BEGIN Japanology - Bamboo

nhk world and a stand of bamboo thrusts upwards towards the sky the stems are slender and elegant their surface a vibrant fresh green the leaves rustling softly in the breeze for people in Japan the beautiful color and gentle whisper of bamboo have a special place in their hearts bamboo can be fashioned into numerous everyday items and is even eaten as a fool it's a plan that has played a key role in people's lives for centuries attractive and durable it's an important material for the implements used in the tea ceremony and many other aspects of traditional Japanese culture since ancient times bamboo is featured in legends and folktales as a plant with remarkable properties and to the present day it remains an important element in seasonal festivals and religious rituals on this edition of begins upon Allah G we'll look at the many uses and attractions of this versatile plant hello and welcome to begin Japanese G I'm Peter Bergen this week our theme is bamboo here's a piece of bamboo as you can see it's hollow inside which makes it comparatively light you will also see it has joints at regular intervals which makes it very strong at the same time bamboo can be cut into thin strips much thinner than this actually and when it's cut into thin strips it's both flexible and resilient and these properties give it numerous different uses it's used to make many different kinds of items and it's been an essential element in the Japanese aesthetic since ancient times bamboo is actually one of the most important materials in Japan as we'll see in our first video bamboo is a group of plants that are members of the grass family it grows widely throughout Asia and there are more than 600 species in Japan because it is so light strong and easy to work bamboo makes a very versatile material since ancient times it has played a central role in people's lives in Japan the city of Kyoto was founded over a thousand years ago walking through the streets you can feel a sense of history bamboo is incorporated as a material both inside and outside many of the buildings the walls of many houses have low curving fences known as inner yatta which protect the walls and stop them from getting splattered with mud they make a graceful addition to these traditional street scenes shishio dashi a lengths of bamboo that slowly fill with water and then empty out making a knocking sound in the past they were used to scare away animals and birds but now people just like the rhythmic sound bamboo can be worked in many different ways to fashion everyday objects baskets are woven from a lattice of bamboo they're popular with farmers carrying fresh produce from the fields finally woven bamboo sips are used for washing food ingredients or for serving food at the table bamboo is also used in many crafts these baskets are for displaying flower arrangements BAM Busey mate flexibility is put to superb use in weaving these elegant forms bamboo holds liquids without leaking and because it is hollow inside it can be easily fashioned into cups the young shoot of the bamboo plant or a popular food there in season from March to May they have to be dug out while they're still under the ground after they pierce the surface they become too coarse and hard and lose their flavor noni Japanese as techinical these tender young bamboo shoots are considered one of the supreme delicacies of spring this exclusive kyoto restaurant specializes in dishes featuring bamboo shoots the shoots are dug up in the morning peels straightaway and boiled until they're tender again although you know are just like fish bamboo shoots easily lose their freshness it requires great care to bring out the full depth of their flavor bamboo shoots lose their subtle flavour within hours of being dug up so they have to be cooked as soon as possible prepared this way they are considered an essential taste of spring Japanese cuisine always emphasizes seasonal flavors so bamboo shoots are a key ingredient and because they are high in fiber and low in calories they're much appreciated by people who like to eat healthily you the sheaths around the outside of the shoots are also used because they have antibiotic properties and help to prevent foods from spoiling they have been used since the olden days as a natural wrapper for carrying foods such as rice balls traditional Japanese umbrellas are decorated in many different colors the beautiful designs are painted onto Japanese paper and stretched across a framework of resilient sturdy bamboo you the caps are a detached palace on the outskirts of Kyoto was built in the 17th century it's considered one of the most beautiful examples of traditional Japanese architecture and because bamboo is used so extensively throughout its structures it's also sometimes called the bamboo palace shelter tools and food because bamboo has so many different uses it has become an essential part of people's lives in Japan bamboo is not only convenient for making things it also has insect repellent and antimicrobial properties as well this is a bamboo extract which can be used in gardens to keep insects away it will also to keep weeds at bay as well and it can even be used in bathrooms to keep mold from forming which in the summer in Japan is extremely important I can tell you apparently it can even be used in the bathroom put a few drops in and it's quite nice on the skin it does have a rather strong smoky smell however and that is because it's made when this is created this is bamboo charcoal if you look at it you can see that it has thousands and thousands of very very fine pores which make an excellent filter people will use it will leave little baskets of this charcoal in a room and it will absorb odors and moisture as well or you can take a stick of this and just drop it into a jug of regular tap water like so and it will absorb impurities in the water and make it much better both for drinking and for cooking as well all in all bamboo is a remarkable plant in all parts of it are used in Japan in ancient times people also recognized that it had special properties bamboo grows very rapidly with some species gaining a meter or more per day because of its remarkable vitality and strength the people of ancient Japan revered bamboo is having mysterious powers the tale of the Bamboo Cutter is thought to be Japan's oldest folk story it starts in a forest where an old bamboo cutter finds a stem of bamboo that is glowing inside