Elizabeth's Japanese Autumn #1/4 - Yokohama & the Miho Museum
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| Elizabeth with the Yokohama skyline at the Zou-no-Hana Breakwater |
A mid-November 2016 trip to...yes, Japan again. Much longer trip this time - about 2.5 weeks - the longest since the one with Shion Brier in December 2013. Our trip began in Yokohama (below), but was mostly spent in our top 3 go-to destinations: Kyoto, Tokyo and the Fuji Five Lakes area. And we literally spent our time dining, autumn leaf-peeping (called momijigari in Japan), and of course...hunting for fabric and toy collectibles. I also finally got to visit the Miho Museum (below), which I've been wanting to visit since I watched the 2003 documentary The Museum on the Mountain!
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| My in-flight entertainment, other than KrisWorld movies. |
Elizabeth Rose is the lucky little girl who gets to come along on this trip. Yui was excitedly telling Elizabeth all about the beautiful autumn foliage she caught at Yamanaka-ko and Kawaguchi-ko last year - much to the envy of their little sisters.
Yokohama
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| East Gate, Yokohama Chinatown |
Yokohama flourished as a port following the arrival of the Black Ships and the signing of the Kanagawa Treaty in 1854. Yokohama Port was built and opened in June 1859, and became the base of foreign trade. Yokohama was twice destroyed – first in 1923 by the Great Kanto Earthquake, then later in US air raids during WWII, in particular the May 1945 Yokohama Air Raid.
Following the end of WWII, Yokohama was rebuilt and grew in the post-war period. Yokohama is ranked as the world's 54th busiest container port (by TEU) on Lloyd's 2016 Top 100 Container Ports. (Tokyo is ranked 29th.) And according to the American Association of Port Authorities, Yokohama in 2012 was the world's 29th busiest port in terms of cargo volume (in tons). (Tokyo was ranked 48th.)
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| Yokohama Chinatown |
Yokohama Chinatown was founded in 1859, during the time when Japan ended its sakoku policy, an isolationist policy instituted by the Tokugawa shogunate, which placed severe restrictions on trade, foreign relations, and the entry of foreign nationals and the exit of Japanese nationals. Chinese immigrants to Japan settled in Yokohama, and Chinese traders built a Chinese school, community centre and various facilities. Yokohama Chinatown has faced several setbacks during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, the Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII.
Having been to the Chinatowns in various cities, I think Yokohama Chinatown does not feel quite like a Chinatown at all. Still, we had some fun strolling around, looking at the nikuman/shumai/cha siu bao/gyoza stores and various bargain shops. I was highly amused by a shop with a panda entrance and bright pink-and-turquoise shi (Chinese guardian lion). The shi made me think that if Caramelaw were here, she would totally laugh with glee and have fun photo-bombing it.
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| Heichinrou, Yokohama Chinatown |
Heichinrou was established in 1884 at its current site. The restaurant was first opened by the Zhang family, and managed by them for 2 generations. The restaurant's building was destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake (as was most of Yokohama). It was subsequently rebuilt on the same site by the Bao family, Bao Zhao Chuang and Bao Ju Jin, who operated the restaurant until WWII.
The building was again destroyed in the Yokohama air raid during WWII. A friend of Bao Jin Ju, Pang Zhu Chen (a Chinese national who was later naturalised under the name Hayashi Tatsuo), rebuilt and reopened Heichinrou. His son Hayashi Yasuhiro, the current president, inherited the restaurant. Heichinrou was also featured in Iron Chef when its 2 head chefs, Yaginuma Hisao (13 Nov 1998) and Suganuma Mitsuo (18 Dec 1998), and head grand chef Xie Huaxian (8 Jan 1999) competed against Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi. (Chen defeated Yaginuma and Suganuma, but lost to Xie.)
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| Dimsum at Heichinrou, Yokohama Chinatown |
We went with the dimsum menu. I'll be blunt - we were a tad disappointed because of the quality of the dumpling skins. The flavours are good but the dumpling skins were a tad floury (not QQ/elastic) and a too thick. I think the dumpling flour could be kneaded for a longer time, and rolled out thinner – this would be especially the case for the xiaolongbao and the shark fin dumpling in soup.
