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missmyloko · 6 years

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What’s In a Dance? Part 8

This was a requested song and the first that features two titles.

Akebono (曙) - Dawn or Higashiyama Meisho (東山名所) - Scenic Higashiyama

Image courtesy of Gaaplite on Instagram.

The first question on everyone’s mind is, “Why does this song have two different titles?” While most song titles are the first few words of the song itself, this song does not follow that rule. Neither title is actually said in the song, which makes it all the more confusing! Its names are usually used in combination with each other, so when someone says “Akebono” they’ll usually say “Higashiyama Meisho” right after.

Lyrics

Mazu miwataseba Higashiyama, 先ず見渡せば東山, Looking at Higashiyama first thing in the morning, Saewataritaru aki no tsuki, 冴え渡りたる秋の月, Sits a cold autumn moon, Yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi yasa. ヨイヨイヨイヨイヨイヤサ。 Yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi, yasa. Makuzugahara ni soyo soyo to, 眞葛が原にそよそよと, Beside Makuzugahara, Mosuso mo patto warushare na kaze mo, 裳裾もぱっと悪洒落な風も, Suddenly my hem falls as the wind picks up, Nomichi no ku ni naranu. 野道は苦にならぬ。 The path through the field will be difficult. Kokoro Yasui no miyazukui, 心安井の宮ずく居, My heart is pulled to Yasui Shrine, Chōzu no mizu mo kikusui no, 手水の水も菊水の, Wanting the special water to be purified, Kakeru negai no Iwata obi. 掛ける願いの岩田帯。 As I wish to tie this Iwata obi. Yowai wo tsuguru kono kimi no, 齢を告ぐるこの君の, I will tell you my age, Tsuge wo shirasuru matsukaze mo ume mo, 告げを知らする松風も梅も, The wind in the pines and the plum blossoms will tell you too, Hisashiki haru koso medetakere, 久しき春こそ目出度けれ, Remembering the spring of long ago, Banbanzei to zo mai osamu. 萬々歳とぞ舞納む。 The once eternal dance that was dedicated to you has ended.

The Breakdown

This is an incredibly difficult song to translate as it has a vast amount of background detail that I’m sure I missed a bunch of. The original notes from the discussion of the song and its lyrics were invaluable in trying to understand it, although I am incredibly aware that I left some of the notes out as there’s just so, so much that can be said from what isn’t directly said. This is a long song that’s comprised of four parts, but not really separated into verses like the Gion Kouta. As stated earlier, neither Akebono nor Higashiyama Meisho are ever mentioned, but rather both are implied; the first line states that the viewer is looking at Higashiyama first thing in the morning (dawn) and is describing the scenery around it (meisho). As also stated in earlier parts, Higashiyama are the mountains that line the eastern edge of Kyoto. The first part is pretty straight forward as the viewer is telling us what they see. Good ol’ “yoi yoi yasa” appears again to set the mood. The second part cranks the background information from a 1 to an 11 almost instantly. Way back in Part 2 there was a mention of a famous potter named Kozan Makuzu, and Makuzugahara just happens to be a place in Gion where he set up his shop and founded his art studio. Thus, the author is setting the scene by telling us that they’re walking in Gion when suddenly the wind from an oncoming storm picks up the hem of her kimono. They then think about how difficult it will be to return, likely to their home, because of this development. In part three the background knowledge stays cranked and we’re told about how the author longs to go to Yasui Shrine. This shrine is known for relationships, so people often visit wanting to start a new relationship, keep a current one going, or to end a relationship without bad consequences. Not only do they want to visit the shrine, but they also want to purify some aspect of themselves. The second line was very difficult to write out as the meaning behind the words was very lengthy. The chōzo, not to be confused with the bird-like race from the Metroid series, is a tank or receptacle for water that all shrines have. The kikusui, which translates literally to “chrysanthemum water” actually means water that has been purified and is ready to be used to cleanse oneself. This is likely derived from the chrysanthemum being the symbol of the emperor, who also happens to be the head priest of Shintoism. So, if the chrysanthemum (the emperor) has blessed shrine water somewhere then all shrine water should be blessed by his energy. In the translation I shortened this to “special water” as it required a fair amount of explanation. The last line is incredibly intense as it seems so innocent, yet contains some of the most powerful imagery in the entire song. An Iwata obi, also known as a hara obi, is a special type of obi worn by pregnant women. It’s quite soft and no where near as long as a regular obi, which would be hard to tie over a distended abdomen. It’s meant to support the mother’s lower back so that she can stand up straight and to take some pressure away from the baby. Put together, this entire section tells us how the author wants to go to Yasui Shrine so that they can purify themselves in the hope that they will become pregnant in the future. Finally, we have the last verse that speaks of the author wanting to tell their lover their age. Sort of like in the West, a woman’s age isn’t openly shared unless it’s with someone that they know intimately. Another motif that we’ve also seen before, Matsukaze, comes back and is paired with plum blossoms as a show of intent. The viewer then thinks back to events that happened during the spring a long time ago, although this can also be a metaphor for the start of a relationship. In the end, the author realizes that the relationship (the dance) that she has with this person has come to an end. What’s unique is that the previous three verses only had three lines each, whereas the fourth and final contains an additional line. I’m not really sure why, but it does give the song an interesting poetic effect.

