Five-storied pagoda at Daigo-ji temple, Kyoto

People love to say “the three most beautiful, the three most famous, etc.” Is that universal? There are many special things referred to as a trio in Japan. One is the three most reputed Daiginjo refined sake brewing places in the country: Fushimi in Kyoto and Nada in Hyogo are undefeatable, but the third one varies. A number of places claim “We’re the third !” One of them is Saijo, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture. Its cold climate in winter with the difference in temperature between the highest and lowest of the day properly large, pure ground water, and rice cultivated nearby combined makes Saijo the great place for sake making.

Well so much about Saijo this time. Articles especially for Saijo will be posted some day.

This time, I’m showing one of the most beautiful wooden five-storied pagodas in Japan: the one at Daigo-ji.

The English word for go-ju-no-toe is five-storied pagoda, but simply put, these towers are one-storied with a vast attic. Almost all of them are made this way. Even the first floor is usually off-limits. Above the ceiling of the first floor, there are quite a number of wooden pieces combined and joined to support the long-extending ecstatic eaves, virtually no space to make it floored.

Unlike the pagodas in China, the wooden five-storied pagodas in Japan are to be worshipped from outside. Originally, even the temple monks were not allowed to enter the pagoda. The pagoda itself might have been regarded very sacred in Japan as a symbol of the Buddha, whereas in China, in many cases, people are allowed to go up and worship the Buddhist statues enshrined on each floor until they come to the top floor. The Chinese towers are multi-floored, mostly made of bricks, welcome people in and are said to have been served as watch towers or observation platforms as well.

Korea does have a wooden five-storied pagoda of traditional make but most extant are made of stone.

In the center of the go-ju-no-toe stands the Shin-bashira or Heart Pillar, which only supports the spire on the roof and stands independently from the rest of the pillars, beams, fixtures, etc. Enough has to be written about this special pillar and the spire called so-rin. To make this article properly short, let me write another article about the shin-bashira and so-rin later on.

Today, as a starter, let me show you one of the representative five-storied pagodas in Japan. The other two which are included in the best three are: one at Horyu-ji in Nara and the other at Ruriko-ji in Yamaguchi. I’ll show them to you soon.

So let’s start with the one at Daigo-ji.

Daigo-ji is located here.

Hero Dry Cell

"Seirensho" is a message to Japan. Composed of six artworks integrated with architectural functions, it was made by collaging parts of an abandoned house, which represents postwar Japanese culture, on the ruins left by Japanese modernization. These works are given the overall title "Hero Dry Cell."  (Excerpts from the film narration)

This photo shows the last one of them: Solar Note. The six artworks are in sequence. Study MISHIMA Yukio before you go. No preparation is also good though. After all, you've got to feel before you know.

"... We stood by as postwar Japan becameinfatuated with economic prosperity, while it neglected the country as a whole, lost our national spirit, grasped for results without the correct means, resorted to temporary solutions and hypocrisy, and while it allowed Japan to sink into an emptiness of spirit ... Griding our teeth, we were forced to witness Japanese as they disgraced Japan's history and culture ..."
(Quoted from MISHIMA Yukio's Last Manifesto)

Inujima Seirensho

The film you can see after a tour of the artwork of six titles done by YANAGI YUKINORI goes like this:

The first time I visited Inujima was on a small sailboat. I spent a night moored in the harbor and saw the sun rise over the hill where the ruins are located. This became my first "encounter" with Inujima. The sun at that moment of December 6, 1995 made an imprint on my retina, which was then developed into a six-part artwork Hero Dry Cell in Seirensho. And the afterimage of that sun emerged in the village as Inujima Art House Project, linked to the myriad gods of Japan.

I was back on the island of Inujima. This time I spent half the time of my stay for walking in the island neighborhood and appreciating the Art House Project and the rest for YANAGI's artwork. Seirensho ruins had to be skipped this time. I got absorbed in comprehending the artwork and didn't remember the place closes at 4:30. When I was about to go see Seirensho ruins part, it was already 4:29.

That's fine. I'll be back.

So welcome to Seirensho, a former refinery once spewing out dark smoke and now standing in serenity.

F Art House again

See another photo of F Art House. One of the side structures is shown here. In the left of the photo is a chimney of a former refinery or Seirensho, symbolizing Japan's frantic modernization effort and now standing in serenity.

Inujima F Art House

The official translation of this artwork displayed in the house is "Yama-no-kami and Illuminated Sun Flanked by Mirrors." The materials used are: neon, neon transformer, programing circuit, painted steel, steel frame, slag, and water.

The house was refurbished and designed by architect SEJIMA Kazuyo. One of her representative works is Kanazawa's "21st Museum of Contemporary Art," done with NISHIZAWA Ryue.

The Kanazawa museum is round and transparent, quite different from Japanese traditional wooden architecture. Here she worked on refurbishing an unoccupied wooden Japanese house, which had an impressive truss structure which she retained beautifully in the refurbishment project. The building serves as a gallery, housing the artwork of YANAGI.

"Yama-no-kami" means the mountain goddess. It later came to refer to a demanding wife by the way. "Flanked by Mirrors" means that the Tsuboniwa courtyard-like structures attached on the right and left of the house respectively flank the artwork. These structures and wooden walls - and pillars of course - support the load. See the pillars; they are slender and cannot support the house alone.

Inujima S Art House again

Inujima neighborhood through the glass.

Inujima S Art House

The artwork is entitled "Dollar Web Garden." Materials used are: olive trees, arrows, leaver lace, and insects alive and dead.

Take time, walk around and look for a one-dollar bill.

Chairs at Inujima Gazebo

Try these fun-loving chairs. Can't help smiling and feeling happy while sitting there.

Nakanotani Gazebo

A little walk after the visit to I Art House brings you to this charming gazebo where you can sit down. When the International Art Festival was going on last year in 2010, many must have sat here, chatting and smiling. Your voice reverberates, which might give you a spirited-away sensation. I loved it. 

Inujima, Present & Future

Here's another picture of I Art House. Inside there are two panels of glass made in the same size. The one, as I wrote in the previous article, projects the doomsday in the eyeball; the other is a pane of glass with a special kind of sheet. Through the glass, you see the present Inujima. Looking back, your eyes would enjoy the flower field and the sea beyond. Can the future be this beautiful? How would we live to keep the flowers and the sea?

Let us think.

Inujima's Art House Project

Besides the Seirensho Art Project, Inujima now offers the Art House Project, refurbishing old houses or building new ones under the concept of island revival. The artworks were done by YANAGI Yukinori; the architecture by SEJIMA Kazuyo.

Here's the first one I am introducing to you.

The I Art House, Eyeball Flower Garden. An image of an eyeball is projected on the glass screen on the exterior of the house. The eye sees the flower garden and me standing there; I see the reflection on the glass too. It's a beautiful world.

Inside, the other eyeball is projected alike. But on its retina are destruction and misery imprinted. The world is doomed.

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