Saturday, January 14, 2006

京都 2005 - 16 journey to Miho

[201105] destination: Momodani, Shigaraki-cho, Koga-gun, Shiga Prefecture

at many points in time, we arrive at crossroads....

Shiokoji-Karasuma intersection in front of Kyoto station building:

PB201111b

....as we travel through life....

Kyoto station platform zero (there is no platform one):

PB201112b

....Toyama-Osaka Thunderbird limited express - nothing to do with Mozilla

Kyoto station platform two - Biwako line for Kusatsu & Maibara:

PB201114b

stand-up noodle bar on platform two....

PB201113b

PB201115b

eastwards out of Kyoto towards Ishiyama....

PB201116b

....e path diverges into two parallel worlds....

PB201117b

....whichever is taken....

PB201118b

....we know not what lies ahead....

PB201119b

....leaving behind e comfort of light....

PB201120b

....into e darkness of e unknown....

PB201220b

....e proverbial light at e end of e tunnel....

PB201121b

....which reveals another world....

PB201122a

PB201123

PB201124

PB201215

PB201217

Miho

PB201126

PB201125

....& as we look back & reflect....

PB201204b

....'that is where we came from'....

PB201175b

PB201127b

....how far we have come....

PB201183b

....e link with a distant past....

PB201191b

PB201211b

wonder if this is what it feels like to journey through a wormhole (e Physics definition)

《桃花源記》 陶淵明(南北朝)

晉太原中,武陵人,捕魚為業,緣溪行,忘路之遠近。忽逢 桃花林,夾岸數百步,中無雜樹,芳草鮮美,落英繽紛,漁 人甚異之﹔復前行,欲窮其林。林盡水源,便得一山,山有 良田美池桑竹之屬,阡陌交通,雞犬相聞。其中往來種作, 男女衣著,悉如外人﹔黃發垂髫,并怡然自樂。見漁人,乃 大驚,問所從來,具答之,便要還家,設洒殺雞作食,村中 聞有此人,咸來問訊。自云先世避秦時亂,率妻子邑人,來 此絕境,不復出焉﹔遂與外人間隔。問今是何世,乃不知有 漢,無論魏、晉。此人一一為具言所聞,皆嘆惋。余人各復 延至其家,皆出洒食。停數日辭去,此中人語云:“不足為 外人道也!”既出,得其船,便扶向路,處處志之。及郡下, 詣太守說此。太守即遣人隨其往,尋向所志,遂迷不復得路 南陽劉子驥,高士也,聞之,欣然規往,未果,尋病終。后 遂無問津者。

e inspiration for e design of e Miho Museum came from this piece by e poet Tao Yuanming (365-427). a rough translation from somewhere:

'During the Taiyuan era of the Jin dynasty (376-397) a fisherman of Wuling while rowing his boat up a stream lost his way. He saw peach blossoms along the river bank, with fallen petals of many colors. He continued along the stream and entered a place of strange vistas, with mulberry trees, hemp plants and a small village with men and women living harmoniously. They struggled (with each other) to come and ask how he'd got there. They said they were people of the Qin dynasty who had come here to flee the disorders. They did not know there had been a Han dynasty, not to mention the Wei or Jin. Finally one day they saw him off and he returned home. Later he looked again for this place, but could not find it.'

hence e long (about an hour by Teisan bus from JR Ishiyama station) journey along winding roads past rivers through rice fields & mountains, e path lined with cherry blossom trees, leading to e tunnel, opening out onto e bridge that crosses a valley, & finally e entrance of e museum proper, isolated in e mountains of Shigaraki. brilliant =)

No comments: