1986: Tanuki

December 5, 1986
Kyoto

Dear Friends:

In late November, the fall color (koyo) lingers in the delicate red of the maples and in the pure golden carpets under the ginkos, the moonlit nights bring a penetrating chill and the dense vapors and hot soak of the public bath (sento) mark the end of my Japan sojourn. This stay has been stimulating and productive, culminating in my solo show which opened at Gallery Maronie in Kyoto on December 2. The last weeks have been frantic, as always before a show, increased by several excursions planned months before during less hectic times. One of the results of my work can be seen on the enclosed announcement card and represents a refinement on the new direction that began several years ago. I have continued to use my photos of Kyoto tile roofs, but they are fragmented and rearranged — sometimes in combination with new elements, i.e., photos of trees or traditional Japanese textile designs. Landscapes are the other element incorporated in the work this year. Colors have changed and brocaded units have been added to the grid to enrich and expand on my exploration of grid/window/shoji unit. One group that gave a special challenge was applying black leaf to dark grounds, sometimes with an accent of gold, giving subtle reflections.

Fall has been a time of the usual variety of activities I have experienced in the last several years –excursions, exhibitions, performances and festivals, but each year with changes and variations. In October ceramics inadvertently came into focus with trips to Shigaraki, an old ceramics town not far from Kyoto, and Tajimi, near Nagoya (to see an international ceramic exhibition). Both trips were

made with Kiyoji Tsuji of Maronie and others of the Kyoto art community. Tsuji-san, with urging, provides me with exposure to many aspects of the Japan art/craft scene inside and outside fiber for which I very grateful. Shigaraki is home to a ceramics industry and also many studio potters and ceramic sculptors. The former is epitomized by the production of Tanuki, the infamous and delightfully villainous Japanese badger seen outside shops and homes all over Japan. He rises from several inches to over 25 ft in height with gradations between and is exhibited by the thousands at each of many shops and factories scattered about the town. It’s comical overkill that I enjoyed very much. I was able to meet an interesting group of ceramic artists as well and see an exhibition of their work.

In early November I made a final visit to my “family” in Nagoya with the highlight an all-day trek up Mt Fujiwaradake in Mie-ken about 2.5 hours ride by various trains with Hidekata, a high school senior and my special traveling companion. He insisted the hike would be an easy climb (and so I should have no trouble, was the implication). Equipped with our back packs, obento (lunch), cameras, sweaters & etc. we started up the mountain about 11:00 and it was steep! It was more rigorous than all my years of hiking in the Smoky Mts!! We were both huffing and puffing and sweating, then freezing. Hidekata wisely put me in the lead and we had frequent rests for photos (and me). Lunch at a mountain cabin and then 20 minutes more to the summit through 8 ft tall bamboo grass. At 1200 meters we had a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains and the valley below. The descent was less strenuous, but tricky as it was steep and the trail loose gravel and rocks. We each took a spill or two. In total a great experience.

In August I had traveled to northern Kyoto prefecture to the papermaking village of Kurotani with my Seika University friend Shuji Asada and some of his students. We also visited Seika’s seminar house on the Japan Sea coast and vowed to return again as it was such a beautiful location with an extensive beach surrounded by small pine clad islands. Plans were made for a mid-November visit and about 12 of us went for 2 nights — I and 2nd and 4th year textile students. We got an early start from Kyoto, had a seafood lunch and stopped at Amanohashidate, one of the “3 most famous scenic spots in Japan.” It’s a long narrow spit of sand forested with old pine trees in weathered and contorted shapes. It was a rainy day so we walked for an hour or so with our umbrellas before heading off to the seminar house in the dark. Upon arrival everyone went scurrying about with preparations for a grand sukiyaki dinner. The next day we went to a nearby area famous for hot springs and “took the cure” — a long soak in the hot mineral waters. The drive through the mountains and along the coast was very exciting with wonderful displays of fall colors. I took many black and white photos at the beach which I later incorporated into my new work.

The fall exhibition season was highlighted by the opening of the new Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto which had been under construction for the last 4-5 years. The post-modern design has a minimum of historical references with a slight bow to Art Deco in geometric motifs seen in both the exterior and the interior spaces. The opening show was a large exhibition of Nihon-Ga, traditional Japanese painting, of the Kyoto School with great variety in styles and subject matter.

Other exhibitions of note: National Treasures from all periods at the National Museum, Kyoto presented in celebration of the 60^th year of the reign of the Emperor. Many of the prime works of Japanese art were on exhibit together. The annual exhibit of treasures from the 8th C. Shoso-in, Nara also provided the opportunity to see familiar works. Two major kimono exhibitions were on view. Kako Moriguchi’s work in yuzen was at the Shiga Museum and the work of Itchiku Kubota was at a local department store. The former is a Living National Treasure who has developed a special technique in dyeing and the latter is well known for the book on his work, “Opulence” published by Kodansha. There were also many shows by fiber artists living in Kyoto who are my friends here. It has been a very exciting season, indeed.

An early morning Shinkansen ride back to Kyoto from Kyushu impressed upon me once again the beauty and diversity of the Japanese landscape celebrated by artists for centuries. The intimately scaled mountains, and patterns of the rice paddies, the tiled roofed houses in the early morning light combine in a special way. All of this seen in the fleeting instants as you whiz by at 270 km per hour lend it all a feeling of unreality.

Real, however, is my return to the US tomorrow. I look forward to a stop in Honolulu with a lecture at the University of Hawaii, then on to Wisconsin to visit my mother (summer/winter overnight) before reaching Athens on the 17th in time to cut the tree before Page, Jeanne and Babak arrive for the holidays.

Best wishes to all for a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year of the Rabbit.