The Japan Society Review
Book, Stage, Movie, Arts and Events Review

Editor: Sean Curtin
Managing Editor: John Toppon...........................................................................................................................................................................................

Issue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)

As we zoom towards the July heat, this issue is packed
full of interesting books and films to catch up with during
the summer holiday period. Susan Meehan looks at thehighly readable “Japan through writers’ eyes,” whichreminds us what fantastic prose Japan has inspired
from the pens of both foreign and indigenous authors.
For those who love to discuss such writers we launched“Japan Society Book Club” in June which meets regularly(for more information see the Society website or e-mail:events@japansociety.org.uk). Sir Hugh Cortazzi dissects
the thesis of Hans Brinckmann’s new book “Showa Japan:
The Post-War Golden Age and Its Troubled Legacy.” It
paints rather gloomy future scenarios for the land of therising sun. Fumiko Halloran analyzes an insightful new
Japanese language book on the surprising economic
woes of many of Japan’s best educated people in “Highly
Educated Working Poor” (Ko Gakureki Wakingu Puua).
Amazingly only about fifty percent of recent Japanese
doctoral graduates in humanities and social sciences
find fulltime employment and these figures were before
the recent economic downturn. Our movie/DVD offering
looks at an acclaimed German film, “KirschbluetenHanami” (Cherry Blossoms: Hanami), which is set in Japanand Bavaria. We also explore a fascinating new bookon one of Japan’s most Bohemian and contradictorymodern artists, Leonard Foujita (Fujita Tsuguharu). Withsummer in the air we assess the feasibility of adding “AJapanese Touch for your Garden” before Helen McCarthy
looks ahead to the fall with the visually stunning “Autumn
Colours of Kyoto” book. We also ponder the historicallycomplex relationship between swordsmanship, Zen
and calligraphy in “Ken Zen Sho, The Zen Calligraphy
and painting of Yamaoka Tesshū.” On a more lightheartened note (and by popular demand) Jayne Kerry
reviews another paper-folding publication, this time “A
Kaleidoscope of 28 Decorative Origami Creations.”
Sean Curtin

Contents(1) Japan through writers’ eyes
(2) Showa Japan: The Post-War Golden Age and Its Troubled
Legacy(3) Ko Gakureki Wakingu Puua (Highly Educated Working Poor)(4) Kirschblueten-Hanami (Cherry Blossoms: Hanami)(5) Glory in a Line, a Life of Foujita – The Artist Caught Between
East and West
(6) Autumn Colours of Kyoto(7) A Japanese Touch for your Garden(8) Origami Rings and Wreaths – A Kaleidoscope of 28 Decorative
Origami Creations(9) 剣禅書 – Ken Zen Sho

New reviewswww.japansociety.org.uk/reviews.html
Archive
http://www.japansociety.org.uk/reviews_archive.html

We are grateful to our regular reviewers:
Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Fumiko Halloran
Takahiro Miyao
Ben-Ami Shillony
Mikihiro Maeda
Ian NishAnna Davis
Susan Meehan
William Farr
Tomohiko Taniguchi
Simon Cotterill......................................................................................................................................................................................................

Japan throughwriters’ eyesedited by Elizabeth
Ingrams

Eland Publishing Ltd., 2009,336 pages
Paperback £12.99
ISBN: 978-190601108-6
Review by Susan Meehan‘Japan through writers’ eyes’ is a
literary companion or guide to
Japan, in which freelance writerand former Japan-resident, Elizabeth Ingrams, includes
poetry, fiction and non-fiction excerpts from an impressive
breadth of writers such as Matsuo Basho, Jonathan Swift,
Rudyard Kipling, Lafcadio Hearn, Yasunari Kawabata,
Jan Morris, Alan Booth and Angela Carter. The scope ofthe book is testament to Ingrams’ enthusiasm. Japan is,according to her, “the best country thus discovered.” Thebook, a lyrical and informative journey throughout Japan,
can be challenging at times – and I was grateful for thereminder of places and protagonists in the tale of the Tairaand Genji clans which were thoughtfully included in the
introduction to the Hiroshima and Chūgoku section.
‘Japan through writers’ eyes’ was launched at Asia House
on 19 March 2009 with brief speeches by Elizabeth

