Teruyoshi
Yoshida - August
August 10th, Sunday
Claire, Mr. Itakura and I met up at 1pm in the Takashimaya
department store. This year is the 400 anniversary of the
very first Kabuki which was performed by Oguni from Izumo
at the riverside of Shijo. Many traditional performances can
be seen here and there. This time we went to see Bun-raku,
which is a traditional puppet show, at the National Theatre
in Osaka.
The title of the performance was ‘Genpei
Nunobiki no Taki (the Nunobiki waterfall). In order to fully
understand the story, Claire read the story in English while
we were on the train travelling to Osaka. When we were watching
the performance she seemed very much to enjoy the appearance
of the Bun-raku puppets, Gidayu (the narrator) and Shamisen
(the instruments). Every scene was vivid and joyful, for us
as well as the performers. Since 1723 each puppet has been
handled by 3 puppeteers, consequently during the finale there
were 6 puppets, 2 horses and 15 puppeteers on stage all at
the same time, with the result that the stage looked very
small. We went to the gallery attached to the theatre after
the show where we could study the history and the function
of Bun-raku. We finally left there around 6.30 pm.
We returned to Kyoto and headed for the
ceramic market. From Higashi-Ohji to Kamagowa there were many
stalls with various practitioners of all kinds. We strolled
for an hour and a half in the cool evening of the Japanese
late summer and then went to have Tokyo-style sushi after
out cultural tours in Osaka and Kyoto. There we exchanged
many stories of Bun-raku and Kiyomizu-yaki (ceramic)
Our next quest will be Daimonji (ritualistic
fire)
August 16th, Saturday
Again we three met up at the same point in Takashimaya and
this evening we went to see Daimonji. This is a type of bonfire
in Kyoto which takes the form of Chinese letter characters
in fire across the night skies. One of the shapes of the Chinese
characters signifies ‘Big’ and the size of the
character is approximately 73m x 146m x 124m. It is constructed
in the middle of the mountains so that it looks as if it has
appeared in the night sky out of nowhere. It is a kind of
performance art. At the end of the day, 5 different characters,
all related to Buddhism, appear in the middle of 5 mountains.
Claire, as a non-Buddhist, saw it for the very first time
and had many questions. For example ‘Why this character
specifically?’, ‘Why so big?’ and ‘When
did it start?’. I have heard foreigners use the term
‘bonfire’ to describe it. For us it is part of
our custom, we have always enjoyed the wildness and the beauty
of it rather than the meaning of the size and shape. It is
also a ritual of Buddhism. When I was a boy, there were hardly
any tall buildings in the town, so people could observe these
ritual fires from any part of the city. At this time I have
seen people put their hands together in memory of their ancestors.
Now the event is promoted rather as a tourist event in the
city. It doesn’t have the atmosphere of a Buddhist ritual
anymore and as this year I was preoccupied with Claire’s
questions I felt far from the ritualistic side of the event.
August 25th to 27th
3-day workshop at Osaka Seikei University in Nagaokakyo
The day before the workshops, we worked late into the day,
making the preparations.
On the first day we began at 10am. The
participants were Claire, 3 students and Mr. Itakura. The
main theme of the workshop was to create a ‘self-portrait
with its own expression’. We began sketching with little
mirrors in each hand. My friend Mr, Itakura was doing this
for the first time since he left school a long time ago, however
the rest of the participants are all active in the arts so
it went very quickly.
We aimed to transfer the images onto
the B4 sheets with a brush. The idea was to grasp the shape
three dimensionally rather than with lines and shades. Each
participant made several versions. I also demonstrated on
the blackboard the effects of the brush strokes. The Japanese
brush is a very different tool in which to express the volume
of the objects, it depends on the thickness of the line rather
than adding the shades of the objects. This was a new method
of drawing for Claire.
After 2 hours everyone had produced approximately
20 drawings and each chose what they considered the best.
The next step was to transfer the image to the traditional
stencil paper which was invented in the Edo period for Yuzen-zome.
It is the ordinary Japanese handmade paper to which has been
added the juice of the persimmon. This prevents damage from
water and vermin and is used even today.
26th
Our aim was to do the dying in the Yuzen method using the
stencils we had made. During the morning everyone concentrated
on cutting the stencil papers.
In the afternoon we finally began the
process of dying. To begin with we all practiced the special
way to apply the colour. I prepared some pieces of cotton
in 50cm squares and the stencil papers for practice. There
were nine holes in each stencil paper so that they could practice
with nine different colours. After this we started with our
own designs.
Dye: chemical dye
Materials: thick cotton (50cm sq), thin cotton (50cm sq,),
a T shirt
We had 3 different materials to experiment with, so that we
could experience the difference in the textures. This gave
Claire an opportunity to experience a little of Japanese craftsmanship
through this manual work.
By the time we had finished dying it was around 6.30pm
These days were very hot in Kyoto and we endured this heat
without any proper break except at lunchtime. I could finally
catch Claire’s smile when we took photographs of ourselves
with the works.
3-day workshop
‘Self-portrait’
1. Drawing: comparison between the pencil drawing (Western
way) and brush (Japanese way)
2. Yuzen-zome: learn the special technique of applying the
dye onto 3 different types of cotton (thick, thin, knitted)
3. Express yourself: What is the reason for our choice of
colours for the ‘self-portrait’?
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Claire
Barber - August
The day is full of possibilities within
a weavers home
I take a shower
and just before entering
I weave with the spray
touching yarn with the growing warmth
31st July
Living in Harumi`s House in continues
to delight!
