The following section is a summary of the RED EARTH R&D trip to Japan, with detail where appropriate. It does not cover the depth and range of the whole experience in Japan regarding background research and experience (Buddhist and Shinto presence in everyday life, Japanese culture, structures, methods etc). The trip was conducted by RED EARTH co-directors Caitlin Easterby and Simon Pascoe, and involved meetings with performers, artists, designers, architects, ceramicists, event promoters and festival organisers within a context of cultural investigation.
 

WED 10/THURS

RED EARTH artists fly Heathrow ­ Narita (Tokyo)
 

THURS 11

Travel from Narita to Mt Mitake (3hrs from tokyo centre), to visit Mitake (Shinto) Shrine.

Stay at Komadori Sanso, traditional riyakon hostelry for shrine pilgrims since 1760 and still in the same family.

Experience our first furo, a traditional Japanese communal bath in huge circular hot pool made from beautifully scented cedar wood.

Also ­7C night time temperatures.
 

FRI 12

Visit Mitake Shinto shrine in the snow.

Inspired by Ablution Pavilion, a water trough near the entrance for purification before entering through the Torii, a wooden cross-beamed structure marking a gateway between the secular and spiritual world. The small shrine jinja provide a dwelling place for the spirits kami which are also felt to be present in all surrounding nature. Sacred spaces, including sacred trees, are surrounded by woven straw rope boundaries shimenawa and hung with white zigzags of cut paper. Some jinja also had frameworks of straw rope hung with hundreds of twisted fortune papers omikuji. Inside each shrine there’s an inner chamber containing the shintai, divine body of the kami. This is a sacred object which symbolizes the presence of the kami ­ if ever seen it looses it’s religious power. The sacred objects of some shrines are known to be mirrors and sometimes there is also a visible mirror between offering table and inner chamber. The mirror is of great mythological and symbolic importance, containing notions of spiritual purity and truthful reflection of self. The offering table itself hold the gohei, a stick with more white paper zigzags attached.

Our first experience of Shinto worship was at Mitake. Worshippers first purify mouth and hands at the water trough, then proceed to the shrine where an offering is made ­ a coin thrown into a slotted box. Then a gong or bell is sounded to attract the attention of kami and ward off evil spirits. The worshipper then bows slightly once, deeply twice, prays, claps hands and ends with two more bows.

We were to experience these highly participatory aspects of Shinto throughout our trip, in huge temple complexes and at small street shrines. Daily ritual integrated into people’s lives.

In the evening meet with Hisako Horikawa (45), female butoh performer.

Hisako was co-founder of Body Weather Farm with Min Tanaka, working together for over 20 years. Hisako’s good English (she lived in Holland for some time) meant we were able to have some very in depth discussions about her work and ours, and BREATH. Discuss possibility of BREATH performance at the Grand Theatre in Groningen Northern Holland ­ a commissioning venue known for supporting innovative site-specific projects. Hisako is performing at the Grand Theatre at the end of March where we will meet with her again and discuss production possibilities with Theatre management with whom we already have good connections.
 

SAT 13

Watch and discuss several videos of Hisako’s work. After her departure discuss her work/potential in project.
 

SUN 14

Mountain path walk along visiting various natural Shinto shrines, eg waterfall shrine.

Discuss timetable, BREATH developments
 

MON 15

Travel from Mitake to Nara City via Kyoto (all day)

Arrive at Nara 7pm to be met by Mushimaru Fujieda (48), butoh performer, physical poet.

Drive into the mountains outside Nara to meet Matsumoto Hiroyuki, Zen calligrapher, his wife Kenso and son Taro - expert on the traditional Japanese flute. An evening of Japanese food and discussion ­ art, politics, philosophy ­ translated by Miki Lyn Taylor, American/Japanese translator, dancer and friend of Mushimaru.

Zen calligraphy moves beyond the descriptive to emphasise spontaneity of expression in a style of writing that captures the essence of subject matter. Calligraphy of this type can be so expressively rendered as to be almost unreadable except to the practised eye. We discuss potential collaboration possibilities with Matsumoto, who has exhibited work in Europe and initiated several ‘performance calligraphy’ events involved large scale transcriptions on canvas with giant horse tail brushes and huge vats of ink.
 

TUES 16

Watch Mushimaru’s videos of past work. Move to Nara hotel as Caitlin has become ill with asthma. Notice noren, the hanging split curtains outside restaurants and shops.

