interesting times (Art Sites)

Who was George Nakashima?

Well, as I have mentioned previously I do like to make things from wood which means that finding things that are made of wood and exhibit something interesting to me as a woodworker makes me a happy chappy.

George Nakashima was a woodworker, and one of the better known woodworkers of the mid to late 20th century. Maybe not the most well known, but his personal style of furniture is probably familiar to many more people than they themselves may realize.

If you have seen tables with the natural wood edge left 'as is' rather than cut off and made smooth, then that is his signature style. Not to remove and hide natural 'defects' in the wood, but to enhance and display them as being part of the tree that the piece of wood came from.

This style is often copied, but rarely as well executed as Mr. Nakashima was able to do it.

For a very brief biography, please see George Nakashima's wikipedia entry.

I say very brief, because there are massive swathes of information missing from it. Especially one part that strikes very, very close to home for me living here in Kagawa, Japan.

From 1950 to 1974 the governor of Kagawa was a man named Masanori Kaneko who managed to earn the name 'The design governor' with stylish public works and attracting some famous artisans to the Kagawa area. But don't take my word for it, Time magazine has an archival article about him.

One of the people that Mr. Kaneko was able to attract was George Nakashima.

As a result, Mr. Nakashima joined a local group of artisans that were instrumental in making Kagawa what it is today, a place where style and flair are common place, enough that you don't really notice it unless it is pointed out to you. Maybe it's just me, because I have been living here for 7 years now, and I am only just finding these things out for myself.

But we are getting away from the subject here...

George Nakashima was a woodworker who managed to combine traditional Japanese woodworking skills (learned in a WWII internment camp) with an eye for style and great sympathy for the material he used and it's natural beauty into furniture that is unmistakably his own and difficult to replicate by anyone else.

By why I am I mentioning all this?





Because today I visited the George Nakashima memorial gallery.

At this point I would love to post dozens of photographs from inside the museum showing the wonderful furniture, but there were no photographs allowed of the exhibits. This is rare, as nearly all museums I have been to in Japan not only allow photography, but some actually seem to encourage it.

So even though I went there, saw everything, I got nothing to show for it except these few thoughts...

Mr. Nakashima as a woodworker was technically excellent in both execution and design. The pieces show delicacy and brutishness combined into furniture that just begs to be looked at, touched (but don't touch the exhibits!) and used for their intended purpose. Being able to combine all these things to a woodworker is almost like the holy grail, unobtainable. He did it again and again and again. I don't think anyone can be compared to him or his work now, or ever.

Mr. Kaneko is someone who I deeply indebted to. Before today I was largely unaware of who he was and what he accomplished. It has changed my perception of Kagawa from a place where I just happen to live to a place where I am truly thankful for living. What he accomplished during his tenure as governor will stand forever as testament to his vision and drive to make Kagawa truly special in the world. He did it, and we humble denizens owe him a debt of gratitude.

Today, my life changed undoubtedly for the better. Before today I took little notice of my surroundings. I passed them by without giving them much more than a passing glance and a second of thought. Now, I will most certainly pay more attention to what is 'out there' and seek it out whenever I can.

And lastly, if you find yourself in Japan at some point in the future or if you are here right now, to not come to Kagawa and see it for yourself, you would be doing a great disservice not only to Kagawa, but to yourself.

Maybe these things are not for everyone and that's fine.

But I can't think of any human being who could come here and not be moved by some of the things on offer in this tiny little pocket of the world.


An amazing day for me, and all it took was a quick stop at a small gallery that I had passed by dozens of times without a thought...

Stu.   

Again, I was scratching my head trying to come up with something and not succeeding until I realized that part of my normal Saturday schedule could work...

Where did I go?

A small museum known as the "Heike Monogatari Rekishikan", translated as "The Tale of the Heike museum".

What is the tale of the Heike? I know that the "Tale of Genji" is very famous here in Japan and the rest of the world as being one of the oldest (possibly the oldest) work of literary fiction that is still accessible today.

While "The tale of Genji" is fictional, many of the people and references are not without a factual base. The name 'Genji' can also be read as 'Minamoto' which was one of the two most powerful clans in Japan in the 11th and 12th century. The other clan was known as the 'Kiyohara' clan, which can also be read as 'Heike'...

So, that kind of explains the 'when' of this particular museum, but why?