How tender for example, is the experience
of standing in the shower. Or not standing in it. Putting
it on and as it heats up seeing the light pass through the
spray. It is a beautiful moment as the splashes of spray bounce
off the side of the bath and I imagine delicate threads passing
through the warp of the shower spray.
I recall the tea ceremony I experienced
with Ealish and Machiko. Here we could all hold ourselves
back from doing something in particular, as we were offered
the potential of the space in between precise and structure
actions.
I have been placing squares of seaweed
over tea cups and saucers. At first, when each square of seaweed
is placed over the cups it is wet and floppy. Then, as it
slowly dries, it sucks into the crevices, rims and edges of
the cup and saucer. The seaweed has been moving ever so slightly
during the passing weeks, clinging more or less tightly to
the cup and saucer in rhythm to the changing humidity during
each day.
The seaweed is an agonisingly sensual
material, restraining the experience of drinking in Yorkshire
tea with a friend abroad.
1st August
This morning I have been on my hands and knees, gently rubbing
fine gold pigment into the cement pavement encircling Harumi`s
house. It is almost framing the house, like the gold leaf
coated wooden frames holding the paintings inside.
2nd August
I tasted the bitterness this morning of my emersion within
a highly consumerist culture. I passed by the derelict Hotel
Paradise and its abandoned fun fare of amusement apparatus.
I peered at the ivy taking advantage of our abandonment and
adorning the once brightly painted loop the loop and carousel.
Stray cats padded over to my feet, mewing sweetly, looking
half starved and dirty.
When I first saw the building clothed
in fraying blue tarpaulin fabric I felt an intense sense of
wonder and excitement. It was still early maybe 6am or so,
(I do most of my gallivanting at dawn as I hate being watched),
but even so, a beefy Japanese guy stood in my path showing
me his horrid tattoos. I masked a smile and tried a retreat
pretending to cycle off in the opposite direction. However
I was still intrigued by what I had glimpsed and warily returned.
I was captivated by the swathes of warn
blue tarpaulin dramatically tumbling from the rigid building.
What a wonderful exaggeration of the warp threads that I had
gently teased from my nightdress weeks before. Looking up
at the fabric I was reminded of the pale blue silk prayer
shawls I had seen draped over ovoos in Mongolia, these too,
magnificently fraying in their harsh climate. The monks had
just awoken and thus the sense of spirituality was enhanced
with the air heavy with the sound of drumming emanating from
the neighbouring temple.
I watched as the warn blue tarpaulin
blew in the breeze, the light flickered on the diesel drenched
surface and small pieces of blue plastic were caught on grass
at my feet.
This standard blue fabric is synonymous
with utilitarian wrapping and thus can, quite surprisingly,
transcend UK Japanese cultural boundaries. For instance in
my garden at Southampton lies the contents of my garden shed
within blue tarpaulin, while as I look out of Harumi`s studio
window and I see the same bright blue penetrating through
the leaves of the sharon fruit tree, holding planks of wood,
buckets and other garden paraphernalia.
I have noticed blue tarpaulin used extensively
by homeless people in Japan. Here waste is used so creatively
for survival as bags of tins make building blocks and bicycle
wheels add structure to the shelter. Flip flops rest outside
the cardboard floor covering, showing that a cultured existence
continues even in poverty.
25th August
Today Yoshida arranged a stencilling class for me at the university.
Myself and four other students began by drawing our face in
`western style` with a pencil and then `Japanese style` with
ink and brush.
It felt strange, after so many years,
to be sitting at a table in front of a blackboard and I felt
distinctly vulnerable with my 2B pencil in hand. Yoshida shut
this note book, and I thought here goes, even my old pal is
closed. Over the next two hours I didn’t flinch. My
body language must have said `go away` as no one disturbed
me. Without pause I took up a relationship with the nooks,
crannies and structure of my face. As I looked at the students
drawings being taped to the black board I noticed how complete
they all seemed, with every part of the face identified giving
a sense of a full stop to each drawing. RA Webb and I have
discussed Bonnard recently and there, at that moment, I would
have loved to have gazed at one of his drawings, to see the
flourishes, gentle touches and gestures of his pencil strokes,
his subject matter after over a hundred years still so buoyant
and alive.
For the first time since I’ve been
here I felt pangs of homesickness. ...to bite into a small
coxes apple with the possibility of a bitter tasting bruise
or blemish, rather than the perfectly formed apple in my (Harumi`s)
fridge (that will definitely not surprise me by its sweet
sugary taste) would be delicious.
26th August
Today Yoshida`s stencilling workshop continued as we transcribed
our drawings onto stencil paper and cut out the marks we had
made with a small knife. What a lovely paper we used, smelt
woody and once cut became delicate and lace-like.
28th August
Now before me I have brought out the photos of the building
covered in blue tarpaulin after hiding them away for three
weeks. I had became uneasy about continuing my relationship
with the fabric because I was put off by a sign outside the
building that once translated read ` if you enter this building
you will have to pay a very large fine and may go to prison`.
So I became interested in another site, that brought with
it its own anxieties, but at least not imprisonment!
But maybe, I don’t need to touch
the site at all in order to capture an intimate relationship
with the fine blue, faded, diesel drenched tarpaulin.
I took out the small knife that Yoshida
had given me and, as in the stencilling class, delicately
and carefully cut around the swathes of blue fabric in the
photograph.
I tentatively write this feeling
uneasy not to destroy a possible marriage with my materials..
but by laying this stencil - like image over the `Golden Fridge`
I wonder if the image of the `Golden Fridge` and the image
of the frayed blue tarpaulin may, through contrast, allow
each others latent beauty to shine ever so much more brightly
by each others presence.
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