THE YEAR OF

NIHONGO THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE

VOLUME 5 Dear Cornerstone families, In February, the children explored the Japanese spoken language as they took a video tour through a traditional Japanese home. Then, students practiced writing Kanji, one of three forms of Japanese writing using a brush pen, that is modeled after the classic fude brushes used for Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy). We also discussed the Japanese values of Kei (respect) and Ishin Denshin, which loosely translates to “what the mind thinks, the heart transmits.” This form of non-spoken language or heart to heart communication is perhaps the most important form of language for the Japanese people. It is best expressed through considering other’s feelings before speaking and acting. We encouraged the children to think of ways that they exhibit ishin denshin in their own lives. Thanks so much for reading on! . DOMO ARIGATO (thank you very much) for reading on!

HIGHLIGHTS Let’s speak Nihongo! The children took a video tour

through a traditional Japanese house and learned to speak a few words and phrases along the way. They learned that Japanese homes have sliding shoji doors and fusuma walls that can change one big multipurpose room into a dining room, sitting room and bedroom. The kids practiced speaking by bowing and introducing themselves to each other. If you’d like to re-watch the video and practice at home, here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPpIOdjoask

Mrs. Haas and a second-grade student practice introducing themselves to each other in Japanese!

There are three different writing systems in Nihongo; Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. Words are read, from top to bottom, right to left if they are vertically written, and left to right if they are horizontal. Hiragana is a simple, soft, flowing script that was developed by women in Japan over 1,000 years ago. It has 46 phonetic symbols and is used to write Japanese words, like arigato. Children in Japan learn all of the hiragana characters in 1st grade. Katakana also has 46 phonetic symbols, but has straighter strokes and angular corners. It is used to write foreign loan words. For example, most of your names on your Nihongo workbooks were written in Katakana. Finally, there is Kanji, which has thousands of characters borrowed from Chinese writing. Each Kanji character has a different meaning, and many were developed from pictures of the words they represented. Some are very complex with 12 or more strokes! To read a newspaper in Japan, you need to know about 2,500 kanji! By 6th grade, most students have learned about 1,000!

JAPANESE WRITING SYSTEMS: HIRAGANA – KATAKANA - KANJI!

Above, you can see the evolution of the Kanji characters for sun, and for tree, and to the right a few more examples of how the picture helped to form the kanji characters.

SHODO - JAPANESE CALIGRAPHY

Students received a “My Nihongo Book” to learn more about the Japanese language and to practice making Japanese characters with brush pens. They learned that stroke order is critical, and they remembered to follow the stroke order; top to bottom, left to right. The kids did an excellent job trying their hand at writing in Japanese!

FUDE brush on WASHI paper

Teaching parents demonstrate the Shodo technique in writing the Kanji character for kawa (river) to the left, while 1st and 5th grade students (above and to the right) practice doing the same!

SUMI ink stick ground into a SUZIRI inkstone.

Watch Shodo artist Masako Inkyo, create the “Peace is” piece at The United Nations here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwsoMDiD8mA MY NIHONGO BOOK

Traditionally, Japanese was written in Shodo calligraphy form utilizing the Four Treasures of the Study (bunbo shiho) which consists of a brush called a fude, an ink stick called sumi, mulberry paper (washi), and an inkstone (suzuri) that was used to grind the inkstick against and mix with water. Beginning in elementary school, Japanese students learn the basics of calligraphy in penmanship classes. There are a few different styles of calligraphy, from the very precises kaisho, to the unique chirashi-gaki in which a writer begins lines of a poem at different levels to portray the rhythm of the verse. Sometimes the writing ends up resembling a landscape!

Japan has a rich literary history that spans nearly 2,000 years and includes poetry, novels, plays, comics and short stories. Like most cultures, Japanese literature has been highly influenced by its history, oral traditions, mythologies and environment. The personal lives of nobility, the Samurai class and power struggles, as well as ethics and nature were popular themes in their writings. Folktales have been passed down to teach Japanese children important values. Favorites like Momotaro (Peach Boy) have been passed down from generation to generation. And Japanese stories from more modern times have been brought to English-speaking audiences by non-Japanese authors. Below you’ll find some Cornerstone family favorites!

JAPANESE LITERATURE

DID YOU KNOW? A Japanese noblewoman wrote the world’s first novel. In 1007, Murasaki Shikibu, wrote The Tale of Genji. Its English translation is composed of 54 chapters and over 1,000 pages of text that tells the story of a prince looking for love and wisdom.

