The Iris Festival (Ayame Matsuri) in Sawara (佐原), Chiba Prefecture- Every June!
The most celebrated flowers of spring in Japan, namely the UME (plum blossom) and the SAKURA (cherry blossom) are pretty (in a soft and delicate way), and certainly evoke excitement as they herald the passing of winter. As for me, however, I much prefer the deeply-hued, passionate, sensuous flowers of early summer, in particular the IRIS (ayame, kakitsubata, or hana-shobu, in Japanese). I ask: what scene could be more beautiful than their purple glow seen emanating from the mist , on a cloud-darkened, rainy season day?
Irises can be enjoyed at several peaceful locations in Tsukuba City, places with ponds, such as the Expo Memorial Park (万博公園, Banpaku-Koen) or the Tsukuba Botanical Garden. These are ideal spots to savor the season and the scenery without the crowds or hullaballoo usually associated with flower-viewing in Japan. However, if you enjoy sharing in the excitement of a large group of picture snapping, souvenir buying revellers, two neighboring cities (though they are in different prefectures) about an hour’s drive from Tsukuba are currently hosting their iris festivals. I’m talking about Itako City (潮来), in Ibaraki and Sawara (佐原), now part of Katori City, across the Tone River in Chiba Prefecture and their annual Iris Festivals. Both events start on May 27th and run to the end of next month.
TsukubaLast year, in a rush of enthusiasm I headed off to Sawara (which is anyway one of my favorite towns in Kanto) for the opening of the festivities. I soon was to find out that I had jumped the gun, as very few of the 150,000 irises in the hundreds of varieties which grow there had started to bloom. I could still enjoy plenty of flowers while the hypnotic beat of the Sawara Bayashi (festival music) filled the air as musicians were ferried through the canals on traditional, pole propelled zapa boats. As you can well imagine, there were also plenty of vendors selling irises and iris related souvenirs out of stalls.
Origami irises as a seasonal decoration at a hospital in Tsukuba ( June 2011)
In Sawara, the iris festival will be held at the Aquatic Botanical Garden (水生植物園, suisei shokubutsu en), about 15 minutes from the city’s historic district. Many visitors to the botanical garden also take boat tours through a narrow canal over which pass 12 small unspectacular bridges. This might be fun for the kids, but otherwise should be avoided, as it would take time away from the rest of Sawara, which is really of interest to anyone who likes to get a glimpse of the old Japan.
Once a great merchant town, thriving on the river trade which passed between Edo and the countryside to its north, the historical district of Sawara still boasts many old shops and houses from the Edo Period (1600-1868). The little river which runs though it (the Onogawa) is lined with weeping willows and there are some old bridges across it, one which regularly emits water and music!
What I like most about Sawara, however, are the Ino Tadadataka Museum and the Katori Grand Shrine. Ino (1745-1818) lived and worked in a shop in Sawara until he was 50, then went to Edo, studied surveying and map-making and then went on to lead a grueling cartographic expedition which culminated in the creation of highly accurate and VERY BEAUTIFUL maps of Japan. The Katori Shrine is one of the most important shrines in the Kanto Area and is unusually Korean looking in terms of color schemes (lots of greens) and decorative motifs. There is always something going within its precincts, and it is unforgettable to watch a wedding procession there, with the priests and shrine maidens(miko) leading the bride and groom among the ancient cryptomeria trees.
One more thing that gives Sawara a star is its festival, or should I say festivals, as it is held both in summer (July) and autumn (October). The festival floats, elaborately decorated by the town’s wealthy merchants, are very impressive and I could say unrivalled in the Kanto Area .
