Category: Culture

Did you know that North Korea has an animation industry?

Uniting the Two Koreas, in Animated Films at Least (NYT)

“North Korean animators are excellent,” he added. “They learn quickly and work very hard.” The SEK animation studio in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, which did the animation, has been involved in an array of international productions since the late 1990’s.

[…]

Mr. Shin has not finished working with North Korea, though. He said that both North and South Korea have agreed to produce his next project: a six-part animated series on Goguryeo, an ancient state that once occupied the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and much of Manchuria about 2,000 years ago. China recently created a furor in Korea when it claimed historical ownership of Goguryeo.

While South Korea is well known as a source of low-end cell drawing and inbetweening contractors for Japanese and American animation studios, the number of creative productions coming from that country has been dismally low. Despite being a fairly big animation fan, I have only seen a single long piece, a beautifully drawn film called Oseam, and a few shorts. Why after all these years is Korean animation so undeveloped? Why haven’t they benefited from this so-called ‘Korean wave’?

The God pigs of Taiwan

<Update: October 5, 2010 >I just noticed a surge of visitors to this post, so I thought I’d add a link to a Flickr photo set I took of the god pig sacrifice at a small temple next to the apartment where I was living in Taipei at the time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mutantfrog/sets/817964/

Doesn’t that sound like the title of a pulp story or B movie?

The Ghost Month is nearing it’s end here in Taiwan, and all through the past few weeks festivals and offerings have been visible in temples and shrines and in front of homes and businesses throughout Taipei. While most people reading this may know that Chinese religion involves the offering of food, drink, and burned fake paper money (which looks nothing like real money) to ancestor and god spirits, the continues existence of ritual animal sacrifice may surprise some.

Danny Bloom had a short post on Japundit about two weeks ago, the day after I saw my first pig offering at a small corner temple I pass everyday on the way to class.

Taiwan’s Hakka ethnic group holds an annual festival during the seventh lunar month, where a unique custom of sacrificing “spirit pigs,” which are traditionally grown to a huge size — and we mean HUGE — before being slaughtered.

However, in keeping with the principles of the ethical treatment of animals, today’s ceremonies often use likenesses of pigs instead of the real thing.

In this photo from the Taipei Times, a sculpture of a ‘divine pig’ can be seen outside Taipei City Hall, where the annual Taipei Hakka Memorial Ceremony was taking place recently.

Oink!

The August 13th Taipei Times had a rather hilarious photo of a pig stand-in made out of fruits.

They also have two interesting articles about the tradition of pig sacrifice in Taiwan.

Sacrificial swine prompt backlash
The belief that “the bigger the sacrificed pig, the more luck a person will have for the rest of the year” has resulted in a lifetime of agony for hundreds of pigs, bred by farmers to become abnormally overweight before slaughter, animal-rights activists said yesterday.

Dozens of activists from several animal-rights groups yesterday gathered in front of the Council of Agriculture (COA) to protest traditional pig contests, saying the government has failed to regulate abusive practices toward animals.

Showing a documentary about pigs selected for the contest, activists said that 15 to 18 months before the overweight pigs are killed as sacrificial offerings, they are deprived of fluids, exercise and even turning over freely. The pigs undergo these cruel farming practices until their weight reaches upwards of five to six times their normal weight, activists said.

The accompanying photo truly must be seen to be believed. Yes, those are the pig’s ears at the bottom.

Three days ago the same publication had a good article giving a roundup of various traditions of the Ghost Festival. Of interst here is the final anecdote, concerning a rural pig farmer who raises animals for sacrifice, which gives a much more accepting description of the practice than the earlier story focusing on animal rights protesters.

About 10km away from the Yonglian Temple, a different type of religious tradition is taking place. The Ghost Festival had attracted about a dozen pig farmers carrying truckloads of sacrificial pigs to the Tachong Temple in Pali (八里) Township, Taipei County, one of three local temples taking turns to host the annual event.

The 210-year-old Tachong Temple has just been designated as having historically significant architecture, and temple managers hope to begin a renovation project by the end of next month to give the building a face-lift.

