JAPAN ABOUT THIS BOOK Shugendo, the latter an ancient ritual practice by Hans Sautter mountain ascetics drawn from pre-Buddhist moun- tain worship, local folk-religious practices, , “More thorough nonsense must be spoken and Taoism, and Vajrayana Buddhism. written about Japan than any other comparably Aesthetics, the final chapter, references elements developed nation.” from all the preceding themes and mixes the serene Alan Booth with the profane and earthy simplicity with the garish, as commonly experienced in Japan. This is not a travel book. One purpose of this book Hans Sautter, April 2020 is to shed light beyond the surface and expose the chasm between pretense and authenticity. The other, to illustrate how present-day Japan is fused FOREWORD to the hereditary code of Japan’s ancient past. Hans Sautter The gap between perception, aspiration, and rea- My first night in ended in a love – alone. lity in Japan is omnipresent. What one sees is not I had assumed it was a hotel called Love. The room always what is. Which is true anywhere, but much was exotic, a mixture between traditional Japane- more so in Japan, where public and official appea- se elements, large mirrors, and garish decor. There rance are inscrutable. were condoms and tissues on the night table, and Photographs were not selected from an archive the weirdest surprise, German porno movies with collected over the years, but subjects and loca- pixelated genitals on the hotel channel: a trace of tions were chosen deliberately, after in-depth rese- home in a kinky room. I had arrived in “the city at the arch, and most photos conceived before shooting end of the world.” with a detailed concept in mind. Photos of every Japan was never my destination, but it became chapter are linked to each other, and the arran- my destiny. Just graduated from the College of Pho- gement illustrates the interconnections of themes. tography in Munich, I landed with a one-way ticket Many photos are metaphors and not just images of on a December day in 1972. A life of turmoil incited specific sites. Locations are named when themati- my getaway to the other side of the planet. Japan cally relevant. was to be the first stop on a mainly overland journey The first chapter, Metropolis, contains photos to , but I didn’t know then that Tokyo would from the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, , and be much more distant than imagined. On my arrival Nagoya, where about 70 million (of 127) Japanese in Haneda Airport, the first clue that Japan was out of live. The introductory essay is mainly about Tokyo, this world appeared in the signs at Immigration sepa- but Tokyo is representative of every large cities rating “Aliens” from “Japanese.” in Japan, which on the macro level are indistin- The choice to stop in Japan was not for visiting guishable. temples or gardens, or for Zen meditation. A year The Nature chapter includes the seasons and cha- before I had seen Shuji Terayama’s film, Throw racteristics of Japanese geography, the sea, and Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets, an unhin- the mountains which are mostly of volcanic origin. ged, provocative, wild, and rebellious exemplar of The chapter also illustrates the pervasive use of Japan’s avant-garde. Terayama’s intoxicating cre- concrete to control the forces of nature. ative outburst plus films by Kurosawa and Teshi- As seen in the Costume chapter, to up for gahara had triggered my interest in Japan. specific professions, activities, or events is a con- Metropolitan Tokyo immediately clashed with spicuous characteristic: Japanese think they must the images of elegant wooden houses and look the part before they can act the part. Cosplay is smiling, -clad ladies evoked by fan- liberation from rigorously enforced conformism. Peo- tasies of Japan. I staggered into a den- ple can embody the characters of their phantasy, se, chaotic urban jungle, an endless sprawl if only for a short time. of concrete and steel, seemingly held together by The Costume, Ritual, and Sacred chapters are clo- a tangled net of overhead wires. The cacophony sely related. Sacred rituals are performed in distinct around huge frenetic railway stations was eerily si- costumes. But in a strictly socially engineered and lenced when train doors closed and I was squee- therefore highly ritualized society like Japan, not zed between stoical, taciturn Japanese in dark every ritual has a spiritual context. Fire and water . There was no chatter, a voiceless quiet pun- are elemental themes in Ritual and Sacred. ctuated only by the click-clack of the rails and the The Sacred chapter centers on myth, Shinto, and moans of squashed people when the train swayed.

1 Tokyo seemed a restless, dispiriting place, an indu- land for paddies. Rice is central to Japan’s culture strial city, much like the bleak worker’s underwor- and customs, and growing it demands cooperation ld in Fritz Lang’s visionary 1927 film Metropolis. and coordinated irrigation. Dependence on others I wandered about in the urban maze of Tokyo, lost fosters a less individualistic and more collectivist track of time and space, and the impulse to conti- mindset that emphasizes consensus. It may there- nue my journey faltered. Finally, I ran out of money. fore take decades to be adopted into the collective Carpentry work paid for my first home in Tokyo, a fabric of a group, neighborhood, or village. three-tatami mat room (180 x 270 cm). For provisi- The break into my rural community came by way of ons, I pawned my camera (and never got it back). funerals. I had photographed the seasonal life of the Dire straits led me to begin training as a German valley – rice growing, harvesting, and the local shrine language teacher at the Goethe-Institut in Tokyo. festival. For ten years I was largely ignored, but one And I fell in love. day a neighbor knocked on my door, asking if I had a The allure of passion in an exotic land I knew no- photo of her recently deceased relative. Portrait pho- thing about cemented my fate. I stayed for almost tos are necessary for Japanese funerals. This hap- three years. pened again, and again. By contributing portraits for In September 1975, I finally continued my journey to funerals, I finally was part of the community. Australia, as originally planned. I arrived in Darwin My first years as a freelance photographer in Tokyo in August 1976, after a year’s odyssey via , were focused on offbeat projects: long-distance the Philippines, and Indonesia. truck drivers, and the Takarazuka Revue. But it was Two years later, I found myself working at a high steel pachinko, most of all, that would occupy me for ten construction site for an iron ore processing plant in years, with requests from magazines worldwide. It is the remote outback of Western Australia. After eight gambling in a country where gambling is illegal. But months of walking on lofty steel beams, I contem- pachinko was then Japan’s premier industry, with plated my next move. I sent job applications to the more revenue than all Japanese automakers com- Goethe-Instituts of East Asia. Yogyakarta was my top bined. choice, but the Goethe-Institut in offered a go- From the mind-numbing amusement of pachinko, vernment contract. Within weeks, I was transported I went on the lonesome road with long-distance to a desk, back to Japan on a diplomatic visa, a tailo- truckers and spent many nights cruising through red in my luggage. My container-room home in endless semi-industrial landscapes. “Lonesome the rough environment of an 800-man desert camp Road: Trucker Life in Japan” was published as a transmogrified into life in a refined teahouse surroun- photo essay in a Japanese magazine and nearly ended ded by a moss garden in a lush grove. A large pond my fledging freelance career. The head of a yakuza with prized Japanese carp completed my Kyoto group called my publisher and demanded €50,000 picture-book home. This was the “real” Japan I had for allegedly unauthorized use of his truck on the seen in brochures and coffee-table books. magazine’s cover. A friend’s intercession resolved Despite being stuck for three years in Tokyo, I was the “misunderstanding.” Instead of compensation, I ignorant about what is perceived as Japanese cul- was to supply large-format photo prints to decorate ture; had never experienced a tea ceremony; or a yakuza office. heard about the enigmatic aesthetic of wabi-sabi. After the macho trucker milieu, I plunged into the But I had learned to speak adequate Japanese and all-female fantasy world of Takarazuka, Japan’s absorbed Japanese manners. My own home was so most popular theatre company. The Takarazuka enchanting that it left me with no desire to join the Revue lavishly produces gaudy musical extra- crowds in Kyoto’s tourist attractions. When I finally vaganzas where young women embody female decided to return to photography, ten years after pa- and male roles who “sell dreams” to an all-woman wning my camera in Tokyo, my first subject was con- audience. sequently not Kyoto’s sights but chindon-ya. These Moving into corporate photography in the mid-’90s, outlandishly dressed groups of street performers I came face to face with Japan’s leaders: CEOs and advertise for local shops and are often perceived as executives of Japan’s flourishing auto, airline, bank- social outcasts. ing, and securities industries, as well as academic Finally I moved back to Tokyo and started a career as thought leaders, researchers, and two future prime freelance photographer. I also found the perfect Tokyo ministers. home: less than an hour from the city center, in the he- Unlike the often-flamboyant postwar company foun- art of a rural valley, with rice fields, bamboo groves, ders and entrepreneurial mavericks like Soichiro plum and cherry trees, all surrounded by a jung- Honda (Honda Motor), Konosuke Matsushita (Pana- le-like forest. This green sanctuary of isolated se- sonic), Akio Morita and engineering genius Maseru renity within the raw and cluttered cityscape of a Iruka (both of Sony) who defied the rules in a nati- seemingly limitless megalopolis remains my base in on of conformists, later generations appeared more Japan to this day. risk-averse, careful not to rock the boat, which led to Japan is a tribal society, fiercely territorial and pro- less vitality and, ultimately, stagnation. tective of the group. This may have to do with rice Although based for over 40 years in Japan, my cultivation in a mountainous country with limited feelings about home are shifting and elusive. My

