Name: Hattori Hanzou (服部半蔵 はっとりはんぞう)
Dates: 1541-1596
Biography: Member of the famous Iga Ninja clan, little is known about this mysterious man.
Further reading: Wikipedia (English), Wikipedia (日本語), Real Ultimate Power, Ninja Village
Tag Archives: Japan
Hinamatsuri Continues
The Japanese Girl’s Day festival (Hinamatsuri) has inspired a number of great creations recently, including two I’ve featured here on PPB — by Izzo and Nelson Yrizarry.
Mumu joins these builders with his own version:
Joe Vig the Gaijin
Joe discovers that there are grave consequences for foreigners who fail to remove their shoes upon entering a Japanese home.
(The image is a link to the gallery, when public. “Gaijin” means “foreigner” in Japanese.)
Miyamoto Musashi
Name: Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵 みやもとむさし)
Dates: ca. 1584-1645
Biography: Musashi was a famous swordsman of the Edo period. He is said to have won sixty duels, the first at age 13. According to legend, he arrived late at his last battle, with another famous swordsman named Sasaki Kojiro. Kojiro was so angry that he threw away his sword’s sheath. Musashi then said, “You have lost, Kojiro. Those who need no sheath are those who will die!” Musashi was also an author and a painter.
Further reading: The Book of Five Rings, Musashi, The Lone Samurai.
Minamoto no Yorimitsu
Name: Minamoto no Yorimitsu (源頼光 みなもとのよりみつ)
Dates: 944-1021
Biography: Yorimitsu was a legendary warrior from the Heian period of Japanese history. Although famous for many real-life exploits, he appears in several legends, including one in which he defeats the ogre (oni) Shuten Doji, disguised as an ascetic Buddhist monk, or yamabushi.
Further reading: Wikipedia (English), Wikipedia (日本語).
Valentine’s Day in Japan
Bruce just posted a Valentine’s Day vignette by mumu, so why am I posting about it here on Pan-Pacific Bricks? Isn’t Valentine’s Day common to both the U.S. and Japan? Look closely at the minifigs in this vignette:
In Japan, girls are the ones expected to give chocolate to boys — not the other way around. The interesting thing is, Valentine’s Day on February 14th is followed a month later on March 14th by “White Day,” on which men give women chocolate. You can read all about Valentine’s Day in Japan here.
And what PPB post would be complete without a little something by Izzo? Nothing specifically Japanese about this, but it’s a lovely bar of chocolate:
Mmmmm… Chocolate…
Boy’s Day Vignette by Nelson Yrizarry
Following up on his Hina-Matsuri vignette (previous PPB post), Nelson Yrizarry presents a vignette based on celebrations of Tango no Sekku, or Boy’s Day (now celebrated as “Children’s Day”).
Here’s what Nelson has to say:
Now known as “Children’s Day” in Japan (a National holiday), this is the day when sons are traditionally honored. Most notable are the large koinobori (carp) banners that are flown – one for each male son. The carp is considered as the most spirited of all fish, able to overcome obstacles such as strong currents – hence, it serves as a symbol of the desired strength and success of the family’s male childen.
I have incorporated other aspects of the Japanese culture – Father enjoying sake; a katanakake (sword stand); a small Zen garden, etc.
Mao Asada -> Sweet-Potato Vendor
A couple more entries in the shiritori word game.
First up, Uda-san posts a vignette of figure-skater Mao Asada receiving a bag full of LEGO goodies from a fan:
Nigou continues the game, from Uda-san’s Mao Asada to her sweet-potato vendor’s cart (manned by Hagrid). These vendors sell sweet-potatoes baked on a bed of red-hot stones. Today, they most often drive around in little trucks, with their oven on the back, so these traditional carts are a rare sight:
Piece of Peace: UNESCO World Heritage Sites in LEGO
Earlier this week, Bruce (of VignetteBricks) posted on Classic-Castle.com about a LEGO exhibit in Japan. I’d seen links to this on Japanese LEGO blogs, but that was before I started Pan-Pacific Bricks (and then I forgot).
The “Piece of Peace” exhibit, sponsored by McDonald’s and Yahoo! Kids, was a charity event in which the proceeds from ticket and souvenir sales benefited UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. With the motto “It takes a lot of pieces to build peace,” the exhibit showcased UNESCO World Heritage Sites in LEGO, built with the assistance of Japanese LEGO Master Builder Kazuyoshi Naoe.
Here’s Mont St. Michelle in France:
And Machu Picchu in Peru:
This page lists each of the sites recreated in LEGO for the exhibit. Unfortunately, it’s in Japanese. LUGNET user M. Moolhuysen assembled a site-by-site list in English (with links), so I’ll link to his list instead of duplicating it here.
For even better pictures, watch the wonderful 20-minute video (in Windows Media Format) available at three bit rates toward the bottom of this page. The video shows close-up shots of each LEGO creation, from many different angles. A Japanese explanation appears on-screen, but each site is also identified in English. The end of the video also shows several interesting non-UNESCO LEGO creations by contemporary artists and graphic designers. Well worth watching.
The bad news is that the exhibit now appears to be over; the last listed date is October through November of 2005.
BaitoHELL
In Japanese, the word for “part-time job” is arubaito, which comes from the German word for “work,” arbeit. Arubaito is often shortened to baito. There’s a Japanese PSP game called “Beit Heller 2000,” which apparently includes a minigame called “Ballpoint Factory.”
This guy has figured out an ingenious method of getting the high score:
Click the image to view the full series of hilarious pictures. Thanks to mumu for finding this!
(Yes, this is LEGO-related!)
Van Force Pictures and Instructions from gabriel
Ask and ye shall receive! In my recent post on the alternate Exo-Force design by anime director and mecha designer Shoji Kawamori, I asked if any Japanese LEGO fans knew of any better pictures of a completed Van Force mecha.
Azumu (of LEGO-BINGO, who it seems is much more consistent about checking Brickshelf than I am) responded:
Regarding instructions for Kawamura-sensei’s “Van Force,” gabriel-san customized the model a bit and uploaded them:
http://brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=161353
There were a few places in the magazine that were hard to figure out, so it’s not a complete recreation, but I think it’s pretty much complete.
Thanks Azumu-san! So without further ado, here’s a bigger picture of Van Force:
Click the image (or the link Azumu-san provided) for the full gallery, complete with step-by-step building instructions! Awesome.
Oh, and those aren’t custom decals. Japanese LEGO specialty store Click-Brick handed out Van Force sticker sheets with the purchase of any Exo-Force set. Since The LEGO Company worked with Mr. Kawamori to design Van Force, I believe the sticker sheet is “official.”
Girls’ Day Vignette by Nelson Yrizarry
The name Nelson Yrizarry should be familar to regular readers of VignetteBricks and LUGNET (as well as The Brothers Brick). He and his brother Patrick are well-respected members of the LEGO community, and their creations are admired by LEGO fans everywhere. One of Nelson’s latest vignettes features a distinctly Japanese theme — the Hina Matsuri or Girls’ Day Festival.
Here’s what Nelson has to say:
In this MOC, a family gathers to celebrate the day with the pounding of mochi (rice cakes) in the traditional style – hammering it inside a large stone bowl. For those who have never seen this before, one person wets their hands and reaches into the bowl between hammer blows to fold the mochi over – timing is crucial! Everyone else helps to roll the mochi into smaller pieces.
A hina-ningyo doll is on display inside the house, along with something else… Don’t forget to enjoy the cherry blossoms!
Click the image to see the full gallery.