Well, to make a very, very long story short, the Minamoto/Genji and Kiyohara/Heike clans were for a time close allies and then became bitter rivals. The Kiyohara clan began a war against the Minamoto clan in an effort to eliminate them, but the end result was that the Kiyohara clan were wiped out and the Minamoto clan established a military based government that survived for over 600 years.

That's the brutally short version because I am not a historian nor an author, and finding out more about this time period is as easy as checking what Wikipedia has to say.

So, back to the museum.

It's location is not too far away from Yashima, where we live and of which I have taken several pictures and is where the Heike were dealt what was possibly their most devastating defeat in their war with the Genji.

(Things related to this period are often referred to as 'Genpei' which takes the 'Gen' from 'Genji' and the 'pei' as another way to pronounce 'Hei' from 'Heike'.)

This area is thick with history, much of it having significant effects on Japan even today. As a result, the area is very popular with visitors from all over Japan and the rest of the world, and often a visit to the area will include a visit to the Heike museum.

There is one small point I have not yet mentioned about the Heike museum.



It's a wax museum...

To start you walk through an area with models of important or significant people from Shikoku (the island where Kagawa is situated).



A corner is dedicated to Kobo Daishi who was known as 'Kukai' while he was alive.



As you walk up the stairs you are met with this...



And then keep going up to see the story of the Heike in wax.



I won't delve too deeply in the story nor flood you with pictures here, it is most certainly something better experienced by actually being there.



As you can see, it goes from being quite peaceful into a full scale war and on to being just another part of history passed along the ages until now.



I did like the path marked on the floor.

There are a few things that I would like to mention about the museum.

These wax dummies are not exact replicas of people, they are wax! As such they do, on occasion, look just like wax dummies. Be careful however, some of them are truly frightening in their realism. I am more familiar with them than most people, and they still give me a fright on occasion.

All of the commentary in the museum is, as you would expect, in Japanese. There is a pamphlet available with an English description of the story and timeline of the scenes.

If you do manage to find yourself there, look past the fact that there are a bunch of wax people standing around and consider that what you see did actually happen. Granted, a very long time ago, but it's all based on real events.

(I have no choice because I live where this occurred and it pervades my thoughts every day. To think that were I live a war was waged nearly one thousand years ago. I am from Australia, and we don't have any accurately recorded history even 1/4 as old.)

The museum does have a website, all in Japanese. It is www.heike-rekishikan.jp.

If you have the chance, it is most certainly worth the visit.

Until next time,

Stu.  

The weather today was spectacular, lots of sun but not too hot, a nice cool breeze blowing and just about perfect for getting out an about, which is what Tom, Koko and I did.

We piled into the car and went for a drive today along the sea from Aji (lots of rocks) to Shido (lots of fish). We stopped a few times to watch boats cruise by and just generally take it all in. It is said that the Seto inland sea has a resemblance to the islands of Greece, and that is something I can easily believe.

Unfortunately, the poor camera didn't want to join in the fun so we got no pictures. I can't say I blame it really, it has taken close to 10,000 photos in the 6+ years we have had it, it's been to America once and Australia 3 times, all over Japan and it still works most of the time.

But 10,000 pictures and 6 years is a long, hard life for a camera. Especially one that was made when you could still buy film cameras marketed right along side the digital cameras. (I can't remember the last new film camera I saw for sale.)

The camera is an Olympus point and shoot model, and at the time it was relatively compact. Nowadays, you can't buy a still camera the same size, they are all much smaller or full size. It also takes standard batteries which is a nice feature, but it was made before the camera boffins worked out how to conserve batteries. Sure, the batteries are easy to find and not expensive, but it chews through them at a phenomenal rate too.

It still takes a good picture (when it works at all) so it won't be going to the landfill just yet.

But I would like to get another still camera soon. I am just not so sure where and how to get it.

New electronic products here are fairly inexpensive, and the choice is large. When you buy new there are all manner of enticements to convince you to part with your money such as point cards, extended warranties, extras and whatever to push you towards parting with your money.

Used electronic products are becoming more and more common too with the emphasis on recycling, i.e; buying and using a perfectly functional product that is not new at a reduced price.

Regrettably the 'reduced' price isn't always as attractive as it might be, possibly because recycled products are still a fairly 'new' thing. They have always been available as far as I know, but never quite as mainstream as they are these days.

Myself, I don't have any qualms about buying used items. This computer I am typing on is not new, even though I only bought it a month or so ago and it has not missed a beat.

(Actually, it has not been all smooth sailing, but a lot of it was user error mainly because everything about this computer is new to me and I didn't know any better.)

