28/11/2019

Beyond the Japanese Garden, Autumn

This article was first published in the UK Japanese Garden Society Journal, 2019.

Beyond the Japanese Garden, Autumn  Bill Tingey

What goes on beyond the bounds of a Japanese garden? Needless to say there is a bountiful pageant of nature and life itself in many guises. However, the iconic gardens of moss, gravel, boulders and minimal planting often choose not to compete with nature.  It must be remembered that climate, weather, history, culture, geography and much more provide a backdrop against which Japanese gardens perform—yes, actively perform for out delight.

Designers of such a singular garden art seem reluctant to whole-heartedly trespass on the magnificence of nature.

“Why compete with nature”. This is how one Japanese garden designer justified the spartan and yet highly engaging arrangement of stones at Ryoan-ji—what I am inclined to call a piece of themed abstract art.

So, let us just glimps what goes on beyond a Japanese garden.

Designed and made by Toshiaki Nagakusa, acer leaves tumble from branches to settle on calm waters in a very naturalistic manner.
In Autumn
After the long, hot humid summer, the people of Japan are relieved when autumn comes.

While still clinging to the tree, this spray of autumn colours inspire and delight.
People all over the country grin and bear the conditions during the summer and that is no easy task.  In Tokyo, for example, it is common for the nighttime temperature to drop no lower than 25˚C for three months. With 70% humidity or more combined with a daytime temperature of 35˚C or hotter day after day it is gruelling. And that does not take into account any recent effects of climate change. 

But before the coming of autumn proper, an ordeal by typhoon is always a possibility.

This display of insect work is what becomes a reality for Kaga Yuzen dying.
My wife and I lived in a timber framed two-story apartment building.  In 1979 a strong typhoon with roof-tearing winds and biblical rains raced up the mountainous spinal column of the archipelago having made landfall over Okinawa and again at the Kii peninsula.  Fortunately our home flexed with every whinnying gust but stood firm.

The glowing white of a regular Imperial chrysanthemum.
By 1979 we had been living in Japan for just three years and were becoming skilled at reading the strength and character of earth tremors. 

Seismic activity would rattle the glass in the wooden frames of the sliding windows and as long as the sideways movements of a quake gradually diminished, our Japanese friends told us not to be too alarmed.  If however the movement was in the perpendicular, then we were told to worry. Don’t panic! First turn of the gas main and stand in a part of the building with a number of supporting columns like a toilet or a doorway.

A frivolous hybrid of the species.
So, whether it was a typhoon or a quake, it was all new to use and began to change our perception of many things, including nature as a whole.

The first autumn we lived in Japan was a revelation of a very different kind.  While the mornings and evenings were chilly, daytime conditions were exceptionally pleasant.  Humidity levels were low and temperatures might be 20˚C or so and the air was crisp and clear.  Needless to say the autumn colours were wonderful. It is said that a sharp drop in temperature at night followed by high daytime temperatures makes the leaves redder.

A gathering of work by a dedicated grower.
The acers found in Japan have fine delicate leaves.  And, skill-fully pruned play into the hands of any designer who is bound to be inspired by the glorious of nature.

Their approach to developing a design from a spray of acer foliage is naturalistic.  And a good deal different from the geometric arrangements of flowers and leaves by William Morris, for instance.  Japanese designers often seek to borrow from nature instead of rearranging it.

More standard but equally engaging
The city of Kanazawa is famous for its extensive garden, Kenroku-en.  It is also well known for its gold leaf, and seafood. Slightly less well known is the dyeing technique called Kaga Yuzen―simply speaking a freehand dyeing craft.  The designs for silk kimono cloths rival those of Kyoto with realistically rendered floral designs, but with a difference. On occasions even insect-nibbled leafs are depicted.

The chrysanthemum is a symbol of autumn and the country’s Imperial flower.  Displays of chrysanthemums can be found sometimes in autumn tucked away in a corner of a large stately garden like highly treasured jewels of the horticulturalist’s art.

Hybrids abound but the symbolic essence of the flower is pure and timelessly engaging. Just as the Imperial Household holds cherry-blossom-viewing parties in spring, there is a chrysanthemum-viewing event in autumn for civic leaders, members of the government and the diplomatic corps.

