Body Art - Themes
In my body art drawings, I included a lot from Japanese art and legends, to keep it in the same theme as the kimono (also Japanese). As I already had the knowledge about this culture as me and my sister were really interested in it since my early teenage years, it was not that hard to find something I could use in my project and I already had the sketches done before. Now I wanted to add a little background information to show what is the meaning behind all of the drawings. Here are the main themes:
Cherry Blossom
This pink flower called 'sakura' and is a national flower of Japan and symbolises new beginnings and a fresh start. As they blossom once a year it becomes a big event for people to watch the trees and take photos, but also use this occasion called 'hanami' to spend time with friends and family. The blossom of this tree happens at a different time around the world, but always usually around the end of March or begging of April. They are also much different depending on where they are, as there are around 200 kinds of this tree. It is also another reason for the various time of the blooming process.
Mount Fuji
It is probably one of the most well-known places in Japan, and it is located on Honshu Island. This mountain is an active volcano and the highest peak in Japan (3776 m), however, its last eruption happened in 1707. It has its place on a UNESCO list not only as a cultural heritage but also as it is associated with faith and traditions for Japanese people. Every year thousands of people climb to the top of Fuji to get to the shrines and temples. The more dark side of this beautiful place is an Aokigahara forest also known as a 'suicide forest', located at the bottom of the mountain. A part of the woods is accessible for everyone, but at a specific point, we can see signs that travellers should no go further. The reason for this I a fact that many people decide to end their lives in the forest and it is believed that their souls wander around and haunt the place. Also, it is possible to stumble upon a dead body, so visitors do it at their own risk. In a conclusion, this symbol of Japanese culture put on the art and photographs is a holy and spiritual place, but when we think about it, we should always remember about the people that died near it. I think it is a sad, but also a beautiful anthology for life, as usually the most 'perfect' things have deeper and darker histories behind them.
Koi Fish
Another symbol of Japanese culture and one of the most known animals associated with this country. Koi Carp not only is a beautiful fish but it is also a symbol of luck and fortune in the mentioned society. The name itself can be just Koi or Koi Fish, as it literally means 'carp'. Other meanings include strength and perseverance as this fish can travel through fast rivers and usually against the flow. It also an often chosen design for tattoos, as Japanese people think about this process as an art and spiritual way to express themselves and gain blessings through the meaning of the tattoo. Colours have their meanings as well, these are some of them according to Niche Pets (2021):
Black - love
Red - energy
Deer
This amazing animal that can be seen almost everywhere in the world and in some places is even prepared as a meal in Japan has its own meaning and is seen as sacred as kami (god, deity, spirit). And besides that, they are seen as a connector between the spiritual and material world. They are mostly associated with the Nara city in Japan, where deers live freely and it is connected to the shrine for the god that saw a white deer. They are not only important in Shinto but also a Buddhism and killing this animal was enough of the reason to execute the killer for this crime (Manson, 2017).
Kitsune
The last element I chose to include in my project is a fox (jap. 'kitsune'). This animal symbolises different things, sometimes a god of harvest, other times a trickster and a shapeshifter. Kitsune in legends was shown as a 9 tailed fox, sometimes messing with people's lives, but also could be good and respectful. For example in a Japanese story, a man saved the fox, which later changed into a woman, who he married and had a child. However, her true form after some time had to be revealed and she left to live her life as an animal again.
Sources:
Manson, M., (2017), 'Dealing with Japan's Sacred Deer', Patheos, available at: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/pagantama/2017/08/05/japans-sacred-deer/ [accessed: 31/05/2021]
Nedelman, M., (2018), 'Inside Japan's 'suicide forest'', CNN, available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/03/health/japan-suicide-forest-intl/index.html [accessed: 30/05/2021]
Niche Pets, (2021), 'Koi Carp in Japanese Culture', Niche Pets, available at: https://nichepets.com/aquatic/koi/koi-carp-japanese-culture/ [accessed: 31/05/2021]
Shinners, R., (2016), '16 Things You Didn't Know About Cherry Blossoms', House Beautiful, available at: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/gardening/g3393/cherry-blossoms-facts/ [accessed: 30/05/2021]
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, (1998), 'Mount Fuji', Britannica, available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Fuji [accessed: 31/05/2021]
National Gallery Of Art, (2021), 'Animals in Japanese Folklore', National Gallery of Art, available at: https://www.nga.gov/features/life-of-animals-in-japanese-art.html [accessed: 31/05/2021]
Sources for photos:
Fig. 1, AJ, (2018), 'Japanese Cherry Blossom Sakura', Tadebayashi, Japan, available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/McsNra2VRQQ [accessed: 30/05/2021]
Fig. 2, Anjagi, A., (2020), 'Mount Fuji', Japan, available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/KZSDCocsOEE [accessed: 30/05/2021]
Fig. 3, Shimizu, K., (2018), 'Nishiki Koi', available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/SjcrpttvjiE [accessed: 31/05/2021]
Fig. 4, Manoto, J., (2020), [no title], available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/K_LJyi1wqWM [accessed: 31/05/2021]
Fig. 5, Ly, J., (2017), 'Foxy Beast', Japan, available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/1V3NsnvOPUc [accessed: 31/05/2021]
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