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...