#ikkyu-ji temple

[kyotodreamtrips]

The entrance to the Shūon-an Ikkyū-ji Temple in Kyotanabe, Japan. We must wait a little longer to have a sea of crimson leaves.

[faggotfungus]

"Hojo Teien (Garden)" (Monuments of Japan) of Ikkyu-Ji Temple, Kyōtanabe, Kyoto. Taken by Ogiyoshisan on 17 November 2010.

酬恩庵（一休寺）方丈庭園（名勝）・南庭。投稿者が撮影（2010年）

[arrhakis]

The Buddha Of The Jasmine Garden | The Buddha Of The Jasmine… | Flickr

The Buddha Of The Jasmine Garden by Daniel Arrhakis (2023) With the Music / Sutra : Heart Sutra × Ikkyu-ji Temple,Kyoto / Kanho Yakushiji【Japanese Buddhist Monk music】 youtu.be/gm4hTcRhoqI While the jasmine flower is not as commonly discussed in Buddhist symbolism as other flowers like the lotus, symbolizes however purity of the mind and spiritual awakening. Its delicate beauty and fragrance are…

[hi-technique]

momiji '17 - autumn foliage #4 (Ikkyu-ji temple, Kyoto) by Marser on Flickr

[oniwastagram]

📸酬恩庵一休寺庭園 [ 京都府京田辺市 ] ② Shuonan Ikkyu-ji Temple Garden, Kyotanabe, Kyoto ーー #一休さん 👨‍🦲こと一休宗純禅師が晩年を過ごした寺院の石川丈山や松花堂昭乗、村田珠光ら作庭の庭園。 #国指定名勝 。 ...... 続き。方丈の東北隅に配された鋭い枯滝石組を中心として、築地塀沿いの東��は十六羅漢の���行を表現した“十六羅漢の庭”、そして方丈の真裏になる北庭は“蓬莱の庭”となっています。京田辺の平野～山並み⛰の借景も美しい。 いずれもサツキの刈込が小さくきれいに刈り込まれているので、次は晩春にも訪れたいな…。 . 方丈南庭の庭園上部に見える檜皮葺の建物が、一休さんが京都・東山から移築し生活していた『虎丘庵』。 通常非公開ですが例年2月に特別拝観があり、茶道の祖🍵村田珠光作庭の枯山水庭園（こちらも国指定名勝）を鑑賞することができます。 . 2021年はその特別拝観に初めて訪れたので、一休さんの墓所“宗純王廟”とともに別途紹介。 後に千利休へと伝わる茶道を発明した村田珠光や、このお寺に墓所がある能楽観世流三代目 #音阿弥 も一休禅師から文化を学んだ一人でした。 . 本堂の裏には現代の池泉回遊式庭園として“二十世紀の森”があります🌲かわいらしい様々な石造物と季節の花々とともにこちらも楽しんで。 ・・・・・・・・ 🔗おにわさん紹介記事： https://oniwa.garden/shuonan-ikkyu-ji-temple-garden-%e9%85%ac%e6%81%a9%e5%ba%b5%e4%b8%80%e4%bc%91%e5%af%ba%e5%ba%ad%e5%9c%92/ ーーーーーーーー ‪#japanesegarden #japanesegardens #jardinjaponais #japanischergarten #jardinjapones #jardimjapones #японскийсад #zengarden #kyototemple #kyotogarden #日本庭園 #庭園 #庭院 #庭园 #京都庭園 #京都寺院 #枯山水 #枯山水庭園 #karesansui #ikkyu #ikkyusan #おにわさん #oniwasan (一休寺) https://www.instagram.com/p/CM09_dSp_qv/?igshid=12v6zw55s7fk2

[livreperdu1]

