Photographs and text by John Einarsen; translation by Mitsue Nagase
Continue readingJohn Einarsen’s images describe a journey of learning to pay attention to what is before us, to see beyond the obvious to a transcendent essence, and finally to return to the here and now with a new awareness. Isn’t that the ultimate purpose of visual art, or of meditation?
Allan Mandell
Kyoto has several colorful and bustling craft markets. held monthly at shrines and temples, where people peddle unique wares: hand-made clothes, plant-dyed yarn, wooden cutting boards, knitted hats, honey, dried flowers, and tons more besides. As she lives in Kyoto, Mona has bought several skirts made of antique indigo-dyed fabric over the years at these fairs, but sometimes, because she wears them so often the old cloth frays and small holes appear. So this Saturday afternoon Mona is carefully sewing up one of the holes with a tiny patch, also made of antique indigo cloth.
Continue readingCooler days of autumn have finally come to Kyoto, and the winning entries from our last writing competition have been shared in turn since May. Hopefully our readers have been inspired by these successful “short shorts” of 2022, and we hope to hear from many in our next round. An announcement regarding the WiK Eighth Kyoto Writing Competition (with a 2023 deadline for entries) is planned for next month. To see the full list of winners from this year’s competition, please click here.
Our top winner of 2022, Maria Danuco, was granted the prestigious Kyoto City Mayoral Prize for her piece titled “The Watcher”, which touches on a prevalent topic in recent years — the preservation of traditional structures and the unfortunate trend of replacing history with concrete. Not only is “The Watcher” a fine piece of writing, but it also bears a message worthy of wide readership and consideration. The current generations will inevitably determine the future landscape of Kyoto City, and we welcome and encourage further discussion on this very important topic of cultural and social significance. Therefore, the judges were unanimous in deciding to award Maria our top prize.
Continue readingI used to volunteer at a nursing home .
I would sign in at the front desk and then walk from room to room with my infant daughter, chatting with anyone who wanted to talk to a visitor.
One day, I wandered into the full care wing of the building. I usually didn’t go there, because most of its patients were suffering from advanced dementia.
A woman was lying in her bed with her eyes open, so I decided to say hello and see if she was responsive.
Continue readingLafcadio Hearn, as John Dougill points out here, visited Kyoto and retold stories set in the city. The Greek-born literatus never took up abode in the city, whereas one of his children did. It was Hearn’s second son, Iwao Inagaki.
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An excerpt from “Enabled by the Internet: A Multicultural Mother and Daughter in Japan” by Suzanne Kamata
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Continue readingThe judges loved this homage to the time-honored Japanese tradition of tsukimi (moon viewing) — a universal moment which influences in deeply subtle ways and makes human life worth living. This short piece by C. Greenstreet, “Sudden Tsukimi”, was a very close contender for the competition’s top prize due to its superb imagery, connecting the celestial with the seemingly mundane by referencing everyday Kyoto settings such as supermarkets and public transportation. Observing the moon brings strangers together in concentrated harmony, and to reside in Kyoto is an invitation to savor such rich encounters with nature on a regular basis.
Continue readingOhigan – the autumn equinox – when the light fades and the bones begin to grow cold. A day for the Japanese to remember their dead.
Outside my window, overlooking the little temple graveyard, a large black spider sits motionless between two pines, at the centre of a gigantic web, spread wide like Indra’s net. The silky threads glisten in the sunlight. Death waits quietly, patiently, and there is no escape for unsuspecting insects.
Continue readingBook Review of The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (560 pages)
Reviewer: Rebecca Otowa
Readers of this website may remember that I wrote a piece called “Insight on a Rainy Day” in August 2022, largely about the Heart Sutra (Hannya Shingyo) and its central message, “Emptiness is none other than form; form is none other than emptiness”. It was a surprising serendipity then, to hear Ruth Ozeki herself, in an interview to Guardian Live about her most recent (fourth) novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness, saying that the title came from that very phrase. She is a Zen priest and familiar with the Heart Sutra. I wrote to her via her website and asked her permission to write a review for Writers in Kyoto, and she assented, mentioning that she herself used to be a Writer in Kyoto back in the day and is very nostalgic for Kyoto. In the interview she said that her personal view is that “emptiness” (ku 空) is like an ocean, from which waves or “form” (shiki 色) appear for a time. They are what we know as “matter” or the “material world”, and include inanimate objects as well as human beings. We all, we members of the material world, have form for a time and then sink back into the ocean.
Ruth Ozeki is an American-Canadian author and Zen priest, born in 1956. Her mother was Japanese, but the name Ozeki is a pseudonym. She has written four novels in which environmental, spiritual, and social themes combine. She has received the Women’s Prize for Fiction with her latest book, and previously was awarded the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.
Continue readingIn a recent Zoom presentation for WiK, one of our leading members Ed Levinson gave an overview of his lifework, embracing photography, writing, spiritual practice and smallholding on the Boso Peninsula. His energy and enthusiasm brought the presentation to life, and the result of his ‘soil with soul’ philosophy was evident in the wonderful slide show he prepared for the occasion.
Pictured below is the house that Ed and his wife put up, atop a small hill with commanding views, In 2000 when they bought the land, it was just an empty plot with no connection to electricity, gas, water or sewage. There was not even a road!
The house sits on the side of a hill, with two separate wings for work space, storage and residence. The top floor of the larger two-storey building on the left is on the same level as the one-storey building on the right. They are connected by a wide wood deck and covered hallway.
On the surrounding land Ed and his wife established a series of six terraces on which they grow vegetables, trees and flowering plants. Their guiding principle was to be as natural as possible, leaving plants to go to seed where appropriate. Some overhead drone shots showed the flourishing result. Ed’s interest in gardens reflects the likes of William Morris and Monet’s flowers and Japanese water garden. In his early days in Japan he worked for three years with professional Japanese gardeners, giving him the basic knowledge and techniques along with insights into Japanese culture.
In addition to tending his garden, Ed has taken part in a wide range of activities and done volunteer work, making firm ties with the local community. It felt a privilege to hear of his work, and by common agreement it was an inspiration to achieve more for all those who attended. Many thanks to Ed for sharing his remarkable project with us and showing just what is possible if one sets one’s mind to it.
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For a self-introduction by Ed, with some of his excellent photos and poems, see here.
The Nature of Kyoto (2023)
Eds. Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert Weis
Foreword by Pico Iyer
Structures of Kyoto (2021)
Eds: Rebecca Otowa & Karen Lee Tawarayama
Foreword by Judith Clancy
Encounters with Kyoto (2019)
Eds: Jann Williams & Ian Josh Yates
Foreword by Juliet Winters Carpenter
Echoes (2017)
Eds: John Dougill, Amy Chavez, & Mark Richardson
Preface by Alex Kerr
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