he finds a tiny little girl the old man looks after the child like his own daughter but she possesses the same miraculous powers of growth as the bamboo from which she came in just three months she grows into a beautiful young woman but this girl who sprang from the bamboo actually comes from the moon and eventually she returns them this ancient photo reflects traditional Japanese beliefs about the magical powers of bamboo to this day bamboo is still considered a symbol of good fortune and it features in many celebrations and rituals every year ahead of the New Year's holidays people place bamboo decorations called CAD or mat-su outside their houses and workplaces in December craftsmen throughout the country are kept busy preparing these symbolic decorations it's thought that the deities of the year to come Lodge inside the CAD amatsu and so putting these decorations in front of your house will bring good fortune in the year ahead the Tanabata festival celebrated on July the 7th is based on the annual conjunction of the stars Vega and Altair in the milky way according to myth these stars represent two lovers who are only allowed to meet once a year on this day people write their wishes for the future on slips of paper and tie them to bamboo branches it's believed that ancestral spirits which dwell inside the bamboo leaves will make these wishes come true in November tribes across Japan hold festivals called torii no Ichi local people come to buy bamboo rakes adorned with models of objects of great value rakes are tools used for gathering things together whether in cleaning up the yard or working in the fields eventually they came to symbolize the wish to rake in good fortune as well these decorative rakes are considered important amulets that bring success in business these rituals reflect the long-held belief that bamboo is imbued with special divine powers bamboo is a very unusual plant it's officially classified as a kind of grass and belongs to the same family as rice although some scientists now think that it should be given a totally different classification of its own it also looks like a tree but it's not a tree perhaps this is one of the reasons why people in ancient times thought they had supernatural powers another one is undoubtedly because it grows so incredibly quickly most plants shed their leaves or the leaves change color in the autumn with bamboo it's in late spring and that time of year is sometimes called the bamboo autumn for centuries now people have loved to watch bamboo leaves flutter to earth and the bamboo sheds its leaves just around the time that the new shoots are starting to form one more mysterious thing about bamboo is that very few people will ever see it flower this is because it only flowers about once every hundred years and when that happens all of the bamboo withers and dies there are many different kinds of bamboo and and on our next video we're going to have a look at some of them the ancient capital city of Kyoto lies in a basin surrounded by Hills the summers are hot and the winters cold these conditions are perfect for bamboo the raku sea bamboo park lies on the outskirts of Kyoto about a hundred and ten species of bamboo are cultivated inside this garden collected from all over Japan medaka is the most common species of bamboo in Japan it's joints are spaced well apart making it strong than flexible and easy to work it's used extensively in bamboo crafts and in the interior of traditional houses this species is called Hachi ku it's one of the more delicate kinds of bamboo the stalks grow from three to ten centimeters in diameter and can be sliced vertically into extremely fine slivers this makes it ideal for intricate craft work some types of bamboo are strikingly beautiful this is kin Mei more so it has a golden color with green vertical stripes which alternate from one side of the stem to the other unfortunately the stripes fade away after the stem has been cut so this bamboo can only be seen at its best when it's still growing you Chico Chico is a speciality of the Kyoto region the stems bulge on alternate sides in between each joint in Japan this is said to resemble a turtle shell this is another unusual variety that can be appreciated in ornamental gardens this is Karrueche coupe the name means black bamboo and you can see why and yet this green bamboo is also karateka it will turn black after the plant is two years old thanks to its distinctive hue this bamboo is commonly used by crop these numerous species of bamboo found throughout the country form the basis for Japan's rich bamboo culture I have a guest in the studio with me today mr. cogito jin-joo who runs a bamboo wholesaling business in kyoto welcome to the program thank you for coming in thank you for inviting me nice to meet you how many are there altogether although one thousand bamboo species around the world 1,000 years old but today I brought only one kind with me it is called mother k uh-huh mother K is the most popular bamboo in Japan how does it get from this to this yes the green bamboo in the bamboo grove cut and there it is heated over fire to drive out the oil aha and then it dried in the South one bath and the white mother K will turn from white to amber after 60 to 80 years 60 80 years you leave the bamboo in a warehouse yeah that's right now what about these two in the middle here which have these dark brown markings on this is called the shimmy taka shmita kiya dark blobs on earth shimmy is like a stain yes okay this pata is called keshiki or thinner scenery yes and then over here we have these three here with a deeper brown color what are these it is called tataki ah this tempo is 180 years old bamboo in order JFR many houses had a touch the roof and the bamboo was used to in the framework or the underneath the thatch yeah oh yes yes so day-in day-out people would have a fire burning in the house and smoke from the fighters goes up to the thatched roof and this is what happens over the passage of years yes how do these the white of the light and dark markings yeah evolved you can find rare the bamboo was tied with ruff oh I see so the white parts are where it was tied down to it wouldn't be more Sun yeah yeah oh we call this putter is risky so like this as well this is also a violation thing to fear the beauty of japan dharma bamboo very beautifully I must say well thank you very much kind of haggling with yesterday next we're going to take a look at the