Visit outer precinct of Todai-ji Buddhist Temple housing the Giant gold Buddha, Japan’s largest bronze statue, and Nandai-mon (Great Southern Gate) housing two Nio - giant wooden temple guardians (7m).

Particularly Inspired by architecture, hanging lanterns, colours (faded red and honey to black toned cedar) and The Great Bath House Oyuya which contains a huge circular iron bath tub on a wooden stand with an earthen floored furnace room for heating the water behind.

The Shuni-e ceremony, held for two weeks each year as a rite of purification, includes a fire ritual known as the dattan in which a great pine torch is swung about the inner sanctum, and monks swing fire torches all along the temple balconies

Meet with Todai-ji festival organiser for 2002 anniversary event. Discuss possibility of RED EARTH commission (cane/paper moving models of temple guardians) for 2002.

WED 17

Visit various Nara sites including Kofuku-ji 5 storey Pagoda and Todai ­ji to visit inner temple precinct and Golden Buddha.

Particularly Inspired by architecture, hanging lanterns, colours (faded red and honey to black toned cedar) and The Great Bath House Oyuya which contains a huge circular iron bath tub on a wooden stand with an earthen floored furnace room for heating the water behind.

The Shuni-e ceremony, held for two weeks each year as a rite of purification, includes a fire ritual known as the dattan in which a great pine torch is swung about the inner sanctum, and monks swing fire torches all along the temple balconies

Discuss Mushimaru ­ unsure of the compatibility of his work after seeing videos.

THURS 18

Travel with Mushimaru and dancer/student Nanimo to Iwaresan Tokoji Temple. On the way visit the oldest Shinto complex in Japan. Experience Shinto purification with haraigushi, a wand of thin paper strips and flax waved over the body for good health (sometimes a sprig of the sacred evergreen tree sakaki is used).

At Tokoji Temple greeted by Shingon Bhuddist priestand our host Yugen Yamanouchi.

Founded in the early 9th century the Shingon sect is based on Tibetan Buddhism involving meditation and Tantric rituals. Founded in mountains, it is closely related to the mountain asceticism of the shungendo faith, a mixture of tantric ritual, Shinto shamanism and Taoist magic. Shingon specifically emphasises the idea of mutual interdependence as expressed by the Mandala ­ graphic representations of the cosmic universe - and asserts that enlightenment can be achieved in one lifetime through chanting and meditation.

Prepare for evening performance/improvisation, to take place in the small Shingon Bhuddist temple itself.

While organising this trip via email, Mushimaru had proposed this visit to the temple, and suggested that he, together with a musician, other dancers, and with the priest himself, would present a performance for us. We had then suggested that we create a collaborative event, allowing us to meet through the language of practice and performance, which would in many ways serve as a clearer form of communication than the spoken word.

Tokoji Temple performance/activation: A meeting of sacred resonances focusing on the central temple space, witnessed by a small invited audience. The artists involved were

RED EARTH: installation/activation using fire, salt, ash, bells, cymbals, horn and voice.

Mushimaru: dance improvisation, with Miki and Nanimo.

Koham: music, sound improvisation ­ flutes, percussion, horn, voice

Yugen Yamanouchi: Music ­ percussion, Japanese and North American flute, voice (chant) and ritual ­ Yugen carried out a powerful Shingon fire ritual, driven by a complex and relentless chant of extreme focus and intent.

Dinner and discussion about performance, aesthetics, philosophy with artists and some of the invited audience who were staying at the temple guest house for the night.

FRI 19

Final discussions with Mushimaru. The temple performance had brought out qualities in his performance which were fascinating, leading to a change of attitude towards his compatibility with our work.

Caitlin experiences three hour session of intense Ayervedic healing from Yugen.

Arrival of architect Teruaki Uchino, ceramicist Noriko Uchino and family. Friends from 11 years ago, Teruaki, an architect, had been paramount in organising certain elements of this trip, including contact with several potential artists and setting up contact with Mushimaru.

SAT 20

Travel to Lake Biwa through terrible weather ­ snow storm. Spend weekend with Teruaki and Noriko at the home and atelier of Noriko’s former tutor Kozue Hashida and his wife Shozo: professional ceramicists who lecture in ceramics, toyiki at Kyoto art school. Teruaki is currently designing a new house for them in Kyoto.

Weekend discussing Japanese culture, art, philosophy, architecture, ceramics. Inspiration for building structures from their burnt cedar atelier with hand made paper washi screens, textured walls and lamps. Shozo’s work iron brown and cream glazed work contains similarly expressive zen calligraphic inscriptions to Matsumoto. Purchase some inspirational ceramics, some given as gifts! The ritual giving and receiving of small gifts very important in Japan.

