Life in Nakajo - Greenery and community

I've been in Nakajo for almost 1 month now. Slowly the complexity of this little piece of the world has been revealing itself.

Nakajo is a beautiful town. Until 2010, it was designated as a village and I think at it's heart, it still is. What is now the 'main street' through Nakajo is not exactly 'happening', there's a post office, a pharmacy, a middle school, high school, the City Office branch, a community hall, a couple of tiny supermarkets and one or two other shops. The rest of the street is very quiet. There are some shops that look like they were in business up until a few years ago but are now deserted and here and there the greenery is creeping in.

The Butchers signage - the shop itself is as is but without any sign of life.

Everywhere the greenery is busting out and over things.

BUT! The true appeal of Nakajo is the nature! There are all these steeeeep windy roads heading north up into the hills north of Nakajo's main street and the river. They all converge at about 700metres above sea level on this parallel road that links Shrines, stacked rice fields, an old water-powered Rice mill, gigantic cedar trees, a totally retro Japanese Inn, two fantastic old wooden Schools now disused - one is a time capsule of debris and broken floorboards, the other has a glistening hall used for musical performances....The list goes on. For us artists, this is the most fantastic part.

MOUNTAINNNNNS

An old water-powered Mill, which used to be used for pounding the outer husks off rice.

Looking back out through the entrance gate to Gau-in Temple

The time capsule of Miyamasa Elementary School was incredible

11 metre girth of 800 year old + 'Kusaga Cedar' designated a natural treasure of Nagano Prefecture

Down here in the river edge part of Nakajo there's some pretty great things too. There is an amazing Shrine with a super long name, just next door to our little houses. So much atmosphere (and in this weather, mozzies too). There was finally a sunny day to take some photos. The priest for this shrine and a couple of others in the area lives just down a couple of houses. He has a busy life taking care of these amazing buildings and ceremonies at the same time as farming and fishing.

The Grounds of Sumetaruhomikoto Jinja Suwasha Go-oden  - Say that ten times fast

Sumetaruhomikoto Jinja Suwasha Go-oden

There's also a virtually unmarked park that has these reconstructed thatch houses which were uncovered in a survey and dig in the 1960s. Complete with reproductions of bones that were found buried in the same area and Jomon-era pottery - which looks nothing like the ceramics we commonly associate with Japan. That all came from Korea much later on - simple and refined. This stuff is hefty and symbolic.

Reconstructions of unearthed village near my house

best part was the reconstructed ceramic skull. There were burial sites here too.
It's almost 'not Japanese' if you know what I mean.

But more to the point, we've discovered that there is a lot going on here despite appearances. There is a true sense of community - festivals and sports days, people harvesting rice together, Taiko drumming practice on Wednesday nights. There's a mountaineering club, a historical association, a Magicians club (!!!)
Even though I wouldn't call myself a total city person, this kind of lifestyle is definitely far removed from life in the outer burbs. Buses are infrequent, people drive everywhere, the day starts with the sun and people seem to eat meals by the clock at 6, 12 and 6....
There are a bunch of good humans here too - those who were born here and those who chose to make this home. Attempting cool things too like encouraging agricultural experiences for young people, building a new artists' studios and gathering place, and turning abandoned old houses into cafes.

We are nearly halfway through the residency period and I've been busy making too. Gearing up for an open studio this weekend. When everythings up on the wall and looking pretty I'll share some images with you of what I've been up to :)

For now, enjoy some Northern Alps!

RINPA - I'm living inside a Rinpa painting.

You might have already heard of the Japanese art term "Rinpa".
The Japanese characters 琳派 are often written in English alternatively as Rimpa.
Whichever way you want to say it, Rinpa is a Japanese art movement that covers much of the Edo Period. It's not an Art movement in the traditional sense though.

A Favourite - Morning Glories by Suzuki Kiitsu. Part of a pair of 6panel folding screens.

