Bonsai: overview and history
Bonsai is a Japanese word whose meaning can be translated as “ planted in a tray ” or “ planted in a flat pot ”; in fact it is written with the kanji 盆栽, which can be translated respectively with the words ” tray ” and ” planting “. In...
WHAT IS SUMI-E?
The real sumi-e The Japanese term “sumi” means black ink, “e” instead means painting and indicates one of the art forms in which the subjects are painted with black ink in varying shades from pure black to all the shades that...
How the curved katana blade is made
The Japanese katana is characterized by a slightly curved blade. Previous generations of traditional Japanese swords featured a more significant curved blade or straight blade. However, swordsmen soon discovered that adding a slight curve improved the sword’s cutting power and efficiency, particularly...