With Easter safely in the past (I barely noticed anyway), a more Japanese holiday is coming up: Golden Week. It’s a string of holidays on May 3, 4, and 5 plus an extra one on April 29. This year, May 3 and 4 fall on the weekend, with one special catch-up holiday on Tuesday, May 6.
And I have plans to take a personal holiday from April 28 all the way to May 6. Naturally, I have other plans too, involving Pumpkin, house and garden, getting ready for summer, festivals of two local shrines I want to go to… not to mention the seven books I just ordered from the library, with an eighth already waiting next to my futon.
That means that I’ll need to get all my work done – in particular the social media posts for WUIK – until Sunday morning; in the afternoon I’m invited to a Noh performance, which will a perfect ending to my work / a perfect start into my holiday.
All this to say that I will post the usual book review this Sunday, but my next post after that will be on May 7, probably a holiday-roundup.
For once, Easter isn’t just passing by unnoticed, so: Happy Easter!
Other than Christmas, which has been thoroughly commercialized, Easter is not much of a thing in Japan. I guess that’s because it tends to fall somewhere between hanami and Golden Week, when the Japanese are busy with their own traditions. Also, there are only very few shops – mostly those that sell foreign goods – where you can get Easter-related merch like chocolate eggs or decorations.
Personally, I’m not very big on holiday decorations, so I tend to skip these occasions completely. However, a friend of mine gave me the above painting, so I put it on display as a nod towards Easter.
It’s a little female rabbit bowing politely at a tea ceremony. I hope the calligraphy says something appropriate… I’m still struggling with the kanji, and handwritten Japanese will probably remain elusive forever.
Last weekend, I took time out for some DIY home improvement: Finally, after three years, I fixed the ceiling in my bathroom! When I renovated the rest of my bathroom, I already mentioned that the ceiling looked dirty next to the brand-new white walls.
In fact, the ceiling was covered in the same wallpaper as the walls, and around the lamp it was badly discoloured. I now seriously wonder how long you’d need to leave the light on for this to happen?
In any case, I removed the ugly paper on the ceiling (which was much easier than dealing with the walls) and put on cheap stick-on paper with a suitable design instead. The result:
It’s not perfect, mostly because working overhead is difficult and because I can’t measure or count properly (so there’s a spot where I had to piece on an extra centimetre)… But overall, I’m very pleased with the result. Especially since the whole project took me less than an hour.
Kamisaka Sekka was born into a samurai family in Kyoto in 1866 as Kamisaka Yoshitaka. His artistic talent was recognized early, and he started to study painting within the Shijo school when he was 16. Four years later, he began working as a designer at the Kawashima textile company. Through his father, who had worked at Kyoto’s court, he became a student of Kokei Kishi, an Imperial Household artist, with whom he studied crafts and design. Kishi introduced Sekka to the traditional Rimpa style of painting, and today, Sekka is considered the last great Rimpa artist of Japan.
Thanks to the popularity of his designs, he was employed by the Japanese government to visit Europe in 1901. He was meant to research European crafts before the Glasgow International Exhibition, where it was planned to exhibit contemporary Japanese crafts.
In Europe, Sekka was introduced to Art Nouveau, which heavily influenced his later style. He also wanted to get to the bottom of the Western infatuation with Japonism at the time, and in turn, tried to incorporate Western styles and design ideas into his own work.
When he was back in Kyoto, he revisited his teachings in the Rimpa style. By now, traditional Japanese art styles had become unfashionable – Japan was just as infatuated with everything Western as vice versa – and was determined to revive it, merging Japanese tradition with (imported) modernity.
By doing so, he created a unique visual language with bold colours and dynamic compositions that make his work easily recognizable. However, the themes of his paintings remained rooted in Japanese tradition: landscapes, animals, and depictions of seasonal flowers or festivals dominate his work.
He also never gave up designing utilitarian pieces like tea bowls, boxes, writing paper and cards and other items for daily use. His works can also be found on folding screens, fusuma doors in shrines and temples; and he created many pieces suitable for kakemono (hanging scrolls).
However, a series of 60 woodblock prints called Momoyogusa (A World of Things) is considered Sekka’s masterpiece. It was commissioned in 1909/10 by Unsōdō, a publishing company based in Kyoto that focuses on art books (and still exists today). His prints depict a variety of landscapes, flowers, and classical scenes from literature as well as Sekka’s own unique ideas.
