20100810

Summer Festivals

During the summer months, the churches in my parents' sect of Buddhism (Jodo Shinshu, a form of Mahayana Buddhism) hold fundraising festivals that they also use as an opportunity to share a bit of Buddhist/Shinto and Japanese culture with the local communities. Each weekend, a different church in the area holds its festival. Last weekend, my father and I headed South to Palo Alto for one of these festivals.

The church has its own adult taiko group, primarily women! June (foreground) and my father have been friends since childhood.

Dad and I actually went to the festival to watch his friend (right) play the shakuhachi, a flute made from bamboo. The woman on the left is playing a shamisen, a two-stringed instrument traditionally played by geisha.
Dad's friend played with three koto players. A koto is like a horizontal harp, but each string has a movable bridge, which tunes the string. Any time a key change is made, each string needs to be retuned to the new key... no mid-song key changes for this instrument!

 There were also ikebana (flower arrangements) and suiseki (rocks) displayed. Natural displays in Japanese art are typically abstractions of other natural scenes. In Japanese gardens and ikebana, things that are higher tend to represent the skies (clouds, sun, moon, treetops), while lower elements represent terrestrial elements (animals, minerals). I have no idea what this particular arrangement represents, though!
Suiseki are rocks that can represent a whole scene, a mountain, a tree, anything that it may resemble. What do you think this rock might represent? The person who found it saw a flower, specifically a chrysanthemum (which has relevance in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, although I can't remember exactly what!), but maybe you see something else in it.
In almost all Japanese arts, students may eventually go through what is essentially a certification process in order to be able to teach. When they pass this process, they also receive a "name" that they use in relation to the practice of that art. For many of these arts, the students must still travel to Japan to receive their name.

I had hoped to show stunning photos of the garden by now, but to be perfectly honest, the garden is languishing. Other than the blackberries, the plants just aren't flowering and fruiting as prolifically this year, and I wonder if something changed in my soil or if its the uncharacteristically cool summer we've had, or...

17 comments:

  1. Fascinating story and pictures! As for what I see in the sculpture - at first, I had only the very top visible on my screen, and it was an orca, then I scrolled down and the entire object came into view. It was now a profile of the very pregnant torso of a friend of mine. Then I focused on the design element, the "flower," and yes, it's there, but more than that, I saw what the garage door handle left when it came into direct contact with my car!

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  2. Sorry the rock reminded you of a run-in between door and car, Ethel. I like your original "vision" though -- it could be an orca that's met your garage door!

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  3. Now I have names to go with instruments! I would have loved to have heard the music. The flower arrangements and rocks are also intriguing. The design on the rock itself makes me thing of a shattered flower of sorts. Or a very bizarre bird running. I should probably take this as a sign to go to bed. :)

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  4. I love listening to oriental music, there's something so mystical and relaxing about it. As for the rock...I don't see how they saw the flower! My first thought was one of those drawings of a woman, like several from WWII, striking a pose with her hand behind the back of her head, her boobs kind of sticking out to the left, and definitely a butt exaggeratingly sticking out on the right.

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  5. Am I looking at the wrong rock? I see the flower, I see an ocean creature, I also so see your car wreck. Isn't that the point to art, to allow the viewer to see?

    I use to work for a Japanese company and feel in love with culture, shame we do not have more of their values.

    To your garden...mine is the same way. I'm just trying to keep it alive at this point. I'm told it has just been a very unusual growing season.
    Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  6. I think I have a few seconds of bad-quality video, CM. I'll see if they're post-worthy. I hope you got a good night's (or morning's) sleep!

    The rock does have nice curves that can convey a feminine softness, Linda. The flower is in the white pattern that radiates out, kind of like when a stone hits your windshield!

    I like this rock, Jules, because I think it can be interpreted as many things. I guess it's good to know I'm not alone, although I hope this isn't indicative of a permanent trend.

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  7. I forgot to say that your garden isn't the only one that's not doing well...our flowers and vegetables have all succumbed to the heat here in northwest Georgia, going into survival mode instead of production mode. Even the tomatoes, which love heat, are going belly up, especially now that the grasshoppers are here!

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  8. Ouch, I didn't know it could be too hot for tomatoes. A few tomato seedlings recently appeared in random spots. I'll leave them where they are. Maybe they know something I don't. Those birds need to do better grasshopper patrol!

    (edit on my previous comment: I meant that I hope the current GARDEN trend is temporary)

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  9. Have you ever been asked to look at an ink spot, and tell the shrink what you see? There is no correct answer, they just want to see what you say. Something odd maybe?

    When I look at your plant arrangement, of course I see the antennae of space aliens poking out of that vase.

    Perhaps I always have aliens on the mind. It's my weakness. They were in the ink spot, too.

    Wally

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  10. I have never been to a shrink, Wally, so no Rorschachs for me!

    My weakness is... hmm... maybe chocolate? Perhaps I'd see cacao plants and Scharffenberger Nibbi bars in the blots!

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  11. If all you would see is chocolate, you are probably normal . . . maybe . . . we'll see.

    Might you see a "Mars Bar" in the ink spot?

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  12. I've never had a Mars Bar! Is it like a Baby Ruth? Or maybe a $100k bar. Oh wait, maybe it had almonds?

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  13. Thank you for the well wishes for my father. They mean a lot to me. :D
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  14. Just slightly above center and a little to the left, there is a clear image of a cat, or some other animal's head!
    Speaking of images, your new profile photo...WOW!

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  15. You're welcome, Jules :-)

    I think I may see it, does it have an open mouth, Tim? And thanks, I'm sporting this photo while I solicit donations for the cat group I volunteer with, the Homeless Cat Network.

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  16. This is so weird...the cat changed into a woman (or a man, not sure) with short dark hair! How did that happen? Twilight zone stuff!

    So nice to hear you volunteer to help animals...

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  17. Hmm... that one I don't see at all!

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