the moon, an idea that originated in ancient Chine. When once it looked as if the clouds would would capture the moon, the Archer-Lord... freed her with his shots. He was rewarded with an elixir of life but his Consort... stole it from it and with it fled to the moon. For punishment she was there changed into a toad." ¶ Demon toads fed on snakes, had poisonous spittle and could bring death to an entire countryside by spitting into the air. However, some had good qualities and could bring rain when it was needed. (Ibid., p. 168)

The Bufo japonicus shown to the left was posted at commons.wikimedia.org by Yasunori Koide.

Toads are also referred to as hikigaeru (蟇蛙 or ひきがえる) or simply as hiki.

Gama sennin

蝦蟇仙人

がませんにん

The Toad Hermit: This Taoist tale came to Japan from China. He "...was a seller of magic herbs. He lived in the mountains in company with a giant toad. A legend tells us that when he went bathing he was in the habit of changing into a four-legged toad. A different legend has it that once, he was going to bath [sic] in the river, a certain man... followed him and that Gama sennin gave this person a magic pill that changed him into a toad. Gama sennin feeding a pill to his toad is a frequent image. It is also said that once he found a sick toad, took it home and nursed it back to health. After it regained its health the animal turned out to be a demon, skilled in the magic arts, and instructed his benefactor in the secrets of his science. [He] is depicted as a very ugly fellow without eyelashes and a skin studded with pimples and warts." The toad is always nearby or on him or in some cases he is riding it. (Source and quote from: The Animal in Far Eastern Art... by T. Volker, p. 168)

The image to the left was posted at commoms.wikimedia.org by Tobosha. It is from a painting by Kyōsai. Above is a detail from a Hiroshige print from ca. 1820. The red background is ours.

Gama senin is also called Kō sensei (侯先生 or こうせんせい). The Chinese version is referred to as Hou Hsien-shêng.

WARNING: Do not be fooled into believing that every figure you see with a toad or toads (or frogs) is Gama senin. One is Tenjiku Tokubei (天竺徳兵衛 or Tenjiku Tokubei) who can often be seen astride a gigantic toad. Or, Jiraiya, another fictional character much loved in the early 19th century.

Gandō

龕灯

龕燈

がんどう

A handheld lantern which directs a light very much like a flashlight does. Individually the characters in gandō mean 龕 'alcove for an image' and 灯 'lamp'.

The image to the left is a detail from a print by Ashiyuki. To see the full print and much more info click on this link:

Ashiyuki print page

Ganpi (also gampi)

雁皮

がんぴ

A rare type of paper made from the wikstroemia plant 1

Gassaku

合作

がっさく

A single work of art produced by two or more artists, i.e., a collaboration. In the example to the left the figures are by Toyokuni III and the flowers are by Hiroshige. There are many such examples in ukiyo prints and paintings.

There is a very informative and interesting article on this topic by Jan de Jong originally published in "Andon". Below is a link to that article in pdf form. I would encourage everyone to read this.

http://www.orandajin.com/dasite/Gassaku.pdf

1, 2

Separately the kanji characters which make up this term, 合 'join' and 作 'make', form 'cooperation', 'collaboration' or 'coauthorship'.

In an essay, 'Meiji Response to Bunjinga', by Catherine Guth she discusses the aesthetic world around Kido Takayoshi (1833-77): "Calligraphy, painting, and poetry were among the pleasurable pastimes Kido and fellow literati enjoyed at teahouses, often practiced in a state of jovial inebriation. Friends collaborated to create compositions in which the process was as important as the finished product, and individual contributions were subordinated to to the ensemble creation. The crazy-quilt compositions, combining word and image, that resulted from such spontaneous joint efforts, known as gassaku, were valued less for their aesthetic qualities than as confirmations of friendship - something akin to the modern-day group photo." Quote from: Challenging Past And Present: The Metamorphosis of Nineteenth-Century Japanese Art

Professor Leiter in his Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre defines gassaku as "The practice of multiple bunraku or kabuki playwrights collaborating on a play. It may have originated in kabuki in the late 17th century when actor Ichikawa Danjûrô I (writing as Mimasuya Hyôgo) worked with Nakamura Akashiseisaburô. Bunraku does not seem to have used it until late in Chikamatsu Monzaemon's career when he revised other playwrights' work in 1722 and 1723. After his death, puppet plays were increasingly written by hierarchically organized collaborative groups of two or more, and as many as 12 or 13 on rare occasions. Each act was assigned to a separate author. ¶ The results were increasingly complex dramas that permitted a wide diversity of styles and materials. But gassaku also led to a weakening of the relationship between the contents of one act and another and a loss of overall unity."