Kamisaka Sekka worked in many fields throughout his life, and in 1905 he started teaching at the Kyoto City School of Arts and Crafts. He also set up the forerunners of what would later become the Kyoto Arts and Crafts Institute. In 1913, he became involved in the Koetsu-kai, a tea ceremony created in honour of Hon’ami Koetsu, who is considered the founder of the Rimpa style of painting. Kamisaka Sekka died in 1942, aged 77.
Last Friday, I visited a shrine festival for the first time in ages (thanks, depression…) It was Go’o shrine’s main festival which is held in honor of one of their enshrined deities, Go’o Daimyojin. Go’o shrine lies west of the Imperial Palace, and while the name literally means protect king shrine, it is better known as Kyoto’s pig or boar shrine, thanks to the ubiquitous pig statues on the grounds.
Go’o Daimyojin has his origins in Wake no Kiyomaro, a court official who, with the help of an oracle, settled a dispute concerning the imperial succession all the way back in 769. In return, he was deified as “Gracious Protecting Deity of the Emperor” and a festival in his honor has been held every year on April 4 since the Meiji era.
Unfortunately, there is not much I can say about the festival, as it is held behind closed doors in the shrine’s prayer hall. Court music could be heard and the customary chant of prayers, but that’s all I can report from this part of the ceremony, which lasted a bit more than one hour.
Afterwards, priests and guests gathered in a procession to the palace’s Kenreimon gate. There, the head priest recited a short prayer and read a document, and then everybody returned to the shrine.
That’s all I can say about the ceremony itself, but I will write more about Go’o Shrine in due course. However, I didn’t go home empty-handed (headed?): I learned last Friday that the guests wearing the brown happi above, who may take part in the ceremonies, are members of the Go’o Shrine Association, which membership most likely comes with a steep fee, sorry: donation every year.
Also, seeing the head priest in front of the palace gate led to an interesting observation that has eluded me until now: The priests’ clothes look like the dress of aristocrats of the Heian era. Even though I’ve been to many Shinto ceremonies, I’ve never made this connection before, assuming it is even true. I will have to investigate further.
Thanks to my friend who came down from Tokyo, I had quite a busy weekend. Together we visited two art/crafts markets and two exhibitions, walked under (almost) blooming cherry trees, had kaiseki (lunch), burgers (dinner), chocolate cocktails and other drinks (night out), and watched this year’s Miyako Odori.
It’s hard to pick the highlight of my weekend, but I think it was the “X-Ray Flowers” exhibition:
The venue was an old newspaper printing plant, everything was dark except the exhibits, there was a darkish-moody background music… The whole thing came together perfectly for a spectacular “experience”, that’s the only way I can describe it.
Miyako Odori was just like last year, the final dress rehearsal for the press and invited patrons. Unfortunately, we arrived late, so our seats were not as good, thus my photos aren’t as good either.
As far as sustenance goes, the chocolate cocktail with rum is my #1 this time. I also tried gin for the very first time, it wasn’t popular in Austria when I was a student, or maybe it was too expensive. There seem to be lots and lots of different flavours, one had a strong orange taste with I liked very much. This may require further research. I’ll keep you posted.
Japan, just after WWII. The death of wealthy businessman Sahei Inugami brings his family to his countryside villa. There, they await the return of heir apparent Kiyo from the front, so that Sahei’s will can be read. However, the family lawyer, who knows the testament, senses troubles ahead and engages private detective Kindaichi to try and prevent the worst.
And indeed, when Sahei’s last will is finally revealed, people start to die and the murderer stays one step ahead even of smart Kindaichi. Will he be able to protect the rightful but unexpected heir until he can find the mastermind behind all the killings?
I borrowed this book from the library without knowing that it was a crime novel. But it’s more than that, a deep look into family dynamics where blood runs thick and trumps any other relationship, no matter how entangled the lines. We follow Kindaichi as he slowly (often too late) peels away the layers of secrecy and decorum, and even though there is no ticking clock, once the will is read, there is enough suspense to keep reading. The fact that the book centers on the women of the family – Sahei had three daughters – makes it feel surprisingly modern, even though it was written in 1951.
