Paintings of Japanese folklore monsters

26 Oct 2010

Fukui-based yōkai painter Matthew Meyer has been researching and painting a different traditional Japanese monster each day this month. Here are a few of the lovely horrors featured in the collection, which will continue to grow until the end of October. [Link: A-Yokai-A-Day]

Yokai painting by Matt Meyer --
Hari-onago ("Hooked woman" with deadly hair, from Ehime prefecture)

Yokai painting by Matt Meyer --
Kijimuna (Okinawan tree sprite)

Yokai painting by Matt Meyer --
Kerakera-onna ("Cackling woman")

Yokai painting by Matt Meyer --
Gagoze (Demonic ghost haunting Gango-ji temple in Nara prefecture)

Yokai painting by Matt Meyer --
Aonyobu ("Blue wife," the ruined aristocrat)

Video: Tokyo drainage tunnel cruise

25 Oct 2010

The Tamori Club late-night variety show recently took a boat cruise through a system of drainage tunnels beneath central Tokyo.


+ Video

Here are a few highlights of the trip.

1:00 - The boat approaches the tunnel entrance, located on the Kanda River next to Mansei-bashi Bridge near Akihabara. The drainage tunnel -- known as the Ochanomizu Diversion Channel -- runs 1.3 kilometers and rejoins the river upstream near JR Suidobashi station. The tunnel is not designed for boat traffic.

2:10 - Tamori tests the echo inside the tunnel.

2:25 - The painted numbers indicate the distance in meters from the entrance.

2:35 - The tunnel measures about 8 meters from floor to ceiling. The water level easily reaches the ceiling after a heavy rain.

3:00 - The boat approaches a round section of tunnel dug with a shield machine. This portion of the tunnel is 8.8 meters in diameter and 760 meters long.

3:50 - The passengers view the rails of a ceiling-mounted crane system used during construction. The crane was used to erect a water barrier to keep the construction area dry.

4:00 - The boat passes a floodgate tunnel on the left.

5:00 - The boat passes a sign reading "Eidan Ochanomizu Station." This type of sign was placed in the tunnel during construction to indicate the nearby infrastructure. Due to its proximity to the subway station, this part of the tunnel is built with extra reinforcements.

5:30 - The boat passes a similar sign for Ochanomizu-bashi Bridge.

5:55 - The boat passes a similar sign for Century Tower, a 19-floor office building.

6:00 - A smaller tunnel branches off to the right. The tunnel is too small for a boat, and the guide is not sure where it leads.

6:50 - The round section of tunnel opens up into a large chamber. During construction, this was a vertical shaft used to lower the shield machine underground. The rails of a ceiling-mounted crane system are visible overhead. A ladder leads up to a manhole on the street.

7:50 - The exit comes into view. Another tunnel continues past the exit for another 1.6 kilometers.

8:30 - The boat exits the tunnel and continues up the Kanda River.

9:30 - The boat passes a pipe pumping water out of the leaky Suidobashi subway station (Mita line).

11:00 - The boat enters another tunnel (Suidobashi Diversion Channel No.2), which runs for 500 meters.

Tetsujin 28 manga covers (1956-1966)

20 Oct 2010

Tetsujin 28-gō, the famous Japanese robot manga series written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, ran as a monthly insert in Shōnen Magazine from July 1956 to May 1966. The manga follows the adventures of a 10-year-old boy named Shotarō and his giant crime-fighting robot named Tetsujin 28 (a.k.a "Gigantor" in the US), which was originally built by the boy's late father as a secret weapon for the Japanese military during World War II.

Here are some scans of the manga covers (from the mook Yokoyama Mitsuteru Manga Taizen).

Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
July 1956

Tetsujin 28 manga cover art -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
September 1956 [+] // October 1956 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
February 1957 [+] // April 1957 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover art -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
August 1957 [+] // October 1957 [+]

Gigantor manga cover --

Gigantor comic cover art -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
November 1957 [+] // December 1957 [+]

Tetsujin-gō 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
April 1958 [+] // November 1958 [+]

Tetsujin 28-go manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
June 1958 [+] // December 1958 [+]

Iron Man 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
March 1959 [+] // July 1959 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover art --

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
August 1959 [+] // September 1959 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
April 1960 [+] // June 1960 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
July 1960 [+] // August 1960 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
October 1960 [+] // November 1960 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
December 1960

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
March 1961 [+] // August 1961 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
November 1961

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
January 1962 [+] // May 1962 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
February 1962

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
September 1962 [+] // December 1962 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
August 1962

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
February 1963 [+] // April 1963 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
November 1963 [+] // December 1963 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
January 1964 [+] // July 1964 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover --

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
January 1965 [+] // March 1965 [+]

Tetsujin 28 manga cover -- Tetsujin 28 manga cover --
September 1965 [+] // October 1965 [+]

Dance of the HRP-4C Cybernetic Human

18 Oct 2010

Visitors to the Digital Content Expo in Tokyo last weekend were treated to a choreographed dance routine featuring AIST's feminine HRP-4C robot and four humans.