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| Dimsum at Heichinrou, Yokohama Chinatown | |
To be fair, the congee, steamed cha siu bao and lo bak gao were quite good, and service was excellent. Perhaps we would've fared better with their Cantonese dishes – and it may have been more value for money. For the record, their dimsum menu prices were per dumpling, as opposed to the usual (i.e. per bamboo basket, which usually contains 2 or 3 dumplings). Dimsum in Japan is expensive... And although tasty, we certainly have better (for cheaper!) at home and elsewhere....
After lunch, we wandered past the Yokohama Mazu Temple, which was not far from Heichinrou. The Yokohama Mazu Temple was founded in 2006, and was built as a consequence of the local community's appeal against the construction of an apartment block on the basis that it would have a negative impact on Yokohama Chinatown's physical and cultural landscape. The local community eventually acquired the land from developers for ¥990m. Following the acquisition of the land, plans for the temple's construction were made.
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| Yokohama Mazu Temple, Chinatown |
The temple enshrines Mazu, a Chinese deity who has been worshipped as the guardian of the sea since the Song dynasty. Born as Lin Mo to a Southern Chinese family in 960 CE, she had great medical knowledge and was able to predict the weather and the future. On her death at age 28, the community built a shrine in her memory. Subsequently, there were accounts of Mazu appearing with a lantern or balls of light to guide ships in stormy weather, and she became regarded as the guardian of the sea.
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| Yokohama Mazu Temple, Chinatown |
Mazu is a popular Chinese deity since ancient times. During the Song dynasty, fisherfolk, merchants and diplomats worshipped her, and Song emperors bestowed on her many imperial titles. In the Yuan dynasty, she was worshipped by seafarers who delivered grain from southern China to Dadu (present-day Beijing). The Mongol emperor Kublai Khan was said to have honoured her with the title of Heavenly Consort. Admiral Zheng He (the Ming dynasty) was known to have prayed at Mazu temples before departing on his sea voyages, and Mazu was also enshrined on board his treasure fleets. The Qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi bestowed on her the title of Heavenly Queen. In the wake of the First Opium War and internal conflicts in China in the late Qing dynasty, many departing Chinese also prayed to Mazu before embarking on their sea voyages to other countries.
Afterwards, we wandered into Yamashita Park (山下公園), Yokohama's waterfront park. The park was formally opened in 1930, and much of the area it sits on was reclaimed from rubble from the Kannai district, left from the Great Kanto Earthquake.
Besides having lovely flower beds, there is also an arbor with roses and other pretty flowering plants. It was a pleasant spot. We also came across a statue called "Little Girl With Red Shoes On". The statue was erected in 1979 is a reference to the Japanese nursery rhyme Akai Kutsu (赤い靴; Red Shoes) written by Japanese poet Noguchi Ujō. The established theory (which is debated) is that the song was based on a 3-year-old girl named Iwasaki Kimi was entrusted to the care of a pair of American missionaries by her single mother Kayo. The American couple subsequently decided to return to America, but were unable to take Kimi with them as she had contracted tuberculosis. They thus entrusted Kimi to the orphanage at Toriikazu Church in Azabu, Tokyo. Kimi died at the orphanage at age 9 without seeing her birth mother again. Kimi’s mother never knew Kimi had died and believed that Kimi had left for America. A rather sad story.
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| Yamashita Park, Yokohama |
Besides having lovely flower beds, there is also an arbor with roses and other pretty flowering plants. It was a pleasant spot. We also came across a statue called "Little Girl With Red Shoes On". The statue was erected in 1979 is a reference to the Japanese nursery rhyme Akai Kutsu (赤い靴; Red Shoes) written by Japanese poet Noguchi Ujō. The established theory (which is debated) is that the song was based on a 3-year-old girl named Iwasaki Kimi was entrusted to the care of a pair of American missionaries by her single mother Kayo. The American couple subsequently decided to return to America, but were unable to take Kimi with them as she had contracted tuberculosis. They thus entrusted Kimi to the orphanage at Toriikazu Church in Azabu, Tokyo. Kimi died at the orphanage at age 9 without seeing her birth mother again. Kimi’s mother never knew Kimi had died and believed that Kimi had left for America. A rather sad story.
