Jeff Shore on Living Zen

Jeff Shore summed up a famous Chinese proverb and said, “after being Zennistic, let me turn to Disneyworld.” And just like that, he moved on to a trip with his elderly Zen teacher (Fukushima Roshi, whose work is featured in Zenmi – A Taste of Zen) whom many a tourist mistook for part of Epcot’s Japan Pavilion.  Jeff Shore, Professor of Zen in the Modern World at Hanazono University, Kyoto, Japan came to Morikami last Friday to discuss what it means to be “Living Zen.”

The Disneyworld bit first seemed like a light-hearted aside, an absurd visual a South Floridian audience could appreciate.   It probably was.  Except, the proverb Shore had just elucidated was, “a bird sings, the mountain stillness becomes deeper.”  Okay, and?

Shore explained that mountain stillness stands for true peace, which cannot be disturbed or even broken.  If one could shatter true peace, the peace was never true, only temporary.  When the bird sings, the mountain stillness deepens; a sound cannot break the mountain stillness, it only affirms its intransience.

If a Zen master can insert chuckle-worthy cheekiness into a lecture for 200 people on what it means to live Zen, maybe we’ve witnessed a real-life, real-time example of the bird singing.  Just as in the proverb, as the bird’s singing deepens the mountain stillness, maybe a Zen master’s earthly humor complements his own stillness, his own true peace, too.  Or, maybe masters of Zen just sometimes like a good laugh like the rest of us.

I will leave you with a piece of art Shore showed the audience.  This famous 16th century ink painting, Pine Trees, belongs to the Tokyo National Museum.  It is, according to Shore, the Mona Lisa of Japan.

Pine Trees by Hasegawa Tōhaku

Shore compared the potency of Pine Trees’ empty spaces to to the force of Van Gogh’s trees.  Van Gogh’s get it from an opposite technique, though: complete color saturation, not an inch of untouched canvas.

Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun by Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh’s trees “leap out at you,” while the vast empty spaces in Pine Trees, he suggests, “ask you to enter.”

Jeff Shore had much more to say than what I’ve fit here.  Did any readers get to see him last Friday?  We’d love to know your thoughts.  Don’t forget to check out our upcoming speaker series, too.

Zenmi – A Taste of Zen: Nantenbō’s Letter

My coworkers and I recently got an inside look at our newest exhibit, Zenmi – A Taste of Zen: Paintings, Calligraphy, and Ceramics from the Riva Lee Asbell Collection from Veljko Dujin, our Curator of Collections. Before the opening, we simply observed the whirring curatorial staff through three weeks of installation.  The exhibit, though, is four years in the making.  Veljko worked with Riva Lee Asbell, the exhibit’s lender, to collect and select the art destined to become part of Zenmi – A Taste of Zen.  Historically, Zenmi is the second exhibit in the United States to focus solely on 20^th century Zen art.  It is the first ever to look at lineages of prominent Zen Masters and the students they influenced, and the students they influenced—and so on.

I asked Veljko to describe his favorite pieces in Zenmi.  “They’re like children.  You can’t have favorites,” he balked.  Despite an initial show of diplomacy, Veljko soon rattled off no less than ten of his favorite pieces from the collection: rare tea-scoops, sake cups, a ceramic hand-warmer, and Nantenbō’s Letter, to name a few.

Nantenbō, a prominent Zen Buddhist monk of the early twentieth century, wrote the letter in response to a dignitary’s request for his schedule in upcoming months.  He enclosed a two-page itinerary, maintained by both Nantenbō and his personal assistant, outlining multiple trips between Osaka, the location of his home temple, Kaisei-ji, and Tokyo throughout the spring of 1914.  Today, this trip takes no more than four hours by train.  Then, Veljko estimates it took Nantenbō no less than seven hours.  Zen Masters are not known for their jam-packed travel schedules, and even less-so in the early 1900s than now.  Nantenbō, however, oversaw 100 training halls in temples throughout Japan.  He had friends in prominent places; his presence was sought after.  Nantenbō’s itinerary includes a legend on the right hand side: a square next to an activity denotes the trip’s primary purpose, while a triangle next to an activity translates loosely to, “while we are there.”

Sometimes, Nantenbō’s schedule changed.  Written corrections in red, in both Nantenbō’s handwriting and his assistant’s, scatter the pages.  When an update in travel plans required more than a red-penciled note, Nantenbō’s assistant pasted a thin piece of washi (Japanese paper) over the erroneous kanji and began again.

Whether you find Nantenbō’s letter fascinating or forgettable, it is a rare glimpse into the intimate, if not mundane details of a Zen Master’s life.  Come see, and tell us what you think.

