MIHO Art Museum

The reason why we visited this museum was not the collections. It's because it was planned by the world famous architect, I. M. Pei, so we wanted to visit one of his works. 

We didn't know whose art works were stored in this museum when we visited. 
We know only the planner of this museum, and maybe this museum is his only work in Japan. 

This art museum is located in the south of the Biwa lake, the region named 'Shigaraki'. So, this place is a little difficult to visit. Then, when you look at it from different angle, this location may be chosen to refuse fair-weather fans.  
One more information, this museum opens almost half of a year, so, you can't visit it always. Please be careful, when you plan to visit this facility.   

By the way, there is a mountain and a valley between the reception buildings which are located near the bus stop and used for the entrance facility and the main museum building where many art works waiting for visitors. So, if you aren't good at walking, you can't visit the main museum by yourself. Usually, people use automobiles from the reception building, but we visited by ourselves indeed! 

Walking through a beautiful long tunnel and crossed a long silver bridge, we finally stood in front of the museum. The tunnel is near-futuristic and the bridge appearance remind us the world of science fictions. And the distance was not plane, but rich in variation. Furthermore, these features are surrounded by nature which overwhelmingly reject the human being's ordinary life, so it's precious. 

From its postcard

The collection is formed of Egyptian, West Asian, Chinese, Persian masterpieces. These works are from quite many regions but even though each of them are first-class collection and precious.

Moreover 'Sesshu (雪舟)', one of famous Japanese painters are exhibited specially. Many his works are there. Maybe top rank quality in Japan. 
     

One of famous exhibitions
(Standing Bodhisattva)

Northern Wei-Eastern Wei dynasty, 6th century
Limestone with pigments Overall h. 120.5cm, Figure h. 97.2cm, Halo w. 52.0cm
Collected at the Longhuasi temple site in Chongde villeage,Bo)xing country
Shandong Museum, China

SAGAWA Art Museum

SAGAWA Art Museum is located in Moriyama city (Shiga Prefecture), beside the Biwa lake. This art museum is surrounded by huge empty space and stays in a wide plane water surface. This zoning is one of the special features of it. In front of us, there's only a giant single-storied building with two gable roofs of tremendous size and the never seen beauty attracts us. As soon as we entered the gate of it, the atmosphere changes while we are not aware.

Behind the big gable roof building, a single-storied building with hipped black roof is standing. Deep side building is also covered by a wide pond and weathered reeds surrounds it. These two buildings are on the extension line of our eyesight, when we go through the entrance gate. And, structures in this huge site are only them. In addition, this area creates an impression such like a wetland, because each of the buildings is surrounded by the water surface. 

Buildings have artificial glistening surface, kind of modern beauty, but also kind of traditionality of Japanese culture. Features are not only man-made structures but also natural things. Such as blue sky, slightly waving surface of pond, reflection of light, and pebbled open space. These are also raising the speciality of this space, furthermore, made us feel we are traveling inside something not real. Horizon is highlighted all around, mathematically sophisticated beauty, and ....

Art collections are paintings of Hirayama Ikuo (平山郁夫), sculptures of Sato Cyuryo (佐藤忠良), tea wares of Raku Kichizaemon (樂吉左衛門). It was opened at 1998, about twenty years ago. The name, 'Sagawa' is from a famous shipping company. Sagawa-kyubin (佐川急便) company capitalized their fortune, and now it is true to be called the 'edifice of art'.

The art collections are all made by most eminent artists, but, we are interested in the space itself, not in the art collections. This museum was planned and constructed by Takenaka-koumuten (竹中工務店), the most major construction company in Japan. Tea house is attached to the deep side building, and the concept of this tea house was sketched by Raku Kichizaemon. (Raku is also a famous tea master.)  However, who gave form to the sketch is architects in Takenaka-koumuten company.    


Edifice of beauty

We heard the phrase, 'edifice of beauty' several times. We think it's appropriate to use the phrase for this museum, because it has the practical beauty.

We walk from the entrance gate for a while, and go through an approaching path imitating a bridge to the museum. The facade of the front building is a relatively wide square which is placed under the big gable roof. At the square, a statue of a nude female of Sato Cyuryo is welcoming us, with her both hands wide open. From the square to the entrance of this building is a corridor. It has dozens of meters long, and is a wide corridor under the eaves. That is one way, so we don't get lost, our left hand is the wall and the right hand is a wide pond which point the way we are going. 

We are being overwhelmed by well premeditated production of beauty until the entrance of the building. Like movie heroes who are stalking along a long straight road in a huge swamp. On the other hand, we have no fear to get lost on the way, we can confirm we are walking in the right course.    

