TEACH JAPAN
Resources for students and educators
TEACH JAPAN
Resources for students and educators
Close observation helps students see tiny details in the Grip Enhancers (Menuki) with Rats. They will use these details to engage in different visual arts and movement activities. A video about mochi (one of the objects on the grip enhancers) and activities in Japan around making mochi rounds out the lesson.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
List at least three details they see on each Grip Enhancers (Menuki) with Rats;
Make shapes out of clay based on shapes they see in the grip enhancers;
Describe how the Japanese villagers come together to make mochi and why it’s special for their New Year.
This lesson uses depictions of festivals in Japanese art to examine the cultural emphasis on nature and the seasons.
The annual Bell-Ringing Ceremony follows the Japanese custom in which the end-of-the-year bell (joya no kane) is struck 108 times before midnight on New Year’s Eve, symbolically welcoming the New Year and curbing the 108 mortal desires (bonno), which according to Buddhist belief torment humankind.
One of the Three Great Festivals in Japan is the Gion Festival in Kyoto. The parade for this festival is probably the most beautiful and elegant procession in all of Japan. Learn more about the history and customs of the Gion Festival through an investigation of screens.
Every year on March 3rd, Japan celebrates the Doll Festival (Japanese, Hina Matsuri). Until recently, Girls’ Day was also celebrated on March 3rd. On this day every year, families set up a special step-altar on which to arrange their Emperor and Empress dolls, called “hina” in Japanese. Compare altars and dolls to learn more about these annual celebrations.
Find out more about TeachJapan.
Lead funding for the Asian Art Museum’s TeachJapan is generously provided by The Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
Additional support is provided by Susan and Kevin McCabe.
Teach Japan was created in collaboration with the following arts organizations: