the dewy path

Cherry blossom time?

2007-03-25T16:13:00.000+01:00

The Japanese Meteorological Office position on the forecast of sakura is that it will arrive in Kyoto this year on 25th March, which seems much earlier than recent years.

So here I am in grey UK, thinking back two years, and remembering how lovely the willows and the cherry trees looked along the riverbank in Gion; and how easy it was to acquire the Japanese adrenalin rush at the slightest hint of pink; "ooooh" and "aaaaah" along with the rest.

Much more delicate and fragile than our English (or Italian) flowering cherry. One puff of harsh wind, one frost - and all is gone. And how much it is appreciated because it is so ephemeral.

Sitting admiring cherry blossom while eating green tea ice cream is one of the spiritual highlights of my life. Total bliss of being in the moment. Only second to the amazing bell in Shoren-in, but that is another story... which is still ongoing.

Here are some photos taken in Heian Jingu on 9th April 2005.

Dutch Japanese garden in London?

2007-03-03T10:00:00.000Z

To be accurate, its the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park in London!

I was visiting London (staying overnight with my Life Long Friend from library school) to meet with a newer friend. She was on her way home to Australia from France. We had met in Kyoto last November - having narrowly missed meeting in Kyoto in the spring of 2005! So we share a love of Japan and the gardens - nay, an addiction, lets be honest here.

In all my visits to London (my hometown) I had never managed to see this garden. It was created in 1991 by the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce, and is set the lovely wooded grounds of the old Holland House. We saw squirrels, peacocks and a fox to give you some idea of the rural quality of the park. There were drifts of daffodils under the trees outside the Japanese garden, but the planting inside was well created, with acers already in leafburst and mahonias flowering quietly - but the general evergreen theme was prevalent of course. I only had my phone but snapped a few images for the portfolio of gardens.

In Japanese gardens its considered good form to go and sprinkle the stones with water when honoured guests are expected, in order to show the stones to their best advantage. As can bee seen by the surface of the water in the penultimate photo, we were obviously very special guests - as it was pelting with rain! A day of showers and strong gusts of wind in an otherwise mild spring.

We managed, of course, to find a small garden centre in the grounds of Holland Park. Quite exclusive and expensive, but a small souvenir purchase was made to travel back to Oz. And we saw some excellent small Japanese pruning shears and a large aluminium tripod ladder, imported from Japan!

The last photo is from the next day - we chanced upon an old RouteMaster bus, still in service - a number 15. Another headline missed "Australian tourist mown down by car while taking ground level photo of a No. 15 bus" The car wasn't that close, or fast as it rounded the corner, but I think the driver looked a bit bemused at seeing someone at that angle!

We had a meal out together in Soho - LLF, my Eldest Daughter (who lives in London) and the Australian Horticulturalist! The conversation flowed, and I don't think we paused for breath - only to eat and drink! A great time. I hope we can repeat on your next visit, Bruna!

Japanese gardens are wonderful, but friends are precious.

A deep bow across the continents and oceans.

Memories of Kyoto

2006-12-09T17:29:00.000Z

Some recent photos, over on my other blog Stepping stones of truth

Ripples

2006-11-25T22:09:00.000Z

Until the ripples cease, I don't feel able to write about my time in Kyoto. Some things need to settle first. But it was a wonderful time, and healing too I think. These ripples are in a stone water basin at Kennin-ji, it is shoin style, thus close to the verandah.

And these ones in gravel are from Totekiko in Ryogen-in, which the sign says "is the smallest rock garden in Japan. The main point of this garden is the sandy ripple on the right. This shows the truth that the stronger the power of stone thrown into the water is, the longer the ripple is".

Saiho-ji slideshow

2006-09-23T21:59:00.000+01:00

Sit back and relax.
Imagine you are walking around the winding paths of the Moss Temple in Kyoto.

It is silent and still.
The air feels thick with peace, calm and contentment.
Autumn leaves glow in the gentle light.
A faint mist shimmers above the water.

Enjoy.

Update March 2007 :- I think that the slideshow (which was hosted free) only lasted a few months. So I will upload a few of the photos that were included in recompense!

The other place

2006-09-17T10:53:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note to say that I have uploaded a post over at ArkSanctum called Still Travelling.

It's strange that I am still trying to find my writing style over there. I dont want to get into just quoting others, neither want to just pen poems. I am new (this lifetime?!) to Zen but not Buddhism in general, so am still feeling my way.

This is a small section of a photo I took at Joan-gu in Kyoto. For the whole image and post you can visit by clicking on the ArkSanctum link above.

Good news, I have booked my flights for an autumn visit to Kyoto. The call was too strong to resist!

My first garden in Japan

2006-07-31T19:16:00.000+01:00

I thought would post some photos taken when I visited my first ever Japanese garden in Japan.

In the autumn of 2003 I visited Kyoto with Worldspirit to spend some time in temples and gardens. Robert Ketchell, our guide and mentor, had arranged for the small group to visit Joju-in within the Kiyomizu Dera complex. We had it all to ourselves. A magic moment when my feet touched tatami for the first time, and then I looked through the room to this view. I really couldn’t speak (for those who don’t know me, that is amazing!)

We had time to sit in the quiet and just contemplate the garden, with no lectures to take in – though Robert would gently answer any comments.

