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Documentary : Traditional Culture

Documentary

The Mark of Beauty |

Restoration of the Five-Storey Pagoda of Muroo-ji

DC270018Documentary

室生寺五重塔はこうしてよみがえった [NHK]

|Length : 49min. |Year : 2000

The five-storey pagoda of the Muroo-ji has captivated the minds of many people for 1200 years and has been designated a national treasure by the Japanese Government. In 1998 its graceful form was devastated in an instant when the pagoda was hit by a typhoon. After an extensive 15 month restoration program, the pagoda was brought back to life in July, 2000.

The 1000-year Nail : A Blacksmith’s Challenge

DC270017Documentary

千年の釘に挑む [NHK]

|Length : 43min. |Year : 2000

Yakushi-ji is a temple in Nara, which is located in Honshu Island. It is World Heritage listed and its buildings are the second oldest wooden structures in the world. A bold plan is in progress to reconstruct the temple buildings. Today, common nails last for around 50 years. The question is: can a contemporary craftsman recreate the 1000-year nail? This program tells the story of Yukinori Shirataka, the last surviving blacksmith in Japan who can make 25-centimetre nails using traditional Japanese methods.

Goro Suzuki, The World of Oribe Ware – Clay, Resolution at the Age of 20 –

DC270016Documentary

鈴木五郎 織部の世界 土… 20歳に決めたこと [TVA]

|Length : 25min. |Year : 2000

Aichi, Gifu and Mie Prefectures are treasuries of traditional ceramic arts, and since ancient times have given birth to a succession of talented ceramic artists. Artist Goro Suzuki was born in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture in 1941 and graduated from a ceramic training school. He has since produced a wide variety of works making full use of masterly techniques of Kiseto, Setoguro, Shino and Yakishime as well as his main style: Oribe.

The Echo of “Naruko” Castanets – Yosakoi Soran Festival 1996 –

DC279913Documentary

鳴子騒いだ…YOSAKOIソーラン祭り・1996 [HTB]

|Length : 24min. |Year : 1999

The June "Yosakoi Soran" Festival in Hokkaido draws up to 10,000 contestants and attracts an audience of 1 million over a three-day period. Performers must follow two rules: the Hokkaido folk song "Soran" must be incorporated in their music, and dancers must carry "Naruko" castanets in accordance with the original festival in Kochi Prefecture. The festival is organized by college students who recruit sponsors and contestants.

Song of Birds and Flowers – The World of Atsushi Uemura, a nihonga artist –

DC279912Documentary

花鳥諷詠 いのちを描く 日本画家・上村淳之の世界 [NHK]

|Length : 44min. |Year : 1999

Nihonga artist Atsushi Uemura, a noted ornithologist who calls himself a "bird-and-flower painting" artist, is the third generation of a distinguished family of painters: his grandmother Shoen Uemura and father Shoko Uemura were both recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit. On his retirement from the Kyoto City University of Arts, Uemura began working on a painting of a white hawk, an ambition his father had long held.

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