For more info:
Sawara City Sightseeing, Commerce, and Industry Section
Trip to Katori: Big Float Festival of Sawara
Sawara City Hall
Irises at the inner garden of the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo ( June 25th,2011)
In the Meiji Shrine`s inner garden
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When the Sky Came Falling Down- Remembering the Tsukuba Meteorite (つくば隕石) of 1996, at the Ibaraki Nature Museum in Bando-City ( until June 12th)
A picture taken from Gunma Prefecture showing the meteor (that would become the Tsukuba Meteorite) breaking up into several pieces
Fifteen years ago, on January 7th 1996, Junko Yamomoto was in the car with her family. It was 4:20PM and they were driving around Tsukuba`s Matsushiro area looking for a restaurant that they had heard about and wanted to try. Gazing out the window while her husband was at the wheel, Junko was struck dumb for an instant by an amazing sight- a bright round object zipping low across the evening sky. When she tried to alert the rest of her family to what she had just seen, the fireball had already disappeared from view, and the moving car did not provide a good vantage point from which to observe the trail of smoke which still lingered in the sky. After a few excited: Oh my Gods! " s and What was that? " s, her kids, tried to calm her down with a few skeptical: "sure mom"s," SURE you saw something".
At the same time The Kawabata`s- husband, wife, and daughter were in THEIR car, not very far away. The bright streak of light appeared directly in front of them. While mother and daughter flailed their hands and shrieked GYAAAA!, the father, calmy and cooly assessing the situation, hit it right on the button, and muttered a deadpan: INSEKI DA (隕石だ！) - It`s a meteor!
Another shot of the same meteor as a streak of light in the evening sky
Junko-San and the Kawabatas were not the only ones to have noticed something unusual that evening. In fact, numerous witnesses from all over the Kanto Region ( and beyond) later reported either seeing either a fireball, a streak of very bright light, or the remains of a smokey tail. There was also apparently a very loud BANG which resounded throughout the region, and windows were also said to have been rattled. A couple of people even had the presence of mind ( and good luck) to get some good photos (see above) of what would come to be known as the Tsukuba Meteorite .
( Yes, that IS the meteorite`s official name. It is common practice to name a meteorite after the location in which it has been found, though there are notables exceptions such as the Hodges Meteorite, named after Ann Hodges, the ill-fated woman STRUCK by the extraterrestrial stone which bears her family name).
The course the meteor followed after it had entered the Earth`s atmoshere and approached Tsukuba
Lets go back a bit .What had happened was this. After approximately 4.6 billion years of floating in space ( since it had broken away from a much larger space rock), the future meteor, several meters in diameter, finally crossed the Earth`s path just as the planet happened to be passing, and was sucked into its atmosphere. As it plummeted downward, friction created extremely high temperatures and the rock lit up like a light bulb and left a trail of steamy smoke behind it. As it neared Tsukuba, it broke up into little pieces, which were eventually found at 23 locations throughout the city limits ( as well as in neighboring Ushiku and Tsuchiura).
Miraculously, only one building was damaged, an auto repair shop in Kami Hiro-Oka. This was the first piece of the Tsukuba Meteorite found and was thus designated Tsukuba Meteorite 1 (This piece was checked for radiation nine hours after impact and fast fading cosmic rays were detected, providing important data for scientists) . After that, when word got around about the extremely rare event that had happened in the area, it was METEORITE MANIA, with everyone from school children to the elderly scouring the ground for pieces of it ( aided by a leaflet which had been distributed which explained how to identify them).
Most of the Meteorite pieces which were recoverered were found in fields, along roads or in peoples gardens.
A hole in the ceiling of an auto repair shop in Tsukuba`s Kami hiro-oka, created by a piece of the meteor- the first to be discovered, and subsequently called Tsukuba Meteorite 1
And now after all these years later, the Ibaraki Science Museum has put out a call for any witnesses to the meteor-fall to come forward and tell there stories. They have also put together an extremely informative and satisfying exhibition, detailing not only all aspects of the Tsukuba Meteorite, but a comprehensive explanation of what meteorites are, their history in Japan ( 50 meteorites have been found over the years in Japan, including the only recorded case of a meteorite landing on a ship!), as well as in other countries. There is special section on meteorites on Antarctica and also one examining the possibility that the extinction of the dinosaurs was brought about by a meteor. Real meteorites can be touched (and smelled!) and looked at through a microscope ( mind-blowing!) .