Each Kagai’s Version

Gion Kobu (祇園甲部) Version - Inoue School (井上流) One of the most unique dances in the Inoue repertoire, this dance is fast paced and uses both a mai tenugui and a mai ōgi! It’s a very flashy dance and one that is not easy to perform, let alone in pairs like this example. This version is performed by Koai (小愛) of Hiroshimaya (廣��屋) and Mamekiku (まめ菊) of Tama (多麻). Sorry fans of other kagai, but I can’t find it being performed by anyone outside of Gion Kobu. If you can find a link then please feel free to send it in ^^! __________________________________________________________________ The lyrics provided were translated by myself and gathered from multiple sources; I began with a set that a friend had listed, compared it to two other sets (this was one of them), and figured out which made the most sense when written out as some versions just wrote the hiragana versions of a few kanji and it made the meanings a bit more ambiguous to people who are not fluent in Japanese. In the original version some older forms of common kanji were used so I updated them as this may also confuse people.

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nba395 · 4 years

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Redefining Masculinity

Masculinity is not a set definition. It is most commonly thought of as actions or characteristics of men and their behavior, but masculinity is socially learned, which changes for each individual, and defined by gender. Yes, there is an overlying factor that contributes to the behavior of men, whether toxic or not, and in order to analyze what that factor is, intersectionality has to be used, but this is not a gender project. While I could use tools that I have learned from my gender classes, that is not my audience for this piece. In order to move past this, I have to acknowledge that there is a much broader range of and about masculinity that would require a different audience for viewing and I do not want to be led astray by that. My purpose of this piece is to see how masculinity is being presented in the NBA and how the fashion has changed that for not only the players but for the viewers as well.

A (Brief) Timeline of NBA Fashion

1930′s: Chuck Taylor’s

(https://www.chucksconnection.com/history1.html)

Converses were not very popular once the brand started selling in the 1920’s. But thanks to player Chuck Taylor, who played for the Akron Firestones, started promoting the product got his own shoe in 1932 with his name on the ankle patch.

1950’s to 1970’s: Headbands

(https://www.wearebasket.net/the-history-of-headbands/)

Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to use a headband and while his looked far different from how they look today, it inspired other players like Donald Watts, Bill Walton and Allen Iverson to do the same.

1989: MJ’s bigger shorts

(https://www.kicksonfire.com/13-best-air-jordan-13/)

“Michael Jordan requested bigger shorts so he could wear his North Carolina ones underneath” (Carroll). This then caused other players to start doing the same and why the uniform is the way it is today.

1984: Shoes

(http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/the-evolution-of-the-nike-shoe/all)

While Converse and Adidas had put out their first basketball shoe earlier, it wasn’t until Nike was created and then the release of the Air Jordans in 1984 that started a trend of other popular basketball players to start coming out with their own lines of shoes.

Early 2000’s: Black Fashion gains popularity

(https://thegrio.com/2020/01/29/suspect-arrested-in-theft-of-allen-iverson-backpack-containing-500k-in-jewelry/)

Many Black athletes started donning, “tattoos, wearing flat brimmed hats, du-rags, chains, baggy clothes and sneakers” (Graham), which many players like Allen Iverson were known for, became more prevalent with other Black players.

2004: Malice at the Palace

(https://www.wxyz.com/sports/metta-world-peace-recalls-malice-at-the-palace-during-final-visit)

In November 2004, there was a ten-minute brawl against fans and players on both teams of the Pistons and the Pacers. This set the reputation of the league at an all time low, even after ratings dropped after MJ’s retirement.