Chou Chin-tiao (周金條) won this year’s pig-raising contest with an animal that weighed 890kg. The first runner-up came in far behind, at under 500kg, with the second runner-up weighing about 400kg.

This was the fifth time Chou won the contest. The secret of growing such a big pig, Chou said, lies in the fodder. The feed he uses contains grain shells, rice porridge, canned fish, pig oil, milk powder and raw oysters.

The animal is fed twice a day, with 14kg of fodder each meal, and is given water every three hours. The cost for the fodder alone is about NT$30,000 a month.

During the summer, he has seven fans blowing on the animal to keep it cool and comfortable.

During his some 30 years of pig farming, Chou said that only three pigs died under his care. Although he spends more time and effort taking care of the animals than his wife and four children, Chou said that it pays off when he wins the highest honor.

“I don’t raise the pigs for the gold plate or certificate of merit,” he said. “I do it to fulfill a promise I made to the Buddha when I was poor that I would offer big sacrifices if I could have food to eat and clothes to wear.”

Matsui Struggles with English, Wonders if there’s a “good way to learn out there”


Yukan Fuji (also known as ZAKZAK online) via Yahoo! Japan (rough translation, not always direct):

Matsui Struggles with English, Wonders if there’s a “good way to learn out there”

CHICAGO (Yoshihiro Kuboki): In the second game of the season pitting Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui and White Sox infielder Tadahiro Iguchi against each other, Matsui, fifth in the order, hit a grounder to 2nd and Iguchi, second in the order, hit a grounder to the shortstop.

Meanwhile, Hide Nakata, who recently switched teams to Britain’s Bolton, surprised local media outlests by speaking fluent English without relying on an interpreter at his welcome press conference [Tr: He also forced Japanese reporters to ask him questions in English. Poor guys!]. So, how is Hide Matsui holding up with his English?

Matsui always answers questions at locker room press conferences through his interpreter, Rogerio Carron (sp?). However, a local reporter praised his English, saying, “Sometimes we talk candidly when the interpreter isn’t around, but I didn’t notice him having any trouble. He understands enough of what I’m saying.”

On the bench, it is not uncommon to see Matsui joking and laughing with friends such as team leader Derek Jeter. Though in his first year “Godzilla” couldn’t understand a word of what manager Joe Torre was saying at meetings, now he can even understand Torre’s jokes. Later, when asked whether he gave any consoling remarks to Yankees pitcher Scott Proctor after he walked in a run at the recent Yankees-Devilrays game, Matsui replied, “There’s no way I could have talked to him. I don’t speak English!”

One might recall that Matsui doesn’t really like to be asked about his English ability, like the time when he returned to his hometown and avoided the urgings of the host of a gathering of villagers to let them hear him speak English.

However, Matsui, in his 3rd season in Major League Baseball, is putting a lot of effort into his English studies. He doesn’t say much about it, claiming, “I don’t do anything special. I wonder if there is a good way to learn out there,” according to a source close to Matsui, he has a few English converation books close at hand in his home, and he looks them over when he can find some free time. He is also being proactive in using his English, trying such everyday (for a pro baseball player) tasks as ordering room service.

It is said that the reason Matsui is studying English so diligently is because he wants to speak more with Derek Jeter. Matsui respects Jeter because they both came up through hard work, not by sheer talent. Matsui is able to get excited about studying because he has a clear motivation. The day may come soon when Matsui speaks English at a press conference that outdoes Nakata’s.

Gov’t to launch ‘Warm Biz’ campaign from Oct 1

Can’t wait to see what Koizumi will wear! If he’s still PM that is…

BTW check out the LDP Manifesto (Click where it says “120”) for some great shots of Koizumi looking majestic and wise.

Gov’t to launch ‘Warm Biz’ campaign from Oct 1

Monday, August 22, 2005 at 19:28 JST
TOKYO — Japan will kick off the “Warm Biz” campaign Oct 1, an autumn-winter version of the “Cool Biz” campaign held during summer, to promote energy conservation by encouraging business people to wear layers of clothing and help reduce the use of heaters, the Environment Ministry announced Monday.

