The bloody cove of Taiji, from: BBC, 2009

Tonight Sarah and I watched the new documentary called “The Cove”, about the dolphin industry in Taiji, Japan. The economy in Taiji is based on selling dolphins to places like Sea World and other dolphinariums. All over the world there is a huge market for dancing, swimming and ball catching dolphins. Fishermen in Taiji provide dolphins for this market by trapping them and allowing buyers to take their pick. A line of fishing boats use hammers to bang on empty pipes that have been lowered into the water. This creates a sound barrier that herds scared dolphins into a tiny cove. The fishermen block off the cove with giant nets trapping the dolphins. But what happens to all those dolphins that aren’t selected to be Sea World’s next star? They herd the remaining dolphins into a second, unseen, inaccessible cove, and harpoon them to death. The meat from this slaughter is supplied to schools to be put into childrens’ lunch programs, sold falsely as whale meat in grocery stores, and who knows what else. And to top it all off, mercury levels in dolphin meat can be up to 20 times higher than the amount accepted by the World Health Organization. 

Whaling was banned by the International Whaling Commission in the 1980s, however the IWC does not specifically state attempt to deal with small cetacea.

Member governments hold different views over the legal competence of the IWC to regulate direct and incidental catches of small cetaceans. However, they are working to promote cooperation between the coastal and range states to conserve and manage these species also. Although the Commission does not set regulations for small cetacean management, the IWC Scientific Committee addresses matters of the conservation of small cetacean species at its annual meetings.(http://www.iwcoffice.org/conservation/cetacea.htm).

Japan has been a long time supporter of the whaling industry and continues to hunt through loopholes in the policies of the IWC. They also continue to fight for the whaling ban to be lifted, and as dolphins and whales are both cetacea, they fall under the same laws. Their method for doing this has been to provide ‘financial aid’ to poorer nations in return for voting support at the IWC. If Japan succeeds in removing the barrier to whaling, there will be no means to legally prevent them from continuing their dolphin hunt as well. From this, we have three action items for all who read this:

1. Watch the Cove
2. Contact the IWC and tell them that dolphins are cetacea too.
3. Encourage your country to support the ban on commercial whaling

The WCC Taiji Class had a lovely visit from its master Alex Dong this week. He is a fourth generation Taiji master who was born in China, moved to Hawaii as a boy and attended school here. From Hawaii he moved to New York City and opened schools in many parts of the world. He travels from school to school.

I’ve been attending the class at Windward Community College in Kaneohe on the island of Oahu for only about three years. Class is twice a week and tuition is $40 a month. Once or twice annually, Master Dong returns to teach weekend workshops from which we learn the finer points of the Taiji form, that is “Dong Style Orthodox Taiji” evolved from the Yang and Hao styles.

When he’s not in town, his senior students or appointed teachers lead the class. Students may advance their study during the various workshops taught by Master Dong wherever in the world he gives them. Many combine the workshops with vacation travel abroad—New York, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Czech Republic, Brazil, Great Britain, China, Hawaii, for example.

To become more acquainted with Taiji, I’ll refer you to the website alexdongtaiji.com. There I read that Alex Dong comes from a family of Taijiquan masters. His great-grandfather, Grand Master Tung Ying Jie was the national champion of China for many years, and he was a leading disciple of Yang Cheng-Fu, the main proponent of the modern Yang Long Form. Tung Ying Jie also studied with Li Xiang Yuan who was a disciple of Hao Wei Jing founder of the Hao style Taiji. Alex Dong’s grandfather, Grand Master Dong Hu Ling, spread the art in Southeast Asia and the United States, and his father, Grand Master Dong Zeng Chen, is world famous for his skills, especially in Taiji push hands.

Taiji had been recommended to me for exercise, and I do think my health has improved since I began. Balance, concentration and memory, strength, breathing (I am asthmatic, but less so now), energy, grounding, flexibility, posture—these are just some of the aspects of mind, body, and spirit that Taiji addresses.

To give you an idea of how whole Taiji is, I asked the master sifu (teacher) what he did to cross train. He replied, “Nothing. Only Taiji.”

So far I practice all three sections of the slow set and the sabre (knife) set; I practice between classes, read articles and books, and watch the videos of the master performing. My first Taiji teacher Lois explained that learning Taiji is like peeling away the layers of an onion. That is so true! A warm “Thank you!” to all of my teachers.

At this stage of my practice, I have a personal interest in relating the energy work of Taiji to Qigong to Reiki and healing.

For related posts, please see my 9/3/09 entry “Learning about energy healing.”  From the menu bar, Reiki Healing by Oelen, tells about my Reiki practice.

Copyright 2009 Rebekah Luke

Il sito ufficiale dell’Associazione Culturale Amici del Taiji su Dmoz.

My Taiji performance from 2009 Canadian Nationals. Post Up.

What is higher is pulled down, and what is lower is raised up;
What is taller is shortened, and what is thinner is broadened;

pic credit Anoop

Tai chi is about harmony and balance and being exact. It’s not an easy state to grasp simply because of the force of habit.

Get out of the habit of doing extraneous movement or of  inaction when you need to act.

And you are getting close to fighting in the harmonious way.

The moves in taichi are exact and harmonious, there seems to be an answer to every attack.

Taichi anticipates the next move accurately based on the nature of the previous move. This study of this nature is the soul of taichi.

