KYOTO the cultural repository of Japan where the past inspires the future Part 2 of 3 Jerry W. Lum
Rain gear made from rice straw hangs in repose outside of the Rakusisha Poet’s Hut in Arashiyama, a western district of Kyoto. Rakushisha can be translated into “cottage of fallen persimmons.” Next page: interior views of this hermitage for one of poet Basho Matsuo’s disciples
Opposite page: Details from the Gion District, where Geiko and Maiko continue to entertain in Kyoto’s Floating World This minka or traditional farmhouse on Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street in Arashiyama still sports its nostalgically romantic thatched roof.
Ma, the mixing of space and time can be experienced here in Tenryuji and Gioji, renown temples in Kyoto.
Kyoto’s enchantment partially lies in its many small alley ways where the delight of all senses abound. Here along Ishibekoji in the famed Gion District, quintessential Kyoto can be savored.
This intimately beautiful garden creates a transition between Wada Gallery and Ishibekoji in the Gion District – a sophisticated homage to Nature and the essential role she plays in the Japanese sense of well-being and beauty. Next page: Nature is crafted to a Japanese sense of perfection in the gardens of Tenryuji in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
Sunlight caresses this fence that borders the Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama evoking feelings of wabi, simple austere beauty; and sabi, tranquility, aloneness, and deep solitude.
Last rays of a setting sun bathe Shijo-dori’s buildings in an ephemeral glow before life along the Kamogawa transitions between day and night.
Night time along the Takasegawa is magical. Tadao Ando’s Times Building is inspired by the Takasebune or small boats that shuttled supplies along this small waterway that runs parallel to the Kamogawa.
Kurashiki Bikan Historical District At twilight, all of the tourists are back in their hotels or enjoying dinner at a local izakaya. The streets in the Bikan Historical District once again serve only the locals and their renovated kura, or traditional fireproof storehouses
Willows line both sides of this picturesque canal in the Bikan Historical District that nostalgically recalls the Meiji period. This town in western Okayama prefecture borders the Seto Inland Sea
Variations of Kura found in the Bikan Historical District
Opposite page and this page: Nature is carefully integrated into this townscape of Kurashiki.
This page: This Shishi, or lion dog, is one of a pair atop of this Achi Shrine roof guards against evil spirits. These mythical beasts are also called Komainu, or Korean dogs, in reference to their introduction to Japan from Korea. Opposite page: A pair of Ryu, or dragons adorns this column in Achi Shrine, which overlooks the Bikan Historical District below.
This recently constructed accessory building adorns the grounds of Achi Shrine
Looking out onto the rain soaked tile roofs of the Bikan Historical District from inside the Lidem CafĂŠ on an autumn day sets the stage for one daydream after another
Okayama The capitol city of Okayama Prefecture and home to the famous Korakuen Gardens and Okayama Castle
Two views of the black Okayama Castle, otherwise known as “The Crow”
View beneath the Tsurumibashi that crosses the Ashigawa to Korakuen
Bizen Area The south-east part of Okayama Prefecture and home to the famed Bizen pottery
Opposite page and this page: Inbe Pottery Town is also know as Bizen City. Chimneys from its many kilns punctuate its townscape.
Inbe, like so many small towns along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, there is the picturesque alongside with areas in decline that exhibit the “rust of age.� Side by side, one senses mono no aware, that gentle sadness that accompanies the knowledge that everything in life is ephemeral.
Kiln at Sanrokugama
Hiroshima The white cavity gaping in weathered time forms a fossil and permanently retains the human tragedy which entered the human skull and was burnt into its memory. Excerpted from “Fossil of Fire� by Morishita Hiromu, Hibakusha (A-bomb survivor)
Hiroshimna Morishita Hiromu Watch dutifully with your eyes Here, something happened that shouldn’t have. Here now, something irreparable continues. Here tomorrow, signs of everyone’s destruction may appear. Don’t watch with one eye. Don’t watch with your arm or with your head. With the heart of one who endures despair.
