Gina Collia-Suzuki's Blog
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Feb.18.2010
For the second in the traditional Japanese games series we have kazu-ken (‘ken of numbers’). Kazu-ken, which originated in China, is thought to be the oldest version of the various ken games. During the game, both players made a hand gesture with their right hand which represented a number from...
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Feb.16.2010
A photographic portrait of the late Benjamin Arnold Guppy, entitled 'Old Blue Eyes', went on display at The Tata Gallery of Modern Art in Sea View this weekend, much to the annoyance of his widow, Patricia Enid Guppy, who has been campaigning tirelessly to prevent the work from going on show. The...
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Feb.15.2010
Taken from Pat's work in progress, 'Weaned on a Pickle: The Autobiography of Patricia Enid Guppy'.
What many of you may not know, but cannot be surprised to hear, is that I am descended from the noblest of families. Indeed, one ancestor, by the name of Cecil Cobbler-Stowe, high sheriff of...
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Feb.04.2010
I've decided to start a series of posts about traditional Japanese games that you might come across in Japanese prints. I'll post a new one every now and then, when the mood takes me. Today we have the game called Konkonchiki. The object of the game was to put your hand through a loop that...
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Feb.02.2010
'Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.' ~ The Museums Association
Learning and access are supposed to be central...
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Feb.02.2010
Nowadays, if we want to do a spot of washing or cleaning (though I never find myself wanting to do either of those) we simply roll up our sleeves and get on with it. But imagine what a time we'd have had of it in Japan in the days long before the introduction of Western clothing. How did the...
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Jan.29.2010
The Curious Casebook of Inspector Hanshichi: Detective Stories of Old Japan
By Okamoto Kidō Originally published 1917-1937
The Curious Casebook of Inspector Hanshichi is comprised of fourteen tales, all but one (the first) recounted by the retired Inspector Hanshichi himself (by this time...
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Jan.24.2010
I bought the above illustration a couple of years ago, partly because I am always looking for images of rats in art, but also because I am interested in the work of European artists who have been heavily influenced by Japanese art and design.
This particular illustration was taken from...
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Jan.13.2010
Every writer is going to get one, or most likely several dozen (hopefully, not several hundred). It goes with the territory. The moment a book is catapulted out there into the (harsh, unforgiving) wide open world, the writer's head is on the block, and the question isn't whether or not the...
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Jan.12.2010
Following on from "Seven Reasons for Divorce', which discussed the behaviours which could inspire a man to divorce his wife, I thought it would be a good idea to post about the divorce temples of Mantokuji (in Kōzuke Province) and Tōkeiji (in North Kamakura), where women, who during the Edo...
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Dec.31.2009
Before I go on, I'd like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Now for my news. For some time now (more or less from when 'The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy' came out), I've been asked if there will be a sequel... and when it's likely to be available. Well, I can...
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Dec.24.2009
Every Christmas, or the past ten in any case, Ryoma and I have travelled over to France, to do a spot of shopping and take in the lovely atmosphere in the northern city of Lille. There's a Christmas market, which sells all sorts of lovely things to eat, gifts, decorations and, most importantly as...
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Dec.22.2009
Following the closure of the Chunnel, when Eurostar trains were trapped inside the tunnel on Friday 18th December, we checked the travel update information on the Eurotunnel site at regular intervals, worried that our shuttle trip for Monday 21st would not be able to go ahead. The outlook looked...
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Dec.13.2009
My husband and I spent the evening of Saturday December 12th viewing 'Aston Hall by candlelight'. Aston Hall is situated in a public park on the north side of Birmingham, England, and is a Grade I listed building. The hall and park recently underwent a £12.5 million makeover, funded by Birmingham...
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Dec.08.2009
Stephanie Watson posted this questionnaire on Facebook, so I thought I'd post it here... with my answers.Are you already a novelist?Yes... a silly one.
What do you do when you get writer's block?So far, I haven't had it. I have the opposite problem... I have too much queueing to jump onto the page...
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About Gina
Gina Collia-Suzuki is a writer, artist and art historian based in the UK. Having developed a deep interest in eighteenth century Japanese art and culture at an early age, she began studying Japanese woodblock prints whilst training as an artist in the 1980s....
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Causes Gina Collia-Suzuki Supports
PETA
The World Wildlife Fund
RSPCA
Cancer Research UK