Onna-Musha: The Female Samurai Warriors
Feudal Japan experienced many social upheavals and turbulences. This highlighted the need to be combat-ready for everyone, including women. Hence,...
Errika Gerakiti 8 March 2024
#Japan
Hokusai’s Great Wave Explained
You might not know the title of Hokusai’s print, but Under the Wave off Kanagawa is almost instantly recognizable. His Great Wave reveals...
Marina Kochetkova 26 February 2024
Documenting the Internment Experience: Miné Okubo and Citizen 13660
Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, thousands of Japanese Americans were forcibly placed in concentration camps. Artist Miné Okubo was in two of...
Lauren Kraut 26 February 2024
Maneki Neko – Those Lucky Cats
We’ve all seen those jovial, happy cat figurines in Asian restaurants and shops. Sitting upright with their raised paw, smiling face, and trademark...
Nadine Waldmann 17 February 2024
Dragons in East Asian Art
Imagination is the only limit to the stories and myths about dragons. From East to West, storytellers paint them as creatures of fire, of deep...
Yifan Xia 15 February 2024
Miyatake Gaikotsu and His Puzzling Postcards
At the beginning of the 20th century, when Japan started embracing the West and rapid industrialization of almost all aspects of life, Miyatake...
Magda Michalska 7 February 2024
Lee Ufan – The Beauty of Emptiness
Lee Ufan is a Korean-born international artist, whose work is key to the Mono-ha movement. If you have ever been lucky enough to encounter a Lee...
Isla Phillips-Ewen 13 January 2024
Hiroshige’s Winter Views of Edo
One of the most famous woodblock printers of the late Edo period in Japan, Utagawa Hiroshige, produced a series of a hundred views showing Edo city...
Magda Michalska 22 December 2023
Practical, Erotic and Magical: The Miniature World of Netsuke
Originating in 17th-century Japan during the Edo Period, Netsuke (pronounced nets-keh) are toggles that attach pouches to the traditional robes,...
Nadine Waldmann 16 December 2023
The Power of Compassion – Bodhisattvas in Art
Enlightening and radiant bodhisattvas are often depicted in art. With the opening of Buddhist practice to laypeople, active and compassionate...
Marina Kochetkova 8 December 2023
Rain in Japanese Art
Although Japanese weather varies greatly across the archipelago, the abundance of rain throughout the year remains a common phenomenon across Japan.
Maya M. Tola 29 November 2023
5 Japanese Contemporary Artists You Have to Know
Japanese artistic tradition spans centuries and has a far-reaching influence. Today, the artistic scene in Japan is more dynamic than ever, and these...
Carlotta Mazzoli 27 November 2023
