I imagined that most of the Buddhist art enthusiasts patiently waiting in line with me had already been to Nara and visited Yakushiji. I also came to the realization that if I had gotten on the shinkansen it would not take very much longer to reach the temple itself than it would to finally reach the entrance of the museum (though it would have been a BIT more expensive).

What the large crowds had been gathering for, every day for weeks already, was a look from behind. A look at the back-sides of 3 great Buddhist images whose backs are usually covered by ornate, body length, gilded halos or aureoles (光背, kohai). For this exhibition, these figures, most famously the bronze Bodhisatvas Nikko and Gakko, were separated from their back-stand halos allowing their elegantly molded posteriors to be gazed upon by anyone with a ticket and tough enough to endure the lines.

In addition to this rare chance to peek BEHIND the scenes, the exhibition featured treasures which have never been  displayed all at once.These are usually kept in Yakushi-Ji`s treasure house and  are

exhibited as individual pieces or sets at various times around the year.

Centuries of being imbued with the samurai virtues of patience and perseverence has clearly had a huge impact.Not a complaint could be heard from the sun-exposed crowd.Each visitor seemed to be in a heat induced daze by the time they reached the air-conditioned exhibition hall .

Then things really got difficult. All the pent up energy and bridled excitement seemed to burst forth in my elderly fellow museum-goers and it took strength and cunning to jockey myself into a position in which I could see any of the works on display.

This might sound like a nightmare, or a Buddhist version of hell, but  in fact it was fascinating and highly rewarding in many ways. For me observing the visitors and overhearing their comments was what probably sticks in my mind most. Since this was an exhibition of Buddhist works, and not just ART, it seemed to me that most of the visitors were trying their best to have a spiritual experience. Their GAZE was special, like that reserved for cherry blossom viewing or funerals. A typical exclamation that I heard among the crowds viewing the 3 meter tall bronze Boddhisatvas was: They really DO make me feel calm. (yappari miru to iyashi ni naru).

In terms of the works on display themselves, I was more impressed (in terms of beauty) by the three small figures (39cm) of the Hachiman Triad. I prefered them because they are carved from wood, and I have always felt that the Japanese sculptors often showed great genius when working in that medium. When such skillfully carved wooden pieces are aged more than a thousand years, the effect is mysterious and mesmerizing.

It is also of interest to note how Shinto Gods were early adopted into Buddhism, with Hachiman (the deified emperor Ojin) having early on become a protector of the new, imported faith.These figures are some of the earliest,if not THE earliest examples of Shinto sculpture(before Buddhism took hold the Gods had not been

represented as graven images). I can go ON and ON about each piece I saw. By why should you waste your time reading when you still have a few more days to see and experience for yourself.Or check the exhibition web-site.

I left the museum and its bookstore with  heavy feet and even heavier bag, and a light head and even lighter wallet.However, I really did feel serene(exhaustion?) sitting on TX reviewing what I had just seen in the excellent catalogue of the show.

Don't let the lines deter you(bring some good books along). I guess that in the west we also have the notion of growth through hardship: you know NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

The exhibition will be on until June 8 at the National Museum in Ueno.

A little time spent by the shores of Lake Kasumigaura this past summer, affected British born artist-musician Thomas Mayers in a BIG way. In fact, the experience of that day (August 5th to be exact), and the feelings and thoughts it evoked, led to a veritable creative explosion, the fruits of which- 44  new paintings, will be on display at the Takashi Saitoh Gallery near Ushiku Sation from September 29th through October 11th.

For a previous show at the same venue Mayers also made extensive and effective use of lake related motifs ( at that time with a focus on Lake Ushiku), to create some of his most memorable and beautiful works . Visitors to his upcoming exhibit ( it starts tomorrow!), will find that his newest works show a new edge- they are more intimate and emotional. And while the paintings are still  beautiful, they are also challenging and deeply thought provoking.

Plane Over The Lotus Fields - Thomas Mayers 2009

What exactly DID the artist encounter by Japan`s second largest lake on that steamy summer morning? What was it that stirred him to grapple with paper, oils, watercolor , spray paint, pencil and epoxy. What was it that kept him sleepless, reworking photos and etching on glass? Well,  according to Mayers, it was driving around and walking through the extensive lotus root fields just by the lake that filled him with all the conflicting emotions which then HAD TO BE WORKED OUT through his art. 

