Tokyo in the snow and the calming influence of Shintoism: A lament! Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Snow rarely falls in central Tokyo to any great degree. Hence, while children delight in this rare occasion, the childhood spirit also awakens in many adults. Therefore, with snowflakes in the air and the religious angle of Shintoism…
Japan art: Adorable mixture of trees and the lone Buddhist monk Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi is a contemporary Japanese artist who hails from northern Japan. In this article, the focus is on trees and a sole Buddhist monk walking in the winter. After all, the “tree of life” and the cycle…
Japan art and Sakai Dōitsu (1845-1913): Mount Fuji Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Sakai Dōitsu (1845-1913) produced many adorable art pieces. In this article, the emphasis is on Mount Fuji and the foot of this revered mountain in Japan. Interestingly, Dōitsu belongs to a revolutionary period in Japan. This concerns the…
Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen kill many: Endless suffering Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Saudi Arabia-led coalition is responsible for the deaths of at least 60 people in the province of Saada. This comes after airstrikes hit a detention center. Hence, the latest deaths join a never-ending list of massacres…
Japan art, China, and Zen Buddhism: Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) was a highly revered Zen Buddhist who utilized art, calligraphy, and other cultural angles to promote Buddhism. Rinzai Buddhism was stagnating because many ordinary people felt isolated. Therefore, Hakuin – and Sengai Gibon (1750-1837), a fellow Rinzai…
Colombia and 145 activists killed in 2021: Young indigenous activist killed this year Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another 145 people in Colombia were killed in 2021 concerning their respective human rights activity. Every year people are killed for speaking up for the dispossessed and communities who suffer at the…
Saitama tourism and Buddhism: Delightful Chichibu Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Chichibu is a great place to visit. This concerns refreshing the soul, connecting with nature, walking in the mountains, enjoying outdoor sports, shopping for cultural items, and browsing around this lovely part of Saitama. Also, the landscape, irrespective of whether…
Tokyo artist during the Edo era: From fishmonger to esteemed art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Totoya Hokkei (1780-1850) died in the late stages of the Edo Period. Remarkably, he went from being a young fishmonger to studying under Katsushika Hokusai after delving into the Kano School of Art. Therefore, the…
Dutch winter landscapes based on Hendrick Avercamp by Japanese artist Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist Sawako Utsumi adores Dutch art. This concerns the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries because this period was a Golden Age concerning the number of esteemed Dutch artists with unique styles (all inspired by Dutch and Flemish Renaissance…
Kazakhstan witnesses quick pull out of CSTO forces: Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan was quick to request the support of members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). This was after a planned uprising occurred that witnessed two members of the security forces being…
Japan art and Western influence in late Edo and early Meiji Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Sadahide (Gountei Sadahide) lived during a period of momentous changes in Japan. This concerns the ending of the Edo Period that began in 1603 and was eclipsed by the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Sadahide was born in…
Kazakhstan in “shoot to kill order” to protect National Security Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan ordered a “shoot to kill order” against violent “bandits and terrorists.” He told internal security forces to “use lethal force without warning.” He poured cold water on international calls for compromise. This is partly…
Japan art and Buddhism – the mirror of life! Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Kaō Ninga was a holy Japanese Buddhist monk who lived during the Nanboku-chō Period. Hence, he lived during a time of major hierarchical differences. This concerns the Nanboku-chō period (1336-1392) and the lasting convulsions of the demise of the Kamakura…
PM Hamdok resigns in Sudan: Internal crisis is growing Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The political paralysis gripping Sudan is continuing. At the same time, ongoing protests remain against the military and civilian elites who supported the initial coup under the auspices of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Therefore, despite the reinstatement…
Art of Japan: Depictions of women in Edo Period Modern Tokyo Times Lee Jay Walker The Kyoto artist Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671-1750) was born in the Edo Period. He became famous for his own distinctive artistic style. Thus his rich depictions of women appealed greatly to kimono makers. However, while the imperial city of Kyoto conjures…
Buddhism and the Japanese calligrapher Sugawara Mitsushige: Bodhisattva Kannon Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The inscription of the Japanese calligrapher Sugawara Mitsushige dates the scroll to 1257. Thus the start of the brief Shoka era. Also, in this period of Japanese history, the famous Buddhist monk Nichiren (1222-1282) spread new ideas and reinvigorated Buddhism…
