Ken Ikemoto

Where do you most want to be right now?

At this moment there are many places that I would love to be. But one place that comes to mind would be soaking in a steamy outdoor bath somewhere in northern Japan. My mind would be soft clouds slow gliding across tall azure skies and the sound of trickling water, distant songbirds, and the wind in the leaves. Yes, that is where I want to be right now. Oh, and about half an hour later I will want to be eating a sumptuous feast of delectable foods.

Do you have a favorite work of art in the museum?

Oh gee, I have many favorite works of art in the museum! One that stands out is the Gandharan sculpture of the boddhisattva Maitreya from Pakistan. It is such a handsome piece that carries a nobility and princely grace. And there is still a sincere humility despite all the blingin’ jewelry he is wearing. The promise of the Buddha of the future always makes me feel at ease. It is a reminder that our destinies will unfold effortlessly as they should when the time is right. Other favorites are paintings by the Korean artist Yoong Bae. The museum has several of his works in its collection. His ink paintings have such a depth of layered textures from the paper to the colored washes to the brushstrokes. Within his simple compositions lie a direct awareness of ineffably deep invisible worlds. Good stuff.

What are the best and worst aspects involved in working for a museum?

The biggest challenge in working in a museum is constantly having to work with limited resources. We are always finding ways to maximize every minute. There is always so much to be done, so much potential, but never enough time or resources. In a way this aspect is a great pleasure too. Its satisfying to see how much we really do accomplish with the modest resources we have. But I wish we had more resources so that we could do bigger things!

The absolute best thing about working in a museum is being a part of all the great programming. Just when things start to get hairy and I find myself staring wistfully at my desktop wallpaper (it’s usually food or scenes of nature) a visiting artist arrives, a 7th grader asks to interview me, we make samples for art activities, there is a big performance, or something else wonderful happens that reminds me how lucky I am to work in this amazing field.

If you could tell a first-time visitor to see one thing in SF, what would it be?

Definitely either Dolores Park or Golden Gate Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon. More than iconic buildings, sites, restaurants, venues, or neighborhoods, it is the people of this crazy city that define it. There is no better time to see people at their truest than when they are at leisure. In an afternoon spent people-watching and eavesdropping in the park you’ll see drama, comedy, romance, tragedy, joy, and pain. You’ll meet people of all backgrounds, interests, and cultures, from all over the country and world. You’ll find that if you’re open to it you can be part of the big complicated happy mess of people (and pets) too. Sometimes you don’t have a choice. A day in the park is never just voyeuristic, your participation is tacit. It is in participating that you truly experience the odd and happy of San Francisco.

Do you feel you can put an end to the banh mi wars and tell us which Vietnamwich is the best in Little Saigon? (Or perhaps this a trick question and there is always struggle when it comes to food supremacy.)

There are great Vietnamese sandwiches and sandwich shops in Little Saigon. Each has its strengths. Sing Sing has the best pate and easiest menu. They have just one type of sandwich. And the Vietnamese pop music karaoke videos on the monitor there are curiously mesmerizing. Saigon Sandwich has the best roasted chicken sandwich and there are always a fun mix of different people in line (though its a quick moving line). And the woman at that nameless shop near the 19 bus-stop on Larkin at Golden Gate is by far the friendliest and makes a solid Vietnamwich.

However, all these sandwiches (and every other banh mi that I’ve ever had) share a crucial weakness: hard cardboard baguettes that hurt your mouth. Perhaps it is a fundamental flaw in the very DNA of banh mi. A French baguette is just not a very forgiving sandwich bread. Its rare that you find a crispy sandwich roll that still remains moist and soft on the inside.

Le Petitt’s Kitchen on Golden Gate at Hyde across the street from Morty’s Delicatessen (another great Tenderloin sandwich shop) does this well with some of the best fresh-baked sourdough sandwich rolls around. If only they would lend their considerable baking skills to their neighbors there could be one banh mi to reign supreme.

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Tag: Ken Ikemoto

The latest additions to the Japan galleries include a pair of near-life-sized Japanese dolls in kimono complete with miniature accessories in a striking installation. Their innocent smiling white faces reflect in the gallery cases behind my own reflection. I know my sister would absolutely shudder at that description because she is one of those people that are just irrationally creeped out by dolls but I find them to be quite cherub-like. They are a part of the thematic exhibition Japan’s Early Ambassadors to San Francisco 1860-1927, currently on display.

