Paul Reny Antiques & Collectibles

Watch and participate in various sports are popular in Japan, enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds. The origin of sports in Japan dates from the century XII, when military nobility known as samurai introduced events such as kendo, fencing (club Japanese) Kyudo (archery) and jujustu (judo) to the village. These games finally established sports such as martial arts in the Edo period (1600-1868), with emphasis on mastering the mental aspects of each activity, with the hope raise the participant to a noble, more transcendent level. These sports have been passed from generation to generation and continue to flourish today. Sumo, which also manages a long history as a traditional martial art, was born there about 2000 years for a ceremonial dance to entertain the Shinto gods, and is considered such as Japan's national sport. Even today, the event includes ritual elements derived from the Shinto religion, like throwing salt on the ground at the start of each game as a symbolic means of purification. The rules of sumo are quite basic. Two wrestlers called rikishi compete in a circular ring called dohyo, and the wrestler who touched first call on any other body part that the soles of the feet, or pushed out of the ring by his opponent loses. The combat itself is generally lasts a few seconds, but in rare cases can last up to a minute or more. Six tournaments held throughout the year, lasting 15 days.

Sports of the West was introduced finally in Japan with the advent of the Meiji Restoration, whose baseball in 1872. Baseball has since evolved into one of the countries most popular sports, with thousands of enthusiastic fans attending games work taking place every season in stadiums located in major cities. The games are also broadcast live on television equipment several times a week, with both leagues (Central and Pacific), which consists of six teams each. In recent years have also an increase in the number of Japanese players who are playing with success in the U.S. major league games, which are widely covered by media in Japan. University teams and the secondary are also numerous, and the maximum Japan Baseball School held every summer and is seen nationwide television by millions. Competing with baseball, the most popular sport is soccer nations, which debuted in 1993 with the introduction of the J-League, a league of professional football, which consists of two divisions, J1 and J2. Football had been played by amateurs for many years in Japan, but has gained momentum following the call of the national soccer team of Japan participated in the World Cup in France for the first time in 1998.

Following closely behind soccer in relation with the popularity in Japan is golf. The rise of the bubble economy of the '80s and the influx that followed quickly brought golf into the forefront as one of the games most popular in the country. Benefited in the past, only a privileged few, soon became popular in the treatment of the average "man", who used as a way to expand your business network to play a round or two on Sunday with potential customers. Prestigious membership clubs at the time was the demand and cost 100 to 400 million yen, and were wanted by large companies aspiring to enter the ranks of business were closed more often on the golf course in the conference room. Due the growing number of players and the limited space available, the prospect of playing golf for the average person in Japan is still expensive, the average prices of between 20,000 yen and for 18 holes, with payment of Caddy and lunch usually not included. Another consideration when calculating the cost of playing golf in Japan is the "hole in one insurance." Those who are lucky (or unlucky) to sink the elusive hole "in a" celebrate the event by paying fees that colleague day, and giving expensive gifts to those present. Consequently there is a purchase insurance to cover residual for those smart enough to make this difficult shot.

And golf, baseball and football, the Japanese, due to increased free time available in recent years, are now more than never in a wide variety of sports and related activities such as jogging, weight training, long distance running, gymnastics, aerobics, jazz dance, softball, swimming, badminton, volleyball, cycling, tennis, table tennis, billiards and bowling. Sports like diving, paragliding, horseback riding and are also gaining in popularity.

Jim Sherard is the author of “Land of the Rising Sun, A Guide to Living and Working in Japan”, which can be found at: http://www.escapeartist.com/e_Books/Living_and_Working_in_Japan/Living_and_Working_in_Japan.html

Japanese History of Edo period to Meiji Restoration(1/6)

Japanese Woodblock Prints: Artists, Publishers and Masterworks: 1680 – 1900 $32.97 Japanese woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, are the most recognizable Japanese art form. Their massive popularity has spread from Japan to be embraced by a worldwide audience. Covering the period from the beginning of the Japanese woodblock print in the 1680s until the year 1900, Japanese Woodblock Prints provides a detailed survey of all the major artists, along with the images on which their fame res…

Playthings and Pastimes in Japanese Prints $9.00 This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our conti…

Nagasaki Prints and Early Copperplates (Japanese Arts Library) $27.95 …