SENGAKUJI - III

Among the Forty-seven Ronin, one was ordered to travel to Ako and to inform the revenge was done. The remaining Ronin were sentenced to death and forced to commit ritual suicide, and each of them did it on February 4th, 1703. The one who was ordered to bring the news to Ako lived up to the age of seventy-seven and was buried at Sengakuji. When you go to Sengakuji Temple and look at the graves, you can read the age these warriors were when they committed suicide... and some of them were very young. Try to imagine such a scene : 46 men aged from 20 up to 70 who quietly accept to cut their belly... and become immortal.

Camera : Canon EOS40D

SENGAKUJI - II

The tale of the Forty-seven Ronin, also called "Ako Vendetta" or "47 Samurai", inspired lots of Kabuki and Bunraku plays. To make it short, a feudal lord named Asano Takumi-no-Kami Naganori, tried to kill a court official called Kira Yoshinaka who had offensed him. He was immediately sentenced to death by the 5th Shogun Tokugawa and forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide).
Oishi Kuranosuke Yoshio, principal councellor of Asano, took the head of the vendetta. Oishi and 46 men patiently prepared the revenge of their Lord, and finally killed Kira, took his head, and bought it to their Lord's grave at Sengakuji. They washed Kira's head in the well of the Temple (above picture) and laid it in front of Asano's tomb. They gave the money they had left to the abbot of the Temple, asking him to bury them decently and to give them prayers. And they waited for their own punishment...

Camera : Canon EOS40D

SENGAKUJI - I

Sengakuji is a Buddhist Temple (Soto Zen) close to the Shinagawa Station in Tokyo. It is a small but famous Temple where are located the graves of the Forty-Seven Ronin...　Sengakuji was first built by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1612 near the Edo Castle, but its devastation by fire 30 years later lead to a reconstruction in its actual place. It used to be one of the 3 principal Temple of Edo old Tokyo) and considered as a reputed Buddhist institution. The popular tale of the 47 Ronin still touches the Japanese heart, and lots of people flocked there to pray during the last past 300 years.


Camera : Canon EOS40D

WAGASA V

Camera : Canon EOS40D

WAGASA IV

Just can't refrain from posting this one as well...

Camera : Canon EOS40D

WAGASA III

Another artwork handmade by Yasuko Horie.

Camera : Canon EOS40D

WAGASA II

Handmade Wagasa by Yasuko Horie really impressed me... A feeling the up-coming posts will focus on her beautiful artworks...
You can get more information (in Japanese) about Yasuko Horie's wagasa at : www.wagasa-h.com

Camera : Canon EOS40D

WAGASA I

Yesterday, I had the chance to visit an exhibition of Japanese traditional umbrellas. Wagasa are made of bamboo and Japanese traditional paper (washi). All the wagasa where handmade by a woman artist whose name is Yasuko Horie. She explained me it takes her 3 months to make a single umbrella...


Camera : Canon EOS40D

FLYING CARPS

Japanese gardens are famous for their relaxing atmosphere. It is quite often they mix greens, stones and water where beautiful, colored big carps are slowly swimming. By the way, carps are an auspicious symbol in Japan : every year from April to early May (*) you can see carp banners fluttering in front of houses were boys are living in. The biggest one (black) is for the father, the second (red) for the eldest son. If the family have more sons, then additional blue, green and purple carps will be fluttering along with. Carps are set fluttering in the wind in hope sons will grow up strong and healthy. The biggest carp banner was made in 1988 : 100 meters long for 350 kg !


(*) May 5th is a National Day for Children.

Camera : Pentax Option MX-4

WOODEN BRIDGE

You can see many kind of bridges in Japan, and some of them are quite big, but the ones I definitively prefer are traditional ones. Their specific shapes and colors really make feel a kind of magic atmosphere: just as if they were standing in-between two worlds...

Camera : Pentax Optio MX-4

PASSION FOR LEARNINGS

A big strength of Japan is the passion of its people for learnings. Once they feel an interest for something, whatever it can be from foreign languages or golf to knitting, they proactively spent time and money to learn it well. Below is a shot I took during a wine seminar dedicated to Alsace and Cotes du Rhone wines...

Camera : Canon EOS 40-D

JAPANESE RESTAURANT

A Japanese restaurant by night. Even if you can't read the menue you may guess what you can eat there :)


Camera : Pentax Optio MX-4

KIMONO & CELLULAR

A touch of tradition with the fan in the Kimono belt...
And a touch of modernity with the cellular phone...
That could be a nice definition of Japan.


Camera : Canon EOS40D

MAIKO PORTRAIT

Maiko litteraly means "dancing child" or "dancing girl" but it refers to apprentice Geisha. A 5 years training including dancing, singing, playing music and so on is necessary before becoming a Geisha.


Camera : Canon EOS40D

SHORT WHILE IN KYOTO

Traditionnal image from Kyoto : Geisha and Temples






Camera : Canon EOS40D