This exhibition begins with the arrival of the ship Kanrin Maru and the first Japanese embassy in San Francisco, this year being the 150th anniversary of their arrival. It examines the experiences of some of the first Japanese diplomats and cultural emissaries to the United States. The exhibition also includes artwork and objects relating to Japanese artists active in San Francisco in the late 19th and early 20th century.

San Francisco’s love-hate relationship with Japan and its Japanese-American citizens is an underlying thread throughout this exhibition. Japanese immigrants faced many challenges, including discriminatory practices and attitudes. One culmination of this could be seen in an anti-Japanese movement that related directly to the Immigration of Act 1924. The 1924 law included provisions that were aimed specifically at Japanese immigrants.

In fact, the two Friendship Dolls on display were ambassadors of goodwill in a doll exchange effort made by certain leaders to ease tension between the two nations in the wake of the 1924 legislation. However, by the time the Friendship Dolls were sent immigration from Asia had been effectively halted by the Immigration Act.

I think this exhibition is timely and relevant because it brings up important questions about immigration in the past that we continue to struggle to answer to this day. As the responses to the recent new legislation in Arizona requiring police officers to stop and interrogate anyone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant show, immigration and related issues of discrimination and racial profiling remain a divisive issue for many people.

Arizona’s lawmakers have also signed into law a measure that bans Ethnic Studies programs in Arizona public schools in a move reminiscent of those made by the Hawaii Legislature in the 1920s, primarily targeting Japanese-Americans, to ban foreign-language schools in the territory. The Hawaii laws were later deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. In the case of Arizona today the debate continues.

Some leaders and groups have openly criticized the Arizona legislation and moved to boycott the state of Arizona. However, some polls have shown that there is broad support for this type of legislation. The complicated issue of immigration includes questions about racism, civil rights, education, healthcare, crime, and foreign policy. It is a big issue that I admit I am not expertly informed on.

So in the spirit of dialogue and learning I would like to offer some questions for discussion to all of our blog readers:

• How do you think immigration has changed over the past one hundred and fifty years?
• What can we learn from the immigrant experience of the past that will help us today?
• What is the role of art, artists, and museums in relation to immigration issues?

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

150 Years of Immigration Issues

“Hey so you know Mr. C, the history teacher? He is actually pretty cool for a teacher I guess. He set up this field trip to go to the Asian Art Museum next month.”

“Yeah? That place is hecka cool man. I went there a couple times in elementary school and we did some Chinese painting class and another time had a samurai thing.”

“Neat! You know my cousin, she’s really into art, she is doing a program there where they’re talking to a high school in China.

“That’s cool. Yo, I heard that this one time, they even had some kung-fu guys breaking bricks and stuff!”

“No way! That’s awesome. This will actually be kinda fun. Go Mr. C!”

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Field Trip to the Asian Art Museum

School Programs are a large and crucial part of the museum’s Education department’s work that may be less visible to the general visitor than other types of programming. School Programs staff have varied backgrounds, often as classroom teachers and artists, in museum studies, education, fine arts, art history, and Asian studies. We work closely with volunteer docents and storytellers, Education department colleagues, other museum departments, and teachers, administrators, artists, and arts providers in the community.

Throughout the year we are producing a variety of resources and programs. The work flow for school programs staff tends to follow the academic school year. In the summer months we are busy with planning and preparing for the new school year. This past summer we were busy with multiple workshops and partnerships, new online initiatives, training sessions for docents and storyteller volunteers, changes and updates to school tours, a vast and ongoing teacher survey and needs assessment,and registration and scheduling of school tours for the start of the school year in autumn.

By September we are welcoming the first of many school groups on guided school tours. Teachers of grades 1-12 are invited to bring their classes to the museum for free guided school tours on a variety of themes.  School tours are designed to follow California state curriculum content standards and are held every weekday (except Mondays) from September through the beginning of June (with some exceptions.) Some popular tours include South and Southeast Asian Myths and Legends, Ancient China: Tombs and Temples, and the Spirit of the Samurai.  This year we have some new offerings including a guided tour of special exhibitions and a tour focusing on the Silk Road. Last year more than 17,000 students participated in our school tours and we hope to surpass that number this year!

This video shows off the very popular Nature in Art: Chinese Brush-painting school tour offered for grades 4 and 5.