The term Rin-pa 琳派 reads as "The Rin Group" but it's actually a contraction of what was once known as the Sōtatsu Kōrin Group (Tawaraya Sōtatsu and Ogata Kōrin are two very famous painters) The rin refers to the surname of painter Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716).

Over time, definitions of who is included in the Rinpa group have been fluid and it wasn't even until the 20th century that the shortened name Rinpa stuck. It's not an art movement based on a Master and his Apprentices system but more of a group of artists from different eras who identified with the Rinpa style and held Ogata Kōrin/Tawaraya Sōtatsu/Sakai Hōitsu in high esteem as kind of honorary teachers. See a more eloquent and detailed explanation here... Interesting huh?

What I love about Rinpa works are the sense of energy and movement they convey with minimal subject matter. Often there is a sweeping form that leads your eye across the composition or a repetition of motifs that creates a nice rhythm. It's unlike a "western" (I don't really like that word..."non-Japanese"?) take on perspective that leads your eye inwards or backwards, these compositions move your eye around and across. There's no concern to depict the background - it is suggested by its absence.

My personal favourites amongst Rinpa artists are

Sakai Hōitsu 酒井抱一
1761–1828
and his student/assistant
Suzuki Kiitsu　鈴木其一

Here's a pair of folding screens by Sakai Hōitsu, 「夏秋草図屏風」"Summer and Autumn Flowering Plants". These are designated "Important Cultural Property" by the Japanese government. They were painted with Japanese pigments and you can see the background is silver leaf - which darkens over time.
The right hand side alludes to summer - a river, blooming lilies, twining bindweed and long green grasses. The left side is an autumn image of windswept grass, kuzu vine, and other symbolic autumn flowers.

Pair of Folding Screens by Sakai Houitsu "Summer and Autumn Flowering Plants" Edo Period

detail of summer flowers screen - Japanese Bindweed

From the Autumn screen - Kuzu vines, Sususki grasses and other lovely bits and pieces

As an aside, did you know that time in these kinds of paintings is often depicted from right to left? Summer on the right turning to autumn on the left. In other famous works, the birds or motifs are often travelling from right to left too.

Here's a painting by Suzuki Kiitsu - alluding to the cold start to Spring with plum blossoms and camellias. - Honolulu Museum of Art

When I was living in Kyoto, I would look at Rinpa artworks like these of plants and flowers and think, hmm that's pretty but I didn't necessarily have any connection to the imagery within.

Now I'm in Nakajo, out in the countryside west of Nagano central, I'm seeing these very plants and flowers everywhere! You can kind of glaze over with the Japanese tendency to depict things seasonally - it's so ubiquitous. Morning glories on summer yukata. Susuki grasses to depict cool autumn breezes. Twining Kuzu vines to show the greenery of late summer. Dragonflies, cherry blossoms, bells, fans, you could go on and on. I guess it is what people outside of Japan might think of as most "Japanese-looking".

But then you get out somewhere like here in Nakajo, and you realise these patterns and motifs are not cheesy imagery, they are truly what is growing at your feet, on the paths and next to houses.

Heron wading through the river...

SO herein lies one dilemma. (there's plenty more, I can assure you but let's start with just this one!)

Usually, I am working in Australia, depicting my local surroundings - birds and plants and colours - in a Japanese dyeing technique. There is *I hope* some balance between Australian-ness and Japanese-ness.

Now I'm here, I want to depict all the wonderful things I'm seeing around me. But, as it turns out, all of the things I'm seeing are kind of cliche things like morning glories on posts and twining greenery and drooping heads of grass. If I make these works in Katazome, on washi like I intend to, will anyone even blink? They might just come out looking like Japanese artworks. Which is nice. But I'm not really into just nice.

How to see it all through my own Australian eyes instead?
Not sure yet.

