Hiroshige's Tokaido Series: 47, 48, and 49

Hiroshige's woodcuts of the Tokai Road show lively Edo era scenes. 

Then and Now

I am neither blind nor indifferent to Japan's faults, as some may have inferred from the previous post.  One of these, as I see things, is a frequently displayed indifference to the plight of structures of cultural or historic value.  Case in point: this photo shows a Meiji era estate in Niigata City, its extensive grounds an oasis of  green in the drab city center, its spreading trees the favored roost every evening of hundreds of birds.  The stone marker informs us that the Meiji Emperor rested at the residence in 1878 during a tour of northern Japan.  Deserving of preservation, surely.  Alas, no.  I passed by the other day, and the above is what I saw.  Everything reduced to rubble, bagged, and ready to be carted away.  Mottainai.      

A Few Thoughts

One of my readers has complained (in a manner as nasty as it was ungrammatical) that I gloss over Japan's 'dark underside'.  Japan has its dark side, to be sure;  I am aware of no country that hasn't. But to those who, like my learned and gracious reader, expect me in this blog to ridicule the country for its failings, to screech with righteous indignation over the occasional instance of Japanese discrimination against foreigners, or to debunk every laughable attempt at historical revisionism by some right-wing nut-job, to such visitors I should like to recommend the following:  http://www.debito.org/ . Unlike our dear Mr. Debito, I am not an expat in Japan who is only content when he is disparaging the Japanese. I have better things to do. I happen to be fairly happy here, and this blog reflects my interest in and respect for my adopted home and its culture.
 

View 50 ：Sakanoshita (坂之下）, from Hiroshige's Tokaido Series

Sakanoshita, on the border between Shiga and Mie prefectures, lies about 420 km from the start of the Tokai Road in Tokyo. In Hiroshige's day there were about 125 inns for travelers in Sakanoshita.  The hamlet today comprises a little over 100 households.   

Hiroshige's Tokaido: View 51, 土山

Hiroshige's woodcut at top, with present-day views below

Hiroshige's Tokai Road: View 52

Hiroshige depicts a village scene with women in the foreground hanging strips of kampyo, or dried gourd shavings.  The second photo shows bundled kampyo.  The lower two photos show dishes made with kampyo, with the vegetable used as a tie in the bottommost.

Hiroshige's Tokai Road: View 53

A traveler along the Tokai Road in reverse, from Kyoto to Edo, might have stayed at the Ishibeya, depicted at top, about a day's journey from Kyoto.  The second photo shows the present-day Ishibeya, while the photo at bottom shows traditional structures in the village, located in Shiga Prefecture.

Hiroshige: "53 Stops on the Toaki Road": View 54

View 54 shows a tea shop in Otsu, the last stop on the Tokai road before Kyoto.

The second photo shows another of Hiroshige's pictures of the same scene.

Hiroshige's "Fifty-three Stops on the Tokai Road": View 55

# 55: The Great Sanjo Bridge, Kyoto

Hiroshige stood on the western bank of the Kamo River and painted this, the final stop of his series that contained 55 views in all.  He faced east, in the direction of Edo, the capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the start of the nearly 500 km long Tokai road, whose end he had reached.

The Great Sanjo Bridge today.

Another Woodcut Master: Hiroshige

Compare Hiroshige's work with that of Hokusai (in the following post).

Hokusai

Yesterday I went to our local outlet of up-scale department store Isetan for the final day of an exhibit devoted to Hokusai, one of Japan's most famous manga and woodblock artists. The above view of Mt. Fuji  is one of a series of 36 the artist created depicting Japan's iconic mountain. Fuji is shown from a vantage that is now part of Shizuoka City.

Getting to Kyoto: The Kitaguni

I took the overnight train Kitaguni (きたぐに) from Niigata to Kyoto in December, 2009. I recommend the A-class sleeper to those wishing to spend a pleasant night aboard one of the few night trains still operating in Japan.

Photos of the Old Imperial Palace Grounds, Kyoto

More Photos of Kyoto: The Ancient Imperial Palace Grounds

Sokoku Temple Kyoto: photos

Adjacent to the lovely campus of Doshisha University is the temple complex of Sokokuji.  I just happened to stumble upon the temple and was rewarded for my waywardness.

Shorenin Temple

While in Kyoto I went to Shorenin Temple for its illumination. The interior and temple grounds were beautifully illuminated, but my ignorance of my camera's functions prevented me from taking more photos than the ones of the bamboo grove I've uploaded.

The Campus of Doshisha University, Kyoto

Kyoto: The Monks

While waiting for a traffic signal to change at a busy intersection, I was passed by a procession of monks, noiseless in their straw sandals (waraji; 草鞋). 

Kyoto: No Painting the Town Red

In Kyoto the color "red" has traditionally been considered showy and in poor taste.  McDonald's outlets in the city demonstrate this aesthetic, for the outdoor signs substitute brown where we would expect to find the offending color.

Kyoto- Kiyomizu Temple (清水寺) Photos

On a recent trip to Kyoto I visited one of its most famous temples, World Heritage site Kiyomizu. The temple was established some 1,200 years ago; the present buildings date to 1633. The site is home not only to the temple but also to a number of Shinto shrines, among which the most important is Jishu (founded the year 701), sacred to Okuninushi, god of love and matchmaking. The photos: (upper left), the main gate; (upper right), a three-storeyed pagoda; (lower left), the main hall; (lower right), the aforementioned pagoda, as well as another of the temple complex's halls.