The scene he found in Tsuchiura`s Okijuku and Tamura neighborhoods, potentially one of idyllic beauty- lake, traditional hamlets, lotus flowers in bloom everywhere, was marred by the ubiquitous presence of scraggly nets, which virtually covered the landscape and stretched out to the horizon. And even more jarringly, upon closer observation, he found dangling in these nets, like strange fruit, scores of dead birds of various breed, size and color.

As an artist and a person, Thomas Mayers is extremely sensitive and ever questioning . Each time I meet him he seems to be in a continuous dialogue not only with me, but with the world around him. Carefully examining his latest works, it is clear to me that in the first place his trip down to Kasumigaura, an area whose  history he is deeply familiar with from the writings of  well-known Tsuchiura-based writer Junichi Saga ( Memories of Silk and Straw), brought to his mind certain iconic images of pre-war Tsuchiura- propellor powered sea planes and zeppelins, as well as an array of colorful local characters he had read about.

The harrowing site of the ugly nets and the unfortunate birds caught in them then obviously aroused another stream of images in the artist`s mind, especially those associated with the writings of novelist Shusaku Endo and Christian martyrs.

What we have then in this new show are 11 larger and 33 smaller works in which the artist has singularly compressed layers of local and PERSONAL history onto Japanese washi paper. Working from photos he had taken on THAT DAY he tried to capture the resonances each image created in his mind. And , instead of turning away from and pretending NOT TO SEE the ugliness and horror, as so many artists and photographers do, Mayers bravely works them into his pieces, focusing not only what he saw, but on what he heard, tasted ( in the air), and even what he smelled.Bravo!

All in all he has put together a daring, challenging and powerful exhibition.

http://www.saitoh-coffee.com/tsg/gallery.html

1 Comments

• At September 30, 2009, Dan Waldhoff wrote:

  My wife and I rallied two good friends to introduce to Thomas' art and were the first to sign the guest book when Takashi Saitoh Gallery opened yesterday. As Avi described, the works on display were intimate, emotional, challenging, deeply thought provoking - and Beautiful. Thomas mixes so much into small works - just the right size, thank you, for display in an apartment setting - that we left the gallery owning two new pieces to enjoy at home.

  Everyone with an interest in Japan will benefit from a reading of Junichi Saga's "Memories of Silk and Straw". Thanks to Thomas and Avi, I took my copy of another Saga authored book, "Memories of Wind and Water", off the book shelf and moved it to our only piece of furniture, a low all purpose table, where my wife will read it to come to a better understanding of her own history and culture. I will re-read it to readjust my perspectives on what I shouldn't take for grated.

The current show at the museum, that of the works of Aigasa Masayoshi (b. 1939 in Tokyo), is truly rivetting, due to both the artists skillfull use of paint on canvas, and for the insightful portrait that he paints of contemporary Japan ( or should I say modern life in general). For Aigasa (it seems to me), the  old Japan of (idealized) deep and warm community relations, has been been all but lost , overwhelmed by modernisation and urbanization, which have left us dazed, numb, and most importantly- lonely.

He shows this (I feel), by choosing to focus on certain symbolic subjects, with the ones which stand out most being-  train stations, zoos, and parks.

Not having ever seen any of Aigasa`s works before visiting this show( or having ever heard of him), I was at first puzzled by his selection of subject matter. While I could easilly recognize the malaise, boredom and alienation imbued into the human characters he paints, I could not understand their connection to train stations and zoos. Then it hit me. In Japan trains are, and have long been, the chief symbol of this country`s frantic and successful program  westernization and modernization which began in the Meiji Period(starting in 1868) . Realizing this as I gazed at these paintings gave context and depth to the array of station platform scenes that he has created.

As for the paintings of crowds gazing at various zoo animals, a similar understanding struck me. Modern man, who has evolved over millions of years IN A MORE NATURAL SETTING now often lives in small apartments in gray cities, and works in flourescently- lit- white- walled- offices -  like a fish out of water, or a spiritually deadened animal which has been taken out of its natural habitat and put on display in a concerete cage at a zoo.