2 sentiments are most eloquently described by itself and to be celebrated, whereas grubby reality Japan’s celebrated 17th-century poet, Basho: was to be deplored. “Moon and sun are travelers of eternity, and the ye- Writing in 1905, the year in which Japan defeated ars coming and going are wanderers, too. Drifting Russia in the Russo-Japanese War, he maintained life away in a boat or growing old leading a horse by “that the actual people who live in Japan are not un- the bit, each day is a journey and the journey itself like the general run of English people; that is to say, home.” they are extremely commonplace, and have nothing Hans Sautter, September 2020 curious or extraordinary about them.” This is why he advised his readers not to “behave like a tourist and go to Tokio,” but to stay at home and enjoy Japane- AN INSIDER’S GAZE se art instead. Peter Tasker Wilde’s aestheticism was deliberately extreme, but I’m lucky. I’ve walked through this book many times hardly unique. Arthur Waley, the famed translator before. I’ve strolled through the backstreets of of The Tale of Genji from eleventh-century Japane- on the way to work, past pastel-hued love se into modern English, never visited Japan. When with fake ivy running up the façade to balus- asked why, he replied that it would spoil things for trades that look like they are made of icing sugar. him. Many decades later a similar response came I’ve seen the dawn come up in Golden Gai, the from a very different writer. In a 1984 interview, Eric souk of tiny ramshackle bars that stands as a living Van Lustbader, author of The Ninja and several other monument to the heyday of Japan’s counter-culture best-selling thrillers set in Japan, admitted that he in the nineteen sixties and seventies. had never been anywhere near the country. “I don’t My retina have been blasted by ten thousand fizzing, want to go there,” he stated. “I don’t want to confront scrolling invitations to hedonistic excess in the neon the crowds and pollution and industrialization. That’s wonderland of Kabuki-cho, the largest pleasure dis- not the Japan I fell in love with in Japanese art.” trict in the country that invented pleasure districts. Westerners who refused to visit the actual Japan in I’ve watched a man clutching a briefcase ascend an order to preserve an idealized mental image were escalator in a deserted station, as isolated as a figure at least honest in their assessment of what they re- in an Edward Hopper painting. I have been that man. quired from Japan: which was to be a fiction. Those I’ve stood in the Tokyo Stock Exchange and watched that did visit the country usually portrayed a zone the flashing stock prices – red for gains, green for of indecipherable Otherness, an alternative reality losses – signal the latest tidal flows in the enormous, where superficial similarities merely accentuated ra- ever-restless ocean of finance. dical inner difference. I’ve watched the tancho cranes strut and preen Lafcadio Hearn, one of the earliest and most in- like tango dancers in the Kushiro marshland and fluential Japanologists, describes his arrival “in inhaled the sulphurous fumes belching from Mount a world where land, life and sky are unlike all that Aso’s caldera. I’ve not only admired the vermillion one has known elsewhere” as like entering “the maple leaves that symbolize autumn, but eaten old dream of a world of elves.” The incompre- them fried too. hensibility of written Japanese was a key factor. I’ve handed over elaborately designed envelopes Hearn – like film critic and writer Donald Richie a containing banknotes at and funerals. I’ve century later – never learned to read or write Ja- sat in front of hundreds of smartly-suited young men panese. For him, the kanji characters that adorned and women being inducted into the life of a corpora- the streets were a form of abstract art rather than a te employee. I’ve gazed at their bright eager faces communication system conveying often quite ordi- and then at the pouched eyes and lined cheeks of nary messages. the senior executives to either side of me who are Many different Japans have been conjured up by their future selves. the needs of the Western psyche, from the quaint In our flattened, networked world of incessant digi- lotus land of Madame Butterfly to the weird, alie- tal babble and information overload, there is a rarity nating neon playground of Sophia Coppola’s Lost premium for the polar opposite – high quality work in Translation; from the sinister aggressor of the born of craftsmanship, long experience and intima- “yellow peril” journalism of the early twentieth te knowledge. Hans Sautter has spent the best part century to the ruthless industrial competitor of the of five decades in Japan. He is an insider looking 1980s as depicted in the novel and film Rising around him, not an outsider looking in. He sees what Sun. Japanese citizens have been likened to ants is there and makes it fresh. Even those of us who by French Prime Minister Edith Cresson. To Albert have walked though these photographs before see Einstein, they were “pure souls, as nowhere else the scenes as if for the first time. amongst people.” “The whole of Japan is a pure invention. There is no Britney Spears was equally straightforward: "I've such place. There are no such people.” never really wanted to go to Japan. Simply because So declared Oscar Wilde, the Irish playwright and I don't like eating fish. And I know that's very popu- wit, in his essay “The Decay of Lying.” To Wilde, in- lar out there in Africa." vention, artifice and lying were the essence of art For most of its history, modern Japan has been an 3 object of fear, admiration, delight, lust, amusement, six broad themes – Metropolis, Nature, Costume, curiosity, flattery, condescension and ignorance. Sacred, Ritual, and Aesthetic. Within the categories, But always an object of the Western gaze, exami- you find propositions and equally valid counter-pro- ning the scenery from the outside, with an implicit positions. Within Metropolis there is the structured agenda of comparing and contrasting rather than calm of the Kyu Shiba Rikyu garden and also the seeing things in their own terms. There are good pandemonium of the nightlife. Within Na- historical reasons why that should have been so ture, you see the twisted roots of a primeval forest and why that phase is now over. in Yakushima and also a mountainside covered by The Restoration of 1868 marked the point an anti-landslide wall that looks like a huge concre- when Japan officially kicked off its modernizati- te waffle. Within Aesthetic, you can find austerely on program, which was the only way to preserve beautiful ceramic bowls, ten foot tall transformer its independence from the marauding and territo- robots, the chalky-white neck of a geisha, family rially acquisitive Western powers. From then until crests that have been in use for the best part of relatively recently, Japan was the only large non- a millennium and Hello Kitty, the mouthless feline Western country to achieve Western standards of icon that appears on all kinds of goods, from pencil living and technology. From the Western perspec- cases to vibrators. tive, it was superficially becoming more like “us”, Costume is a way of telling stories about ourselves, while retaining a deeper “non-usness”, which which is a deep-seated human need; the fashion in- delighted and disturbed. Hence the old travel-book dustry is based on it. Hans shows us Japanese peop- cliché that Japan is a blend of the modern and the le formatting their identity in ways that are light-hear- traditional. That could be said of any Western coun- ted and deadly serious, as ephemeral as this year’s try too, but the specificity of a culture is largely invi- pop sensation and as long-lasting as Shinto myth. sible when experienced from the inside. Rituals remind us that we are individuals but also Japan was also remote geographically and protec- social creatures linked to what came before us and ted by barriers of language and cost. Few Wester- what will come after. They are conducted in special ners had direct experience of everyday life in Ja- places like temples and tea ceremony rooms, but pan and ability to operate smoothly in the Japanese are also part of the ordinary routines of life such language. The mystery and exoticism remained in- as morning calisthenics and ceremonies at school tact and was often actively promoted by Western sports days. The Sacred is there to balance the pro- media and experts. In the 1980s when corporate fane. We need them both. Japan seemed invincible, there was a whole genre The reality of Japan, like the reality of life everywhe- of books that purported to analyze the wonders of re on the planet, defies simplification, categoriza- Japanese management in cultural terms – for ex- tion and generalization. Almost everything you say ample, referencing the fighting strategy of legendary about it is both wrong and right. To quote a current samurai Musashi Miyamoto. Journalists who co- phrase, “it is what it is” – polymorphic and inexhaus- vered Japan were incentivized, in career terms, to tibly dynamic. From this stream of events, Hans report items of bizarre trivia and keep returning to Sautter has captured moments and patterns, peop- the old standby of the Second World War – essen- le and objects and natural phenomena in a mosaic tially variations on Hearn’s “world of elves,” with of images that will dwell in your mind long after you added sex and brutality. have put the book down. In the past few decades, these particular conditions that created the Western gaze on Japan have disin- tegrated. Many non-Western countries are moderni- METROPOLIS zing rapidly, to the extent that the “us but not-us” po- Stephen Mansfield pulation now overwhelms the population of the West In Maurice Rheims’s book, La Vie étrange des in numbers. Nor is Japan any longer inaccessible to objets, a character, offering a collector a handful all but a tiny group of elite Westerners – diplomats, of sand mixed with crushed marble and porphyry, academics, journalists, and aesthetes – who could suggests, “Take this to your museum and say: ‘This create their own Japans and control the presentati- is ancient Rome.’” The Japanese equivalent of this on to their domestic publics. The internet has made episode might be a handful of gray, post-war ce- information on Japan available to everybody. In the ment dust, its best effort at antiquity. past twenty years, the number of visitor arrivals in Like all cities, the human societies inhabiting Japa- Japan has risen from four million to thirty million, nese metropolises are far greater than the sum of of which the overwhelming majority are from other their historical pasts or the physical components Asian countries. Other Asians see other Japans. and materials that constitute their archeological Oscar Wilde got one thing wrong – and it is an im- strata. In the pullulating, demographically engorged portant thing. The commonplace and the extraordi- hives of cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, host nary do not have to be polar opposites. The extraor- to endless cycles of birth and death, the forces of dinary is present in humdrum, everyday life if you renewal and replenishment are primary. know where and how to look. Hans Sautter does. As they engage in ongoing experiments in archi- In this volume, he has organized his images into tecture, town planning and lifestyle, Japanese cities

4 create a circulation of ideas, empirical metaphors blueprint, was hastily disassembled in favor of an and paradoxes based on the effects of passing time. anti-systemic model characterized by subversive The sense of regret, even bereavement, attached to freedoms. the loss of heritage buildings in Europe, is less acu- Today’s supercharged urban centers, fueled by un- te in the Japanese urban milieu, which is driven by bridled consumerism, illuminated by garish, fitfully disintegration, interruption, ruptures, and creative kinetic neon, and masses of signage, have created metamorphosis represented as progress. Every new a landscape akin to urban bricolage. In the cont- city structure, in this view of metro evolution, is an emporary Japanese city, a traditional preference opportunity to redefine the urban scape, to improve for the discreet, the modestly obtuse, is replaced on older archetypical forms. The visitor savors the by a craving for maximum visibility. In acquiring the strangeness of these cities in fleeting, incomplete added function of advertising props, Japanese ur- moments, akin to allowing the mind to freely navigate ban centers have been transformed into surfaces images contrived by an over-ingestion of psychotro- of running commercial text and scroll. In cities like pic drugs. And like a powerful chemical infiltration, these, where pedestrians for the most part only ever your own perception will determine whether you ex- see one side of a building, the one overlooking the perience the city as a wonderland or nightmare. street, views are flattened into two-dimensional pla- The rectilinear boulevards of 19th-century Paris, de- nes. This sequential, episodic experience of the signed in part to supersede a cobweb of medieval city is narrative set on constant replay, or re-write, alleys easily barricaded by the Communards, and the text as fresh, or shallow, as urgently produced the formal grid of urban planner Ildefons Cerdà i as the script for a TV advertisement. With one set Sunyer’s Barcelona are models of important urban of commercials trying to scramble contiguous si- centers that have adapted well to the imperatives of gnals, style can subsume substance. The result the modern age. It would be a simplification to say is architecture that, buried under a morass of text that Japanese cities, once defined by a relatively messages and images, runs the risk of becoming formal order, have succumbed to entirely formless secondary. In the contemporary Japanese city, it is disorder, but this is invariably the first impression. not heritage buildings but electronic screens that Unlike the calculated irrationality of Surrealist art, in embody the flow of time. which the omission of logical co-ordination between The downside of perpetual change are cities with objects and the collapse of spatial assumptions no memory, or at best, accuracy-prone collective ignite the imagination with limitless possibilities, retention. Few of the structures in Japan’s most Tokyo’s jumble of structures and signage is apt to prominent cities are historically original. Like lite- merely baffle. Compounding the dissonances is a rature and film, often requiring a voluntary suspen- stylistic fondness for the kitsch. Donald Richie went sion of disbelief, to fully appreciate architectural so far as to assert that Japan was “a kingdom of reconstructions in Japan, the viewer must enter kitsch and Tokyo is its kapital. Mt Fuji ends up as a into a suspension of attachment to the authentic. tissue dispenser, and the Buddha’s sandals – three From the Japanese perspective, replicating the meters high – adorn a ferro-concrete temple preten- past is a means to understanding the process of ding to be timber.” In the end, the infidelities of style tradition. The reconstructed castles of Nagoya and are so prodigious you cease to even notice them. Osaka, with their ferroconcrete buttresses and ele- It wasn’t always like this. In photographer Felice vators, are admired for their progressive additions Beato’s 1865 Panorama of Yedo from Atagoyama, rather than ostracized as adjuncts to architectural a monochrome image consisting of five combined duplication. albumen prints, we see a singularly ordered, ca- If European cities, with strict preservation laws and refully zoned city. Japan’s Edo era (1603–1868) zoning regulations, are models of controlled order was micro-managed and class stratified to a de- and surveillance in the higher cause of heritage, Ja- gree that edicts and proscriptions were issued panese cities epitomize creative anarchy driven by on everything from the materials used in building economic imperatives, novelty, and a thirst for re- a house, the quality and type of food permissible newal. This presupposes the risk of mediocrity, and for consumption, how language, to the usage of yet these cities represent some of the most elec- grammatical modifiers, verbs and pronouns could trifying urban spaces on earth. Ultimately Tokyo, be employed, to the deployment and striking of fa- with its economic ascendance and cultural dyna- cial and gestural expressions, the colors and type mism, is the most visible touchstone for change. As of fabrics that could be worn, and even the type of its memory landscapes are lost, however, the creed material that could be utilized in footwear straps. of impermanence becomes a catalyst for psychic The planning of Japanese cities and castle towns instability in an amnesiac city. was based on a preconceived matrix of auspici- Contemplating the wonders and caprices of the ous geomancy, social hierarchies and delineated fictive metropolis of Eutropia, Italo Calvino wro- trade districts, a formal space defined and mana- te, “Mercury, god of the fickle, to whom the city is ged by an intrusive, unassailable authoritarian or- sacred, worked this ambiguous miracle.” Tokyo der. With the dissolution of the totalitarian state, the also has its presiding deities. Ebisu, the god of feudal city prototype, a political as much as social commerce, is a prominent figure, but so too is Ben-