+ Video

The performance, called "Dance Robot LIVE! - HRP-4C Cybernetic Human," is the culmination of a year-long effort to teach the humanoid to dance. The routine was produced by renowned dancer/choreographer SAM-san (a member of the popular music group TRF who has worked with numerous well-known artists like SMAP and BoA), and the lip-synced song is a Vocaloid version of "Deatta Koro no Yō ni" by Kaori Mochida (Every Little Thing).

Here are a few photos of the performance.

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

HRP-4C humanoid robot dance --

[Video: kmoriyama // Photos: Pink Tentacle]

Video: Mystery creature in Sagami Bay

15 Oct 2010

Cameras aboard JAMSTEC's Hyper-Dolphin ROV have captured footage of something strange lurking on the floor of Sagami Bay, southwest of Tokyo.


+ Video

Giant sea frog? Ningen? Smiling rock with sea sponge eyes? You be the judge.

Anatomical illustrations from Edo-period Japan

13 Oct 2010

Here is a selection of old anatomical illustrations that provide a unique perspective on the evolution of medical knowledge in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868).

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Pregnancy illustrations, circa 1860

These pregnancy illustrations are from a copy of Ishinhō, the oldest existing medical book in Japan. Originally written by Yasuyori Tanba in 982 A.D., the 30-volume work describes a variety of diseases and their treatment. Much of the knowledge presented in the book originated from China. The illustrations shown here are from a copy of the book that dates to about 1860.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Anatomical illustrations, late 17th century [+]

These illustrations are from a late 17th-century document based on the work of Majima Seigan, a 14th-century monk-turned-doctor. According to legend, Seigan had a powerful dream one night that the Buddha would bless him with knowledge to heal eye diseases. The following morning, next to a Buddha statue at the temple, Seigan found a mysterious book packed with medical information. The book allegedly enabled Seigan to become a great eye doctor, and his work contributed greatly to the development of ophthalmology in Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Trepanning instruments, circa 1790 [+]

These illustrations are from a book on European medicine introduced to Japan via the Dutch trading post at Nagasaki. Pictured here are various trepanning tools used to bore holes in the skull as a form of medical treatment.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Trepanning instruments, circa 1790 [+]

The book was written by Kōgyū Yoshio, a top official interpreter of Dutch who became a noted medical practitioner and made significant contributions to the development of Western medicine in Japan.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Trepanning instruments, 1769 [+]

These illustrations of trepanning instruments appeared in an earlier book on the subject.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Anatomical illustrations (artist/date unknown) [+]

These anatomical illustrations are based on those found in Pinax Microcosmographicus, a book by German anatomist Johann Remmelin (1583-1632) that entered Japan via the Dutch trading post at Nagasaki.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Human skeleton, 1732

These illustrations -- created in 1732 for an article published in 1741 by an ophthalmologist in Kyōto named Toshuku Negoro -- show the skeletal remains of two criminals that had been burned at the stake.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Human skeleton, 1732

This document is thought to have inspired physician Tōyō Yamawaki to conduct Japan's first recorded human dissection.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Japan's first recorded human dissection, 1754

These illustrations are from a 1754 edition of a book entitled Zōzu, which documented the first human dissection in Japan, performed by Tōyō Yamawaki in 1750. Although human dissection had previously been prohibited in Japan, authorities granted Yamawaki permission to cut up the body of an executed criminal in the name of science.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Illustration from 1759 edition of Zōzu

The actual carving was done by a hired assistant, as it was still considered taboo for certain classes of people to handle human remains.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Japan's second human dissection, 1758 // First human female dissection, 1759

In 1758, a student of Tōyō Yamawaki's named Kōan Kuriyama performed Japan's second human dissection (see illustration on left). The following year, Kuriyama produced a written record of Japan's first dissection of a human female (see illustration on right). In addition to providing Japan with its first real peek at the female anatomy, this dissection was the first in which the carving was performed by a doctor. In previous dissections, the cutting work was done by hired assistants due to taboos associated with handling human remains.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Kaishihen (Dissection Notes), 1772

Japan's fifth human dissection -- and the first to examine the human brain -- was documented in a 1772 book by Shinnin Kawaguchi, entitled Kaishihen (Dissection Notes). The dissection was performed in 1770 on two cadavers and a head received from an execution ground in Kyōto.