Seishi Yokomizo (1902 – 1981) was born in Kobe and earned a degree in pharmacy to take over the family business. However, he devoted himself to writing from 1932 onwards, and became one of Japan’s most popular mystery writers, with more than 55 million copies sold. Many of his books were adapted for film and TV. The Inugami Curse featuring his most famous detective Kosuke Kindichi was his first novel to be translated into English.
This is the translation from 2003 (published as The Inugami Clan), but re-issued in 2020. I can definitely recommend this book, I just hope that the new edition doesn’t include the list of characters in the beginning, as it made me guess half of the mystery much too early. In any case, you can get it from amazon.
The weather was fantastic the last few days, with sunshine and up to 20 degrees. So, I took advantage of this and went to Otsu to visit Sekisemimaru Shrine. This ancient shrine was founded in the Heian period. It comes in two parts, an upper and a lower shrine, and it is home to the god of safe travels in the one and to the goddess of good fortune in the other part of it.
Especially during the Edo period, when the Tokaido (which still passes next to it) saw numerous travellers, the shrine was bustling with worshippers. Sadly, by now it fell to the wayside (quite literally) and is in dire need of a bit of TLC.
I will write about the shrine in my next newsletter (out on Sunday), which I’ll have to finish tonight, so this is just a very short intro. You can always subscribe to my WUIK newsletter or wait until I’ll get to posting the article here as well. For now: good night!
Kyoto is said to be the city of 1000 temples and shrines. There are the famous temples dating back to the days when Buddhism first arrived in Japan. There are the tiny shrines enshrining only the gods know who, hidden on steep mountain paths. And there are numerous small shrines at the centre of local neighbourhoods. One of these is Mikane Jinja a few streets west of the Manga Museum.
This neighbourhood was once the quarter of Kyoto’s metalworkers. Kamanza dori, for example, was the street of tea kettle makers. In 1588, Hideyoshi started minting gold coins, and when Ieyasu became shogun, he established a Kinza and Ginza (gold and silver mint, respectively) where the Manga Museum stands today.
This led to an influx of skilled artisans who worked at the mints and settled in the area. The mint also attracted money changers (and lenders) as well as people who worked with precious stones and minerals. Over time, the area became very prosperous. People living here could afford expensive clothes and accessories, which gave rise to the term “Ryogaemachi style”, named after one of the local streets.
The main deity of Mikane Jinja is Kanayamahoko-no-Mikoto, the God of metals, minerals, and mining. When exactly the shrine was established is not certain, but it is known, that it started as a small shrine on a private property somewhere in the area. More and more people came to worship at the shrine, and providing access at all times became a burden to the owners of the property. Therefore, in 1883, new land was donated, and the deities were moved to the newly constructed shrine that still stands on the very same spot.
Today, Mikane Shrine attracts people who pray for wealth and prosperity, as well as good fortune in businesses related to metals – mining, steel industry, car manufacturing, electronics etc. – or finance – investments, accounting, banking, real estate etc.
The most striking feature of Mikane Shrine is its golden torii. The shiny paint was especially developed by a local company to withstand outdoor conditions for many years. Gold is also the colour of the bell rope used to ring the bell before prayer, and a goshuin slip with real gold leaf is available at the shrine.
At the back of the precincts is a large ginkgo tree, 22 metres tall and 200 years old. In folklore, ginkgo trees are a symbol of prosperity, growth, and longevity and its leaves especially are a symbol of infinite good fortune. This is why many of the shrines’ omamori and omikuji are shaped like or feature ginkgo leaves, and in autumn, visitors may even ask for real leaves from the sacred tree to take home.
Mikane Shrine is accessible to worshippers 24/7, but its main festival is the reitai-sai festival in autumn. Held every year on the last weekend in September, it features a children’s procession and mikoshi parade as its main attractions. Food stalls and games for kids as well as a lucky draw add to the festive atmosphere.
If you are in town at this time, it’s a great way to experience a real neighbourhood festival in Kyoto and to mingle with the locals.
After some wonderfully warm days the other week, the temperature has dropped again. It was raining the last few days too, so Pumpkin and I are trying to stay warm. I wish I could do it as stylishly as he…