5 ten, female patron of music and the arts, a sensual, counterbalancing presence, radiating higher aspi- NATURE rations, tempering venality. If Tokyo has renounced Holly Thompson a material past that consolidates memory, the spirit Japan is a precarious, ever-shifting island and supernatural worlds endure. One need look no world. Geologically, this volcanic mountain further than the capital’s countless temples, shri- landscape lies at the meeting of Eurasian, North nes, mortuary halls, Buddhist home altars, ancient American, Pacific and Philippine Sea Plates. tombs and sarcophagi, to the primacy of ceremony, An entire archipelago under constant tecto- ritual and community festivals, or to the shadows nic stress, the country is prone to tremors that of corporate towers, where faith healers, numero- generate landslides, subsidence and tsunamis. Of logists, palmists, and fortune-tellers ply their trade, Japan’s more than 100 active volcanoes, including to sense the spirit in the machinery of modern life, iconic Mount Fuji, some erupt every few decades, to feel time bending backwards. These concrete others lie still for ages then violently erupt, rendering cities, we must conclude, pulsate with supra-natu- swaths of land uninhabitable for years. In Japan, the ral forces, their shape-shifting forms supporting a earth is always in motion. spiritual cosmology that forms a power grid of se- The country stretches diagonally southwest to mi-invisible, but palpably sensed forces. Extending northeast, comprising six main islands with over the metaphor of a city devoted as much to the spi- 6,000 smaller islands. The climate ranges from ritual as the commercial, we find in the relentless subtropical to subarctic, with altitudes higher than superimposing of buildings, each new structure 3,000 meters, creating diverse ecological hab- usurping the previous, a cityscape embodying the itats. More isolated islands contain unique eco- Buddhist notion of mujo, impermanence. systems, particularly Ogasawara, Izu, and Ryukyu The common contention that Tokyo is less a islands – all designated endemic bird areas. city than a series of villages may seem im- Anywhere in Japan, the sea is never very distant – plausible in the contemporary context, but just 114 kilometers away at its farthest points. The when you move from the corporate central meeting of currents creates rich marine life and districts of the city, the icy beauty of their buildings, abundant fisheries. Squid are caught under isaribi the air perceptibly changes. A warming takes place. lights; seaweeds are cultivated and dried along be- The human temperature rises. It would be a mista- aches; and shellfish are brought up by divers, some ke, therefore, to characterize Tokyo as a machine, in the old ama tradition. The seas have always been a centrally controlled mechanism, as one prominent a sustaining resource yet can also become a dest- writer did. Cities are not machines, though well- ructive force. On islands so prone to eruptions, lubricated ones like Tokyo possess mechanisms undulations and tsunami, and assaulted by mons- to forestall lassitude, indolence, decline. Far from oons and typhoons that turn quiet rivers into insati- being an industrial fabrication, the city, in its radi- able dragons, inhabitants are cognizant that towns cal unorthodoxy, is a model of creative evolution, and entire coastlines can be undone in a moment. perpetual mutation. Arguably, Tokyo is the prototy- An abiding awareness of transience imbues this pe of these cities of temporality, metro-scapes that country so vulnerable to nature’s whims. prioritize attachment to ideas over form, that attempt Since ancient and classical times, nature and culture to forestall the decomposition of time with persis- have been closely connected. Early guiding myths tent facial surgery. Tokyo’s greatness rests not in an and belief in spiritual forces evolved into Shin- august past, of which there is scant evidence and toism. Buddhism arrived from continental Asia in the little interest, but in an endearing optimism about sixth century, and the two religions assimilated into the future, a conviction that the best is yet to come, Japanese culture, with sacred spaces located by that the present is a preliminary for something truly natural elements - trees, water, mountains, stones. extraordinary. Both religions became integrated into daily life, in- The powerful electromagnetism of the city gene- terwoven with the natural world. In Shintoism, foods rates an exuberance, an effervescence of largely are offered, chants spoken and sprigs of purifying unfettered ideas and experimentation that, ultima- sacred sasaki trees waved in ritual attempts to ap- tely, accelerates the dissolution of antiquity, con- pease kami and influence nature – for abundant rice firming Tokyo’s preference for deliquescence and harvests, safe births, calm seas. In Buddhism, one regeneration. In its ingenuous anarchy, a creative strives for harmony with all beings, and Zen practice formlessness that is fluid rather than rigid in its refu- includes ongoing examination of the natural world. sal to bend to an overarching plan, lies its essential Ancestor worship includes harvest offerings, fires to humanity and originality. guide spirits during Obon observance, and spring Home to the highest nocturnal concentration of light and autumn equinox ceremonies to venerate family on the planet, one senses the air filling with elec- ancestors. trons, thunderheads of impending change massing High annual precipitation – nearly 1,700 millime- behind this most existential of cities. How you res- ters – impacts the ecology and psyche of this um- pond will depend on whether the city liberates or brella-wielding country. Rainy season hits in early incarcerates you. summer, greening rice paddies and deepening

6 hydrangea hues. Typhoons arrive in summer and represent mountains, seas, islands, or symbolic fall. Snow falls heavy in northern Japan, alpine areas turtles and cranes; in humble tea house gardens, and along the Japan Sea coast. Spring snowmelt with rough stone paths alluding to distance; in tiny courses down steep slopes. Mist catches in valleys. tsubo-niwa courtyard gardens, with elements crea- All this dampness means vegetation thrives, and the ting the illusion of space; and in strolling gardens, landscape grows lush, quickly. with carefully grouped and pruned trees, borro- Some 70 percent of Japan is covered by forest, half wed scenery, imitated mountains, waterfalls, lakes, of it natural. While old-growth massive specimens and islands in reduced scale. While many strolling like the Jomon sugi cedar on Yakushima Island gardens have become de facto miniature wildlife have mostly disappeared, logged centuries ago, sanctuaries – some as rookeries for herons and they still dot the archipelago – protected and rever- egrets – most formal Japanese gardens include art- ed on temple and shrine grounds, in village cen- ful tree pruning or niwaki training; what may appear ters, or hidden in deep forest. Ancient solo giants of natural is actually art with nature as medium. gingko, camphor and other species offer glimpses Since classical times, nature has been evoked in- of what had been common features. doors via traditional Japanese arts – with seaso- Human settlements have clustered along river del- nal flora and fauna depicted in decorative fusuma tas or coasts, in flatlands or valleys. Rural satoya- sliding doors, folding screens, ink paintings and ma – cooperatively managed agriculture and forest woodblock prints; painted onto kimono silk; and in areas where humans and nature coexist in balan- ceramics glazes. Within a receiving room’s toko- ce – have been features of Japan’s landscape for noma alcove, nature is referenced through seaso- centuries. In satoyama villages, flooded rice fields nal hanging scroll, flower arrangement, or pottery. in flatlands or on contoured hillsides were home to Interior and exterior spaces used to be linked via frogs, fish, and insects that attract water birds and engawa verandas but now rarely feature them. small mammals; tea and citrus were cultivated on New homes and urban high-rise apartments may terraced slopes; reeds and grasses provided roof- still have tokonoma alcoves, but garden spaces ing material and livestock fodder; hardwood forests may exist only between glass walls or in pots on provided leaf litter for fertilizer plus wood for cook- small terraces. ing and heating; bamboo groves yielded durable In literature, since the eighth century, Japanese material for implements. Until the 1950s, Japan’s nobility have composed poetry of seasonal topics. largely agrarian population lived where life followed Literary forms such as waka court poetry, tanka, seasonal agricultural rhythms and rituals interwoven and haiku have vividly limned nature and its cultu- with growing cycles. The old Japanese lunar ca- ral connotations. Now kigo dictionaries offer easy lendar divided the year into 72 micro seasons, such access to seasonal words – references to insects, as “fish emerge from the ice” in early spring or “deer birds, flowers – to evoke nature in poems and every- shed antlers” during winter solstice. day communication. Greetings to neighbors include But rural perspectives toward nature have been comments on the weather; city dwellers open formal eclipsed. The number of farmers has dropped pre- emails with seasonal references. cipitously, young people have migrated to metro- Perhaps nature’s greatest threat in Japan is con- polises, and labor shortages intensified. Decrease struction. While limited arable, stable land has in vegetated land has caused plants and animals always led to dense settlement pockets, postwar to become isolated. Unmanaged, abandoned farm rapid urbanization combined with the rise of a po- villages have created ecological shifts, enabling werful construction industry has resulted in trans- bamboo and invasive plants to spread and large formed landscapes. Concrete tetrapods, break- mammals like wild boar, Japanese macaque, and waters, and other artificial structures now line at Asiatic black bear to proliferate. The once-agrarian least 50 percent of Japan’s coasts. Typhoon and nation has turned nearly 80 percent urban. tsunami walls rise high, blocking out the sea. Val- Urban lifestyles have tilted Japan’s population away leys are submerged to dam rivers for electricity from interacting directly with nature. Seasons are and water control. Highways obscure waterways now highly commercialized affairs marked by de- beneath, and rivers are reshaped with concrete partment store, supermarket, restaurant and tra- embankments. Instead of soil, new urban homes vel campaigns. Seasonal blooms – plum, cherry, are surrounded by concrete collars. Tidal flats and hydrangea – are visited en masse, and seasonal marshlands are reclaimed, and cities are built far foods are big business. out into bays. Tunnels are bored, hills sliced in half, Most Japanese today experience nature in cultiva- and mountain slopes stabilized with intricate capes ted forms at public parks and gardens, temples and of concrete reinforcement. Nature is respected and shrines, theme parks and aquariums. Foliage and revered – only so long as a construction project blossom illuminations draw huge crowds, some tur- doesn’t interfere. ning into garish spectacles. In today’s Japan, nature and culture are certainly In Japanese gardens, nature has a long history of more distant and estranged, far less interwoven being contained, trained, imitated and culturalized than in the past. Yet nature often has the last say in – in Zen gardens, where plants, stones, and water Japan. The archipelago is in perpetual flux. Earth-

7 quakes, floods, tsunami and volcanoes can strike at A few years ago, our house required remodeling to any time. And afterward, when land, skies and seas add private rooms for our aging parents. A professi- settle, egrets wade back into the rice paddies, wag- onal in blue-collar work clothes inspected the house tails flit alongside riverbanks, and bush warblers trill and declared it of excellent construction. When he ho-ke-kyo into the morning. came back with two other carpenters to start remo- deling, he looked completely different. All three men wore woolen shirts, flaring tobi trousers, canvas and COSTUME natural rubber jikatabi shoes with the big toe sepa- Charles T. Whipple rated. With wooden toolboxes on their shoulders I’ll never forget the first time I watched the opening and tool belts around their waists, they were obvi- ceremonies of the Japan National High School ously traditional carpenters, and we knew that we Baseball Championship. Forty-nine teams marched could entrust our home to them. into the stadium in military-style lockstep, each in- Tobi trousers were adapted from the uniforms of terchangeable with any other. Uniforms spotless the Japanese Imperial Army, which based theirs on and in perfect condition, these young men were English knickerbockers. Some four generations of completely ready for the trial of their short lifetimes. carpenters have worn tobi trousers with pride; uni- There is a saying in Japan, “You must look the part forms that portray their roles in life. before you can adequately do it.” Shonosuke Okura is a 16th-generation Noh drum- Japanese children learn to wear uniform- mer. By day, he is a biker, dressed in black leathers like items early on – preschoolers never go outside and riding a big BMW machine. He parks the BMW without colored caps with flaps to protect their necks at the back door of the National Noh Theatre hours from the sun. The caps are most often yellow so mo- before his performance begins. When Shonosuke torists can immediately recognize them. Grammar changes into his Noh clothing, his face takes on a schools vary in terms of uniform requirements, but gravitas only centuries of tradition can produce. Tra- most do not mandate them. In junior high, students velers to Japan often see this transfiguration. A visit are thrust into a society of strict uniformity – in dress to shrines and temples shows people dressed in requirements and comportment. Junior high society traditional robes. Shrine maidens. Priests. Pilgrims. is rigid and vertical. The uniforms are usually dark “On the Noh stage, we find ourselves between a trousers and white or light blue shirts for boys, plaid world of the present and a world of the past,” com- skirts and white or light blue blouses for girls – often mented Okura. “We must dress appropriately.” in “sailor” modes. Blazers are common. Thus, when Shoryu and Yohji Hatoba, a father and son team a student enters junior high, the nationally manda- that designs kamon family crests and other items, ted molding process begins in earnest, continu- also dress carefully for their parts. Whenever they es for six years until entry to college or workforce. go outside their atelier or officially invite someone to School uniforms end then, but no one gets away visit, they don traditional Japanese kimono. “We put from dress codes. a great deal of thought into how we dress oursel- At night, I often take walks around the neighborhood. ves. You see, we want people to realize we treasure My fellow walkers usually wear black tights, walking Japan’s traditions and know how to wear kimono shorts, Under Armour T-shirts, windbreakers, and of- properly. That’s important.” Their grooming and ten a head sweatband. They dress the role. “Even dress are always faultless. the way people dress often appears stagey,” writes Before Japan opened its doors to the world in 1868, Ian Buruma, “Japanese, on the whole, like to be iden- societal classes were samurai, farmers, artisans, tified and categorized according to their group or oc- merchants, in that order, and a fifth class of out- cupation, rather than simply as individuals.” casts. Each class dressed differently, to be instantly Yoshimura is a fine Japanese restaurant in Kanazawa. recognizable. Only samurai had swords. It was a Eating there is like partaking of a performance done rigidly regimented life. just for you. Everyone behind the counter Traditional matsuri festivals were and are a way to alike, pristine white and pressed, in jacket and cap. break out of regimentation by dressing for another Owner-chef Yoshimura’s cap sports a tiny number 1. part. Young men and women dress up in happi The other three also have theirs: Number 1 is for Ita- coats and loincloths to carry the shrines, and this mae, the person who stands before the cutting board. wear seems to release them from the confines of Number 2 is Itamuko, standing across from Number 1 social conformity. How unlike the constricting dress at the cutting board. Number 3, Itawaki, stands to the of maiko and geisha and , who can only walk side of the cutting board, ready to lend a hand. Num- with mincing steps. ber 4 is the youngster, oimawashi, who runs around, Some traditional festivals are akin to costu- obeying demands of the others. Watching those white- me parties. Fukushima’s Soma-no-Maoi uniformed professionals flawlessly prepare food fit Festival has been held for a thousand years, they for a samurai lord is like watching a well-orchestrated say, and is based on a revolt against the Imperial ballet, each dancer moving separately but together throne in the 10th century. It may be the biggest in a culinary symphony. You see this in any traditional costume event in Japan, with hundreds of people Japanese restaurant. donning clothing and gear to transpose themselves

