#inkbrushmood

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for keeping up with IKB. In the spirit of variety, we've kickstarted a newsletter of cool finds from Japan.

This week, we talked about cool art, cultural happenings, and interesting recipes. Check it out!

01 | Hagihara Takuya on Tumblr

Untitled by Hagihara Takuya. Source: hagiharatakuya.tumblr.com

One of my favorite design blogs, tbh! Hagihara Takuya's sick liminal abstracts are at the top of the list in terms of digital abstract art. Check out their tumblr @hagiharatakuya. They also have a typography blog which rules! @hagiharatakuyatypo.

02 | Fukusaki: Yōkai Town

A cryogenically-preserved yōkai welcoming a visitor to Fukusaki. Source: franklinthewoman

This cultural find comes straight from franklinthewoman's Instagram. Did you know? A town in Japan has crowned itself "The Spookiest Town in Japan" thanks to being the birthplace of Kunio Yanagita, the father of Japanese folkore.

To celebrate their enthralling place in Japanese horror, Fukusaki has set loose its yōkai (demons or creatures) on the Japanese populace for some unforgettable sight-seeing!

03 | Rice Cake Recipe

Rice cakes! Are made! With actual! Rice! Source: foodiefrontier0

This rice cake recipe from foodiefrontier0 boggles the mind. In my mind, rice cakes were like a crunchy rice krispy-like disk that I thought I tried once. Well, this recipe actually makes a chewy rice cake with actual rice (lol I know it should be common sense, but...)

Seems like one of those things one should try once. Check it out ->

Bonus:

Wakabayashi Ayame, Apple Installation. Source: @kaijuno

For her graduation exhibition, designer Wakabayashi AYAME created an installation of apple sculptures rendered in the style of a renowned artist. Doesn't Hokusai's apple seem plucked straight out of an ukiyo-e? According to artsology, the goal was to "embody the essence of each artist’s unique approach to form, color, and texture". Honestly, she aced this assignment. I'm sure there are Mondrian apples somewhere in Central Park.

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... and that's it for this week! If you liked the post or have something to share, make sure to let us know! If you have any cool finds that you'd like to share, send a message to @inkbrushmood.

OOKA SHUNBOKU: Daikokuten et Tigre | 5 Facts by inkbrushmood

Bonus:

The *original* Daikokuten et tigre. With those Bezier-like curves, you'd think that he drafted this in Illustrator or sometime in the 20th century. But no... This slick illustration is from 1750!

Anywho! Guess who *did* pop into Illustrator in a design frenzy inspired by Ooka Shunboku?

L'Inkbrushmood, of course! Enjoy this free wallpaper (1366×768) of a REMIXED Daikokuten (and his trusty tiger pal):

There's more at inkbrushmood.com ;)

Swallow and Camellia by Itō Jakuchū (c. 1900). Ink and color on paper; Meiji era woodblock print reproduction.

I am enraptured by Itō Jakuchū’s art. The stark contrast between the ink-black background and the bold use of color on the foreground is immediately striking, sure. But it’s more than that.

The hues on Swallow and Camellia are not jump-at-you bright, but they are made dazzling nonetheless by graceful saturation. The crimson on the camelia is both soft and intense. Earthy tones on the leaves capture a natural elegance that reminds me of furyu (known in Chinese as fengliu) — a sense of sophisticated beauty present in nature. The concept of furyu originated in the Heian period and often translated to dazzling gardens inspired by a mindful appreciation for nature.

Some of that furyu-esque botanical elegance can be appreciated in Jakuchu’s paintings, with their intricate use of detail and pattern. Jakuchu often employed pointillism in his artworks, and though the context of his art is different from the Western perspective, they do have an impressionistic quality to them, even though Impressionism emerged in the late 1800s!

In any case, Japan’s hermitism during the Edo Period would have echoed the principles of furyu, which has been defined by art historians as “the recluse’s sense of aesthetics” (see an academic paper by Qiu, 2000, that explains the topic of furyu thoroughly).

Elegance certainly seems to be the main descriptor for Jakuchu’s work. But there is also a transcendent depth to his art. From a Westerner’s perspective, the use of a dramatic dark background is reminiscent of tenebrismo, and achieves a similar effect. Themes of transient beauty and the ephemeral quality of nature are brought to the foreground for consideration. Jakuchu, who’s artistic surname means “like the void”, was considered a lay Zen brother by the Buddhist community. As such, an appreciation for the uniqueness of the present moment contrasted against the existential experience of nothingness (not necessarily as dreadful as it sounds) would be a theme in line with Buddhist thinking.

Simply put, themes of life against death and activity against stillness seem to be at play in Jakuchu’s art. An interplay of color and starkness, darkness and motion situate the viewer in the scene captured by Jakuchu’s eye. Forms are outlined in such a way as to create a charged essence that pops into awareness. In this way, Jakuchu urges the viewer to appreciate the present moment with an artful, engaged eye.