Ingrams, Timon Screech (Professor of History of Art, Schoolof Oriental and African Studies, University of London), theauthor Lesley Downer and travel writer Joanna Hunter.
Timon Screech referred to Ingrams’ edited book as“wonderful” thanks to the richness of writers’ responses
to Japan. Japan was considered “worthy”of Europe,
thus attracting many visitors, remarked Screech, though
visitors often found Japan quirky. In Jonathan Swift’s‘Gulliver’s Travels’, for instance, the hero visits a host ofimaginary countries and Japan, in a way conveying a
sense of its unintelligibility according to Screech.
Ingrams begins her guide with Tokyo, deftly whetting
the travellers’ appetite by introducing the reader to the‘gokaidō’, the five major connecting highways whichstarted in Edo (Tokyo) and were built in the Edo period(1603-1867) and by introducing the authors whose
extracts have been used.
Tokyo is the most comprehensive section of the bookwith sub-sections including the Edo (1603-1867), Meiji(1868-1912), Taishō & early Shōwa (1912-1926), andPostwar periods. Ingrams includes excellent, sweeping
and well-researched backdrops to each of the Tokyo
sub-sections, helping put all the selected pieces inhistorical and cultural context as well as telling us about
each author. The introductions to all the other following
chapters and areas of Japan are also hugely helpful.
The book certainly captivates and transports the reader toJapan. I was reminded of Japanese writers I wish to revisit
such as Kawabata and Sōseki and prompted to stock up
on books not yet read such as Nicolas Bouvier’s ‘Japanese
Chronicles’, having enjoyed the carefully chosen snippetsof the Swiss author’s beautifully written and meditativereflections, a contrast to the Donald Richie excerpt from
‘Tokyo Nights’ also in the first section which focuses onmodern-day Ginza with its Western-style bars and cafes.
The different writing styles and perceptions throughout
the book complement each other well.
The book presents many gems. In the same way thatLesley Downer admitted to being very much taken with
Henry Heuksen, Townshend Harris’s Dutch-speaking
interpreter, and Ernest Satow, British diplomat in Japanand scholar, I was taken with the Edmund Blunden and
Oswald Wynd excerpts.
At the risk of being fussy, I have to admit being
disappointed by the Nara section, which mainly
concentrated on Hōryū-ji and focused on poems.
Having been founded in 710 and having been the first
great Japanese capital, I felt that it deserved more than
7 pages dedicated to it.
I also felt that there was an over-emphasis on Bashō, who
seemed to pop up every now and then, though he was a
traveller extraordinaire.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Natsume Sōseki in theTokyo section, and felt that excerpts from his novel‘Botchan’, set in Matsuyama, could also have been
included in the Shikoku section. This exclusion is a shame
as Botchan’s visits to the Dōgo onsen and his noodle2

eating excursions are flavoursome of the place and one
cannot visit Matsuyama without tripping over Botchan‘dango’ (three-skewered rice dumplings).
Screech alluded to the absence of Chinese writing on
Japan, at the book launch, saying it was very interestingand perhaps bred of Chinese cultural arrogance. There is,however, much Korean writing on Japan, said Screech.
Perhaps the next edition of the book could include sometasters from Korean and Korean-Japanese writing.
As Ingrams says, however, the guide does not pretend
to be a comprehensive or exhaustive literary anthology:“The aim is to provide some inspiration to explore acountry full of treasures, whether literally or through theimagination.”
The book is certainly an inspirational treasure trove.