8 into another time and place: horse soldiers decked “Life is but a poor player,” said Macbeth, and in Ja- out in ancient armor or replicas, ladies of the court, pan each role requires dress that signals its cont- tenders of the horses, and more. ent. And for many, that dress is a way to escape a Japan loves military cosplay, a word coined by humdrum daily existence. Nobuyuki Takahashi in 1984. Kazuhiro Hiroi, bet- ter known as Duke, is not only a descendent of the Seiwa Genji military family but also a former Self De- RITUAL fense Force information officer and small arms expert. Eugene Tarshis He produces mock battles. Dozens of aficionados Ritual sets the time signature and framework for gather in full combat gear, some arriving in WWII- the passing seasons as well as how we respond era jeeps, to play their roles in mock battles he pro- to each occasion in the turning year: sanctification, duces. “It’s a ‘Let’s pretend’ game,” Duke says, “and purification, or celebration. It connects us not only I do my best to help participants have an extraordi- to elemental cycles of life and cosmic forces but nary and satisfying experience.” Cosplay at its finest. also to social identity and conformation to group Costumes can be freeing. A dyed-in-the-wool values. In this way, ritual liberates or subjugates businessman who daily dresses properly can don a the participant, resulting in heightened awareness military uniform from the past, allowing him to move of self and other or in modifying behavior and cha- beyond workday strictures to become a different en- racter to fit social values and cultural identity at the tity. To cosplay aficionados, nothing is more thrilling expense of individuality. than to make an appearance as a favorite charac- The latter is a ritualism that has always been import- ter from a movie or manga book. Some of what ori- ant in Japan, playing a vital role everywhere as a bu- ginally may have been cosplay ultimately became reaucratic ethos: home, community, school, company, fashion-changing trends that rebel against traditions. and society. Ritualized content and context not only Lolita fashion, for example, begun about 1987, can guarantee routine that establishes uniform rules of still be seen in Harajuku. Gothic Lolita, usually con- conduct in social interaction and at work but are key sisting of black and dark colors, still shows up there. to smooth functioning and unity. Compulsive molding Other such fashion statements include gyaru, with its of behavior and development to conform to expected vanguard of ganguro dark makeup and decorated norms dominates Japanese life and can lead to re- nails; decora, in which girls wear a plain hoodie and pression and coerced submission to the group. short skirts and decorate to their heart’s content; and The size and type of ritual stage in Japan may dif- visual kei, inspired, they say, by glam rock. These fer – seashore or waterfall, parade ground or school trends allow people to put on a new persona that ground, mountain shrine or city temple, boardroom liberates them from everyday strictures. or boulevard, firehouse or teahouse – but every rite A woman walks the halls of a huge shopping mall has its actors, directors, set designers, stagehands, with a confident stride, neckerchief reminiscent of an and maybe some musicians. Costume design is airline cabin attendant, and uniform militaristic with a priority, especially elaborate for shrine maiden, epaulettes and collar piping. A metal nametag shows priest, or mountain ascetic; festive or sacred occa- just above her right breast pocket, and a walkie- sion, kendo match, or otaku cafe. talkie hangs from a cord over her shoulder. She stri- Shinto and Buddhist sects have their own rituals, des to a pair of doors that say “Off Limits,” stops, occasionally practicing the same one with variation. does an about-face, places her brightly shined This also occurs in mountain asceticism (Shugen- shoes over two footprints that face the busy mall. As do). Seated meditation in Zen Buddhism is practiced shoppers rush and ramble by, she bows a strict 45 facing a wall by the Rinzai sect and facing outward degrees, turns, and pushes her way into the inner by Soto Zen. The fire rite of goma-homa conducted sanctum. She works for the mall. by Tendai and Shingon Buddhists has its equivalent Similarly uniformed men and women keep watch, in Shinto purification and in symbolic rebirth of sea- work information booths, hawk new credit card sonal Shugendo austerities. schemes, guide parties of tourist shoppers, and so Local and countrywide folk rituals around Japan – ar- on. They exemplify the Japanese penchant for uni- row divination, demon exorcising, rainmaking – are forms. The Self Defense Forces are uniformed, as countless. are police, fire brigades, Coast Guard, emergency Watch or join any rite in Japan and you find some rescue squads, private security company person- cultural ceremonies have sacred nuance or origin nel, postal workers, junior and senior high students, and some sacred rituals have a cultural history and to name a few. Even Japan’s white collar workers social value. The Buddhist-Shinto Festival of Bro- wear uniforms – dark suit, usually navy blue, white ken Needles, for example, has been held across or very light colored shirt, conservative tie, company Japan for 400 years – begun by homemakers and badge in the lapel, well-shined shoes, and dark seamstresses to honor their spent beloved tool – socks. According to the Japanese, writes Brian with roots in animist belief in the sacredness of all McVeigh, “dress uniformity disciplines the minds things and in the moral attitude of no waste. and bodies for the planned, coordinated, regulated, Oto Matsuri, held in the town of Shingu, Wakayama and organized accumulation of capital.” Prefecture, goes back 1,400 years as an act of

9 purification to assure good harvest and more. The by a student or colleague who assumes respon- whole town is in a festive mood, and everyone works sibility for equals to follow school or company to make things ready. Women are not allowed to par- policy. Section chief or homeroom teacher will ticipate in the festival but cook and attend to matters finish the meeting with remarks reinforcing amo- like seeing their men and boys have all they need. ral code instilled in employee or student from an Participants, known as noboriko (“those who climb”), early age. eat food only of white color – symbol of purity – du- The second Monday of January sees the year’s ring festival day, February 6. Most are dressed by first rite of passage in the Coming of Age ceremo- mid-afternoon: thin white robe and headwear; three ny, which effects the wearing of elaborate kimono or five or seven coils of straw rope (another purifying by women and traditional trousers or dark suits by element) at the waist, finished in a vertical knot at men, all reaching the age of 20 in the previous year. the back; and lace-up straw sandals. The knot is for Hosted by city or town office, Seijin Shiki, conceived comrades or spirits to grab hold of the wearer falling in 1948 to denote entry to adulthood with its atten- into harm’s way. dant responsibilities and standing in society, has The ceremony commences just after sundown, be- also become an occasion to vie for best dress. hind the red torii gate of Kamikura Shrine high up on New today receive the legal right to drink alco- a cliff, where legend says the gods first descended. hol, smoke, and vote. Some attendees at civic ceremo- Ascent to the shrine, which overlooks the coastal nies heckle the guest speaker or attend to cellphone town below, is precipitous and dangerously texting. Post-event celebration ranges from well-man- dizzying – even by day – for the sheer verticality of nered to rowdy. Some ceremonies are held in theme the twisting path rising among ancient trees. parks like Tokyo Disneyland. Some 2,000 males – young and oldish – will need a The ritual calendar in Japan begins with a feast fiery spirit to climb the rocky trail of 538 steps in the of symbolic dishes and visiting family tombs and dark to squeeze into position inside the precinct of ends with “forget-the-year” parties recalling highs the clifftop shrine and tensely await the priest who and lows of the preceding twelve months, cleaning sets fire to their unlit meter-long torches of cypress, house, and, conclusively, tolling a temple bell to ring prayers or wishes written on the staves. out the old year and ring in the new with 108 strikes, Noboriko then light one another’s torches and ex- each peal purifying an earthly desire or attachment. plode from the shrine to race down that tortuous In the harsh north, on Oga Peninsula, serious ritu- 800-year-old path, a “waterfall of fire and flaming al mischief erupts on New Year’s Eve. Among folk dragon” (says a local song), shouting in mad pursuit rituals possibly predating Buddhism, Namahage is to reach the trailhead torii gate below. Family and surely one of the most vividly dramatic. Demonic friends await their return. Hours later, in the calm af- figures in other-world straw costumes and ghou- ter the firestorm, burnt torches are saved for a New lish masks visit households at night, terrifying to all Year offering. ages, petrifying children to behave and new- Torchbearers and their loved ones emerge from this comers (, e.g.) to rise early and work hard. baptism of fire with searing insight into the legacy Origin theories of these figures include Shugendo that informs their lives, an awareness they say they ascetics and mountain gods. share with generations past, present, and future. One ritual held any time is the tea ceremony. The Equally devoted are private ceremonies practiced in path to teahouse or tea hut is meticulously swept a quiet space conducive to reflection or meditation. clean and then sprinkled with a few leaves and More than a few homes greet the day with the chime twigs at strategic points to appear natural and assu- of a brass bowl-shaped bell on a tiny cushion and the re that sterility doesn’t mar a perfect plainness and scent of incense emanating from the family altar de- the aesthetic of simplicity. This obsessive attention dicated to elders who have passed. It will be Budd- to detail is given to every moment of the tea cerem- hist or Shinto, with a photo of the departed, sacred ony, one of the most rigorously prescribed cultural statue, or mandala scroll present. Someone lights pursuits in Japan: strictly choreographed from entry incense, chants a prayer for those “gone to the Other through the narrow square opening (requiring remo- Shore” or asks for help or guidance, and lifts a small val of swords) to bowing, preparing and serving tea, wood clapper to end with a quick strike of the bell. receiving and drinking it, gazing appreciatively at Middle school is where future behavior in compa- tea bowls, until departure. The etiquette and relation nies, families, and society is molded, methodically of host and guest are highly formalized, imprinting monitored by teachers and modelled by set ritu- that behavior in attendees. Yet within this rigidity are als, many begun in elementary education. Morning symbols of yin-yang harmony – fire tongs set be- homeroom meetings before the start of classes side water vessels – and engaging with mindless prefigure the morning company meeting before the mindfulness, the ultimate mode and motive of every workday. It is a time of announcements, behavio- traditional Japanese art, craft, and meditation. ral prescriptions and proscriptions, prize awarding, The impact of ritual in Japan is on the body and opinion polling, and other matters. mind of the participant. To witness such ceremony Under the watchful eye of the homeroom tea- with feet on the ground – even from the sidelines – is cher or section chief, the meeting is conducted to be in sync with those who have a stake in it.

10 naged to birth the metal, earth, and water deities in SACRED her body waste. She passed into the underworld, Eugene Tarshis pursued by her grieving husband. found the Barefoot and belly-deep in a shallow confluence of decay of his wife amid maggots and other putrefac- the Mogami River, I stood fast in the third of six realms tion so revolting that he expressed disgust and fled. of being, as a Shugendo rite prescribes. Shugendo is , enraged and shamed, sent a brigade of a practice of mountain ascetics, and the cosmology Furies to kill him. is Buddhist. In the predawn cold of early autumn, a Before leaving the underworld, Izanagi placed a long-held note from a conch shell signaled the start of boulder at the exit. Escaping back into this world, he chanted homage to the deities of three sacred moun- bathed in a river to cleanse himself of the pollution of tains in northern Japan. Thirty of us were there, palms death and impurities. While bathing, Izanagi washed together, chanting also for purification a la Shinto ritual. his left eye, giving birth to , Sun Goddess; Waters from the past, when the poet Basho wrote near- his right eye, birthing Tsukuyomi, Moon God; and, by about silence and stone and cicadas, flowed gently washing his nose, gave birth to Susanoo, Wind God. from behind me into an uncertain future of where these One day, after a prank by Susanoo led to the death of austerities would lead. her attendant, the Sun Goddess withdrew indignantly The borders between Shinto, Buddhism, and Shu- to a cave, plunging the world in darkness. Getting gendo in Japan are fluid and natural and are crossed her attention was the laughter of many gods at the without a thought. Shinto is the native keeper of the obscene dance of Ama no Uzume, Dread Female flame, the original technician of the sacred. Animist of Heaven, flaunting her breasts and genitals. Curi- belief, incantations, and divination figured into the folk ous to see what the ruckus was about, Amaterasu practices, shamanism, and myths informing its origins. stuck her head from the cave and was confounded A continental import of the sixth century, Buddhism by her image in a mirror hung by Ama no Uzume to was a nonnative species of belief with lines of trans- catch her out. A male deity pulled Amaterasu from mission, monastic rules, and sutras (texts on mind- the cave, and her warm light returned to the world. ful living). And Shugendo grew from a seamless That hinge moment in the creation myth – separa- grafting of three roots: Shinto and sects of Esoteric tion of death from life, vile from vital, and washing Buddhism, along with a stem of Taoism. off defilement by decomposition and excrement – is Buddhism is about knowing where you are and, ba- the source of sacred and secular purification. sed on that knowledge, acting with awareness of your- Other cultural legacies include the social stigma of self and others. Such understanding comes either shame; adapting to malevolent, generous, tricky, from within or from without, in this lifetime or the next. and playful aspects of the gods and goddesses to Shinto is about knowing where you are and appreci- placate or please them; the three Sacred Treasures ating the numinous presences and kami (god, god- of mirror, jewel, and sword. The mirror and jewel are dess, or spirit) inhabiting that place. Appreciation of used by the sexually powerful and lascivious Ama the divine shifts from childlike devotion to awe and no Uzume, Dread Female of Heaven, goddess of from capering nimbly in entertainment for the gods pleasure. Another legacy is (“pleasing to to immersion in wild, rugged nature. the gods”), a ceremonial dance and the oldest of Such sacred immersion is central to Shugendo, where the performing arts in Japan. Kagura was later per- there is respect and even devotion to a mountain or formed as a Shinto dance by shrine maidens, range. Only with extraordinary concentration and exer- descendants of the Dread Female. tion can the ascetic perform rituals honoring the moun- Perhaps the legacy most resonant in Japanese cul- tain to gain insight and power to heal or help others. ture is characterizing the natural world as pure or In the centuries after Buddhism arrived in Japan, primal, manageable or unmanageable. Response cosmic buddhas and Shinto kami became mutually to this dynamic continues today in the glorification inclusive. Belief in their coexistence made for a syn- of orgiastic fertility in furious festivals and as the cretism that led to temples on shrine grounds and harnessing of water and fire for rites in Shinto, Bud- shrine structures on temple grounds. Late in the 19th dhism, and Shugendo. Celestial fire would be ta- century, these shrine-temple complexes were broken med also for cultural pursuits like swordmaking, tea up by government edict, some eventually restored to ceremony, and pottery. their previous unity. Confrontation with beneficent or brutal divine forces Everything held sacred in Japan is linked, direct- – fair weather for crops or devastating earthquake – ly or indirectly, to its creation myth. The intertwined feeds respect and fear of wild nature. This drives the threads of Japanese culture and nature are sourced need to eliminate impurity, decay, and uncontrollable there, as are some lineaments of mandalas laid out growth – including spontaneity – seen in tortuous as sacred geography in Shugendo. shapes with ropes and splints of bonsai, ikebana, The seventh generations of gods to come after crea- and the garden “craft” technique of tree bondage tion of heaven and earth were Izanagi and his sister- known as niwaki. Leaves and undergrowth vital to wife Izanami. After the siblings created Japan’s biomes are removed during forest clean-ups, thus archipelago, Izanami gave birth to the god of fire removing the habitats and breeding grounds of but died of burns. From her rotting body, she ma- birds, insects, and other life.