A raised leg has to be dropped, an extended fist has to be withdrawn, a crouched spine has to stretch, a twisted waist has to uncoil, understand the nature.

Does the hand wait for you to consciously command it?

No. It has it’s nature to guide it. Studying it is studying taichi chuan. Before it enters your conscious awareness your body is already halfway there.

Study it!

if you want something to expand push on it it will swell. if you want it to deplete pull it.

If you want to study it call me on 9845396360

classes at Lalbagh, weekdays 6:30am and at IHA Koramangala, weekends 9:30am

-Ash

X Japan. Quite possibly the most famous name in Jrock and Visual Kei. And with good reason. As far as the world of Visual Kei is concerned, X Japan is The Godfather. Founded in Chiba, Japan, in 1982, originally under the name X, by drummer Hayashi Yoshiki and vocalist “Toshi” (Deyama Toshimitsu), the band shredded the Japanese indie rock scene with their huge glam-rock hair, androgynous glamor, and balladic, whiny, speed-metal sound.

Although the band started in ‘82, founders Yoshiki and Toshi were both attending high-school at the time, and the band didn’t really get going with lives until ‘85, which were performed with support musicians. In 1986 Yoshiki founded the independent record label Extasy Records as a surefire way of releasing music and supporting their dream. By ‘87 the band had completed its first formal lineup, settling in with Hide (Matsumoto Hideto) on guitar, and Sawada Taiji on bass, and “Pata” as a support guitarist.

The band released its debut album, Vanishing Vision, in ‘88 through Extasy Records, and toured extensively throughout Japan. In ‘89 the band made a big break with the ultra-popular album Blue Blood, which incited the release of several singles, including the all-time favorites Kurenai and Endless Rain. In 1991 the band performed for the first time in the prestigious Tokyo Dome.

By ‘92 the band had become so successful not only in Japan, but worldwide, that they were required to adopt the name X Japan in order to distinguish themselves as a separate entity from the American punk band X. In the same year, bassist Taiji was replaced with bassist Heath.

In 1996 the album Dahlia was released– which would mark the end of X Japan as a band. Vocalist Toshi had already decided to leave the band, and without him, X Japan could hardly continue with dignity, so they decided to split up and pursue their solo activities. They performed for the last time on New Year’s Eve at the Tokyo Dome.

hide ~ December 13th, 1964- May 2nd 1998

Guitarist and sometimes-composer of the band, hide (not to be confused with Hyde of L’arc~En~Ciel/Vamps) was a figurehead for X Japan. As the band progressed and developed, the other members steadily let go of the original Visual Kei emphasis in favor of a more casual, straight rock style. The exception to this rule was hide, whose bright pink hair and ultra-flashy style became a trademark fans would, and will, never forget.

Along with his work for X Japan, hide worked on solo projects (and released several albums and singles), including hide with Spread Beaver and Zilch (based in the US).

Like all of the members of X Japan, hide had become, by their disbandment in ‘97, a rock’n'roll icon. Japan was, then, utterly crushed when his sudden death was announced one year after the band broke up. hide was discovered in his Tokyo apartment, hung from the bathroom doorknob by a towel. His funeral was held in Tsukiji Hongan-ji (a Buddhist temple in the Tsukiji district of Tokyo), and was attended by 50,000 people, 60 of which were hospitalized during the event, and 200 of which were tended to in first-aid tents. Three fans died in copy-cat suicides.

There remains some speculation as to whether hide’s death was an accident or a suicide. Members of X Japan commented that they had often utilized a technique involving a towel and a doorknob/handle as a way of relieving back-pain caused by constant use of a guitar-strap. Former bassist Sawada Taiji suggests that hide may have been attempting to implement this technique and, drunk, passed out and gotten tangled up in the towel.

On May 1st 1999, almost exactly a year following hide’s death, a memorial album was released under the title Tribute Spirits. The album featured covers of hide songs by illustrious names such as  fellow first-generation Visual Kei bands Luna Sea and BUCK-TICK. A Hide Memorial Summit concert was held at the Ajinomoto Stadium, where many bands, including X Japan, performed hide’s songs.

(Video: At the 2008 Hide Memorial Summit, X Japan performing together with Luna Sea)

But enough  history!

These guys rock, and sorting them neatly into the pages of Jrock text-books would be doing their 15 years of rebellion a vast disservice.

Aside from deciding that Visual Kei was to be crazy and image-driven, X Japan had a massive impact on the music and composition styles. Although classified as a speed/power metal and progressive rock band, they made generous use of balladry, piano, and orchestration. Vocalist Toshi supplied unique vocals characterized by a high-pitched, whiny timbre. Several songs, including the all-time-famous ballad Tears (from the album Dahlia) were written with all-English lyrics, and sung boldly by the iconic vocalist.

Many of their songs passed the 10 minute length, climaxing with the album Art of Life, which contained only the title song, running a whopping 29 minutes. (1993. Art of Life was composed and written by Yoshiki, and performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It was only performed live for three audiences.)

In the 15 years that X Japan was active, the band released 5 studio albums, 6 live albums, 10 compilation albums, 19 singles, and 15 video releases.

Links, Further Reading, and Info:

Official Website (Japanese)

Official Website (UK-English)

Yoshiki’s privately owned record label, EXTASY RECORDS (Japanese)

XJapan at MySpace (Japanese)

Yoshiki Official Website (Japanese, English, Chinese [simplified], Korean, Chinese [traditional]/ German, Spanish, French, Italian [news only])

“Yoshikitty” (Yoshiki + Hello Kitty collaboration) Info site (Japanese)

For a full list of member sites and official sites by country/region: go here

‘X Japan’, a fan-site made with dedication, packed with news, information, updates, and anything else you might want to check out related to X Japan.