world of tea ceremony implements and one of the master craftsmen who makes them as well the ritual of the tea ceremony involves many aspects the tea room itself the implements used to prepare the tea and the food served with it and when it comes to the implements bamboo is one of the most important materials first a bamboo scoop is used to transfer the powdered green tea into each tea bowl then hot water is poured into the tea bowl using a bamboo ladle the hot water and the powdered green tea are then mixed in the tea bowl this is done with a bamboo whisk whisk slide this are made by cutting the tip of a bamboo stem into as many as 130 delicate slivers these are used to whip the tea into a froth without bamboo implements there can be no tea ceremony it was thanks to the 16th century tea master Sen no Rikyu the bamboo implements became so important in the tea ceremony this is a VARs that was made by Rikyu he used it for flower arrangements to decorate his Tea Room before Rikyu flowers were displayed in ceramic classes it was he who introduced the idea of using bamboo as a material in keeping with his aesthetic of austere simplicity Rikyu also made this tea scoop which has been given the name you Gami meaning walked as the name suggests the scoop has a bend in it curving to the left from about halfway down Rick you picked out a strip of bent bamboo and emphasized its irregular shape he also highlighted the joints of the bamboo many contemporary tea scoops try to emulate this distinctive shape the simple natural appearance of bamboo became an essential aspect of the tea ceremonies philosophy of rustic simplicity wahby in japanese this is the workshop of bamboo artisan Kuroda Shogun he's the 13th generation of his family to work as an artisan making tea implements his family is one of ten with a special link to the Seng K schools of the tea ceremony Kuroda carries on a tradition dating back to Riku himself this tea scoop was made by Kuroda he uses bamboo from close to the root where the joints are bunched close together the result is a striking piece full of natural character special containers are used a whole powdered tea for the tea ceremony the depression in the lid of this fine piece comes from a natural shape of the bamboo this water container is made of soot blackened sue sadeghi each piece of bamboo has subtle variations in hue and they have been skillfully arranged for the best overall effect this incense holder has a distinctive shape which highlights the natural patterns adorning the surface at the bamboo Kuroda keeps more than 2,000 lengths of bamboo in his story making bamboo implements requires a keen eye for the basic materials each stripper bamboo has its own specific pattern and coloration its kishke or scenery rely on it 40 scoops customers prefer bamboo that has a patent on it each strip of bamboo has a different back what we call its cash daddy but it's not easy to find bamboo with a good cash key it was easier in the old days but times have changed there are fewer bamboo groves today Foreman you can go all around a big bamboo grove and not find any stones with a suitable kishke kitchen on a screen or whatever seen here using a strip of bamboo that has been carefully picked out after long search through bamboo grows Kuroda begins to fashion a tea scoop first he soaks the bamboo in water for a day to soften it then he heats one end of it over an oil lamp he makes an incision and expertly bends the piece so that only the part of the bamboo that will be discarded snaps off he secures the bend bamboos in place with string and leaves it for two days after that it will hold its shape permanently now a Kuroda begins to carve the bamboo with a small knife the important thing is to respect the character of each piece he says it's like having a conversation with the bamboo kuroda adjusts the width of the scoop selecting which parts to carve off to highlight the kesh key pattern to best effect he takes great care carving the tip this is the crucial detail that will determine the quality of the finish scoop he cars off one sliver at a time carefully inspecting the scoop at every stage it's a process that requires the utmost care and then he files the scoop smooth using different grades of file on each part of the surface to give it a Polish the T scoop is completed the black coloration on the bamboo gives it a feel of somber elegance worked and shaped by skilled artisans to highlight its inherent character the natural charm of the bamboo reveals a profound depth of beauty bamboo it only flowers about once a century it's not showy it loses its green color when it's turned into objects used in daily life but nothing epitomizes better than bamboo the Japanese aesthetic of finding beauty and simplicity I'll see you again next time bye bye every year in Kyoto's nishiyama district an event is held called takea sabi or fun with bamboo it was first started 15 years ago as a way to encourage people to regain their appreciation for bamboo bamboo stems are cut down and candles set in the hollow stubs thinning the bamboo grove like this helps to ensure it grows healthily after the Sun Goes Down the festival begins the beat of drums made from bamboo echoes through the forest the festival is popular with visitors from abroad too everyone enjoys pounding out rhythms together on the bamboo steps illuminated by 5,000 candles The Grove has a mysterious atmosphere it's a great way to give younger people today a sense of the ancient belief in bamboos mystical properties in the next edition of begin jabber nology we look at Shilla cargo a beautiful rural village designated as a World Heritage Site in 1995 and the traditional construction techniques and wisdom of the mountain commute

Channel: Japanology

Views: 155,065

Rating: 4.8775511 out of 5

Keywords: Bamboo, BEGIN Japanology, Japanology, japanology 2016, begin japanology 2016, japanology 2015, begin japanology 2015

Id: wpoq2tB_PRU

Length: 29min 0sec (1740 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 26 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/slowvictory]

Bamboo is a part of the grass family, never would have guessed something like that. So thanks for sharing this.

[u/STUNT1990]

The video has been deleted :|

[u/Thats_classified]

Really interesting info! The video itself however was sooo poorly produced. Repeated content over and over again in different ways, narrators kept blundering through their lines.... XD