Figal, Gerald A.
Summary: "Monsters, ghosts, the supernatural, the fantastic, the mysterious. These are not usually considered the "stuff" of modernism. More often they are regarded as inconsequential to the study of the modern or, at best, seen as representative of traditional beliefs that are overcome and left behind in the transformation toward modernity. In Civilization and Monsters Gerald Figal asserts that...
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Duke University Press 1999
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Adult Non-fiction, Call number: 398.2 FIGKaminski, Leah
Summary: "A mesmerizing blend of old and new traditions, Japan is a country of diverse land, climate, and people ... Explore Japan's history and its creation of art forms including origami, calligraphy, and ikebana, the art of flower arranging."--Provided by publisher.
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Cherry Lake Publishing 2020
Copies Available at East Bay
1 available in Juvenile Nonfiction, Call number: J 952 KAMCopies Available at Interlochen
1 available in JT Non-Fiction, Call number: JT Place Co KaminskiCollcutt, Martin
Format: text
Publisher / Publication Date: Facts on File 1988
Copies Available at Woodmere
1 available in Oversize, Call number: OVS 952 COLSummary: This program reveals the pristine vistas of winter in Kyoto. Set against a backdrop of snow, New Year's festivities-the Okera-mairi ritual at Yasaka Shrine, the tolling of the bell at Kiyomizu Temple, pilgrimages to the temples of the seven gods of fortune, the calligraphy festival at Kitano Temmangu Shrine, the naked dance at Hokaiji Temple, and other events-as well as the Devil Dance festival...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This was the age of the Tokugawa family, the era of Edo, a period of over two-and-a-half centuries during which Japan was hermetically sealed off from the rest of the world and only a few Dutch and Chinese-constantly watched and treated like pariahs-were allowed to live on Japanese soil and to trade with the Japanese. This program treats the history of Japan during this period: the established...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: In 1540, Portuguese navigators and Jesuit priests landed in a Japan of shoguns and samurai, where the arts of warfare had been refined to hitherto unknown heights of cruelty. Although Westernisms quickly became the rage in Japan, the Japanese soon recognized the long arm of colonialism. Christian priests and converts were persecuted and martyred and, in 1650, Japan shut tight its doors to the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: This documentary explores sobering developments linked to Japan's emphasis on intense academic pressure and conformity: 2,000 teen suicides per year, a 60 percent increase in crime since 1994, and the phenomenon of hikikomori children-those who have collapsed emotionally and withdrawn from society. Gritty footage shot in chaotic classrooms and dysfunctional homes, combined with commentary from...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: More than 80 years of unstinting devotion to his craft have made 98-year-old Yatsujiro Yamaguchi one of the best textile artists in Japan-and perhaps the world. Filmed at the Nishijin Textile Center and other locations, this program showcases the obi, the key component of traditional female garb and the epitome of Japanese elegance and refinement, as woven by Mr. Yatsujiro. Noh costumes are...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Elegant and lyrical, The Tale of Genji-written by Murasaki Shikibu, considered by many to be the world's first novelist-predates the seminal Don Quixote by an incredible 600 years. This extraordinarily beautiful program traces the plot, which centers on the romantic relationships of the noble hero Genji, through the panels of a series of illustrated hand scrolls dating from the early 12th...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Michihiro Sato is considered the finest player of the Tsugaru shamisen, a traditional three-stringed instrument of the Tsugaru province integral to Japanese folk music. This program combines live performances by Sato at the Otsu Traditional Performing Arts Center with the musician's commentary on the history and role of the shamisen player, a door-to-door minstrel of a bygone era. Sato also...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program examines the Japanese matsuri or "summer festival," perhaps the best elucidation of that country's ancient polytheism. Ceremony footage from Tokyo and surrounding areas illustrates various festival activities and explores the Japanese cultural emphasis on community, cooperation, and folk worship. Commentary by Japanese cultural scholar Yoshi Morikatsu, interviews with festival...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: This program explores the glories of summer in Kyoto. The video starts with a tour of the Kurama-dera Temple, spotlighting its history as a shrine to the Sonten trinity, its fire festival and bamboo-cutting ceremony, and the locale's natural beauty. It continues with visits to the gardens of the Tendai Buddhist Manshu-in Temple and Zen Buddhist Ryoanji Temple, as well as to the Gion festival,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Even today, the geisha epitomize the beauty of Japan's past. But theirs is a dying profession as the glare of Tokyo neon competes with the more mellow glow of Kyoto. Drawing on interviews with the world-renowned Mineko Iwasaki and other geisha and those who idolize them, this program places the geisha squarely in the context of contemporary Japan. In addition to background on the geisha...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
