Category: Japan
-
Mosquito meditation
Mosquito meditation “How funny, the mosquito in my cup looks like one of the characters on my bib”, thus the Jizo seems to think. Or is it not a mosquito? Or does the character on the bib refer to something completely different? Or is the Jizo amused about my silly thoughts when I took his…
-
From statues to stones
From statues to stones As the years go by and memories of the deceased children for whom they were erected fade, these ancient statues gradually weather and lose their Jizo-like features in a natural process of decay. Carved from stone into statues, and returned from statues to stone. Photo of the week: Old Jizo statues…
-
Chisaku-in garden
Chisaku-in garden Sen no Rikyu, the legendary Japanese Tea master, is said to have loved the garden of the Chisaku-in temple. Rikyu died in 1591, while the temple was constructed in 1601. So the garden must have been layed out well before. I can imagine Rikyu sitting on a rock, contemplating the beauty of the…
-
Onigawara
Onigawara The scary creature on the roof is an ‘oni’, a Japanese ogre. Temple roofs are often ornamented with these ogre tiles (onigawara) and also with small round hanagawara, i.e. tiles with floral designs. The roofs of Japanese temples are intricate works of very fine craftsmanship. See for example the small roof on the photo…
-
Okame
Okame Okame is the name of the mask depicting a young woman with a small, upturned nose and large, round cheeks. It is also the name of the wife of the master carpenter who built the main hall of the Senbon Shakado Temple in Kyoto, where I saw this beautifully illuminated mask. The story goes…
-
Noh apparition
Noh apparition In a Noh museum, one naturally expects to see Noh masks. With their painted high eyebrows (hikimayu) and other typical features, Noh masks often look striking. But this mask, emerging from the darkness, looks more like a ghost, with elements of the background faintly shining through the face.Are we looking at an illuminated…
-
The Red Maple
The Red Maple When desperate and tired of the society of men I find refuge with trees Living off water, air, sun their feet firmly planted in the earth their foliage in full splendour overhead and no blood on their hands Photo of the week: Daitoku-ji complex, Koto-in, Kyoto, Japan 2008
-
Sento Park
Sento Park The raking together of dead leaves is not exactly an occupation that captures the imagination. Except in Japan. With their neat appearance the lady gardeners show respect and dedication to their work. It reminds me of the title of a book – which I aptly modify here for the occasion: Zen and the…
-
U-turn – if you can
U-turn – if you can I don’t think they can. It looks as if they are too big and the aquarium too narrow for them to turn around. They are condemned to stay floating in the water as they are : tail to tail. Photo of the week: Kyoto, Japan 2008
-
Fondness
Fondness Which one shall we take? The food vendor smiles. The mother chooses. Love streams. Photo of the week: Gion, Kyoto, Japan 2008
καιρός remembered 