Under the campaign, office workers will be encouraged to wear knitwear, warm underwear and headwear so that they can comfortably work in an office with a temperature of 20 C, the ministry said.

(c 2005 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.)

Japonisme

The Washington Post just posted a dual review of two books discussing the impact that Japanese art had on the European art world during the late 19th century, as Japanese art began to flow into the West following the ‘opening’ of Japan by Perry and the subsequent Meiji restoration.

Japonisme is filled with firsthand observations from a slew of artists such as Renoir and Monet. The author pinpoints the relationship between James McNeill Whistler’s oil paintings, especially his “Variations in Flesh Colour and Green: The Balcony,” and Torii Kiyonaga’s work. A woodcut print of a group of Japanese courtesans entertaining a customer is juxtaposed with Whistler’s painting of Western women dressed in kimonos: The composition and the perspective, with its view of the water, were clearly inspired by Kiyonaga’s print, which, in fact, Whistler owned.

JAPONISME
Cultural Crossings Between Japan and the West
By Lionel Lambourne
Phaidon. 240 pp. $69.95

THE ORIGINS OF L’ART NOUVEAU
The Bing Empire
Edited by Gabriel P. Weisberg, Edwin Becker and Evelyne Possémé
Mercatorfonds. 295 pp. $69.95

The Zimmerli Art Museum, located on the campus of my alma mater, Rutgers University, has a well put together collection also entitled Japonisme, which primarily focuses on art created in France under the influence of Japanese works. I recommend that anyone at Rutgers or in the vicinity check out this exhibit (I believe admission is free, but that may only be for students. Or I may be wrong.) Unfortunately, they have but a single image from it online.

Japonisme:

Comprising turn-of-the-last-century European and American works on paper and ceramics as well as related Japanese art, this collection reveals the strong influence of the art of Japan on the art of the West and in so doing reflects the pervasive cross-cultural interchange which took place between Japan and the West beginning in 1854 when, after 200 years of isolation, Japan opened its doors to the West.

Yukio Mishima’s lost film version of “Patriotism” found

The Japan Times reports that the film version of Yukio Mishima‘s famous short story “Patriotism,” thought to have been destroyed by his wife following his suicide, has now been found.

Mishima’s widow, Yoko, who died in 1995, was believed to have destroyed the original along with all copies of the film.

But the negative was found in a wooden box by Hiroaki Fujii, producer of the 30-minute black-and-white film, according to publisher Shinchosha Co.

Fujii had persuaded Yoko, who pulled all copies of the film from theaters and burned them after Mishima’s suicide in 1970, to hold onto the original.

The film includes scenes that foreshadow Mishima’s suicide in 1970 at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s regional headquarters in Tokyo’s Ichigaya District.

A character in the film, a lieutenant involved in the Feb. 26 Incident, a failed 1936 military coup, commits hara-kiri.

Mishima also committed hara-kiri at the GSDF regional headquarters after calling on officers to launch a coup d’etat.

I managed to find a digital copy of the story from a dead website with the help of google cache, and I’ve mirrored it here.

Patriotism, by Yukio Mishima

Detective novels take on the world

From the Christian Science Monitor:

Huang fell for 2004’s widely lauded “The Coroner’s Lunch” and its tale of septuagenarian coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun’s struggle to find the truth behind a series of murders. First-time novelist Colin Cotterill “makes us understand what the system allows [Paiboun] to do, what the system prevents him from doing, and what he manages to accomplish anyway,” says Huang, owner of the Mysterious Bookshop in Carmel, Ind.

An academic tome might have accomplished the same goal of enlightening readers about Laotian culture. But detective novels are usually easier to read, and now, to a greater extent than ever before, they’re shedding light about the world outside the United States and Britain.

The Gundam lives!

After seeing my post a couple of days on a homemade full size Gundam robot built several years ago, a reader by the name of Taylor sent in some amazing photographs showing that it has actually been made into a permanent outdoor installation!

He says:

I saw it last month when I was still in Okayama, but it is pretty
popular. It’s right next to a major road, so I saw at least ten people
stop and take pictures with it. Most were older salarymen or ojisan.
It was quite amazing seeing it in person, you can see the size
comparison with me, and i”m not that small of a guy!