Showa Japan:
The Post-War Golden
Age and Its Troubled
Legacyby Hans Brinckmann
Tuttle, Tokyo and Singapore,
2008, 212 pages including
index, glossary and plate
section. Hardcover, £27.00
ISBN-13:978-4-8053-1002-1
Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
When I began to read this book it seemed to be awalk through memory lane. Brinckmann’s account of
post-war Japan and the Japanese economic recovery
covered familiar ground. However, for those who did
not experience these years, Brinckmann provides afair picture of how Japan seemed to a sympathetic
foreigner. There are few new insights but the groundhas been well trodden by others.
The title “Showa Japan” might suggest that this is ahistory of Japan in the time of the Showa Emperor,
but this is not a narrative history and the reader
looking for a factual account of Japanese politics, theeconomy and society will not find it here.
I found the second half of the book which looks at the
post-bubble years and the challenges facing Japan
today more interesting, because it raises fundamental
questions about how Japan may develop in thetwenty-first century.
Brinckmann notes the streak of “infantilism” inJapanese culture and the attraction of the “kawaii” orcute especially to young women. He found, however,an assertiveness and lack of consideration among
young Japanese women, perhaps due to the factthat “Japanese women have yet to break through theglass ceiling” (Page 148).
Issue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)He asks what has happened to the dreams andambitions of the young and the tendency toacquiesce in what is prescribed by those in authority.
He notes (page 121) that “The obvious downside to
non-assertiveness is vulnerability to manipulationand exploitation by high-handed superiors andunscrupulous rulers. Below its façade of contentment
hides a worrisome defencelessness to exterior
forces, rooted to what at best is an accommodating
disposition but too often can only be called
indifference.”
This makes his fears about a return to an assertive
nationalism “by no means groundless” (page 143).
He is understandably troubled by the Japaneseelectorate’s tendency to vote for the status quo.
“Playing upon the nostalgia, fear of uncharted waters,
and the national habit of self-debasement, [though
there were many examples of bureaucratic arroganceduring the bubble years when some Japanesethought their country was No. 1] the sclerotic
political establishment aims to exorcise the spectreof an emerging diverse society. And turn Japan intoa beautiful fossil on the world’s body dynamic” (page158). He believes that Japanese society as a whole
suffers from an historic and ongoing conflict between
the fervent wish to be “more like the West” and a deepseated tendency “to isolate itself”. In Brinckmann’sview Japanese society now faces “not a simple choice
between collectivism and individualism, but between
sticking to the static group–centred ways of the pastand the dynamism of thoughtful minds set free todefine their own role in a diverse society” (page 163).
He fears that “the conforming, harmony-seeking,all-noses-in-the-same-direction ways of the Showa
heyday still dominate this society at a time when they
are no longer appropriate” (Page 194).
Before reaching this depressing conclusion Brinckmann
reiterates a number of criticisms of Japanese ways
which have been made by others including another
Netherlander Ian Buruma. I share his view about thedangers of preaching the importance of patriotism,(described by that great 18th century English pundit
Dr Johnson as “the last refuge of a scoundrel”) about
the need for Japan to come to terms with its past andabout the importance of ensuring that the media
remain really free (and not tied by the Kisha club
system).
There is plenty of food for thought by the Japanese inthis book, but they are unlikely to read it. Foreigners
who do read the book will find its conclusions
generally depressing. But all of us who pontificate
from time to time about Japan should rememberthat generalisations about people are usually at best
half truths and that fortunately even in Japan not all
nails that stick out are hammered down.

Issue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)

Ko Gakureki Wakingu
Puua (高学歴ワーキングプア) [Highly EducatedWorking Poor]
by Shodo Mizuki
Kobunsha Shinsho, 2007, 217
pages
Paperback, ￥700
ISBN-13: 978-4334034238
Review by Fumiko Halloran
In pre-World War II Japan, anyone who graduated fromcollege or university was considered to belong to anelite class as few then could afford the luxury of a higher
education. If that person had a doctorate, or “hakushigo,” he was admired for such a daunting achievement
and was assured of a high position in government or
academe.
In present day Japan, this picture is no more. Japan isglutted with so many Ph.D. candidates and holders thatmany cannot find jobs in their specialized fields. While
those with Ph.D.s in medicine, pharmacy, and otherpractical areas fare much better, those seeking jobs
in the humanities and social sciences are in the worst
shape. How it became so is the theme of this provocative
book by an author who has Ph.D. in human environment
studies from Kyushu University.
First, some statistics: as of 2006, some 261,000 students
were registered in graduate schools in master’s anddoctorate courses. (These numbers do not differentiate
between Japanese and foreign students). This isquadruple the number twenty years earlier. At thesame time, 16,000 had completed the requirements
for doctorates, the highest number ever. We should beaware of the difference between those who completed
the doctorate requirements and those who wereawarded the doctorate degrees. The former had either
not submitted their theses or had submitted them but
had not had them approved by the faculty yet.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology (Monbu-kagakushō [文部科学省] or MEXT)
defines those who had completed the requirements as
those who stayed in the doctorate course for three years
and left. Of the graduates in doctoral courses, only 57%
landed in full-time employment. Among them, 50% in
humanities and social sciences did so. Some newspapers
pointed out that only 3% of organizations in the private
sector planned to hire Ph.D. degree holders (according
to a survey in 1998) and that in 2005, 12,500 Ph.D. holders
were so called “freeters.” “Freeters” are part-time workers
who hop from one job to another.
A natural question: Why is this happening? The author
points to the year 1991, when the then Ministry of
Education [文部省] proposed to reform the university
system. Among its goals was to promote education
and research to a world class level, which pushed3

