Japan Unveiled: Late-Blooming Culture

Japanese manhole covers often feature intricate and artistic designs that reflect local culture, history, and landmarks. Many municipalities in Japan install unique manhole covers. The ones below are some of the manhole covers in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture. This city is where Riyoko Ikeda grew up [1]. She is a Japanese manga artist and singer who published the manga series "The Rose of Versailles". It's set in the period leading up to and during the French Revolution, and it intricately intertwines the lives of its main characters: Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, and Oscar François de Jarjayes, a woman raised as a man to serve in the royal guard. The manga explores themes of gender, class struggle, and historical events, blending romance, drama, and political intrigue. It's praised for its detailed artwork and compelling storytelling, making it a classic in the world of shojo (girls) manga. The manhole covers are so beautiful that passersby might avoid st...

  Fig. Japanese carpentry without a single nail. ( Great Big Story ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-u4T13guko&t=27s&ab_channel=GreatBigStory Takafumi Matsumoto is a Miya Daiku, a shrine and temple carpenter who works in Kamakura, Japan. Fig. Kamakura https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-u4T13guko&t=27s&ab_channel=GreatBigStory Fig. Kamakura, South West of Tokyo Source: google earth modified by the author   Kamakura is located 50 km southwest of Tokyo and is abundant in natural beauty.  It was the capital of Japan from the early 12th century to the mid-13th century. It was the site of the first government established by samurai under Shogun Minamoto Yoritomo. The feudal system lasted about 800 years until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Since Japanese shrines and temples are made of wood, they require restoration after a suitable number of years. For example, in wooden structures from 1,000 years ago, iron was hard to come by, so buildings were ...

  Fig. “Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)” by Skurama Kintaro https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm29450346?from= 250 I had a chance to watch Noh drama “Aoi no Ue” (Lady Aoi) performed by Sakurama Kintaro, a Noh drama performer. It can be viewed at: Characters: Lady Rokujo (Prince Hikaru Genji’s girl friend) Lady Aoi (formal wife of Hikaru Genji. She never appears in the play) Miko (female shaman) Buddhist monk   While story lines of Noh drama are often simple, the performer’s dances, face expressions and associated body languages are captivating. "Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)" is one of the representative Noh dramas which takes its theme from “Tale of Genji”, a novel written in 1008 CE by Lady Murasaki, a female Japanese novelist. This allegedly is the oldest novel in the world history. The main character Lady Rokujo appears in two different masks: a.     Her original form which is represented by the following:   Fig.  Female Noh mask. Public domain ...