11 June 2012

Japan VI - Matsumoto & Takayama


















Matsumoto was the next stop on the tour, but before I briefly discuss the main attraction of the town, the pic above may be of some interest.  As a woodworker, I can't resist a 'bucket of rust' and whilst browsing amongst the back streets (where all the interesting little shops are to be found) I came across a tiny place selling bric-a-brac, amongst which were these boxes of old Japanese tools.  Chisels, mallets, planes, hammers, saws...you name it, it was there.  I was sorely, sorely tempted to buy a plane blade, but the one I wanted (because it hadn't had the life beaten out of it with a bloody great hammer) was 30,000JPY which is just a little too much (and not really a bargain) when the provenance can't really be established...after all, it might be a totally useless, in which case I'd have been better off spending it on something else (which I did...eventually!)

























Without doubt, the main attraction of Matsumoto is the 'Black Crow' castle and one of only four listed in Japan as a National Treasure.  What makes Matsumoto castle unique is that it's one of the few remaining castles built entirely of wood, though others are in a current state of preservation.  What is staggering is that this castle, along with many others, was due to be demolished in the 1870's, but was bought an subsequently preserved by a far sighted individual.




















































This pic shows the very top, or fifth floor which is where the Samurai lord and his senior retinue gathered when the castle was under siege whilst the...




...one above was taken directly into the apex of the roof and shows some of the intricate joinery that the carpenters used to build the structure.

















The floors, naturally enough, are linked by stairs and the pic above shows one of the steepest.  I estimated that it rose at around 60deg and the distance between each of the treads was approx 40cm...also bear in mind that although this was awkward for tourists laden down with backpacks and cameras, at one time, samurai in full armour, complete with weapons, would have been charging up and down.

And finally, on the way out of the castle, we were directed through the gardens where I snapped...


















...this absolutely stunning azalea and before you ponder, no, the image hasn't been Pshopped!

Having spent a day in Matsumoto, we then transferred by coach to Takayama, a small town further up into the foothills of the Japanese Alps...


















...where I spotted this intriguing road sign, bowing to the traffic to inform it that there were road works ahead.  So sorry.

















The lodging house in Takayama was a traditional, family run ryokan, shown above...

















...with the 'lounge' or recreational area depicted above.  Note the low table, tatami mats and lack of footwear.

















Tom, our guide, took us out on a very pleasant tour of the town, after which we had some free time to explore on our own.  In many ways, these smaller towns are more pleasant to potter round than the very big cities, which can be a bit overwhelming (that is until you get used to them)  As we set off from the ryokan, I spotted this craftsman busy honing his chisels on the pavement.

















It's the tradition in Japan that most practical work is done at ground level, either seated or kneeling.  I stopped to have a brief natter (insofar as the language barrier would permit) and had a look at his chisels...they were as 'sharp as sharp' and very well used...see how short they are on the raised step.

























The tour continued with some miso tasting at a local establishment where it was produced.  I intend to mention Japanese food at length in a further Blogpost, suffice to say though that this stuff was quite pleasant...in other places that definitely wasn't the case!  However the...

























...sake tasting later on was much more to my liking, shown here being slurped out of a wooden cup.
One of the things that Takayama is renowned for is it's woodwork and during our free time I by chance came upon a contemporary furniture store.


























What was astounding to me were the huge lumps of prepared timber that lined the wall, some with a price tag of around 800,000JPY or roughly £8000.  It seems that modern Japanese furniture, particularly tables is very much influenced by George Nakashima and I guess the idea is that the potential customer picks through the slabs of timber and having decided on a particular lump, it then gets made into a table-top for your dining room suite.

















One of the highlights of our brief stay in Takayama was a visit to a local folk village just outside the town, where there were many traditional houses and crafts to be seen....

















...one of whom was a delightful lady called Mitumo Hiroko, who was producing her own woodblock prints, one of which found it's way into my bag.  By the entrance to the village was a traditional barrow with peasant garb, which the tourists were encouraged to don...








































...so I did!

















As I said earlier in this marathon post, Takayama is famous for it's woodworkers, especially it's carvers who can be found all over the town.  They work almost exclusively in Japanese Yew, which isn't dissimilar to the European variety and like our own home grown timber is capable of yielding work with very fine detail.

Remember that fundage that I had in Matsumoto?  I didn't leave Takayama empty handed, but, I hasten to add, my wallet was considerably lighter than 30,000JPY...

1 comment:

Michael said...

I'm really enjoying your adventure. Thanks for posting.