for improving the graduate school system. Seeing
an opportunity to expand its programs, the Tokyo
University Faculty of Law proposed a model that would
have its faculty teach both undergraduate and graduate
courses. As a reward, Todai received a 25% increase inits budget from the Ministry. Todai’s move was soon
followed by other national universities that wanted thesame budget increase. Thus they began vigorously torecruit students to fill the graduate school quotas set by
the Ministry.
Within the graduate schools, research universities(Kenkyu Daigaku -研究大学) such as the seven former
imperial universities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Tohoku, Hokkaido,
Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyushu), the Tokyo Institute ofTechnology, Tsukuba, Hitotsubashi, Kobe, and Hiroshima(all national) and Waseda and Keio, both private, hadlittle problem attracting students. But the rest of theuniversities had to scramble to retain students in theirgraduate schools.
The author points out from interviews with students
that they were encouraged by their professors without
understanding what awaited them in the job market.
They shared unrealistically optimistic views of theadministrators and professors who promised job
opportunities once students received their graduate
degrees. In particular, small, local and private colleges
were eager to establish graduate schools to raise theirprestige and attract more students. The result was a
sharp increase in numbers of graduate schools whilejob prospects were limited. Declining youth population
and worldwide economic hardships did not help.
The most likely career for graduates is teaching atcolleges and universities starting as research assistants
to eventually attain the position of professorship. For
many graduates, however, this is an impossible dream
because of the glut in graduate degrees. In addition,
local colleges and universities are often connectedwith major national universities whose faculty control
the teaching positions of the local schools and fill themwith their own students.
If you are not a graduate of a prestigious university nor
a student of influential professors, you may not even beinterviewed by a hiring university. Thus graduates work
as tutors at college preparatory schools called juku, oras hourly part-time lecturers at universities, cashiers atconvenience stores, waiters at restaurants, and laborers
in construction. A man in his 30’s interviewed by theauthor even became a professional pachinko gambler.
The author asserts that the Ministry of Education andthe Todai Faculty of Law conspired to shift Japan’s
education toward the graduate schools in their own
interest. He says the professors feared the declining birthrate could decrease the number of college students
that, in turn, would decrease the number of teachingpositions for Todai graduates. The Ministry feared thedecline in budgets for educational programmes would
cause a decline in the power of the Ministry.
4

And they feared that the shrinking student population
would lead to reduced numbers of the lucrative senior
posts in educational institutions that they had counted
on as second careers after retirement, or “amakudari” or“descending from heaven.” Most senior officials in the
Ministry are Todai or other national university graduates
who maintain close contacts with their alma maters,
which the author criticizes. He claims that the students
were sacrificial lambs, naively believing professors who
painted bright futures in satisfying academic careers.
Critics have pointed out that it was students themselves
who chose this path and they have always had theoption to shift careers. The author’s interviews revealed
that many graduate students found it difficult to landjobs in the private sector because companies preferto train employees on the job. And graduates cling
to the hope that someday they will join the academic
establishment.
The author argues that the situation is not the problem
of individual choice anymore. According to someestimates, tax payers spend $1 million to educate
one doctorate holder, as national, public, and private
universities receive central government subsidies out oftax revenues. If that doctorate student cannot be active
in research and teaching at the prime of life, the returnfor the investment would be poor.
The government has tried remedies. For example,
from 1996 to 2000, the Ministry of Education provided
post-doctorate fellows offering salaries ranging from
$40,000 to $50,000 a year and $10,000 research grants.
It sounded like a good program except that half of the
10,000 positions were for foreigners coming to Japanand Japanese students in graduate school. This did notsolve the problem of those who had finished doctoral
programs. The age limit was 35, which disqualified
many doctorate holders. The seven top universities andthe Tokyo Institute of Technology set up an internet job
information network for graduates.
The author describes in detail the driving force of making
education profitable as the government introduced
business incentives to make all colleges and universities“hojin” [法人] or corporations that would be financiallyaccountable. Already several colleges and universities
have shut down due to accumulating debt.
The author’s assertion that the Ministry of Educaton andTodai Faculty of Law conspire to promote the graduate
school system to their own benefit might meet rebuttal
from the two groups. For example, Tamotsu Tokunaga,
the director general on higher education at the ministry,
asserts in Gaiko Forum [外交フォーラム] (October 2008
issue) that their goal to double the number of graduate
schools by the end of 20th century was achieved, withhalf of science and technology major undergraduates
proceeding to graduate schools. He gives credit to
the graduate schools on improved quality of research,diversity of education, and international competition.
But even he concedes that graduate school faculty
see their schools as contributing to their own research,
Issue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)rather than educating students to prepare them forcareers. Meanwhile, more than 10,000 Ph.D. holders
need full time jobs that fit with their training.
A different version of this review first appeared on the
National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) Japan-US
Discussion Forum and is reproduced with permission.