Questo video di Taiji Chen è divertente ne consigliamo la visione

Sunset over the Vale of Clywd

Croeso i Llandyrnog

Thank you for dropping by & welcome to our village. We invite you to join in this blog by submitting pictures, ideas or comments etc.

This Blog incorporates Jadevale Tai Chi. All links to businesses, services, events, items for sale/wanted, Llandyrnog Oil Syndicate etc. are provided free of charge for all local residents.

Disclaimer

The author and publisher of any material on this blog are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any injury/financial loss or any material loss  which may occur through the reading or following of any instructions or guidance.

Special thanks to Anthony Henry, Education Director, East Side Boys and Girls Club. USA for permitting the use and modification of his ‘Pumpkin’ design that Jadevale uses as part of its logo.

© Copyright Bob Hall,  Jadevale 2009

The director of an eco-documentary about dolphins has offered to donate the Japanese profits of the project to the same people he exposed in the film – but only if they stop hunting the marine mammals. Filmmaker and activist Louie Psihoyos hopes that this will help encourage the hunters to abandon their now infamous dolphin trade, Associated Press reports.

Psihoyos teamed up with other activists, filmmakers, explorers, divers and adrenalin junkies to create a covert feature-length documentary about an annual hunting event in the town of Taiji. The film, called The Cove, exposes the cruel and unsustainable hunting practices of the local fishermen as they capture thousands of dolphins using drive-fishing methods and a natural cove along their coast.

The director was back in Japan for the screening of the movie at the Tokyo Film Festival amid strong opposition from Taiji locals. The last minute decision to show the documentary came after intense international pressure from conservationists and filmmakers, the Guardian reports.

Despite reservations from the organisers, the film sold out and became a highlight of the festival. According to Associated Press, however, coverage from the local media remains restrained due to concerns of a backlash.

The Japanese government has been quick to defend the dolphin hunt as part of their unique culture. “People in different countries eat all kinds of things, depending on their culture. I’d like people to understand that cultures are diverse,” says Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada.

A spokesman from the Japanese foreign ministry also added: “Please remember that only a very small number of Japanese people catch and eat dolphins.”

Psihoyos believes that most people in Japan will oppose dolphin hunting if the issue became more prominent in the social consciousness. “This is not an animal rights film. This is a people’s rights film for the Japanese people. Once the Japanese people see this film, I think they will shut down the cove,” he explains.

He also added:  “If we can get the film out to the Japanese people, I think it will be a huge victory for the Japanese people.”

The film has already been released in countries like Australia, Germany, Singapore and the UK. It has also been shown in various international film festivals in Ireland, Italy, and the US. Producers are still awaiting a decision regarding a general release in Japan.

Psihoyos, a respected photographer and co-founder of the Ocean Conservation Society, was inspired into action by a dolphin trainer-turned-activist Ric O’Barry, who used to work for the popular TV series Flipper.

O’Barry had a change of heart when one of the five dolphins he trained for the show committed a form of suicide in his arms. He has been campaigning to save dolphins ever since.

Dolphins are sociable and intelligent creatures. They have a long history of showing compassion for humans, often saving lives in times of maritime trouble.

Despite an international whaling ban, thousands of dolphins are still caught in Japan for the purposes of food and entertainment. Hunting these gentle mammals remains legal in the country because they are too small to be considered as ‘whale’.

Approximately 23,000 dolphins are killed each year in Japan, and over fifty percent of those chosen for entertainment also die within two years of captivity. The annual hunt in Taiji alone attracts an estimated 2,000 dolphins every season.

Psihoyos hopes that his film raise international awareness and ultimately stop dolphin hunting in the twenty-first century. He concludes: “I think it’s going to be a huge win for the dolphins. Those are my real clients.”

Written for EMMA Interactive
by Patrick Camara Ropeta
October 2009

Até que ponto pode ir a crueldade do ser humano quando o único objetivo é o lucro?

Durante anos, a caça aos golfinhos no litoral da cidade de Taiji, que torna as águas do mar vermelhas por causa do sangue derramado a cada inverno, atraiu a raiva de ativistas ocidentais. Mas poucas pessoas entre o público japonês pareciam se importar, ou até mesmo saber, a respeito da matança. Isso pode mudar com as primeiras exibições públicas de “The Cove” (A Angra”, em tradução literal), um documentário americano que usou câmeras escondidas para filmar as caças de golfinho anuais em Taiji.

Na quarta-feira, os frequentadores de cinemas japoneses vislumbraram as cenas pela primeira vez no Festival de Cinema de Tóquio, realizado esta semana na cidade.

Taiji não é a única comunidade que caça golfinhos, milhares dos quais são mortos em todo o mundo intencionalmente ou por ficarem presos nas redes de pescadores. Mas os pescadores de Taiji são caçadores notórios, batendo em metais para agrupar golfinhos apavorados em uma angra e depois os atacando com lanças até sua morte, no que os manifestantes descrevem como uma atividade desumana.