I was surprised by how popular Gundam still is over here. When I saw
the recent Z Gundam movie, half the crowd was over 50 years old. It’s
amazing how serious the older generation takes the Universal Century
age Gundam show

And of course, what outdoor art installation or sculpture would be complete without an explanatory plaque?

This robot was placed in Kume-cho by Mister Seiichi Nakamoto (born 1964). He drew up the plans and constructed it himself. The skeleton is constructed of steel and the outer shell of fiber reinforced plastic. The legs can be moved through the action of the hyrdaulic cylinders installed within.

An operator riding in the cockpit can control this versatile bipedal walking machine. After seven years of construction, it was completed in December, 1999.

Height 7 meters
Width 3.5 meters
Weight 2 tons
Passengers 1

Japan’s Arlington

Defenders of Prime Minister Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni Shrine inevitably compare the shrine with America’s Arlington National Cemetary.

Yasukuni enshrines the spirits of all of Japan’s war dead. Reporters tend to misunderstand what that means. Yasukuni does not contain the actual remains of these people, instead it contains a number of large scrolls on which the names of the dead are ritually inscribed, allowing the shrine to be a vehicle through which prayers and offerings can be given to the spirits of the dead.

While Yasukuni’s rolls contain the names of over 2.5 million deceased soldiers, the controversy stems from the 1068 convicted war criminals honored in the shrine, particularly the 14 class A war criminals whose names were secretly added to the list of souls honored by the shrine in 1978. Clearly, Yasukuni’s official policy is to allow the enshrinement of any former soldier or military official, regardless of the crimes that they have committed.

How does this actually compare with Arlington’s policy?

A recent and ongoing stink over Arlington’s acceptance of a convicted murder reminds me of the Yasukuni controversy. This Washington Post article on the Arlington scandal gives us some insight into their policy. The most important bits are highlighted.

Although Wagner’s criminal history came as a surprise to the cemetery, his crimes do not necessarily exclude him from an Arlington burial.

“A capital crime and being sentenced to life in prison without parole, or a death sentence, would preclude him from being buried in Arlington,” Calvillo said. Anything lesser would not.

According to a spokeswoman at the Washington County judiciary, Wagner was eligible for parole.

Furthermore, as someone who served on active duty in the armed forces and was honorably discharged, he was eligible for a “standard” burial there (for “full” honors — including a band, a caisson and a military escort — more stringent requirements have to be met). For an Army private first class, as Wagner was, pallbearers for his service would have been provided by the 3rd Infantry at Fort Myer.

The cemetery does not do background checks on those buried there, Calvillo said, adding that it is up to their families to share such information. Wagner’s sister could not be located for comment.

In the 1960s, the Department of Defense denied an Arlington burial to a decorated World War II veteran who had been chairman of the New York State Communist Party and had been convicted for advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government.

After a three-year legal fight by his family, he was buried at Arlington.

In 1997, Congress passed legislation barring those convicted of capital crimes from being buried in a national cemetery. The law was enacted to preclude any possibility that Oklahoma City bomber Timothy J. McVeigh, a Persian Gulf War veteran, would be buried at Arlington.

For most convicted criminals, however, there are no restrictions.

So does this mean that others among the 290,000 people buried in the cemetery could be convicted killers?

“It is definitely a possibility,” Calvillo said. “If you’re eligible, you’re eligible.”

Of the 14 Class A war criminals, 7 of them were executed by hanging and 4 were sentenced to life imprisonment. One was sentenced to a term of 20 years, and two died of natural causes before sentencing.

It would seem that even if Yasukuni operated under Arlington’s rules, 3 of the 14 Class A war criminals would still be eligible for honors. It is also worth noting that Arlington’s rules became significantly more stringent in 1997. In 1978, when the 14 were enshrined in Yasukuni, there were no comparable rules in place, and it seems none of the 1068 war criminals would have been turned away. Of course, this is based on civilian convictions. Does anybody know how convictions by military courts affect a soldier’s right to burial at Arlington?