What’s your favorite childhood story? ⁣ ⁣ I remember I used to be obsessed with this Japanese story called “Ikkyu-san” that was about the life of this Zen Buddhist monk, Ikkyu during his stay at Ankoku-ji temple! I was fascinated by how smart and neat he was and I guess he became a great influence in my life! Especially about my passion for Japanese literature! . . . . . #warmtones #myanthropologie #ikkyusan #thelifewithin #childhoodstories #gloomandglow #amreading #quietshadesofbrown #bookishflatlay #myseasonalstory #classicliterature #kinfolk #lightacademiaaesthetic #booksaremagic #everydaymagic #yourvintagesoul #readinglife #darkacademiavibes #booklover #thepursuitofcosiness #bookstoread #awhisperedbeauty #doortomywonderland #asecondofwhimsey #vintagebooks #thatmagicmood #posttheordinary #betweencozymoments #bookcommunity #aseasonalshift https://www.instagram.com/p/CK1lGVKgcmT/?igshid=1btocybyf9zex

[chicagoboatbroker]

大悲呪 [Nilakantha Dharani] (string quartet ver.)【MV】× Ikkyu-ji Temple,Kyot...

[krisfreedain]

Heart Sutra (cho ver.)(2020 mix.) × Ikkyu-ji Temple,Kyoto,Japan - Japane...

[itsmarjudgelove]

Ikkyu-ji Temple,Kyoto

[with-eyes-unclouded]

Kyoto Day 3 continued

Next on the list was Oubai-in, part of the Daitokuji temple complex in northern Kyoto. Daitoku-ji was originally built as a small Zen temple in 1319. Like many historical sites in Kyoto, it was repeatedly destroyed by war and fire before being rebuilt on a grander scale by Zen master Ikkyu Sojun in the late 15th century.

I don’t have pics of the inside - it wasn’t allowed

But this was the first time we met and were able to chat with a monk a bit - his name was Nagata-San and he was extremely kind and kept trying to give us candy and gifts.

Then we felt very special because the chief priest of the temple himself - Kobayashi-San - did my go-shuin page (and because of this he took up two pages).

* Goshuin is a stamp received by visitors to a temple or shrine in exchange for a donation - it is written in ink and proves your visit to a particular temple site. The style is unique to every temple - no two are alike. I purchased a Goshuin-cho (special accordion layout notebook for the Goshuin) in Kamakura awhile back and have been collecting these Goshuin as my most prized souvenir!

The chief priest Taigen Kobayashi was born 1938 in Shenyang and lost his parents at the age of six. He was given to monastery, where he was raised, and in 1961 he completed a degree at Hanazono University in Kyōto where he thereafter trained under Ōtsu Rekidō, the 130th abbot of Shōkoku-ji. He then succeeded Ōbai-in’s abbot Miyanishi Genshō at Kyōto’s famous Daitoku-ji.

Ichi-go ichi-e (lit. “one time, one meeting”) is a Japanese four-character idiom (yojijukugo) that describes a cultural concept of treasuring meetings with people. It is this idiom that he wrote in my Goshuin. The term is often translated as “for this time only,” “never again,” or “one chance in a lifetime.” The term reminds people to cherish any gathering that they may take part in, citing the fact that many meetings in life are not repeated. Even when the same group of people can get together again, a particular gathering will never be replicated, and thus, each moment is always once-in-a-lifetime.

From there we went to Imamiya Shrine which has a thousand year history. It’s reputation is for prayers for good health and recovery from illness. Imamiya Shrine’s history begins in the Heian Period, when in 994 a festival was held to worship a local deity of health and sickness in attempts to appease its wrath. When another epidemic swept through the area in 1001, the emperor had a prophetic dream and had the portable shrine (omikoshi) on Mt. Funaoka moved a short distance to Imamiya Shrine’s current location, there building the first shrine building. The shrine’s Imamiya Festival and Yasurai Festival have their origins in rituals undertaken during this time to pray for dispersion of the plague in the Murasakino district, and are continued to this day.

This shrine’s head honcho is a woman which is not as common (she’s a priestess!)

Had dinner at a local pizza place called Maritas - a Japanese local who is obsessed with Italian food. It was good!

[kyotodreamtrips]

Autumn Magic (2023) at Shūon-an Ikkyū-ji in Kyotanabe, Kyoto Prefecture-Japan.

