Tamamushi Shrine
法隆寺でもっとも見たかったもののひとつが、大宝蔵院に安置されてある玉虫厨子である。聖徳太子の時代に作られたもので、当時の建築物を模した厨子の様式は金堂のそれよりも古いとも言われている。 外側の面には、仏教の世界観を描いた須弥山世界図や、釈迦の前世の物語を異時同図という表現方法をつかって描かれた捨身飼虎図や施身聞偈図などの絵が施されていて、聖徳太子の持っていた仏教感が詰まっているように思える。さらに興味深いことに、これらの絵は漆だけでなく部分的に油絵の具で描かれているらしい。だがこの玉虫厨子以降油絵の具は日本美術から洋画が入ってくるまで姿を消す。自分でも板に油彩を使ってきてその相性の良さを感じているだけに、この技術が定着しなかったのが不思議である。
One of the many things I wanted to see at Horyuji was the Tamamushi Portable shrine. It was made in Aska period (7th century) and some scholars say it could be older than the oldest building of the temple based upon observations on structural detail of the shrine. The outer walls are decollated with paintings. The subjects of the paintings are diagram of the Buddhist’s cosmology and narratives of Buddha’s previous lives. Those narratives depict Buddha’s successive actions within a unified background. You could almost feel the prince Shotoku’s view on Buddhism from those images. Another interesting thing about these paintings is that they are partially painted with oil along with lacquer. And the oil paint had disappeared from Japanese art history after these works until the modern days. Knowing how well oil works on wood, I wonder why oil painting didn’t stay in Japan.
Detail from an ongoing watercolor
One of the many things I wanted to see at Horyuji was the Tamamushi Portable shrine. It was made in Aska period (7th century) and some scholars say it could be older than the oldest building of the temple based upon observations on structural detail of the shrine. The outer walls are decollated with paintings. The subjects of the paintings are diagram of the Buddhist’s cosmology and narratives of Buddha’s previous lives. Those narratives depict Buddha’s successive actions within a unified background. You could almost feel the prince Shotoku’s view on Buddhism from those images. Another interesting thing about these paintings is that they are partially painted with oil along with lacquer. And the oil paint had disappeared from Japanese art history after these works until the modern days. Knowing how well oil works on wood, I wonder why oil painting didn’t stay in Japan.
Detail from an ongoing watercolor
Ikaruga
７月の下旬、霧雨が降ったり止んだりする朝に法隆寺を訪れた。
ずっと昔ぼくがまだ中学生だった頃に一度訪れたことがあったのだが、その時は斑鳩の里の畑の中に五重塔がそびえ立っていたという印象であった。 ところが現在では住宅が建て並び大阪のベッドタウンという感じになっていたのに少し驚いた。
しかし境内の中に足を一歩踏み入れると、そこには時間の流れがまったく違っている空間があった。 境内には大きな松の木が目立つ。 一番古い木の樹齢はどのくらいなのだろうか。手入れのいきとどいた境内の静けさは、聖徳太子が斑鳩宮で執務をしていたころとあまり変わっていないのではないかとさえ感じる。
中門の向こうには千三百年以上もの時を経て、五重塔が厳かに佇んでいた。
I was able to visit Horyu-Ji in a misty rainy morning of the late July.
The area has changed so much since I visited long time ago when I was in a middle school. Back then, Ikaruga was a quiet little village and the Horyu-ji was standing in the middle of the fields. Now it has filled with houses and became a suburb of Osaka.
But once you step inside of the temple’s estate, you’d find a space with completely different sense of time. I noticed many pine trees and wondered how old was the oldest tree in the garden. The quietude of the well-kept garden makes you ponder if it had changed much since the time of Prince Shotoku was at this Ikaruga’s palace.
Beyond the middle gate, there was the five stories pagoda that has been standing calmly for more than thirteen hundred years.
ずっと昔ぼくがまだ中学生だった頃に一度訪れたことがあったのだが、その時は斑鳩の里の畑の中に五重塔がそびえ立っていたという印象であった。 ところが現在では住宅が建て並び大阪のベッドタウンという感じになっていたのに少し驚いた。
しかし境内の中に足を一歩踏み入れると、そこには時間の流れがまったく違っている空間があった。 境内には大きな松の木が目立つ。 一番古い木の樹齢はどのくらいなのだろうか。手入れのいきとどいた境内の静けさは、聖徳太子が斑鳩宮で執務をしていたころとあまり変わっていないのではないかとさえ感じる。
中門の向こうには千三百年以上もの時を経て、五重塔が厳かに佇んでいた。
I was able to visit Horyu-Ji in a misty rainy morning of the late July.
The area has changed so much since I visited long time ago when I was in a middle school. Back then, Ikaruga was a quiet little village and the Horyu-ji was standing in the middle of the fields. Now it has filled with houses and became a suburb of Osaka.