Kirschblueten-Hanami(Cherry Blossoms: Hanami)
directed and written by Doris Doerrie
2008, 127 minutes
Review by Susan Meehan

Johansson and Bill Murray in Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in
Translation.” Left largely to himself by workaholic Karl,
Rudi begins to explore Tokyo alone, often encountering
the seedier side of life in the way of snack bars and“soaplands.”
Finding an empathetic friend in Yu (Aya Irizuki), a
teenage butoh dancer, Rudi is able to talk to her about
Trudi. The blossoming of the friendship culminatesin a trip to Mount Fuji to see the sometimes elusive
mountain, beloved of Trudi.

Glory in a Line, a Life ofFoujita, The Artist Caught
Between East and Westby Phyllis Birnbaum
Faber and Faber, 2006
331 pages including index
and endnotes.
Hardcover £9.75
ISBN-13: 978-0-571-21179-1
Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi“Cherry Blossoms: Hanami” is a beautiful life-affirming andenhancing film inspired by Yasujiro Ozu’s “Tokyo Story.”
The series of stunning shots of the Bavarian landscape,early on in the film, could have come straight from a
German tourist board film.
Rudi (Elmar Wepper), according to his wife Trudi(Hannelore Elsner), has no sense of adventure and isa man of routine. He’s done the same job for 30-someyears, commuted on the same train and maintained thesame lunch routine, living within his comfort zone in a
beautiful Bavarian town. Discovering she is terminallyill, and keeping this information secret, Trudi persuades
him to embark with her on a trip to Berlin to visit theirdaughter and son.
Rudi and Trudi’s children have little time for their parents
and wonder why they’re visiting them, in fact. It is theirpartners who show the greater kindness and empathy,
confirming the adage from “Tokyo Story” – “As long as
life goes on, relationships between parents and children
will bring boundless joy and endless grief.” In a poignant
scene, Rudi admits that he doesn’t know his children
anymore despite remembering them so well as kids.
The couple decide to continue their holiday in a BlackSea resort where Trudi unexpectedly dies in her sleep.
A grief-stricken Rudi embarks on a visit to Tokyo to visit
their other son, Karl (Maximillian Brueckner), in honour ofTrudi who never got to see her cherished Mount Fuji andwho loved butoh dancing.
Rudi’s escapades in Tokyo echo those of Scarlett
Issue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)

Leonard Foujita was the name Fujita Tsuguharu (orTsuguji) adopted when late in life he became a Catholic.
Foujita (1886-1968) is probably the most famous of thenumerous Japanese artists who were attracted to Parisand settled in Europe. His father was a military man but
accepted his son’s determination to become a painterand consulted the famous Japanese author Mori Ōgaiwho suggested that the boy should study at the Tokyo
School of Fine Arts where he enrolled as a student under
the well-known artist Kuroda Seiki who, however, did not
appreciate Foujita’s efforts.
In 1913 Foujita managed to get away from Japan andarrived without his wife Tomi in Paris where he wasintroduced to Van Dongen and other artists including
Picasso, Diego Rivera, Modigliani and Soutine. He plunged
into the artistic life and enjoyed himself greatly but henever took to wine or other alcohol. Phyllis Birnbaum
notes that Foujita’s “studio was spotless and orderly,
in contrast to the filthy disarray that came naturally to
his friends.” He adapted to French ways of life but he“often remembered Japan in alternating bouts of prideand shame.” He found life in wartime (1914-18) France
difficult and spent a year in London.
When Foujita returned to Paris he met Fernande Barry
who in due course became the second of his five wives.
The French accepted Fernande, but the Japanesecommunity did not. Nina Hamnett said that Fernande“screamed at Foujita most of the time…Foujita wasangelic and never answered back or said a word”.
Foujita concentrated on painting in oils. Gradually hemoved away from bright colours and limited himself
mostly to “black, brown and white.” He was influenced
5