O Japão matou aproximadamente 13 mil golfinhos em águas litorais em 2007, de acordo com a agência de pescas do país, dos quais aproximadamente 1.750 foram foram abatidos em Taiji. O Japão também caça baleias usando uma brecha na moratória de 1986 à atividade, que permite matar baleias para pesquisa – apesar das presas para pesquisa acabarem nos supermercados japoneses.

Apesar da recepção entusiasmada ao filme no festival – muitos aplausos foram concedidos ao final da exibição – ainda não se sabe se ele irá levar a um debate público mais amplo.

A caça de baleias e golfinhos é considerada uma parte importante do sustento tradicional do Japão e de sua cultura culinária, uma prática a ser defendida contra interferência estrangeira. (Embora apenas uma minoria de japoneses coma carne de baleia, e menos ainda comem
golfinhos).

Também há um tabu forte na mídia japonesa contra qualquer crítica aos fazendeiros e pescadores do país, geralmente descritos como defensores heróicos de um modo de vida que está desaparecendo rapidamente. A cobertura a respeito do filme tem sido escassa e seus produtores ainda não encontraram um distribuidor no país.

O Festival de Cinema inicialmente rejeitou “The Cove” por ser muito controverso, mas mudou sua decisão no último minuto depois do apoio de nomes importantes de Hollywood, como Ben Stiller, que se interessou pessoalmente pelo assunto. Porém, o festival divulgou uma declaração dizendo não ter nenhum envolvimento com a produção do filme.

A cooperativa de pesca de Taiji exigiu que o festival não exibisse “The Cove”, acusando os produtores de invasão de propriedade para conseguir as imagens e de fazer acusações falsas.

A cidade contratou um advogado e se prepara para uma ação judicial, afirmou um oficial na quarta-feira. O advogado, Shozaburo Ishida, não quis comentar o assunto.

Enquanto isso, a caça aos golfinhos irá continuar conforme o planejado durante a temporada que vai se setembro até fevereiro, disse a agência de pesca do Japão.

Em sua caça em setembro, pescadores de Taiji capturaram 10 golfinhos de um grupo de 100 para vender a aquários, enquanto 50 baleias foram mortas e enviadas aos mercados.

Fonte: IG – Último Segundo.

Se intampla in timp ce voi cititi. Si putini sunt cei care cu adevarat fac ceva pentru a opri astfel de actiuni, pentru a inchide astfel de stabilimente, pentru a salva unele din cele mai frumoase creaturi ale marii, pentru a ne salva pe noi.

Mai multe detalii aici: http://www.takepart.com/thecove/

Tu faci ceva pentru asta? Tu te implici?

Dead dolphins after hunting

By Rahsian Parris

With the new movie The Cove due to hit UK screens this month, the riveting depiction of the horrors surrounding Japanese Whale and Dolphin slaughtering has come at an ideal time. The beginning of hunting season.

Under the light of the warm summer sun herds of small children and adults alike pour into dolphinariums, theme parks and marine mammal parks to get a small glimpse of these spectacular creatures in action. The applause crescendos into a roar of happy cheers, a sea of smiling faces, as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet performs an array of playful tasks. Swimming backwards? Check! Balancing a ball on its nose? Check! The benevolent mammals seemingly have no qualms about jumping through hoops for their superiors, but when the sun starts to set, the doors begin to shut and the chill of the night air sets in, the only reminder of the joys of the day are the empty candy floss sticks stuck to the concrete floors.

Fast-forward a few months and in the small fishing town of Taiji, Japan, Dolphin hunting season has begun. Select fisherman of the 3,500 populated town, are poised in position, watching with stealth and trained eyes for a pod of dolphins. When the group are identified they are debilitated by fisherman who bang metal rods together in the water, disorientating the mammals and effecting their ultra sensitive sonars. The crippled animals are quickly driven into a cove blocked off by other boats and nets, trapped, they are left overnight to calm down. The next day the Dolphins are individually captured and then killed one by one. A sharp metal pin is driven into the neck of the Dolphin. It dies almost instantaneously. This method of killing is said to be less brutal than the previous method which has been made illegal in Japan, where after the Dolphin is separated from the other captives, its throat is slit and the Dolphin is left to violently convulse before its imminent death.

The hunt starts at the beginning of September, with the first day bringing in at least 100 Bottlenose Dolphins and maybe some Pilot Whales, but Japan’s annual quota is approximately 20,000 Dolphins. Aquariums can pay up to £90,000 for one of these Dolphins, but most of them are killed, their meat being sold for about £330 per carcass. Tickets for a show at a dolphinarium can cost as little as £20.

It has been argued that Whale and Dolphin hunting is part of the Japanese tradition, that the meat gathered during the hunts becomes part of  the local dishes, which are part of the culture, which is paramount to the identity of the nation, however, after capture, the slaughtering takes place very much under wraps, behind (several) closed doors (barriers), as far away from prying eyes as it is from patriots. Although there are several organizations that continuously strive to put a stop to the slaughtering of Dolphins and Whales in Japan, and on a smaller scale, in other places, drive hunting, as it is known, continues to be a serious, global, animal welfare issue.

One activist in particular has been making a stand for over three decades. Ex-Dolphin trainer, Ric O’Barry is a dedicated campaigner against the atrocities of drive hunting, saying “I’ve been working with dolphins for most of my life. I watched them give birth. I’ve nursed them back to health. When I see what happens in this cove in Taiji, I want to do something about it.” In his new film The Cove he seeks to uncover the truth surrounding the multi-billion dollar Dolphin entertainment industry that he himself use to endorse (O’Barry captured and trained all 5 Dolphins that were used in the television series “Flipper”). The movie seeks to expose, educate and inspire people into action, showing the reality of the blood thirsty industries that hide behind sugar coated notions and sun kissed dreams.

