先学期に続き、今学期も私は書道を学んでいます。書道というのは墨を付けた筆で字を書くことです。先学期と同じように毎週火曜日の六時から年配の先生のお宅でしています。満足できるまで書かなくていけないので、大抵二時間ぐらいします。いつもは四人の小学生もいて、一緒に書道をしながらちょっと喋ります。先生が書いてくれたお手本のおかげで、これまでの五ヶ月でいろんなことを勉強して上手になってきたと思います。大筆と中筆と小筆という三種の筆を使って、基本的な字から和歌や隷書体という古い漢字の書き方など、難しい書まで学んできました。先生は普段はそういうことを教えていないそうなので、私だけではなく、先生も一生懸命頑張っています。私は、たとえ腹が立つほどひどい日でも、書道を始めると心が落ち着きます。それで、いつも書道をするのが楽しみなので、私にとって書道はとてもいいCIPプロジェクトだと思います。
「Private or Group Lesson (Non-Sports)」カテゴリーアーカイブ
ガオ・ジャジン：陶芸レッスン
私のCIPは陶芸レッスです。一週間に一回行って、３時間ぐらいかかります。学生の年齢とレブルはぜんぜん違うので、自分の能力によって、できる陶芸を作ります。学生のレブルは違うから、講義はないけど、質問があったら、個人的に教えてもらえます。私はボストン大学で一学期陶芸の授業を取ったことがあるので、日本の陶芸レッスは難しくないと思います。経験がないなら、日本語で陶芸レッスの内容は難しいかもしれないと思います。
授業の中で、先生は色々な陶芸についての単語を使うので、分からない言葉がたくさんあります。日本語の練習については、先生と話すチャンスがたくさんあります。しかし、陶芸レッスは静かなので、クラスメートと話すチャンスは少ししかありません。それから、陶芸をする人は年寄りが多いので、すごく上手ですから、日本語で話しにくいです。
しかし、最初レッスに行った時、神戸市から来た二人に会いました、その二人は簡単な言葉で良い説明をしてくれました。授業の後、一緒に抹茶ケーキを食べて、次に京都に来る時、もう一度会うという約束をしました。
陶芸を作ることは私の好きなことだから、時々難しいですが、楽しいです。
ガス・チャオ：座禅
僕のCIPは座禅です。座禅というのは仏教の禅するという意味です。毎週、大徳寺に行きます。そこで座禅をします。一時間、床に座って、手で印 相を作って、床をじっと見て考えを捨てます。実は難しいです。十分後に半跏趺坐することは痛いです。半跏趺坐というのは英語でhalf-lotus positionの意味です。危座することも痛いです。お坊さんは僕の危座をよくなおしてくださいます。ちょっとはずかしいです。考えを捨てにくいです。でもそれは普通です。痛くなったり、考えを捨てられない時、お坊さんに 頭を下げると、お坊さんは僕の肩を打ちます。その後で半跏趺坐をなおしてもいいです。難しいですけどおもしろいです。
お坊さんと座禅した人とちょっと話せました。話せる時間は短い時間ですが、面白いことを見つけました。それは、時々日本 人は僕が日本人と間違えることです。最初、座禅のあと、お坊さんは僕に「日本人…じゃないね？」と聞いて、日本人じゃないと分かると、すごく驚かれまし た。他の時も日本人に間違えられました。
Jeremy Chen: Ceramics Studio
After weeks of emailing various places, trying different things, and sorting out a few problems, I finally ended up at the Kamogama Ceramics Studio with a wheel to myself and all the tools, clays, and glazes I would need to keep me going for the next few months. Honestly speaking I was unprepared for the amount of freedoms they offered me considering the other studios I had emailed or visited did the exact opposite of that in the form of time, materials, or cost limitations. But since this place was offering everything, I figured it would be a waste to let this opportunity go by, and I jumped on the offer. Only five people worked at this ceramics studio-store-coffee shop hybrid, so I wasn’t expecting too much contact with people my age let alone people at all given that most of the staff worked the cafe. Fortunately the woman who worked the ceramics side of the business made it her informal job to be my ceramics instructor and go to person for questions regarding Japan. Through this relationship, I came to understand a lot about what Japanese people see in foreigners.