Two Zen Masters Come from Japan for Zenmi – A Taste of Zen Exhibit

The Morikami’s staff curated the exhibition Zenmi –A Taste of Zen: Paintings, Calligraphy and Ceramics from the Collection of Riva Lee Asbell, which opens October 18^th.  Curator of Collections, Veljko Dujin, collector Riva Asbell and I began to plan and research educational programs to accompany the exhibit one year ago. We will welcome two Zen masters to Morikami who have agreed to come from Japan.  Shōdō Harada Rōshi is a highly-respected Zen teacher and well-known calligrapher. He will travel from Sogen-ji Zen Monastery in Okayama, Japan where he is the abbot. Ms. Asbell has included one of Harada Rōshi’s scrolls in the exhibition. The scroll reads Sōgen no Ittekisui (One Drop of Sōgenji’s Water). The same kanji represents the name of Harada Rōshi monastery and the scroll’s Sōgen.  Water, drop by drop, gathered together makes a large river; one drop has many possibilities, and each of us can make a difference, too.

Shōdō Harada’s Sōgen no Ittekisui

Harada Rōshi frequently travels abroad and often guides meditation sessions at the One Drop Monastery in the state of Washington. His teachings have begun to spread throughout the United States.  Harada Rōshi will hold two calligraphy demonstration programs Tuesday, October 25 in Morikami’s Seishin-an tea house.  Seishin-an offers an intimate setting for these demonstrations, so seating is limited.  This demonstration will be the first of its kind by a Zen master in South Florida.  

On Friday, November 18^th, Morikami will welcome Professor Jeff Shore.   Professor Shore teaches at Hanazono University in Kyoto, Japan. He has studied and practiced Zen Buddhism for almost 40 years.  His master since 1982, Fukushima Keidō, passed away on March 1 while Professor Shore was teaching in Europe.  The Zenmi catalog is dedicated to Fukushima Keidō, and you will find his calligraphy in the exhibition. I particularly like one piece that reads Hōgejyaku (Throw it away). The word Hōgejyakuteaches me, if one throws everything away, one will find his or her own ground.  Don’t so many of us want many things, already have so much, and still fail to see what really matters?

Professor Shore conducts Zen retreats throughout Europe.  He recently came back to Japan from a month of teaching there.  Professor Shore will likely lead his discussion “Living Zen” zazen-style in our theater: seated, rather than standing, on the stage.

We recommend interested individuals register and purchase tickets for these events as early as possible, as spaces are limited.  Personally, I am excited to see the calligraphy demonstration and to hear more about Zen. I also look forward to viewing the Zenmiexhibition as well as each Zen master’s unique brush strokes, and to learn their understanding of these words.

Reiko Nishioka

Director of Education

Nadeshiko

Nadeshiko Flowers

On Wednesday, July 20, millions of people watched the Japanese women’s team, nicknamed Nadeshiko Japan, prevail in a dramatic victory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.  This win lifted the spirits of the Japanese people from the turmoil of the March 11 tsunami and nuclear disaster.  Not many Americans are familiar with the word nadeshiko, but the Japanese know that it describes a women’s group.

Nadeshiko is a plant that is often called “Wild Pink” or “Fringed Pink” in English.  It grows in temperate zones of the Northern hemisphere.  While not very tall, Nadeshiko plants are dainty.  Their flowers bloom during the fall in gardens all across Japan.

 Nadeshiko plants and its flowers have been known since the 7^th century, and often appear in Japanese waka, a thirty-one-syllable form of Japanese poetry.  The word nadeshiko personifies the beauty of Japanese women: elegant and tidy, just like nadeshiko flowers.

A few months ago, I wrote about the word Yamato in my blog. This word stands for the country of Japan.  Yamato and nadeshiko combined create the phrase Yamato-nadeshiko, a figure of speech that describes the beauty of Japanese women.

Perhaps today Yamato-nadeshiko is no longer used to represent the traditional Japanese ideal of feminine beauty, but Nadeshiko Japan team members are certainly symbols of Japan’s powerful, beautiful contemporary women.

Reiko Nishioka

Director of Education

Flowering Tea Plant

Before I came to America, I lived in Uji City, southern Kyoto Prefecture.  Uji is famous for its fine tea production.  On my way to and from school I could see undulating tea bushes stretch over the hillsides.  The smell of fresh tea drifted from the tea shops alongside of Byodo-in Temple Street.

Japanese tea became ever more popular with the vast development of Japanese Sushi restaurants in America.  People drink Japanese tea as a health drink because it contains catechin, a natural antioxidant.  There is a tea plantation in Charleston, South Carolina where one can observe tea production.  I visited four years ago and learned that black tea, Japanese tea and Oolong tea are all produced from the same tea plant, but the difference between the three comes from their oxidation process (or lack thereof, in the case of green tea). 