Aigasa further captures this feeling with several depictions of  people at public parks, which he shows as open spaces with a few sad, stick-like trees, filled with sad, lonely(even if with a lover) humans.

I sometimes suspected that the mood and tone of Aigasa`s  works went beyond being his tuning into the world around him and were in fact a reflection of his own, dark, perhaps depressive personality. The painting that really had me thinking this was the large HANAMI (cherry blossom party) scene which captures none of the atavistic energies and excitement which are usually released at these events. The artist has created a scene of people who seem to be just as dulled as those waiting for trains in his stations, or crossing the street at his intersections.

This exhibition should also be of interest to those interested merely in skillfull and often beautiful painting. For me, his shadows and empty spaces are where he creates the most striking textures. His Miru Hito ( People Looking), of 1972, will amaze anyone with its 3 dimensionality. As you ebter the exhibit, and look straight down the corridor you will see it. I was sure that it was a shadow box, made with  layered cut-outs, until I was right up at it. This work is also thematically interesting and represents another of Aigasa`s typical motifs- people as observers, watchers and onlookers. How true in this when people spend much more time looking at the tv screen or computer moniter than anything else.

The exhibition, called Daily Life- AIGASA Masayoshi will be at the Tsukuba Museum of Art (at Ars Hall, just North-East of the TX Terminal) until May 24th.

Admission is 380 Yen for adults.

Even if you miss this excellent show, be sure to check out whats going on at the museum. There is USUALLY something worth seeing- very often for free!

www.tsukuba.museum.ibk.ed.jp/

By the way the artist`s name is written 相笠昌義　in Japanese characters.

Annual Azabu Juban Open Air Ceramic Exhibition
Dates: March 18 (Wed) to 24 (Tue), weather permitting.
Time: 10:00am to 6:00pm
Venue: Patio Juban

“We would like to introduce to you the City of Kasama. It is one of the historical ceramics towns nearest from Tokyo, about 130km north. There are over 300 active artists from all over Japan and the world. With many annual events and sakes to satisfy ceramics enthusiasts, we are looking forward to your visit.”

The events to promote Kasama and Inada granite stone are also held in Yurakucho and two locations in Ginza.

Inada Stone Exhibitions
at Galerie nichido (Ginza 5chome)
March 19 (Thur) to 21 (Sat)
http://www.nichido-garo.co.jp/exhibition/2009/03/post_85.html

at Sukiyabashi Park (Ginza 4chome)
March 20(Fri)

and at Furusato Joho Plaza (Yurakucho 1chome)
March 16(Mon) to 19(Thur)
Kasama products fair also held at the same time.

115 professional and amateur artists and businesses from various parts of Japan will participate in this event.

June 7 (Sat) from 10AM to 5PM
Events:
11:00 - Belly dance performance
13:00 - Bali dance performance, Istana Langit
14:00 – Belly dance performance
Other times: Amateur musician/band will be performing on the stage and street.

June 8 (Sun) from 10AM to 4PM
Events:
10:00 - Express Jazz Orchestra (Mito Tankidaigaku Fuzoku High School’s big band) performance
11:00 - Hakoda Apron Mamas Story Time for kids and “big” kids
12:00 – Performance by Inari Bayashi Preservation Group
13:00 – Shichido Kitsune (rakugo)
14:00 – Performance by “Maruchans”
Other times: Amateur musician/band will be performing on the stage and street.

Michi no Ichi website:
http://www.michino1.jp/michinoichi/mtop.html

Inaricho Art Festival
June 7 and 8 (pottery)
June 7 to 29 (paintings, sculptures, prints and photography)

This is one of the pre-"Art Cocktail 2009" events.
Artworks by established and emerging artists from Ibaraki, Tokyo and other areas will be exhibited in area businesses like Gruyere (cafe), Takara Inbou (personal seal shop), Ookawa Saketen (liquor shop), Joshuya Ryokan (country inn), Gallery Sakura. All these places are located within easy walking distance of Michi no Ichi and JR Kasama Station. Artworks will be exhibited in Gallery Sakura until the end of June after this festival.