by a wide range of art schools
including Cubism and Henri
Rousseau, as well as Japanesetraditions;
French
critics
preferred his “more familiar
Japanese effects.” During 1917
and 1918 he “exhibited close
to four hundred works”. Phyllis
Birnbaum thinks that “Foujita
at last achieved his goal
sometime around 1921, in apainting such as ‘My Room,
Still Life with Alarm Clock’”.
Foujita met his third wife Youki (Lucie Badoud) in 1923.
“She was his goddess, his charm, his key to bankruptcy.”
She was a frequent model for his nudes. Foujita soon
became the most famous Japanese in Paris. His fame“spread even further across France when Foujita figured
in a protest involving a naked woman and artistic
freedom.” The Japanese in France were “intensely criticalof his boisterous public image.”
Foujita perhaps surprisingly did care and for two years
he travelled in Latin America with a new companion
Madeleine Lequeux, a former dancer at the Casino de Paris.
In Brazil he received many commissions which at least
covered his travel expenses. But Japan was becoming
increasingly unpopular in Europe and he decided not
to return to France but instead to Japan. Madeleine asa former showgirl had plenty of opportunities in Tokyo,
but she was soon bored. She left him for a year, but soonafter she had returned to Tokyo she died of a stroke.
Foujita’s paintings sold well in pre-war Japan andhis conceit grew. In 1936 he declared: “I take pride in
believing that I am the world’s number one artist.” He
tried to diversify and extend his contacts “with the livesof the general population” and for a brief time took
to making a film. He had begun his Japanese phase.
Born into a military family and piqued by his current
unpopularity in France he was easily won over by the
military who recruited him as a war artist. There seems
little doubt that Foujita’s patriotic ardour was aroused
and that he threw himself enthusiastically into this newrole, which took him to Nomonhan and other war zones.
He did a number of paintings of the Japanese occupationof Singapore, of the fighting on Guadalcanal and theSolomons. He had, he declared, “broken with France.”
He became the administrator of the Japanese Army Art
Association where he seems to have enjoyed the power
it gave him over other Japanese war artists.
After the war Foujita found friends among the US
occupation forces and he managed to return to France
via the United States with his fifth wife, Kimiyo, a Japanese,like his first wife. They became French citizens in 1955
and retired to the country.
Inevitably there have been many controversies about
Foujita’s life and especially his support for the Japanesemilitary in China and East Asia. Phyllis Birnbaum deals withthese as objectively as possible and gives an interesting
6

account of Foujita’s life. But the most important questionis the nature of and extent of Foujita’s achievements as an
artist. Foujita clearly was a very accomplished artist anddraughtsman, but where does he rank among twentiethcentury artists? Unfortunately this book, which contains
only a single section of black and white photographsof works by Foujita, is inadequate to enable readers tomake up their own minds on his artistic merits. Phyllis
Birnbaum has done some meticulous research, but there
are gaps (for instance there is nothing in this book about
Foujita as an illustrator of that classic piece of irony about
Japan ‘L’Honorable Partie de Campagne’) and this is not
the definitive work about Foujita.

Autumn Colours of
Kyoto: A Seasonal
Portfolio
by Hidehiko Mizuno,
Kayu Mizuno andYasutaka Ogawa
Kodansha International,
2009, 104 pages
Paperback £18.00
ISBN: 9784770030931
Review by Helen McCarthy
It is almost impossible to take an unattractive picture of
Kyoto’s temples and shrines, especially in autumn, when
the changing leaf colours create such spectacular effects.
This book, however, takes the true gift of photography– the art of snatching moments of transient beauty outof time and freezing them for eternity – to new levels.
A sensitive foreword by Jihei Ogata XI, Grandmaster of
Ueji Landcape Design House, emphasises the role of themaple in both the parade of autumn colour in Kyoto and
the Japanese consciousness of human transience. The
three photographers, all Kyoto natives, give every tree
its due, with evergreens, bamboo, cedars and shrubs
rendered lovingly alongside the maple at forty-nine
historic Kyoto locations. The five chapters are divided byequally beautiful images of seasonal motifs in man-madeform – hair ornaments, pottery, fans, even delicately
moulded and coloured sweets.
Each chapter covers one of the five traditional areas of
Kyoto – East, West, North, South and Central – and lists thebest-known sites for autumn colours in each area. All but
one are represented by a single, exquisite photograph.
(Nanzen-ji temple gets two.) The pictures take the reader
on his own interior journey, but the book also makes it
easy to plan more concrete expeditions. Every photo
has a short description, with interesting snippets of
information about the site and its history. The number
at the beginning of the text links to detailed maps at theback of the book, giving the exact location of each site.
Within the basic theme of the beauty of Kyoto’s autumn
foliage, the three photographers have taken a variety ofIssue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)interesting approaches. Some shots are framed fromwithin a building, giving the sense of an Edo-era mapleviewing party. Others use the geometry of the location
to focus attention on a view as its makers intended, witha flight of steps framed by lines of lanterns or a glimpse
from the road through a gateway; or they allow Nature
to frame the image, with a forest of evergreens setting
off maples and ancient roof tiles. Details of a torii gate orstone lantern stand out against the glowing backdropof leaves, emphasising and celebrating the endlessinventiveness and perfect harmony of nature.
If you have never visited Kyoto, this book will makeyou dream of going there. If you have, it’s a wonderfulreminder of the natural beauty that still abounds in andaround the city. More importantly, it serves as a reminderof the beauty of transience, of the changing seasons of
nature and of human life. These autumn leaves, frozen
forever on film, capture a single season in a single year
in the life of a city with almost fifteen hundred previous
autumns and, one hopes, many more to come.

