Culture and materials

Originating in India, Buddhism spread to Japan via China and Korea from the 6th century on. Central are the teachings of Buddha, the Enlightened - a prince called Siddartha Gautama, who through meditation came to see that human life is suffering, and that the cycle of suffering can only be broken by freeing oneself from lust and by not being attached to life.
In Japan this idea has been extended on to see Buddha more as a saviour. Buddhism was proclaimed a state religion (next to the old Shinto religion) there in the 7th century.
In the temple Buddhist monks recite soetras, holy texts, every day. At home people have an altar, a butsudan. These are lacquered chests, often richly decorated with illustrations, sometimes encrusted with mother-of-pearl. For the decoration of the chests various techniques are used, among which high relief (takamaki-e) and low relief (hiramaki-e) gilt. Depending on the sect people belong to, a statue of Buddha is placed in the butsudan. Nameplates of deceased family members are put on the outside of the chest. People pray for the deceased and offerings are made to them of flowers, rice and fruit. To heighten spirituality, incense is being burned inside the home altar.
Nowadays various kinds of Buddhism exist in Japan. The jodo sect (30 million followers) is the most popular, with the jodo shin (15 million) in second and the shingon (12 million) in third place.

Through the ages numerous remarkable art objects have been made in Japan. In private homes, but also in palaces and castles, we see folding screens (byobu) decorated with landscapes, depictions of geishas, and details of flora and fauna. These screens consist of several panels set in a wooden frame lacquered black. The background of the decorations is sometimes gold- or silver-plated.
In private homes the tatami rooms, frequently used for tea ceremonies, have niches (tokonoma) in which scroll paintings (kakejuku) can be placed, often decorated with calligraphic poems (haikus), animals or famous landscapes, mostly from Chinese literature. Every season a different illustration is exhibited. The scroll has a support of silk or paper glued onto thicker silk, and is stored in a made to measure wooden box.
Calligraphy with a big brush (Sho) goes back to the Chinese who considered it a high form of art, only practiced by high ranking officials. With one flowing gesture the artist draws the lines on hand-made paper. In Zen Buddhism, such a painting is seen as a moment of meditation.

Green tea (cha) originally comes from China, but as early as the 7th century Japanese monks drank it. They discovered that the caffeine in the beverage would keep them awake during their long meditation sessions.

There is a story about a Zen monk who tore his eyelids from his face out of frustrated fury because he could not keep his eyes open. When the eyelids fell to the ground, they changed into tea leaves.
The first tea ceremony master was Sen No Rikyu. In the 16th century he founded a school which later was taken over by his two sons, Omote Senke en Ura Senke. They each established their own tea house, respectively behind (omo means behind) and in front of (ura means in front of) their house. Thus, new schools were created. They are still the best-known in Japan. Later, tea was also drunk by samurais (knights) and at the court the tea ceremony became an important passtime.
The tea ceremony also is an important part of a geisha's training. It is a way of entertaining her guests. Besides, it is an effective method to teach a young girl manners.
These days the ceremony, which sometimes lasts several hours, takes place in old tea pavilions. The guest is given a splendid, age-old earthenware bowl with the bitter tea: a green powder dissolved in water that is hot, but should not boil. During the ceremony, this bowl is admired by everyone and the tea is praised for its taste. At the end, the guests thank Buddha and the host or hostess for the pleasant time they have had.

One of the most characteristic expressions of Japanese applied art is lacquer work (Shikki). Lacquer is a natural product, the sap of the lacquer-tree (Rhus verniciflua). The oldest known examples of lacquered objects are earthenware pots from 4500 B.C.. Both in China and Japan lacquer is used as a durable covering layer for wood and other materials such as bamboo, paper and metal. Lacquer's great asset is that it renders the material water-resistant and thus keeps it from rotting. Urushiol, the sap of which it is made, is the most important part of lacquer. The thin layers should harden en not dry out. The lacquer can consist of no less than 30 black or red layers. To keep the lacquer dust-free, work on it is done at sea.. The decoration techniques can be divided into three kinds:
1) bottom layer (shitaji);
2) middle layer (naka nuri);
3) covering layer (uwa nuri).
Depending on the style, one or two layers of lacquer are applied. Lacquer with a decoration in gilt, maki e, is the most expensive kind of lacquer.
Lacquered objects are usually bowls and trays, sometimes also hibachi (foot stoves), which can also be made of bronze and wood. The hibachi with their small coals are used for heating homes.