Masculinity in the NBA

When you think of masculinity, what words come to mind? Take a few minutes and think of a few.I asked two people that are different from the ones I interviewed about three words that came to mind when they thought about masculinity. These answers came from men and they are as follows:

Strength, toughness, fighter

Tough, aggressive, toxic

These answers may or may not be similar but when I asked them the questions, they had a hard time pinpointing ways to describe masculinity. As a woman, I am often more aware of my femininity then men are of their masculinity and with this, I found it interesting how men, even though they live their masculinity everyday, had a hard time thinking about it because they don’t have to. In the NBA, I find this prevalent too.

Khalid Salaam says it, albeit a bit differently from how I would have put it, “American men, with our steadfast dedication to machismo, attach ruggedness to sports stars more than anyone else. We expect certain behaviors. Clothing-wise, we want to see you in either athletic gear or suited up by Brooks Brother. That's it. You starting messing around with that, you mess with 'Murica”. He continues:

“Athletes, especially basketball players, have always occupied a revered place in conversations about manhood. That's why this current trend cuts so sharply. Instead of it being an interesting addendum to the game, it's constantly discussed as a failure of manhood. One only needs to spend a few hours checking social media conversations after playoff games to see the explosive responses”.

Athletes are made to be tough and to push the boundaries of not only the body but that of which the body is capable of and that is why athletes train so hard and are often revered. There have been many moments in the league’s history that changed it forever and broke records, such as Wilt Chamberlin’s 100-point game or the awe of seeing Michael Jordan’s dunks. But even these have a dichotomy. The ruggedness of sport, synonymous with toughness, is placed upon the players and not on the game, which is an important distinction to be made. The players are supposed to be these tough, macho men, who defy the expectations of what the body can do but still fall into male behaviors. If these men do things differently, say for example lose, they will be attacked for it, while they are expected to be fine with whatever people are saying about them. Following Salaam’s example of clothing, the dichotomy is to be a player or to be the masculine man off of the court and shown through their designer clothing. Breaking this causes confusion and the ideal mold of what a man is supposed to look like and do. This system has been in place for so long that society does not know how to see men outside of it. That is why men who defy these expectations, such as Billy Porter, are often ostracized.

But what does this mean for the average watcher or for the religious fans who never miss the game? Taking in the players as they try their best to dominate the game, in other words to win, wouldn’t that inspire others to do the same?

One of my interviewees said as I asked him about masculinity in the NBA:

In the NBA, like its mainly they’re always trying to prove who’s stronger, like who is the most dominant. So, that’s kinda how they see it and how I see it, like who is the most dominant player that’s the most masculine in a sense.

I followed it up with asking how it affected him:

Honestly, at that point you wanna be, as I said, that dominant person in every aspect of your life or at least most aspects you can control just so you’re actually kinda show that you are a nice, a good symbol of masculinity.

But not everyone is going to take it in the same and everyone is different. My second interviewee had different views about masculinity in the NBA:

Masculinity in the NBA is gonna vary person to person. There are some players whose off-field actions would lead some to call that toxic masculinity, but everyone has their own view on what’s masculine and what’s not.

He concluded that it didn’t affect him at all. As said by the second, masculinity varies from person to person but it is hard to take in a game and not see how these men operate on the court together. They want to win and sometimes at all costs. But does that make them any less of a man? I don’t think so because that makes him an athlete. Yes, it may be a bit hard to see that the athlete and the man are two separate people, especially when it comes to how they present themselves, but there is always going to be a difference in how these men present themselves in front of the cameras and off camera as well.

Fashion

So, what does all that mean for fashion? Whose fashion moments matter more and whose stories are being told? It definitely changes how people can view themselves, especially as they see these real-life items being worn by people they idolize. Expensive, yes, but they can be owned. As Zack Graham puts it, ““Many use fashion to exemplify the superstar lifestyle…” The everyday consumer has more access to their superstar. Even if the consumer cannot afford the high-end clothing, they can afford the accessories”. The superstar lifestyle can be obtained and while most people cannot afford to look the complete part, they can give off the impression that they look the part without being the whole package, just as the article says, “A rookie at some random team wants to dress like LeBron James so that they look the part”. Rookie connoisseurs of a new fashion-based masculinity that can be broadcasted to more people than just those who watch the games for their friends and random stranger they pass on the streets. The lifestyle jumps off of the screens and into reality.

But while this jump into high fashion has many people exploring fabrics, styles, and other aspects, what happens to those who can’t or don’t want to fit into it? I asked my second interviewee some follow up questions (his answers are in italics):

Do you think your style is influenced by what you see other players wear?

It is slightly, yeah.

Who do you identify with more: the high fashion or pre-dress code clothing?