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| Future Rose Garden (Mirai no Bara Koen), Yamashita Park, Yokohama | |
The other lovely part of Yamashita Park is the waterfront! The view of the port of Yokohama from Yamashita Park is also great. From the park, we can see the Yokohama Bay Bridge and the Hikawa Maru. The 860m cable-stayed Yokohama Bay Bridge (横浜ベイブリッジ) opened in September 1989, the same year as the Cosmo Clock 21, the Yokohama’s Ferris wheel.
An iconic feature of the waterfront at Yamashita Park is the Hikawa Maru (氷川丸), a former luxury ocean liner, now a public museum, with much history behind her. She was built and launched in 1929 as a Japanese luxury passenger liner, as one of the 3 Hikawa Maru class ocean liners. Her maiden voyage was in May 1930 from Kobe to Seattle. The Hikawa Maru, and her sisters the Heian Maru and Hie Maru, were used on the trans-Pacific Yokohama-Vancouver-Seattle liner route until 1941, at the start of WWII.
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| Yokohama Bay Bridge and the Hikawa Maru. |
During WWII, the Hikawa Maru was converted to military use, and served as a hospital ship assigned to the Japanese Imperial Navy's 4th Fleet. Her sisters were converted to auxiliary submarine tenders and assigned to the Japanese Imperial Navy. Of the 3, only the Hikawa Maru survived WWII. The Hie Maru was sunk by a US Navy submarine in 1943, and the Heian Maru was sunk at Chuuk Lagoon in an Operation Hailstorm air raid in 1944.
Following the Japan's surrender in 1945, she was used to repatriate Japanese soldiers and civilians from 1945 to 1946. She was subsequently used as a cargo ship until 1953. Since 1961, she has been berthed at Yamashita Park, and was later converted into a public museum.
A once famous luxury liner, she was nicknamed 'The Queen of the Pacific', some of her notable passengers included comic actor Charlie Chaplin, Kano Jigoro (the founder of Judo and the Japanese representative for the IOC in 1900s), and Israeli lawyer and politician Zerach Warhaftig. Before the onset of WWII, she ferried several Jewish refugees who were fleeing Nazi persecution to USA and Canada. Today, she is an iconic feature of Yokohama's waterfront and has been featured in popular media. For example, in the 2011 From Up on Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から), and the more recent 2016 Flying Witch (ふらいんぐうぃっち).
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| The Hikawa Maru, scene from From Up on Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から), a 2011 anime film set in 1963 Yokohama. © Studio Ghibli / Takahashi Chizuru / Sayama Tetsuro / Miyazaki Hayao / Niwa Keiko / Miyazaki Goro / Suzuki Toshio Suzuki. |
From Up on Poppy Hill is based in Yokohama. Kowata Makoto in Flying Witch is from Yokohama (though the story is based in Hirosaki), and she had that weird "prophetic" dream of Nao's good luck while sitting at the waterfront at Yamashita Park (anime episode 2, manga chapter 7).
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| Yamashita Park waterfront, scene from Flying Witch (ふらいんぐうぃっち), episode 2 (00:12:04), manga chapter 7. |
From Yamashita Park, we walked to the Zou-no-Hana Breakwater (象の鼻防波堤) along the Yokohama waterfront. More great views of Yokohama's skyline. In fact, this spot is a great place to grab those classic Yokohama skyline pictures.
Stepped up on the breakwater to get a better view of the skyline - which of course includes Minato Mirai 21 (みなとみらい21), Yokohama's CBD. Minato Mirai was developed and constructed in the 1980s, and its name means "Port of the Future the 21st century".
Frankly, I can only identity a handful of the buildings in the skyline - the Red Brick Warehouses in front, the Landmark Tower, the 3 Queens Square Towers, the Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel, and the InterContinental Yokohama Grand.
Apparently, Zou-no-hana Park was the landing site of Commodore Perry in 1854. After the opening of Yokohama Port in 1859 under the Kanagawa Treaty, it was the first site where one of 2 wharves were constructed - an eastern wharf for foreign cargo and a western wharf for domestic cargo. The area was damaged by the 1866 Great Yokohama Fire, and the Tokugawa shogunate extended the eastern wharf by building a curved breakwater. Due to its curved bow shape, the eastern wharf became known as Zou-no-hana, which means "elephant's nose".
