{"id":44,"date":"2025-04-18T04:03:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T04:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=44"},"modified":"2025-06-09T18:23:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T09:23:27","slug":"frontier-of-traditional-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?p=44","title":{"rendered":"Frontier of Traditional Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cJust one thing from me: let\u2019s stop admiring them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this simple but powerful line, Shohei Ohtani kicked off his pep talk before the championship game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). It was great enough to pull Samurai Japan together. They went on to defeat defending champions Team USA 3\u20132, claiming their third title\u2014and their first in 14 years. A long-awaited return to the top of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ohtani\u2019s pre-game speech continued:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIf we keep admiring them, we\u2019ll never surpass them. We came here today to go beyond, to become the best. Just for today, let\u2019s set aside our admiration and focus only on winning.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n



On that day, Samurai Japan quietly cast off the label of the \u201chumble Japanese\u201d and rose to the challenge with fearless determination\u2014a moment that remains vivid in the memory of Japanese people. But the battlefield isn\u2019t limited to stadiums alone. It may lack the flourish of baseball, or so one might think\u2014but this is not quite the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we spotlight individuals who are boldly and respectfully pushing the boundaries of traditional Japanese culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reimagining the Tea Ceremony with A Unique Contemporary Style<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Souryou Matsumura is a modern tea master who maintains the foundations of Chanoyu<\/em> (the Way of Tea) while crafting a unique style that fits contemporary life. While traveling across Europe as a student, Mastumura had a realization: despite being Japanese, he knew little about Japanese culture. Upon returning home to Japan, he immersed himself in Sado<\/em> (tea ceremony) , Kado<\/em> (flower arrangement), and calligraphy. It was Sado that interested him the most. He saw both fun and potential in it, and quickly became absorbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
SoryouMatumura makes tea with a unique view of the world<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


Finding joy in what he describes as \u201cfreedom between the rules,\u201d his work may appear muchakucha\u30fca Japanese term meaning \u201cchaotic\u201d or \u201cout of order.\u201d Fittingly, the company he leads is named Mucha-Kucha<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Dubai Design Week 2023<\/em>,a world-renowned design event, he produced a tea ceremony gathering titled \u201cArabi-An Tea House.\u201d The tea room\u2019s design was inspired by the site\u2019s latitude, and it was built using \u201cfood concrete,\u201d a sustainable material made from local food waste. This unique concept, grounded in the local culture of Dubai, drew significant attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Matsumura produced \u201cArabi-An Tea House\u201d at Dubai Design Week 2023
<\/a>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Matsumura frequently collaborates with contemporary artists, dancers, human beatboxers, manga creators, and more. His experimental approach is, in a way, a natural evolution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a relatively unknown, first-generation tea master in the world of contemporary Sado, Matsumura entered a deeply rooted tradition with no established lineage to rely on. In order to carve out his own place in the tea world, he had to find a way to survive. Yet, he has never lost sight of the spirit, creativity, and explosive energy that have driven tea culture since the time of Sen no Rikyu\u30fcthe historical tea master who codified the Japanese tea ceremony in the 16th century. Matsumura\u2019s work continues to evolve without boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focusing on Linguistic Gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hisashi Yamamoto, a calligrapher, is also part of the movement that respects tradition while pushing its limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Author Interview [Part 1] | Hisashi Yamamoto: \u201cCan Calligraphy Become Contemporary Art?\u201d\uff1aART DIVER<\/a>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taking \u201cwriting the name of an object onto the object itself\u201d as his conceptual foundation, Yamamoto moves fluidly between calligraphy and contemporary art. While he treats calligraphy as a form of language, he draws attention to a critical gap: linguistics, as originally developed in the West, doesn\u2019t account for scripts like kanji, hiragana, or katakana.

Take the word \u201capple\u201d as an example.

 In English, there\u2019s just \u201capple.\u201d But in Japanese, it could be written in multiple forms: ringo<\/em> (in katakana \u30ea\u30f3\u30b4, in kanji \u6797\u6a8e, or in hiragana \u308a\u3093\u3054). 

\u300c\u2026\uff1f\u300d

Yamamoto focused on the clear disconnect between Western linguistics and the linguistics of Japan and other kanji-based cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hisashi Yamamoto \u201cMachine \u201d Bonded Ink\u30fbWashi paper., 695\u00d71350 mm\u3000\u00a9Hisashi Yamamoto, Courtesy of Yumiko Chiba Associates<\/a>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, he launched \u201cART SHODO,\u201d an organization dedicated to promoting contemporary calligraphy and discovering new calligraphers. The group has since grown to around 100 members and continues to produce a wide array of new artists.

The world of \u201ccalligraphy\u201d as contemporary art, which has expanded from Yamamoto, is gaining significant momentum. It\u2019s something that cannot be overlooked.

Just when it was thought, a pair of sneakers spotted in the street unexpectedly caught attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The OLD SKOOL sneakers featuring a bonsai-inspired texture, brought to life through the collaboration between TRADMAN\u2019S and VANS.
<\/a>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, the pattern on a pair of VANS \u201cOld Skool\u201d sneakers might resemble camouflage\u30fcbut look closer, and you\u2019ll see\u2026 bonsai<\/em> trees!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New School of Bonsai<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bonsai, which came to Japan from China during the Heian period (794\u20131185), has evolved into a uniquely Japanese art form. Even Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the 8th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate and cultural patron behind Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion), was said to have nurtured bonsai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A piece showcased at the POPUP event held at \u201cESC Garage&Club\u201d
<\/a>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Teppei Kojima is the one who transformed the image of bonsai, which was once considered out of reach. At TRADMAN\u2019S BONSAI, the company he leads, he has successfully launched various collaborations, including the recent one with VANS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
TRADMAN\u2019S BONSAI led by Teppei Kojima<\/a>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like Matsumura, Kojima\u2019s turning point came abroad. While traveling in the U.S. as a fashion buyer, he encountered numerous distorted versions of \u201cbonsai\u201d- plants that were neither properly potted nor pruned, with some even painted. 

What sets him apart from Matsumura is that he had been exposed to bonsai from a young age.

From the tattoo glimpsed from the hem of his clothing to his love for street culture and fashion, it\u2019s clear that Kojima was drawn to the \u2018coolness\u2019 of bonsai from a young age. He aims to remove the distorted image of bonsai seen abroad and convey its true beauty both domestically and internationally.

As he puts it, \u201cThere is no New School without the Old School.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
TRADMANS TOKYO MARUNOUCHI BONSAI STORE<\/a>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Matsumura, Yamamoto, and Kojima all have in common is their respect for the past while boldly embracing new challenges. As the theory of evolution suggests, countless species have been eliminated throughout changing times. In the same way, traditional cultures survive and evolve by continuously adapting to the passage of time. 

And this is where the true frontier of traditional culture stands.

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cJust one thing from me: let\u2019s stop admiring them.\u201d With this simple but powerful line, Shohei Ohtani kicked o …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":45,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_block_theme_hide_title":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,2],"tags":[29,27,26,28,25],"editor":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-44","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-culture","8":"category-technology","9":"tag-artfultradition","10":"tag-bonsai","11":"tag-calligraphyart","12":"tag-cuttingedgejapaneseculture","13":"tag-modernteaceremony","15":"with-featured-image"},"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-5.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-5.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"\u5c0f\u6797","author_link":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/?author=8"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44"},{"taxonomy":"editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Feditor&post=44"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.boundless-art.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=44"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}