With any luck, the poor camera will be in a better mood the next time we get out and I can take some more pictures. While I am not really the camera taking type, it is better to have one on hand and not need it than to not have one and miss out on recording the sights.

Until next time...

Stu.   

For most of today I was wondering what I should write here today, and kept coming up short. There weren't any places I could easily go as I had work to do but I was riding my bicycle and figured that I could take a detour and find something, anything...

And ended up at Sunport.

For those of you unfamiliar with Takamatsu, Sunport is collection of buildings, stores and recreational areas situated around JR Takamatsu station.



As with most towns and cities in Japan, the main railway station is an important landmark in and of itself as a meeting place, as a shopping area and of course as a means to go somewhere else by train. Unlike Australia, if you need to go somewhere in Japan, the train can take you there be it a short hop for shopping and work or a major trek across the country.

In Takamatsu, the main train station is quite close to the main ferry terminal. In times past, if you needed to go somewhere you might jump on the train to Takamatsu station, take a short walk to the ferry terminal and then across the Seto inland sea on to Honshu, the main island of Japan. You could also drive to the ferry terminal and take your car, but all that was long before I arrived, so I have not done that (but I suspect it is, and always has been quite expensive).

In 1988 a bridge between Kagawa and Okayama (Takamatsu is the main city of Kagawa, Okayama is the closest prefecture to Kagawa on Honshu) was completed for road vehicles and rail vehicles. Of course, this meant that the ferries lost a lot of business as a bridge is more convenient, is unaffected by weather and has no fixed timetable.

As a result, road access to the ferries was not as important, nor was access from the train station to the ferry terminals. A lot of prime real estate that needed a new purpose, and found one as Sunport, Takamatsu.

When I first arrived in Takamatsu the Sunport area was largely undeveloped. Just the train station, a hotel and not too much else. Since that time, things have changed somewhat...



This tall and not unattractive building is Symbol tower. 30 floors of offices, restaurants and stores and is the tallest building in Takamatsu. I know 30 floors isn't that tall, but as Japan has a reputation of being afflicted by quite a few earthquakes, I don't think that they could go much higher than 30 stories.

But Sunport is not just about a really tall building. Much of the area is devoted to urban parkland where anyone can go and enjoy open spaces, play sports or simply relax.

It also serves as an area where events are held and because of it's easily accessed location, these events are usually well attended.



There was no event today...

(This pavilion is made largely from curved wooden beams. Being someone who likes wooden things, I do like it.)



The name 'Sunport' pretty much guarantees that water can't be too far away, and it isn't. A short walk gets you here...



That lighthouse sits at the end of what is known as the 'Tamamo' breakwater. While the Seto inland sea isn't exactly open ocean, it can get pretty rough at times and the ferry ports require some protection from rough seas, hence the breakwater. When you have something boats can run into like a long breakwater, you need a some kind of warning device so the boats know where they can't go. What's better than a big, red lighthouse?

And the boats/ships are not too afraid to sail quite close by.



And conveniently there is also a map showing what is 'out there' in the sea.



But a small photo of a photo isn't much help, so I snapped a few extras...



As a bit of a twist on yesterday's post, here is a picture of where I was yesterday...



That is Yashima, all of it. The 'Ya' typically means 'roof' and 'shima' means island. I guess it does look like a roof of some kind and it was an island a while ago until the small strait was filled in (by hand!) so the name is, I think, quite appropriate.

At the moment the moon is quite full, which means that the small shellfish known as 'asari' here or as 'short neck clams' elsewhere in the world (how does a clam have a neck?!) are numerous and with the low tide occurring as I was riding home, I decided I would take a quick picture of some fisher-folk doing their best to thin out the clam population...



Until tomorrow,

Stu.   

I suppose I should introduce myself.

My name is Stu and I have been living in Takamatsu for just over 7 years now. I am originally from Australia and I am married and have two small children, Tom and Koko.

(If that sounds somewhat familiar, it's because it is familiar...) I teach English here in Takamatsu as my main occupation, but I also make things from wood on occasion. I also like to see the sea, although I have zero desire to do any more than just look at it.





This is Takamatsu from the tip of Yashima. Lots of water to look at, and it looks pretty enough too.



A small beach near the tip of Yashima facing Takamatsu. Must get down there for a picnic one day...



And this is Yashima itself. We live on the other side of this big lump of tree covered rock, and I cannot say it's a terrible thing to have looming just outside your front door every day.

Stu.