Reign Of Assassins is a ninja movie directed and written by Chao-Bin Su. Samurai swords, giant leaps over buildings, kimonos, epic fight scenes [plural]. Yehp, all of it. I enjoyed this movie.
Why?
Reign Of Assassins is a ninja movie directed and written by Chao-Bin Su. Samurai swords, giant leaps over buildings, kimonos, epic fight scenes [plural]. Yehp, all of it. I enjoyed this movie.
Why?
Most people just take photographs. They sit around and discuss equipment, proper care and handling techniques, and the latest from their favorite camera manufacturer.
The difference between them and Hiroshi Nonami is that Hiroshi makes that process an art form.
Born into a samurai family, Takahashi Yuichi (1828-1894) is a descendent of the Hotta Clan. Historical Japanese customs promote calligraphy and painting as indications of class and learning, so when Takahashi became interested in art at an early age, he was sent to the notorious Kanō school to study.
Among Takahashi’s accomplishments are attending the Paris World Exhibition of 1867 and portrait of the Emperor Meiji. He taught at the newly established Kobubijutsu Gakkō (the Technical Fine Arts School), and is considered one of the first painters to adopt oil paints in Japan.
His work exhibits some of the raw simplicity emphasized by the Zen Buddhism philosophy. I enjoy the confident bold strokes, slightly messy (dare I say) lines, and astoundingly plain yet diverse backgrounds.
Stray Dog is not a novel. Stray Dog is a book explaining, and showcasing what post war contemporary photography was like in Japan, through the lens of Daido Moriyama. To make it more interesting, it’s a book published by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Continue Reading →
Obachan’s Garden is a story of Obachan, a Japanese immigrant from before WWII who lived in Steveston, now a district of Richmond, BC, Canada. It is a very touching and inspires me greatly as part of Canada’s history, and as a human surviving through hard times.