Festival organizer's blog:
http://kasatsuku.exblog.jp/

Elizabeth and the local artists will be performing at Tsukuba Capio (MAP) this Friday. Please read the article by Avi in January issue of the Alien Times. To find out where you can get a copy of the latest Alien Times, please visit: http://www.alientimes.org/Info/Distribution

“BALLADS IN WOOD at Capio -CONTEMPLATING LIFE”
February 8, Friday and February 22, Friday
Doors open at 5:30pm and performance begins at 7pm

Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult - 1800yen Advance, 2000yen At door.
A ticket for two - 3000yen. Advance purchase only.
Elementary and junior high school students – 900yen Advance, 1000yen at door.

Tickets are available at Tsukuba Capio, Nova Hall, Sango Mizuki Art and Café in Tsukuba, Soba-ya Gallery Kuraya in Ami Town, Yuhodo Bookstore in Azuma and R☆Scene, a hair salon in Namiki.

You can also reserve your tickets by making a payment to the following postal account in advance, and receiving your tickets at the reception desk. Make sure to enter the date, February 8^th OR 22^nd and the type(s) of ticket(s) you are reserving in the remarks column. Also, please reserve your tickets well in advance in you are planning on reserving tickets via postal account.

Account Number(口座番号):
00160-1-762382 エリザベス・ロブレス (Elizabeth Robles)

or you can contact me at rrfish.tsukuba[at]gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing the advance ticket(s) or if you’d like to know more about this conceptual art event.

Official Blog
http://www.kinoballad.blogspot.com/
Joyo Weekly article
http://joyo-net.com/weekly/1men/2008/20080201/20080201.html
Additional images
http://fishinjapan.blog8.fc2.com/blog-entry-566.html

Big Black Heart: Photography and the Aboriginal
Tsukuba University is proud to announce the exhibition of three leading Australian photographers in Big Black Heart at the University of Tsukuba Main Hall Gallery and adjacent ArtSpace Gallery. Renowned photographer Juno Gemes and award-winning Aboriginal artists Wayne Quilliam and Bindi Cole give us outstanding visions of struggle and artistic innovation of Australian Aborigines in response to political and cultural discrimination.

Bindi Cole & Wayne Quilliam
Tsukuba University Main Hall Gallery
September 15 to October 8

Juno Gemes
Tsukuba University ArtSpace September 15 ～ October 13
Open daily 9:00～17:00 except Mondays
Tel (Japanese Only): 029-853-2382
www.art.tsukuba.ac.jp

---------
The Alien Times received this information from John Tran of the University of Tsukuba. Thank you!

千手観音 My 夢 Dream - Official website in Japanese
My Dream - Official website in Chinese and in English
From My Dream website:

China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe
was founded in 1987. With the support and cares of the whole society, the Performing Troupe bears the dreams of people with disabilities and creates a special art which delights audiences, purifies the soul with Truth, Honesty and Virtue, encourage people by strong will, and delivers friendship with sincerity. Having sought and studied for 20 years, the Performing Troupe has begun to bringing forth new ideas independently, produced classics of special art, travelled to more than 40 countries in Asia, Europe, America , Africa and Oceania . It flies its own unique banner in a colourful world and they are referred to as “ Messenger of Beauty and Humanity” by the international community and as “A Special Art Star of Mankind and Image Ambassadors for 600 Million People with Disabilities in the World” by the Disabled People's International 6 th World Assembly.