From the wharf, it is a short walk to Osanbashi Pier (大さん橋国際客船ターミナル), Yokohama's main international passenger pier. Osanbashi Pier today consists mostly of wood and a grassy rooftop garden, and looks like a wide, open-spaced boardwalk.
The original pier was constructed in 1894, and survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and the WWII air raids. Following Japan’s surrender, the pier was placed under the control of the American occupation forces until 1952. The pier was reconstructed in 1988 and 2002 to meet demands. Osanbashi Pier is another spot with a great view of the classic Yokohama skyline. Pity we did not stay to catch the night-time view.
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| View of Minato Mirai from the Zou-no-Hana Breakwater, Yokohama |
Stepped up on the breakwater to get a better view of the skyline - which of course includes Minato Mirai 21 (みなとみらい21), Yokohama's CBD. Minato Mirai was developed and constructed in the 1980s, and its name means "Port of the Future the 21st century".
Frankly, I can only identity a handful of the buildings in the skyline - the Red Brick Warehouses in front, the Landmark Tower, the 3 Queens Square Towers, the Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel, and the InterContinental Yokohama Grand.
Apparently, Zou-no-hana Park was the landing site of Commodore Perry in 1854. After the opening of Yokohama Port in 1859 under the Kanagawa Treaty, it was the first site where one of 2 wharves were constructed - an eastern wharf for foreign cargo and a western wharf for domestic cargo. The area was damaged by the 1866 Great Yokohama Fire, and the Tokugawa shogunate extended the eastern wharf by building a curved breakwater. Due to its curved bow shape, the eastern wharf became known as Zou-no-hana, which means "elephant's nose".
From the wharf, it is a short walk to Osanbashi Pier (大さん橋国際客船ターミナル), Yokohama's main international passenger pier. Osanbashi Pier today consists mostly of wood and a grassy rooftop garden, and looks like a wide, open-spaced boardwalk.
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| Osanbashi Pier, Yokohama |
The original pier was constructed in 1894, and survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and the WWII air raids. Following Japan’s surrender, the pier was placed under the control of the American occupation forces until 1952. The pier was reconstructed in 1988 and 2002 to meet demands. Osanbashi Pier is another spot with a great view of the classic Yokohama skyline. Pity we did not stay to catch the night-time view.
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| View of the Yokohama skyline from Osanbashi Pier. |
Along the way to our final destination, we passed the Yokohama Customs building. The Yokohama Customs building (横浜税関) was built in 1934. Along with the Kanagawa Prefectural Office and the Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall, these 3 buildings are known as the Yokohama Three Towers. The Customs building is nicknamed the Queen's Tower, the Prefectural Office the King's Tower, and the Memorial Hall the Jack's Tower.
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| Yokohama Customs building (or, the Queen's Tower) |
There's a belief in Japan that if one visits all 3 or go to a place where all 3 buildings can be seen, one's wish will come true. Apparently this idea came about because these 3 buildings survived the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. Surviving the Great Kanto Earthquake, I've learnt, is considered a lucky event in Yokohama. Personally, while I consider this a romantic idea, I think it's pure fantasy. No offence intended.
But I think the unique architecture of the 3 buildings makes it worthwhile to view them. The Yokohama Customs building has a distinctive mosque-like façade, probably influenced by the Moorish architectural style.
Final destination for the Yokohama day trip was the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses, aka Akarenga Soko (横浜赤レンガ倉庫). The Red Brick Warehouses were originally Yokohama's customs building in the early 1900s.
The 2 red brick warehouses were constructed in 1911 and 1913. Due to containerisation as a mode of freight transport, the use of the buildings as customs houses decreased, and then ended in 1989. Following restoration work from 1994 to 1999, Yokohama's red brick warehouses re-opened in 2002 as a commercial space - so...shops, bars, cafes, restaurants, a performance hall and a multipurpose space.