Communicating with my instructor was easy. I spoke enough Japanese to describe the things I wanted to do with my pieces, and in exchange, my instructor would teach me what the Japanese term for said action was. However, whenever the topic strayed away from ceramics, my instructor would immediately assume that I practically didn’t know anything about Japan. At times I appreciated this because of the depth of the explanations she would give me, but also I started to wonder what she actually thought of me. I would start a conversation about Christmas traditions in Japan, for example, and without fail, as she does every week, she would compliment my Japanese skills and then continue on about Christmas. My limited conversations with the other staff reinforced the idea that they were actually fixated on the fact that I was speaking Japanese to them even after weeks of coming to the studio.
Although not ideal, I prefer this over being spoken to as if I were a Japanese person. I actually sometimes play the foreigner card to ask really silly questions like “Why is a lot of anime about school?” or “Why do the pottery wheels spin the other way here?”. I feel like this small studio is more like a second homestay rather than a CIP project space although the people here never seem to get that my Japanese skills have gotten me through everyday life for the past few months. Just the other day one of the staff members complimented me on my ability to write in both hiragana and katakana even though my emails go far beyond that. Still, it’s been fun in its own way, and I’m going to miss everyone that helped me along the way. I’ll be sure to remember them through the pieces they helped me make.
Meng Zhao: Ima Tenko Butoh Workshop
I participated in Ima sensei’s butoh workshop this semester. This experience was a whole new experience for me. I had some theater and dance related experience before but what I had was backstage work, such as theater management, stagecraft, and community arts theory etc. The butoh workshop was my first time moving from backstage to front stage after quitted dancing when I was a fourth grader, to learn practicing arts as a real artist instead of being a supportive staff. The workshop was also a special experience because what I experienced was so different from the traditional class I read in book or from other people’s experience that there was no hierarchy in the class that no strict teacher and student relationship existed.
Ima sensei is a really nice person. The whole workshop was conducted in a comfortable environment. There was great freedom of self expression in class. We had improvisation practice every time but she never gave concrete description that she left a lot of space of imagination to us. For example, we were often asked to play “something” dancing in the air. The question of what object to play, how to play and play with what kind of emotion etc. were all left to us. The only thing she asked us to do was to relax and move slowly to feel the change of body dynamics but how slowly was also not defined. During the class, she seldom judged or corrected our dancing. The only time she explained what is right or wrong was when she expected us to explore certain things, for example the posture of a obaasan. She would make sure everyone is doing the right obaasan posture so that everyone is on the same track. Yesterday she made an interesting comment on my dancing “Maggie san’s dancing looks different from the others’. It made me remembered something (I can’t catch that part) I saw during old school days but I’ve been unable to remember what it is until I saw your dancing”. She further explained that each body is different and we have different abilities to control our body so she enjoyed observing how people manage their body differently, especially in this class where people have different background and different level of experience with performance arts.
While sharing with other people in my class about my CIP experience, especially Helen since we all took dance class in Japan, it was so interesting to see that even though we both took dancing, how our experience differed that I didn’t experience any 厳しさ of Ima sensei. I was so surprised to find that the environment of the class was similar to dancing workshop in America. I thought it was due to the nature of modern dancing where self expression is expected that the need of breaking the existed system of arts and doing something new is celebrated. Since butoh explored human body, the most natural way one presents is the most correct way that there’s no right or wrong.
Another reason is that butoh which has a history of merely 70 years is still under development. Tons of unknown things are still under research that it’s important to keep learning and being humble. This point is further illustrated by the way of talking in class. While talking to sensei, we all used ます form most of the time but not keigo, including pro dancers. Sensei used short forms most of the time. The way we called her also differed a lot. I called her Ima sensei and there were people calling her Ima san, Tenko san etc. I asked her how she thought of the use of language, she said that should be the way you talk to 年配の人 and she didn’t mind how people call her. Talking to elderly with respect shows good manner is 当たり前 in Japan. It’s interesting she put herself as a person with more experience because she is older instead of being a sensei with more experience and more professional. I guess it was because of the nature of her work which involved observation and learning from other people with different backgrounds a lot where she didn’t have to fully establish her status as a sensei who makes no mistakes and controls the class.
Taking Ima sensei’s workshop was one of the best things of the semester. It was good to exercise every week while learning what my body can do and experience how modern arts in Japan is like. I truly recommend Ima sensei’s butoh workshop to anyone who has interest in modern Japanese arts.
