2012, the year of the dragon －Oriental dragons in art

2012 has started. I wish you all the best for the new year! It is the year of the dragon for many countries in the East. I bought a small dragon figurine last December and have placed it on a shelf along with some lucky cats. Every year during the new year's holiday, I decorate my house with an ornament which represents the year's zodiac sign.

I suppose this dragon doesn’t look dignified or fearful at all. Instead it looks quite cute or kawaii. This type of cute dragon has become trendy in recent years and most of the dragon ornaments at stores lack majesty. Japan’s kawaii culture, spear-headed by Hello Kitty, seems to have invaded the sphere of the dragon and deprived the mythical creature of its solemnity.

source

at a department store

at Nihonbashi

I believe that the most fantastic living dragon in the world is the leafy seadragon that lives in Australia’s southern waters. I once saw two of them at an aquarium in Tokyo and found them very cool! The leafy seadragon, a relative of the seahorse, is a marine fish which has the ability to camouflage itself. 

Though it looks like recent dragons are designed with kawaisa (cuteness) in mind which can sometimes make them look cheap, Eastern dragons, which are otherwise known as Ryu(龍）or lóng（Chinese), have stayed majestic and august in traditional art. These are some of the Oriental dragons on display at Tokyo National Museum during the New Year’s holidays.

①

②

③

④

It is really fun to visit the museum in the new year's first week. You can see not only special new year's exhibits which feature the year’s zodiac sign but also many fantastic performances such as Lion Dances(獅子舞）, Taiko (Japanese drum) performances, and this year, Golden Dragon Dances （金龍の舞） outside the galleries. Adults (1000 people) can even taste a cup of sake (Japanese rice wine) for free during the week.

⑤(left) ⑥(center)

　　　⑦

⑧

⑨

⑩

Since the late 1990s, national museums have been transferred to independent administrative agencies. This change has required them to support themselves more on the financial front. As a result, the museum has stepped up its campaigns to attract more visitors: you see lots of such posters at stations, in trains, and in newspapers besides its TV commercials. I’m very glad that the museum has become more enticing with many interesting events and lectures for both adults and children.

posters

Hatsumoude（初もうで）to Tokyo National Museum! (catch copy)

Hatsumoude originally meant New Year’s visits to shrines. 

Hmmm it looks like the museum has a rivalry with famous Tokyo shrines

such as Meiji Jingu Shrine.

Flower arrangement display

Taiko(Japanese drum) show

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Golden Dragon Dance

I read the first three books from the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. It is a fantasy +science fiction series which Sarah recommended to me last year. It is a fascinating tale of dragons in which they are portrayed in a positive light as intelligent, telepathic flying creatures. I found the setting of the tale really great: A distant planet Pern where a lost Earth colony has regressed to a feudalistic society where the humans can communicate with fire-breathing dragons. Pern is threatened by Thread, a weird life form that falls like rain from Pern's sister planet.       

                 1. Dragonflight   2. Dragonquest  3. The White Dragon

In the three books, Macaffrey doesn’t veer from what we are so familiar with in fairy tales; a strong male character saves a noble princess in distress. I also found that the society on Pern is very male dominant. I have no idea whether it is because the first novel of the series was written in 1967 or because it is set in a kind of medieval feudalistic society. In this respect, I suppose some of you may feel irritated by it while some may like it. Whether you like it or not, the trilogy is really fantastic. I look forward very much to its 2013 film adaptation.

On Ginza streets, many lights called “Wings of Hope”have been set up for the winter holidays in the hope of Tohoku's revival. On the globes, you can see drawings by the children from the affected areas. The number of neon lights was much smaller than last year in order to save power.

May 2012 be a good year for you and us!

                                                                                                             

Winter tree- peonies are flowering in Ueno Park where the museum is located 

though it is very cold.

Related posts on dragons:

1  A-hum dragons and Zen gardens in the Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto                         　

2 Pig dragon and the dragon of Marduk－earliest dragons in the Orient

3 Alike in composition, unlike in meaning    

4 Dragon Rider - an impossible dream? What's the origin of dragons?

*Photography was permitted by the museum.

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① Dragon, From dragon and tiger set of folding screens, By Soga Chokuan (曽我直庵),  Japan

17th century, Azuchi-Momoyama - Edo period (detail)

② warrior's helmet ( 紫裾濃威筋兜 ) Japan, 18th century, Edo Period, (Gift of Matsudaira Naotaka)

③Kitsuke Garment (Kabuki Costume), Japan, Dragon and wave design on white plain-weave wool

Edo period, 19th century, Formerly worn by Bando Mitsue (Gift of Ms. Takagi Kiyo)
④Bu jar,  Bronze, Shang dynasty, 13th-11th century BC, China
⑤Jar, dragon and wave design in underglaze blue, China, Yuan dynasty, 14th century(detail) 
⑥Vase with dragon handles, Three-color glaze, Tang dynasty, 8th century, China
⑦Kannon(Avalokitesvala) riding a dragon by Sato Chozan, wood with polychromy, Showa period, Japan
⑧ornamental horse strap fittings, 7th century, Korea
⑨ceramic plaque  Winged dragon（応龍） design　in overglaze enamel, Imari ware, Kakiemon-type
17th century, Japan
⑩Dragon and Tiger by Tawaraya Sosetsu(俵屋宗雪）, (detail) , Edo period, Japan