Hubby and my idea was to have dinner and to take in the Christmas festival lights - but plans had to be cancelled thanks to work emergencies, so we didn't get to explore the shops at Akarenga Soko much. But the upside is I did find 2 pairs of earrings from a Japanese label called cui-cui (キュイキュイ). (cui-cui is on Instagram too!)
I ended up walking away with 2 pairs of earrings from cui-cui. Hubs said I had eclectic taste and rolled his eyes as he reminded me about my last jewellery purchase – in our September trip, from Vendome Aoyama. But hey, I don't go shopping for items like these often. (No, I just shop for dolly stuff, fabric and books.)
From Yokohama, we took the Nozomi to Kyoto. Our first destination was actually a museum outside Kyoto, in the Shiga Prefecture. To be precise, the Miho Museum. I have wanted to visit this museum some 10-plus years ago, after I watched The Museum on the Mountain, a documentary film about its construction and design inspiration.
The Miho Museum was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, and its architecture is unmistakably East-meets-West, modern-meets-traditional. In The Museum on the Mountain, I.M. Pei talked about how he was inspired by the legendary Chinese Shangri-la, as described in the Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記). The Peach Blossom Spring is a fable of a fisherman who rowed upstream, and lost his way. The fisherman came to a small cave at the foot of a mountain. Inside, he travelled through a narrow passage, and wandered into a hidden valley that was like a paradise on earth. The valley was covered in peach blossom trees in full bloom, well-cultivated fields, crystal-clear waters, lush mulberry groves and bamboo forests. Its inhabitants lived in peace, unaware and free from the outside world. The inhabitants were astonished to see him but welcomed him with great hospitality. The fisherman stayed there for a time, and then returned to his home. Although he marked the path to the valley, he could never find it again.
The Miho Museum is a great example of the blending of traditional and modern architecture. The Museum's building materials are steel, glass, and limestone, and it was built using some of the cutting-edge engineering technology at the time (the 1990s). As a building, it is designed to be open and bright, for the portions that are above-ground. But I.M. Pei incorporated traditional Japanese elements in the Museum's design. The entrance to the Museum reflects the elements of traditional Shinto shrine architecture.
I.M. Pei noted that traditional Japanese architects strove to bring their buildings into harmony with their environment and the surrounding views, and wished to show his respect towards the philosophy of Japanese culture and traditions. As such, out of respect for the natural surroundings, built 80% of the museum below ground.
He further incorporated the natural surroundings into the Museum's design, a traditional design concept known as shakkei (借景), i.e. "borrowed scenery". Shakkei is a gardening concept that originated with the Chinese, and was extensively used by the Japanese during the Heian period. (In the Nara and Heian period, everything Chinese was very popular and emulated by the Japanese.) The Museum's front entrance, and other parts, draw on this concept of shakkei.
The way the extensive glass windows draw in the surrounding landscape - in the rain, foggy weather, it looks as if I was looking at a Japanese painting ink brushed across a wall.
In terms of shakkei, Byodoin (May 2016 visit) and the Upper Garden of Shugakuin Imperial Villa (autumn 2016 visit) are considered some of the best examples, but they are traditional and historical structures. I think the Miho Museum is possibly one of the best examples of shakkei used in modern Japanese buildings.
I.M. Pei also incorporated a rock garden on the Museum's 2nd level. The colours were not great in the bleak weather, but the wet moss and rocks do add to the atmosphere of islands rising out of the misty waters.
We visited the special exhibition, Jewels of the Mughal Emperors and Maharajahs: the Al-Thani Collection, which was very impressive with the sheer number of glittering jewels and precious stones.
On display was some 181 pieces spanning 400 years of Mughal history, on loan from Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani (cousin to the current emir of Qatar). Unfortunately, photography of the exhibits was not allowed. As awed as I was with the glittering jewels, my favourite part was the jade collection. Some of the pieces had very fine carving and the jade of of amazing lustre and translucency.
As for the Museum's permanent collection that was on display, I confess we didn't spend a lot of time around the ancient Greece/Egypt/Rome collection. Not impressive as a museum collection, but very impressive for a private collection owned by a single person. Unfortunately, the dating and provenance of some of the pieces were somewhat unclear.
Of the Museum's permanent collection, we very much enjoyed Kenzan: Miho Museum Collection, the Museum's exhibition of more than 60 of Ogata Kenzan's works.
