“Sound holds a special place in Japan. The country’s distinctive
aural signatures are closely bound to its history, nature, and
culture” (p654)

Introduction

aural signatures – the relationship of these to history, nature and culture of Japan.

contrast between rural tradition (serenity) and urban hyper-modernism (noise)

“They do not pose a contradiction, but reflect two views into the same thing. Noise is not considered an “other” to silence.” (.ibid)

Summary

Artists:

Artworks:

Worktypes:

Exhibitions:

Movements:

Noh theatre:

gagaku theatre:

Organisations:

Instruments: shakuhachi, sho, koto

Critical Reflection

Questions

Japanese tunings and time signatures – do the latter exist?

Conclusion / Future Work

This first thing that this artical made me think about was the function of sound. In the introduction, Tanaka writes :

“The sound of trickling water punctuated by the occasional bamboo hitting a rock from shishi-odoshi in Japanese gardens is integral to the
contemplative calm with which it is associated…” (.ibid) I am reflecting on the effect I want my sound work to have upon my own listeners (if they exist!) . Am I able to express this?

In respect to the current pieces I am working on, I suppose that I am interested in coaxing the question “What am I listening to?” : in a specific sense in relation to a moment of one of the creative works, but also in a wider, more general way, in relation to the activities and contexts around contemporary audition.

“scarecrow” sound sculpture? re: BoPETmaterial (used as an alternative to traditional scarecrow

References

Juniper, A (2003) Wabi Sabi [electronic resource] : the Japanese art of impermanence North Clarendon : Tuttle Publishing,.

Glossary

shishi-odoshi: (鹿威し) (‘scaredeer’ or ‘scareboar’) Referenced in “Kill Bill“, “Final Fantasy”. Relation to scarecrows.

wabi-sabi:

“Wabi sabi is an aesthetic ideal and philosophy that is best understood in terms of the Zen philosophy that has nurtured and molded its development over the last thousand years. Zen seeks artistic expression in forms that are as pure and sublime as the Zen tenets they manifest; it eschews intellectualism and pretense and instead aims to unearth and frame the beauty left by the flows of nature. Wabi sabi embodies the Zen nihilist cosmic view and seeks beauty in the imperfections found as all things, in a constant state of flux, evolve from nothing and devolve back to nothing.
(Juniper 2003:1)

“Long ago a man out walking encountered a hungry tiger, which proceeded to chase and corner him at the edge of a small precipice. The man jumped to avoid the impending danger and in so doing managed to catch the limb of a tree growing from the small escarpment. While he hung there he became aware of a second tiger, this one at the foot of the precipice, waiting for him to fall. As his strength began to wane the man noticed a wild strawberry that was growing within his reach. He gently brought it to his lips in the full knowledge that it would be the last thing that he ever ate— how sweet it was.” (.ibid)

onomatopoeia: a word that actually looks like the sound it makes, and we can almost hear those sounds as we read. Here are some words that are used as examples of onomatopoeia: slam, splash, bam, babble, warble, gurgle, mumble, and belch. (

‘How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear it fully knows,
By the twanging
And the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows;
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
In the jangling
And the wrangling,
How the danger sinks and swells, –
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells,
Of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells –
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!’

Let’s look at the onomatopoeia in the poem. When Poe uses words like, clang, clash, roar, jangling, clamor and clangor, we hear the discordant noise of the bells, not a sweet sound. It reminds us of a fire alarm – something that jars the senses. This is the exact effect that Poe is hoping to produce. Also, even though the word ‘bells,’ itself, is not usually considered onomatopoeia, by repeating it as he does, we hear the consistent ringing. By choosing these types of words, Poe creates a dark, frightening mood.

For another example, here is a poem called ‘Storm’ by Olisha Starr that gives us another excellent example of onomatopoeia.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/onomatopoeia-in-literature-definition-examples-quiz.html

Types of Japanese Onomatopoeia (sound symbolic words)

There are several types of Japanese sound symbolic words. The two primary categories are:

• 擬音語 Giongo (literally “imitate sound language”) Giongo are words that both resemble and represent sounds. The “bang” in the sentence “the door opened with a bang” is a pretty close English equivalent to a Giongo word.
• バタンと Batan to (the sound of something shutting with a bang.)
• ドキドキ Dokidoki ( represents the sound of louder or faster than normal heartbeat, usually caused by excitement, love, fear, or another emotion).
• ドサッと dosa tto represents the sound of a relatively large or heavy object falling and then hitting the ground, a couch, or some other surface

• 擬態語 Gitaigo (literally “imitate condition language”) Gitaigo are words that represent an action, motion, or state, but are not meant to resemble sounds. Often this is because the action, motion, or state makes no sound. 
• じろじろ jirojiro represents the “sound” of staring intently at someone or something.
• ペコペコ pekopeko represents the state of being hungry, and can also represent the state of an object being dented or a person acting in a subservient or fawning way.