Over a montage of breath taking clips of Dolphins swimming out at sea, coupled with grim, savage scenes filmed on hidden cameras by O’Barry’s team of activists, we hear the voice-over “If I destroy anything in nature, I’m taking it away from myself and the human race has to wake up to that, because we’re losing it all and we’re losing it at a horrifying rate.” and suddenly you are taken back to those fond, sun drenched, childhood memories where the summers are extra long and the future is a certainty, yet the in the back of your mind an image lingers and in this image there are no hoops, no beach balls, no tomorrow.

The Cove is in cinemas from the 23rd of October

The annual slaughter of dolphins and small whales in Taiji, Japan has been going on for hundreds of years. Only recently has the world taken notice of it, largely thanks to the US documentary “the Cove” which shows graphic footage of the brutal, savage killing of thousands of these animals, which takes place every year.

Japan’s whaling industry has slowed, due to a global ban on commercial whaling which was issued in 1986, but the local fishermen of Taiji take advantage of the fact that dolphins and other small cetaceans, or aquatic mammals, are not specified in the ban. The locals also point out that their killing of dolphins is no different than the slaughter of cattle, chickens, and other domestic animals in the United States. Japan is just a different country with different resources.

The Tokyo International Film Festival has decided to allow the showing of “the Cove”, a documentary about the annual killing of dolphins and whales in Taiji, Japan. The film was originally rejected but due to worldwide public interest the TIFF has changed its mind.

  -Hollee

Translated from the original blog post at http://www.LiYeSen.com

There is speechless to describe the beauty of TaiJi 太极!

It  is the KEY! The key to open my wisdom door…

Traditional Chinese Medicine is originated from Yi-ology 易学. It is one of the branch of the Yi-ology 易学.

TaiJi, the simplest… the prettiest…

A shot from "Faust"

From the world of classical opera we learned that music has the potential to not only be an aural pleasure, but a visual one as well. Through lyrical theme, musical composition, costume and props, a greater theme or story can be expressed trough music. But it doesn’t stop in the opera house. Since the early 1980s Japanese rockers have taken pairing music and visuals to a whole new level. What started as an insane-seeming sub-culture movement became, by the mid 90’s, an established genre, and today, 30 years later, one of the-most-listened-to facets of Jrock.

That genre is what we refer to as “Visual Kei”.

Visual Kei band "Malice Mizer", circa 1997

Let’s start with the name. ビジュアル系[bijuaru kei]. Visual Kei is a term created by bringing together the English word ‘Visual’ and the Japanese word ‘kei’, which means ‘type’ or ‘style’. Nowadays the term refers almost solely to a genre of Japanese rock music— now that Visual Kei as a genre has become popular and more mainstream, I get the impression that a lot of Western fans want to single out the god-father bands as non-”Visual Kei”. Like how back when “punk” first began there was no “punk”, and now it’s a mainstream style full of posers.  But even at the very onset of Visual Kei culture, because of the nature of the genre and the way it effects and is affected by the term Visual Kei, the label existed upon advent.

Dead End: 1984-1999

You see, we’re allowed a sort of grace period by the Japanese language. Look at it this way—alongside sometimes-creepy Visual Kei, there is another Jrock sub-culture which is eternally cheerful, and that is referred to as ‘Oshare Kei’, [en.  Fashionable type]. In Japan, when you want to tell someone that they are fashionable, you say, “wow, you got some new boots! So oshare kei!” It would be silly if I got angry and said, “But I’m not the oshare-kei genre of bands and music. Ugh!” The genres happened out of the terms, in a way. Similarly, were you to remark that X Japan was “wow! So visual kei!” Would a true old-school fan scoff and say, “Ugh, Visual Kei? No they’re not. There’s nothing visual there!”?

X Japan

Much the same as the early punk movement, true Visual Kei had and still has no “definition” nor set limits. It is important to understand that Visual Kei is first and foremost a means of expression not only through music, but through image as well. It is at the Visualists’s discretion how he or she chooses to express themselves. Visual Kei is an ultimatum in creativity, and one of its defining points is its lack of boundaries.

However, it is only natural that certain qualifications come into the picture… In the way of trends and obsessive-genre-ization-disorder of today, Visual Kei has found certain parameters and sub-genres exclusive to its scope. Like anything, there is the fluff and filler impossible to evict, ban, destroy, or avoid– but individual creativity and expression is still running strong among Visualists. In a way, the pre-sets and development of stereotyping has encouraged boundaries between what is Visual Kei and what is standard Jrock. Not just every Jrock band with a crazy look is Visual Kei—that’s genre abuse.

In this write-up, although I can’t tell you all the “is” and “isn’t”s of this boundless and extreme genre, I will do my best to sketch out the general idea, as well as define the boundaries that separate Visual Kei from what we know otherwise as Jrock and Jpop.

Luna Sea

Visual Kei is a bit like genealogy in that it has generations. And as the generations became younger and younger, the look changed and developed. That’s why I, as well as many people who write about the Vis Kei movement, choose to differentiate between the generations. I’ve simplified it into a 3-category hierarchy of 1st generation, onward. We could be real jerks and break it down into the quantum level of Visual Kei Generations and Sub Movements, but for clarity’s sake, we’ll use the 3-generation rule here. If you want to get quantum with me, notice how I include release and activity dates in the artist information run-downs….