[arrhakis]

(via The Buddha Of The Jasmine Garden | The Buddha Of The Jasmine… | Flickr)

The Buddha Of The Jasmine Garden by Daniel Arrhakis (2023)

With the Music / Sutra : Heart Sutra × Ikkyu-ji Temple,Kyoto / Kanho Yakushiji【Japanese Buddhist Monk music】

youtu.be/gm4hTcRhoqI

While the jasmine flower is not as commonly discussed in Buddhist symbolism as other flowers like the lotus,

symbolizes however purity of the mind and spiritual awakening.

Its delicate beauty and fragrance are seen as reminders of the impermanence of life and the importance of living in the present moment.

Jasmine is often used as an offering to the Buddha and is considered a symbol of devotion and reverence.

[hi-technique]

momiji '17 - autumn foliage #2 (Ikkyu-ji temple, Kyoto) by Marser on Flickr

[oniwastagram]

📸酬恩庵一休寺庭園 [ 京都府京田辺市 ] Shuonan Ikkyu-ji Temple Garden, Kyotanabe, Kyoto の写真・記事を更新しました。 ーー #一休さん 👨‍🦲こと一休宗純禅師が晩年を過ごした寺院の石川丈山や松花堂昭乗、村田珠光ら作庭の庭園。 #国指定名勝 。 ...... 「一休寺」の通称で知られ��「酬恩庵」（しゅうおんあん）は室町時代に“一休さん”こと #一休宗純 和尚が再興し、晩年を過ごした寺院。 寛永文化を支えた #石川丈山 #松花堂昭乗 #佐川田喜六 の三者により江戸時代初期に作庭された方丈庭園が国指定名勝となっているほか、室町時代～江戸時代初期に建てられた本堂・庫裏・方丈などが国指定重要文化財。2月に約3年ぶりに拝観したのでその時の写真を追加しました。 . 鎌倉時代に臨済宗の高僧・大応国師（南浦紹明）が創建した『妙勝寺』を前身とします。兵火により荒廃したこのお寺を一休禅師が再興し「酬恩庵」と名付けたのが室町時代中期の1455～1456年。 京都『大徳寺』の住職となった後も拠点は酬恩庵で、一休さんは1481年（文明13年）11月にこのお寺で最期を迎えました。なお一休さんが入る少し前の永享年間（1429～1441年）に室町幕府6代目将軍・足利義教により寄進された本堂（法堂）が一休寺で最古の建物。 . 三代目加賀藩主 #前田利常 が大坂冬の陣⚔️の際に陣をかまえたことから江戸時代には加賀藩・前田家ゆかりの寺院に。 国重要文化財の唐門（玄関）・方丈・庫裏・東司・鐘楼・浴室の6棟が前田利常の支援により1650年（慶安3年）に建立されたもの。方丈では狩野探幽の襖絵🖼も鑑賞できます。 . その方丈を取り囲むのが国指定名勝の枯山水庭園。 まずは白砂と丸い刈込、そしてソテツ🌴から構成される禅宗庭園で、この庭園が石川丈山、松花堂昭乗、佐川田喜六（佐川田昌俊）の合作によるとされるもの。 . #佐川田昌俊 は元は上杉景勝に仕えた武将。同じく武将出身の石川丈山と親しく、そして茶の湯🍵を小堀遠州から、書🖌を松花堂昭乗から学び、晩年は一休寺の傍らで暮らし墓所も一休寺に。そう聞くとこの庭園の一番のキーパーソンはこの人だったのかも。 続く。 ・・・・・・・・ 🔗おにわさん紹介記事： https://oniwa.garden/shuonan-ikkyu-ji-temple-garden-%e9%85%ac%e6%81%a9%e5%ba%b5%e4%b8%80%e4%bc%91%e5%af%ba%e5%ba%ad%e5%9c%92/ ーーーーーーーー ‪#japanesegarden #japanesegardens #jardinjaponais #japanischergarten #jardinjapones #jardimjapones #японскийсад #zengarden #kyototemple #kyotogarden #日本庭園 #庭園 #庭院 #庭园 #京都庭園 #京都寺院 #枯山水 #枯山水庭園 #karesansui #ikkyu #おにわさん #oniwasan (一休寺) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMzZR1lJodu/?igshid=1vprzo5swyifg

[chanoyu-to-wa]

Nampō Roku, Book 1 (18):   Some Words of Advice to the Owner of a Meibutsu Scroll.

