by Rebecca Copeland | Aug 12, 2020 | Japanese Culture
The word for traditional dance in Japanese, buyō 舞踊、combines the character mai, 舞, with that of odori, 踊, and suggests the syncretic nature of the art form. Whereas dance has been omnipresent in Japan since the beginning of time, the word buyō is a relatively modern... 
by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 29, 2020 | Japanese Culture
The dancer enters the stage slowly, her feet sliding across the polished wood of the stage. With silent, measured movements she opens her paper fan, one fold at a time, turns her back and waits for the strum of the shamisen to fill the theater. Holding her fan above... 
by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 15, 2020 | Japanese Culture
Most Japanese today do not wear kimono, and when they do, it is only for special occasions like weddings or graduations. And then, the wearer is almost always a woman. Because women wear kimono so infrequently, they have lost confidence in their ability to wear the... 
by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 1, 2020 | Japanese Culture
What interests me about the kimono (and the many accoutrements that attend the wearing of the garment), is the way it is always much more than just a covering for the body. As with all garments, it carries meaning beyond its mere functionality. Let’s look a little... 
by Rebecca Copeland | Jun 24, 2020 | Japanese Culture
Kimonos exist in both tangible and intangible forms. Having worked on modern Japanese women’s writing for several decades now, I am constantly aware of the attention to the detail of dress—more often than not to kimono. And the references are there not just to provide... 
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