Japan has developed a number of remarkable musical instruments. During their training geishas are taught to play them. The koto has 13 strings strung over a wooden sound box, and the shamisen looks like a small guitar with three strings. The strings are plucked with a plectrum. Of course we also need to mention the well-known taiko drums, used by the monks in Buddhist temples and also in Shinto shrines. Some of these are man-sized. The best-known players always come from the island of Sado. To be able to practice their craft they undergo an intensive physical training including marathon running.

Even though the kimono is a traditional piece of clothing, in Japan it is still worn at parties, festivals and important family gatherings. It is a comfortable piece of clothing without buttons. A wide sash (obi) is worn around the waist. For their engagement future brides wear a red kimono with long sleeves of pure silk or satin, for their wedding day a special white kimono (furisode) with brocade decoration is designed. Each kimono is unique thanks to the symbolism embroidered in gold of silver thread on the fabric; cho-shikku-bai (a combination of bamboo, pine tree and cherry blossom) is a very popular motif that symbolizes happiness.
In the Meiji period (1867-1912) the Japanese started to wear Western clothing; the men especially were eager to exchange their dark hakama for the 'salary man' outfit. Yukata (cotton kimonos) are very popular in summer and nowadays are offered free of charge as bathrobes to guests at a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) or a rotemburo (Japanese bathouse).
For one kimono fabric of no less than 9 meters long (30 cm wide) is needed, divided into four strips, two for the panels and two for the sleeves (which differ in length). The kosode has short sleeves and can be worn by women as well as men. More specifically for women is the osode with elbow-length sleeves. The herode has wide sleeves and is worn on festive occasions.

The so-called Zen gardens are meant for meditation. Sometimes they will consist of a bed of gravel with one single stone on it. A garden's design often refers to famous landscapes as described in poems (haiku).
The stone lanterns imported by Japan from China were originally made of metal. They used to serve as lighting for the entrances of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Later they were made of stone and used to decorate Japanese gardens. The Japanese tea ceremony master Sen No Rikkyu (16th century) especially thought these lanterns very important and saw to it they were prominently displayed in the garden. As the Japanese tea ceremony was often held at dusk, the lantern was used to illuminate the ceremony.
Stone lanterns can be divided into a number of categories: tachi-gata (lanterns with a foot voet), ikekomi-gata (buried lanterns), oki-gata (small lanterns) and yukimi (snow lanterns). The low snow lanterns, with a wide roof, built up out of several elements, and polygonal or round of shape, are often found near villas with a big pond and were given their name because the snow which Japan has a lot of remains unsoiled on them. Near Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines one often sees extremely beautiful lanterns, the toro. They light the access roads or the graves.

The sales collection of 'Van hier tot Tokio' (From Here to Tokyo) consists of Japanese furniture of the Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho (1912-1920) periods. Mizuya (kitchen cabinets), isho-dansu (wardrobes), zataku (low tables) and other small objects are made of typical Japanese woods, that are sometimes combined. The inside of a tansu (cupboard), for example, is made of a lighter wood, such as cypress or (hinoki) or paulownia (kiri). While in the West one speaks of hard and soft types of wood, in Japan the terms evergreen and broadleaf woods are used. Examples of evergreen woods are the above-mentioned hinoki and the sugi (Japanese cedar) type of wood.
Hinoki is a type of light wood that is very suitable for damp environments - for that reason Japanese bathhouses often have beautiful hinoki baths. In Japan this type of cypress is considered holy because of its whiteness and delicate aroma. The trees grow predominantly in central Japan. Sugi or cedar is used for Buddha statues and altar cabinets because this very special wood is so easy to work with. Sake (rice wine) is stored in cedar barrels because the cedar's fine aroma gives sake exactly the right taste. Most cedars in Japan, which can reach an enormous height, grow on the largest of the islands, Honshu.

In the Hortus Botanicus of the University of Leiden there is a very old keyaki tree. Together with kiri (paulownia) en kuwa (mulberry), keyaki wood belongs to the so-called broadleaf types.Thanks to the fantastic and freakish graining of the keyaki boards, these are used for the outside parts of cupboards and chests. Once in a very while, a kitchen cabinet (mizuya) is made of solid keyaki - the most expensive type of Japanese wood, which grows everywhere in Japan except in the north (Hokkaido) of the country.
Kiri or paulownia is very popular in Japan; it is a broadleaf tree which grows very fast and for that reason is used for kimono wardrobes. In Japan it is a tradition for parents to give their daughter a kimono wardrobe when she turns eighteen, as a dowry. This wardrobe is made of kiri wood (its seed is planted at the time of her birth!). Originally kiri comes from China but these days the tree can be found all over Japan. The very fine structure of the wood is remarkable. Paulownia is exceptionally resistant to various weather and other conditions. Therefore, a good kiri tansu (a chest with drawers) is worth a lot of money!