18) To those [among our] colleagues¹ who own a meibutsu kakemono², there is something about the toko that [should be] understood:

◦ if it is a horizontal scroll³, and [the space] above and below [makes the scroll seem as if it had] shrunk⁴, the ceiling of the toko should be lowered;

◦ if it is an upright scroll⁵, one that is elongated, it would be better if the ceiling is raised.

    If [the host decides to display] a different kind of kakemono⁶ [in the toko that was made for his meibutsu scroll], even if [it looks] bad, you should not mind at all⁷:  if [the toko] is appropriate for the treasured meibutsu, then it is good.

    With respect to paintings, there are right paintings⁸ and left paintings⁹.  And so -- depending on the orientation of the room -- [with respect to] the [side of the room on which] to attach the toko:  only after arriving at an understanding of this matter should you [decide where to] build [it]¹⁰.

_________________________

◎ A meibutsu yoko-mono [名物横物]:  Yúchūn Xīzhào [漁村夕照] (Gyoson Yūshō, “a Fishing Village in the Evening Twilight”), attributed to the Southern Sung Chán monk-artist Mùqī Fǎcháng [牧谿法常; 1210? ~ 1269?] (Mokkei [モッケイ ] in Japanese).

    The original kakemono displayed in the tearoom were paintings.  Writings (specifically bokuseki [墨跡] -- see footnote 3, below) were first used by wabi chajin during the second half of the end of the fifteenth century.

◎ A meibutsu tate-mono [名物竪物]:  Xīyáng Shānshuǐ Tú [夕陽山水圖] (Yūhi Sansui Zu, “a Painting of a Landscape at Sunset”), by the Southern Sung artist known as Mǎlín [馬麟; 1180 ~ 1256] (Mā-rin [マー・リン] or Ba-rin [バ・リン] would be the Japanese pronunciation of his name).

◎ A diptych attributed to Mùqī Fǎcháng [牧谿法常; 1210? ~ 1269?] (Mokkei) depicting the legendary poets Hán-shān and Shí-dé [寒山・拾得] (Kanzan [カンザン] and Jittoku [ジットク] in Japanese).  The words migi-e [右繪] and hidari-e [左繪] originally referred to the right and left panels, respectively, from such a diptych (or the right and left panels of a triptych).

¹Tomogara [輩].

    This rather odd word* means (in this context) a colleague, or fellow -- a member of ones group.  That is, a fellow chajin†, perhaps another person who is seriously involved with chanoyu. __________ *I can recall no other instance where this word is found anywhere else in the Nampō Roku, or in any of the other documents associated with Jōō, Rikyū, or Nambō Sōkei.

†Though an understanding of this word depends on who the actual speaker is.  If it is Sōkei, then it might mean a fellow monk, or perhaps a fellow chajin.  If it is Rikyū, tomogara would seem to refer to a fellow professional or teacher -- someone who is technically his equal (though how a man could be his equal without being aware of something that was considered rather basic knowledge, is difficult to understand).

²Meibutsu no kakemono [名物のかけ物].

    These were mostly scrolls that had come from the Ashikaga collection, with their authenticity certified by a gedai [外題]*, pasted on the outside of the scroll, bearing the signature and seal of one of the dōbō [同朋].

     Since, by definition, a meibutsu (in chanoyu) is a utensil that is responsible for defining a new arrangement, or creating a new temae, the host’s construction of a new tokonoma specifically to display the meibutsu scroll satisfies this condition -- and this is part of the reason why this matter is being discussed here. ___________ *In the Three Hundred Lines of Chanoyu (Chanoyu San-byak’ka Jō [茶湯三百箇條]), Jōō reveals the secret details of these gedai [外題], and the way to determine if it was really attached to that specific kakemono by one of the dōbō.  (Sometimes the unscrupulous removed the gedai from a damaged meibutsu scroll and transferred it to some other kakemono, in the hopes of defrauding potential buyers, or deceiving posterity.)

