The Mark of Beauty

This episode features Tsumugi, a type of dyed, woven silk fabric. There are a number of regional variations across Japan. The fabric produced in the Yuki area of Ibaraki Prefecture uses the lesser quality "silk floss" from the silkworm cocoons, which is spun by hand into yarn. The fabric from Amami Oshima Island gets its lustrous dark colors from being dyed with the local mud and then washed in the local pristine streams. The singer Sato Anna performs a local song about the weaving of yarn. She wears for us an heirloom kimono of Tsumugi inherited from her grandmother. (Sato also sang the theme song for an NHK historical drama series about the influential 19th-century warrior and statesman Saigo Takamori.) Azumino in Nagano Prefecture is renowned for its fabric produced from wild silk, also called "diamond silk" on account of its rarity. The resulting fabric has a bewitching sheen. The antiques expert Nakajima Seinosuke talks about Tsumugi fabrics and art.

This episode is about windows. The giant windows in the home of the garden designer Saito Taichi provide stunning views of 50 different plants; the owner said that he wanted an ant's perspective. The architect Yoshimura Junzo (1908-1997) designed a whole series of windows in Karuizawa inspired by the great Frank Lloyd Wright, who favored large windows for admiring one's natural surroundings. We visit a library whose windows give the impression of being onboard a starship. We look at another type of fascinating window, the oculus, which features prominently in the Pantheon in Rome, as well as in a Buddhist temple in Kamakura. Sen So-oku, the tea master of the Mushakouji-Senke school, talks about how windows feature in the places used for tea ceremonies.

This episode features a whole range of beautiful and soothing lamps that give a sense of warmth and nostalgia. We visit a secluded hot spring in Aomori Prefecture illuminated entirely with 140 lamps. And we look at some magnificent lamps and lanterns carefully fashioned by craftsmen in the Meiji period (1868-1912). Popular comedian Hiroshi shows us the lantern he takes on camping trips. The last craftsman of hurricane lanterns in Japan shares with us some touching stories. We also feature the jazz and rock duo EGO-WRAPPIN', who sometimes use hand lamps when they perform before audiences. And we look at the alluring illumination at a hot springs resort in Aso, Kyushu.

This episode focuses on the colorful and varied world of glass. We look at a range of elegantly shaped and superbly crafted hand-blown wine glasses from one of Japan's leading glassware manufacturers, the dynamic glass objects fashioned by the artist Mishima Ritsue in Venice, and the exquisite gradations that can be achieved in industrial glass grinding. We also look at examples of pâte de verre or molded, multicolored glass featuring traditional Japanese patterns and which bring to mind sugar confectionery. The episode moreover gives us a glimpse of some of the stained glass windows fashioned by Ogawa Sanchi (1867-1928), and we visit a glass tea pavilion created by the internationally acclaimed designer Yoshioka Tokujin.

This episode is about cranes, which are associated with happiness and good fortune. We look at some stunning images of red-crested cranes captured by a cameraman who specializes in this endangered bird, which was made a protected species in Japan 70 years ago. Cranes have fascinated numerous artists, among them the painter Tawaraya Sotatsu (c. 1570 – c. 1640). The episode delves into the auspicious shapes and designs associated with these creatures. Cranes are also featured in kimono. The idea is that the birds were a link between heaven and earth. The metal craver Katsura Morihito, who is designated Living National Treasure, is recreating some gold crane figures for the Kasuga-taisha Shrine in Nara Prefecture, which every 20 years carries out major repairs and ceremonies in an event known as Shiki-nen Zotai. The figures depict a crane in gold perching on a tree fashioned from silver.

This episode looks at how the Japanese have interacted with fragrances. The Japanese have come up with various ways to enjoy these invisible things. Kodo or the "Way of Fragrances" is the art of appreciating various rare and exotic fragrant woods sourced from outside of Japan. It evolved in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), and is still going some 500 years later. Environmental degradation means some of these woods are no longer attainable. In May 2022, the Shino School, the oldest extant school of Kodo, conducted a ceremony offering incense to the spirit of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542-1616), the first Tokugawa Shogun, using a particularly treasured piece of wood known as Ranjatai.

Traditional Japanese instruments are the focus of this episode. They are generating considerable interest in Japan at present, evoking both the past and being a source of new sounds. We are treated to a performance by a popular group that only uses traditional instruments. And we delve into the traditions in Gagaku or Imperial Court Music, the oldest type of orchestra music, as it were, which has been around for one thousand years. We look at flutes being crafted from materials aged for a century. The Gagaku musician Togi Hideki talks about instruments around the globe and the essence of Gagaku. A craftsman shows the techniques for fashioning koto (a type of zither). The episode also interviews an Italian artisan who is helping preserve the Chikuzen-biwa, a type of lute. And the actor Kusakari Masao gives a thrilling drum performance!

Every Japanese invariably owns some kind of personal seal. The finely crafted items embody generations of skill. Seals are practical, but they can also be stunningly beautiful. The musician Shishido Kavka is captivated by the genre of stamps known busho-in, which features the name of a famous warrior, a design of some kind, e.g. a tiger or dragon, and a personalized message. The episode also looks at the tools and craftsmanship of a seal maker, which has been in business for more than four hundred years, and the painstakingly detailed craftsmanship that goes into craving Chinese-style seal stones. A range of important seals from different parts of the globe are featured, and we focus on the meaning in the lettering and designs in some examples predating the Christian era.

This episode is about scissors and shears. It features a number of renowned contemporary craftsman and the outstanding wares they produce from traditional techniques. The items have both presence and refinement. The show looks at the shears that have evolved for ame-zaiku, the fashioning of animals and other shapes from heated candy – an art form that has existed since the Edo period. The candy must be shaped within the space of about five minutes. The episode focuses on some stunning examples of papercut work, the intricacy and elegance of which have won international acclaim. It also looks at some techniques of flower arrangement made possible by the best of floral shears.