Back “before” there “was” “Visual Kei”, the pioneer band X appeared– the year…was 1982. For the purpose of disambiguation (due to the existence of the American ’70s band by the same name), they did the obvious thing and clarified who they were by a quick name change– by which they are immortalized: X Japan.

X-Japan

This was “the movement”, “the influx”. X Japan brought to Jrock the heavy yet melodious sound that we are so familiar with today. They brought the extremist fashion and 50% dedication to image. Yeah, they had freaking big hair. They made the glam-metal look popular (for an indie rock band, anyway) and exciting in the Japanese music scene– but they did what the Japanese do with everything they import: they, as one Japanese friend put it, took what Westerners made like monkeys and improved it. They Japanified it.

In the image to the right, you can see the powerful beginnings of what we know now as Visual Kei. The androgyny (especially in Jrock idol Yoshiki [center], the historic appeal, the extreme everything. These were the founding fathers.

They inspired everybody.  X Japan brought great momentum to this sub-culture of Jrock, which steadily infected a stream of other great bands. This was Visual Kei’s foundation, when it picked up speed and accelerated into pop-culture. The bands everyone know of as “true” Visual Kei appeared at this time– between 1982 and ‘87: Luna Sea, Buck -Tick, Dead End.

This was the well-spring of Jrock. It began in the ‘80s, and it was a mash-up of imagery and ideas. These bands set the foundation for the use of visual components in Japanese rock music, veering off the beaten path and forging new roads.

Although the look and sound has developed, become refined, and more focused, there was one element that has remained the core spinal column of the Visual Kei aesthetic. This element was essentially ‘beauty for beauty’s sake’. Visualists would like what they liked, would dress how they liked, would act how they liked. They appreciated things as genderless, ageless, anonymous modes of creative expression. There were no concepts such as “I can’t dress that way, I’m a man.” or “We can’t play this song, we’re too hardcore.”
This aesthetic would later become the palette upon which the 2nd Generation would paint the defining portrait of Visual Kei, and sculpt it as an actual genre.

Buck-Tick

There are different kinds of  difficulties with balance.  One kind is the balance to stand on one foot or walk a line.  Another is losing balance because of carelessness.   That one can be dealt with – just be more careful.  The first kind of balance is a  sensing / reaction deal in the body … it’s usually automatic.  How do you improve that kind of balance?

Taiji does provide the opportunity for practice of both kinds of balance.  Being carefull and deliberate is fundamental in Taiji practice.   The other kind of balance is more involved  but here in our practice, there are many tips that we’ve learned.

“The head is pulled up, the tailbone is pulled down by a heavy weight”.  I think of the feeling as if our bodies are like a heavy chain  pulled up at the top, and hanging like a heavy weight straight down to our tailbone and down to the ground.   Between the chain of the spine, we have our waist and legs and on the ground – our feet.  For the weight to be perfectly alligned and in balance, our feet should be directly under this chain at the point where the chain would touch the ground.

“The knees are slightly bent.”  Notice that this puts your feet directly in the chain line.

“The body is completely relaxed.”  ”You feel like a wet noodle.”  ”You feel like everything is pulled down”.  These images help to emphasize the pull of gravity to your feet.  A physical meaning of “centering” is that the weight of the body always has a center of gravity.  If the center of gravity is not in the line of the chain – head – tailbone – feet, you are off center, and off balance.

This is a physical meaning of  ”centering”  and the taiji posture leads directly to good physical centering fundamentals.

A last tip helped me to understand “balancing” is to make the adjustment as low as possiblem either in the foot itself – especially the ball of the foot and toes, or next best – in the ankles.  A small move there  is the best balance adjustment. A big move in the upper body is harder to control and makes you more prone to over-correction and  can be too much too late.

(why is it easier to balance with your arms spread out?  It doesn’t lower the center of gravity but it “spreads” out the center of gravity so any adjustments you make have a more subtle effect on the shifting the location of the center – you are more “stable” and less prone to over-correct. )

Approximately 2,000 dolphins are killed each year by Japanese fishermen in the small town of Taiji, according to a documentary made by the famous Flipper trainer.
The dolphins massacre in the fishing town of just 3,500 inhabitants located on the southeast coast of Japan was for decades a well kept secret by the Japanese authorities. Taiji was once the largest center for hunting whales in Japan.
On the southeast coast of Japan, the dolphin hunting season lasts from September to March. The dolphins that fall in the fishermen’s net are trapped in a small bay near Taiji, from where they are kept from escaping with electrified wire nets.
Young females are then separated from the group to be sold to water parks and the rest captured mammals are killed for meat. The blood of thousands of dolphins killed annually reddens the water of the bay.
The entire massacre was surprised by Ric O’Barry, aged 70 years, who has investigated years before could surprise on film the whole atrocity. The documentary made by him is entitled “The Cove” and has already won several awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

La baia di Taiji è una tranquilla e nascosta insenatura sulle coste giapponesi. Qui, da settembre a marzo, l’acqua diventa rossa con il sangue delle migliaia di delfini uccisi in una macabra mattanza. I giapponesi sono ghiotti della carne degli iruka i cosiddetti “maiali di mare”, e sono disposti a pagare profumatamente per un trancio o un derivato. I pescatori e i cacciatori di delfini sono stati accusati più volte dalle associazioni animaliste e ambientaliste, ma ora un documentario ha finalmente visto e filmato tutto. E li ha messi con le spalle al muro. The Cove uscirà nelle sale europee a fine ottobre. Al momento però non è prevista la proiezione in Italia. Gli autori del video capitanati da Rick O’Barry hanno adottato ogni tipo di accorgimento e mimetizzazione per filmare una zona sinora off limits ai non addetti ai lavori.