³Yoko-mono [横物].

    A scroll that is significantly wider than it is long.

    In the early days of chanoyu in Japan, these were almost exclusively pictorial scrolls (usually sections cut from a horizontal scroll, such as the example shown above in the body of the text), or occasionally gaku-ji [額字] (below†) -- writings (usually by monks or scholars)* giving the name of the room in which it was displayed (originally intended to be framed and hung near the ceiling of the recipient's cell, or private residential chamber)‡.

    During the second half of the fifteenth century, wabi chajin began to use bokuseki [墨跡] (primarily Zen hō-go [法語], expository writings or lists of rules given by a master to one of his disciples**), and other writings by renowned Zen monks.

    At first continental bokuseki were preferred -- below is a writing by the Sung period Chán master Xūtáng Zhìyú [虛 堂智愚; 1185 ~ 1269] (his name is pronounced Kidō Chigu in Japanese):  Xūtáng’s writings were especially coveted by Jōō and the members of his circle (this scroll was in Jōō’s personal collection).

    But bokuseki written by Japanese monks soon came to be used as well -- with writings by the Zen monk Ikkyu Sōjun [一休宗純; 1394 ~ 1481] being among the most appreciated, perhaps due to his presumed connection with Shukō.

__________ *Usually consisting either of the name for the room, or a set of admonitions.  Monks (and sometimes noblemen) were often referred to by the name of their room (rather than their personal or monastic name).

†The gaku-ji [額字] shown reads Hōjō [方丈], meaning a room 10-shaku square.  (In the Zen temples, Hōjō was usually the formal designation for the Abbot’s cell; and so, by extension, used as a sort of sobriquet for the Abbot himself).

    This gaku-ji is said to have been written by Zhāng Jízhī [張即之; 1186 ~ 1266], a famous calligrapher of the Southern Sung period.

‡A shoin was such a room.

**These documents were often (though not always) written by Chinese Chán (Zen) masters for their Korean or Japanese disciples (or Korean masters for their Japanese students), and presented on the eve of their return to their home country.  In Japan, they were often passed down through the successive generations of followers (much as the Buddha’s robe and bowl had been in China), though it seems that some of them entered the tea utensil market during the sixteenth century as certain lineages became extinct.  By Rikyū’s day they were mostly being bought and sold, just like everything else that was used for chanoyu.

     Above is the bokuseki known as the Nagare Engo [流れ圜悟], formerly owned by Shukō (this is the scroll that tradition holds was given to him by Ikkyū Sōjun), which he hung in his room when serving tea.  This is said to have been the first bokuseki ever used for chanoyu.  It was written by the Chinese Chán (Zen) monk Yuán-wù Kèqín [圜悟克勤; 1063 ~ 1135], the editor of the Bìyán Lù [碧 巖 錄] (Heki-gan Roku; the Blue-cliff Records).  This document was not intended to be used as a scroll, but was actually part of Yuán-wù’s lecture notes (he traveled around China presenting lectures on the cases in the Bìyán Lù, and this is a fragment of the text of one of his lectures).

⁴Tsumari-taraba [つまりたらば].

    Tsumaru [詰まる] means to shrink, contract, make something (appear to) become smaller (literally “stuffed in” -- that is compacted).  In other words, this refers to a room in which the toko is so high that the meibutsu scroll* seems too small, and as a result the honshi [本紙] is too high to be seen easily when the guest is seated in the usual way when inspecting the toko†. __________ *Note that the teachings here refer primarily to a meibutsu scroll.

    In the early period, a tokonoma was appended to a room used for chanoyu only if the host owned a meibutsu scroll.

    If he did not, then his (ordinary) scroll was hung on one of the walls of the room, with a kind of Korean table known as an oshi-ita [押し板] in Japan (this kind of table, shown above, has legs that fold up into the box-like top) placed on the mat in front of the scroll, to create a toko-like space (the table elevated the hanaire to an appropriate height, while keeping the guests from sitting too close -- so they would not inadvertently lean against the scroll or knock over the hanaire during the chakai).