11 Even at school, cleaning of rooms, halls, and grounds after class is a highly disciplined ritual in AESTHETICS which students learn to use brooms, rakes, and sho- Azby Brown vels carefully and conscientiously. Shin, gyo, so. High, medium, low. In Japanese cul- Ritual purification in Buddhism, Shinto, and Shugen- ture, aesthetics cannot exist without context and do prepares body, spirit, and mind for approaching expectation, and both the sophisticated and the and experiencing the divine. Any body of water will plebeian can be appreciated for the virtue and in- do for , primary mode of purification in Shinto terest they present. Convention and rules of taste and associated ritual cleansing, like bearing a por- make innovation possible, even necessary, and table shrine (mikoshi) into the sea. establish how originality is measured. Today as in In a mikoshi festival, the only rules of the past, this creative dynamic – high/low, conven- are rousing an unbridled spirit to make the gods tional/revolutionary – manifests in an astoundingly laugh. Everyone is intoxicated with festive bliss and rich, surprising, and diverse range of design and exuberant joy. Class distinctions disappear when creative language. In an era when global influences people of all ages and genders bear the weight are absorbed, shuffled, adapted, and endlessly re- of a god’s palanquin and share the burden of the composed, how can we say with any certainty what sacred. Festivals are a liberation from codified be- is or is not aesthetically “Japanese”? While in some havior and a valve to let off steam. instances our cultural experience explicitly tells us In daily life and in reciprocal relation with culture, so, in others we simply sense it. the sacred plays a visible and elementary role in Carefully composed celebrations of nature are Japan – from fashionable Buddhist rosary beads to an important constant in Japanese visual culture. small shrines on street corners. The impact of re- Muted color, paired with a dynamic composition ligious influence on response to nature includes a highlighting nature’s energy, captures an achingly virtual mapping of mountains and rivers: landscape evanescent and subtle beauty. This sensibility pri- as mandala and sutra as landscape. This Shugen- zes misty gloom and timorous outlines, but rarely do and Esoteric Buddhist practice creates a sacred the eye-popping sunset. Though Japan has days of geography inhabited by cosmic Buddhas and bo- clear light and sharp shadows, since ancient times it dhisattvas, where enlightenment may be attained has been a moist, misty place where the gods dwell by one and all. Such mindscapes host a complex in abundant forested shade. Small wonder that so array of textual symbols and ceremonies, including much of Japanese visual art seeks to capture this asceticism and seasonal pilgrimages. sensibility and remind us of these ancient origins. In Two particularly notable regions of the mandala- and the Japanese aesthetic rule book, however, nature sutra-mapped regions in Japan are on peninsulas. needs to be arranged and carefully framed, and is Within Kii Peninsula, Wakayama Prefecture, the rarely appreciated wild. Though nature-derived art Diamond Mandala (in the west) and the Womb forms like garden design and ikebana – as well as Mandala (in the east) are linked by a network most aesthetic activities developed in aristocratic of paths that wind along mountain ridges below contexts – have shin, gyo, and so modes, they’re cloudline and cross river valleys. Together, the highly rule-based and dominated by convention Diamond and Womb Mandala Realms manifest even when informal. such synergies as compassion and awareness It is said that at the Great Shrine at Ise, the home of that embrace Buddha mind and inhabit the illu- the mother goddess Amaterasu is blocked from view minated landscape. not to hide her fearsome beauty from our sight but On Kunisaki Peninsula, Kyushu Island, are den- to conceal our shameful and uncouth ugliness from sely forested valleys surrounding a mountain where hers. Nature is untamed yet serene. In this context, every character of the Lotus Sutra has been carved humanity brings the wildness. This is perhaps why into rock sculptures of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. It the Japan of subtle, subdued, clean lines and forms is as though villagers had deliberately invoked what coexists with the noisily festive and garish, or the un- Dogen, a monk, poet, and founder of Soto Zen in the abashedly prurient. To some degree, in the history of 13th-century, wrote: the path to awakening must in- the arts we’ve inherited, the characteristically simple corporate reading the text of the universe – stones, lines of Japanese teahouses, garments, or graphic grass, trees, sky. design represent the “Japanization” of more elabora- In these mindscapes, the mythic separation of pure te forms introduced from the Asian mainland beginn- and unclean delineates high and low grounds of ing in the sixth century. There is also a wild, robust being, some excluding women. It is possible, howe- sensibility that has persisted since before the cont- ver, to meet on such forbidden trails a hiking party inental East Asian culture of monks and aristocrats of elder women who laughingly ask who would dare arrived. We see this easily in traditional festivals, ta- stop them. lismans, dance, and humor, celebrating excess and Those who flout pious sanctions and dare to joy at having enough when poverty is the most com- approach the gods in numinous places in Japan, mon state, and speaking truth to power. The manma- mountaintop or street shrine, face the challenge of de is bursting with energy and will, and to profane carrying over that experience into worldly life. the sacred is almost a requirement, since many gods

12 have a raunchy sense of humor as well. The gaudy, with cutting-edge technology. As in every other ae- sexual, and slapstick are definitely “low” but nevert- sthetic sphere,“low” styles elbow their way into the heless knowing plays on context and expectation de- cityscape with hybrid vigor. Garish love hotels tu- pendent on layers of visual language and meaning. cked away in their accepted streetside contexts sell The Japanese visual aesthetic we encounter today fantasies of the erotic, the luxurious, the amusing. invariably exhibits these layers of history and refe- Visual cacophony reigns in every advertising-em- rence, all available for cultural play. The kimono, blazoned commercial district, where suggestions of for instance, is enmeshed in myriad rules of cont- Europe or California jostle noisily side by side with ext and expectation, beginning with color scheme, Japanese nostalgia. Japanese commercial esta- matched to age and marital status of the wearer – blishments have always enthusiastically deployed bright colors for young unmarried girls, muted tones witty signage and eye-catching architecture, and so for the elderly. Choices of flowers and other motifs it will undoubtedly continue, as painted signs give are to be suggestive of the season and the occasi- way to animated displays and undoubtedly one day on. Is the wearer the ’s mother? Is it a child’s soon to something virtual and holographic. It’s not name-giving ceremony? Celebration of the New by chance that the futuristic cities in Blade Runner Year? Accessories can be used to display wit and look Japanese. individuality. An obi may bear images which refer Impossible though it is to pin down, we believe we to a seasonal poem, a hairpin may recall a famous know the Japanese aesthetic when we see it. But sin- love story. The kimono is an eminently legible gar- ce context is everything for Japanese arts, we must ment, and the wearer a walking story of femininity allow that not all of it is equally exportable. Even the and its joys and trials. “low” and disposable domestically produced arts This is not so different from the use of visual langu- and design are experienced and understood here age in teen fashion trends like “Gothic Lolita.” Deri- with a deep cultural resonance, whereas overseas ved from lacy Victorian dolls and children’s books, it imports, in fashion or product design, for instance, emerged in the late 1990s from Tokyo’s Harajuku, a still carry a cachet of novelty. Conversely, Japanese hyper-energetic fashion center where people dress aesthetics are appreciated outside of Japan largely up to be noticed, as a transgressive and sexualized because of a similar novelty value. But the situation is slap at modesty. Like a funereal Alice in Wonder- increasingly complex. Earlier periods saw a growing land, where petticoats and childishness are paired Western appreciation for the arts of Japan, but the ex- with an adult sense of injury and impending doom, it plosion of overseas interest in Japanese popular cul- is linked to a genre of sexualized manga and ture such as manga and anime is really a turn-of-the- which invert the language of innocence into taboo millennium phenomenon. The languages of these erotic appeal. Like kimono, it has rules and appro- genres can encapsulate and re-encode much of the priate places and occasions. Both celebrate – or deeper aesthetics discussed above. Omnivorous, lament – aspects of femininity as experienced by the subcultures of Harajuku and Akihabara and the the wearers. Images of both can be found in the ser- kawaii imperative cannot touch an image without vice of masculine identity as well, lending a sense changing it. Stripped of its fundamentally defining of “grace” and the imaginary feminine ideal to the contexts of personal relationships and group identity- painted decoration of trucks or design of pachinko building, this visual culture can easily deflate into machines, along with a hint of nationalism. lifelessness. Amusing to the outside world becau- A glance across any creative field, like architecture, se of its “Japaneseness,” perhaps, but deprived of tells a similar story. In Japan, the most sophistica- something essential. ted traditional dwellings begin as a frame of natural Japanese society provides too much to engage with. materials pulled together to provide a restful place Everything that deserves to be known and cared for, to gaze on nature: a garden, often intended to sug- centuries of patrimony melded with whatever one’s gest the tranquility of a simple mountain hut. The friends are buzzing about, all washes over individuals subdued harmony of simple components is classi- like an exhausting deluge. More so perhaps than in cally beautiful: bare wood, clay walls, tatami mats, other contemporary cultures, people must find a way shoji screens. This way of building, known as sukiya to pick and curate their cultural touchstones, to learn to style, was perfected centuries ago and is conti- be Japanese at the same time they are finding them- nually renewed even today but rarely encountered selves. With so much available and constantly being in daily life outside of historical settings and villas reinvented, it seems that the majority appears content of the wealthy. By far the majority of buildings vi- to know that someone knowledgeable will be on hand sible in cities and countryside can be described as when the time comes to help select an appropriate “modern with Japanese features.” This hybridizati- kimono for graduation or a , that their beautiful on has evolved with enthusiasm since Japan’s mid- Shinto shrines will move them in a special way, and 19th-century opening to the West, sometimes in in- when the occasion calls for it they’ll be able to choose congruous and awkward ways but increasingly with interesting dishes on which to serve a special dinner, great creativity and panache. Japanese society has which might include finely interpreted ancient ceramic pushed modernism in architectural design to often motifs as well as Pokemon. And each will tell its own eye-opening extremes, mating traditional sensibility story, and the story will be theirs.

13 46 During the rush of the second industrial revolution CAPTIONS from 1950 to 1980, Japan continued a frenzied trans- METROPOLIS formation from an agricultural to industrial domain. As a 27 Tokyo is the largest metropolitan area in the wor- result, industrial and residential districts are often side ld, with a population of 38 million, and with Osaka, by side in metropolitan areas without regard to zoning. Japan's second-largest city (previous page), totals about 50 million people. But Tokyo is a restless place 47 The unmatched growth of mass-production led to of isolation amongst the swarm. Almost half of Tokyo's an exodus from rural areas to manufacturing centers households are singles, many of them elderly. and transformed the country to an urban society. This development brought acute problems of commuting, 33 Megacities are similar to the combs of a huge congestion, environmental pollution, and degradation. bee colony. Tokyo's entire road network is about 25,000 kilometers long and crisscrosses one of the 53 This 250-year-old private teahouse is in the center of most densely built-up urban areas in the world. The Osaka, right in the middle of the main business district. enormous maze of greater Tokyo's rail network has Surrounded by high-rise office buildings, invisible from 158 train lines and more than 2,000 stations. the street, it is a secluded oasis in the concrete jungle.