The Tsukuba Meteorite and where the pieces were found
Today I was lucky enough to have Junko-San, an actual witness to that amazing occurence ( as I have said before, only 50 meteorites have been found in Japan, and among those, only about 40 have been seen falling to the Earth) accompany me to the Ibaraki Nature Museum ( along with some other good friends), which is about an hour west of Tsukuba by car.
The exhibiton was much better than we had expected, and we left satisfied after really having learned alot- just about everything I could have wanted to know about meteorites in Japan AND the world at large. It was exciting for me, and NOSTALGIC for Junko-San.
For all you need to know about the museum and how to get there:
http://www.nat.pref.ibaraki.jp/toc_mar/english/non_fla_eng/index.html
The exhibit is on until June 12th. I`d like to go again if I have the time. I`d like to spend some time walking the museums extensive ( and extremely verdant) grounds, and have a closer look at the meteor AND other, permanent exhibits.
You should also go check it out.
And even if you dont, remember to keep your heads up and eyes open. You never know what is going to streak by!
An illustration from a 17th century Japanese text showing villagers` amazed at having discovered a meteorite
The town of Nordlingen (Bavaria) Germany is built in a meteor crater
An actual meteorite which was found in Namibia- note hte magnets stuck on it. This baby weighs more than 300 kilograms and leaves an irony smell on your hands after you touch it.
METEORITES IN JAPANESE HISTORY
Surely the ancient residents of the Japanese Archipelago took note of unusual celestial phenomena- shooting stars, fire-balls, and comets ( as well as eclipses, of course!).
The second oldest extant Japanese text, the Nihon Shoki ( circa 720 AD), contains a passage which describes something which very well might have been a meteor falling to earth in the 9th year of the Emperor Jomei (637). " In the second month, a large star shot across from east to west, creating a sound like thunder".
The Hoshi-Miya-Sha Shrine in Aichi Prefecture (637) at which a fallen star is said to be enshrined
Interstingly, there is an old shrine in Aichi Prefecture, the Hoshi-Miya-Sha (星宮社), which is said to have been founded to enshrine a star which fell in the year 637. There is NO evidence , however, to confirm that a meteorite was found ( the shrine might have been erected based on the Nhon Shoki passeage- or as some suggest, after sightings of comets which could have been sighted in 634 or 684).
A passage from the ancient chronicle Nihon Shoki (circa 720 AD) which describes what sounds like a meteor falling to earth in the year 637 AD
The first confirmed report in Japan ( and according to the exhibition- THE FIRST IN THE WORLD!!) of a sighted falling meteorite which was actually found on the ground occurred in what is now Fukuoka Prefecture on the Island of Kyushu in the year 861 AD ( the mid Heian Period). According to records, on the 7th day of the 4th month the afternoon sky brightened and there was an explosive blast. The next day, on the grounds of a shrine ,the Suga Jinja (須賀神社), a small crater was discovered. Inside there was a black stone which had fallen from the heavens. This stone was then placed in a pawlonia wood (kiri) box and preserved at the shrine. Since the date and place of the falling and discovery are inscribed on the box, this is considered the OLDEST recorded case of a meteorite whose fall AND discovery were witnessed. It is called the No-kata (直方) Meteorite, after the place in which it was discovered。
The Sasagase Meteor (1688) which can be seen on display at the Hamamatsu Science Museum
If you visit the science museum ( Kagaku Kan ) in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, you can see the Sasagase Meteor (笹ヶ瀬隕石) , which was seen falling and then soon recovered in 1688 near the Buddhist temple Zofuku-Ji. A priest of that temple wrote: " A purple cloud appeared in the northwest, and the sky rumbled as if it were crumbling. Then something fell into the vegetable field south-west of the temple".
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Some Prefer Nettles- No-Azami (野薊), The First Thistles Of The Year- Beautiful AND (as most thistles are- ) Edible !
There are about a hundred types of AZAMI (thistle) in Japan, and as you can imagine, it is not an easy task to identify any particular one of these out of this great number. However, only one AZAMI can be found blooming at this time of year ( spring and early summer)- the NO-AZAMI (cirsium japonicum), which grows on AZE-MICHI ( 畦道, the paths around rice fields), on riverbanks, and along country roads. On gray, misty rainy season days, their flowers seem to GLOW purple, atop their tall ( 60-100cm) stems. By mid-June, however, the no-azami`s spine-like petals start to fall away, only to be replaced by a dandelion-like FUZZ.
