Japan has a rich culture of art. One particularly distinctive craft is “hariko,” which uses paper and glue to make figures. This technique originally came from China, but gained popularity in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1867). It involves layering paper carefully by hand to make toys and lucky charms. One popular hariko figure is the tiger. It was put outside homes when the son was sent to war. Hariko tigers were talismans that people believed would help the son return home safely, just like a tiger always returns to its den after a hunt.
The process of making hariko is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The initial step involves wetting thin pieces of paper and gluing them onto a wooden mold. This step is repeated to reinforce the item. Once the layers are all dry, a hole is cut in the paper to remove the mold. Then, a layer of powder made from crushed shells is mixed with glue and put on the item. Finally, it is painted with the desired design.
Hariko fell out of popularity during World War II. However, a number of artists around Japan are trying to revive the hariko tradition. One such artist is Hashimoto Shoichi, who is based in the Fukushima Prefecture. This area was hit by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Hashimoto wanted to do something to help with the reconstruction effort. He crafted a gigantic daruma doll, which, according to popular belief, protects from disaster.
Photo taken from the Internet / 照片翻攝自網路
The daruma had the Japanese word for “reconstruction” on its belly, and people were encouraged to write messages on it. The artist also facilitates workshops to help keep the tradition of hariko alive. He hopes to motivate people to learn about hariko and bring the art to the next generation. Hashimoto believes the possibilities for hariko are infinite!
日本擁有豐富的藝術文化。其中一項特別獨特的工藝是「張子」，它使用紙和膠水來製作人物塑像。這種技術最初來自中國，但日本在江戶時代（西元1603-1867年）流行起來。它需要仔細地將紙手工層層堆疊來製作玩具和幸運符。其中一款流行的張子形狀是老虎。當兒子被派往戰場時，張子虎會被掛在家門外。人們相信張子虎是可以幫助兒子安全返家的護身符，就像老虎總是在狩獵後返回牠的巢穴一樣。
製作張子的過程耗時又費工。第一步需要潤濕薄紙並將它們黏於木製模具上。此步驟會重複進行以加固作品。當各層乾燥後，在紙上劃出切口取出模具。緊接著，將一層由壓碎的貝殼製成的粉末與膠水混合並塗在作品上。最後，再依所需的設計上色。
張子在第二次世界大戰期間退了流行。然而，日本各地的一些藝術家正試圖復興張子傳統。其中一位藝術家是橋本彰一，他居住在福島縣。這個地區在西元2011年3月11日遭受地震和海嘯的襲擊。橋本想做些事來協助重建工作。他製作了一個巨大的達摩娃娃，根據民間信仰，達摩可以保護人們免受災難。
這個達摩娃娃的腹部有關於重建的日語單詞，人們被鼓勵在上面寫下訊息。這位藝術家還舉辦工坊，協助保存張子傳統的生命力。他希望激勵人們學習張子並將這門藝術傳給下一代。橋本相信張子的可能性是無限的！
MORE INFORMATION
Edo period 江戶時代
talisman n. 護身符；吉祥物
den n. (動物的)巢穴；活動場所
mold n. 模具；性格
Fukushima Prefecture 福島縣
tsunami n. 海嘯
reconstruction n. 重建；改造；重現
belly n. 腹部；胃
revive v. (使)復興；復原
KEY VOCABULARY
1. craft n. 手(工)藝；技術／craft vt. (運用技巧)製作
Becoming a master of any craft requires years and years of practice.
要成為任何一項技藝的大師都需要經年累月的練習。
2. popularity n. 流行；人氣
gain / lose popularity 受／不受歡迎
This director’s popularity increased rapidly after he won an Oscar.
在獲得奧斯卡獎後，這位導演的人氣迅速攀升。
3. layer vt. 分層放置；按層排列／layer n. 層；塗層
The architect layered the building with different materials to create a unique design.
這名建築師使用不同的材料分層設計建築，打造出獨特風格。
4. initial adj. 最初的；開始的
Scientists are still in the initial stages of testing whether the new medicine is effective.
科學家們仍處於測試這個新藥是否有效的初始階段。
5. reinforce vt. 加固；強化；增援
This building is reinforced with a steel beam that runs through the middle of it.
這棟大樓由一根貫穿其中的鋼樑加固。
6. gigantic adj. 巨大的；巨人的
The amusement park features a gigantic roller coaster that can be seen from miles away.
這座遊樂園有一個巨大的雲霄飛車，可以從幾英里外就看得到。
7. disaster n. 災難；災害
If the fire reaches the city, it will be a huge disaster!
