Trace Japan's design culture

When it comes to designing, many people like to interpret it as creative or styling, but I prefer to understand it as a "concept." Design is not just an act. It is a kind of consciousness and a way of thinking. A person who has a good way of thinking and aesthetics, if he can seriously study the style of life of a person, then he will also have a sense of design to adapt to the times, even if he can not be a good designer. If this idea can be rooted in the social and civic life, it will create a good design atmosphere, the design of life will improve, and over time will form a culture.

Since the Edo period, Japan has developed a civic culture with strong regional colors. Ukiyo-e prints are an excellent example. Ukiyo-e artist Toshiyuki Ryuzo’s dramatic character image is actually the portrait of the current salon. The prints such as "The 50 Fifties of Tokaido" created by the Ukiyo-e ukiyoe artists are equivalent to the present postcards. They are tourist souvenirs and publications. These works were highly praised by European early Impressionists at the end of the 19th century. The same is true of the traditional Japanese drama “Kabuki”. Unlike the Royal Ballet and Opera that European kings and aristocrats voted heavily to raise, they started with a small shed on the edge of the Shijo River. Even today, although it is already a luxurious grand theater, its performance is still very strong and it is an excellent enjoyment. Unlike European culture and Chinese culture, there is almost no boundary between aristocratic culture and civic culture in Japanese culture, and the culture of common people is extremely deep.

So for the Japanese, it's not so much pure art that design is closer to everyone's life. As early as in the early Edo period, through the efforts of decorative artists such as Kwang-Yue, Zongda, and Guang Lin, the classic Japanese style school “Lin Pai” was formed. Carefully examined, fan screens, screen paintings and other works are all functional. The "Sakamoto" type books created by Gwangyue and Zongda established the embryonic form of Japanese book publishing. Zongda's paintings can be said to be propaganda in a sense. These works are not only practical but also decorative. The value of beauty. After the 20th century, Japan entered the era of industrialization and mass production led to a complete loss of spiritual aspects in design. Some of the spiritual aspects of Japanese architecture and tools have been gradually eliminated in the quantitative production of modern industry. Enterprises only pay attention to product use and function. As long as the price is cheap, the product will be the same even if it is stereotyped. If this goes on, the consequences can be imagined. After entering a period of high economic growth, with surplus, companies began to focus on the development of personalized goods, so that each product has a specific consumer layer. In this way, each commodity has its own personality and constitutes the respective cultural characteristics of various commodities, which is very beneficial to the formation of the image of the big country of the enterprise.

The Japanese’s emotional awareness should be very delicate. From the works of female literary writers, such as the "Genji Monogatari" and the Qingnao Yanzi "Qiancaozi", we can see the roots of Japanese culture. That is to say, it is a kind of sentimental sentiment. For example, in autumn, food and snacks called "Autumn Collection" will appear in Japan. The autumn wind blows, the leaves fall, the mushrooms grow, and the tree turns into a pile of wind-blown leaves. The Japanese see this kind of scenery as beautiful. In the eyes of the Westerners, what may be seen as rubbish, dried leaves and dried fruits that must be swept away, the Japanese divided them into chestnuts, ginkgo biloba, and mushrooms, beautifully decorated together. This beauty is unique to Japan and it is not the mainland. Type culture. It is necessary for us to re-evaluate this new sense of beauty. Because the characteristics of Japanese culture are too perceptual and lack a theoretical system, it is difficult to develop into a kind of doctrine. The current emergence of Japanese doctrines in pure art, such as impressionism, abstract art, and new realism, have almost always been introduced from abroad. Japan lacks the ability to develop the ideas generated in the country into a system.

What is Japan's cultural spread to foreign countries? What is it that can communicate with the world? This is something we must pay attention to. You can't just look at Japanese modern design, but you should value the environment around it more. Now when I talk about Japan, I immediately mention Zen, tea, flowers, dance, and music. If we suddenly say cars, televisions, and computers, the impression given is very strange. It always feels like the middle part is missing something.

Japan has maintained a high degree of citizen culture since the 18th century. Until now, "Japanese" and "Western" often exist simultaneously in the lives of Japanese people. Chopsticks and forks, kimonos and suits, and rooms and rooms, Japanese and Western paintings, etc. During this period, due to the pain caused by the collision of Yamato and Western cultures, we constantly tried and tested and experienced various ridiculous things before reaching a fusion with the ocean. However, in general, Westerners are not so proactive in approaching Oriental culture, so Japanese can be said to be hybrid culture pioneers. This is also the same with rice and plants. Only by constantly interbreeding with different varieties, can we produce more vigorous and better varieties. Japanese culture is now in a very good state. Now if we learn from Japanese culture and reach the pain of being able to transcend the barriers of culture, then we will surely have new shoots that will bring diversity to the Earth's culture.