Definitely high fashion. I can’t afford it but it’s nice to look at.

Is what you wear an expression of yourself or of something more?

What I wear is an expression of myself. If I’m in a bad mood, I wear darker colors. Good mood lighter. And if I’m feeling lazy, it’ll definitely show in my style.

There’s a style for everyone that’s being presented in the league as there are multiple and infinite ways to present oneself. As said above, it can be used to reflect mood or to push the boundaries of what fashion can mean, and sometimes it means pretending to fit in. Being masculine now is not just being about wearing a single color in a suit and calling it a day. Now, multiple colors and printed fabrics are being used to dress the players and further broadcasting this to a large audience for those who don’t see the appeal in wearing simple things.

I also asked my first interviewee what their favorite fashion moment in the league has been, as I didn’t get an answer from the other one:

Russel Westbrook playing the Golden State Warriors after Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder and he wore like a construction vest and walked into the arena meaning like he was ready to go to work and he dropped like a triple double, like a 40 point triple double or so. It was amazing.

This interviewee wants to be the dominant force in his life and seeing Westbrook ready to “go to work” inspires him to do the same. It isn’t just about trying to find a type of masculinity that someone can relate to but also trying to inspire young people to be better. There is a lot of negativity out in the world and if only one player can inspire one person to be better, to be a better form of himself, then this new form of masculinity should be embraced.

Conclusion

So, what does this all mean? This new masculinity of being able to express oneself through the clothes one wears and be able to defy the expectations of those that have been previously set while paving a way for young people to do the same. It is complex but it is an ongoing change that’s been going on for quite some time and will continue to do so, even when it might not be noticeable. What does this all mean to you? How do you see masculinity being changed or do you not? Think about it the next time you tune in to watch a game. Maybe then you’ll start to notice it.

(Full interviews are below)

Interviews

Age: 19

Favorite team: Houston Rockets

Favorite player: Russel Westbrook

Favorite moment in the NBA: Clutch shot on Steph Curry in 2015-2016 finals

What does masculinity mean to you?

Masculinity means being strong, independent, reliable, and most of all, being the best version of yourself.

How do you see masculinity being presented in the NBA?

How does that affect you?

Do you see multiple masculinities being presented in the NBA and why?

Yes. Just cause like you see it through just like normal dressing like just different styles and some might be a bit controversial in terms of gender like roles but they still wear it with a certain pride and try to make it masculine in a sense as well while people go the normal traditional sense as well.

Do you think that masculinity is directly linked to fashion?

Partly, yes, I do.

What’s your favorite fashion moment in the NBA?

Age: 23

Favorite team: Milwaukee Bucks

Favorite player: LeBron James

Favorite moment in the NBA: LeBron jumped over a defense player for an alley-oop from Wade. Amazing.

What does masculinity mean to you?

I’ve never really thought about it. Like I do my own thing. I let people do their thing.

How do you see masculinity being presented in the NBA?

Masculinity in the NBA is gonna vary person to person. There are some players whose off field actions would lead some to call that toxic masculinity, but everyone has their own view on what’s masculine and what’s not.

How does that affect you?

It doesn’t.

Do you see multiple masculinities being presented in the NBA?

N: I don’t know.

Do you think that masculinity is directly linked to fashion?

I don’t think it is. I think traditionally, yeah, but in the time we live in now, I think fashion is universal.

What’s your favorite fashion moment in the NBA?

I don’t know.

Citations

Albertini, Stephen. “How the NBA Dress Code Helped Create a Fashion- Conscious League.” Grailed, 11 June 2018, https://www.grailed.com/drycleanonly/nba-dress-code-impact- fashion.

Beld, Iris. “The History of Headbands.” We Are Basket, https://www.wearebasket.net/the- history-of-headbands/.

Carroll, Joshua. “The Evolution of NBA Swag and Fashion.” Bleacher Report, 9 Nov. 2011, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/932779-the-evolution-of-nba-swag-and- fashion#slide3.

Graham, Zack. “How David Stern’s NBA Dress Code Changed Men’s Fashion.” Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2016, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/how-david-sterns-nba-dress-code-changed-mens-fashion-104719/.

Salaam, Khalid. “Is NBA Style Redefining Masculinity?” Esquire, 25 April 2014, https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a28552/nba-players-redefine-masculinity-via-fashion-choices-042414/.

“The History of the Converse All Star “Chuck Taylor” Basketball Shoe.” Chuck’s Connection, https://www.chucksconnection.com/history1.html.

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