I have seen tea bushes in Japan and South Carolina, but I never saw tea flowers until recently (pictured here). A Morikami education staff member purchased a tea plant from a tea-themed exhibition at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy.  For 14 years, we have run a joint program with the Academy to teach fourth graders about Japanese culture.  As you could guess, it is too hot in South Florida to grow tea plants.  So, our staff member kept her tea plant in a indoor pot after the exhibition.  One day, I found the small white and yellow stamens open. We all gazed at it curiously; the next day, a second flower emerged. 

I had never seen tea plant flowers because Japanese tea farmers picked them, believing the flowers take nutrients away from the rest of the plant.  In Japan, tea is not made from these flowers.   However, I read that the Chinese have used tea flowers since ancient times.  There is Chrysanthemum tea, Jasmine tea, and Rose tea; therefore, tea flower tea must be drinkable, right?

If you have ever tasted a tea flower drink, let me know.  I am curious about its taste.

Reiko Nishioka

Director of Education

 

Yamato: More Than Just a Colony

by Reiko Nishioka, Director of Education

Have you ever thought about how towns or roads are named? When you travel across the country from Florida to Maine, you must find many unusual names. Yamato Road is one of them.

I was thrilled and very moved to find a Japanese word when I moved to Florida. Because I knew what Yamato meant being Japanese, and living far from own country, I got emotional. Why?

Yamato was originally the area around Nara Prefecture, Japan. When I was in elementary school, I lived in Nara prefecture so I can recall the name “Yamato” in Nara. The train station is named Yamato Kōriyama, there’s the Yamato Basin, and Yamato tumulus.  

From the earliest history of Japan till the year 794 when the Japanese capital was moved to Kyoto, the Yamato basin was the center of political, agricultural, and cultural activities.  Therefore, the terms of “Yamato” was used as the name of a province and also as an ancient name for Japan.

Even today the word Yamato symbolizes Japan. For example, Yamato-damashii means the nationalistic Japanese spirit and Yamato Nadeshiko is the ideology of the perfect Japanese woman and the word was used as propaganda in WWII.  In the arts field, Yamato-e is used to describe classical Japanese painting.

Now you know why I got emotional the first time I saw the road named Yamato in Boca Raton, Florida. It takes its name from a small group of Japanese people who established a Japanese owned farming colony in the area in the early 1900s. They named it Yamato. It was East of I-95 near the current Yamato Road.  They could not name the area Japan so the area became Yamato thus leaving their footsteps and story in Florida.

Two Japanese words have been known in South Florida for a long time. The words are Morikami and Yamato.

Japanese Children’s Day = Mother’s Day?

by Reiko Nishioka, Director of Education

When you are young, you don’t pay attention to the meaning of holidays; you are just happy to have the day off from school. On May 5^th, the Japanese celebrate a national holiday called Children’s Day.  I do not remember what we did for the celebration because May 5^th is Tango no settku translated as Boy’s Day.  If you are in Japan, you will see colorful koinobori (carp kites) hoisted outdoors of the homes of families who have male children. I have a sister, no brothers, so we did not decorate anything in the house or outdoors!

If we celebrate only Boy’s Day it is not fair. We girls wanted to celebrate like boys!

Yes, we celebrated on March 3^rd and the celebration was called Momo no sekku known as Girls Day however, IT IS NOT A NATIONAL HOLIDAY.

In 1948, the Japanese government established Japanese national holidays. In this law, Children’s Day is set aside to respect children’s individuality and to celebrate their happiness on May 5, the fifth day of the fifth month.  

Some say that having Boy’s Day as a national holiday, but not having a national Girls’ Day is discrimination.  My amazement is that the national holiday law said “Children’s Day is set aside to respect children’s individuality and to celebrate their happiness and gratitude to their mother.”

I checked further as to why law-makers made the holiday on May 5^th not March 3^rd or some other day.  The answer is that the weather is still too cold on March 3^rd to celebrate outdoors in northern Japan.

I do not think many Japanese people know that Children’s Day is also a celebration of Mother’s Day.  Well, I think every day is mother’s, father’s and children’s day.  Have I covered everyone?

A Special Thank You to Our Readers…

Dear Reader,

Thank you very much for your kind words and concerns after the recent major earthquake and tsunami devastation and in particularly for Japanese staff who works at the Morikami. There are five of us who have families in Japan. In such a devastating situation, it is a great relief that all of our hometowns and families were not directly involved in the horrific events.

