Wagasa - the traditional Japanese umbrella

Wagasa 「和傘」, the traditional Japanese umbrella made from bamboo and washi (Japanese paper), is renowned not only for its beauty but also for the precision open/close mechanism. 

The first folding umbrellas appeared in Japan around the year 1550 (before that, the only defense against rain were straw hats and capes) and they were initially luxury items. Later during the Edo period, wagasa became more accessible and people started using it not only for protection against rain or sun but also as a fashion accessory. Many ukiyo-e and vintage photos from Japan show women dressed in kimono assorted with matching wagasa.

Actually, wagasa is so popular in the Japanese tradition that it has its own… spirit. This is Tsukumogami, a kind of Japanese spirit said to appear from an object after 100 years, when… it becomes alive. The spirit of wagasa is called Karakasa Obake, umbrella ghost, a monster looking like a folded wagasa, with a single eye and a single foot wearing a geta.

Still known today as a center for the production of traditional Japanese umbrellas, manufacture of wagasa began in the Kano district of Gifu City in the middle of the 18th century. At that time, the state had feudal organization and the local lords had a great deal of economic and political autonomy within the domains to which they were assigned. The feudal lord who was transferred in to rule the feudal domain around Gifu had to contend with a local economy that was devastated by floods. He saw an opportunity to stimulate local industry and to provide the means to supplement the living of the impoverished lower samurai (warrior elite) by encouraging them to make umbrellas.   

The local area had a long history of paper making. Mino-washi, a local product, which was a strong handmade paper due to the long fibers it contained. Good quality bamboo was to be found in the valley of the Kiso River, and it was easy to obtain sesame oil and lacquer from the local mountains, indispensable for water proofing. These advantages made the area well suited for umbrella making, since the basic construction of Japanese umbrellas involves affixing paper over a frame of bamboo-strip ribs, and then applying oil and lacquer for waterproofing.   

Production peaked at the beginning of the 20th century, when over a million umbrellas per year were manufactured. Since then, the metal-and-cloth Western-style umbrella has become generally used, and the number of people who use Japanese umbrellas has dwindled. These days, the local craftworkers make only few tens of thousands of wagasa a year.   

The traditional Japanese umbrella uses only natural materials and, requiring several months to undergo the various separate processes that are needed for completion, the skilled hands of a dozen seasoned craftworkers contribute to the finished item. In addition to the usual type of rain umbrella, Gifu Wagasa also comes in various other types including large red outdoor parasols that are used to provide shade on outdoor occasions, such as tea ceremonies. Then there are smaller colorful buyo-gasa that figure in performances of traditional Japanese dance. Gifu Wagasa are an indispensable part of traditional Japanese art and culture.   

Wagasa’s paper is coated with oil to make it waterproof and at the same time, the coated paper becomes more solid. On the contrary, some Wagasa parasols are not coated with oil and thus they cannot be used during rainy days but only as protection from the sun.

 

The Bangasa umbrellas are usually bigger and thicker, with more ribs and they tend to be heavier, so they are mostly used by men. The colors are also simpler. However, there are no restrictions and women can also use Bangasa. Another type of Wagasa is the Janome Kasa, which on the contrary have less ribs and are lighter while colors can be very varied. These are mostly used by women.

The production process of Wagasa is completely handmade and takes a long time:

1. Prepare the material (bamboo, Washi paper, lacquer…)
2. Build the frame around a wooden core to create the structure
3. Match the size of the Washi paper to the structure
4. Attach the paper covering to the bamboo structure with glue and let it dry
5. Painting and lacquering of the Washi paper
6. Coating of the paper with linseed oil to make it waterproof
7. Drying of the coating which can vary from 4 to 15 days
8. Threads stitching and final decoration

Each part of a Japanese umbrella has a name and a function. For instance, the Nokizume (see picture below) are the parts of the ribs sticking out from the umbrella. These are often lacquered in red because of an ancient Japanese tradition. Indeed, at the beginning the very first umbrellas were only used by the Imperial family and aristocrats and they were said to be magical objects that could protect one from evil spirits and bad events and from this belief came the color red that was said to help prevent bad things from happening.

To preserve your Wagasa and insure its longevity you should store it untied and loosened in a well ventilated, dark place. It is also important to dry it well, for instance with a towel, after using it. It is best to let it open in a dark place until it is completely dry. Once dry, you can close it loosely and store it in a dark, well-ventilated place.It is important to not let the Wagasa in the sun to dry since the colors and patterns might tarnish.

Finally, it is possible to have your Wagasa umbrella repaired but, depending on its state, the reparation cost might be higher than the cost of a new umbrella. The number of artisans being able to do this reparation is also very limited. When the ribs of the umbrella are broken, it is then impossible to repair.