“Tree and Water Garden.” The second section covers
the elements of Japanese gardens such as layout, stonegroupings, stone lanterns, water basins, bamboo fences,
plants and trees as well as techniques such as shaping andpruning trees. Much valuable information is summarised
and the photographs are good and helpful, for instancethose on pages 50 and 51 showing different patterns ofstones and on pages 56 and 57 explaining the various
styles of Japanese lanterns used in Japanese gardens.
Despite its value as a summary of the basic elements inconstructing a Japanese style garden the book does notreally fulfil its stated aim. I did not feel that the book reallyhelped me to decide how best to bring a real (and not amock) Japanese element into a traditional English garden.
Often the most difficult issue arises from the existenceof English buildings and other traditional features which
are difficult to disguise or reduce the imported Japaneseelement into an unsatisfactory and artificial contrivance.
The book is perhaps designed more for the American
than the British market and does not give practicalguidance about where and how materials such asstone and bamboo fences can be found here. The list ofJapanese gardens in the United Kingdom and Ireland in
the appendix on page 93 is inadequate.
The British Gardener seeking practical advice on adding
a Japanese touch to his or her garden would find much
more useful than this book ‘The Japanese Way Garden
Designs’ by the late Maureen Busby, published by theJapanese Garden Society in 2008.

Origami Rings
and Wreaths – A
Kaleidoscope of 28
Decorative Origami
Creations

A Japanese Touch for your Garden
by Kiyoshi Seike,
Masanobu Kudo,
and David H. Engel,photography by
Sadao Hibi

by Tomoko Fuse
Japan Publications Trading
Company,
2007, 94 pages
Hardcover £16.99

Kodansha International,
revised and expanded 2008,
94 pages. Hardcover £16.99

ISBN: 4889962239

ISBN: 978-4-7700-3079-5

Review by Jayne Kerry			
Reviewby Sir Hugh Cortazzi

Origami, the Japanese art of paper-folding is an ancientand intriguing art form which is now popular worldwide.
This book focuses specifically upon creating rings andwreaths which would inspire many intrepid crafters.
There are instructions for 28 different ways to create rings
and wreaths using a number of folded paper shapes; thesmallest design uses 8 sections whilst the most intricate
uses 16. Instructions are very clearly set out, appropriately
coded using symbols and colour, with good visual
support in the form of diagrams and illustrations. Thereis plenty of challenge in this book for both the beginner

The aim of this book is stated to be how to “Give aJapanese touch to your entire garden or only to a cornerof it, using a partition or fencing or shrubs. Or incorporate
separate Japanese elements into your Western-stylegarden.”The book is well produced and provides a succinct
overview of Japanese garden design. The first section
covers “The Courtyard Garden,” “The Stone Garden” andIssue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)7

and more experienced paper folder. Nevertheless, fullconcentration is required, especially in the early stagesof learning and practising a new design, although verysatisfying once achieved!
The book includes full colour photographs of every
completed design, giving ideas of how co-ordinating andcontrasting colours and patterns can work well together.
There are also colour photographs of the front and backof each design in order for crafters to check that they are
recreating the designs accurately.
Throughout the book a standard size of paper is given
as 7.5cm x 7.5cm, although paper could be cut larger
or smaller, depending upon what the finished ring or
wreath is to be used for. Completed rings and wreaths
could be used in a variety of ways, for brooches, greetingscards, calendars, ear-rings, Christmas decorations,wedding invitations and so on; in fact for all occasions orcelebrations and can be co-ordinated to suit any colour
scheme.