In addition to tours for students we offer a number of teacher workshops throughout the year. We offer workshops in the familiar format of day-long workshops for teachers that include talks and lectures by esteemed curators and scholars, teacher resource packets, and artist demonstrations and performances. This year in response to feedback from participating teachers we will offer Evening for Educators events in conjunction with the MATCHA program.  It’s our way of saying thank you to teachers for all their hard work with a casual and lounge-like program where they can network with peers over wine, learn about Asian art and culture, and find classroom resources (and desserts), all while taking in the rich offerings of our popular MATCHA public program.

Our efforts also go beyond the four walls of our museum as well.  Teacher packets and activities are available free online on the Educator Resources page of the museum’s website, and hardcopies are also free for loan or available for purchase.  Many lectures and videos are available free on iTunes and Youtube and there are even brush-painting kits available free for loan to teachers.

School Programs are just one aspect of the variety of programs and resources available through the museum.  School Programming focuses on K-12 teachers and students but is by no means limited exclusively to those audiences. You don’t have to be a school student or school teacher to learn about and teach others new things.

I firmly believe that life everyday is a learning experience.  The world is our classroom and every person we meet is a potential teacher and a potential student.  Teaching and learning is an act of love and a way of life.  I’m sure my colleagues would agree.  This love of learning begins at the youngest age.  We are cultivating the next generation of learners and patrons of the arts.

I vividly recall my own numerous childhood family and school visits to the natural history museum and art museum in my hometown.  I recall seeing inconceivably ancient bones, strange tools, and bizarre images.  It blew my mind.  It all seemed to come from a fantasy world.  I couldn’t believe that these people or creatures could be real and that they had lived in the very same world that I lived in.  I was compelled by awe and curiosity to reach out and grab those objects, to get as close as possible and connect to their origins.  As an adult I understand why museums put everything in glass cases.  But I always recall that initial sense of awe and smile when I see nose prints on the gallery cases here — especially when they are adult height nose prints.

So check out our School Programs webpage or email an inquiry if you have a specific question.  School Programs are for everyone!

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

School Programs for Everyone

In contemporary times, two schools remain, the Okura and Izumi schools. The Izumi school traces it’s lineage back to the 15th century with nearly 600 years of history.

As part of the AsiaAlive series of programming here at the museum, accomplished members of the Izumi family of kyogen players were invited to share their art and traditions with the people of San Francisco. Two sisters, Izumi Junko and Izumi Shoko (who is also the successor of her grandfather’s stage-name, Miyake Tokuro) are currently performing in the AsiaAlive program. Izumi Junko became the first female professional kyogen actress in the previously male-only world of kyogen. Miyake Tokuro is also a professional kyogen actress and together the two sisters have been recognized by the Ministry of Education for their work in teaching youth throughout Japan about this art form. Here in the museum they are joined by Junko’s adorable daughter, Kyoko, who will have her U.S. debut here in San Francisco at the age of 6.

They will be joined for a special performance at the museum by their brother Izumi Motoya who is the current 20th generation head of the Izumi school of kyogen. Izumi Motoya is a well-known celebrity in Japan and is most recognized for his portrayal of Hojo Tokimune in an NHK historical drama television series. Hojo Tokimune was a historical regent of the Kamakura shogunate in the 13th century who lead the shogunate through the crisis of the two attempted invasions of Japan by the forces of the Mongol leader Kublai Khan.

Their father Izumi Motohide, the 19th head of the school, has also received numerous prizes and distinctions. One of his notable accomplishments was the adaptation of many of Shakespeare’s plays into the kyogen form.

The Izumi family is certainly equal to facing the challenge of the times by expanding kyogen beyond it’s traditional boundaries. In that spirit I offer you this:

It is a segment from Hustle Mania 2005, a Japanese pro-wrestling extravaganza. This is Wrestlemania, Japanese-style! Izumi Motoya, the 20th head of a school of very traditional performance art, takes his 600 year old form of entertainment full-force up against the contemporary entertainment of ostentatious athletic spectacle. It’s mind-blowing isn’t it? I had to pause for a good 10 seconds to wrap my head around it. It’s kinda like the feeling I had when I first saw the Matsuken Samba. *a single eyebrow raised in cautionary skepticism*

Find Part 2 of the match here on youtube.