There is another statue of a nude female of Sato Cyuryo in front of a wide entrance hall. If we express our feeling at that timing, entranced the luxury of the room. Exhibition room is wide enough, each room is independent, so, we don't feel fussiness.

Then, we like the cafe placed behind the courtyard inner pond. Tasting a royal hot chocolate made in Austria, we are deeply appreciated luxury of this building.

Japanese tearoom

Japanese tearoom was added about 10 years after the completion of the first construction. If we describe the difference between the firstly-made museum building and the secondly-made tearoom building (another exhibition room is under the tearoom), the firstly-made museum is a modern building inherited traditional beauty, and the secondly-made teahouse is a traditional building based on modern technology.

When we visit this tearoom, we go down a stairs. The exhibition room of tea wares of Raku Kichizaemon is placed underground. Only low tearoom is above water surface.   

From the very start of tearoom, it was made narrow. Then, the meeting in it was limited in several ways, for instance, few people were invited to the ceremony, the participants couldn't move freely in it. On the other side, that was why they were forced to understand production by the tea master.
Because they could only look at the production points.  

Looking at the production of this tearoom, we easily find it, such as excavated rocks and placed tatami mats. That means cleverness, so, if you ask whether we like or not, we can't say we like it. However, there is no tearoom except this tearoom.

If you hear the reputation of the great tea master, Sen-no Rikyu (千利休), the expression is same as this tearoom. It's only one but to aggressive. That is the essence of the tea ceremony? 

Old farmer's house in Gifu Pref. 

This farmer's house is registered as the oldest in Gifu Prefecture. And it was built at 1701, about three hundred years ago. Also a typical one-storied and with a steep-slope thatched-roof farmer's house. Such as when we imagine Japanese farmer's houses.  

It has a rectangle shape, and, the entrance sliding door is in a little right to a long side of the rectangle. Inside of this house is separated to 2 parts, and right-hand side is a dirt floor area, and the opposite side is a raised-floor area. In this raised-floor area, there are 3 rooms. The first room which connected with a dirt area is a wooden floor room with a hearth in the center. And in the back of the room, there are 2 tatami-matted rooms.

The bright side is the finest room in this house, and a Buddhist alter is placed out there. The opposite side is supposed to be a bedroom with many old-fashioned wardrobes all surface of the walls. Once, people spent almost all days at the wooden floor room, for example eating, taking rest, doing side jobs and more.

In the dirt area, there are several spaces such as for an antique kitchen range, farm-equipment stock space, horse. It snows deeply every winter there, so farmers had to spend long winter time in this house only. A pit toilet hut was outside, and there was no bathing space in this house. 

A high ceiling attic space is behind the ceiling material. There is a ladder placed in the corner of the dirt area. We suppose that tatami-matted room was a little high-class for farmer's houses middle Edo period. So, we think tatami-matted room was not original, and renovated in a certain period of time. The shining golden-colored Buddhist alter in the tatami-matted room looks like relatively old one, but isn't also supposed to be an original. The condition of wardrobes is also supposed to be the same.  

By the way, in the Edo period, governors at that time made farmers trapped in their living area. Lifestyle deifying Buddhist alters started for resisting spreading of the Christian religion. According to this policy, farmers had to belong to temples, and became followings of them. They were prohibited to change religions and temples they belonged when they had born. After that, farmers started to place their Buddhist alters in their houses, to respect ancestors, to live in families. In addition, they were deprived freedom to change their living places. 

This scenery remembers us such historical violent. We don't know how high-ranking the owner of this farmer's house was in the regional society. However, guessing from the size of the house, he would not be a village headman but a self-sufficient farmer. 🏡

It is the Makimura family's house in Ono town.

Initiation of Waka poet

1. We search secret initiation of 'Waka' poem called 'Kokin-denjyu'.
   ('Waka' was a famous poem express poetic minds of Japanese.)
2. At 'Waka literature museum' we found the answer.
3. 'Kokin-denjyu' was connected to 'Kokin-wakasyu'.

What is the most famous literature in Japanese history? 'The Tale of Gengi' may be famous worldwide, so 'tales' are one of the candidates. However, it would be 'Waka' or Japanese poem when we chose the best. Then, what is 'Waka'?

It would be difficult even for Japanese people to define 'Waka'. It is a short poem, and original in Japan, if we would add one thing, it is especially different from poems from China. This poem is made of two characters, which are 'Hiragana' or character of Japanese origin and 'Kanji' or character arrived from China. This style is one of the special features of 'Waka'. 