Gehō no hashigozori

げほうの梯子剃り

Gehō is another name for Fukurokuju, one of the seven propitious gods. Gehō no hashigozori is the name of the motif of Daikoku shaving the tall -headed Fukurokuju. This was a common image sold at Otsu as a positive and protective amulet.

Genga

原画

げんが

This is the initial sketch, the first thoughts, for what will eventually be transformed into a woodblock print. But that is several stages down the road. "Drawings have served very different purposes for the Japanese and Western artist. In Japan, there has never been any real tradition of drawing purely for the sake of drawing. Students practiced drawing in order to learn it and use it as a preparatory stage in the process of making a painting or woodblock print." (Drawings by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the collection of the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, by Matthi Forrer, 1988, p. 9) The exceptions are the Zenga, Shijō and Nanga schools among others. The first drawing precedes the hanshita which were used to carve the key block. As seen in many surviving examples genga can be very free form only hinting at the finished printed product. Lines may swirling flourishes and calligraphic brushwork which will never appear in the ukiyo print, but which, to my mind, show the true artistry involved in creating. The genga can be 'corrected', 'emended', added to, subtracted from and generally used as a working model. Eventually a more precise drawing will be made from this first form and from this an exact drawing will be worked up for pasting down onto the surface of a woodblock for carving by the master carver. In the process this final drawing is sacrificed to the knife.

Richard Kruml in Ukiyo-e to Shin Hanga: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Prints (p. 31) uses the term gakō (画稿 or がこう) for genga. "...a preparatory sketch (gakō) had to be drawn using a deer's fur brush and sumi on high-quality mino-gami paper."

PLEASE: If anyone out there has a genga which they could let us reproduce here we would be extremely grateful. Your privacy will be respected.

Genji kuruma

源氏車

げんじ.くるま

A decorative pattern of interlocking wheels --- probably of an ox cart which was a traditional means of transportation for the nobility.

Genji monogatari

源氏物語

げんじ.ものがたり

"The Tale of Genji" - Japan's first great novel written in the 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部 or むらさきしきぶ).

Genjina

源氏名

げんじな

Professional name taken by a prostitute, hostess or geisha.

Genpei

源平

げんぺい

A term which means both the Genji and Heike clans or the two opposing sides 1

Genpei Nunobiki no Taki

源平布引瀧

げんぺいぬのびきのたき

Kabuki play: "The Genji and Heike at Nunobiki Waterfall" 1

Genshoku Ukiyoe Daihyakka Jiten

原色浮世絵大百科事典

げんしょくうきよえだい

ひゃっかじてん

An 11 volume ukiyo-e encyclopedia.

In a syllabus for an art history class at Columbia University the Genshoku Ukiyoe Daihyakka Jiten is described as "the single most important and useful reference work in this area." Abundantly illustrated it offers visually more than any other source material on ukiyo-e subject matter that I know of. The text is entirely in Japanese and although my understanding of that language is somewhere to the far side of miserable these volumes still offer me a wealth of information. (Remember: every picture is worth a thousand....) Hours of struggling often end in epiphanies.

Volume 3 alone has been invaluable. At the back of that volume are two lists unlike any others I have seen anywhere: 1) A critical listing of more than 1,000 publishers' seals - far from comprehensive, but better than anything else I have ever seen. Each illustrated entry is accompanied by detailed information about that particular publishing house. And 2) what I believe is the most extensive list of date and censor seals that can be found anywhere.

I am not uncritical of encyclopedias in general whether they are written in English or any other language, but I have to admit that they are almost always the best starting point for a research project. Anyone interested in ukiyo-e who has access to this set should seriously consider spending the time it takes to get to know it well. It is rich and you will surely reap the benefits.

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