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Summary: Their world is ruled by a strict code of privacy and silence, and in Japan their title is a byword for exotic allure. Called "entertainers" by some and "prostitutes" by others, the geisha are a secretive sorority in high demand by members of Japan's wealthy elite. Filmed in collaboration with Arthur Golden, author of the best-selling Memoirs of a Geisha, this program captures the geisha...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Winner of the 1968 Nobel Prize for Literature, Kawabata Yasunari wrote novels that expressed the transitory nature of love and beauty. This program traces Kawabata's life and career, focusing on his importance in Japan's Neosensualist movement and the development of his finely tuned, elegiac sensibility. Personal and historical events that shaped the author's creative journey-including the loss...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Tokyo is one of the most technologically advanced cities on the planet, but Japan's low birth rate and the diversifying interests of its young people are causing Tokyo to rely increasingly on skilled immigrant labor. This program examines the implications of that change, gathering insightful commentary from a wide range of Japanese society about multiculturalism, racism, and interracial...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program savors the peaceful splendor of autumn in Kyoto. First, visits to Kozan-ji Temple, an example of early Kamakura architecture and repository of a painting by Toba Sojo; Sanzen-in Temple, immortalized by 18th-century poet Ueda Akinari; and many other temples offer views of the region's beautiful red-colored maples. Then, the video covers the autumn festival in Arashiyama, the Jidai...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine honors and venerates the spirits of Japanese soldiers and officers-including convicted and executed war criminals. This program explores the history of the Shinto shrine, the complexity of its functions, and the controversies generated when political leaders appear there. Interviews with visitors, an inside look at the shrine's adjacent museum of war memorabilia, and a...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program captures the essence of spring in Kyoto. First, the program presents the region's gorgeous displays of cherry blossoms and other flowers at Heian Jingu Shrine, built to commemorate Kyoto's 1,100 years as capital of Japan; in Maruyama Park; by Togetsu Bridge; and at a number of famous temples. Next, traditional seasonal events are profiled, including the Miyako-odori and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The history of Japan past and present is the story of the kami, the supernatural, not quite godlike spirits who underlie the Japanese-ness of Japan-who created the Japanese islands at the beginning of time and remain today the ones responsible for health and luck, for success in childbirth and business, for the proper functioning of silicon chips and the uniqueness and unity of the Japanese....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Filmed in Japan, this program pushes beyond the stereotypes to objectively examine the history of manga, how manga are drawn, and manga's influence on Japanese life as illustrated by cosplay bars, where people dress up as their favorite characters; manga kissa, 24/7 manga cafes; and Comicket, the twice-annual comics market that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. The program also...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
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Summary: The shakuhachi, a kind of wooden flute, was introduced to Japan sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries and was used in court music as well as in Buddhist monasteries as a vehicle for enlightenment. This program features performances and discussion by Shozan Tanabe, one of Japan's most recognized players of the shakuhachi. Along with recordings of his music, Tanabe talks about the history...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: There is an old Japanese adage that "the best food is that which is least prepared." This program looks at Kyoto-style sushi both as a delicacy and as a symbol of Japanese cultural aesthetics. Footage of Kitamura Norio and Kitakura Hiroyuki-two of Japan's foremost sushi chefs-illustrates their specialized approaches to oshi sushi and nigiri sushi while capturing the care they put into every...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Kyoto's immense underground spring has nourished Japan's former capital for more than a thousand years. This program illustrates how Kyoto's incomparable spring water has been integrated into the flow of the city's culture and industry, adding its purifying touch to the tea ceremony, festivals and religious rituals, the disparate arts of kimono-making and tofu-making, and the landscaping of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006