The name is depicted 日本 in kanji logographics which literally means "Sun Origin", from which the frequently used title of "Land of the Rising Sun" emanates.
Japan has a long and interesting history, with human habitation being established during the Upper Paleolithic period, (between 50,000 - 10,000 years ago), and, being an island state, was isolated to a large extent from outside influences, so helping to maintain a unique cultural identity.
Japan is a stradovolcanic archipelago, comprising about 6,852 islands in all and has a population of around 127 million, with about ten million people living in the capital city, Tokyo. Volcanic activity, and it's subsequent disaster inducing components, have long been associated in my mind with the country, existing as it does on the Pacific Ring of Fire at the unique Boso Triple Junction.
Indeed, as I write this post, I have just read of a 6.1 earthquake hitting Osaka about an hour ago, sadly.
The Emperor of Japan is the head of the Imperial Family and the traditional head of state of Japan. Historically, he was also the highest authority of the Shinto religion. The Emperor is called Tennō (天皇), literally "heavenly sovereign". In English, the use of the term Mikado (帝 or 御門) for the Emperor was once common, (see Gilbert and Sullivan for more on that!), but this is now considered an obsolete term.
It is a country I would love to visit, friends who have traveled there describe it as a beautifully "easy" and very interesting holiday destination.
I did not have to think very long about the floral image for this week. Although the chrysanthemum is the image used for the Imperial Seal, and is wonderfully depicted on many examples of Japanese visual arts, I chose the flowering cherry, Prunus serrulata, because of it's ongoing and intrinsic popularity amongst the Japanese people.
For this weeks image, I simple made a tiny digital collage or two. The first incorporated Mt Fuji as well as the cherry image, but was too tiny and crowded to have any real visual impact, so I depicted the blossom against a blue Spring sky, instead.
The matting layer is part of an image of a handwritten diary from the eleventh century. Written on translucent rice paper, my image unfortunately does not indicate the beautifully written characters the frailty and ephemeral quality of the original. This document is stored at 京都大学附属図書館 Main Library, Kyoto University, how lovely that such old and fragile items still exist in our disruptive world.
Tim, who does not like duck, has not, so Duddles came for lunch good and early to help him along his barbequed duck learning curve.
I stared early too, making bread rolls, a roast pumpkin, spinach and marinated feta salad, an apple and onion sauce for serving with the duck, and a raspberry cream sponge to finish the meal, as Dud, who does not like sweet things generally, loves this.
All that was needed to add was the glass of chilled Seaview bubbly and we a had a feast indeed.
Tim lowered the tone a tad by eating sausages for his lunch instead, but we complied with his wishes with forbearing complacency...after all, it meant that there was enough leftover for a salad at suppertime for Chris and me!
I'd rather it went to a home it will be used into the future, than sit around gathering dust. I have made many skeins of wool yarn with this little wheel, and many little garments with the yarn. It was a 21st birthday present from my mum and dad and so is a bit hard to part with, from that sentimental point of view. It seems, as I grow older, that my connection with them grows less, silly but that is how it seems.
My daughter has never been very interested in yarny crafts and doesn't want it, and I know of no-one else to pass it onto. So, I will put an advertisement into our local spinning guild newsletter and hope to find it a new home where it can continue to play it's part in fibre production.
My friend gave me a lovely lunch when I visited, and I had a great dog and cat fix whilst there.
Such is her generosity, that, as I was leaving, she filled my basket with skeins and balls of her excess spun yarn from her yarn cupboard. I have it sitting here, now, in my craft room where I can both see it and feel grateful to her for her gift. I used up my own stash of yarn during the very early days of my back injury...it is so wonderful to have another stash, just sitting waiting, especially with Winter just getting underway...and of such a variety of colour and hand crafted luscious textures...I simply can't wait to dive into it.
I do have a couple of projects underway, a pair of house socks for Chris and the two Coastal Crochet blankets, but will be into this lot soon, I promise!