Kyoto-Preservation.info

2012-01-01T13:41:00.000+01:00

I wish you all a fantastic and peacefull year 2012.
2012 has two dragons like the twin dragons of the well preserved Kenning-Ji in Kyoto.

Bertrand

Interview of Deputy Priest of Taizoin Zen Buddhist Temple, Rev. Daiko MATSUYAMA

2011-12-04T12:24:00.001+01:00

I had not the chance to meet him during my last stay in Kyoto, but for sure I'll try to during my next visit there. Meanwhile, he accepted to answer few questions by email.

Taozo-in is one of the most prestigious temples in Kyoto. Can you tell about the renovation initiative you have launched ?

We launched a new project last spring.
This is a joint project between Taizo-in and Kyoto University of Art and Design. The two main purposes are to preserve cultural properties and train a young artist. An unknown young painter will finish drawing up sixty-four fusuma-e* of the main hall of Taizo-in temple by the fall of 2013.
Amongst its many treasures, Taizo-in houses a number of fusuma-e screens painted in the Azuchi Momoyama era (1573-1603) by master Kano-Ryokei. These are national important cultural properties.
These screens were drawn at the beginning of 1600 and they are so badly damaged by age that they have been removed and now are kept in a safe.

This is common practice for temples and shrines across Japan. In general the original cultural properties are kept in safe storage and reproductions or plain fusuma sheets are used on display.

However, there is a danger that once this method of turning our history into a time capsule is adopted as standard practice an entire genre of art will disappear and there will be no stimulus to develop new cultural properties and the next generation of great artists.

Taizo-in felt uneasiness about this situation, and has launched unprecedented new project, in which a young artist will draw a new Indian ink painting on a plain fusuma.

About four hundred years ago large temples and local warlords employed in-house artists for fusuma paintings. The artists lived in the temples and warlords’ residence, and got a thorough training in spiritual improvement, and drew many masterpiece fusuma paintings that future generations are still enjoying.

This fusuma-e project at Taizo-in has adopted the same methods as in those days. The project has important meaning: it takes seriously its responsibility to train a young artist, and it is the first support to launch out into the world as an artist.

Further, Taizo-in has sets out to establish a new model for both preserving existing cultural properties and creating new legacies, and making Kyoto as “the capital of Arts” even more appealing throughout the world.

Regarding Kyoto preservation in general, what are your feelings ? Especially the case of machiya destruction ?

"I feel very sad about the situation. I guess one of the reason is that to live in Machiya or old houses is not regarded as a status among Japanse high-end people. Especially in Kyoto, we have images of Machiya as old-fashioned, inconvenient, cold, humid... Mostly negative ones. I think it is quite important to change these images and make it cool and attractive. We have to combine tradition with new technology. So I guess we have to change laws to make it suitable for both conservation and renovation of Machiyas.

How do you see the future of Kyoto ?

"Very positive. We have much tradition and culture in Kyoto but we have been very poor for presentiong them to the world. And even we have not appreciated their values and taken them as a matter of course. In fact, it is so special. I do not think we need something special attraction (terrible aquarium, for example) but we only have to present our culture as they are. I believe we can do it and we have much possibilities in Kyoto.

* Fusuma-e are the sliding paper screens that are used to divide up interior space in traditional Japanese building architecture.

http://painting.taizoin.com/

Kyoto Re-Creation: Do we see first signs happening ?

2011-11-27T21:55:00.001+01:00

In his book Lost Japan, Alex Kerr quotes the kabuki actor Tamasauburi as saying: "Kyoto is beyond preservation, the next step will be recreation". I found interesting signs that this recreation is possible and may be has started !

The first one is a brand new Machiya using old piece of a demolished one.

The results is awesome. You can find more information about construction of this Machiya on the blog http://d.hatena.ne.jp/ntadashi/201007/
or here: http://www.kyo-sanzan.jp/02_kyosanzan_ie/11_Ni_tei/Ni_tei.html

Another example is also a brand new one on the street to Yasaka pagoda in Gion. I was sad two years ago when I saw the empty space and this year I was so happy to find this brand new one at the same place. Even if not as nice as old ones, this is a very good sign.

Rebuilding Machiyas is a good alternative as preserving old ones which sometimes can be a too expensive and even impossible task. Recreation of Kyoto starts with not only preserving old ones but building a new generation of Machiyas with respect of the old ones. When can we expect that ugly building will be destroyed to found again the forgotten Kyoto. The recreation of Kyoto needs low building, even very modern Machiya can be an acceptable alternative to concrete building. the example bellow is not my favorite reconstruction of a Machiya but this is way better to modern high buildings.