And I wont comment on them either, only to say that the concept of shakkei - borrowed scenery was wonderfully present , and in my first garden too! And as a group we got to grips with public toilets - all in the solitude of an empty
garden.

Saiho-ji (kokedera or moss temple) Kyoto

2005-10-25T21:12:00.000+01:00

Before being allowed in these wonderful, evocative gardens not only do you have to pre-book (and its expensive) but you have to queue up at the appointed time, and file into a small temple.

You must sit on the floor and listen to monks chanting, while incense wreathes to the ceiling. Then you take a piece of paper and copy a sutra in calligraphy with a brush - or in the case of westerners, write a prayer or wish for the priest to bless.

Such hardship :o)

How the features in a tea garden help prepare guests for the tea ceremony (course work)

2005-10-23T23:02:00.000+01:00

The tea ceremony was introduced into Japan from China in the thirteenth century, by the founder of the Rinzai school of Zen. His disciple, Dogen (who founded Soto Zen) included instructions for a tea ceremony as part of the rules for his temple. This ceremony developed over several hundred years, and eventually tea houses were built separate from the temples. In the sixteenth century, Sen no Rikyu was responsible for introducing the style of cultured simplicity that still characterises the tea ceremony today.

The design of the garden surrounding the tea house should ensure that the guest arrives for the ceremony in a contemplative frame of mind. The walk through the garden can be seen as a twofold journey: towards not only the tea ceremony itself, but also the spiritual freedom offered through the correct use of meditation within the ritual. Mindfulness and stillness allow a state of tranquillity to arise, therefore the garden will be planned with the aim of encouraging quiet and harmony.

The first glimpse of the garden will give an impression of being in unspoilt mountainous forest and remote countryside scenery. Stepping through a torii gate will remind the visitor that a sacred space is being entered, and connections with the outside world can be released. To emphasise this letting go of ordinary things, a chiriana may soon be encountered. This may be translated as a waste or dust hole. Whilst ostensibly being provided as a receptacle for swept twigs and leaves, it is a symbol of a place where mental rubbish and concerns may be deposited.

The path itself, or roji, will be a narrow, winding path through the garden, often made up of stepping stones. These have the effect of focussing the attention on the feet (walking to mindfulness being a facet of meditation in most schools of Buddhism). This refining of concentration may be heightened by irregular spacing of the stones, rendering inattentive and automatic walking impossible! By slowing the pace down, the surroundings will be more easily appreciated. The path is designed with do and gaku very much at the forefront of any decisions on placement, as the roji may be considered to be symbolic of the guests journey not only toward the interior of the garden, but also of himself. Sprinkling the path with water will alter the mood of the whole garden, and the emotions aroused in the guest.

Another important traditional element is that of the stone water basin. This is intended for the ritual washing of hands (and maybe mouth) which is obviously a gesture of purification especially in Shinto, and cleansing of the body and mental defilements. The basin may be a chozubachi – a hollowed out rectangular stone. This could have a practical function for washing hands after work in the garden, or as a source of water for sprinkling over the stones in the garden. A tsukubai is a water basin set deliberately low to engender a humble state as the guest bends low to use it.

The water basin will probably have a lantern set beside to cast a light upon it. The tea ceremony was not only performed in daylight but after dark too, so candles would have been in placed in stone lanterns to light the path. Small oki-gata would be placed at a turn in the path, or near water.

The tea house itself, by its architecture and design, should remind the guest of a rustic cottage, simple and unpretentious. The garden would be enclosed by a bamboo fence, which will emphasise the division between the outside world and the inner space of tranquillity and serenity.

Each of the elements found in the tea garden should not be placed haphazardly. Their function will dictate their general situation, but the principles of do, gaku and jutsu will ensure that their relationship with each other and with the intimate landscape is harmonious and uncluttered. Each feature will enhance the chosen mood of the garden, which will ensure that the guest arrives at the tea house in an appropriately mindful state, and thus fully able to appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the tea ceremony

Stepping stones of truth

2005-10-18T22:53:00.000+01:00

I was in Kyoto for the first time, in Japan for the first time. A wonderful but stange place. In my elegant hotel room there was an abstact painting. I admired its lines, its gold and black depths.

I was there on a study tour of Japanese gardens and Kyoto has the best examples. So many temples, and so old. What a heritage.I felt totally at home in the gardens.

It had been pre- arranged for us to visit the Imperial Villa of Katsura, much easier for tourists than the locals. But even that took a personal visit to the Imperial Office with details of our dates of birth and even our occupations! We were accompanied by an Imperial Household guide who gave a commentary, only in Japanese, and also a guide who brought up the rear to ensure we didn't stray off the path, fall in the lake or take illegal photos.

What a perfect garden! Huge, but not a leaf out of place - and this was autumn. Even the fallen leaves looked as if each one had been separately placed.

Almost back at the entrance, we walked past a thatched gate that led into a courtyard of yet another small villa. And there was the abstract painting! So it wasn't just an image from the artist's imagination, but a real object. Of all objects that could have been in the painting in my room, it was a path from a Japanese garden. Of all the gardens in Kyoto, it was one I went to. I thought it was quite remarkable.

I found out later that the path is called The Stepping Stones of Truth, which, incidentally, is the title of my other blog.