The western type of umbrella was brought to Japan during the Meiji period and, over time, completely replaced the wagasa, because of the higher resistance and much lower costs.
However, there are still several workshops producing wagasa in Gifu, Kyoto, Ishikawa, Tottori and Tokushima and wagasa is still used in traditional activities like tea ceremony, kabuki theater, Japanese dances or festivals.

Desolation... and a promise

On a field... somewhere... only desolation can be found. It looks like a deserted piece of the Earth that floats, with no apparent aim. The terrible heat of the sun makes it worse - burning the land, burning the crops, burning the grass - no rain in sight! When did it last rain? People don't remember. Lucky cow still found grass to chew, making its way through the thorns. You could hear the earth crying, screaming, as if in pain, but not only from the heat - there is garbage everywhere. The crops have been invaded and through the waste, food still grows. Food that people still pick to eat. Has garbage become the best fertilizer? 

No apparent hope for the crops as people just stand and watch them fade due to the heat wave. A heat wave that is hard to bear, even for humans. Measures taken? None! Irrigation? Ha? What is that? I don't care, I'll just wait for the rain. And if it doesn't come, well, that's too bad then, but at least I'll still have someting to complain about. Because, you see, if I can't complain and paint myself as the victim I don't feel well. Measures? What measures? Get out of here! There is nothing I can do. Have I tried to do something? Of course, not - there is nothing I can do, I tell you. It's too tiring to even try.

Will we ever change? Will we even once try to change something? Try to save something - these lands, ourselves... trying to grab the future without living the present. Rows and rows of dried crops, of dried people, of dried souls. How did we come to this? This indolence for everything!? I feel like screaming: wake up! We're still alive! Live! Love! Feel! But all I get is an echo...

 

 Among the burned sunflowers, there is still a survivor. A promise of good things to come, of never giving up. The battle with ourselves. That, I think, is the hardest.

 And yet we all yearn to be free, to be who we want to be, not who others think we should be. So many give opinions on how they think we should live our lives, but they don't know who we truly are and they haven't and never will live our life for us, so what do they really know? In their fear of really starting to live, they try to enclose us with rules and restrictions. 

'And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.' 

Nietzsche

And so, alone we stand in our search.

But stand alone we must. For only after finding our true selves can we completely open up to others and offer our love, understanding, friendship, touch... our true entity.

And I think kindness can change the world. 

'I shall not pass this way but once; any good, therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.'

 And so, I find that the pieces of my faded heart which I had thought had stopped beating, is actually whole again. The only restrictions, limitations that I still face are of my own making, I understand that now. And I imagine a world in which everyone just stops for a moment and takes this time to listen... to themselves, to their true nature, discovering that they are free!

No longer caught in the web of fear, of deceit, of running away from everything and anyone that could make them feel! And so, I continue my journey. Each day, each moment, I discover new things about myself, about others, I sometimes feel like crying and screaming from the pain I feel coming from me - evolution kind of hurts sometimes - from others, from the earth. But then I smile and think of how wonderful it is to be feeling so many things! And I am happy that I have people around me to share my moments with!

A promise and a hope of a better tomorrow! A hope of love and understanding and helping each other. And with this tought, I conclude my journey of today and I truly hope we will be able to find this wonderful, caring, playful, smart dog a home! She is about two years old and in need of love!

foto: Alexandra Dumitrescu

 

Osaka

Osaka is Japan's third largest city after Tokyo and Yokohama. Also, next to Tokyo and Kyoto it is known as the top three culinary centres of Japan - instant noodles were invented here in 1958. Favourite local dishes include oshizuhi, in which sushi is placed in stainless steel molds and sliced; udon suki, buckwheat noodles and meat in a rich broth served in a ceramic stew pot; okonomiyaki, a batter and vegetable pancake-type dish developed in 1700 as a Buddhist ritual food.

The okonomiyaki in Osaka is the best I have ever eaten. It is one of my favourite dishes.

 We arrived late in the evening in Osaka, got settled at the hotel and then some of us went out for a stroll around the city and to eat - Okonomiyaki, of course! My first impression of Osaka was not what I had expected. Considering I had been in Japan for a while and had visited quite a few cities already that were spot clean, Osaka was not. It surprised me to see people smoking freely on the street - usually, you can't smoke wherever you want, there are special spaces for it and only there you can smoke. So, in Osaka this didn't apply and after smoking, they would throw the butts on the sidewalk and not only cigarette butts, but bottles and other stuff. You may think I'm a rigid person with this "clean sidewalks" thing, but you just don't see this in Japan too often. 

