seeking inspiration

for art course work, we head off to the V&A
not my art course work, I hasten to add - altho as times like this I do wish it were I taking the art course. . . my head is so full of ideas, they can't help but spill out - I wish I could just keep my thoughts to myself sometimes (but if I did, I wouldn't be doing this and I wouldn't know you, so perhaps it's just as well) (perhaps?) (!)
.

so I thoroughly piss of The Teen with my enthusiasm and he becomes moodier and stroppier as we look around the Japanese exhibit. . .

I shut up and we take turns trailing along behind each other
.
as we look round, I am reminded of the Japanese girl - Hanae - I befriended at primary school, when we were both aged ten: she taught me how to count in Japanese and how to write some basic words, I taught her all things English


I remember a day, round at her house, when she dressed me up in full nagajuban, kimono, obi, datemaki, tabi and geta. . . she was unusually tall for a Japanese, so her garments fitted me from top to toe (that's where the datemaki and tabi come in - you know, those wooden sandals and split toed socks); she left England to go back to Yokohama some years later and sent me a most beautiful lacquered box containing chopsticks and a good luck ball (as shown in the top image). . .

I digress
as The Teen and I walk round the cabinets and look at the items on display I find I am fascinated by the netsuke (which are, effectively, rather elaborate toggles) (as above) and the writing sets (couldn't find an image, but the following modern set shows the basics)
and while looking for I picture I can't find on line, I found the following kanji kimono print:

(kanji being a Japanese written character) then I wonder what the kanji for "man" is:

and while looking for that, I found this:
which means nothingness or void
(altho it looks pretty full to me!)

and the following,
which means dream:

12 comments:

Sorrow said...

My Teen hates that I can do art, and Math, and I know History.
He is failing World History right now, and has had to( no choice) come to me for help.
He hates it, and I have tried to help, with out being to much Mom...
but I think it's often wanting to be his own person
and KNOW and DO something that I have not.
( which may be why the military appeals to him so much)
drives me mad...
can't explain to him I didn't just learn what I know over night..
sigh.
kids...
My friend when I was 10 was Korean, and I can count to 10 and speak a little Korean, :D

I, Like The View said...

it's the context of the years under our belt v their perception that they don't need the experience. . .

. . .that's what I find - and if I open my mind to that sometimes I get a fresh view myself. . .

. . .sometimes

I never did history (one of his favourite subjects) so I'm off the hook on that one

but, boy oh boy, he got fed up with me today

as you say, kids, sigh. . .

what they don't know, yet, is how lucky they are to have us as parents

(I keep trying to reassure myself of that fact)(and I hpe I'm right)

that's kinda cool that you had a Korean friend!! (I've forgotten all my Japanese now, apart from three characters)

Sorrow said...

OH YEAH!
not the suckiest parent in the world..
especially when he thinks I LIKE punishing him!
???
WTF?
Got a letter in the post from the school he is doing VERY poorly.
Took away computer privileges
he screams" you just love to punish me! You think it's great!" slam
stomp
slam
GEEz, yeah ,I love making you accountable for your actions.
no punishment for me at all.
sigh
then i think of what a hell on earth bitch i was
and think
" I 've got it easy"
repeat after me
" I have it easy ,
I have it easy
I have it easy ,
I have it easy
I have it easy ,
I have it easy,
I have it easy ,
I have it easy"
sigh...

katherine. said...

I am trying to remember if you and I were connected back when I did my post about my tattoo....I don't think so.

be right back

katherine. said...

from over two years ago...wow

my ink….

I, Like The View said...

sometimes I wish this blog was a continuation of my others and that I hadn't deleted them. . . but then again, I'm not sure I want to go back two years now - all that quicksand

(I'm thinking we hooked up about 18 months ago)(but I'm not sure)

cool tattoo Katherine!!

(-:

hey sorrow, you and me both hon - I often ask my children if they'd like me to be more like the mom out of Malcom In The Middle. . .

X

Sorrow said...

Malcom in the middle?
okay, anothr one of those TV references I will just have to scratch my head at...
LOL

Mel said...

Oh--you just keep lovin' 'em and sooner or later they come to understand how cool it is to have a talented mom.

Such has been my experience.

And oh, what lovely bits of ink. Your letters and katherine's irises.

Gorgeous.
Or maybe it's about the women who they're connected to......

I, Like The View said...

. . .what a lovely thing to say!

thank you Mel

(-:

and yes, keeping loving them is the deal

Sorrow she yells a lot. . . and does mega punishments. . . but she does love them, and they know that

Gordie said...

Japanese nowadays are taller than their parents. I once went shopping for a school uniform in Tokyo, and I almost got one that fit. I was 28 at the time. (Angus Young, eat your heart out.)

Gordie said...

And now I have read Katherine's link, I think I will have to get a tattoo one day.

Anonymous said...

It's interesting that the kanji for human isn't made up from bits of man and woman but is different from both!