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Japan Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Rare vintage shots and first-time shows at TOP's 30th anniversary
On reaching Risshakuji Temple in Yamagata Prefecture during his travels described in 'The Narrow Road to the North,' haiku poet Matsuo Basho wrote: 'In the deep silence / only the voice of the cicada / pierces the rock.' Basho's poetic ideal of exploring the overlap between the eternal and the transient — as suggested in the contrast between the rock and the seasonal cicada in the poem — is a key tenet in the Tokyo Museum of Photographic Art (TOP) 30th anniversary program. The 2025 schedule includes two contrasting exhibitions showcasing the museum's permanent collection, titled 'Continuity and Change' and 'transphysical,' and three solo shows that focus on the work of Takano Ryudai, Luigi Ghirri and Pedro Costa. While Basho provides an overall thematic tone for how the museum celebrates this milestone, Tetsuro Ishida, lead curator of the anniversary exhibitions, uses the analogy 'same soil, different crops' to describe how the two TOP Collection exhibitions are divided into a total of 10 contrasting sections run by different curators.
Japan Today
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
The kimono is more than an artifact and more than clothing. It is a concept artists will make their own
By Sasha Grishin The kimono garment, the national dress of Japan, carries within itself all of the magic and traditions of Japanese culture. The basic features of the kimono are fairly simple. It is a wrapped front garment with square sleeves that has a rectangular body where the left side is wrapped over the right, except in funerary use. The garment may be traced back to the Heian period as a distinctive style of dress for the nobility. In the Edo period (1603–1867) it came to a glorious culmination with colorful and expensive fabrics. The great poet Matsuo Basho once wrote 'Spring passes by / again and again in layers / of blossom-kimono'. Since childhood I've loved the mystical image 'blossom-kimono'. In 2020, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London staged their epic exhibition "Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk," where hundreds of garments, accessories, prints and photographs charted the history of the kimono from the 17th century through to the present. A new exhibition from the National Gallery of Victoria is similarly ambitious. Over 70 fabulous garments of exquisite craftsmanship – some made of silk with gold and silver embroidery and dazzling designs – have been assembled within a context of over 150 paintings, posters, wood block prints, magazines and decorative arts. Although many of the items have never been previously exhibited in Australia, most are now in the collection of the NGV, with many specifically acquired for this exhibition. Exquisite production There are seven newly acquired Edo-period silk and ramie kimonos, richly decorated with leaves, tendrils and falling snow. They provide us with a glimpse at the wealth and sophistication of the samurai and merchant classes of the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the highlights is the Uchikake Furisode wedding kimono with pine, bamboo, plum and cranes, from the early to mid-19th century. It is a display of exquisite taste with satin silk, shibori tie dyeing, and embroidery with gold thread. The birds and the vegetation seem to float on the surface and must have created an amazing sight when worn. The garment is simple and functional and, despite the exquisiteness of its production, it is also restrained in contrast to the conspicuous exuberance of some examples of 19th century European courtly dress. Some of these Edo period kimonos can become quite narrative-driven in their design, as with the Hitoe kosode kimono with themes alluding to eight Noh theatre plays of the late Edo period. Slightly smaller than the wedding kimono, that was 177.5 cm long as opposed to 167 cm, this one revels in a blue background on gauze satin silk with a multiplicity of little narrative scenes like an assembly of diverse stage sets. The exhibition also includes the work of contemporary Japanese kimono designers including Hiroko Takahashi, Jotaro Saito, Modern Antenna, Tamao Shigemune, Y&SONS, Rumi Rock and Robe Japonica. The kimono as a concept The kimono is more than an historic artifact, one where ideas and methods of production were to remain constant for centuries. It is also an idea that inspires designers working in international fashion houses. The NGV exhibition includes kimono-inspired works of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano, Comme des Garçon, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Zambesi and Rudi Gernreich. Alexander McQueen's Gown, belt and sandals (Dégradé) (2007) is one of the takeaway memories from this exhibition. The humble functional kimono has been totally transfigured. To the silk-satin shell there have been added leather, metal and rubber accessories and synthetic shoulder pads. The purple and pink color scheme and the sweeping sleeves that trail along the ground create a mesmerising and