Japan art and influence of China: Sakaki Hyakusen and Buddhism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Sakaki Hyakusen (1697-1752) was heavily influenced by the Middle Kingdom (China). Indeed, some believe that he was of partial Chinese descent. Irrespective of this, this notable Japanese artist focused on a broad array of art forms.…
China and Japan Defense Ministers hold frank talks on Tokyo’s request Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi held frank talks with the Minister of National Defense from China. Wei Fenghe, the Minister of National Defense, is a general in the People’s Liberation Army. Kishi hails from a…
Sudan tensions erupt again after protests in Khartoum Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of Sudan reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok last month. This happened after mounting internal and international pressure. However, with the military still having power mechanisms to alter the path to democracy, many in…
Japan poetry and a life blighted by ill-health: Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The final years of the life of Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) were filled with pain and long-lasting suffering. Ultimately, his life was cut short from the ravages of tuberculosis and other ailments that stemmed from this. Shiki understood the frailty…
Islamists kill many in Burkina Faso and Niger Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Islamic terrorists have killed many once more in Burkina Faso and Niger. Recently, Burkina Faso and Niger launched military operations against Islamist forces. Apparently, during these military operations, they killed approximately 100 terrorists. However, Sunni Islamic terrorists affiliated…
Japan to provide more economic support to Afghanistan Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan is concerned about the economic crisis and the infrastructure of Afghanistan after the Taliban took power from the American-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani. The former president of Afghanistan fled the nation –…
Kurdish prisoner executed in Iran: Family told he is in his grave Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Islamic Revolution of 1979 culminated in the power concentration of ruling Shia theocratic elites and the political system that is part of the state apparatus that rules by fear. Countless numbers of people…
Japanese art and Tanaka Hōji (1812-1885) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Tanaka Hōji (1812-1885) isn’t the most famous of artists in the land of the rising sun. Despite this, he compiled some notable cultural art pieces. Hōji witnessed enormous cultural, political, and social convulsions throughout his life. Initially, he belonged to…
Japan art and culture: Kaihō Yūshō (1533-1615), Buddhism, and China Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kaihō Yūshō (1533-1615) lived and breathed Buddhism, high culture, the arts, and the richness of Chinese culture. Yūshō was a lay Buddhist priest who fused the arts, ethics, faith, philosophy, and other aspects of Japanese high…
Burkina Faso and Niger kill roughly 100 Islamist terrorists Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In two weeks of military operations between Burkina Faso and Niger, it is reported that they have killed roughly 100 Islamist terrorists. Hence, the recent joint initiative will increase anti-terrorist operations between both nations. Sunni Islamist terrorists…
Art of Japan and Ikeda Koson: Hinoki Cypresses Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Ikeda Koson (1803-1868) died in the year that modernization would take place in Japan. He belongs to the dying world of the Edo Period that was replaced by the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Hence, his earlier life was…
Japan art and rinpa: Buddhism and high culture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times One of the most distinctive art forms in Japan is the delightful cultural art of rinpa (rimpa). This art movement developed in Kyoto in the early Edo Period of the seventeenth century. Therefore, the two founding fathers – Hon’ami Kōetsu and…
India and the Russian Federation to strengthen ties: Putin to meet Modi Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation values its relationship with India. This feeling is reciprocated. Hence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India will welcome President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation with open arms. Therefore,…
Mali massacre of bus passengers by Islamists and UN compound hit Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Sahel is blighted by several brutal Sunni Islamist terrorist organizations that think nothing about burning people alive on buses, torturing, and doing other brutal deeds. Hence, the latest massacre by Islamists against innocent bus…
Japan art and the individualism of Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799) Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799) lived during the Edo Period. Various opinions exist concerning his background. However, irrespective of this, Rosetsu was blessed with an independent artistic spirit. He felt deep tragedy throughout his adult life. This concerns the…
Japan art and bijin-ga (beautiful ladies) of the Edo Period Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Bijin-ga art in Japan refers to various forms of “a beautiful person.” However, in the Edo Period, the terminology mainly applies to “beautiful ladies.” Therefore, the bijin-ga art of Eishōsai Chōki is firmly based on depicting beautiful ladies in…
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