37 But pockets of comfort and pleasure are found 57 Today’s supercharged urban centers, fueled by even in the tangle of the concrete core. They exist in unbridled consumerism and illuminated by garish, hole-in-the-wall joints, alleys of residential neighbor- fitfully kinetic neon and masses of signage, have hoods, and entertainment areas. created a landscape akin to urban bricolage.

38 Concrete is the most used substance on earth 58 In the contemporary Japanese city, a traditional after water and synonymous with modern develop- preference for the discreet, the modestly obtuse, is ment. Cement has molded Japan’s government and replaced by a craving for maximum visibility. construction companies into a structure known as the construction state. Since 1985, an estimated 60 Buildings have a short life in Japan – Japane- 200 million metric tonnes have been poured into a se cities are constantly changing. Most houses are mountainous country slightly larger than Germany. built for a period of 30 years. Age is always negati- ve. As old buildings have no resale value, they are 40 Above the rivers now cast in concrete flows the torn down. Earthquakes, tsunami, and fire cultivate urban traffic on elevated highways. On the historic an acceptance of transience and permanent ch- Nihonbashi Bridge lies the centuries-old center of ange. Reconstruction means innovation. From the Edo (now Tokyo). To this day, the starting point of point of view of urban evolution, every new building several national roads is located here as kilomet- structure offers the chance to redefine the cityscape re zero. Hiroshige, the famous master of Japanese and improve older archetypal forms. woodblock prints, immortalized the former wooden bridge in his famous series about the 53 stations of 63 If Tokyo has renounced a material past that con- the Tokaido. solidates memory, the spirit and supernatural worlds endure. One need look no further than the capital’s 41 The world’s largest underground floodwater con- countless temples, shrines, mortuary halls, Buddhist trol facility, in Saitama Prefecture’s Kasukabe, ma- home altars, ancient tombs, and sarcophagi to the nages the overflow of Tokyo’s rivers and waterways primacy of ceremony, ritual, and community festivals, during heavy rains and typhoons. Its 6.3 kilometers or to the shadows of corporate towers, where faith of tunnels connect five containment silos, each one healers, numerologists, palmists, and fortune-tellers 65m high and 32m wide, and a gigantic water sto- ply their trade, to sense the spirit in the machinery of rage tank with 59 towering pillars. modern life, to feel time bending backwards.

42 The mighty presence of repressive architecture set 65 Extending the metaphor of a city devoted as in concrete and steel recalls the prophetic imaginings much to the spiritual as to the commercial, we find of Fritz Lang and George Orwell. But moving from cor- in the relentless superimposing of buildings, each porate central districts of the city, from the industrial new structure usurping the previous, a cityscape chill of their buildings, the air perceptibly changes. A embodying the Buddhist notion of impermanence. warming takes place. The human temperature rises.

44 Millions of commuters in Greater Tokyo squee- NATURE ze into crowded trains for an average of two hours 74 Japan lies at the seams of four continental pla- every day – the subways alone transport almost se- tes, which float along the Pacific Ring of Fire on the ven million people every day. Tokyo has the world's lithosphere. With over 100 active volcanoes and largest urban economy, with a total GDP of about more than 1,500 earthquakes per year, it is one of $1.8 trillion in 2017. the most seismically active countries in the world.

14 75 Like other volcanic regions of the world, destruc- ambivalence. Love of nature is not for the untouched tion by nature’s violent forces molds spectacular be- environment of the wild but mostly reserved for nature auty: volcanoes shape mountains surrounded by fer- reshaped and controlled by human hands. tile valleys, create rivers and lakes; and the chemistry of mineral-rich soil often leads to otherworldly results. 104 Before the transient beauty of the Japanese sa- kura, the plum trees first blossom in February (left). 79 Japan’s high annual precipitation – nearly 1,700 Nevertheless, it is above all the cherry blossom that mm – obviously impacts the ecology. Rainy season has been celebrated since the Nara period (710– hits in late spring, filling the rice paddies with water. 794) and saturated over the centuries with complex, Typhoons arrive during the humid summer months interwoven meanings. and are endured until autumn. 105 As the predominant icon of Japan and Japa- 85 Mist catches in valleys and fog blows in from the nese culture, the cherry blossom is revered for its seas. All this dampness means vegetation thrives, splendor and enthused about in the arts, especial- and the landscape grows lush, quickly. ly poetry. Sakura as symbol denotes matters of life and death, hope and renewal. 88 The Japanese archipelago consists of over 6,800 islands, about 430 of them inhabited. The long island 106-107 It is not only a haunting metaphor for the chain stretches 3,000km, from subarctic to subtropi- fleeting nature of existence but also an aesthetic cal, with a rugged coastline of nearly 30,000km. ideal that propagated the idea of Yamato-damas- hii, the Japanese soul or spirit, said to be an exclu- 91 No point in Japan is farther than 150 km from the sea. sive virtuous characteristic unique to the Japane- se people. During the time of Japanese fascism 95 The ever-present fear of earthquakes and tsuna- and especially World War II, Yamato-damashii was mis, of catastrophic typhoons and floods is expres- used to foment Japanese nationalism and sense sed in the unrelenting urge to tame the wild, unpre- of superiority. The sakura flower was the coat of dictable nature with all means and to protect the arms to fuse the nation and its people to totalitarian archipelago from its terrible elements. Concrete is state militarism. The melancholy aesthetics of sa- used without restraint in the process. kura were first mobilized and deployed by the sa- murai, who decorated their weapons with its emb- 96 Typhoon Hagibis in October 2019 was one of the lems. This culminated in kamikaze planes adorned largest and most violent hurricanes in history, with with sakura images and the piloted flying suicide wind speeds of over 240 kph. The photos show its im- bomb, Oka, or Cherry Blossom. The soldiers’ de- pact near the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula in the aths were to be like falling sakura petals sacrificed afternoon before landfall. Hagibis caused devasta- for the emperor. ting damage, especially in the Tokyo area. More than 100 people were confirmed as dead or missing. 109 Japan’s psyche is permeated by the aesthetic of the changing seasons. Conventional images like 97 Almost half of Japan's coastal landscape is co- cherry blossoms in spring and maple leaves in au- vered by concrete. Natural beauty and ecological tumn suffuse daily life, food, visual arts, and poetry. systems are destroyed by vast amounts of breakwa- ters, seawalls, and cemented surfaces. 112 The islands of Japan are largely mountainous, with 21 peaks rising above 3,000m. Extended 98-99 In 2011 the country was hit by a massive mountain ranges on all of the main islands le- earthquake of 9.1 magnitude. After the enormous ave only some 15 percent of its land mass sui- tsunami hit the northeastern shores in March of that table for agriculture and habitation. This den- year, Japan’s construction state decided to pour se topography, where people and arable land even more concrete into massive fortifications to are crowded together, greatly impacted society protect the coastal areas. Those northeast fortifica- and culture. tions include a towering 12.5-meter-high seawall, 400 kilometers long, that divides land from ocean 114 At the southwestern end of the Japanese archi- and people from the sea. pelago, Yakushima is a mountainous island rising al- most 2,000m above sea level, known for its forests of 102 The deep-rooted compulsion to control, tame, and ancient cedars, many over 1,000 years old. Its extre- solidify nature is embedded in the Japanese psyche me climate ranges from cold temperate areas at the and characteristic of Japanese society, culture, and peaks to subtropical zones in the coastal areas and aesthetic, as seen in the remodeling of the natural wor- lush moss-covered montane temperate rainforests ld in Japanese gardens and the painstaking pruning in-between. Precipitation is extreme. Yakushima of trees large and small. Nothing is left unconstrained, has not only Japan’s highest rainfall but is one of the and everything is corrected. The persistent cliché of wettest places on earth, resulting in a diverse and Japan’s special love for nature is thus pervaded by highly unique ecosystem.

15 116 The island’s sacred species of Japanese cedar for those packing natto, fermented soybeans, which (yakusugi) includes some of the oldest trees in the is regulated with strict protocols for hygiene. world. Yakusugi was once worshipped as a sacred tree until around 1600, when a Buddhist monk broke 133 A father-son design team making traditional the islanders’ faith and ultimately convinced them to family crests presents themselves in self-designed harvest and market the woods of those huge cedars. that clearly communicate the care and at- tention to detail of their work. 118 The Japanese crane (tancho) is a majestic bird with a wingspan up to 250cm. Since ancient times, it 134 (L) High wooden geta clogs and a special has symbolized longevity, fidelity, and fortune. Its ico- apron signify the sushi master, while his wife, who nic image is a common motif in Japanese art and de- hosts and serves customers, wears a working kimo- corations and is the most familiar of origami figures. no and traditional sandals. The tancho was used on a previous 100-yen bill, is a common element of design patterns for wedding kimo- 134 (R) Samue, traditional work outfit of Buddhist nos, and has long been the logo of Japan Airlines. monks, has loose-fitting, comfortable trousers and jackets popular with other professions, like the two carpenters whose robes bear a crest suggesting COSTUME blocks of wood. 125 This team of women fights sand erosion at Sho- nai Beach, on the windy coast of the far northeast. 135 Two ladies at a fish market wear the usual apron The attire varies from region to region according to and one of many bonnet styles for women working weather and temperature, but the kappogi smock outdoors. is common to all Japanese women doing manual work. The head wrap distinct to this area protects 136 Ama, “women of the sea,” are traditional divers against strong wind and airborne sand. who collect abalone, sea urchins, shells, and, above all, pearls. Once they wore only loincloths and tradi- 126 Firemen have several outfits, each matched to tional headscarves printed with lucky symbols. From a particular duty: rescue squad differs from firefigh- the 1960s onward, they were fully dressed in white. ting squad, for example, and they all wear different Nowadays they wear diving suits when working in the uniforms while on standby or for official events. sea but still wear the traditional headscarves. Back on land, in their restaurants they get back into characte- 128 Female staff in particular, who publicly repre- ristic ama clothing (left) to serve seafood. They start sent a brand or the identity of a company, are neat- diving around age 14 to 15 and work until over 70. ly dressed and wear characteristic uniforms, often with seasonal versions. Their appearance is the pri- 138 The kimono has had a renascence in the last de of the company, and the care taken to dress is two decades, gaining popularity among young wo- exceptional. The training is thorough, and the rules men with new styles and designs that are easier to of conduct are strict. Every movement is practiced. wear, lighter, and less stuffy. The pair in perfectly Left, saleswomen in a Toyota car dealership; right, matched Goth fashion are seen in Tokyo, the city uniformed employees of Takashimaya, one of Ja- where the Goth-Lolita style was born. pan's most famous and finest department stores. 141 (L) The number of maiko, apprentice geisha of 130 In the service industry, where style and fas- Kyoto, has been drastically declining for the past 20 hion are crucial, staffers dress up to precisely years. Their training in classic arts like dance and play- project the image of their environment and voca- ing traditional instruments is demanding and rigorous. tion. A hair stylist in a beauty salon (left) wears a The kimonos and accessories representing the finest highly individual outfit – not a uniform – complete in Japanese crafts are exorbitantly expensive. with tool belt, ubiquitous item among Japanese professionals. 141 Monks, however, are modestly and simply atti- red, especially during takahastu alms tours on the 131 A “monster girl” (right) serves customers of street, single file or solo, chanting sutras for donors. the renowned Kawaii Monster Cafe, in Harajuku, Tokyo’s center of youth subculture. Kawaii Monster 142-143 At Motsuji temple, in northern Japan, a po- Cafe, produced by DD Holdings, is designed by Se- etry reading from the Heian period (794–1185) is bastian Masuda. re-enacted every May. Participants dress in exquisite costumes of the time, also known as the Golden Age 132 Markets are public spaces and thus require of Japan for its elegant court life and refined culture. proper attire, from impeccably dressed vegetable sellers to the hatted-and-robed seller of traditional 144-145 There are tens of thousands, possibly millions, okashi confectionary offering treats on the street. of anime and manga characters that inspire cosplayer Appropriate outfits are necessary from hat to gloves costumes. The choice of characters to personify and

16 embody one’s fantasy is unlimited. For some, cosplay 164 Wrongly identified as geisha, oiran and their is an escape from life’s humdrum or from stringent so- kimono, hairstyles, accessories and general appe- cial controls to conform with attire and conduct. For arance are quite different. What’s more, oiran, like others, it’s just a few hours of slipping into the illusion of samurai, have long ceased to exist and can only be being the character of their dreams. found at festivals as re-enactment or reproduction of a tradition. 146 The practice of sports in Japan, like crafts, is a serious undertaking. The premise is the same: It can’t 166 Shichi-Go-San, “seven-five-three,” is a rite of pas- be done well if you don’t look the part. The proper at- sage that Japanese people perform in mid-November tire projects commitment, striving for perfection, and for three- and seven-year-old girls and five-year-old in group sports, loyalty to and being part of a team boys (kimonoed celebrant, with older brother). For this and its esprit de corps. A cyclist couple in perfect- occasion, the children are dressed in traditional costu- ly paired outfits (left) are at Tatamidaira, its 2,702m mes, often for the first time. The celebration includes the highest point of the Norikura Skyline roadway. At a family visit to a shrine to pray for the children’s well- right, the proud Isobe Sharks youth baseball team. being, healthy growth, and prosperity.

