HOW MANY FROGS IN THIS PAINTING?

The Hosomi Museum is currently holding an exhibition of works by various artists from the Edo period, and among them are those of ITO Jakuchu (伊藤若冲 1716-1800). This exhibition is definitely worth visiting, because it is difficult to see so many Jakuchu works displayed at the same time in Kyoto. Although a small number of Japanese people appreciate and collect his paintings, he is not popular with the mainstream crowd. This lack of popularity might be due to the complexity of his artistic style in addition to being an eccentric person. The result is seen in the antique art markets, where his work sells for considerably less than the work of his contemporaries. For example, a Jakuchu painting usually sells for one-tenth the price of a TOMIOKA Tessai (富岡鉄齋) painting.
In order to understand his paintings, it is useful to have some knowledge on the history of Bunjin-ga (文人画 "literary paintings") and Shasei-ga (写生画 "realistic paintings"). A little bit of background reading might enhance your appreciation of Jakuchu's works.
With respect to Japanese art history, the Shasei-ga and Bunjin-ga trends occurred in the Edo period. It is interesting to compare the selling prices of Tessai and Jakuchu's works because Tessai was a painter in the Bunjin-ga tradition, while Jakuchu's art is firmly rooted in the Shasei-ga.
This will be apparent if you see his paintings, which depict nature in meticulous detail. For example, if you carefully examine his painting "Snake Gourds and Insects", you will be able to perceive many different kinds of insects: a snail, two varieties of crickets, a cabbage butterfly, two green caterpillars, a praying mantis, a dragonfly, two varieties of green frogs, a grasshopper and a katydid.
Jakuchu's rooster paintings are also interesting because his individual artistic style is reflected in his depictions. Western art never places nature at the centre of a painting, and any nature presented is only an interpretation of real nature by the artist. The Shasei-ga tradition, on the other hand, depicts nature faithfully. Yet Jakuchu's paintings are detailed to the point of surrealism, which is a marked departure from the traditional school of realistic Japanese painting. His perceivable artistic individuality might be the reason why his paintings are more popular with Western art viewers. Perhaps the Japanese audience is not accustomed to such a display of individuality within the world of art.
The current exhibition 'Miyako no Kaze (都の薫風 Fragrant Wind from Kyoto)' will be on until 27th June.
Hours: 10:00 - 18:00, closed Mondays
Admission: \700 (\500 students)
Location: 10 minutes walk north from Tozai line 'Higashiyama' subway station or 5 minutes walk west from 'Kyoto- Kaikan, Bijutsukan-mae' of Kyoto city bus.
Inquiries: (075)752-5555

Japanese Idioms and Puzzling Expressions

Ofukuro おふくろ　お袋
Means "Mother". Since Muromachi era (15-16th century), ofukuro (literally, "sack") has been used a word for "mother". There are many reasons for this:
A mother was always the finance minister of the family, in charge of the purse (sack).
A baby is wrapped with its mother's placenta before its birth, as if the baby were in a sack. One of the words for "womb" is kobukuro 子袋, "a sack for a baby".

Kusare-en 腐れ縁
離れよう、縁を切ろうとしても絶ち切れない好ましくない関係
An unfortunate but inescapable relationship.
Example: 彼とは昔からの腐れ縁だ。We've been stuck with each other for a long time.
Kusaru (腐る) means not only "rotten" but also kusaru (鏈る), "tie together". Its noun is kusari (鎖) or chain, so kusare-en has the meaning of both a rather unwelcome relationship as well as a fated one. The expression is often used as a joke between friends.

Genkan 玄関
建物の正面入口
Front entrance of a house or a building.
Genkan is a Zen Buddhist word. Gen (玄) means black, which leads to a mysterious world. Kan (関) means an entrance, so that genkan means an entrance leading to a deep place. It was originally used to denote the entrance of a Zen temple, or stairs leading to the main hall of the Zen temple. Since the Edo period the word came to be used to mean entrance, even to common people's houses.

Ko-itten 紅一点
多数の男の中のただ一人の女
An only woman among many men.
Ko (紅) means "a pomegranate". In a poem of Ou Anseki (王安石), a Chinese politician from the Sung (宋) Period (12th century), only a red pomegranate fruit among the green pomegranate leaves makes an impression on people. This is comparable to the image of an only woman among many men leaving a more lasting impression than the men around her.

Oharaibako お払い箱
いらなくなった品物を処分すること、使用人にひまを出すこと
To throw away something you no longer use, to fire one of your servants
Example: 彼はいつも時間に遅れるからお払い箱にしよう。As he is always late, I will fire him.
From the middle ages to present day, oharaibako were boxes in which special charms from Ise Shrine (the main Shinto shrine in Japan) were distributed to smaller regional shrines every year. When a new box arrived, the old one was disposed of. So the word evolved to mean throwing away something that was no longer needed, or to fire an employee.