***********************************************
China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe
JAPAN First tour 2007
千手観音 My 夢 Dream

Venue:
茨城県立県民文化センター(Ibaraki Prefectural Cultural Center)
in Mito City (MAP)
Time and Date:
3:00pm (doors open at 2pm), November 3, Saturday
Tickets:
SS tickets 8,500yen – sold out their share of SS tickets
S tickets 7,500yen – very few left
A tickets 5,500yen
Box offices:
Ibaraki Prefectural Cultural Center – 029-241-1166
Ticket Pia and Lawson Ticket (ask about them at local “combinis”)
WAT Co., Ltd – sold out their share of tickets
Chiba TV Media Net 043-207-3101
***********************************************

A detail from the carvings at Konda`s Yasaka shrine - note the multi-headed beast drinking from jars ( July 24th 2010)

Like so many other neighborhoods across Japan in July, Konda, in Tsukuba City ( where I live) holds a summer festival ( NATSU MATSURI). Unlike Japan`s  spring and autumn festivals which are usually agriculture related and traditionally carried out with the aim of helping to ensure ( with divine assistance)  good harvests, summer festivals have been held in the belief that they prevent epidemics , natural disasters and even summer lethergy. They also often involve prayers for rain.

It is typical for these summer festivals to be centered around a type of shrine now most commonly referred to as  Yasaka Jinja ( 八坂神社) in which the God Gozu-Tenno ( who came to Japan from India via Korea) and the popular God of Japanese mythology, Susano no Mikoto, are enshrined ( now intermingled as one). The reason for this is that both of these deities are believed to be related to disease prevention.

When summer festivals ARE held at Yasaka Jinja shrines they are most often called Gion-Sai, or Gion Matsui ( in fact, until 1868 and the official separation of Buddhism and Shinto, these same shrines were all called Gion Shrines!)

Since  the year 869, when the first Gion Matsuri was held in Kyoto with the aim of driving away an epidemic which had been raging, these shrines ( formerly Gion-Sha, now Yasaka Jinja) have spread throughout Japan ( there are approximately 3,000 of them, with dozens right here in Tsukuba), and of course still enshrine the spirits of the disease preventing deities Gozu-Tenno and Susanoo-no Mikoto. And, just as in Kyoto more than a millenium ago, these shrines still hold their NATSU MATURI ( in these cases Gion Matsuri, Gion-Sai or Tenno Matsuri) in July, with the aim of keeping their neighborhoods healthy during Japan`s brutal summers. 

( There is also a type of Shrine called Tsushima Jinja ( 津島神社), of which there about  3,000  around Japan,  in which the SAME DEITIES Gozu Tenno and Susanoo-no Mikoto are enshrined. The Main Shrine of this group is in Aichi Prefecture and their Natsu Matsuri is called Tenno matsuri- on the 4th Saturday in July) 

The torii gate in front of Konda`s Yasaka Shrine in Tsukuba

Since my neighborhood`s summer festival is a Gion Matsuri type festival, and is based at our local Yasaka Shrine, AND will be held THIS WEEKEND, I  figured I`d mosey on down to the shrine, have a long, close look, and try to get into the right frame of mind for the festivities.

In the process, I ended up making an exciting discovery ( for me at least!) 

A rustic plaque gives the history of the shrine

Standing just outside the torii gate ( which one Shinto priest once told me was a gate to the sacred which was always open) and looking in at the shrine and its grounds, things did not look very impressive. Neither  imposing nor beautiful, nor even rustic, it seemed to lack the charm that I so often feel when visiting a shrine.

A rusty old sign explained explained that Susanoo-no-Mikoto was enshrined there, and that the shrine had been re-established on that site in 1731 ( though there is no mention of when it was FIRST established!)

The sign then goes on to explain that the Shimada Ishi Stone, of local legend, can be found  on the grounds of the shrine, and I saw it just to my left as I passed under the Torii gate.

( Before the idea of museums was introduced to Japan, object deemed important, and which had no proper home, were often brought to shrines- especially stones)

This stone, which is quite famous in my neighborhood, was probably once the lid of an ancient tomb. Later, it was believed to help women concieve and then safely bear children. Some families still have chips of the rock  on their Shinto altars ( Kami Dana), having been placed their originally generations ago by  mothers who had successfully given birth.

The Shimada- Ishi stone- so called because of its resemblance to a popular Taisho Period hairstyle

I have heard that this hour-glass shaped stone was later used for rain supplication rites, in particular during the Great Tenmei Famine (1782). It is said that fires were lit on top of the stone in the hopthat the smoke would form, or summon rain-clouds.

A famous local legend tell how a dragon appeared in the smoke which rose out of the fire on the stone , which then headed towards Mt Tsukuba. It soon started to pour.