149 Although commonly termed or considered as sports, Japanese martial arts are often also rituals RITUAL with strong spiritual dimension, to mold not only the 173 Atop Mt. Hiei, in Kyoto, a ritual to exorcise evil body but the mind. This is especially true for kendo, as embodied by four devils (oni) is held at Enryakuji “the way of the sword.” Kendo training is still wides- temple in the evening of December 31. This cerem- pread in Japan and a common component in school ony comprises dances by oni acting out their nega- club activities. Sword master Hayashi used to be a tivity until punished and captured by monks. tateshi, choreographer of sword fights and martial arts action for movies and television. 174 Also on New Year's Eve, but in the far northeast on the Oga peninsula, the drama gets darker and 150 Kendo practice at a dojo, “the place of the more sinister. Demonic figures make house calls to way,” in northern Japan. terrify children in other-world straw costumes and ghoulish masks. During the Namahage ritual, these 154 A good place for time travel to Japan’s samurai dreadful deities petrify children to behave by calling era is the Soma-Nomaoi Festival of Fukushima. With out to those who may be lazy or bad- mannered and its ancient history, the festival is also one of the big- threatening to take them into the dark wilderness. gest costume events in Japan, where hundreds of men on horseback in splendid samurai armor and 176 Even in the center of Tokyo’s Nihonbashi finan- gear parade through streets and perform breathta- cial district, amid canyons of towering glass and king races and ceremonies, demonstrating great steel, is a devoted to the fox god as- horsemanship while dressed in ornate period attire. sociated with a rich rice harvest and prosperity. Fukutoku Shrine is favored by executives and sala- 156 Along with the hunger for novelty and ent- ried employees of the business district for making husiasm for the futuristic is a longing for the nos- offerings for the New Year. talgic. The “Duke” (second from right) is not only the descendent of a historical military family but 180 Dainichido Bugaku are ancient sacred cere- also a former Self Defense Force information of- monies and dances performed at Oohirumemuchi ficer who now arranges staged military battles. Shrine in the snowy mountains of northern Japan. At Dozens of aficionados gather in full combat gear dawn on the second day of the year, 35 men and to play their roles in mock battles he produces. boys chosen from four villages proceed to that Shinto shrine after performing rituals in their communities. 159 Yosakoi is an extremely popular energetic sty- le of street dancing with synchronized movements 182 On a stage inside the shrine, they perform nine in similar costumes performed typically by large sacred dances to invoke the resident deity and pray teams all over Japan. for happiness, a rich harvest, and health in the New Year. These ceremonies have been handed down 160 For matsuri, , people dress through local generations for more than a millennium. up in costumes fitting the occasion. Some do so individually but more often wear happi coats of 185 For every ritual there is a costume that not only matched style and color that signify belonging to a confirms group identity but also how each partici- neighborhood association or certain group. pant fits into the group hierarchy. Changing into an outfit in Japan is to don a personality that differs from 163 Oiran were high-class courtesans and cultural personal diurnal habits of character and action. To trendsetters in the 17th and 18th centuries, in the start off celebration of the new year, fire department entertainment district of Edo (now Tokyo). members dress according to their group by color

17 and outfit – rescue worker, firefighter, dispatcher – dhist, and almost all the deceased are cremated. and march in unison to proudly display what each During the otsuya ceremony or wake, a Buddhist does to serve the community. priest is usually present, and relatives, friends, col- leagues, and neighbors come to say goodbye with 187 Ennen no Mai “longevity dances” held by the a prayer and offer incense. In another ritual, the urn monks of Motsuji temple in Hiraizumi go back to the of the deceased is usually buried in the family crypt eighth century and are performed after a Buddhist after 49 days. This period derives from the Tibetan memorial service and samadhi walking meditation. Book of the Dead and is regarded as an intermedia- The temple’s version of Ennen no Mai is a near-per- te state in the transition of the deceased from death fect preservation of the original form and has influ- to rebirth. enced later art forms like noh and kyogen drama. 209 The tea ceremony, chado, or “the way of tea,” is 192 Oto Matsuri is a Shinto festival invoking both wa- a highly structured preparation of powdered green ter and fire for purification. What starts at sunrise on a tea presented during formal or informal gatherings beach with loinclothed participants entering the sea in designated teahouses or tea rooms. It involves to purify body and spirit in the shiogori ritual ends every aspect of traditional Japanese culture and is with high drama on a mountaintop shrine when tor- deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism. Meticulous at- ches held by some 2,000 male participants are lit. tention to detail is paramount to every element of the The elements come full circle by the end of the night ritual. The formalized gestures of the tea ceremony when participants bearing the burning torches storm flow into daily life as a code of manners and behavi- down the steep, precipitous trail in a mad rush. or especially for public appearance.

197 Above: Coming of Age Day is celebrated on the 211 A village ceremony assuring a good harvest or second Monday in January for men and women who venerating a beneficent deity brings people of all were 20 years old in the previous year. The young ages together for a good time. Clothing can vary women wear splendid kimonos, while most young from festival happi coats to refined kimono for wo- men prefer dark suits to traditional clothing. The ce- men and hakama, traditional attire, for men. Take remony dates back to the eighth century and gives no nobori (mountain flags) is a rare festival held to the new adults the legal right to drink alcohol, smo- pray for rain, and participants walk from the top of a ke, and vote. mountain to their village.

197 (L) Two elemental rites of passage in the life of 214 The festive, exuberant atmosphere of the ritu- a Japanese are when they go to a shrine as three- al carrying of mikoshi portable shrines through the and seven-year-old girls and five-year-old boys for center of a large city or into the sea makes the gods their Shichi-Go-San ceremony and when they marry. laugh and soothes their whims. As people carry the At Shichi-Go-San, a family celebrates and prays for divine burden together, class differences disappear the healthy growth and well-being of their children. and community is strengthened. But in Japan, fes- tivals are also a liberation from formalized behavior 200 Formation of Japanese character begins with and an opportunity to let off steam. school, continues at the company, and is main- tained at home. The entrance ceremonies for com- 218 The Taimatsu Akashi fire festival goes back panies and schools are similar in form and content, more than 400 years as a memorial to those who comprising vows for diligence and working hard for died in battles fought to unify the country. Twen- the sake of the school or the corporation. The dark ty-two massive columns up to ten meters high and costumes of employees and students engender a weighing three tons are lit one by one to the sound sense of uniformity of body and mind. of taiko drums.

202 In a traditional Shinto wedding at a shrine, the priest performs ritual purification for the bride and SACRED groom, each taking three sips from three cups of 226 Whether a shrine deep in a mountain forest or sake. The ceremony ends with symbolic offerings a pair of giant “wedded” rocks in the sea, Shinto to the gods. sacred sites house and protect deities as well as numinous presences. Demarcation of sacred spa- 204 Traditional group photo after the wedding ritual. ce, sometimes seen as inhabited by deities, is done All close family members of the groom and the bri- with shimenawa rope and white zigzag shide paper de are placed left and right, respectively. Although festoons or torii gate. Japanese weddings have changed considerably in recent decades, they’re still an alliance of two fami- 227 Appreciation and veneration of gods and god- lies, not just a union of two individuals. desses (kami) in Shinto take many forms, often invol- ving purification of site or visitor. Water and fire are 206 Almost all Japanese funeral rituals are Bud- common elements of Shinto purification and healing, 18 with ablution pavilions for visitors at shrine entrance 251 Shugendo practitioners, known as yamabushi, and huge braziers on temple grounds where belie- undergo rigorous physical and mental training to vers draw incense smoke over head and body. attain enlightenment and supernatural powers to heal others and themselves. An example of extreme 229 Sacred practice in Shinto and Buddhism in- asceticism can be found in a temple in the shadow volves priests and practitioners in elaborate rituals of Dewa Sanzan’s peaks: there, a mummy sits in that honor or placate kami or buddhas, or both in eternal meditation, just as the monk intended more syncretic practice, sometimes by carrying a porta- than 200 years ago. It was a unique tradition of Shu- ble shrine through the streets or silent or chanted gendo followers to fast themselves to death in order prayer. Priests and monks wear appropriate attire, to become buddhas through self-mummification. often white, color for purity, or exquisite and deco- rated robes suiting the occasion. 251 (L) Dewa Sanzan, three mountains in the north of Japan, are an important pilgrimage site of Shugendo, 230-231 Shiogori is a cleansing ritual by salt water the ascetic practice comprising mountain worship, of body and mind usually performed at dawn by esoteric Buddhism, Taoism, and Japanese shama- and in the ocean. Male participants wear loinclo- nism. For Shugendo practitioners, both yamabushi ths or all-white traditional robes symbolizing purity. and lay followers, Dewa Sanzan’s Mt. Haguro is an A Shinto priest leads a chant, after which the men important site for their mystic-magical rituals. enter the cold sea and later emerge from the water invigorated, purged in body and spirit. 252 Ritual use of water or fire is done to protect dei- ties or their habitats and is a form of purification for 232-233 Mt. Koya is both a peak and a monastic participant as well as for the site itself. Torches are community. Although a key center of Shingon Bud- lit and a text read by a yamabushi to prepare for dhism, there are Shinto shrines among its temples firewalking. and sanctuaries, evidence of a syncretism practiced even here that includes Shugendo mountain asceti- 255 In an ice-cold waterfall, yamabushi pray on a cism. A bridge of bright vermilion (a color associa- winter day for the resident Buddha and for protecti- ted with Shinto) leads to a small shrine on an island on of the mountain where he abides. A yamabushi that also is a sacred Buddhist site. priest leads people in a syncretic ceremony of Shin- to and Buddhist prayers to honor the mountain and 234 The daily life of a monk begins with morning resident deities. meditation and sutra chanting, continues throug- hout the day with various duties from gardening to 257 An ultimate form of purification through flames serving guests, and then ends with additional me- is the Hiwatari firewalk, a Shugendo ceremony invol- ditation and prayer services for congregants. ving a Buddhist goma fire ritual performed by yama- bushi after undergoing ascetic austerities. As per 239 The Okunoin cemetery of Mt. Koya is a mys- usual goma, wooden sticks with prayers or wishes tical place and Japan's largest cemetery. In a fo- are offered to the fire of Buddha's wisdom. rest between towering ancient cedars, more than 200,000 moss-covered or wintry snow-covered gra- 258 The highpoint of the ritual is the actual firewalk ves crowd within the twilight. by lay and yamabushi participants.

240 Goma is a Buddhist purification ritual to eradi- cate the source of suffering via the fire of Buddha’s AESTHETIC wisdom. This fire ritual is daily performed by quali- 264-265 Yoshijima Heritage House is a former sake fied priests who toss wooden sticks into the flames brewery and residence in Takayama, a city in the while chanting prayers and sutras to cleanse and Japan Alps. It is an example of the spectacular purge negative energy. woodwork of local takumi carpenters, known since Early in the morning, priests bring a food offering ancient times for their extraordinary skills. Built in to the mausoleum of Kukai, the founder of Shingon 1907, the house is a magnificent example of structu- Buddhism (right). ral imagination, using only wood beams to structure a space large enough to accommodate sake pro- 245 Kumano has long been revered as the most duction facilities and living quarters with complex sacred region on the Kii Peninsula, punctuated by and flexible room arrangements. peaks and valleys and threaded by the pilgrimage trail known as Kumano Kodo, stretching east-west 266 Classic tokonoma alcove in Yoshijima Heritage and linked to Mt. Koya. House, in Takayama. Sand garden, detail, Ginkakuji temple, in Kyoto. 246 The three highly venerated shrines of Kumano San- (R) A lacquered door panel with moon and red ma- zan were once syncretic structures of Buddhist and ple inlay, Rengejo-in temple, Mt. Koya, Wakayama Shinto deities and a center of Japanese creation myths. Prefecture.