Nia McDonald: Manga Class
For my CIP this semester, I’m in a manga class. So far I’ve attended about 5 sessions and I’m enjoying my experience for a couple of reasons. My CIP is scheduled for every first and third Saturday from 4pm to 7pm, but my teacher has added additional lessons. I’ve been going every week for the past 3 or 4 weeks. When I first went to my class, there were 2 girls stationed at 1 table and the other only table was empty, so I sat there. Because I don’t talk often, I actually don’t remember the names of the girls or the names of the 2 (sometimes 3) teachers that I work with. This may be different fro another person who is more talkative than myself. We’ve all been working on individual projects so my teacher rotates between us, occasionally checking up on out work and giving advice, suggestions, corrections, etc. Because of my short time time attending the class, and my skill level, my focus is practicing on drawing ‘real manga’ using multiple tools and techniques for experience’s purpose.
When I first entered the class I would say for sure that I was a little bit lonely because it was a quiet space and I’m used to the very social bustling art spaces that I’ve experienced in the US. This is not to say it can’t be this way, but coupled with my language barrier and our personalities, it ends up being mostly quiet besides our teachers talking amongst themselves. There is 1 girl that started coming and she is very energetic and fun to listen to. She and the teachers didn’t speak much to me (besides teaching) for the first 3 classes, but I think as they realized that I can communicate in an okay manner, they’ve begun to engage me more. They ask me questions about America, English, the Caribbean (I’m Caribbean American), etc. I really enjoy these conversations because I think they make everyone ore comfortable. Including myself. I think for class the experience is really what you make of it. You’ll be working on your own individualized project, so its good to pick something you actually want to focus on.
Rosaley Gai: Kyoto Igo Salon
Every Monday, I go to the Kyoto Igo Salon near Shijo Horikawa from around 1PM to whenever it is I finish my last game, which is normally around four or five in the afternoon. The classroom is not large, and attendance on Mondays is low; usually there are not more than ten or twelve people there, including the instructor and myself. I am always the youngest person there; the other students are generally in their sixties and seventies. At first, I was nervous and did not speak very much to anyone at first, but after a few months, I feel comfortable and can converse with most of the people there. Many of the elderly women are interested in my life in America and how my time in Kyoto has been so far.
Go is not a difficult game to understand on the surface, but it is riddled with complex theory once you become more well acquainted with the game. Essentially, the game requires players to place individual stones on the board and surround empty spaces, which become territory. The person at the end with the largest amount of spaces (counted by the number of blank spaces within one’s territory) at the end of the game is victorious.
The basic structure of every class is the same: first the instructor explains a theory or helps us do tsumego (life or death problems) on the magnetic go boards at the front of the room. Afterward, everyone splits off and plays games, frequently with players at their own level or close to it. Everyone I play is much older than I am, so I frequently have to make sure that I am speaking in a formal form and that I mind my go etiquette very well, especially when they are much better than I am at the game. However, the salon itself is a fairly relaxed atmosphere; there are the occasional outbursts of frustration upon a loss, people laugh and talk over their games, and the regulars certainly often use plain form when speaking to the instructor, even if they call him “sensei” at the same time, though this frequently changes to a formal speech pattern if they ask him a question. I found this strange at first, but I have become accustomed to it now.
My time at the Kyoto Igo Salon has taught me not only how to speak comfortably for long periods in formal Japanese, but I have also been able to learn a lot through observing how the other students interact with each other, particularly regarding their speech patterns and the existing social structure based on respect and experience despite the casual atmosphere of the salon. I have yet to become good at the game, nor have I become a pro at understanding when the other students ask me questions with strong Kansai accents, but it is a continual process, and one that I have enjoyed thoroughly throughout the semester. I think it is important in choosing a CIP to pick an activity that you can become closely engaged with even if it is a strange atmosphere to be in at first, whether it is a sport, an instrument, or volunteering.
Andrew Proebstle: Calligraphy
My motivation for learning calligraphy as a CIP came from a Japanese professor I had at Brown University. She was the person who introduced it to me, got me to go out and buy a brush pen, and encouraged me to practice it in my spare time. Up until now, all the calligraphy I had done was all amateur practice because I was just writing with a vague notion of proper form and really just trying to get a feel for handling the brush. Therefore, receiving proper instruction while in Japan was an opportunity I could not pass up.
However, my initial expectations of calligraphy instruction were quite unreasonable. First, I had hoped to receive one-on-one instruction at a location where I could relax and focus easily. Furthermore, I dreamed of being able to work extensively and reach a considerable level of skill in a short amount of time. Then, by copying classical works and adding my own style, I would be experiencing Japanese traditional artistic culture at its finest.