There was a price to pay for this success, however, according to the story: the stone would no longer help women have children.

Eventually the stone was laid within the precencts of the Yasaka Shrine ( which by the way, the locals affectionately call Tenno-Sama).

An unusual sacred stone combining the male and female organs to form a human head!

There are some other unusual stones laying about on the perimeter of this shrine. Many seem to have been used ( probably in pre-historic times) to make fires.

The protective covering (saya) built over the old shrine structure ( Konda, Tsukuba 2010)

Continuing to explore I admired the beautiful old trees, probably about 300 years old, all gnarled and hollowed out. The shrines buildings, however, just did not seem very interesting at first.

I then noticed that in the back of the shrine, the large and boring structure was merely a protective cover for a much older and much more spectacualr structure. peeking through the planks I found fantastically elaborate carvings- better work than most shrine carvingsI have seen in this part of Japan.

There were imaginary beasts and other, apparently non-figurative designs. On the back wall I came across a complex scene, but it was difficult to make out exactly what it was. I quickly sensed,however, that it was something special!

Letting my eyes adjust to to dark and trying to find the best space with the best angle to look through, I finally made out the forms of what appeared to be- DRAGONS DRINKING FROM JARS!

Then it hit me! I knew what the scene was! One of the more famous episodes from Japan`s oldest extant written text The Kojiki ( early 8th century), and one which involved none other that Susanoo-no Mikoto, who of course was enshrined in that building.

The panel depicted the story of the YAMATA NO OROCHI (八岐の大蛇) !

Carvings at the back of Konda`s Yasaka Shrine in Tsukuba. It depicts the story of Susanoo-no-Mikoto slaying the Yamato Orochi ( as described in the Kojiki)

Let me tell it to you in brief ( if you dont already know it).

Susanoo was expelled from the realm of the Gods and descended to earth at Izumo ( now in Shimane prefecture). He saw a pair of chopsticks floating down the river and realized that there must be people around.

Searching for them he came upon an 3 people, an old couple and their daughter. They were highly distressed and needed help. That is because an eight-tailed and eight headed dragon which had killed their other daughters was coming back again for another of their daughters.

After having gained a promise of the daugher hand in marriage, Susanoo-no-Mikoto agreed to slay the monster- the Yamata no Orochi.

He order that sake ( rice wine) be brewed and then poured into into eight jugs. These would then be placed on 8 platforms, each with a gate built around it.

When the monster came, it drank simultaneously from each jug, with its eight heads.After becoming intoxicated the beast fell asleep, and was easilly slain by Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

From the Yamata no Orochi`s body, Susanoo pulled out an extraordinary sword, which later it is said became one of the three-treasures of the Japanese Imperial Family.

===================================================

Looking closely at the carvings, I found them to be a sublime depiction of the story, hewn into the wood. Trying to get my arms through the spaces between the planks to take pictures with my cell phone, made me feel a bit like the Yamata no Orochi, with its heads put into the tight gates.

Because the shrines most beatiful aspect was hidden away, I was also reminded of the Edo Period`s famous aesthetic of cool, known as IKI ( which actually had its adherents until the Second World War). According to it precipts, beauty should be HIDDEN AWAY. For example it was usual for the LININGS of coats to be very extravagant, or to have fine carving or paintings in places where they could not easilly be seen.

These carvings, so beautiful, elaborate, and HIDDEN AWAY are truly IKI!

I will try to take better pictures soon

and will try to let more people know about the existence of these works.

more detail- the multi-headed monster drinking the sake from jars

In the meantime, dont forget that the festival will be tomorrow and Sunday.

You can read more about my local Gion Festival here:

http://blog.alientimes.org/2010/07/the-gion-festival-season-has-begun-its-gion-galore-and-not-only-in-kyoto-again/

Drinking the sake

And more about why Susanoo-no-Mikoto is connected with disease prevention:

http://www.alientimes.org/Main/ChinowaKuguri

More interesting carvings

A plaque over the donations box ( saisen-bako) reading- YASAKA JINJA

for more on the Yamata no Orochi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamata_no_Orochi