Like most thistles, no-azami are EDIBLE, though this variety might not be the most delicious (this allocade probably goes to the MORI-AZAMI, which blooms in autumn in Nagano, Gifu and Shimane Pefectures where it is actually cultivated for consumption!). You can eat the young leaves, stems and roots of this thorny plant, but be careful while picking them. Be sure to use gloves and scissors ! Snip off the thorns at the edge of the leaves, skin the stems. The leaves ( young leaves are best) can be used for tempura, and the stems boiled and seasoned as you like. The roots, if you have the patience to dig them up, can be boiled, too. They taste like GOBO (burdock), and are often served or sold at mountain inns as MOUNTAIN GOBO (yama gobo). I would certainly recommend sampling this earthy and rustic, wild vegetable at least once, you might even develop a taste for it!
Even if you dont, keep an eye open for then on Tsukuba`s country roads and paths. Their beauty might even stop you in your tracks.
And lets not forget that these thorny flowers, relatives of the chrysanthemum, the symbol of Japan`s Imperial Family, are the National Flower of Scotland. One explanation for this is that in the times of the Viking invasions, one of the enemy, approaching barefoot, stepped on a thistle and gave out a cry, warning the Scots of their approach and giving them time to prepare for battle, and thus saving the day.
Here are some more on this months flowers:
http://blog.alientimes.org/2008/07/you-screwy-flower/
No-Azami in an arrangement in Hojo, Tsukuba ( May 25th, 2011)
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Fragrance- an EYE-OPENING Exhibition at The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts -in Ueno- until May 29th
Kaori (Fragrance)- an exhibition
While the traditional arts of the Tea Ceremony ( Sadoh,茶道) and Ikebana (flower arrangement), are well known in Japan (and abroad) and have millions of practitioners, Koh-doh (香道)- the Way of Incense, which developed together with these other arts during the Muromachi Period (1336-1573), has fallen into obscurity. In fact, though I have lived in Japan for many years and have been an enthusiastic student of traditional Japanese culture, I had never been to an incense party. Nor had I ever even heard or read very much about such events.
That is why when I saw the poster advertizing the exhibition: Fragrance - the Aroma of Masterpieces, at the Univesrity Art Museum at Geidai, Japan`s most prestigious university for students of the arts, I knew that I would have to go check it out.
Of course, I had hoped ( and expected) that I would be able to experience ( with my own nose), some of Japan`s famously refined incenses, and maybe even sit in on an incense party.
And though unfortunately it turned out that besides being able to sniff a sandalwood log, and two other disappointing fragrance sampling-boxes ( at which none of the visitors seemed quite satusfied), there was no incense burned at the museum ( there was just a video of an incense party being shown in a small room), I still found the exhibit to be very EYE-OPENING.
An ancient piece of fragrant aloeswood （沈香木)
Though the ancient residents of the Japanese archipelago must surely have appreciated the rich fragrances of its abundant and varied trees and flowers, visitors to the exhibit are told that Japan`s unique and highly refined culture of fragrance only began with the introduction in the 6th century of Buddhism and the incense which was so important in its rituals.
Since the various types of fragrant woods used to make incense did not grow in Japan, they would subsequently, over the centuries, have to be imported, and were thus always highly valued and CHERISHED by the Japanese court, the nobility, and later by the ruling warrior class.
The first pieces that vistors encounter at the exhibit are ancient chunks of fragrant wood, beautiful in themselves as objets d`art, but even more interesting when reading of their historical significance. It is impressive to see the two pieces of rare Kyara wood which were at some point in the possession of ALL THREE of Japan`s great unifiers- Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi AND Tokugawa Ieyasu!
Apparently, some very old ( even at that time) and high quality pieces of fragrant wood were so highly esteemed, that when great generals ( for example, Hideyoshi) wanted to flaunt their power, they brazenly took them from the temples where they had been watched over, and used them to make incense- for pleasure, and for protection ( it was believed that the smoke from these venerable wood pieces bestowed special powers upon their owners).