The trash talk from the geisha doll manager of Motoya’s opponent is hilarious (”Motoya is like a bean-sprout. He looks like he’d be blown away with a stiff wind! I’m sick of hearing about his family’s 600 hundred years of history. If he wants to defeat my wrestler, he’s got 600 years of training ahead of him!”) But Izumi Motoya is not to be perturbed by such uncouthness. His response is a poetic challenge in the old classic Japanese of the Muromachi period. Later, Izumi’s entourage enters the arena with an air of authenticity that is in stark contrast to the garishness of the event. In the end, the pen proves mightier than the sword, and refined tradition defeats the brutish ogre. The Mid-air Motoya Chop (Motoya’s finishing move) is obviously for show. One youtbe-er commented “Motoya must’ve hit a pressure point and the other guy fell down because he was so relaxed.” But it was never a serious match of physical strength or athleticism but a contest of stage presence.

Pro-wrestling has always been a stage for not-so-subtle satire. (maybe you remember that Hulk Hogan defeating the despicable Iron Sheik in Wrestlemania right after the Iran hostage crisis.) And it is certainly a comical farce naturally aligned with kyogen. The idea of a professional kyogen player defeating a professional wrestler in a wrestling match is hilarious. Certainly Izumi Motoya, the colorful cast of wrestlers, and likely even the audience itself are all in on the joke. But beneath all the ill-mannered caricature and the gaudy spectacle, there is a sincere longing among the frothing cheering masses to see a man of cultivation triumph over a simple brute. Izumi knows this, and that is the heart of it all.

Some may say that Izumi Motoya has done his tradition a disservice, but I think that like his father who rose to the challenge of Shakespeare and his sisters who confront issues of gender equality, he too has fearlessly taken kyogen into a new territory and I admire that. The way I see it, rather than an evolution or de-evolution of kyogen, he has taken the traditional forms into the crucible, and emerged stronger for it.

Now give me a Somersaulting Double Mid-air Motoya Chop off the top turn-buckle! YEAH!! WOOOOOT!

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

600 years of tradition at HustleMania

Renga is a form of traditional Japanese poetry where multiple poets take turns composing alternating sections of the poem. Popular with samurai, participants also came from all walks of life: farmers and priests, rivals and friends. Renga is made up of repeating verses of two stanzas.The first stanza is made of three lines in a 5-7-5 syllable structure, a pattern that was the basis for modern haiku poetry.The second stanza is made of two lines in a 7-7 syllable structure.

In renga poets takes turns writing one or more stanzas.The next poet takes inspiration from the previous stanza to compose their verse. The enjoyment in renga poetry comes from the differences between multiple poets. We can enjoy a new, different, and often playful or humorous change between the different personalities and feelings of each of the poets. Traditional renga topics include: seasonal words, natural phenomena, time, change, love, journeying, living things, shining things, water, memories, views, or residences.Each stanza is brief and impressionistic. It captures just one or two images, inviting the reader to imagine more. The poems are evocative and might suggest deeper ideas like impermanence or rebirth like these wonderful poems contributed by visitors. The first is:

Wind kisses water
the sea lifts to sky
energy transfers
moving toward the shore
only one, never again.

The second poem is:

The wave mile high
Washes the world new.

Here is another poem by a visitor that caught my attention. It captures a poignant beauty often overlooked in the busy summer months:

Lonely, lonely leaf
dancing in the breezy winds
as the day goes by.

I’ve been collecting the best visitor-contributed poetry from the activity and compiling them into a small booklet (pic). Next time you’re visiting the museum this summer please contribute your verse to the scroll in the Daimyo for a Day room or go to the comments section of this blog post to join my renga jam session!

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Poetry is best when shared.

Harajuku station and Takeshita street are located right in front of the main entry to the shrine grounds. Harajuku on a Sunday is the best place to see Japanese youth rockin’ their indescribable street fashion. My favorite was definitely the gothic-lolita kids hanging out on the bridge in front of the main gate to the shrine grounds. Imagine a cross between an emo Count Dracula and Alice in Wonderland. Yet once into the shrine grounds I always felt sense of sacred purity (especially after the craziness of Harajuku!)

During the Spring Grand Festival many rituals are performed and visitors pay their respects to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. But the real pleasure of the Spring Grand Festival is the myriad of martial arts demonstrations. There were demonstrations of sword, spear, halberd, and hand-to-hand techniques in so many combinations. Unarmed against sword, sword against spear, spear against halberd, and every thing in between.
The most spectacular is a demonstration of mounted archery called yabusame. The horse-mounted archers come galloping down a straightaway, drawing and firing three arrows into three dinner-plate sized wooden targets. It certainly requires superhuman balance, timing, concentration, and skill. The rider comes charging down the field balanced in the stirrups holding up the great curving bow. The rider would grab and nock the arrow, then draw aim and loose the arrow in one smooth motion for all three targets. Here’s a great clip of a yabusame demonstration. (This takes place at Samukawa Shrine NOT Meiji Shrine but I couldn’t resist the rockin’ Top Gun soundtrack!)

