Pat's Blog

Aye, the world is a changing place and Takamatsu held its very first St. Patrick’s Day on March 20th this year.



Of course one doesn’t have to be Irish at all to enjoy this and it’s lovely to see so many Japanese people playing a role and getting in to the spirit of things. Really encouraging, genuinely so and to gush; just wonderful!



My own background with 4 grandparents from Ireland and a name like Pat Scanlon earmark me as obviously Irish or at least descent, and yet I felt the people I saw here and in Tokyo at the very large St. Pat’s parade there, have the genuine Celtic spirit much more than I ever have. There seems to be a strong affinity for Celtic culture in Japan and particularly things Irish. And that’s not just the liquid refreshment variety either although there was plenty of that flowing at the Craic Pub afterwards.



The level of musicianship by some of these pipers, fiddlers, etc., is exceptionally high. I can’t accept that it would be that much better in Ireland. These Japanese players really work at this and they sounds great.
http://www.thecraic.biz/
The Shamrock pub in Takamatsu also had a do previously in the week.
http://twitter.com/#!/thebarshamrock



We have to thank Irishmen Mr. Shane Martin Coughlan president of Open Dawn and Mr. Michael Bedlow. lecturer at Shikoku Gakuin for their steerage and efforts to get this up and running. Shane has been a tireless worker for the relief of people in the Fukushima area, driving there multiple times using his own money, with much needed supplies last year. I’m proud to call him my friend.
Both worked their bottoms off getting this organized and we thank you!
http://www.opendawn.com/about/



So what does it mean to be Irish in Japan? Having the right spirit and above all having fun. Just look at some of these faces … The Japanese have really taken to St. Pats with annual parades in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Chiba, and half a dozen more cities and even Okinawa. The Irish Embassy in Tokyo has all the relevant information and if you’re in Takamatsu next year in March, please come!
http://www.embassyofireland.jp



http://www.facebook.com/IrelandFestivalJapan
We even have green Udon. The Udon is of course the local specialty and made green for the day by using seaweed. It tasted … well, not too bad.



I’ll be back with a report of a very unusual art exhibition for you next week or so. Until then, bottoms up for St. Pat’s day, my day. (hic) Aye? I hear fiddle music in the distance …. The sound of clinking glasses and laughter. Time to away for a whiskey or three.
And keep all those cards ‘n letters and comments coming in …







  

Tamamo Park is another favorite place of mine and now that Spring has arrived, the annual sale of trees, plants and shrubs there by vendors has started. This is known as a “sea castle” and there are only a few in Japan. 80,000 square meters and built in 1590 for the Ikoma family, later ruled by the Matsudaira family for 11 generations and who ruled Sanuki (Kagawa) for 228 years.


TamamoPark


It’s so close and central and such a relaxing place to be for reflection, meditation or just simple good old peace-and-quiet. We can see the history museum right next door, too. I heard there are a few categories of Japanese parks and this one, like Ritsurin its world famous peer has ‘aspects’ that change every few meters.

Walk twenty meters or so and you’re in a different aspect. A different park … at times, totally different actually. So please keep this intentional design feature in mind when you’re walking around.

For me, the park has the most beautiful stonework from the remains of the castle once there. I took some photos, which I hope will show this lovely balance of soft and hard. Plants, trees and against stonewalls softened with such graceful curves as they meet the ground.

The at times, greenish colored stones themselves have weathered and slightly rounded their edges over the centuries. This used to be a place with lots of moats. Tons of them, so water is still a central part of its ‘aspect’ and overall design. 3 big ones in fact, an outer, middle and inner moats so there’s a lot of water and sluices and sluice gates for controlling all this water. They must have felt very threatened in those days? Or very secure? Can’t figure out quite which … both? It does explain the signs references to traditional Japanese swimming, which must have been practiced in the inner moat. (My conjecture)


On the south side are the last intact remains of the old castle’s turret or guardhouse and it’s beautiful to sit there and look at the park, cherry blossoms and to the north, the Inland Sea.




Tamamo Park also has apart from a lot of moats and water, some beautiful Tasiho era buildings, which still serve the public with occasional exhibitions, tea ceremonies and concerts.


The park operates all year but opening times may vary seasonally. But it usually opens from 7:00 A.M until 5:00 P.M. It’s directly across from the Central Takamatsu JR Station and about 5 minutes on foot. Tel: 087 851 1521 You’ll need a Japanese friend to advise you of the events being held there, so do take the time to find out as there have been some great bonsai exhibitions, moon-viewing parties etc. in the past.


There are quite a few signs in English explaining the history of the place and this makes it friendly for English speaking visitors.

Entrance fee: 200-yen adults. Children 160-yen. Cheap.


At the moment, there’s rebuilding going on of one of the stonewalls on the south side. Nobody has a clear idea of the exact scale and dimensions of the previous castle most of the old records have been lost. Sad …


  

Walking around the streets of our Takamatsu sometimes turns up little surprises. By chance I found an interesting exhibition of photos by Kana Honda at the Tokiwa Gallery in the city.

http://www.hondakana.jp/biography/index/en/



Born in Tokyo in 1970 Kana Honda has picked up several awards and citations in her career. She’s had solo exhibitions in Paris, Tokyo, Kyoto, the USA and Italy. Quite impressive for someone still relatively young.



What really caught my attention with this exhibition is they way she’s used textures and juxstopositioned conflicting perspectives into one another. I’ve not really seen this before, with perhaps the possible exception of David Hockney. But this is a bit different from Hockney’s use of cut out photos pasted on board and canvases. The woven effect or ‘Photo Cross’ as she calls it, is very subtle and she does some interesting things with photos unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.



Comparisons don’t come easily with Kana’s work. Oscar Oiwa is one of the few that do come to mind. The Brazilian Oiwa, a 3rd generation Japanese Brazilian now living and working in NY had a beautiful installation/painting on Ogi Island just a short hop from Takamatsu, which was sadly lost to a fire shortly after the Seto Uchi Art Festival in 2010. Oiwa has such a playful and fresh way of looking at Japan and the retrospective he held in Takamatsu a couple of years ago was a knockout show. Witty, playful, fantastic and often dark but always thought provoking.

http://www.oscaroiwastudio.com/

So if you’re in town this month please drop in to the Tokiwa Gallery for a look-see.





I’ll be back next week with more exciting stuff for you so in the meantime, please keep all those cards and letters pouring in …