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Kaishihen (Dissection Notes), 1772

Edo-period medical illustration --
Kaishihen (Dissection Notes), 1772

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Kaishihen (Dissection Notes), 1772

* * * * *

Tōmon Yamawaki, son of Tōyō Yamawaki, followed in his father's footsteps and performed three human dissections.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Female dissection, 1774

He conducted his first one in 1771 on the body of a 34-year-old female executed criminal. The document, entitled Gyokusai Zōzu, was published in 1774.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Female dissection, 1774

Edo-period medical illustration --
Female dissection, 1774

Edo-period medical illustration --
Female dissection, 1774

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Female dissection, 1800

These illustrations are from a book by Bunken Kagami (1755-1819) that documents the dissection of a body belonging to a female criminal executed in 1800.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Female dissection, 1800

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Human anatomy (date unknown)

This anatomical illustration is from the book Kanshin Biyō, by Bunken Kagami.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Human anatomy (date unknown)

In this image, a sheet of transparent paper showing the outline of the body is placed over the anatomical illustration.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Seyakuin Kainan Taizōzu (circa 1798)

These illustrations are from the book entitled Seyakuin Kainan Taizōzu, which documents the dissection of a 34-year-old criminal executed in 1798. The dissection team included the physicians Kanzen Mikumo, Ranshū Yoshimura, and Genshun Koishi.

Edo-period medical illustration --
Seyakuin Kainan Taizōzu (circa 1798)

Edo-period medical illustration --
Seyakuin Kainan Taizōzu (circa 1798)

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Dissection, 1783 [+]

This illustration is from a book by Genshun Koishi on the dissection of a 40-year-old male criminal executed in Kyōto in 1783.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Breast cancer treatment, 1809

These illustrations are from an 1809 book documenting various surgeries performed by Seishū Hanaoka for the treatment of breast cancer. The illustrations here depict the treatment for a 60-year-old female patient.

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Bandage instructions from two medical encyclopedias, 1813

* * * * *

Edo-period medical illustration --
Yōka Hiroku (Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths), 1847

These illustrations are from the 1847 book Yōka Hiroku (Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths) by surgeon Sōken Honma (1804-1872).

Edo-period medical illustration --
Yōka Hiroku (Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths), 1847

* * * * *

The following illustrations are from the 1859 book Zoku Yōka Hiroku (Sequel to Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths), an 1859 book by Sei Kawamata that presented the teachings of surgeon Sōken Honma.

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Zoku Yōka Hiroku (Sequel to Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths), 1859

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Zoku Yōka Hiroku (Sequel to Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths), 1859

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Zoku Yōka Hiroku (Sequel to Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths), 1859

Edo-period medical illustration -- Edo-period medical illustration --
Zoku Yōka Hiroku (Sequel to Confidential Notes on the Treatment of Skin Growths), 1859

[Source: Nihon Iryō Bunkashi (History of Japanese Medical Culture), Shibunkaku Publishing, 1989]

Nissan Solar Tree

06 Oct 2010

At the CEATEC Japan 2010 trade show now being held in Chiba (Oct 5-9), Nissan is exhibiting a futuristic model of a solar-powered wireless charging station for electric vehicles.

Nissan Solar Tree --
Solar Tree: Coming in 2030 to a city near you

The envisioned tree-shaped charging station -- called the "Solar Tree" -- stands 12 meters (39 ft) tall and has three translucent round solar panels that follow the sun across the sky. With an expected conversion efficiency of 30%, the three solar panels together can generate 20 kilowatts of power. At the base of each tree is a clover leaf-shaped wireless charging pad that can recharge batteries from a short distance, without the use of cables or plugs.

As part of the exhibition, Nissan showed off the latest version of its EPORO robot car, which has been outfitted with a wireless power system. In addition to recharging itself under a Solar Tree, the robot can also repower itself on the go by receiving electrical energy via charging lanes on the road.

EPORO robot under Solar Tree --
EPORO robot recharging under a Solar Tree

Solar Trees can be used individually as small-scale charging stations in urban areas, or they can be grouped into forests to produce energy on the scale of power plants. According to Nissan's design, a forest of 1,000 Solar Trees will be able to provide electricity for 7,000 households.

In addition to providing power, Solar Trees can provide some relief from the heat in summer. The translucent solar panels offer protection from UV light, while fine mist emitted from the edges of the panels works to reduce the temperature in the immediate vicinity.

Ita☆Sha: Otaku rides after dark

04 Oct 2010

Photographer Tomoyuki Sakaguchi has published an online gallery of itasha at night.

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
Rei Densetsu / Rei Ayanami

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
Shinya / Sasami Sasagawa

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
StudioR / Tacchi Tachikawa

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
MAGI / EXIT TRANCE SPEED

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
Piskes / Haruhi Suzumiya

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
Itokuzu / Hayate Yagami

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
Itokuzu / Hayate Yagami

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
Wan / Koiiro Soramoyou

Itasha photo by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi --
Regtan / Miku Hatsune

The entire collection is available as an iPad photo book, which also features background stories about each itasha and its owner.

[Link: Ita☆Sha]

Video: Squirming ‘umbilical’ iPhone cable

01 Oct 2010

This umbilical cord-inspired charger cable by interactive media artist Mio I-zawa comes to life when connected to an iPhone.


+ Video

[See also: Mechanical tumor, external heart, elastic cell]