Considered one of the greatest ceramic artisans of the Edo era, Ogata Kenzan was known for his "free hand" brush-painted decorative motifs.
Like his equally famous older brother Ogata Korin, Kenzan's style broke away from tradition, and introduced innovative styles into Japanese ceramics.
His brother, Ogata Korin, was a famous Edo period Japanese painter. Korin's best known works are the iconic byobu folding screens "Irises", "Irises at Yatsuhashi", and "Red and White Plum Blossoms (Kohakubai-zu)".)
Both Kenzan and Korin are considered to be part of the Rinpa school (琳派), one of the major historical schools of Japanese painting. The Rinpa school was created in the 17th century by Honami Koetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu. The Ogata brothers were said to have revived the school in the Genroku era, the period of 1688-1704 in what is considered to be the Edo period's Golden Age.
The Miho Museum curator(s) took the position that in view of the adventurous and inquisitive mindset of Kenzan and Korin, "their approaches were probably different from the concept of Rimpa in art history today". That they simply "sought to express their own worlds to the full through freer and more bounteous ideas". That Kenzan's broad stylistic range and the variety in his works cannot be so simply subsumed under the "Rimpa school" label.
To be honest, I am not entirely familiar with the various schools of Japanese painting, or of either Ogata Kenzan or Ogata Korin and their works, to analyse the position taken by the Miho Museum. However, the pieces displayed do indicate a certain freedom of expression and naturalism in Kenzan's style, rather unlike the heavily stylised traditions of Japanese painting of the previous schools. Perhaps since later Rinpa school paintings borrowed from other painting traditions, as well as placed emphasis on refined design and technique (or so I've cursorily read), the unrestrained style of the Ogata brothers do not so easily fit.
Was not the best day, as it was bleak and raining steadily. The bleak lighting made it difficult to photograph the Museum's exterior. And the steady rain made it unpalatable to walk around the Museum's extensive outdoor gardens. But a light fog rolled in over the surrounding hills, and gave it this mystic feel. With some sunshine and peach blossom trees in bloom, I could almost believe we were in some legendary Shangri-la.
We had to leave at 6pm to catch the last bus back to Kyoto. Really not pleasant to stand in the steady rain, waiting for the bus for 45 minutes. Thankfully under a borrowed Museum umbrella!
We arrived back in Kyoto Station feeling strangely tired, famished and in need of an alcoholic drink.
No fixed plans for dinner, so we ended up eating at the restaurant at Hotel Granvia Kyoto, conveniently annexed to Kyoto Station. Not really something we gave much thought to. We were tired, damp from the rain, andhungry ravenous, so we looked for somewhere close by, without a queue (no waiting time), and without a crowd.
We were pretty exhausted after dinner, even though it was still quite early. I suppose we were both catching up on sleep, being mostly sleep-deprived in our daily lives. These days, Hubby more so. Early night it was, with fingers crossed that the next day's weather would be better for autumn leaf peeping!
Final destination for the Yokohama day trip was the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses, aka Akarenga Soko (横浜赤レンガ倉庫). The Red Brick Warehouses were originally Yokohama's customs building in the early 1900s.
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| Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses (Akarenga Soko) |
The 2 red brick warehouses were constructed in 1911 and 1913. Due to containerisation as a mode of freight transport, the use of the buildings as customs houses decreased, and then ended in 1989. Following restoration work from 1994 to 1999, Yokohama's red brick warehouses re-opened in 2002 as a commercial space - so...shops, bars, cafes, restaurants, a performance hall and a multipurpose space.
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| Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses (Akarenga Soko) |
Hubby and my idea was to have dinner and to take in the Christmas festival lights - but plans had to be cancelled thanks to work emergencies, so we didn't get to explore the shops at Akarenga Soko much. But the upside is I did find 2 pairs of earrings from a Japanese label called cui-cui (キュイキュイ). (cui-cui is on Instagram too!)
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| Yokohama omiyage from cui-cui | |
I ended up walking away with 2 pairs of earrings from cui-cui. Hubs said I had eclectic taste and rolled his eyes as he reminded me about my last jewellery purchase – in our September trip, from Vendome Aoyama. But hey, I don't go shopping for items like these often. (No, I just shop for dolly stuff, fabric and books.)