dominant phantom-like character that owns and dominates the space. It is difficult not to be impressed by McQueen's vision, but we have now moved quite a long way from the kimono. The kimono is a wonderful concept – an armature on which to hang many different ideas. The beauty of this exhibition is that it frees the idea of a garment from a static piece of cloth, at best to be displayed on a dummy, to something approaching a concept in design that artists will clasp and from which they will create their own work. There are many rich nuances in the show, for example the superb almost monochrome and somewhat gothic men's undergarment (nagajuban) with graveyard, skulls and crescent moon (c.1930). At the same time, we have women's kimono with geometric design and accessories (c.1930) with its polychrome exuberance with reds, blacks and grays combining geometric motifs with soft organic feather-like forms. Basho's 'blossom-kimono' was a meditation on the passing of time and the hope that a young girl will live to experience wrinkles that come with old age. The kimono in this exhibition celebrates the passing of time and generational change within the life of an immortal idea about function, form and ideas of beauty. Sasha Grishin is Adjunct Professor of Art History, Australian National University. The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. External Link © The Conversation
Metropolis Japan
25-05-2025
- Metropolis Japan
Historic Walks Near Tokyo
Photo Credit to Iyhon Chiu (Flickr) Japan's northern Tohoku region was once a rugged land of deep mountains and wild forests. Anyone traveling there during the ordered days of the Edo period was thought to be risking life and limb for very little gain. Yet people still traveled, and one way of doing so was via the old Nikko Kaido highway. Built to safely connect Edo to the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Nikko, its construction had the unintended effect of solidifying the master status of one of the world's greatest poets. One of the most atmospheric historic walks near Tokyo can be found in Soka, where pine-lined paths trace the journey of haiku master Matsuo Basho. Portrait of Bashō by Hokusai, late 18th century A person would be hard-pressed not to have heard of haiku master, Matsuo Basho. His travels across Japan fine-tuned his poetic craft to such an extent that he became one of Japan's greatest cultural exports. Even now, over three hundred years after his passing, there are still few who could seriously claim to have bettered his art. Often translated as The Narrow Road to the Deep North , his most famous work, the travelogue Oku no Hosomichi , owes its inspiration to Basho's journeys into Japan's wilds, a journey he began from the Nikko Kaido highway. Beginning in what is now Kita-Senju in East Tokyo, Basho soon arrived at the highway's second post station, Soka. The city, once verdantly agricultural, is famous for its senbei rice crackers and commuter town university life, but perhaps owes a verse or two to Basho. His words, ' We barely managed to reach the post-town of Soka by nightfall. My greatest burden was the pack I carried on my thin, bony shoulders. ' An inauspicious start, perhaps, but Soka was now permanently scribed on the map. Leaving the next day, Basho traveled further, wrote deeper, and became a national legend. The city maintains its connection with Basho's Edo-era times. During those years, hundreds of pine trees were planted along the Nikko Kaido highway. These trees, including more recently planted ones, still line what is now the Soka Matsubara Promenade. It's a designated National Place of Scenic Beauty. At the time of its recognition in 2013, there were 634 pine trees lining the promenade. The city has worked hard to ensure that the legacy of Basho, as well as its own, remains accessible. Replete with reminders of Basho, the promenade follows the north-south flow of the Ayase River. It is an extension of the area's Fudabagashi Park. Standing sentinel at the entrance to the promenade as it leads north is a replica wooden Edo period bourou watchtower. Once used for spotting fires in flammable old Japan, the tower's crisp geometric shape marks the metaphorical border between Basho's old life and the new one he would come into during his travels. A beautiful touch, a little further on, is the lifesize bronze statue of Basho. He glances backwards towards the old city of Edo as he steps forward into the north. Watching over it is a verse engraved in stone by the esteemed scholar of Japanese literature, the late Donald Keene. A hagi bush-clover tree planted by Keene further honors Basho's connection with Soka. The promenade features two particularly impressive bridges. One, Yatate Bridge, was so named because of a famous line in Basho's travel diary that references the portable yatate brush-and-ink case he used to begin his writing. Yatate Bridge. Photo from Japan Travel The bridge's arched structure offers elevated views of both the pine trees and the river. Further along, an even more impressive bridge is the similarly arched Hyakutai Bridge. Inspired by the very first line of Oku no Hosomichi, hyakutai literally means '100 