A single bomber. A single bomb. The explosion’s suddenness and simultaneity were dumbfounding. It seemed everywhere in the city at the same time, but each individual experienced it as a direct hit on his or her neighborhood And this marks the other aspect of this event’s hugeness: the scale of human suffering. Excerpted from Edward A. Dougherty’s commentary: “Memories of the Future: The Poetry of Sadako Kurihara and Hiromu Morishita http://wlajournal.com/23_1/images/dougherty.pdf
The children hunting a cicada – not seeing the Atom Bomb Dome Shigemoto Yasuhiko, Hibakusha Excerpted from David McNeill’s website “Simply Haiku” Winter 2005, “Expressing the Horror of Hiroshima in 17 Syllables http://simplyhaiku.com/SHv3n4/reprints/ hiroshima_McNeill.html
This page and next: Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) by Kisho Kurakawa
Night falls on the Grand Prince Hotel, Motoujina, Hiroshima
Takamatsu The capitol city of Kagawa Prefecture and a port city on the Seto Inland Sea is located on the island of Shikoku
Ritsurin Koen, lit. chesnut grove garden, is among the most celebrated historical gardens in Japan
Autumn is arguably the most beautiful of seasons to experience Ritsurin Koen. All of the following images are taken during late November of 2014 when the colors arrived late
“Being here, now.� This zig zag bridge in Ritsurin Koen not only provides an opportunity for one to achieve a mindfulness of time and place, but also provides a beautiful contrast to its natural setting.
The winds that blows – ask them, which leaf on the tree will be next to go. Takahama Kyoshi, Showa Period Poet
Shikoku Mura (lit. “Shikoku Village”) is an open-air museum featuring transplanted traditional farmhouses, storehouses, and other structures (like this vine bridge above) from throughout Shikoku Island. Located at the base of Yashima, a flat topped mountain outside of Takamatsu’s city center, these structures are representatives of the Edo and Meiji Periods.
Thatched roofs blend harmoniously with nature
Kaki (Japanese persimmons) are synonymous with autumn. These beg to be picked at Shikoku Mura.
This page and next: Views of a family house
The late afternoon sun makes its last attempt to enter this lighthouse keeper’s house.
This kura or storehouse is similar to those found in Kurashiki’s Historical District. Its thick mud walls are covered with plaster, which acts a a reflector and fire-retardant. Together with its heavy doors and windows, valuables kept within were safe from fires that plagued the traditional wooden homes of Japan.
Entitled “Somegataki Cascades�, this artificial waterfall flows from a granite sculpture designed by the modernist artist Nagare Masayuki and constructed in 1976.
Left: Entry to Shikoku Mura Gallery by Tadao Ando; Right: Gallery interior: Next page: Courtyard at entry
Himeji A historical transportation hub wedged between the Chugoku Mountains to the north and the Inland Sea to the south View of Himeji Castle’s Main Keep
Upon exiting Himeji Station, “Shirasagi (egret) Castle� dominates the view from Otemae-dori
Inside of the connecting corridor of the Nagatsubone or Ladies’ Chamber located at the Nishi-no-Maru (West Bailey) Opposite page: Exterior view of the Nagastubone and the Nishi no Maru
Above: Detail at castle door head and jamb Left: Castle gate door
Emergency exit from the Nagatsubone
Moat walls
Juxtaposition of 16th and 21st centuries: Last remaining parts of the scaffolding are being dismantled as the five-year restoration of the Main Keep comes to an end in March 2015.
Himeji Castle is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site and a National Treasure of Japan
Kokoen reflects the aesthetics and techniques of an Edo period (circa 1600-1860) garden. It was built upon a site adjacent to Himeji Castle where the houses of samurai were strategically located. Right: Gateway to the Garden of Summer Trees, one of the nine gardens in the Kokoen.
Opposite page and this page: Autumn views from the roofed corridor of the Kokoen
Kobe A phoenix risen from the ashes of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 Kitano district sits at the foot of Mount Roko and overlooks Osaka Bay. ANA Crowne Plaza towers above the Shin Kobe JR rail station. Opposite page: Views along the way to the Nunobiki Herb Gardens and from the Shin-kobe Ropeway
The Shin-Kobe Ropeway passes overhead this Nunobiki Herb Garden path
Top: Sunlight warms the inside of the gardener’s shed Right half: Four views from the Four Seasons Garden
Quaint and romantic, Hotel Amelie is located in the Sannomiya district of Chuo-ko ward in Kobe. Our view from room 902 looks onto Ikuta Shrine, established in the third century and dedicated to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu-Omikami.
The golden fall foliage of the ginkgo trees adds a glorious splash of color to Ikuta Shrine
Nothing very Japanese here in Kitano-cho, a district of Kobe where many foreigners built their residences during the Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho (1912-1926) Periods.