 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

And also, we want to mention our destination. The reason we visited the northern area of Gujyo-hachiman city is the 'Tou' clan who had their ruled place here. And, 'Tou' clan was deeply connected with 'Waka' poems.

site of 'Tou' clan's residence

They moved to this place according to the order of the Kamakura shogunate around 8 hundreds years ago. And their political power became weak in the following years, the Muromachi period and the Sengoku period. They surrendered their ruled area to the 'Endo' clan who was originally the same family. Around the years the Sekigahara war had happened, the 'Endo' clan also lost their ruled area, and a few years later, they recovered it. So, we couldn't understand the relationship between such the Sengoku warriors and 'Waka' poems.

Waka literature museum

We visited 'Waka literature museum' which was built where once the 'Tou' clan's residence had located in an ancient time. If there had been no relationship, this museum was built at the other location. So, there must be connection between the 'Tou' clan and 'Waka' poems. We want to investigate this mystery this time.  

The key word for the mystery is 'Kokin-denjyu'. This word had a secret extra power. As for this power we will mention in the later half. We will start with the main subject.


'Kokin-wakasyu' 
(one of very famous collections of 'Waka' poetty)

Before we mention the mystery of 'Kokin-denjyu', we have to explain the anthology of poetry called 'Kokin-wakasyu'. The 'Kokin-wakasyu' was made one thousand and one hundred years ago. And it was ordered by an emperor at that time for the first time in Japanese history. So, this project to produce the anthology of 'Waka' poems was the first attempt by the imperial direction.

At that time, Japanese people officially used 'Chinese writings' and they considered newly made words, 'Japanese writings' was inferior. However, when they expressed their inner feelings, 'Chinese writings' couldn't work how they wanted to. So, using 'Japanese writings' in this anthology of poetry was an epoch-making attempt. When it was made, Japanese people were struggling to create the new way to express their inner feelings. The fact it was ordered by an emperor was also the epoch-making incident.

By the way, what kind of poems was gathered in this anthology? You might not believe it, but, the theme of poems was 'love'. For Japanese people at that time, the most important theme was 'love'. They used the metaphor flowers, birds, and more to express their inner love. And for the creators and readers, it's difficult to understand poems which were written by 'Chinese writings'. It's a little embarrassing to write on this 'Blog', but, it was the real story of the ancient Japanese literature. 

We supposed 'Kokin-wakasyu' was a poetry which had been edited by broad-minded ancient Japanese. So, there was no relationship between this poetry and the world of 'Struggle for power'. However, we found a new understanding which insisted this poetry was not only a collection of 1100 love songs but also records of political situations. According to a research, series of a typical 'Waka' plus before or following several 'Waka' have an intentional meaning. In these series, center 'Waka' was written by famous people who had a hard time in their political situations. And, if we carefully read these 'Waka', we can find these people's severe situations or their thoughts at the famous incidents.    

For example, a poem of a prince who lost a successor race to the next emperor was posted. If you read this poem and in front and behind poems very carefully, you can find the sympathy of editors. You can also find another example which was a poem by a former emperor. He was forced to retire and tried to restore his position by a civil war with his collaborators. From the sequence sandwiching his poem, his sad feeling and also sympathy of editors was hidden between these poems.  


'Kokin-denjyu'

Then, go back to the 'Kokin-denjyu' story. The most flourished period of the 'Waka' literature was the very beginning of it, namely the era 'Kokin-wakasyu' was made. 

Putting it the other way around, after the completion of the 'Kokin-wakasyu', 'Waka' literature degenerated in a slow speed. In each period, it didn't flourish like that day. However, for especially noblemen, they got strong impact for the 'Waka' poetry. Information about creating 'Waka' poems became a standard knowledge for noblemen after the appearance of this great work. Furthermore, this importance was not changed even though the rulers of Japan changed from noblemen to samurai. Creating 'Waka' poems continued to be a standard knowledge.
      

'Kokin-denjyu' was the kind of teaching of this original literature. When 'Kokin-denjyu' system was born, everything was changed tremendously from the things written by ancient great poets. If some people had a high-level ability to creat 'Waka' poems, they would feel it difficult to understand the value of 'Kokin-wakasyu' poems. For example, the way to appreciate nature, experience, and meanings of words. So, system specialists of reading 'Kokin-wakasyu' taught meanings was born.

This teaching was succeeded limited person as secret. And, the 'Tou' clan drew attention, because they were good at creating 'Waka' poems for generations. They learned the secret ideas of 'Kokin-wakasyu' from a noble family famous for creating 'Waka' poems. It was around 550 years ago when the 'Tou' clan became famous as a successor of 'Kokin-denjyu'.

