Momiji Hunting

Yesterday was Kinryo-kansha day, which is a sort of Labor Day, and classes were dismissed. I took this opportunity to finally do some much needed capturing of the maple leaves' glorious range of colors that engulf Kyoto in these weeks (perhaps coming to an end next week). Yesterday morning I visited two favorite spots and took a few pictures.

Shinyodo, 15 minutes south of Ginkakuji on foot










Shisendo, in northern Sakyo-ku, 15 min from my house on bike

Question...

There has been great debate regarding the following poem by Basho Matsuo.

古池や　蛙飛び込む　水の音

The old pond;
a frog jumps in,
the sound of water.


There is no plural in Japanese, so the use of "a" in "a frog" may be misleading.

How many frogs do you think there are? Why do you think so?

I'd like to hear your opinion. So please comment below.

Hikone Castle and the Ii family's garden

Every couple weeks, the Cities and Civilization class ventures into different parts of Japan to explore areas that were important to or representative of the current era of study. Last weekend, we boarded the train to Hikone the location of the Ii family's castle, one of the oldest surviving castles in Japan.

Our professor (and tour guide) split us into two groups: attackers and defenders. Here he begins the lecture:


The texture warranted a picture:


The castle:


The view from the castle:


After being thoroughly routed by the attackers at the castle, we strolled down to the Genkyo-en garden, which was designed in the Chisen-kaiyu style, being centered around a pond, just beyond the inner moat.






Fall colors dotted the pathway around the pond:



Walking through the garden:


In the "rakuraku" viewing house on the pond:


The water stopped in time:

Part of my translation of Zeami's "Toru"

月もはや　 The moon quickly
出潮になりて rises the high tide and
塩竈の　 the Salt Kiln’s
うら寂びわたる lonesome inlet
けしきかな is a desolate sight.

陸奥は In Michinoku,
いづくはあれど there are other such places,
塩竈の　 where I watch Salt Kiln’s
うらみてわたる bitter bay.
老が身の　 I grow old with despair but,
寄るべもいさや with no one to depend on,
定めなき　 and without a fate,
心もすめる my heart can live and be cleansed
水の面に　 in the surface of the water
照る月なみを the bright moon shines every month
数ふれば　 I count the waves go by.
今宵ぞ秋の Tonight is indeed
最中なる　 halfway through autumn
げにやうつせば and this reflected copy of
塩竈の　 Salt Kiln, transferred here,
月もみやこの is mirrored in the moon’s center
最中かな lies the capital.

秋は半ば Autumn’s halfway point
身は既に　 already arrives
老い重なりて showing signs of age,
諸白髪 my hair completely white,
雪とのみ　 with the snow
積もりぞ来ぬる growing higher and higher
年月の　 without fail, every year.
積もりぞ来ぬる growing higher and higher
年月の　 without fail, every year
春を迎へ I welcome spring and
秋を添へ　 autumn as I grow older
時雨るる松の the scattered rains
風までも　 and pine tree winds pass
わが身の上と through my life
汲みて知る　 comprehension surfaces,
潮馴れ衣 taming the ocean’s salty spray
袖寒き　 as the cold seeps into my sleeves,
浦廻の秋の Passing through the bay
夕べかな　 in the autumn night,
浦廻の秋の Passing through the bay
夕べかな in the autumn night.

Fall Break: The Clear Sound of Jewels

I just arrived back at in Kyoto after a week of break. It is a sunny Saturday afternoon and I don't know what I will write.

I boarded the ferry from Kobe to Takamatsu early Saturday morning. I didn't really know what to expect in Takamatsu, only that that was the closest "entrance" into Shikoku. I landed at 8 PMish roughly 5 kilometers from the center of Takamatsu, and without any choice, started the trek on foot. I luckily ran into a very friendly fellow, who suggested that I sit down and have a dinner of udon. Takamatsu's udon (and for that matter the whole northwestern part of Shikoku's udon), I was soon to realize, is supposedly the most delicious udon in Japan. But to my indifferent palate, it was merely as wonderufully delicious as the udon that I have been eating in Kyoto. Nonetheless, I soon located a ryokan and was fast asleep.
The next morning I wandered into the ruins of Tamamo castle, which lies right on the sea, with my duffel bag and an atlas of Japan.

Two older ladies approached me and explained that one of their friends hadn't showed up and that they had an extra ticket to an invitation only tea ceremony in the ruins of the castle. Jumping at the opportunity, I told them how I was studying in Kyoto and how this was my idea of a vacation. Luckily, they took to me quickly and soon we were sitting seiza in a room with a few tea masters and other older ladies. It was really a delight. After we sampled amazake, a wonderful osake based sweet drink. Interestingly, just outside the castle grounds, the Yakuza were staging a peaceful "rally", which we quickly avoided. I treated the ladies to a lunch of udon, and then found myself in the town of Kotohira.

Throughout the year, pilgrims from all over Japan trek (usually with the help of a bus) to the eighty-eight Shinto shrines that are spread around Shikoku, with perhaps the most famous stationed in Kotohira. After a nights stay in a riverside ryokan, and a climb halfway up the 1500-odd stairs, I met my two fellow (although usually separated) travellers, who had arrived late from Takamatsu. Countless toris and shrines lined the path to the top. Finally we reached the final shrine, which stood rather precariously on stilts which jutted from a rock face, surrounded by trees. We leisurely took lunch there where I unexpectedly, but excitedly, recieved a call from home. Happy Birthday Mom!





I next found myself in Katsurahama, where a famous statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, the local hero who played a role in instigating the Meiji Restoration, looks over the sea. I spent some hours reading and exploring the surrounding port. I met with my two friends who were travelling the same area, and we started heading west along the coast.






I stumbled across a run-down shrine tucked behind the port:




Next, we found ourselves in Ashizuri, which is the southernmost point in Shikoku. We luckily ran into a JET who was stationed in the nearby town of Tosa-Shimizu. She was nice enough to point us to the hostel which lies on the grounds of a Shinto shrine. As it was getting dark, we quickly made our way to the ocean shore and lighthouse. The tori (above) seemingly leads straight into the rock that juts out into the ocean, but if you shimmy up the rock face a small shrine comes into view. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera. But that rock face turns out to be the roof of one of the biggest ocean "caves" in Japan.