SUN 21

Drive through Japanese countryside to visit onsen, hot springs ­ sit in Notemburo, outdoor circular hot spring beneath rocks surrounded by snow. Stop at Japanese 2nd hand shop ­ old wooden building with rare floor-based fire. Discover and buy Kihash’ ­ copper chopsticks for fire working.

BREATH update discussion especially concerning integration of Japanese design and utensils

Inspired by temple water troughs, circular cedar pool at riyakon and steaming outdoor hot spring we discuss with architect Teruaki Uchino possible designs for a central hot pool in BREATH.

MON 22

Travel to Kyoto, met by butoh performer Atsushi Takenouchi

Stay at Yoshimizu Inn: traditional Japanese riyakon, situated in Maruyama Park. Like accommodation in Mitake and Nara the building was structured around shoji and fusuma, sliding wood and paper screens dividing a series of woven rice straw floor tatami covered rooms each with a tokonoma, shrine alcove. There was also a Zen garden used as a performance space in the warmer seasons.

Kyoto has more than a 1000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. The park itself was full of secluded shrine spaces. Just below the inn was the shrine to Benziten ­ goddess of the arts and creativity.

Meeting with Takenouchi and musician Hiroko Komiya.

Discussion with inn manager Yoshimi Nakagawa - also publisher and art event entrepreneur ­ regarding possible RED EARTH commission for Kyoto arts festival in 2002/3: BREATH or more installation-based project based on OUTCROP (Sussex Downs Sep 2000 funded by SEA)
 

TUES 23

We had already arranged with Takenouchi to create a collaborative event.

Travel to mountains north of Kyoto to a frozen lake.

Mountain Lake Improvised installation/performance

RED EARTH: installation/performance incorporating fire, snow, found natural objects (rock, wood, aromatic leaves), metal bowls, bells, voice

Atsushi: Improvised performance, with fellow dancer Yoshumi

Hiroko Komiya: Music ­ flute, bells, voice

Jean-Daniel ­ approach, movement with crystal balls

This was an unstructured improvisation in an extraordinary but demanding environment. Unlike our previous Javanese collaborators, the Japanese performers we met appeared remarkably capable of withstanding severe weather conditions ­ necessary as the BREATH collaboration is due to take place in October.

Unfortunately the day was followed by a heavy dose of bodily purification (or was it food poisoning?) for Simon.
 

WED 24

BREATH concept update: developing idea of working with the three main dancers we had met ­

Hisako, Mushimaru and Takenouchi.

Trip to Japanese hand made paper, washi shop

Final meeting with Takenouchi and Hiroko, discussing BREATH in more detail. T and H agree to investigate Japanese festival contacts and funding bodies.
 

THURS 25

Visit Kitano Shrine and flea-market in west Kyoto. Torrential rain, but still strong turn out at this temple.

Witness the shrine practice of worshippers writing out prayers in beautiful calligraphic script on wooden votive tablets ema. These were hung on stands ready to be burnt at the beginning of February in a Spring ritual. The temple space also housed a corridor of temporary hung paper prayers, again written in beautiful calligraphy.`

BREATH UPDATE: Discussion over trip in general, formulising most coherent influences, and impressions regarding possible influence on BREATH format.
 

FRI 26

Last day in Kyoto. Visit Murin An, 19th century traditional Japanese house and garden and also visit Zen garden.

The word for landscape in Japanese is sansui meaning ‘mountain and water’. In Zen inspired kare sansui or ‘dry landscape’ gardens such as Ryoan-ji in Kyoto, these two elements are symbolically combined. Kare sansui gardens consist of only carefully positioned rocks in a bed of sand or gravel which is raked into water like patterns. As vehicles for meditation such gardens convey the vastness of nature through the power of symbolic suggestion.

Visit to Nanzen-ji temple, Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Inspired by simplicity and colours of cedar temple gate and hundreds of burning incense sticks scenting the air. Worshippers light and wave the smoke from these over their bodies as an act of purification before entering temple.

Witness Geisha event in the street. Visit Kyoto Museum of Contemporary Art ­ 4 stories, 4 nearly empty rooms, and a lift.

Travel to Tokyo after meeting at Kyoto station with Yoshimi Nakagawa and fellow festival organiser, in which we discussed RED EARTH work and future possibilities.
 

SAT 27

Return to England: Travel through snowstorm: Tokyo ­ Heathrow