#WIPJOY #15

What genre of art, music, or poetry (or all three) describes the main character?

I really don't have main characters per se, but I do have dominant characters that carry most of the story. In The Shrine War, Sen, the kitsune Shrine maiden appears in most of the story. In The Inugami, Kelly Robbins, the young American student starting her studies at the Tokyo University plays the biggest role, and in the third section, Incident at a Japanese Inn, the main character's responsibilities are divided among a number of characters as all the players in the first two segments all come together for a final denouement.

However, as this question too closely mirrors #WIPJOY #5, allow me to take a moment and share with you a museum that all of my characters would enjoy.

The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. has combined the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery into one main building. It contains the largest collection of Asian art ever collected under one roof in the United States and the first time I was able to tour the building at leisure, I became lost in the maze of its corridors as well as wonder at the treasures collected inside.

Having undergone a recent remodeling, the museum has expanded its offerings into other arenas and as well as art from Japan, China, and Korea, one can now find examples of art from the ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt as well as art from historical works from the Islamic World.

Among some of the treasures is a knife made from a meteor that fell into Emperor Jahangir’s kingdom in the early 17th century, and Gallery 5 is dedicated to Shinto, Japan's native religion where Sen would most likely be found.

If ever, Gentle Reader, you find yourself in Washington, D.C., please take advantage of touring this wonderful repository of Asian wonder. I speak as a satisfied wanderer, it is well worth the time.