อ่านหน้าอื่น
X Japan Biography Early Age (ประวัติ ช่วงต้น)
X Japan Biography Middle Age (ประวัติ ช่วงกลาง)
X Japan before Disband (ประวัติ ก่อนแยกวง 96) [CURRENT]

วันเดียวกันนั้น Heath ได้เข้ามาอยู่ใน X Japan อย่างสมบูรณ์ เดือนตุลาคม ออก Live Concert ครั้งแรกของ Heath ให้ชื่อว่า ‘ Extasy Summit ‘ 92 ‘ แล้ววันที่ 21 เดือนนั้นอีกเช่นเคย Toshi ออก Single Made in Heaven เป็นงานเดี่ยวชิ้นแรกของเขา ( เป็นเพลงแนว slow pop อาจจัดเป็น industrial ก็ได้ ) และเดือนต่อมาก็ออก Album ‘ Made in Heaven ‘ อีก ทาง X ก็ออก VDO ” Hametsu – Nimukatte – Visual Shock Vol. 4 ”

ปีต่อมา X ออก VDO Mima – Mumei – Datta, Dakedo..mukei – Datta – Extasy Summit ‘ 92 วันที่ 25 สิงหาคมอีกแล้ว งานของ X ชิ้นแรกที่มี Heath ก็โผล่ออกมา เป็น Single เพลง Art of Life ถ้าสังเกตดูจะ ไม่ค่อยได้ยินเสียง Bass เดือนตุลาคมออก Single Tears แต่ดันติดอันดับ 1 ของผลโวท เดือนพฤศจิกายนออก X Singles Yoshiki เป็นคนเลือกเองว่าจะมีเพลงอะไรบ้าง ซึ่งทุกเพลงยกเว้น Joker เป็นเพลงที่เขาแต่งเอง และเวลาทำ Live ก็เช่นกัน เขามักจะเลือกเพลงที่เขาแต่งมาเล่น จนเพลงของเขาดัง

วันที่ 4 ของเดือนนั้น Pata ก็ออก Single ” Pata ” 2 วันสุดท้ายของสิ้นปี ทำ Live Take ของ X Japan ที่ Tokyo Dome ปี 1994 ไทจิเป็นมือ Bass ของวง Loudness เต็มตัว แต่เขาก็ไม่ชอบอีก วงนี้ชอบเปลี่ยนสมาชิกเรื่อย ๆ อยู่ทุกปี และเป็นที่นิยมของชาวต่างชาติ ทาง Hide ก็ออก Single “DICE” เดือนต่อมาก็ออกอลบัม “HIDE YOUR FACE” เดือนต่อมา Hide ออก Single “TELL ME” เดือนต่อมาอีก Pata ออก Single “PATA’ S BOOTLEG” เดือน 7 วันที่ 10 ออก Single “Rusty Nail” ได้อันดับ 1 ของผลโวท 2 เดือน ต่อมา Pata ออก Single “Fly Away” และ 2 วันก่อนสิ้นปีอีกเช่นเคย มี Live ที่ Tokyo Dome อีกเช่นเคย ชื่อว่า “Blue Night , White Night”

ปี 1995 VDO X’ s Clips ได้ออกพร้อมกับ Single “Hametsu – Ni – Mukatte – 1992.1.7″ ที่เล่นที่ Tokyo Dome ฮิเดะแกก็คิดถึงไทจิอีกแล้ว แกจึงไปตามหาไทจิและได้พบไทจิ ก่อนที่ไทจิจะออกจากวง Loudness วันที่ 21 มกราคม Pata ออก “Single On Me” Heath เอาบ้าง แกก็เลยทำอลบัม “HEATH” ออกในเดือนกุมภาพันธ์ ต่อมาไม่นาน Pata ก็ออก Single “Rised on Rock” วันที่ 1 เดือน 8 X ก็ออก Single “Longing – Togireta Melody” ติดอันดับ 1 เช่นเคย วันที่ 29 พฤศจิกายน เริ่ม Dahlia Tour ข้ามปี เดือนธันวาคมออก Single “Longing – Longing Night” เป็นการ Promote เพลงนี้อย่างรุนแรง ทั้ง 2 วันสุดท้ายของปีนั้น มี Live Take ที่ Tokyo Dome เหมือนเดิม มีการนำเนื้อเพลงนี้มาอ่านเป็นภาษาอังกฤษ ใช้เล่นทุกงาน ทำให้เพลงโด่งดัง