Dotonbori canal district

Kani Doraku Crab: This six and a half meter crab is on the front of the crab restaurant Kani Doraku. It is mechanised, being able to move its arms and eyestalks. Built in 1960, this mechanical billboard soon spawned imitations, including a squid that puffs steam and oni (demons) that light up at night.

Glico Man: Originally installed in 1935, the giant neon athlete on a blue track is a symbol of Glico candy.

And I can't really explain it, but there was a different atmosphere in Osaka. Of course, not one city is the same, but here it was something like more of a punk, rouge attitude. Or maybe it's just that "yakuza" atmosphere that the guides talk about... almost like an event in itself: 

"The word yakuza was originally used to describe the classess group of thieves, gamblers and outlaws who floated around large cities and ports during the Edo period. Osaka is the center of the modern yakuza and most influential crime syndicates. Irezumi (tattoos), thoough traditionally an art form, are considered anti-social in Japan and are strongly associated with the yakuza. If you see a tattooed person with a missing finger or two - the result of self-mutilation equated in the yakuza world with machismo - the chances are that person will be a gang member."

Yakuza often take part in local festivals such as Sanja Matsuri where they often carry the shrine through the streets proudly showing off their elaborate tattoos. - Wikipedia

Osaka's importance as a merchant city dates from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's building of Osaka Castle in 1586.

"With its 1250 Japanese plum trees and 4500 cherry trees, Osaka Castle Park is a famous spot for spring flower viewing festivities. The Osaka Castle Chrysantheum Festival is held in the autumn. The illuminated castle tower, shining golden in the night, is a must-see sight." - is what my flyer for the Osaka Castle Museum says.  

 And since I am fascinated with the history of Japan, a brief presentation of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

100 Aspects of the Moon #7, by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: "Mount Inaba Moon." The young Toyotomi Hideyoshi (then named Kinoshita Tōkichirō) leads a small group assaulting the castle on Mount Inaba; 1885, 12th month - Wikipedia

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98) was a daimyo, warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle. He is noted for a number of cultural legacies, including the restriction that only members of the samurai class could bear arms. Hideyoshi is regarded as Japan's second "great unifier".

Toyotomi Hideyoshi changed Japanese society in many ways. These include imposition of a rigid class structure, restriction on travel, and surveys of land and production.

Class reforms affected commoners and warriors. During the Sengoku period, it had become common for peasants to become warriors, or for samurai to farm due to the constant uncertainty caused by the lack of centralized government and always tentative peace. Upon taking control, Hideyoshi decreed that all peasants be disarmed completely. Conversely, he required samurai to leave the land and take up residence in the castle towns. This solidified the social class system for the next 300 years.
Furthermore, he ordered comprehensive surveys and a complete census of Japan. Once this was done and all citizens were registered, he required all Japanese to stay in their respective han unless they obtained official permission to go elsewhere. This ensured order in a period when bandits still roamed the countryside and peace was still new. The land surveys formed the basis for systematic taxation.

In 1590, Hideyoshi completed construction of the Osaka Castle, the largest and most formidable in all Japan, to guard the western approaches to Kyoto. In that same year, Hideyoshi banned "unfree labor" or slavery; but forms of contract and indentured labor persisted alongside the period penal codes' forced labor.
Hideyoshi also influenced the material culture of Japan. He lavished time and money on the tea ceremony, collecting implements, sponsoring lavish social events, and patronizing acclaimed masters. As interest in the tea ceremony rose among the ruling class, so too did demand for fine ceramic implements, and during the course of the Korean campaigns, not only were large quantities of prized ceramic ware confiscated, many Korean artisans were forcibly relocated to Japan.
Inspired by the dazzling Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, he also constructed a fabulous portable tea room, covered with gold leaf and lined inside with red gossamer. Using this mobile innovation, he was able to practice the tea ceremony wherever he went, powerfully projecting his unrivaled power and status upon his arrival.
Politically, he set up a governmental system that balanced out the most powerful Japanese warlords (or daimyo). A council was created to include the most influential lords. At the same time, a regent was designated to be in command.
Just prior to his death, Hideyoshi hoped to set up a system stable enough to survive until his son grew old enough to become the next leader. A Council of Five Elders was formed, consisting of the five most powerful daimyo. Following the death of Maeda Toshiie, however, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to secure alliances, including political marriages (which had been forbidden by Hideyoshi). Eventually, the pro-Toyotomi forces fought against the Tokugawa in the Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu won and received the title of Seii-tai Shogun two years later.
Hideyoshi is commemorated at several Toyokuni Shrines scattered over Japan.
Ieyasu left in place the majority of Hideyoshi's decrees and built his shogunate upon them. This ensured that Hideyoshi's cultural legacy remained. In a letter to his wife, Hideyoshi wrote: 

“I mean to do glorious deeds and I am ready for a long siege, with provisions and gold and silver in plenty, so as to return in triumph and leave a great name behind me. I desire you to understand this and to tell it to everybody."