Grown in pots the plants represent hours of loving care. As well as the magnificent standard flowers it often seems as though the Japanese favour the bizarre forms, something quite different from the characteristically modest and restrained nature of their growers.

Higan-bana—Although native to China, Korea and Nepal, it can be found growing wild in Japan too.
The cluster amaryllis on the other hand is often seen in the wild and is decidedly flamboyant. These growing on a slope behind a folk house catch the dappled autumn sunlight gleefully. Others can be found along the ridges between rice fields, not a profusion but more of a firework display in celebration of the harvest of their neighbour.

Their name in Japanese is higan-bana, meaning the flower that blooms at higan—the date of the autumn equinox when day and night are of equal length on 20th. September. It is also the date at which Japanese Buddhists visit the graves of their ancestors.

The way in which the islands of Japan sit on the lines of latitude and longitude make it difficult to speak of the climate in an all inclusive and general way.  The situation is compounded by geographic idiosyncrasies, such as altitude or parcels of land in a basin like Kyoto.

Even the way in which the sun shines and casts shadows is modified by the time of year and latitude.  Insects, however, know instinctively when to alter their behaviour.

With the change in temperature and humidity in autumn, crickets and other small critters become very vocal. The custom of catching such crickets as the suzumushi or bell cricket dates right back to the Heian period spanning a period of almost four hundred years from 794.

Bamboo can be skilfully fashioned into a home for a chirruping cricket.
Courtiers and others of noble birth would venture out from their palatial dwellings and do their best at catching a cricket or two and placing them in a small bamboo cage. This indulgent pastime was perhaps an expression of a certain intellectual inquisitiveness but also a sign of simply delighting in an insect ensemble, which in turn might inspire a haiku or provide lyrics to a song. Later such insects were “farmed” to satisfy a demand from ordinary folk.

Although people nowadays are perhaps more reluctant to keep a bell cricket captive in a cage, its a wonder that these delicate masterpieces are still being made.  And haiku still resonate with us regardless of whether they are old or new.

「菊の香や奈良には古き仏たち」
きくのかや ならには ふるき ほとけたち
Kiku no kaya  Nara niwa  furuki  Hotoketachi

Scent of chrysanthemums . . .
And in Nara
All the ancient Buddhas.

Matsuo Basho 

Photos by Bill Tingey except as noted.
Research:  Kaori Yamaki

Then under the insect cage:


静岡竹工芸協同組合 Shizuoka Bamboo Craft Co-operative

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23/10/2019

Exhibition Notice


Hikoju Makie: Takashi Wakamiya Exhibition
Tuesday 29th October~Monday 4th November 2019
(On the final day the exhibition will close at 4:30 pm)

5th Floor Art Gallery
Takamatsu Mitsukoshi
7-1 Uchimachi, Takamatsu, Kagawa 760-8639, Japan

Takashi Wakamiya will be at the exhibition most days
to answer any questions you may have.

Besides exhibiting their work, a craftsperson needs to
foster a relationship with those who do decorative 
makie work as well as specialists who apply true
lacquer. And then there is a need to break new ground
while respecting the wealth of traditional designs
and patterns that have been handed down to us. It
is essential to nurture artisans and their skills within
the structure of Hikoju. Someone needs to be 
responsible for producing and commissioning work.
There is also a great need to develop work within the
lacquerware market both at home and overseas.

Takashi Wakamiya

彦十蒔絵・若宮隆志展覧会の情報
会期 20191029日(火)~114日(月)最終日は午後430分閉場。
会場 高松三越 5階 美術画廊 
作家来場/会期中在廊予定 ※都合により変更になる場合がございます。

(紹介文)
漆芸家として作品発表を行う傍ら、塗師や蒔絵師といった一つの職分に止まらず、 
伝統的な意匠や文様の継承を考えながら新しい作品を企画し、それに相応しい
職人 を育成組織する「彦十蒔絵」のプロデューサーとしても活動している。
漆器の市場 開拓、海外発表なども積極的に展開している。

彦十蒔絵(Hikoju Makie)
マネージャー(Planning, public relations, and overseas window
高禎蓮(Wawa / Kao, Chen-Lien)
Mobile:+81-90-2375-9093

Address: 1-188, Kekachidaira-machi, Wajima City, Ishikawa, Japan

Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.