Things didn’t work out that perfectly, and I’m happy that they didn’t. I don’t have the time or money for any kind of extensive one-on-one training, and it’s hard to beat the price I got for four sessions a month. Of course, at that rate there was no way I could get as good as I wanted to, is what I had thought. To the contrary, and thanks to the wonderful teachers I’m lucky to study under, I’ve been able to improve surprisingly quickly. In these past three months I’ve made it from practicing single, basic strokes to writing haiku and semi-complex characters. As far as experiencing traditional culture and art goes, I’m more that happy to settle for experiencing modern culture instead.
At first, I had been incredibly skeptical of being able to observe anything about modern Japanese culture by learning calligraphy. After all, how much can one classroom at 6pm on Tuesdays with two teachers and on average ten-year old students say about the culture at large? Perhaps non-surprisingly, seeing kids learning calligraphy in Japan reminds me of my own experience from that age. Most of the time, it’s the parents that are making their kids go to lessons because that’s what they did when they were kids. The kids who prioritize having fun over artistic discipline spend the time goofing off, while the few that choose to devote themselves are praised for doing so.
Instead of the kids, it was the teachers that I was really interested in. My mom is a public school teacher in America, and through her I’ve become well aware of the American teaching process. While the calligraphy classroom is in no way affiliated with the public Japanese educational system to my knowledge, it’s important to note that in general, at least one private calligraphy teacher exists in any local community. They are as much a part of the primary educational system as the schools are, but their integration with the local community means that the teacher-student and teacher-parent relationships differ from the norm. For example, because the parents live no more than a few blocks away, the teachers not only know the parents well, but also will not hesitate to call the parents in the event that their child is misbehaving. As I still have one more semester to study calligraphy, I hope to develop these observations even further.
アンドリュー・プロブステル：書道
私のCIPプロジェクトは書道だ。書道というのは伝統的な字の書き方の技術だ。日本語を初めて学んだ時からきれいな字を書きたかった。一年間前、筆ペンを買ったのはそのためだったが、本当の書道もやりたかった。私の書道の先生はホストファミリーの家の近くに住んでいるから、とても便利だ。先生は優しくて、英語も話せるので、驚いた。最初の日、先生は私に筆をくれて、基本な画の書き方を教えてくれた。例えば、「一」を初め、「大小」や「川上」などを書いた。最後には、俳句を書けるようになりたい。頑張ってだんだん上手になるつもりだ。
趙 マン：今貂子舞踏ワークショップ
今貂子先生の舞踏ワークショップに参加しています。私はパフォーマンアートに興味があります。専門がパフォーマンアートの友達の勧めめで、舞踏が習いたくなりました。舞踏は日本の現代的なダンスで、 裸体の上から全身白塗をするとか、腰を低く曲げるなどの特徴があります。舞踏は人類の身体にたいする、意識を高めるためのダンスで、私の専門は脳科学ですので、身体に対する意識に興味もあるし、ダンスはいい運動だと思うし、今貂子先生の舞踏ワークショップを参加し始めました。
毎週の木曜日、午後七時から、九時まで、九条付近のスタジオで踊ります。ワークショップは、日本人もいれば、アメリカ人もいて、ドイツ人もいれば、フランス人もいるというように国際的な雰囲気があります。ワークショップの前に、皆一緒に雑巾で拭き掃除します。また、ワークショップの後で、よく先生とプロダンサーと他の学生と一緒にお茶を飲んで、例えば、舞踏の身体論と最近の演劇など、色々なことを話します。今貂子先生はいつも優しいし、自分の研究に対して謙虚です。
舞踏ワークショップでは、まず呼吸練習と基本の身体の準備運動を一時間します。そして、簡単な舞踏の姿勢を習って、即興でおどります。最後に、ほぐす運動をして、お稽古が終わります。今まで、舞踏のワークショップ四回参加しました。面白かったです。身体に対する意識はまだ分かりませんが、先週、情報科学芸術大学の小林先生が今貂子先生に依頼に応えて、舞踏の歴史と身体論についてレクチャーをしてくださいました。舞踏の哲学がよく分かりました。
引き続き楽しみにお稽古を続けます。先生の公演１１月１５日と１１月１６日です。皆さん、時間があれば、ぜひ、いらしてください。 