Here’s this month’s poetry post from our friend, poet and translator, Keiji Minato. This will be the last post on Deep Kyoto this year. Happy holidays and see you all safely in 2012! Haifu-Yanagidaru (『誹風柳多留』; 1765-1840) is a collection of maeku-dsuke (前句付), which are now commonly called ko-senryu (古川柳; old senryu). It is not one book but a series of 165 volumes … [Read more...] about Kyoto as depicted in “Haifu-Yanagidaru”
Cafe & Gallery Rokujian
I had a bit of free time this afternoon, so I popped over to see the exhibition at Cafe Rokujian of photographs and paintings by our friends John Einarsen and Tiery Le. The cafe forms part of the Kampo Cultural Center, which as I understand it, opened up last month. The center consists of three parts, the cafe, a small gallery space, and a learning center where you can take … [Read more...] about Cafe & Gallery Rokujian
An Interview with Rob Mangold, the Founder of IDRO JAPAN
I arrived in Ishinomaki about 1pm yesterday. A lot has changed in the last two months. The city seems to be very busy, the area around the train station still has a lot of shuttered shops, but energy is high. Only a couple of quick stops before heading out to the peninsula. On the 21st of this month a temporary store opened on the Ogatsu peninsula. The first time people have … [Read more...] about An Interview with Rob Mangold, the Founder of IDRO JAPAN
The Stone Garden at Ryoanji
The vacant space of the garden, like silence, absorbs the mind, frees it of petty detail, and serves as a visual guide -a means for penetrating through the "realm of the multitudes." --- from "Stone Garden" by Will Petersen. My friend Chris Carver, recently lent me a copy of Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums and fairly early on in the book I found something, or rather … [Read more...] about The Stone Garden at Ryoanji
Capturing Light ~ The Art of Sarah Brayer
The artist Sarah Brayer has a show in Kyoto at the end of this week that promises to be quite exciting. Those familiar with Sarah's work, know that while consistent in its grace and beauty, over the years it is has also undergone a remarkable series of transformations in both media and styles. Already known internationally for her poured washi paperworks and aquatint prints, … [Read more...] about Capturing Light ~ The Art of Sarah Brayer
A Ginko, at Seishu Netsuke-kan
Here’s this month’s poetry post from our friend, poet and translator, Keiji Minato. Have you tried a ginko (吟行)? A ginko is a group excursion to make haiku or senryu: you visit a landmark, a museum exhibition, or any place of interest and write poems based on the experience. Usually, a kukai (句会; a haiku or senryu meeting) takes place afterwards, and you can share your works … [Read more...] about A Ginko, at Seishu Netsuke-kan
Épice
Last Monday was Mewby's birthday and every year, on her birthday, I take her out to a restaurant that must fit two criteria: it must be somewhere new (for us) and it must be super posh! This year it was Épice, a French restaurant in an old wooden machiya townhouse not far from the Imperial Palace Park. It's a pleasant spot, and the food could best be described as … [Read more...] about Épice
The Kikakuza Haibun Contest Anthology
Kikakuza Haibun Contest ~ Decorated Works 2009~2011 Compiled by Nobuyuki Yuasa & Stephen Henry Gill Lovely little collection this. I purchased a copy last week at the Hibikiai Forum English Haiku Poems seminar, and as it rained solidly all the next day, I spent a very nice, lazy afternoon reading through it with the rainfall as perfect background music. Haibun (俳文) … [Read more...] about The Kikakuza Haibun Contest Anthology
Kasagake at Kamigamo on October 16th
John Dougill writes, There were traditionally three styles of horseback archery carried out for the entertainment of the kami. The most well-known is Yabusame, in which galloping riders shoot at a fixed target. Much rarer is Kasagake, to be performed this Sunday at Kamigamo Jinja. The other style involved firing at live dogs: thank goodness, it's no longer … [Read more...] about Kasagake at Kamigamo on October 16th
“Denga-ka Sanshu” by Yosa Buson
Here’s this month’s poetry post from our friend, poet and translator, Keiji Minato. My first article for Deep Kyoto took up the topic of YOSA Buson's (1716-1784) hokku (or haiku). As it says, and you all probably know, Buson was a great haiku master and painter, and I would like to add here that he was also an experimental poet who tried poetic styles that had never … [Read more...] about “Denga-ka Sanshu” by Yosa Buson
Kyoto Antiques: Shopping & Window Shopping
Ian Ropke writes, There are two areas in Kyoto known for antiques: Teramachi and Shinmonzen. Both areas are perfect for window shopping and, naturally, shopping. Teramachi, south of Marutamachi, north of Oike but mostly north of Nijo, is Kyoto’s newest antique center. It is more casual, and often quite a bit cheaper when it comes to antiques pure and simple … [Read more...] about Kyoto Antiques: Shopping & Window Shopping