剣禅書 Ken Zen Sho
The Zen Calligraphy andpainting of Yamaoka
Tesshū
edited by Alex Bennett
and Sarah Moate
Bunkasha International
Corporation, Tokyo, 2008,
Paperback £18.00
ISBN-13:978499016480
Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi
This book was prepared as a catalogue and guidefor an exhibition, held between 3 September and 14
December 2008, in the Toshiba Gallery of Japanese
Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It
commemorated the 120th anniversary of the deathof Yamaoka Tesshū (1836-88) and was based on thecollection of his calligraphy which belonged to the late
Terayama Tanchū (1938-2007) who was himself a masterof ‘ken-zen-sho’ (the sword, Zen and calligraphy). The
book has a foreword by Rupert Faulkener, introductions
by Sarah Moate and Alex Bennett, an essay by Terayama
Tanchū on the relevance of “Swordsmanship, Zen andCalligraphy” plus an afterword by Takemura Eiji. Some 34
colour plates illustrating calligraphy, mainly by Tesshū, areaccompanied by translations and explanations. Copies ofthis book may be purchased from the Victoria and AlbertMuseum’s shop and from the Bunkasha International(Kendo) web site.
Yamaoka Tesshū was a samurai who began to learnswordsmanship at the age of nine. He also learnt
calligraphy, studied Confucian philosophy and later Zen.
He became an instructor at the military academy of the
8shogunate (‘Kōbusho’). In 1867 just before the outbreakof the civil war which led to the Meiji Restoration he
was sent to negotiate on behalf of the shogun with
Saigō Takamori, who was in command of the forces
opposed to the shogunate. After a heated discussion anunderstanding was reached which ensured that there
was a relatively peaceful transfer of power. After the
Restoration, Tesshū held a number of important posts
including that of governor of the Shizuoka domain and of
Ibaragi prefecture. In 1872 he became a lifetime retainer ofthe Emperor and worked for the Imperial Household. He
founded the Zenshōan temple in Tokyo where his grave
is located and where books and manuscripts relating
to swordsmanship, tactics and military philosophy
are kept. These include a rare manuscript of the thirtyfive articles on strategy by the famous Miyamoto
Musashi whom the students of ‘Ken-Zen-Sho’ revere as
the outstanding master.
Tesshū is “renowned for his statement thatswordsmanship, Zen and calligraphy are identical intheir aspiration to the no-mind. Known in Japanese as‘mu-shin’, it is a state beyond thoughts, emotions andexpectations.” Tesshū, according to Suzuki Daisetsu,
the interpreter of Zen to Engish readers, knew that “Aman has to die, and leave his ordinary consciousness
in order to awaken the unconscious.” Alex Bennett in
the introduction part 2, notes that in ‘budō’ (the martialWay) ‘the goal was to ‘give life’ rather than take it. The
martial traditions …gradually developed a ‘spirit of
non-lethality’ akin to Zen.” Swordsmanship, Zen andcalligraphy (brushwork) were equivalent to one another;“one was not superior to the other, as long as the adept
surrendered himself unconditionally to his ascetic quest.”
Sarah Moate in the introduction part 1 says of calligraphythat “In Zen terms it reveals the depths of the Zencalligrapher’s state of being, as discernible in the physicaltraces of ‘sumi’ ink brushed on paper in the immediacyof the moment, which are directly and spontaneously
painted with no retouching.” Tesshū’s calligraphy of asnowman (‘yuki daruma -雪だるま’) expresses what hesaw as the essence “vast emptiness, nothing sacred.”
These quotations are not an adequate summary of thephilosophy of ‘ken-zen-sho’, but they do reflect someof the issues which someone not trained in Zen faces
when trying to understand and appreciate the images inthis book. Zen which is central to swordsmanship andcalligraphy cannot be summed up in a logical way.
The essay by Terayama Tanchū is an excellent survey ofthe three themes of swordsmanship, Zen and calligraphy.
He points out that calligraphy “was perceived as being
far more profound than just writing visually pleasing
characters. For this, the most important ingredient was
spirited utilisation of one’s ‘primary life.’”Anyone interested in Zen calligraphy will find much ofinterest in this book.

Issue 21 Volume 4 Number 3 (July 2009)