Needless to say, the first time I saw yabusame it blew my mind. The first two riders I saw either missed all three targets or only hit one. Just getting close to a target was impressive enough to me. However, the next rider beautifully hit all three targets, each one with a popping sound and to cheers from the crowd. As the rider and the horse came around, I saw that this third rider was a woman. Shwing!

In fact there were many women performing in all the martial arts demonstrations at the festival. It made me wonder about the images of demure and passive women I saw in the samurai dramas and movies. In my experience practicing judo in Japan, men and women were treated the same and certainly were equal in strength and skill. I can tell you, I got my butt handed to me regularly by a 16 year old school girl. (I beat her a couple times… when she was winded. The payback was painful, but it was worth it!) Despite the differences I saw in the workplace or in wider society in Japan between men and women I never saw any apparent differences between men and women in the dojo. Was the martial arts world really that progressive or was it just a trick of perception?

I recently found a very interesting article about women and martial arts in Japan here It seems that in recent times a specific weapon has come to be associated most closely with women in Japan: a type of halberd-like weapon called a naginata. The versatile naginata is a long staff topped with a long curved sword-like blade. Most masters of naginata schools and lineages in Japan are women. Check out this clip of a championship match between two naginata users. This new form of naginata is sport-like and uses a scoring system similar to kendo or fencing. The intensity and explosive power of these two practitioners is amazing. It’s like a mongoose versus a cobra! Now I’m not expert enough to say much about women warriors in samurai era Japan, but I can say this: if I were a warrior I would not underestimate any man or woman, especially if they’re carrying a hefty staff with a wicked-sharp blade on the end of it.

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Harajuku Street Fashion, Top Gun, and Samurai Women

But there was one thing we could be completely civil over: samurai dramas on the local Japanese TV station. For one hour, I’d sit at the foot of her recliner, quietly attentive and respectful. And by far my favorite show was Abarenbo Shogun. This long running series follows the adventures of the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, played by the actor Matsudaira Ken, who roams freely about the city of Edo under the name Tokuda Shinnosuke. Pretending to be an ordinary mid-ranking samurai, the shogun always manages to help avenge a wronged townsperson, punish a corrupt official, or uncover a greedy merchants despicable plot.

It’s all very formulaic. I know exactly how the ending is going to unfold. I even know exactly what he’s going to say: “You fool! Don’t you recognize me? Surely, you remember my face!” The villain inevitably recognizes the profile of the shogun and summarily begins to grovel and beg for mercy. But its too late! Shinnosuke has seen the truth and revels to the villain all the sordid details of his evil plot uncovered. At this point there are two options for the villain: 1. Accuse Shinnosuke of being an imposter or 2. Haughtily attempt to take on the shogun. In the following clip, the impudent dog takes option one. Needless to say, neither option is going to work out well for the villain. A swordfight ensues. And although Shinnosuke is an invincible swordsman, he never kills anyone. In his trademark move, before he begins the fight he turns the sword in his grip so that the cutting edge is to the rear. It’s always his loyal agents and spies dressed in black that actually deal the killing blow (except this one time in the two hour New Year’s special when he was REALLY mad and did it himself!)

Tokuda Shinnosuke was one of my childhood heroes. And by extension so was the actor that portrayed him, Matsudaira Ken. Now imagine my mortification when Matsudaira Ken reinvented himself as Matsu-Ken and jump-started a music career with the improbable hit “Matsu-Ken Samba”. What was he thinking wearing that golden kimono? He’s the SHOGUN for chrissakes! And the samba!? That makes no sense at all! Just say it ain’t so… say it aint so!

Despite my indignation the Matsu-Ken Samba became a cultural craze that swept through Japan. It spawned numerous emulations, parodies by comedians, went on to be a live musical, and was remixed and re-released several times. Well, eventually I got over it, and it’s actually so over-the-top ridiculous, amazingly silly, and irreverantly funny you can’t help but laugh and smile. Check it out. You won’t be displeased and maybe you’ll even find yourself singing along. “Ole! Ole! Matsu-Ken samba!!”

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Samurai and Samba!