There was a revival of interest in Rinpa artworks in the last few years as various exhibitions and events celebrated the 400 year anniversary of the movement. (I was even involved in one in 2015) Among those initiatives were exhibitions to re-define Rinpa, to see the modern world through Rinpa eyes or to bring Rinpa into the 21st century.

Rinpa 400year anniversary exhibtion I was involved in at the Museum of Kyoto in early 2015

How about not just pulling Rinpa sentiments into the 21st century but also stepping sideways to incorporate an international perspective. After all, Rinpa is a movement open to any artists who hold those early artists in high esteem.

First days - Nakajo Artist in Residence

I'm back in Japan! It's hot and everything is shades of green and I am rapidly having to grasp around in my brain for Japanese words that have been buried for a while. I've only landed on Thursday but there's been a lot going on!

For the next 10 weeks, I'm living in the small town of Nakajo to take part in an Artist in Residence program, NAGAIR. On the map, Nakajo used to be a "village" 村 (as opposed to a not a "town" 市) but since 2010 it's been absorbed into the outer reaches of Nagano city. If you go on population, apparently Nakajo area has just one more person than Gunning Shire, in NSW. Maybe that's me. It's a small town but big enough to have a post office, a high school, a primary school and City hall Office. Plus more which I've yet to explore properly :)

Nakajo is 30minutes west of Nagano-city (which, by the way is almost the same population as Canberra! So many facts today!) by bus. If you kept going west beyond Nakajo you'd hit the Japanese Alps, which include the Hakuba ski fields. I'm assured you can see straight to the alps from my front room but it's been cloudy since I arrived so I'm still waiting for them to reveal themselves.

View from my House - with imaginary Alps

and my house!!
my dreams of two bedroom real estate are temporarily realised

Because Nagano prefecture is pretty much smack in the middle of the main island of Japan, there's mountains in every direction and the nature around here is spectacular! I mean, even the scenery on the way to the supermarket is just amazing.

Ya know, just your average walk to the bus stop.

I think 4 years of living in Iwakura, on the northern edge of Kyoto's suburbs served me well. I'm not phased by the spiders (SO MANY SPIDERS) and creaky things and I know that the convenience store is far away and buses cost a lot to get where you want to go. That's ok. I was a little spooked though by a lady today who was putting shiny ribbons across her rice paddies to keep the birds away who told us that bears, wild boars and deer regularly show themselves round here. Oh, and snakes. Ahhh, the wild!


I've started gathering supplies and thoughts about what I'm going to try and make here. I know it's early days but there's not a lot of time for faffing so I'm trying to crystallize a direction to take things in. I'm thinking pigments from local stones and soil to do katazome artworks of Nakajo's plants on linen and local washi. Maybe some silk if I can find some I like.


I figured out the bike I am using has squeaky brakes when I stopped every 5 metres to take photos of plants I've never seen before. With almost every plant, I have to be like "What are you?!" With the help of some trusty second hand plant books, I've been able to identify a bunch of them already and unlike Australia, it seems that the plants running riot here and just smothering EVERYTHING are not weeds at all but local plants. That's a surprise for me.

The line between Plant and Weed is so evidently fine here though. Dark purple morning glories are Japanese. Foreign morning glory species are weeds, as designated by Nagano city government. Tiny white daisies are weeds, the purple version are natives that flower in autumn. The kuzu vines with purple flowers which are tracing themselves over every substrate possible are local but the purple-berried Pokeweed is not. To me, they all look like they belong here but alas, what would I know :)

I'm sure I'll write more about my plant discoveries soon. Until then here's some more photos. I'm off to do some sketches.

A monk with floaty sleeves on the route up to Zenko-ji (the famous temple) in Nagano City. See, I told you everything was shades of GREEN.

The Main Hall of Zenko-ji in Nagano City. The sun was out for maybe half and hour and I got sunburnt :(

Meanwhile, in Nakajo. Straw dogs at the market stall looking for good homes.

Weeds!

Spiders!

Everything is so greeeeen