    And when the host did own a meibutsu scroll, the tokonoma was supposed to be constructed specifically to display it appropriately.

    By Rikyū's day, it was usual to attach a toko to a tearoom as a matter of course -- whether or not the host owned such a scroll -- since the toko was sometimes used as a jō-dan [上段] (a high seat) when entertaining a noble guest.

    In either case, if the host came into possession of a meibutsu scroll after his chashitsu had already been constructed, and the scroll did not look good in the toko as it was, this entry advises him to alter its proportions to conform to the scroll.

†According to the Chanoyu Hyaku Shu [茶湯百首] (the Hundred Poems of Chanoyu), the bamboo peg from which the scroll is suspended is supposed to be nailed into the wall 9-bu below the ō-wa [大輪] (a sort of wooden frame that projects from the wall all around the perimeter of the tokonoma, on which the wooden ceiling rests like a lid:  the purpose of the ceiling was to prevent dust from the underside of the roof from falling down onto the space underneath).  If the ceiling is too high, the peg will also be too high, so the honshi of a horizontal scroll will be too high to view comfortably.

    As a general rule (this was a very secret matter which was rarely set down in writing), the middle of the honshi should be at the same height as the mu-sō-kugi [無雙釘], the retractable metal hook from which a kake-hanaire is suspended in the middle of the back wall of the toko (and the height of the mu-sō-kugi is fixed at 3-shaku 3-sun 5-bu above the floor of the room, in a room covered with kyōma-tatami; and 3-shaku 2-sun 5-bu in a room spread with the smaller inakama-tatami.  The height of the mu-sō-kugi when it was oriented for hanging an ichi-jū-giri -- this point was not mentioned in any version of the poem, perhaps because both the ichi-jū-giri, and the details related to its display, were only determined by Rikyū in the last year of his life -- is not relevant here, since the height of the flowers will be the same as before, and this is the determining factor).

⁵Tate-mono [竪物].

    A long scroll, one that is much longer than it is wide.  Again, in the early days of chanoyu in Japan, these scrolls were largely pictorial.

    Some people today refer to this kind of scroll as an ichi-gyō-mono [一行物], but this expression refers only to the single line of text that is written on it, and has nothing to do with the length or proportions of the scroll (though most ichi-gyō-mono are indeed tate-mono).

    Calligraphic tate-mono have existed since ancient times (in China, such elongated writing, containing admonitions or auspicious words, were frequently pasted onto the wall beside the door posts).  But those of the kind usually seen today (such as the ichi-gyō-mono shown above, which was written by Ikkyū Sojun [一休宗純; 1394 ~ 1481]*), containing the brief text of a kōan [公案], only came to be used for chanoyu during the sixteenth century†.  The scroll bearing the words “shun-fū ichi-jin” [春風一陣] (which was written for Rikyū by Kokei oshō) -- which is now lost (and probably destroyed, on Hideyoshi’s orders, around the time of Rikyū’s seppuku) -- seems to have been one of the first ichi-gyō-mono that was used in this way. ___________ *The scroll reads “Hen-kai zo fu-zō” [遍界曽不蔵], meaning “throughout the whole world, nothing has ever been hidden.”

†Probably because they were easier to read and understand than the long bokuseki, written in vernacular Chinese -- which many of the kaiki written during the sixteenth century suggest could no longer be read, let alone understood, by the majority of chajin of that time.

⁶Betsu no kakemono no toki [別のかけ物の時].

    In other words, if the scroll in question is not a meibutsu scroll.

⁷Ashii-koto sukoshi mo itō-bekarazu [あしき事少もいとふべからず].

    Ashii-koto [悪い事] means “(something) is bad,” with the nuance being that “(something) is wrong.”

    Itō-bekarazu [厭う可からず]:  itō [厭う] means to hate (something); bekarazu [可からず] means must not, do not, should not.  Thus, you should not dislike (the poor fit); you should not mind at all.

⁸Migi-e [右繪].

