w w w . k e i a n d a r . c o m

2013

Kei & Ar Magazine. Directors: K. Callejas and R. Ángel.

Nine grade, section “A”

Kei & Ar

Kei & Ar Magazine. 2013

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Kei & Ar Magazine. 2013

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Culture

of Japan

Japanese culture, particularly

traditional Japanese culture

has many roots in traditional

Chinese culture; however

Japanese culture, even

historically differed from

Chinese culture and due to

the separation of the two

land masses, plus the

enforced periods of isolation

from the outside world, further

extended the differences

between the two cultures. It is

with some irony then that in

modern times that the

younger Chinese generations

have looked to modern

Japanese culture as a source

of inspiration, particularly in

field of Japanese fashion

culture, where the Chinese

are inspired by Japanese

fashion magazines.

OCCUPATIONS

GEISHA are famous

female traditional

entertainers, who sing,

dance, play traditional

Japanese musical instruments

and engage their clients with

interesting conversation.

Today there are still some

active Geisha in places such

as Kyoto and Kanazawa.

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SAMURAI were a

traditional warrior class in pre-

industrial Japan, who were easily

recognized as they were the only

men allowed to carry two

swords. Samurai were committed

to a single daimyo.

Visual arts

Painting has been an art in

Japan for a very long time: the

brush is a traditional writing tool,

and the extension of that to its use

as an artist's tool was probably

natural.

Calligraphy, the flowing, brush-

drawn Japanese rendering of text

itself is seen as a traditional art

form as well as a means of

conveying written information. The

written work can consist of

phrases, poems, stories, or even

single characters.

The kimono is a

Japanese traditional

garment worn by

men, women and

children. The word

"kimono", which

literally means a "thing

to wear".

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Ukiyo-e, literally "pictures of the

floating world", is a genre

of woodblock prints that

exemplifies the characteristics of

pre -Meiji Japanese art.

Ikebana, is the Japanese art of

flower arrangement. It has gained

widespread international fame for

its focus on harmony, color use,

rhythm, and elegantly simple

design.

Japanese

language

Japanese is the official and

primary language of Japan.

Japanese is relatively small

but has a lexically

distinct pitch-accent system.

Early Japanese is known

largely on the basis of its state

in the 8th century, when the

three major works of Old

Japanese were

compiled. Japanese is written

with a combination of three

scripts: hiragana, derived

from the Chinese cursive

script, katakana, derived as a

shorthand from Chinese

characters, and kanji,

imported from China.

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MUSIC

The music of Japan includes

a wide array of performers in

distinct styles

both traditional and modern.

The word for music

in Japanese is Ongaku,

combining the kanji, with the

kanji.

Japan is the second

largest music market in the

world, behind the United

States, and the largest

in Asia, and most of market is

dominated by Japanese

artists. Local music often

appears at karaoke venues,

which is on lease from

the record labels.

Gardens

Garden architecture is as

important as building

architecture and very much

influenced by the same

historical and religious

background. Although today,

ink monochrome painting still

is the art form, most closely

associated with Zen

Buddhism .

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FASHION

Japanese

fashion isn't just a

set of modern fashion trends

and sub cultures. Japanese

fashion includes many

traditional forms of clothing

including the kimono and its

associated accessories.

The Kimono is the most

famous form of traditional

Japanese clothing for

women. The Kimono is

actually a style with many

different forms; from the

casual to the wedding style,

all which have a particular

jAPANESE

meaning and are wore to

different events or occasions.

Though the styles have

changed over the years,

street fashion is still prominent

in Japan today. Young adults

can often be found wearing

subculture attire in large

urban fashion districts such

as Harajuku, Ginza, Odaib

a, Shinjuku and Shibuya.

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A R C H I T

JAPANESE………

…………CASTLES

were the key to structure

and life of many

Japanese cities. This

extensive section provides

information on over

110 Japanese Castles,

including condition, style,

history, location and

pictures.

e C T U R E

Japanese………

……….Temples

are buddhist temples

found throughout Japan,

which date back over

one thousand years.

There are

Several Japanese

Temples which are World

Heritage Sites. This

extensive section provides

information on almost two

hundred Japanese

Templesthroughout

Japan including their

style, history, location and

pictures.

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Flag of

Japan

The Rising Sun Flag

The national flag of Japan is

a white rectangular flag with

a large red disk in the center.

This flag is officially

called Nisshōki in Japanese,

but is more commonly known

as Hinomaru Circle

of the sun.

Adopted in February 27, 1870.

Passed in 1870, the Prime

Minister's Proclamation No. 57

had two provisions related to

the national flag. The first

provision specified who flew

the flag and how it was

flown; the second specified

how the flag was made.

The flag is considered

offensive in countries which

were victims of Japanese

aggression, specifically in

China and the

Koreas,[7][8] where it is

considered to be associated

with Japanese

militarism and imperialism.

The large red disk on

the flag is

representing the sun.