如果火勢蔓延到都市，那將是場天大的災難！
8. motivate vt. 激勵；產生動機；激發
My coach always knows how to motivate me to work harder in practice.
我的教練總是知道如何激勵我在訓練中更加努力。
9. infinite adj. 無限的；無邊無際的
The beauty of nature is infinite and can never be fully captured by words or images.
大自然的美是無限的，無法用文字或影像完全表現出來。
學習音檔: https://magazine.english4u.net/Magdata/menu/qg3ey
《空中美語》雜誌APP免費下載: https://www.english4u.net/apps/index.aspx
免費收聽當月《空中美語》雜誌課文朗讀及解析 !
文章由AMC空中美語授權使用: https://www.english4u.net
A: Guess what’s included in Google Taiwan’s 2024 most searched words. B: Let me guess: Taiwan’s victory in the WBSC Premier 12 championship must be on the list. A: Wow, good guess. “Premier 12” is at No. 10. B: What are the other most popular searches? A: No. 9 to 6 are: Ticketing platform “Tixcraft,” Taiwanese film “The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon,” Olympic gold boxer “Lin Yu-ting,” and the “Yuanta ETF coded 00940.” A: 猜猜看，Google 2024台灣搜尋排行榜，有哪些關鍵詞？ B: 我猜「棒球12強賽」一定超熱門吧。 A: 你好強，12強真的排在第10名！ B: 其他熱門搜尋有哪些？！ A: 第9至6名是︰「拓元」售票、電影「周處除三害」、奧運拳擊金牌「林郁婷」、元大ETF「00940」。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: Which words ranked highest for Google Taiwan’s most searched words of 2024? B: No. 5 to 1 are: “US presidential election,” “Olympics,” “Ko Wen-je,” “typhoon” and “earthquake.” A: I heard that Google also released a list of most searched word meanings. B: Yeah, the most popular searches included “M3,” “APT” and “release without bail.” A: Let me google their meanings now. A: Google 2024 台灣搜尋排行榜，前幾名是什麼？ B: 第5至1名是︰「美國總統大選」、「奧運」、「柯文哲」、「颱風」、「地震」！ A: 我聽說Google還有一個搜尋字義的排行榜。 B: 對啊前幾名是︰「M3」、「APT」、「無保請回」。 A: 讓我搜尋一下他們是什麼意思。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Stonefish may not be the most impressive-looking animal in the sea. In fact, this fish is so skilled at camouflage that most people wouldn’t notice it if they swam past it. Despite their unremarkable appearance, stonefish are the most venomous fish in the ocean. Stonefish come in various shades of brown, red, yellow, and orange. Their rough skin texture and blotchy color pattern give them a remarkable resemblance to stones, which is where their name comes from. This feature helps them blend in with their surroundings exceptionally well. Stonefish are notable for their 13 highly venomous spines which protrude
「雙手合十／合掌禮」(namaste) or 「碰肘／擊肘」 (elbow bump): 新冠肺炎流行逐漸改變現代社會的某些社交禮儀，歐美許多名人政要開始以「雙手合十／合掌禮」(namaste) 或「碰肘／擊肘」(elbow bump) 替代握手。 《今日商業》報導英國王儲查爾斯以「雙手合十」代替握手。 Coronavirus update: Prince Charles spotted greeting people with namaste (Business Today , March 12, 2020) 另外，《商業內幕》報導：疫情期間美國總統川普在白宮舉行新冠肺炎記者會，想和居家照護公司LHC集團執行副總葛林斯坦 (Bruce Greenstein) 握手，葛林斯坦婉拒，示意改用擊肘。 President Donald Trump attempted to shake hands with a home health care company executive . . . but the man turned the president down and offered him an elbow bump instead. (Eliza Relman, Business Insider , March 14, 2020) 「雙手合十／合掌禮」源自印度，也流行於泰、緬等國家。「碰肘／擊肘」則是 2006 禽流感、2009 豬流感後逐漸流行。疫情逐漸改變我們的生活方式，包括打招呼等社交禮儀，也出現了微妙的變化。 「拱手禮」(fist-and-palm salute) 至於華人社會傳統上也有雙手互握合於胸前「拱手禮」(fist-and-palm salute)。公益網站 Just Quarantine 提到： Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen demonstrating social distancing through use of a traditional Chinese greeting (fist & palm) instead of shaking hands in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 因應新冠肺炎疫情，2020 當年總統蔡英文與來訪賓客保持安全距離，拱手 (fist &
RSS