USC Pacific Asia Docent Training

1. Allan Roman Reyes
Object Fact Sheet
Japanese Gallery
Object Description:
Tokonoma
The Tokonoma is a small alcove with a raised display area found in a formal area of
a Japanese household. Featuring a seasonal display of kakejiku (hanging scrolls) and
ikebana (flower sculpture), the tokonoma was historically found in the homes of the
samurai class. A specially shaped and polished wood pillar called the tokobashira
ties in natural and spiritual elements within the tokonoma.
Why was the object created?
The tokonoma was created for meditation and to have a changing, formal display of
the seasons and the passing of time. The connection to nature and the passing of
time extends the tokonoma beyond the interior to the vastness of the outside world.
The items found in a tokonoma reflected the interior views of the samurai lord
expressed in outward material form.
Bibliography:
USCPAM Docent Handbook
http://kikuko-nagoya.com/html/japanese-style-rooms.html
Vocabulary:
Attendant – helper to the samurai

2. Ikebana – flower arrangement
Kekejiku – hanging scrolls
Samurai – warlord of feudal Japan associated with compassion, honor, and
discipline
Tokobashira – standing pillar of natural wood
Your Goal: I want the students to see that the treasures found in the Pacific Asia
Museum are an outward, physical expression of a people and culture, and that
through them we may pick up similarities that show us to have the same basic
aesthetics and beliefs.
In the Hagakure, or Book of the Samurai, a manual of lessons and teachings for the
samurai, there is a part where a teacher talks about being a perfect attendant to a
samurai; there is no perfect attendant so one must look at different attendants and
pick the best traits from each one and imagine a perfect attendant for
himself/herself. This can be done with some of the lessons here like Buddha, the
Samurai, and the Tokonoma.
Questions:
Are there things that you own that you collect or treasure? Do you feel they reflect
who you are?
What traits do some of the objects you value show about yourself?
What are some of the things we can all agree are beautiful?
Art helps us to agree even when we can’t understand what we are saying with words.
The Samurai
Who knows who the Samurai are? The olden samurai were warlords in feudal
Japan that pledged allegiance to their masters, emperors, and high-ranking officials;
they vowed to protect them and their land with their lives.
Have you ever believed in something that you would want to protect? (Answers
will vary) The samurai, like the Knights of olden times, believed in Bushido, or the
Code of the Samurai. At the heart of this code was the understanding that, compared
to the values he treasured, the Samurai’s life meant nothing; it meant that he was
willing to die for what he believed in.
When you hear the word samurai, or knight, what words come to mind?
Would you want to be a samurai or a knight?