But once you step inside of the temple’s estate, you’d find a space with completely different sense of time. I noticed many pine trees and wondered how old was the oldest tree in the garden. The quietude of the well-kept garden makes you ponder if it had changed much since the time of Prince Shotoku was at this Ikaruga’s palace.
Beyond the middle gate, there was the five stories pagoda that has been standing calmly for more than thirteen hundred years.
Horyu-ji
聖徳太子について書かれている書物を読めば読むほど、謎が増えていくように感じられる。
その聖徳太子と深い関わりがあると言われている法隆寺もまた多くの謎に包まれた寺である。
残念ながらぼくには文献を読み込み整理していく力はないが、実際に法隆寺の伽藍を見ることで何かを感じることができるかもしれないと期待している。
五重塔の心柱は５９４年に伐採されたという、その時点でその木の樹齢は２０００年以上とも言われている。今回の滞在中是非訪れてみたい史跡の１つである。
More I read about Prince Shotoku, his image becomes more mysterious.
Horyu-ji, one of the oldest temples in Japan that are closely associated with Prince Shotoku is also surrounded with mystery. Unfortunately I don't have an ability to read into all those historical references and analyze them. But I may be able to feel something if I could see the wooden structure myself.
The center pillar of five-story pagoda is estimated to be cut down in 594. And at that time, the Hinoki tree was 2000 years old. It's one of the historic sites I really want to visit in this trip.
Detail from "Crossfade"
その聖徳太子と深い関わりがあると言われている法隆寺もまた多くの謎に包まれた寺である。
残念ながらぼくには文献を読み込み整理していく力はないが、実際に法隆寺の伽藍を見ることで何かを感じることができるかもしれないと期待している。
五重塔の心柱は５９４年に伐採されたという、その時点でその木の樹齢は２０００年以上とも言われている。今回の滞在中是非訪れてみたい史跡の１つである。
More I read about Prince Shotoku, his image becomes more mysterious.
Horyu-ji, one of the oldest temples in Japan that are closely associated with Prince Shotoku is also surrounded with mystery. Unfortunately I don't have an ability to read into all those historical references and analyze them. But I may be able to feel something if I could see the wooden structure myself.
The center pillar of five-story pagoda is estimated to be cut down in 594. And at that time, the Hinoki tree was 2000 years old. It's one of the historic sites I really want to visit in this trip.
Detail from "Crossfade"
Historical sites
聖徳太子の障壁画のプロジェクトはまだまだ下調べの段階なので、今回の高槻市での個展期間中にできるだけ大使ゆかりの史跡を訪れてみたいと思っている。
６世紀７世紀の資料には限りがあり、それらを原文のまま読む能力もないが、実際に法隆寺などを訪れ、近辺の山並みなどを見ることで何か感じるものがあるのではないかと期待している。
The project for the screen painting of Prince Shotoku is still in a researching phase. I'm looking forward to visit as many historical sites related to the prince while I'm staying Osaka area during the show.
Historical documents from the 6th and the 7th centuries are very limited and it's impossible for me to read them in the original form. But I may be able to feel something looking at the landscape around the Horyuji temple as such.
Detail from "Crossfade"
６世紀７世紀の資料には限りがあり、それらを原文のまま読む能力もないが、実際に法隆寺などを訪れ、近辺の山並みなどを見ることで何か感じるものがあるのではないかと期待している。
The project for the screen painting of Prince Shotoku is still in a researching phase. I'm looking forward to visit as many historical sites related to the prince while I'm staying Osaka area during the show.
Historical documents from the 6th and the 7th centuries are very limited and it's impossible for me to read them in the original form. But I may be able to feel something looking at the landscape around the Horyuji temple as such.
Detail from "Crossfade"
View from the sky
歴史関係の本を読みながら、ちょっと気になったこともすぐにインターネットで調べられるので便利になったと思う。 文献だけでなくいろいろな地名をグーグルの地図で検索して、その衛星写真を使うとその場所の地形や周囲の様子までもが見えてくる。 仁徳天皇陵などを初めとした大阪や奈良の古墳群を空から見たりしていると、あっと言う間に時間が過ぎてしまう。
The Internet has became so resourceful. I can look up many things while I read those history books. And things you can find are not just texts. I'm enjoying looking up historic places on the Google Map. Especially those satellite images give you a good scene of the topographical feature of the areas. Time just flies when I enjoy the view of Kofuns (megalithic monuments from 3-6 century) and surrounding area from the sky.
Detail from "Cobalt" 2004
Next page
The Internet has became so resourceful. I can look up many things while I read those history books. And things you can find are not just texts. I'm enjoying looking up historic places on the Google Map. Especially those satellite images give you a good scene of the topographical feature of the areas. Time just flies when I enjoy the view of Kofuns (megalithic monuments from 3-6 century) and surrounding area from the sky.
Detail from "Cobalt" 2004