generations' and refers to eternity. The pines of the promenade certainly seem peacefully ageless. Given the influence of Basho's poetry, the naming of this bridge is most appropriate. As if a nationally recognized promenade wasn't enough, the city celebrates Matsuo Basho's place in its history with the annual Soka Matsubara Dream Festival. Making its debut in 2015, this relative newcomer to the summer festival scene takes place on the first weekend of July. It features some lovely night illumination of the promenade's pine trees as well as the Yatate and Hyakutai bridges. Traditional Japanese street stalls are, of course, aplenty, while boat rides along the Ayase River are a popular attraction. Each year, the organizers find new ways to appear, with some years seeing rickshaw and even hot-air balloon rides. Japan has changed incredibly since the three centuries when Basho left the old Edo capital on his journey into the wild lands. What hasn't changed, however, is the extraordinary respect and admiration that one of Japan's greatest masters continues to inspire. Small though it may have been, Soka's role in nurturing that inspiration was both real and pivotal. It's now easily enjoyed by thousands of visitors annually. Take the Tobu Skytree Line to Dokkyo Daigaku Mae Station (formerly known as Matsubara Danchi Station) to access this historic walk near Tokyo. The Soka Matsubara Promenade is just a five-minute walk from the East Exit. For easy day-trips near Tokyo, check out our other guides: Kawagoe Day Trip: Historic Streets, Sweet Shops and Edo-Era Charm Kanagawa Neighborhood Guide: Things to Do in Yokosuka
The Advertiser
25-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Beyond the ski slopes: take a hidden trail through Japan's poetic wilderness
Natagiri Pass in Tohoku sits away from Japan's popular ski trails. In 1689, the area - in the north-east of the main island of Honshu - was made famous by Japan's most famous haiku poet, Matsuo Basho, when he penned his travelogue, The Narrow Road to the Deep North. To explore the area in the thick of winter you need specialised equipment, and on an adventurous tour with walking experts, Walk Japan, I donned snowshoes to embark on a hike through deep snowfall. Without a soul in sight, the untouched trail lay before our small group like a scene from a Disney fairytale. During the 17th century, the pass was known for its lawlessness and when Basho journeyed through the forest, he feared bandits, but we had no such concerns. Inspired by the quiet beauty of the snow-laden cedar trees, we attempted our own three-line haikus, following the 5-7-5 syllable count, but our unskilled attempts were more ditty than poetry.
New York Times
22-04-2025
- New York Times
Why Japan Is Best Experienced By Foot
Japan's most celebrated poet, writing in the 17th century under the name of Matsuo Basho, found his truest home on the road. Sleeping on a grass pillow, seeking out auspicious places from which to watch the full moon rise, living not quite as a Zen priest and not quite as a layman, he is best remembered for the monthslong travels he took on foot. Yes, sometimes he found a horse to ride but, most often, he was traipsing along in straw sandals, engaging with fellow travelers — an aging priest, two itinerant concubines — and keeping a diary (in poetry and prose) of what he saw and felt. The country that changed modern culture and design, from A to Z In giving voice to what he called this 'windswept spirit,' he was consciously following in the footsteps of a great line of spiritual ancestors famous for their long walks. The elderly monk Zoki headed out toward the shrine-filled pathways of the eastern forests known as Kumano in the 10th century, sleeping at times in a shelter made of branches, recording the wistful cries of deer, the rustle of autumn insects. A century and a half later, a courtier named Saigyo gave up his position as a palace guard to become a wandering poet and monk. Basho even invokes the 13th-century nun Abutsu, who in her mid-50s made the two-week walk along the Tokaido, the crowded seaside highway leading from the official capital of Kyoto to the de facto one at Kamakura, to present an inheritance claim in a court of law. Roaming in the wake of such immortals, as he considered them, Basho thought of his walks as a spiritual discipline. In making his climactic journey along what he called 'the narrow road to the deep north,' he was visiting not just a remote part of his country but the neglected corners of himself, otherwise obscured by society and routine. The full moon he sought is a classic Buddhist image of enlightenment. Nobody could claim that walking is peculiar to Japan; Chaucer had sent his pilgrims toward Canterbury centuries before Basho was born. But Japan has long given the world an image of men and women quitting the busy world for a life of clarity and simplicity. In his classic essay on walking, Henry David Thoreau might have been drawing on the Basho who wrote, 'My solitude shall be my company and my poverty my wealth.' Explore More Read the editor's letter here. Take a closer look at the covers. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