Fragrant wood used to make incense by Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu
Another testament to the high status of fragrant wood is the fact that there is a legend ( which could be based on a true story) recorded in the Nihon Shoki ( the Ancient Chronicles of Japan) which tells of how fragrant woods were discovered in Japan in the year 595.It is written that fishermen scooped a strange piece of wood out of the sea, and noticed the amazing odor it gave off when they tossed it onto a fire. They immediately pulled it out of the flames and decided to present it as a gift to the Emperor.
An incense holder
Since various ritual utensils were needed to carry out Buddhist ceremonies, craftsmen over the ages, had the opportunity to show 0ff their skill and imagination producing them. There are 3 basic types of incense holders- standing, hand-held, and hanging- and there are many interesting examples on display at the exhibition, along with numerous Buddhist paintings which depict incense burning or related themes.
Sweet dreams? A combination pillow- incense burner.
During the Heian Period, the zenith of classical Japanese court culture, the aristocrats enjoyed incense in a variety of ways including scenting hair and kimonos and incence games involving creating new scents and trying to guess the ingredients in scents created by other players.. Anyone who has read the Tale of Genji, surely remembers the passages describing the mixing, burning and enjoyment of incense. Classical Japanese style paintimgs depicting scenes from that novel are on display at the exhibit, as well the various utensils and other paraphanalia which were created for the enjoyment of incense- Lacquer incense sets, incense spewing pillows and special contraptions for scenting kimonos are also among the items that are being shown. Some of them are astoundingly beautiful.
An important thing that one learns at the exhibit, is that because the enjoyment of mixing incense became closely associated in the minds of the educated classes with The Tale of Genji, the Genji-Mon, 52 distinctive geometrical patterns which were originally developed and used to represent each chapter of the novel ( in the Edo Period), have often been used as motifs for KODO paraphernalia ( see the pillow above), and more importantly, as a way of representing each of the various possible combinations of incense in incense games ( one game is actually called Genji-Ko (源氏香).
See these Genji-Crests here:
http://www.e-sozai.com/mon/zuhu/701.html
Another fragrant pillow- surely the cause of many an aristocratic stiff neck!
When Japan came to be ruled by the warrior class, beginning with the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate, the custom of enjoying incense was taken up by the new elite- with gusto. I have already described how the greatest of the warlords coveted famous pieces of fragrant wood.
It was during the rule of the Ashikaga Shoguns, however, during an era now called the Muromachi Period, that Japan`s unique way of enjoying incense- Kodo-, evolved. And as is usually the case in what is best in Japan- the highly refined Way of Incense developed as result of an amalgamation of numerous distinct influences- the old aristocracy, the warrior class, the Buddhists ( especially of the Zen Sects), and even Europeans ( certain aspects of Catholic ritual were adopted into the Tea Ceremony, as well as into Kodo).
A kimono scenter- a kimono is laid on top of the frame while the incense burns ( from the Edo Period)
A complex system of rules was established for incense gatherings, which like any of the other Japanese traditional arts was NOT merely a past-time and entertainment- but a road to self improvement and spiritual growth. It was also a way of slipping out of the mundane ( strife-torn) world, into a slower, richer, more elegant (SACRED even), time and space.
One thing that surprises me , however, is that unlike the other arts- tea, flower arrangement, Kodo often involved competition with winners and losers. The participants have to guess the ingredients used to make incense which is passed around in a special jar.
An incense burner from the Edo Period
The utensils and containers created for the incense parties were often of remarkable beauty - as can be seen at the Fragrance Exhibition.
Most interesting for me ( and I believe for everyone else who visits this exhibition, as well) are the various score boards used for these incense smelling games. Horse races, sumo wrestling, and cock -fighting are some of the motifs used.
An incense game ( from the Edo Period)
I had never seen anything like these before!
