from Noto : July 2017

25/07/2017

Sumiyoshi Shrine,Wajima

In tune with the spirit or Nature

The orientation of buildings in their environment in Japan was important from very early times. Even simple dwellings were erected with functional considerations very much in mind. A doorway, for example, was positioned to take advantage of summer winds from the south or south-east, while avoiding typhoons winds from the south-west and cold winter winds from the north-east.

The development of buildings to satisfy a spiritual need was also very early. It is most likely that the earliest people to inhabit the islands, which came to be known as Japan, were animists and therefore trees, plants, animals, rocks and other natural phenomena such as seas and waterfalls were thought to have a spiritual energy.

A place of worship might be a spring where pure water could be found, a tree that was considered to have supernatural powers and, of course, mountains were kami or deities resided.

Originally the worship of mountain deities involved lining up with the mountain at a place marked by three trees or another natural feature. This kind of engagement with “nature” was gradually rationalised and sometimes replaced by a combination of natural symbols and a built shrine.

The form of such shrines gradually made a division between deity and worshipers by using separate buildings—an Oratory and the main Shrine, which might only house a large stone or nothing at all. It was a space for the deity. At the very least spaces were separated from each other under one roof.

There are now a number of different types and styles of shrines in Japan and it is these which represent the Shinto religion. What is common to almost every shrine is the existence of a torii gate. Often red in colour, sometimes made of stone and occasionally made of bare wood, they mark the entrance to the grounds of a shrine and are common to all, large or small. They are also lined up with the main shrine building and that may also be lined up with a mountain or some other honoured or deified feature.

In Wajima at the Sumiyoshi Shrine the Oratory has been rebuilt and resembles some of the coastal buildings, which housed places of work as well as dormitories for those who were engaged to work on the boats and ships that plied the seas around the Noto peninsula. In both case a building of volume with a prominent gable in the rear dominates the lean-to style frontage.

At this shrine in the Fugeshimachi district, the main shrine is completely hidden by the Oratory. The open lean-to frontage and Oratory provide shelter from the rain or snow for worshipers or even for a Wedding or other celebration.

One thing for sure is the fact that all Shinto shrines seem to be invested with a feeling of peace and tranquility, a sense of spiritual energy in harmony with all about them and to many Japanese their local shrine is a focus for the whole of their lives.

Infomation on Shinto:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/shinto/history/history_1.shtml#h2

Coastal Architecture: Similar pattern of lean-to building—Hamaya style

http://www.handmadejapan.com/e_/sidestory_/sst306_01.htm

http://www.handmadejapan.com/e_/sidestory_/sst308_01.htm

Bill Tingey Photo © Copyright

Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested. Or share it on a social media site. Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts. If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower. Thank you.

12/07/2017

Rustic is good!

Old Goroku bowls on display at Fukushouji Temple.

A bowl from Goroku

This is a goroku-wan, a bowl said to have first been made in the Goroku area close to Wajima, in the north of the Noto Peninsula.

Its shape is similar to the red lacquered bowl featured in the last blog—http://urushitanteidan2014.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/a-matter-of-taste.html. But in character it is more like that bowl in its unfinished state.

As noted before I would be happy to see that soup bowl finished much more simply—not just in red lacquer—and completed with a ‘folkcraft’ character, so that it would command a dining table, whatever the surroundings or style of cuisine.

The Goroku bowl has a similar authority, tenor and unpretentious folkcraft air. Its large size contributes to its character in no uncertain way and the high foot helps to cement its overall style, despite not having the highly appealing rustic air of the unfinished bowl from Ryuji Ikehata’s workshop.

A high foot on ceramic and lacquerware bowls commonly found in Japan make them easier to pick up in one hand, so that they can be raised to the mouth. Admittedly, with a high foot there is perhaps less need to pick up the bowl. The elevation provided by such a foot, however, also contributes to the air of offering or prasad as it is known in the Hindu faith—a devotional offering to a deity.

We could even say, for example, that the way that the Japanese hand over even a business card in the politest way with both hands is all part of an attitude of respect shown for people and things by the Japanese. By being raised up by a high foot, the food is presented well and in a sense respected. Is respect expressed and is a devotional offering made?. How similar and how different are they?.

Well used bowls of the same type, even used to hold true lacquer. The bowl is big enough for a whole meal.

With western food presentation, it is now common to have a large charger plate onto which a slightly smaller plateful of food is placed. Doing so spiritually elevates the food and the presentation is more appealing. I would suggest, however, that it falls short of having the charisma of a devotional offering.

The Goroku bowl is said to be similar to those of the Muromachi era, spanning the period from the very end of the 14th century until the 1570s. It therefore pre-dates Wajima lacquerware.

The shape and style of the Goroku bowl have become more popular in recent years, so perhaps it will become a must-have item of tableware. But let’s hope that it remains unpretentious in its demeanour and does not become gentrified. After all, rustic is good!