Preserving Machiya in Kyoto: a sustainable business

2011-11-11T11:05:00.001+01:00

Kohakuan Machiya Entrance

In June this year, after several email exchanges, I met with Hiro Araki, director of Machiya Residence Inn/AJ InterBridge Inc., south of Kiyomisu-dera area, in one of the accommodation he is proposing for one or several day renting.

I like the Japanese people : as I arrived few minutes earlier to our meting. A women, from a little shop just beside the machiya, saw I was waiting and so ask me why ? I tried to explain and she get back to her shop and I saw her making a call. I understood after she called Hiro-san who was arriving to our meeting place i.e. a brand new renovated machiya called Kohakuan. We did visit the machiya, which is very well renovated incorporating with a very smart approach all modern confort. This is demonstrating Machiya can be adapted to modern life. This is not a discovery for me, as I have already seen that with beautifull renovation done by Alex Kerr in the machiya Nemo Glasmann showed me in July 2010, but this is always making me happy. After the visit of the machiya, we discussed on several aspects. Here is a short interview of Hira-San:

KP.info: "How did you come to Machiya preservation?"

Hiro Araki

HA:”There are approximately 48,000 Machiya within Kyoto, and most of them are more than 100 years old. Every year, around 1,000 Machiya are demolished and replaced by new buildings due to maintenance being difficult and expensive, and their style considered outdated and old-fashioned in the minds of many. Unfortunately, reconstruction of Machiya is extremely difficult under the current Japanese building regulations, and as a result the traditional townscape of Kyoto is currently left on an inevitable path to extinction. Machiya Residence Inn endeavors to combat such a degenerate trend by refurbishing the Machiya that are about to be demolished and reviving them into life as accommodation facilities for foreign tourists. Most of Kyoto residents never left Kyoto and do not realize that this is a unique place in Japan. I had the chance to live several years outside Japan, so I can more realize how much Kyoto need to be preserved. It is also important that some foreigners and especially French people, as you do, are alerting people about this".

KP.info: “Machiya Residence Inn is a company, what is you business model ? “

HA:"Unlike many Machiya style accommodations in Kyoto, we have obtained an official hotel/ryokan license and are able to accommodate our guests from one night. This is a perfect accommodation for those who are travelling with family and friends.(picture of inside machiya)

Kohakuan is our first facility just opened in August last year, we have a second one around Kawaramachi station, and we will have five machiya accommoations in Kyoto in Fall."

KP.info: "Thank you very much for this visit and discussion, I wish you sucess in your business that helps in Kyoto preservation".

Since I met HIro-SA, they opened the three new locations:

For more information, please contact me or Hira-san directly at Machiya Residence Inn Kyoto Office4-417-505 Gojohashi-higashi Higashiyama-ku Kyoto 605-0846
Tel：075−708-5610
Fax：075−708−5611
Mail:info@kyoto-machiya-inn.com
URL:www.kyoto-machiya-inn.com

Here are some pictures (with authorization of Hiro-san) of his machiyas.

Suoan machiya second floor.

Suoan machiya genkan.

Shoubuan machiya bathroom with view on the garden.

"If you transit this alley, you will fall in love with Kyôto and never leave"

2011-10-28T17:00:00.000+02:00

In order to start this blog, I would like to share a picture I have found on Gion Hatanaka Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/gion.hatanaka). According to comments on this page, it says

"If you transit this alley, you will fall in love with Kyoto and never leave" and "Dead end" in Kyoto dialect.

This alley is in a well preserved with a slope called 二年坂 Ninenzaka, east of Gion Hanamachi on the way to Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) famous temple (Unesco World Heritage). This area is one of the first i visited two years and half ago when I arrived for the first time in Kyoto. And without transiting this alley, I felt in love with Kyôto ! Since I cam there twice but I had to leave.

This blog, as well as the web site already does, will present people that are acting towards preservation of Kyoto. I will focus mainly on Machiya preservation because first, temples and shrines are already well preserved, second the number of Machiyas is decreasing dramatically. I wanted to recognize some exemplary initiatives and works done by few people. The legend said that a French man helped preserving Kyoto from nuclear bombing during WWII. My modest intention is to highlight people that preserving this beauty of Asia.

This Blog is replacing the previous website which was difficult to maintain. This blog is not providing as many nice graphical effect but this was time consuming. I prefer spend some time to provide information.

Previous Flash based web site