03/09/2019

Exhibition Notice


Gallery FUMI
2 Hay Hill, Mayfair, London W1J 6AS
+44 (0) 20 7490 2366


Email
Website
Link

19/07/2019

Book/Catalogue Review



URUSHI: 1,200-Years History of People and Lacquer in Japan 
This is a tome of real quality.  And it is a fitting testament to the material we know as true lacquer.  It has been used in Japan for at least 1,200 years and there are so many fine skills associated with it, it is difficult to know really where to start—they range from its use as a simple application on wood to enhance its grain and to make a wooden core more durable.  But that really is just a beginning.  The decorative techniques are numerous, engaging and of unrivalled beauty.  True lacquer can also be used as an adhesive.

The book-cum-catologue is divided in to six sections, all very well illustrated.  There are some sections dealing with true lacquer on a scientific level too.

Only one drawback.  The book is in Japanese and the only English language section is toward the back of the volume.  Here the six main sections of the book are outlined under the heading The Wonders of URUSHI:  1,200-Years History of People and Lacquer in Japan.

An introduction precedes text summarising each section.  The book is the result of Collaborative Research (exhibit type) of the National Museum of Japanese History.  “The new establishment of Urushi Cultural History based on Interdisciplinary Research” that was conducted between 2013 and 2015.

Some people may be wondering why the material is termed URUSHI as apposed to true lacquer or simply lacquer.  It seems that many people working with this natural substance fear that is might be thought that “lacquer” is a synthetic material like a paint.  This is why the Japanese word for the material is so often used in the hope that it will not be mistaken for a synthetic concoction.

The six sections are headlined in the following way:
1. Urushi Trees and Lacquer Culture
2. Techniques of Lacquer
3. Life with Lacquer
4. Lacquer and Power
5. Lacquer on the Move
6. The Present and Future of Lacquer

Anyone who is even only vaguely interested in true lacquer, is properties, attributes, history and uses will find this book a-must-have volume.  Even without any knowledge of Japanese, a page by page examination of the book is thoroughly recommended.

1,200-Years History of People and Lacquer in Japan, published by the National Museum of Japanese History, 2017
ISBN978-4-86195-140-4 C0621 


URUSHI ふしぎ物語人と漆の1,200年史―

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22/06/2019

Exhibition Notice


Simon Starling work at lie-de-france

This exhibition spotlights the work of Simon Starling supported by the true lacquer artisans of the Shioyasu Studio in Wajima on the Noto Peninsula.  The impression is of Sakamoto Masahiko, a true lacquer artisan working at his table.  The mask is in the style of a Noh theatre mask.


Click on the link for more details.


Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.

11/06/2019

Exhibition Notice



The Pleasures of Makie

An exhibition of lacquerwork by Hikoju Makie, the true lacquer workshop headed by Takashi Wakamiya.

Tokyo, Shinjuku Isetan 5th Floor, Center Park, Stage Five

Wednesday June 19th to Tuesday June 25th

Takashi Wakamiya will be at the gallery every day during the exhibition.
On Saturday 22nd June from 2 o’clock he will give a talk lasting about 30 minutes on The Pleasures of Makie.

Over the last thirty years we have sought to create likenesses in true lacquer of metal and ceramics, based on the skills we have learned and the design approaches we have employed.  But that is not all.  We have also developed conceptual abilities fostered by the folklore of the Noto Peninsula.  This has expanded our vocabulary within the art and craft of true lacquer.

It gives us great pleasure, therefore, to present some of the results of our work at this exhibition.

Over the last three decades we have produced pieces of lacquerware symbolic of the Heisei period, which has now come to an end.  With the coming of the Reiwa era, we will once again be pushing back the boundaries of lacquerware art as we move forward once more and trust that we may rely on your support and encouragement in our endeavours.

Takashi Wakamiya

彦十蒔絵 Hikoju Makie
企画・広報・海外窓口 Planning, public relations and overseas window
Contact:  高禎蓮 Wawa / Kao, Chen-Lien
Mobile:+81-90-2375-9093
Address: 1-188, Kekachidaira-machi, Wajima City, Ishikawa, Japan



Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.

