Copernicus Films - "Japan - Philosophical Landscapes"

The gardens and architecture of the Heian period lasted from the late 8th century to the late 12th century. They reflect the process of Japanese reinterpretation and finally assimilation of Chinese culture. A significant feature of Japanese gardens is their ability to arouse poetic emotions in the viewer and this was especially true of the Heian period. Rocks, flowers trees are not just inanimate objects but possess their own being and sensitivity. To be sensitive to their sensitivity is a prerequisite of Heian art.

Journeys around a spatially organised landscape was the principle behind the pilgrimage circuit. EG in Kyoto. The pilgrimages not by a hierarchical route leading to an ultimate goal but on a non hierarchical organisation around a system of magical numbers. P and lost none of the religious character. pilgrims were guided not to a specific destination but past a certain number of temples on a route all of which were of equal importance. This is an abstract system which works like a framework which is transferable so that it organise other situations in the same way. (Like a blueprint) Pilgrimages which had stretched over hundreds of miles could be condensed to fit in your own back garden These type of gardens were a final attempt to re introduce an explicit religious element into the secularised traditions of garden architecture in Japan.

This section of the film focuses on the Silver Pavilion of Ginkaku ji. It suits my purposes over the more popular Golden Pavilion in Kyoto as it describes more directly the phenomenon of Philosophical landscapes. Most people are concerned with the Golden pavilion because of its obvious beauty, a striking golden temple set in the middle of a pond, its still golden reflection a mirrored upturned version of itself creating an uncanny sensation of a floating vision in mid air. However in some ways the Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku ji,  is no less beautiful despite its subdued  presence if compared to the Golden Pavilion. The addition of moss covered grounds and what I would call "sandscapes" - abstract images made with sand and grit give it a unique quality as a Zen temple. They do not represent the landscape or depict a particular landscape but communicate an essence or idea. The cone...

10/11/2007 Arrived yesterday in Tokyo. Still warm and a little humid even at this time of the year. Settled quickly into our apartment which is in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Some dissappointments. The furniture in the photographs does not correspond to the furniture in the apartment. In particular there is no divan so literally there is nowhere to sit apart from the chairs around an enormous round table which dominates the entire apartment. No amount of discussion or remonstration will get the furniture we wanted. The only answer we get is "that furniture is too big for the apartment". The question arises why was it advertised with those pieces of furniture. I have been informed that it is not entirely uncommon. Lisa, the Japanese woman who works in the real estate office and speaks English with a perfect American accent, just smiles and tells me we will be very comfortable there. As I organised everything over the internet there was no way of checking anything before han...

11/11/2007  Sun Received answers to our e-mails form Akira Suzuki and Paul Cunningham. Akira san lives about 15 minutes walk away from where we are living in Suitengumae. I was just looking at the map and we are right in the area where  Basho  lived during the 17th century across the river from us almost directly opposite. Last time we were here Akira san took us all around the area and I remember looking across the river at a row of cherry trees which were about to start blossoming and thinking how good it would be to live around this area. By accident that is exactly where we have ended up, following in Basho's footsteps so to speak. Basho was a poet who made journeys all over Japan writing about what he saw and felt on the way in the form of Haiku (three lined verse).Basho was interested in the spirit of place. He visited various places to commune  with the memory of those with whom he shared the same attitude to life. Though they were dead the surroundings were...

12/11/2007 Monday Settling in a bit more although its still difficult to aclimitise. Its not like we are here on holiday. There is a lot to organise: finding places to buy food, places to eat and organising our schedule. Went to the second part of the Sogetsu exhibition at Takashimaya Department store. Natasha took more photographs. Earlier we were at the Sogetsu headquarters on Asakusa where Natasha had some business to complete for herself and for her students. We went into the cafe there and had lunch. Brilliantly designed building. Very contemporary even though it was built at the end of the fifties. The 12 or 15 stories high the design  is as modern now as it was then. I like the exhibition hall in the lobby with its exhibition space and "waterfall".The building serves as the international headquarters for the Sogetsu organisation. The adminstration of the branches from all over the world is dealt with here. This evening met up with Akira san and he took us to a restaur...