The Miho Museum
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| In the tunnel leading to and from the Miho Museum |
The Miho Museum was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, and its architecture is unmistakably East-meets-West, modern-meets-traditional. In The Museum on the Mountain, I.M. Pei talked about how he was inspired by the legendary Chinese Shangri-la, as described in the Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記). The Peach Blossom Spring is a fable of a fisherman who rowed upstream, and lost his way. The fisherman came to a small cave at the foot of a mountain. Inside, he travelled through a narrow passage, and wandered into a hidden valley that was like a paradise on earth. The valley was covered in peach blossom trees in full bloom, well-cultivated fields, crystal-clear waters, lush mulberry groves and bamboo forests. Its inhabitants lived in peace, unaware and free from the outside world. The inhabitants were astonished to see him but welcomed him with great hospitality. The fisherman stayed there for a time, and then returned to his home. Although he marked the path to the valley, he could never find it again.
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| East-meets-West, the Miho Museum |
The Miho Museum is a great example of the blending of traditional and modern architecture. The Museum's building materials are steel, glass, and limestone, and it was built using some of the cutting-edge engineering technology at the time (the 1990s). As a building, it is designed to be open and bright, for the portions that are above-ground. But I.M. Pei incorporated traditional Japanese elements in the Museum's design. The entrance to the Museum reflects the elements of traditional Shinto shrine architecture.
I.M. Pei noted that traditional Japanese architects strove to bring their buildings into harmony with their environment and the surrounding views, and wished to show his respect towards the philosophy of Japanese culture and traditions. As such, out of respect for the natural surroundings, built 80% of the museum below ground.
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| The front entrance is a great example of "borrowed scenery" (shakkei). |
He further incorporated the natural surroundings into the Museum's design, a traditional design concept known as shakkei (借景), i.e. "borrowed scenery". Shakkei is a gardening concept that originated with the Chinese, and was extensively used by the Japanese during the Heian period. (In the Nara and Heian period, everything Chinese was very popular and emulated by the Japanese.) The Museum's front entrance, and other parts, draw on this concept of shakkei.
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| Basement level of the Miho Museum |
The way the extensive glass windows draw in the surrounding landscape - in the rain, foggy weather, it looks as if I was looking at a Japanese painting ink brushed across a wall.
In terms of shakkei, Byodoin (May 2016 visit) and the Upper Garden of Shugakuin Imperial Villa (autumn 2016 visit) are considered some of the best examples, but they are traditional and historical structures. I think the Miho Museum is possibly one of the best examples of shakkei used in modern Japanese buildings.
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| The second floor rock garden |
I.M. Pei also incorporated a rock garden on the Museum's 2nd level. The colours were not great in the bleak weather, but the wet moss and rocks do add to the atmosphere of islands rising out of the misty waters.
We visited the special exhibition, Jewels of the Mughal Emperors and Maharajahs: the Al-Thani Collection, which was very impressive with the sheer number of glittering jewels and precious stones.
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| A jade bowl with carved floral relief, the jade's translucency was amazing. |
On display was some 181 pieces spanning 400 years of Mughal history, on loan from Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani (cousin to the current emir of Qatar). Unfortunately, photography of the exhibits was not allowed. As awed as I was with the glittering jewels, my favourite part was the jade collection. Some of the pieces had very fine carving and the jade of of amazing lustre and translucency.
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| The Miho Museum, permanent collection. |
As for the Museum's permanent collection that was on display, I confess we didn't spend a lot of time around the ancient Greece/Egypt/Rome collection. Not impressive as a museum collection, but very impressive for a private collection owned by a single person. Unfortunately, the dating and provenance of some of the pieces were somewhat unclear.
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| Works of Ogata Kenzan, Kenzan: Miho Museum Collection. |
Considered one of the greatest ceramic artisans of the Edo era, Ogata Kenzan was known for his "free hand" brush-painted decorative motifs.
Like his equally famous older brother Ogata Korin, Kenzan's style broke away from tradition, and introduced innovative styles into Japanese ceramics.