23/05/2019

Interdependence

Interdependence by Bill Tingey
To me there is a strong sense of interdependency between Japanese gardens and the houses or other buildings they serve, especially if they are traditional in style. But that is not all. There is an equally strong sense of mutual dependency between the elements of a Japanese garden too. A sense of stillness, harmony and balance prevail, amongst all elements - this is a sign of interdependency.
Although many gardens in the UK are adjacent to the buildings they serve, they do not necessarily depend on them in any physical or aesthetic sense. Of course such a statement can be challenged. Nevertheless, in the context of a comparison with Japanese gardens, it is safe to say that buildings and gardens in the UK depending on each other for their credibility, atmosphere and aesthetic qualities are uncommon.
The gardens at Bryan’s Ground are just one of the exceptions. There is a strong sense of mutual dependency between the planning, planting and the house. All are charged with a real sense of balanced interdependence.
With traditional Japanese dwellings in particular, the interplay between interior and exterior spaces is a much more common feature and in some cases a necessity - simply speaking there is a need to see and enjoy the gardens from within the house. 
Controlling exactly what can be seen from inside a building makes it possible to compose vignettes of a particular part of a garden.
Figure 1: A “soft” view of the garden from the Bosen Tea Room, Koho-an, Daitoku-ji, Kyoto.
Such control over the views outside can either be “soft” or “hard”. The Bosen Tea Room at Koho-an in Kyoto is a fitting example. Our dialogue with the garden is manipulated. The interior performs like a camera. We only see what the designer wants us to see. (Figures 1 and 2)
Figure 2: A “hard” view of the garden from the Bosen Tea Room, Koho-an, Daitoku-ji, Kyoto.
Built structures such as walls and other features also sometimes provide a “canvas” on which shadows are cast. This can strengthen the sense of oneness between what is built and what is planted. Such effects can also enhance the sense of seasonality and time.
Figure 3: Shadows dance on a wall in the temple complex of Daitoku-ji, Kyoto.
Among the temples in Kyoto there are ample opportunities for light to cast shadows on walls. The question is were pruned pines placed in front of these walls in the grounds of the Daitoku-ji temple complex on purpose? The original idea may simply have been to show off the clusters of pine needles and twisted branches. Even if it was at first unintended, once the play of light and shadows was recognised as a fleeting performance, there was no reason not to plan for it in the future. (Figure 3)
Figure 4: A juxtaposition of age and youth at Sojiji Temple, Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture.
The decoratively framed openings of a covered walkway at the Sojiji temple on the Noto peninsula, formed a backdrop to a newly leafed acer. I found the juxtaposition of weathered wood and fresh foliage particularly inspiring. This combination had special qualities. It was as if I were seeing the hand of a very elderly person reaching out to take the hand of an infant. (Figure 4)
This was my first impression. Then I began to turn over in my mind just how beautiful the leaves would look in their autumn palette in front of this timeless and seemingly unchanging backdrop.
We have to imagine just how important each of the main elements are to one another. The weathered wood on its own is just that - old wood. The foliage on its own is nothing more than foliage. But the two together are a statement or a “picture” with a message.
I doubt that many Japanese designers of gardens would use the term interdependency as I have. I am sure, however, they would recognise the importance of the way garden features - planting, water, trees, shrubs, rocks, gravel et cetera - work in unison while alone their ability to engage us is perhaps minimal.
In Japanese the term yugen is quite often used with reference to gardens. The two characters together refer to a desired sense of beauty inherent in objects like fine thread on bobbins. In the case of yu, the ideogram is of threads seen in dim light, as might be found in the mountains. 
Figure 5: The ideogram for yugen epitomised at the International House, Kyoto.
The meaning of the second character, gen, is similar. One end of a thread passing through a hole is the only indication that there are more bobbins of thread on the other side of the board.
Thus yugen can describe the way that a rock partly hidden by some foliage is so much more appealing than if the rock was seen in isolation. One element seen without the other has only half or even less expressive energy to that when they are seen together. It’s a matter of interdependency. (Figure 5)

A designer, photographer and writer, Bill Tingey lived, studied and worked in Japan for 24 years.  His work has appeared in a number of publications in Japan and the UK.
Bill Tingey Photo © Copyright

This article was originally published in the spring edition of Shakkei, the journal of the UK Japanese Garden Society

Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.