A sumo-motifed incense game set
A cock-fight motifed incense-game set
The remainder of the exhibition was a let down ( for me) compared with these fascinating pieces. It was a collection of Japanese paintings from various periods which the curators deemed as successfully evoking FRAGRANCE. Most of these were depictions of what have been considered representative (cliched) good smelling things in Japan- flowers, incense, and beautiful women.
It might have been that I was already all tired out by the first sections of the exhibit- but I could just not conjure up any fragrances from these paintings.
Maiden of the Asuka Era (Yasuda Yukihiko, 1958)
I was still, also expecting to be able to smell-sample some real incense at the museum, but as I have already said- this was not to be.
Anyway, even though my nostrils were not, my eyes were opened, and I learned about an aspect of Japanese culture that I had had no contact with before.
And oh! I was able to buy some incense at the gift shop- Sublime!
For specific details about visiting the exhibition, see the museums website:
http://www.geidai.ac.jp/museum/exhibit/2011/kaori/kaori_ja.htm
And here are some videos available on line for those who would like to get a better idea of what Ko-do is like:
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/4314/Kodo--The-Art-of-Japanese-Incense
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9U3IjrQbbQ
Young cherry leaves ( HA-ZAKURA, 葉桜)- after the famous blossoms have regrettably fallen away- a different kind of beauty- at Ueno Park in Tokyo
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My Wild Garden Abloom With HARUJION ( 春紫苑), a Flower whose local nickname symbolizes my post-quake financial state!
Harujion in my front yard in Tsukuba
For the past few years, besides the occassional trimmings, I have let my garden grow virtually wild, and have subsequently been rewarded with an ever changeing, multi-layered carpet of wild flowers.
Harujion in my garden- May 20th 2011
Now, in late May, each time I leave my front door, or look out the window, I am greeted by waist high clusters of pinkish-white, daisy-like flowers which sway with the breezes.
These are harujion ( 春紫苑), scientific name- e. philadelphicus, a flower which first appeared on Japanese shores in the early 20th century after its seeds were somehow carried over from North America. Taking very well to this hospitable country, it quickly spread throughout all Japan`s major islands.
When I showed some pictures ( posted along with this article) of these flowers to a friend born and raised in the Tsukuba area, she smiled and quickly burst out saying- BINBO-GUSA, which directly translated means POVERTY GRASS, or PAUPERS PLANT!
When I insisted that they were HARUJION, she said yes, thats what they were, but that around here ( Ibaraki Prefecture) they were called BINBO-GUSA because they grew in abandoned fields and just about any untended space.
Amusingly, she felt very bad when I told her that what I had shown her was a picture of MY GARDEN. With the unique concern which Japanese have for other peoples feelings, she was worried that she had offended me by implying that I was indigent, by saying that paupers grass was growing at my place!
I told her not to feel bad. I LIKED the flowers and enjoyed having them in my garden. I also added that it was appropriate that they grew around me because I WAS POOR, especially now after the big quake!
She recommended I weed out the e. philadelphicus, or else next year they would come back in even greater numbers. I told her that that was alright, and also added jokingly that next year I would probably be EVEN POORER, (especially if I keep spending so much time researching for and writing this blog)!
Keep an eye out for harujion ( BINBO-GUSA). As I mentioned before, it grows in just about any open space. You can see them, growing here and there along every road or path in May.
To tell the truth, when growing in small patches they do give off an air of dishevelment. But in great concentrations, like those in my garden they look almost GRAND !
By the way, today as I was examining the HARUJION I noticed that nearer to the ground the bright red HEBI-ICHIGO .
I have written about these rustic icons of Japanese summer here:
I would also like to mention that there is a flower which resembles the HARUJION very closely. It is called HIMEJION. It usually blooms later in the year ( from June through August) and is white instead of pink. But since the blooming period does overlap, and the HARUJION do sometimes bloom appear very whitish in recent years, the best way to tell the difference is by breking one off at the stem. The HARUJION stems are hollow, while the HIMEJION stems are not.
Paddy fields with young rice plants- full of love lorn frogs ( Tsukuba may 20th 2011)
And read about the amazing FROG CHORUS which is now resounds throughout Japan each night:
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