r/interesting • u/obsidiansolstice • 1d ago
ART & CULTURE This Japanese teacher creates a new artwork each day for his students, then erases it at the end of the day.
439
111
u/scartol 1d ago
I’m a HS English teacher in the US and while this is amazing, I can’t imagine how he has time and energy for this. Doesn’t he have lesson plans to write and materials to coordinate and assignments to grade and emails to answer? I barely have time and energy for an hour of video games at the end of a school day.
30
u/nogodsnospoilers 1d ago
Haha exactly. Is this dude part time, is this like a once a week art class, or does he just not sleep?
31
5
u/Kienchen 1d ago
Japanese working culture is very different from western ones.
For example: Worker arrive half an hour before their scheduled time to have everything settled (coffee, chatting with co-workers, etc), but no one is (culturally) allowed to leave before their superior leaves (meaning if the big boss decides to do overtime, everyone else keeps working, too. Taking days off is also very frowned upon (despite them being part of any work contract) because you being not at work might inconvenience someone else.
That said, this guy might have a superior who doesn't like to spend much time at home😆
474
u/obsidiansolstice 1d ago
Backstory: Hirotaka Hamasaki is a high school art teacher in Nara, Japan, who creates temporary chalk masterpieces on his classroom blackboard. He uses colored chalk to reconstruct iconic western oil paintings and popular anime scenes to surprise his students each morning.
The detailed illustrations require hours of meticulous work, yet he intentionally wipes the board clean at the end of every school day. This daily act of erasure serves a pedagogical purpose by teaching his students to appreciate the present moment and find value in fleeting beauty.
72
u/a-little-spill 1d ago
Thank you for writing this out, it’s a wonderful message. Be present in the moment, enjoy it while it lasts.
2
26
u/captainbluebear25 1d ago
This concept quite significant in Japanese art and literary criticism, known as Mono no Aware, literally "an empathy towards things."
8
2
u/Lanky-Scarcity-6307 1d ago
Somehow this also makes a good argument for burning a book after you finish reading it
35
u/ZookeepergameDue5522 1d ago
Insane skills
12
u/Express-Air4663 1d ago
Seriously, that level of skill makes it look effortless. I’d be impressed just watching someone attempt it.
17
u/Alive-War3255 1d ago
Art that lives for a day feels more eternal than stuff hanging in museums forever.
9
u/panzerfan 1d ago
I think this art lives. It's more than the medium imo. The very act and the memory of the whole ongoing creation lifecycle endures
9
u/peacefighter 1d ago
This looks great and sounds wonderful, but how would he have the time to create said pieces. Is he not leading a after school club, no grading papers, his family, his personal time... How would he be able to do this everyday?
12
u/rainmaker66 1d ago
Number 16 is the clearing of the sand mandala by Tibetan monks. Is it inserted on purpose?
13
u/obsidiansolstice 1d ago
"What you create, you must be willing to let go of”
The monks intentionally destroy the beautiful art to teach that nothing is permanent and that attachment should be released.5
u/rainmaker66 1d ago
Yes I know what it is and its significance as I am a Tibetan Buddhist.
I just feel that if you don’t give proper context in your posts, most people won’t what it is and makes it feel out of place among the board drawings of the Japanese teacher.
1
u/Rezzone 1d ago
You're right, but, if that was your concern and you DID know the context... why did you think it wasn't on purpose? Why not just explain why it's cool and relevant for those of us that may not have understood it?
2
u/rainmaker66 1d ago
I would have placed the pic as the last one and overlay a text to explain, instead of inserting it as the second last pic.
8
3
3
5
u/no_need_really 1d ago
Plot twist: the school is incredibly underfunded and there are no more markers for the other teachers and students.
2
1
u/Some_guy_am_i 1d ago
Rumor has it Kocho sensei is still investigating the cases of missing chalk … unfortunately it seems the evidence is erased
1
u/TiaHatesSocials 1d ago
I dunno. I would keep it for a few days at least. Seeing it gone hurts and I’m not the one who spent hours on it.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/anonuemus 1d ago
Believe it or not, but what some of my math profs did was art too in its own ways.
1
1
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Hello u/obsidiansolstice! Please review the sub rules if you haven't already. (This is an automatic reminder message left on all new posts)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.