Lian Hearn's Blog, page 5
August 29, 2016
arelativenewcomer:
SleeplesslyI watch overthe spring night—but...
Sleeplessly
I watch over
the spring night—
but no amount of guarding
is enough to make it stay.
(Izumi Shikibu, Japanese poet of the mid-Heian period)
A spring night, made of blossom, moonlight, and the whisper of the wind in fresh green leaves is fragile by its very nature; trying to grasp it in its floating splendour is a vain effort. But its spirit is persistent—so much so that sometimes in mid-winter we catch a sudden whiff of cherry petals bathed in moonlight.
Top to bottom, left to right: Tsuchiya Koitsu, Benkei Bridge, 1933 [source]; Tsuchiya Koitsu, Spring Moon at Osaka Castle, 1932 [source]; Kawase Hasui, Spring Evening at Inokashira Park, 1931 [source]; Kawase Hasui, Spring Evening at the Tōshōgū Shrine in Ueno, 1948 [source]; Kawase Hasui, Night View of Cherry Blossoms at Koganei, 1935 [source]; Kawase Hasui, Tochinoki Hot Springs in Higo Province, 1922 [source].
August 28, 2016
August 27, 2016
stories-yet-to-be-written:
The Best Pictures Of This Year’s...
The Best Pictures Of This Year’s Japanese Cherry Blossoms
The Japanese cherry blossom, known as the Sakura in Japanese, is the flower of a cherry tree that is cultivated for its decorative features rather than for cherries (it doesn’t bear fruit). The overwhelming beauty of the cherry blossom bloom has been known and adored for ages. The blooming period is associated with Japanese traditions, culture, aesthetics, and is a bittersweet metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life itself.
The blooming cherry blossoms herald the beginning of the centuries-old Hanami festival – the traditional Japanese custom of picnicking under trees rich with flowering Sakura branches and enjoying this short but striking first breath of spring. The blossoming wave usually starts in Okinawa in January or February and progresses through all of Japan until April or May. The cherry blossom front (Sakura zensen) can be conveniently tracked every year using this calendar.
Source: Demilked Magazine
Image Credits: | Takeshi Tanaka | Sue Hsu | Masato Mukoyama | onotch | 紅襪熊 | Noisy Paradise | Akio Iwanaga | tomosang | Yuga Kurita | zhangning |
Another gorgeous photo from Instagram user...
Another gorgeous photo from Instagram user @foldedpagesdistillery of all four books. They look so wonderful together, don’t they?
The Tale of Shikanoko
Book 1: Emperor of the Eight Islands
Book 2: Autumn Princess, Dragon Child
Book 3: Lord of the Darkwood
Book 4: The Tengu’s Game of Go
I am so fortunate to have the amazing Yuko Shimizu illustrate...
I am so fortunate to have the amazing Yuko Shimizu illustrate the four books of the US edition of Shikanoko. This is the original b/w drawing (thanks again, Yuko Shimizu and FSG)
August 26, 2016
Anton Chekhov - Timeline | Facebook
August 24, 2016
“Men hate above all those they have wronged.” —Emperor of the...
“Men hate above all those they have wronged.” —Emperor of the Eight Islands
This lovely quote card was made by Instagram user @kamreadsandrecs.
August 22, 2016
Q. Which author (living or dead) would you most like to sit next to on a long plane trip and why?
August 21, 2016
August 20, 2016
Instagram photo by Charlo • Jul 24, 2016 at 8:29am UTC
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