Tou Tsuneyori who lived these days was the most famous poet among his clan. He was samurai, so the era he lived, many samurai fought each other in the battle fields, but he didn't have any episode as a warrior. Furthermore, he had several famous episodes of 'Kokin-denjyu'. 


Power of 'Kokin-denjyu'

We want to mention one famous episode of 'Kokin-denjyu'. When the famous battle named the 'Sekigahara-no-tatakai' war was happened, some Hosokawa's castle was surrounded by the enemy. And, he had only 300 people and his opposite had 30 of times soldiers for the siege. It was obvious he would be defeated and killed soon. Soon after the news was brought to the noblemen's society in Kyoto, they begged his life and he was released. Because he was a famous 'Kokin-denjyu' master at that time. If he died, no one could succeed the 'Kokin-denjyu' secret, noblemen were afraid at the fact and they tried to beg his life. It was quite remarkable incident at that time. So, 'Kokin-denjyu' was more important than wars. 

 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

This area where ’Tou' clan's residence had been located was developed as a theme park named 'Kokin-denjyuno-sato' recently. Comfortable lodges are there. Which are restaurant, learning space and resting area.   

A restaurant in the theme park

A learning space

Inside of learning space

You will enjoy silence

Gohyaku Rakan temple

Who were the people called 'Gohyaku Rakan'? 

The founder of Buddhism, 'Shaka' had a great many of his disciples. Facing his death, his disciples gathered by his sickbed, and he died under the watchful eyes of his disciples. 'Gohyaku Rakan' were the five hundreds disciples who gathered and were allowed to enter the meeting place. That was a huge cave where at least five hundred people entered and discussed. They discussed and determined to develop the teachings of Buddhism. So, 'Rakan' means the immediate disciples of 'Shaka'. And they were very important people in Buddhism sect.


Gohyau Rakan 

Five hundred arhats 'rakan', a Buddhist art subject developed in China featuring large numbers of Indian wise men usually accompanied by servants. The origin of the grouping is unknown, although several Chinese texts mention 'rakan' as protective saints, who guard the Buddhist law until the coming of 'Miroku', the Buddha of the Future. The Chinese belief that Five hundred arhats inhabited a peak beyond the Stone Bridge 'Shakkyou' on 'Mt.Tiantai' is probably an adaptation into popular Buddhism of Taoist legends about the locale as the home of immortals. Tang period Chinese were also familiar with Indian legends of five hundred arhats believed to live on 'Mt. Buddhavanagirl' near 'Rajagrha'. It is not clear whether the number '500' refers to 500 specific individuals or simply indicates a large number. (from JAANUS)
If you're interested in, please check JAANUS in the Internet directly.

Inside of the Gohyaku Rakan Dou

There isn't detailed information here, but making statues of 'Rakan' people was started during the Kamakura period, around eight hundreds years ago. This trend was imported among the 'Zen' sect people of Buddhism from China. 

We suppose the existence of many disciples makes other new followers understand the high priority of this sect. Five hundreds immediate disciples of 'Shaka' was persuasive for the ordinary people, because 'five hundreds' makes them imagine 'many'. Then, it acted a very important role for the sect. 

On the contrary, founding new 'Gohyaku Rakan' temples was a very hard trial for the founder. Because of realistic problems such as hard working to produce five hundreds of statues and much amount of funds to pay. There are many 'Gohyaku Rakan' temples in Japan, but the ratio of them is small compared with the whole amount of temples. Please imagine, supplying five hundreds of statues were really difficult for someone who intended. 

Outside of the Gohyaku Rakan dou

The Tenneiji temple was a 'Zen' sect temple, and founded by the Ii clan who was a rural lord of Hikone district. He did one mistake that he ordered to kill a retainer who was estimated guilty, but later was proved not guilty. With his great regret, he built this temple for her peace of the dead soul. Because she had been pregnant with his son's child when she had been killed. The relationship between the fact and the reason why 'Gohyaku Rakan' was chosen is in the sealed book named history. 

This 'Gohyaku Rakan' was made two hundreds years ago. So, they are not so old in the historical range. However, five hundreds of statues are quite mysterious. 

When you want to visit this temple, you can use JR Biwako line and get off at Hikone station. It is the same route to the Hikone castle. From the station, it takes approximately 1 kilometer. So, maybe you should not use any public transportation. This temple locates the opposite side of the castle sandwiched JR line.