Soon after news of the disasters was on the U.S. television, we received many phone calls and e-mails from friends in the U.S. The Morikami museum received condolences and sympathy cards. I have two cards here from Justina and Angelina Sadler who go to Wellington Christian School addressed to Japanese children who were affected by the tragic events. I passed these messages on to the Japanese consulate.  

During the museum’s Hatsume Fair (March 19 and 20^th), our partner the Red Cross, had a tent on the festival site and collected relief funds. Thank you very much for your generous donations.

The catastrophic damages by the tsunami and earthquake in Japan are reported every day and I am extremely saddened by the heartbreaking sights and stories. Checking Japanese news on the computer, and watch TV news has been my daily morning routine since March 11. When I see or read uplifting stories of the Japanese people, I sincerely hope and pray that Japan will overcome this tragedy.

On behalf of the Japanese staff at the Morikami, I would like to say arigatō for your heartfelt messages and encouragements toward the Japanese.

Reiko Nishioka
Director of Education

Sign of Spring: Harutsugegusa

Sign of Spring: Harutsugegusa

The Morikami Museum’s annual spring festival “Hatsume” has become well known in Florida. This year the two day celebration will be March 19^th and 20^th. There is no Hatsume festival in Japan; however, if you know the meaning of the word, you would certainly appreciate and understand the naming of this celebration. Some readers who studied Japanese will figure out that “Hatsume” is the spring festival. The character of “hatsu” means the first or new, and “me” means a bud. Certainly, Floridians are enjoying soft warm spring weather. 

Gorgeous Japanese cherry blossoms are a sign of spring in Washington D.C. The National Cherry Blossom Festival will be March 26-April 10 this year.

Cherry blossoms in Japan, sakura, are beautiful in April, but there is an equally beautiful blossom enjoyed by Japanese and visiting foreigners at the end of February and early March before sakura bloom. These blossoms (pictured below) are a sign of spring in Japan. 

Guess the name of this tree!

Can you guess the name of this tree pictured? 

*Japanese call the blossom “harutsugegusa.” These three Japanese characters are spring, tell and plant, which translates as “sign of spring.” However, this is not a commonly known name.

*The plant is known by a number of different names in English. One of them is Japanese apricot.

*The tree originated in South China.

If you find out the name of tree, send your answer quick. The first to respond will receive  a pair of tickets to Hatsume Fair!

Setsubun: The End of Winter

by: Reiko Nishioka, Director of Education

A demon is the symbol of an evil spirit and we throw beans (soybeans) to drive away the evil spirit. Men who were born in a year with the same sign as the zodiac animal for the current year serve as bean-throwers.

On February 3^rd or 4^th (depending on the year), the Japanese celebrate setsubun, the end of winter, with a ritual known in English as the “Bean-Throwing Ceremony.” “Bean-Throwing Ceremony” sounds comical and childish, however, the setsubun ritual has a long history. The first recorded setsubun ritual was in A.D. 706, more than a thousand years later year, Hokusai (Ukiyo-e artist 1760-1849) illustrated a man throwing beans at a demon.

What does setsubun mean?  (setsu) and (bun) means division and setsubun means “division of seasons.” Literally, setsubun occurs four times a year, but only one, the end of winter, is traditionally celebrated.

Why is February 3rd or 4th considered the end of winter?  Until December 2, 1873 the Japanese used the old calendar system. On the next day all Japanese switched to the Gregorian calendar. You cannot imagine the confusion. The date of setsubun is still determined by using the old calendar.

What is the relationship between setsubun and a demon? My grandmother frequently said that we often get colds between the seasons. In olden days, the Japanese believed that demonic spirits would sneak into you or your house.

Why we throw beans at a demon?  A demon is the symbol of an evil spirit and we throw beans (soybeans) to drive away the evil spirit. I am sure that before beans an arrow was used for the ceremony. Likewise, a branch with a fish head is also placed at the front entrance to stop evil an evil spirit from coming in the house. In 1447, the record says that people scattered beans, shouting, “In with fortune! Out with demons!”  We still say the same words when we throw beans. Afterwards we eat the same number of beans as your age plus one bean to receive a healthy and happy year. For eating purpose, roasted soybeans are used.

Who gets to play the part of the demon?  When I was little, my father put on a Japanese red devil mask and my sister and I threw beans at him and shouted “In with fortune! Out with demons!”  Setsubun was the only day I could throw beans at my father. Temples and shrines in Japan have a setsubun ritual event. Men who were born in a year with the same sign as the zodiac animal for the current year serve as bean-throwers. In this event, people who gather at temple/shrines are blessed by throwing beans but not chased! 

I hope readers now have an idea of the setsubun ritual, bean-throwing ceremony.