Lotus something (looking for a good title)

The flowers in the photographs on this page are lotus flowers blossoming in a pond called Himuro-no-ike (氷室池), which makes up the central part of the garden of the Kaju-ji Temple (勧修寺) - generally called Kanshu-ji - founded by Emperor Daigo over a thousand years ago. In ancient times, ice that covered the pond in winter used to be presented to the Imperial Court, and a forecast predicting the turnout of the coming year's crops would be made according to the thickness of the ice. Nowadays, though, visitors to the garden with this historic pond enjoy leisurely viewing flowers of the season. A lawn extending to the edge of the pond and a lenient approach to walking on the grass, as well as spot-billed ducks drifting along the pond all contribute to the enjoyment of this beautiful scene.
Called "hasu" (蓮) in Japanese, the lotuses here are in full bloom from mid-July through to the end of August. The flower is either red or white; the white symbolizing the enlightenment of Buddha. Incidentally, in Japan lotuses are also grown as food in ponds or swamps and their roots, called "renkon" (蓮根) are used in various Japanese dishes such as tempura.
Prior to the lotus-blooming season, "suiren" (睡蓮) or water lilies are at their best from early May through to the end of June. They float on the pond and make a beautiful contrast to the lotuses, which grow high through the surface of water. Both "hasu" and "suiren" belong to the water lily family.
If you are interested in viewing these flowers, don't forget that they close their petals in the afternoon, much earlier than the time when the temple grounds close.
Inquiries: Kaju-ji Temple tel.571-0048, Hours: 9:00-16:00, Admission: \400
Location: Yamashina Ward, Access: 5 minutes walk from Subway Tozai Line Ono Sta.

THE ELUSIVE TOFU RECIPE

The other day, I read "Setsuyaku Seikatsu-no Susume" (tr. "Advice on a Penny-pinching Lifestyle"), a book about leading an economical and environmental living.
The author introduces many of her own methods for saving the household expenses. Her methods are based on three "K", such as "Kenko" (health), "Kankyo" (environment) and "Ken-yaku" (thrift).
The author, a housewife, wrote the book based on her experience trying to repay a 35-year housing loan in seven years. In the epilogue, she writes that she might even finish the repayments one or two years earlier than she expected!
Of course, the book became a best seller, and many books suggesting a simpler lifestyle were published following its example. No wonder they sell! Everyone wants to learn to avoid waste and learn how to save money, since the continuing recession pervades much of our society.
The author of the book makes everything by herself, from soap to canned food. I would like to introduce one of her recipes, for tofu, to readers since a recipe for tofu doesn't appear in many ordinary cookbooks. It's no surprise, either, since who would want to make tofu when you can buy a delicious piece for only 100 yen, and can get okara, the left-over soy bean grounds, for free from some tofu shops.
I was worried that making tofu oneself might actually cost more. Another anxiety was the actual making of the tofu, since I had to try making it if I were to write about it. To be truthful, I am not a good cook.
Finally though, curiosity got the better of me. Making tofu is like a chemical experiment. Although I can't be sure if it will save you money (it certainly won't save you time), should you want to make tofu yourself, the recipe below contains some tips and hints you won't find in any cookbook! I will even give you nigari for free if you need, since I have a lot left over. So call Life in Kyoto if you want some of it.

Home Made Tofu Recipe
(this recipe is not exactly as it appears in the book)

Ingredients
150g soybeans (Dry beans can be bought at any kanbutsu-ya, or dried foods store. There are many along Nishiki market street.)
2 teaspoons nigari (Coagulant, its main ingredient is magnesium chloride). I bought nigari at TOKYU HANDS in Shinsaibashi (Osaka). You can buy everything for making tofu there, including a recipe. Natural House (in Fujii Daimaru's basement) also stocks nigari at about \250 (makes 30 slabs of tofu).

Prepare a blender (mixer), a sieve, a bowl, saucepan, a cotton tea-cloth, a cotton bag (25cm×30cm), a small plate, a ladle-shaped strainer (a ladle with holes in it) and anything that would work as a weight (200-300grams).

How to conduct the experiment
1. Wash the soybeans in a sieve, soak them overnight in an amount of water three times as much as the soybeans.
Please don't be surprised when you find the beans ready to explode the next morning - they swell a lot.
2. Place the soybeans and an amount of water twice as much as the beans in a blender and mix for about 2 minutes. The liquid should be as smooth as possible, or you will not get good okara after making your tofu.
3. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and add 100cc of water.
4. Bring mixture to boil on high heat, then lower the heat and cook for another 10 minutes while stirring slowly with a ladle. Be careful it doesn't boil over. Also, don't worry if the liquid begins to foam.
5. Dissolve the nigari in 135cc of hot water. I used powdered nigari, but liquid type is also available in TOKYU HANDS. Please check the quantity when you use it.
6. Pour your hot mixture from no.4 into a cotton bag, and squeeze soymilk out into a bowl. It's very hot, so be careful. I bought a cotton bag at TOKYU HANDS (\250). If you want to make it yourself, use a thin cotton cloth and attach a drawstring at the opening. After squeezing out the soymilk, you will find the left-over bean shells, or okara, inside the bag. It can be cooked in a variety of dishes, and is very nutritious, so don't throw it away.
7. Pour the soymilk into a saucepan again, and bring to boil once more.
8. Remove the soymilk from heat and add nigari from no.5 to it. Stir slowly once and let it stand for 5 minutes until it separates into water and tofu. This is the most important point of the whole process. Some recipes say nigari is poured in by small doses 3-5 times every 2 minutes while stirring. I did so at first, and stirred the soymilk thoroughly every time I put nigari into it. But I found that it is not the soymilk, but the nigari that needs to be stirred before you pour it into the milk. Because of this mistake, my soymilk did not separate clearly - even a native Japanese got confused by a Japanese recipe that didn't clarify its subject words!
9. Spread a wet tea-cloth on a sieve and put the tofu in it gently with a ladle. Don't worry if the tofu and water are not clearly separated yet at this point.
10. Place a small plate bottom-up on the sieve with the tofu in it and place the weight on top to squeeze out water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
11. Take off the weight and plate. Soak the sieve and its contents in water for 30 minutes. This process removes excess nigari.
12. Take off the sieve and the tea-cloth gently. Your home-made tofu is ready!

Reference: "Setsuyaku Seikatsu-no Susume" 「節約生活のすすめ」, YAMAZAKI Eriko, Asuka Shinsha 1998.