Behind Teahouse Walls: Geisha and Japan's Traditional Entertainment Culture

December 18, 2005 (Sun)
13:00 Lecture over 400 participants
15:00 Screening over 600 participants

Aratani/Japan America Theatre
244 South San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Admission: Members and students $5 Non-Members $7

At 1pm, Dr. Andrew Maske, a recognized scholar of Japanese art who has held positions at the Peabody Essex Museum, the Rhode Island School of Design, and Harvard University, presents a lecture on the fascinating and often misunderstood entertainers known as geisha.

The explanation provides background and context for the afternoon's movie, "Gion Bayashi" directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Set in Kyoto and Tokyo in the early 1950's, "Gion Bayashi" (Gion Festival Music /aka A Geisha) stars Wakao Ayako as a young geisha, training in traditional Japanese arts and challenged by the culture she enters.
The film explores the clash of pre-war traditionalism in the pleasure quarters with the new atmosphere of individual liberty and equal rights for women in post-war Japan.

Presented by The Japan Foundation of Los Angeles.

©1953 Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

KUMAMOTO ARTPOLIS: ARCHITECTURE THROUGH COMMUNICATION

Perloff Gallery, 1318 Perloff Hall / 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday

70 projects by contemporary Japanese architects designed to improve the architectural culture of Kumamoto, Japan. Includes work by Hitoshi Abe, Tadao Ando, Jun Aoki, Toyo Ito, and Kazuyo Sejima. Artpolis was established in 1988 as a progressive cultural movement to create projects ranging from public housing to public toilets, and from bridges to museums.

When: NOVEMBER 14 - DECEMBER 23, 2005

Where: The Perloff Hall, Los Angeles, CA90095
UCLA
Parking is available in Lot 3 for $8.

Admission:
FREE

For more info:
call 310-267-4704
http://www.aud.ucla.edu

KOTOHAJIME

"Massengers from Forbidden Mountain"
The Noguchi Plaza
244 S.San Pedro Street, Downtown, Los Angeles
Janyary 8,2006 (SUN) 1 p.m.

Both solemn and festive, the closing of an old year and the beginning of a new one are viewed as a time of reflections as well as festivity. This year's celebration incledes a special performance"Messengers from Forbidden Mountain" on Sunday, January 8, 2006 from 1 pm and a Shikishi Exhibition at the George J. Doizaki Gallery. This year's Shikishi theme is Hatsu-Hanashi(First story) and the works will be on exhibit from January 8th through January 29th.

When: JANUARY 8, 2006

Where: The Noguchi Plaza
244 S.San Pedro Street, Downtown, Los Angeles

Admission:
FREE

For more info:
call 213-621-2267 ex.109

Katsudo Shashin: Japanese Classic Films Return to Little Tokyo

This series of classic Japanese films showcases rarely screened post-war Japanese masterpieces by some of Japan's most revered directors: Kenji Mizoguchi, Kon Ichikawa and Masaki Kobayashi.

August 21, 2005 (Sun)

1:00 pm
"Tale of Heike" (SHIN HEIKE MONOGATARI)
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi (1955, 108min)

5:00 pm
"Harakiri" (SEPPUKU)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi (1962, 135min)

September 18, 2005 (Sun)

1:00 pm
"Makioka Sisters" (SASAME YUKI)
Directed by Kon Ichikawa (1983, 145min)

The screenings take place at
Aratani/Japan America Theatre
244 South San Pedro Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

For more info:
contact Mr. Hirokazu Kosaka
at 213-628-2725 ext. 127
http://www.jaccc.org

DIAGONAL: A Performance by Aki Takase and Yoko Tawada

The Center for Asian and Pacific Studies and the Department of Germanic Language and Literatures, University of Oregon present a free public performance of music and poetry in English, German and Japanese by Yoko Tawada and Aki Takase in Eugene, Oregon. Yoko Tawada, an award winning writer, will be accompanied by Aki Takase, a jazz pianist and composer.

When: April 26, 2005 7:30pm

Where: Gerlinger Lounge, University of Oregon Campus

Admission: Free

For more info:
call 541-346-1521
http://www.uoregon.edu/~caps/events/diagonal.html

Ballads of Love and Death: A Lecture/Demonstration of Shinnai Japanese Narrative Song

As part of its Cultural Education Series, the Lee Institute for Japanese Art will host Living National Treasure Shinnai Narrative Song Performance Tsuruga Wakasanojo XI for a single, exclusive West Coast engagement on May 7. The performance will be open to the public and will be held in the Lee Institute exhibition gallery space.

When: May 7, 2005 (Sat) 6:30pm

Where: The Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art
15770 Tenth Avenue, Hanford CA 93230

Admission: Members $25 Non-Members $35
(All tickets by advance reservation only)

For more info:
call 559-582-4915
http://www.shermanleeinstitute.org/programs_shinnai.html

From the Japanese Impressionist printers of 18th Century

This rare event provides an in-depth view of traditional Japanese printmaking, demonstraiting the printing process of one of Japan's most famous images, KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI's "The Great Wave Off Kanagawa".

In this one-time event, master artisans from the Adachi Institute recreate the image in full, showing the many steps of the printing process and revealing the image's original, vibrant colors not seen for over 200 years.