His brother, Ogata Korin, was a famous Edo period Japanese painter. Korin's best known works are the iconic byobu folding screens "Irises", "Irises at Yatsuhashi", and "Red and White Plum Blossoms (Kohakubai-zu)".)
Both Kenzan and Korin are considered to be part of the Rinpa school (琳派), one of the major historical schools of Japanese painting. The Rinpa school was created in the 17th century by Honami Koetsu and Tawaraya Sotatsu. The Ogata brothers were said to have revived the school in the Genroku era, the period of 1688-1704 in what is considered to be the Edo period's Golden Age.
The Miho Museum curator(s) took the position that in view of the adventurous and inquisitive mindset of Kenzan and Korin, "their approaches were probably different from the concept of Rimpa in art history today". That they simply "sought to express their own worlds to the full through freer and more bounteous ideas". That Kenzan's broad stylistic range and the variety in his works cannot be so simply subsumed under the "Rimpa school" label.
To be honest, I am not entirely familiar with the various schools of Japanese painting, or of either Ogata Kenzan or Ogata Korin and their works, to analyse the position taken by the Miho Museum. However, the pieces displayed do indicate a certain freedom of expression and naturalism in Kenzan's style, rather unlike the heavily stylised traditions of Japanese painting of the previous schools. Perhaps since later Rinpa school paintings borrowed from other painting traditions, as well as placed emphasis on refined design and technique (or so I've cursorily read), the unrestrained style of the Ogata brothers do not so easily fit.
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| View of the surrouding hills outside Miho Museum |
Was not the best day, as it was bleak and raining steadily. The bleak lighting made it difficult to photograph the Museum's exterior. And the steady rain made it unpalatable to walk around the Museum's extensive outdoor gardens. But a light fog rolled in over the surrounding hills, and gave it this mystic feel. With some sunshine and peach blossom trees in bloom, I could almost believe we were in some legendary Shangri-la.
We had to leave at 6pm to catch the last bus back to Kyoto. Really not pleasant to stand in the steady rain, waiting for the bus for 45 minutes. Thankfully under a borrowed Museum umbrella!
We arrived back in Kyoto Station feeling strangely tired, famished and in need of an alcoholic drink.
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| Dinner at Hotel Granvia Kyoto |
No fixed plans for dinner, so we ended up eating at the restaurant at Hotel Granvia Kyoto, conveniently annexed to Kyoto Station. Not really something we gave much thought to. We were tired, damp from the rain, and
We were pretty exhausted after dinner, even though it was still quite early. I suppose we were both catching up on sleep, being mostly sleep-deprived in our daily lives. These days, Hubby more so. Early night it was, with fingers crossed that the next day's weather would be better for autumn leaf peeping!
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More on Elizabeth's Japanese Autumn, November 2016
- I. Yokohama & the Miho Museum - Chinatown (Heichinrou, Yokohama Mazu Temple) ● Yamashita Park ● Zou-no-Hana ● Osanbashi Pier ● Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses ● Miho Museum
- II. Kyoto - Tofukuji ● Kiyomizudera ● Sohonzan Komyoji ● Eikando Zenrinji ● Manshuin Monzeki ● Iwakura Jissoin Monzeki ● Nanzenji, Nanzenin & Tenjuan ● Kitano Tenmangu ● Shugakuin Imperial Villa ● Sento Imperial Palace ● Kyoto Imperial Palace
- III. Tokyo - Tokyo University ● Rikugien ● Tokyo Imperial Palace & the East Gardens ● Kotonoha no Niwa trip to at Shinjuku Gyoen ● Italian at Salvatore Cuomo Bros., XEX Tokyo ● Sushi Masuda ● Nishiazabu Taku (aka Sushi Taku) ● Sushi Nakamura (1st taste of Juyondai) ● Sushi Tokami (1st taste of tossaki) ● molecular gastronomy at Tapas Molecular Bar ● French-Japanese at La Paix, Nihonbashi
- IV: Fuji Five Lakes - Part 1 (Bessho Sasa, revisited) ● Part 2 (Fuji Subaru 5th Station, Motosuko & Koyodai) ● Part 3 (Fujisansaku Park, Motosuko, Shojiko, Saiko, Kawaguchiko)
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