19 269 Venus Fort is a famous shopping mall in Tokyo, 288 Marie, a doll artist, sits in a exhibit booth de- designed in the style of an imagined medieval Euro- corated like a stage for herself and her dejected pe village. The grandiose fountain plaza is the cen- creations at the Design Festa, in Tokyo. The Design ter showpiece under a dome with lighting effects Festa is Japan’s largest art event, open to artists and seasonally changing decoration. involved in painting, design, fashion, performance, and other media. 270 As Japanese cities engage in ongoing expe- riments in architecture and lifestyle, they create a 291 The famous Kawaii Monster Cafe in Harajuku is circulation of ideas and paradoxes based on the ef- a prime display and experience of kawaii, Japan’s fects of passing time. At left, a palace of a shop for culture of cuteness. Kawaii Monster Cafe, produced wedding gowns; at right, a love hotel with modern by DD Holdings, is designed by Sebastian Masuda. playful design. 292 The ghoulish namahage masks of Oga Peninsu- 272 The design of this love hotel room mixes tra- la, Akita Prefecture, are meant to scare the wits out of ditional and modern elements. Love hotel interiors children on New Year’s Eve. The masks are made by come in any style variation – from kinky and art deco local artisans and differ in style from village to village. to anime-inspired and tropical (suggesting a Bali re- sort) – for a complete change of scenery and esca- 294 The Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku is Japan at its pe into fantasy. most outrageous, ultra-garish, dazzlingly excessive, and cacophonous, mixing ancient elements as well 275 Ikebana, or kado (“the way of flowers”), is the as futuristic – a phantasmagorical orgy. ancient art of flower arrangement. It is influenced by the importance of plants as offerings in Shintoism, 296-297 Like cafes and restaurants, pachinko machi- but over centuries evolved into a formalized Bud- nes have also evolved. Originally they were mecha- dhist practice and spiritual exercise. Today several nical devices, and in their simplest version, nails in a ikebana schools represent and teach different phi- vertical board. But today’s pachinko machines are full losophies and distinct styles. of eye-catching electronics and flickering lights.

277 Traditional curtains, or noren, are common 298-299 Elements of a breakfast in the style of local everywhere in Japan and hung at the entrance of forest cuisine served at Katsuragi no Sato, a tradi- not only traditional but also modern inns, bars, res- tional high-class inn located in the Okuhida area of taurants, and shops. They usually display the name Takayama. or logo of an establishment. When hung outside, no- ren indicate the place is open for business. 300-301 Koi in Japan are rich with symbolism, sig- nifying good fortune and associated with persever- 279 Japanese artisans and their creations are well- ance in adversity and strength of purpose. known for painstaking attention to detail and superi- or artistry. Not only are crafted articles exquisite, but 302-303 With over 12,000 artists, Design Festa is the tools used by those masters are highly refined Japan’s largest art event and open to any artists in- and of the highest quality. volved in painting, design, sculpture, fashion, per- formance, music, multimedia, and other genres. 281 In the (1603–1868), oiran were high- While there is unbridled diversity, almost all exhibits class courtesans and cultural trendsetters. Many are ornamental and generally void of political state- were famous in and out of the pleasure quarters and ment or message. highly sought as entertainers of the upper class. In addition to playing traditional instruments, they were 304 This is one of the popular and numerous winter expected to provide smart entertainment with wit, illuminations displayed every year all over Japan in de- elegance, and intellectual conversations. Today, signated streets, public areas, and amusement parks. Japan's reenactment scene preserves the cultural aspects of oiran traditions. 305 teamLab Borderless comprises huge immersi- ve 3D digital installations with artworks like gardens, 284 Anime cars or itasha are painted with images of forests, and futuristic design worlds created by the anime or manga. They constitute a Japanese subcul- art collective teamLab. Exhibits occupy several ture and often involve expensive Italian sports cars. floors in the enormous space of the Mori Building Digital Art Museum. 285 More traditional motives are found with art trucks or decotora, “decoration trucks.” Japanese 310 The Unko Museum in Tokyo is the world’s first truckers have a long tradition of lavishly decorating amusement space on the subject of poop. In the poop their trucks with gaudy flashing colorful lights, shi- museum, everything is in pastel, connected to ka- ny chrome-plated attachments, and extravagantly waii cute culture, and doesn't stink. Love Love Unko! painted images. Happy.

20 at Audubon sanctuaries and earned a B.A. in bio- ABOUT THE WRITERS logy from Mount Holyoke College. She is a longti- THE INSIDER GAZE me resident of Japan and author of Japan-set Peter Tasker fiction including the novel Ash and three verse Peter Tasker’s long relationship with Japan beg- novels for young people: Falling into the Dragon’s an in a four and a half tatami-mat (7.4 squa- Mouth, The Language Inside, and Orchards, win- re metres) room in a company dormitory where ner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Lite- communal dining and communal bathing were rature. Research for Orchards included appren- the rule. After a period of deep immersion in the ticing to a mikan farmer in Shizuoka for eighteen salaryman lifestyle, he entered the world of inves- months: planting, grafting, pruning, harvesting, tment and was ranked as Japan’s number one and shipping the fruit plus working high on hill- stock market strategist for five years in a row by sides overlooking the bay. Also critical to her the Nikkei newspaper. He then co-founded Arcus writing has been the study of land management Investment, a successful asset management firm. practices and wildlife in rural village habitats. Known as an author, critic and speaker as well Holly also compiled and edited Tomo: Friendship as analyst, he launched his writing career with Through Fiction – An Anthology of Japan Teen Inside Japan (1986), and has produced several Stories to support teens in tsunami-impacted re- more books, fictional and non-fictional, together gions of Tohoku, and she spent time in the Cam- with innumerable articles on economic, political bodian craft village created by Japanese texti- and cultural topics. In 2011, he co-operated with le artisan Kikuo Morimoto, publishing profiles of noted manga artist Toshio Ban to create the satiri- him in Kyoto Journal and Wingspan. Holly writes cal I Am A Digital Cat: A Japanese Future. Recent poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for children, teens, publications include On Kurosawa (2018), a ho- and adults, and teaches writing in Japan, and the mage to the great film director, and Maximum U.S. Visit her website www.hatbooks.com. Target (2016), a thriller set in North Korea, origi- nally published under the name of Martin Gower. He has also translated the writings of Japanese COSTUME underground icon Shuji Terayama. His blog can Charles T. Whipple be found at petertasker.asia. Charles T. Whipple is an international award- winning copywriter, journalist, author, and nove- list. His awards include Editor & Publisher Maga- METROPOLIS zine DM Award, World Annual Report Competiti- Stephen Mansfield on Award, 2010 Oaxaca International Literature Stephen Mansfield is a British photojournalist Award for A Matter of Tea, and 2011 Global eBook and author based in Japan since the late 1980’s. Award. Charles worked on the family ranch and His work has appeared in numerous magazines, farm in Show Low, Arizona, until college, majo- newspapers and journals worldwide. Stephen is ring in Japanese History as a graduate student the author of books as diverse as Lao Hill Tribes: and grantee at the East West Center, University of Traditions & Patterns of Existence, Tokyo: A Cul- Hawaii. He is fluent in spoken and written tural & Literary History, and Tokyo: A Biography, Japanese, and has long been interested in the where he delves into the geology, history, and fantastic aspect of traditional Japanese tales. present state of a postmodern city fixated on the Charles has been a shipwright in Japan and sai- present, embracing constant flux and transfor- led its oceans. Other works include Seeing Japan; mation. Could his interest in urban mutability and A Matter of Tea, short stories; and The Masacado street life be traced back to his days as a bassist Scrolls series of novels: The Fall of Awa, The in a European punk rock band? An author who Road to Kio, The Shadow Shield, and The Horse writes extensively on Okinawan themes and is- Soldiers. Under the pen name of Chuck Tyrell, he sues of a cultural, ethnic and political character, has published the Western novels of Vulture Gold, his celebrated books on Japanese gardens inclu- Revenge at Wolf Mountain, Trail of a Hard Man, de Japan’s Master Gardens: Lessons in Space & and more. Environment, 100 Japanese Gardens, and Japa- nese Stone Gardens. He continues to go hands deep in the dirt of a moderately large Japanese SACRED and RITUAL garden he designed and built in the backyard of Eugene Tarshis his home in Chiba prefecture. Eugene Tarshis left Chicago for Japan in 1988 to experience genuine Zen practice and has been a resident since then. He immersed himself in NATURE Buddhist studies and meditation at Kyoto’s Myos- Holly Thompson hinji and Daitokuji temples as well as on Awaji Holly Thompson was raised amid the resilient na- Island, where he did weekend chores and zazen ture of New England, where she worked summers in a family temple, moonlighting as bartender and

21 blues singer at an international jazz bar. Eugene with the passion of a master. Eugene Tarshis, who has had training in Dewa Sanzan shugendo as accompanied the creation of the book from the very well as conversations with head priests atop Mt. first day and was instrumental in the selection of the Omine and in Kumano Kodo. He was a founder of essayists, coordinated the authors, edited the origi- Another Chicago Magazine and editor-in-chief of nal English texts, and contributed to all aspects of Kansai Scene, and, from 2008 to 2019, editor of the book. Diane Winkler, who worked tirelessly and ANA’s Wingspan magazine. His nonfiction writing uncompromisingly on the German translation – the on Japanese art, ritual, culture, and travel has best German text editor I have ever had. appeared in Kyoto Journal and other publications Keiko Uruma, who was there from the very begin- in Japan, and in Pacific Rim Review of Books ning, as the most important consultant, communi- (Vancouver). His poems have been published in cations director, and producer. Takahiro Yamazaki, a variety of literary journals, and he has transla- without whom many doors would have remained ted, with the author, selected works of Austrian closed: Taka (“Tell me what you need”), my oldest poet Judith Nika Pfeifer. Japanese friend, accompanied me despite illness on visits to people and places among his inexhaus- tible relationships. Hiroshi Toda, Yoshihide Minato, AESTHETICS and Michiko Shikata who generously opened their Azby Brown own doors or the doors of others. Azby Brown, architect, author, artist, and design Wakayama Prefecture, which has supported this theorist, studied architecture and sculpture at project more than any other government institu- Yale University, graduating in 1980, and recei- tion with logistics of every kind and coordinati- ved a master’s degree from the Department of on. Mie Prefecture, also instrumental in providing Architecture of the University of Tokyo in 1988. logistics and coordination. Shizuoka Prefecture, He taught architecture and media design at the the cities of Oga and Soma, the municipality Kanazawa Institute of Technology from 1995 to of Kyotamba in Kyoto Prefecture, and Taito-ku 2017, and founded the Future Design Institute in District in Tokyo, which coordinated, transported Tokyo. Currently he is on the sculpture faculty at me, and organized the access permits to the best Musashino Art University, and at the Graduate possible locations. School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Vivian Egli, of Primafila, who gave me advice from Survivability at Kyoto University. Azby connects the beginning, provided tireless feedback, and rai- the cultural, creative, and economic dots that sed the flag when it was low.Dominic Giovannangeli illustrate the potential of sustainable design. He and Stein Saugnes, who helped me with editorial speaks and writes from being grounded as well support, critical feedback, and decisive advice. in hands-on work in the carpentry of Japanese Charles T. Whipple and Hans H. Krüger, who both Buddhist temples and Edo-period carpentry, sadly passed away during production of this book. all informing such books as Just Enough: Les- Hans, an experienced author, initially contributed sons in Living Green from Traditional Japan, The advice and support but was unable to complete his Genius of Japanese Carpentry, Small Spaces, contribution. This book is dedicated to Hans and to The Japanese Dream House, and The Very Small Charlie, both masterful writers. Home. Azby frequently gives talks in Japan, Johann Ferstl, Nuri Tri Maryati, Rod Gill, Lubika including as TED X Tokyo speaker, and abro- Ward, Akira Yamazaki, Michael O'Brien, and Willi ad about the concepts he has constructed, and Lange, who all sustained me when the roadblocks his creative work is widely exhibited in Japan seemed impassable, all the money had been spent, and overseas. and the energy had run out. Without their help and their trust, nothing would have happened with this book. Margot Klingsporn, of Focus Agency, who ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS has been supporting me as my agent for almost 30 Many people have contributed to this book. I had years. Hisashi Kondo, from whom I learned more as the rare good fortune and privilege of working with a magazine maker than from anyone else. Wolfgang a team of bookmakers who were enthusiastic about Bottler, who inspired me again and again with his the concept and could not be surpassed in passi- creative photographic tinkering. on, professionalism, or competence. I would like to Canon CPS for the rental of special equipment and thank all these people and institutions, but especial- technical support. ly the following individuals and organizations. Joachim Hellmuth, who gave the initial impetus for This book is dedicated to my creative game-chan- this book and ultimately, despite all the obstacles, gers: Cvetka Florjancic, Ronald Weber, and Hans made it a reality. Susanne Caesar, who, from her Reichel. experience as editor of my previous book, was the Hans Sautter, September 2020 first to be enthusiastic about the concept, belie- ved in it unwaveringly, and revived the book three Hans Sautter JAPAN ISBN: 978-3-95416-339-7 times. Peter Feierabend, who perfected the design © 2020 Bruckmann Verlag GmbH, Munich

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