Today, opposite the entrance gate to the castle there are the NHK Osaka building (left) and the Osaka Prefecture Police Headquarters (right) - talking about contrasts in Japan, you can really see it here.

Continuing our tour of the city, we went to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the largest aquariums in the world, it holds 13,5 million liters of water. You descend through 14 levels representing fish and mammal habitats found within the Pacific Ocean belt. Over 35,000 creatures inhabit the aquarium, including whale sharks.

Taking the train to the aquarium

And talking about trains in Osaka, I was surprised to find that public transport is more expensive than in Tokyo. 

Theme of Kaiyukan (from the aquarium flyer) : Relationship between Nature and People

 This theme follows a part of Gaia Hypothesis advocated br Dr. James Lovelock. Main idea of the hypothesis is that the Earth and its living things form an organism where they interact with each other. Kaiyukan reproduces nature around the Pacific Ocean as closely as it can with two concepts such as Ring of Fire (Circum-Pacific Volcanic Belt) and Ring of Life based on the above theme.Kaiyukan Aquarium respects the dignity of life and natural environment. A Japanese word Kaiyukan literally means "Playing in the Sea Pavilion." 

On the way to the aquarium, we passed the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel - one of the largest Ferris wheels in the world. Reaching the top, you can admire the panoramic view of Osaka bay, the Ikoma mountain range to the east, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge to the west, Kansai International Airport to the south, and the Rokko mountain range to the north. And even though it was a cloudy and rainy day - like most of our days in Japan were this time - the view from the Ferris wheel was amazing. These two things - the aquarium and the Ferris wheel next to it - you really shouldn't miss. And there was a special offer for the ticket if you bought one that included the visit to the aquarium and a spin with the Ferris wheel.

Inside the aquarium:

Harbor seal and California sea lion - Monterey Bay

Ringtailed coati - Gulf of Panama

Ecuador Rain Forest

Adelie penguin, King penguin, Gentoo penguin - Antarctica

(this image, I thought was really sad)

Great Barrier Reef

Pacific Ocean

Japan Deeps - Giant spider crab

Floating Jelly Fish 

The tour ended with the Jelly fish - now heading to the Ferris Wheel.

The aquarium - viewed from the Ferris Wheel

cloudy, rainy, cold day

The Ferris wheel spin over, we decided to go to the shopping area of Osaka - I had the feeling I walked more than I actually had from one end to the other of this area. It's like this really long pedestrian passage that is almost 3 km long.

What we passed on the way:

The most wonderful car, outside a church (these days, many couples get married Western style instead of having a traditional Shinto ceremony because it's cheaper and more attractive - like the bride's gown)

Outside a temple 

Inside the temple

Moving along the shopping district, I really liked the colour of this dress

(my favourite colour is blue, but I found I have more green clothes and bags than blue O.o  go figure!)

It was quite an experience, shopping in Osaka - spent a few hours in the shopping district, bought lots of things at great prices I couldn't resist, like a hat that was on sale from 3.000 Yen to 800... how could anyone say no? - also took care of the list that I had from some friends, things they asked me to buy.

That evening we had dinner at a traditional restaurant. The food was really good, drank hot sake (I like it better hot than cold) but what I liked the most was dessert: sakura ice cream - ice made of petals of cherry blossoms. Not too sweet, not too sour, just puuuuurrrrfect! 

So, all in all, great day, interesting city, very crowded, nice bargains, lots and lots of places to visit, things to see - we didn't even get to see half, but that's left for next time. 
Before going, make sure you book your hotel in advance. Depending on the time of year you're going, you may find yourself without a room. Since we went in the season of the blooming of the cherry trees, here in Osaka and in Kyoto too, all the hotels were full with not only foreigners, but also many Japanese people who had come especially to see the cherries in a certain city that is reputed to have beautiful gardens and castles.

 

Pedestrian Passage - the shopping area

In Dotonbori

View from the 8th floor of Osaka Castle

From the Observation Deck of Osaka Castle

Inside the castle - full-scale replicas of the shachi (legendary dolphin-shaped fish) and fusetora (crouching tigers)

At the castle gates

Castle grounds

Outside castle grounds

On the way to the subway.  You can see the castle in the background. I loved this house next to this modern building.

On the way to the aquarium

cleaning time

feeding time

I really liked these things