Quote:
Originally Posted by RealJames
perhaps I should have been more clear on that point, thanks
well commercialization means something is used for profit,
it generally infers that it's at the expense of quality
when used in context with a country I presume for it to infer that it's at the expense of culture, or more popularly "it's roots"
in Japan's case, as it got more and more wealthy, it's people got less interested in it's traditions and cultures
The context I took ryuurui's quote from was how young people may not understand the virtue of calligraphy in the same way they might have in the past, presumably due to said commercialization
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Calligraphy is a spiritual art. To understand it, one needs to drop the pace of life, reflect on things, and forget the rush. Today, life is led at light speed with no (or very little) regard for not only other people, but also ourselves. Social interactions are down to twitter and 140 characters maximum, keitai's, or garbage (like TV, which is another way of passive existence). How people who live easy lives can relate to something that is far beyond every-day perception. Even in the calligraphy world majority of old people do not understand this art at all. I bet 80% do not get it, they just do it as they have nothing else to do. How many of them reach 師範 and stops studying, where 師範 is where it all just begins. Their knowledge of 書 is also superficial, and often times I find myself explaining virtually basic terms. So it is more of a "sunday" hobby for many, which is better than doing nothing at all, or drinking in 居酒屋, don't get me wrong.
I give you an example. I was consulting text of my calligraphy terms dictionary with my teacher, and he told me openly, that those terms I am talking about are not known to many of the calligraphy instructors in Japan. It simply goes too deep. What he said made me think, and scared me a bit, too. I realised how lucky i am to find a teacher that actually is in love with calligraphy and studies it diligently.
That is the angle i was coming from.
MMM - wanna bet that most of the reading in Japan is done on trains or while waiting on the first train after a night of 残業 at the locval convinience store? Japanese don't have the same hobbies? I am not so sure man, it is a society of followers, they follow the group and any deviation is saught as odd. You might be right though, that those who have "odd" hobbies,, do not talk about it as they are afraid that they will be cast away.
Anyway, this is a global issue, not just in Japan.