ปีต่อมา เดือนกุมภาพันธ์วันที่ 26 ได้ออก Single “Dahlia” ติดอันดับ 1 อีกแล้ว งานชิ่นนี้ถือเป็นการพัฒนาครั้งยิ่งใหญ่ แต่ยังคงแนวเดิมคือ Melodic Metal วันที่ 22 พฤษภาคม Hide ออก Single “Lemoned” และเดือนต่อมา ฮิเหลก็ออก Single “Misery” วันที่ 8 เดือน 7 Single Forever Love ก็ออก เป็นการเล่นด้วยเปียโนเป็นส่วนใหญ่ ติดอันดับ 1 อีกแล้ว เดือน 8 วันแม่ (ของประเทศไทย) Hide ออก Single “Beauty and Stupid” วันที่ 26 เดือนสิงหาคมมีการออก Single “Crucify My Love” ได้ผลโวทอันดับ 2 Hide ก็ออก ชื่ออลบัม “PSYENCE” เป็นการรวมเพลงของ Single ก่อนหน้านี้ วันที่ 7 เดือนต่อมา Heath ออก Single “Mekyou No Lover” วันที่ 4 เดือนต่อมาออกอลบัม “Dahlia” อีก 4 วันต่อมาออก Single “Scar” อีกแล้ว ” B.O.X. ” ( Best of X ) ออกวางขายที่อเมริกาด้วย ส่วนใหญ่ก็เพลงที่ Yoshiki แต่งอีกนั่นแหละ กลางเดือนฮิเดะออก Single ” HIHO / GOOD-BYE ” และวันสุดท้ายของปีอีกเช่นเคย สถานที่เดิม เมื่อจบการทัวร์ Dahlia ข่าวลือว่า น้องชายของ Toshi ซึ่งเห็นโทษของหัวหน้าวงของ X Japan ว่าเห็นแกเงิน ก็พยายามบอกให้ Toshi ออกจากวง

ปีต่อมา วันที่ 1 มกราคม อีกแล้ว “DAHLIA THE VIDEO – VISUAL SHOCK VOL.5 PART 1″ Heath ออก Single “TRAITOR” และเดือนต่อมานั่นเองได้ทำ “DAHLIA THE VIDEO – VISUAL SHOCK VOL.5 PART 2″ ฮิเดะออก Single “Tune – Up” เมื่อเดือน ตุลาคม ได้ไปหา Live เก่า ๆ มารวมเป็นอลบัม “Live Live Live” ต่อมาก็จบการทัวร์ของ Dahlia ที่ยืดเยื้อมาจากปี 1996 และได้ทำอลบัม “Live Live Live Extra” Toshi ได้ออกอลบัม “Natural High” วันที่ 19 ธันวาคมมี Ballad Collection ออกมา ซึ่งทำให้เราสามารถทราบได้ว่าทำไมในอลบัม Dahlia จึงมี Ballad เยอะมาก ก็แค่ให้อลบัมนี้เต็ม วันเดียวกันนั้นก็ออก Single “Forever Love Last Mix” ใช้กีตาร์แทนเปียโน (และเปลี่ยนมาเป็นคีย์ C) วันที่ 25 ธันวาคม วันแห่งการออกทั้ง Single ทั้ง Album อาทิ “Box Single Box” , “Box Special Box Set”, “Dahlia LP”, “Single – Atlantic Years” วันที่ 31 ธันวาคม ไม่ต้องบอกว่าที่ไหน มีการทำ Last Live ไม่ค่อยสนุกเท่าไหร่

ปี 1998 วันที่ 21 มกราคม Yoshiki ออก Single “The Last Song” และ Live ของเพลง Art of Life เวลาผ่านไป หลังจาก Hide ทำวง Spred Braver ซึ่งมี Pata เป็น temporary guitarist รวมสมาชิก 7 คน ไม่นับ Pata

หลังจากข่าวฮิเดะฆ่าตัวตายในวันที่ 2 พฤษภา ไม่นาน ไทจิจึงปรากฎตัว และแก้ตัวว่าฮิเดะไม่ได้ฆ่าตัวตาย เขามาตั้งกลุ่ม D.T.R. Group ออกแสดงตาม Cafe ตอนกลางคืน

วันที่ 7 เดือน 5 หลังจากการตายของฮิเดะ 5 วัน สมาชิกคนอื่นในวงได้มาร้องเพลง Scars และ Forever Love พร้อมกัน โดยในเพลง Forever Love เป็นบรรเลงเปียโนกับขับร้อง บางข่าวกล่าวว่า ที่จริง X Japan จะกลับมารวมตัวกันตั้งวงใหม่ แต่พอฮิเดะตาย เลยไม่ได้ทำ

ปี 1999 วันที่ 30 เดือนมกราคม Yoshiki ออกอลบัม “X Japan Star Box” วันที่ 24 เดือนกุมภาพันธ์ออก “X Perfect Best” และออก VDO “The Last Live”

ปี 2000 หลังจาก Yoshiki กลับมาจาก America ก็รีบวิ่งมาที่ Tokyo Dome ทำ “The Last Live” เป็นครั้งสุดท้ายซึ่ง Heath กับ Pata มาถึงก่อน ทีแรก Yoshiki คิดว่ามาไม่ทันจึงไม่กะจะมา แต่พอรู้ข่าวว่าไทจิจะมา ก็เลยมาด้วย ไทจิเป็นคนเดียวใน X ที่ได้นำเพลงของ X ที่ตนแต่งไปใช้เป็นเพลงของ D.T.R. Group

ปลายปี 2002 Yoshiki ให้เปิด Website ให้โวทเพลงของ X ที่แฟน ๆ ชอบ และยังมีขายแว่นตา X Japan ซึ่งมีให้เลือกตาม style ของนักดนตรีแต่ละคน

ประวัติข้างต้นเขียนเมื่อ Sw Eden อายุ 15 ปี

ปี 2007 รวมวงใหม่