JAPANESE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM CORNERSTONE FAMILIES

JAPANESE CHILDREN’S FAVORITE STORIES by Florence Sakade: This classic collection of 20 Japanese folktales offer age-old lessons in kindness and goodness. Favorites include the stories of Mr. Lucky Straw and Momotaro. You can find a condensed version of Momotaro on the following page! Ages 9-13

COOL MELONS – TURN TO FROGS! THE LIFE AND POEMS OF ISSA by Matthew Golub: Explore the work of 18th century Japanese poet, Issa. Ages 6-11

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO by Hayao Miyazaki: Featuring illustrations from the beloved Studio Ghibli animated film, this is a terrific introduction to the creative mind and talents of Hayao Miyazaki. Ages 4-8

HACHIKO WAITS by Leslea Newman: An adaptation of the incredible true story of Hachiko, the legendary Akita dog that has become a national symbol of loyalty and devotion. Ages 8-10

SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES by Eleanor Coerr: Based on a true story, this story celebrates the courage that makes one young woman a heroine in Japan. Ages 8-12

ARE YOU AN ECHO: Weaves the moving life story and work of poet Misuzu Kaneko in a bilingual book. Ages 9-14

JAPANESE FOLKTALES ONLINE

FISH FOR JIMMY by Katie Yamasaki: Inspired by the author’s own family, this story of love and courage introduces kids to the history of the Japanese American Internment during WWII. Ages 6-10

KIDS WEB JAPAN is a wonderful resource for all kinds of information about Japan for kids. To explore some fun folktales including Kaguya Hime and Hanasaka Jiisan – two Cornerstone Family favorites, visit their site! http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/folk/index.html

Once upon a time an old woman went to the riverside to wash clothes. She found a giant peach on the river and took it home to show her husband.

But there were goblins bothering the villagers and taking their treasures. Momotaro decided to fight against the goblins on Goblin’s Island.

At home, she tried to cut the peach in half, but suddenly a boy jumped out. They called the boy Momotaro.

Momotaro grew up and became a powerful boy.

Momotaro’s mom made special dumplings that can give a human the power of 100 people. Momotaro took some dumplings with him and left.

On the way to the island, another fighter, a dog joined him because Momotaro gave him dumplings.

A monkey and a bird also joined them on the way to the island.

They traveled to the Goblin’s Island to fight with the biggest goblin. On the island, they saw many goblins waiting for them.

When they met the biggest goblin, they attacked and together they beat all of the goblins.

Momotaro and his animal friends recovered the treasures and made the goblins promise not to bother the villagers again.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Can you express your feelings about the springtime? What do you see, hear, smell,

touch and taste during this time of year? Use one of these senses to help you find inspiration for your kigo (special word that references the

season).

1. (a line with 5 syllables)

2. (a line with 7 syllables)

3. (a line with 5 syllables)

JAPANESE POETRY: HAIKU

- ARIGATO TO ALL OF THE LANGUAGE MINI LESSON VOLUNTEERS! With a special

shout-out to all of the moms who wrote the childrens’ names in Japanese on their Nihongo Books! Thank you also to everyone who signed up for mini lesson shifts, and to the photographers who have provided the lovely student pictures for the newsletters!

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A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE HINA-MATSURI VOLUNTEERS! On 3/5, Cornerstone students were invited to celebrate Hina-Matsuri (Doll’s Day) at lunch. The Yamamoto and Bossard families displayed their precious family heirlooms for the children to view, and the kids tried on kimono and made origami dolls! Thank you to everyone who lent their kimono and obi for the occasion, as well as Mrs. Matsumura and Mrs. Schroeder for the beautiful bulletin board display. Come see the doll display and Mrs. Matsumura’s photos of the kids in kimono on the MPR bulletin board.

MARCH MINI LESSON – Performing Arts – 3/28 in the MPR

SAVE THE DATE (FRIDAY, JUNE 1st) –

CORNERSTONE OBON FESTIVAL AT THE END OF YEAR BBQ!

An enjoyable pastime in old Japan was making poetry for the seasons. One of the most popular forms is the Haiku, which has been practiced in Japan for hundreds of years. A haiku has a total of 17 syllables, divided into three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables. Often, the language in the poem used refers to the human senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste) or movement. Each haiku usually has at least one kigo which is a specific word that references the season. The kigo can be the month or the name of the season, but it can also be something associated with the season like snow for winter or a firefly for summer. Here are a couple of examples by famous Japanese poets for you to read! Yuki tokete Furuike ya After the snow melts Into an old pond

Mura ippai no Kawazu tobikomu Village once filled with white There goes a frog jumping: drifts Splash!

Kodomo ka na Mizu no oto Full again with kids Soft sound of water

- Issa -Basho