    This word originally referred to the right painting from a diptych (or the right painting from a triptych*), though later it came to be also used for paintings whose subject or signatures are oriented in the same way as in the right panel of a diptych†.

    In the case of a right painting, the artist’s signature and/or seal‡ are located along the right side of the composition (it is the location of the signature and seal that determine the orientation of the painting).  The painting shown above is a Japanese copy (by Kano Korenobu [狩野 惟信; 1753 ~ 1808], with an inscription by Matsudaira Fumai [松平不昧; 1751 ~ 1818]) of a fragment of a larger horizontal composition by Mùqī Fǎcháng [牧谿法常; 1210? ~ 1269?] (Mokkei).

    Originally kakemono that comprised a set (whether of two, or three, or even more scrolls) were always hung together** -- a practice that usually required a tokonoma one full mat wide (or even wider).  But as wabi no chanoyu continued to develop, wabi practitioners came to feel that hanging more than one scroll was too ostentatious.  Thus they came to prefer hanging one one of them on any given occasion††. ___________ *In the case of a triptych, the middle painting is referred to as the chūzon [中尊].

    The artist’s signature and seals are frequently located at the bottom, in the middle of the painting.

    More is said about the scrolls of a triptych in Book 7 of the Nampō Roku.

†Though much less common than paintings signed on the left, occasionally migi-e were painted as independent works by certain artists.  (In fact, the form seems to have been slightly more common in Japan than on the continent.)

‡Especially when the parts of the diptych or triptych were originally a single painting (which was cut into sections, usually for reasons of conservation -- extremely wide scrolls were difficult to store and protect from deterioration), the artist’s signature and name seals are often located on the lower left side of the left panel, while only a single seal (often showing the name of the artist’s studio or, in the case of a monk, his cell) is placed in the upper right corner of the right panel (to indicate that this is where the composition begins).

**And there was even the rule that dictated the order in which the scrolls of the set were to be hung up in the toko.

††This “aesthetic” (if we may call it that) was often fostered by the fact that, as time went by, not all of the scrolls in a set remained in perfect condition.  Due to the vagaries of chance, one might remain in good condition, while another deteriorated.  Thus, by the first half of the sixteenth century, many of the sets had already become broken.  And once this happened -- once one scroll in the set was damaged, the rest were often sold separately, so that many chajin ended up owning only one of what had originally been a set.  Hence it was felt best to put a pleasant face on the matter by enunciating the rule that, in the wabi setting, it was best to hang only one scroll, even if it was (in theory) part of a set.  This is how the problem of the proper orientation of the toko for a migi-e [右繪], or a hidari-e [左繪], arose.  The particulars will be discussed in footnote 10, below.

⁹Hidari-e [左繪].

    This was originally the left-most painting from a diptych or triptych*, though most paintings are actually signed on the left (whether they were part of a set or not).

    The painting shown above is a Japanese copy (by Hasegawa Tōhaku [長谷川等伯; 1539 ~ 1610], a slightly younger contemporary of Sen no Rikyū) of a section of a long hand-scroll by the Southern Sung to Yuan period Chinese Tiantai [天臺] (Tendai) monk-painter Yùrùn [玉潤; 1180 ~ 1270?]. ___________ *The triptych seems to have been the original type of multi-panel painting, derived from classical Buddhist altar images which featured a statue or portrait of Siddhartha Gautama as the chūzon [中尊], flanked by two of his attendants -- usually Amitabha (Amida) and Bhaisajya Guru (Yaku-shi).

    Later this idea was expanded to include non-Buddhist subjects as well.  The famous triptych of Guān-yīn・Yuán・Hè Tú [觀音・猿・鶴圖] (Kannon, Monkeys, and Crane) by  Mùqī (Mokkei), shown above, is intermediate between a strictly religious and a purely secular theme.  In this example, the Bodhisattva Guān-yīn (Kannon) occupies the middle position, rather than Shakyamuni Buddha.

¹⁰Zashiki no muki ni yorite, toko no tsuke-yo kokoroete sakuji-subeshi [座敷のむきによりて、床のつけやう心得て作事すべし].

    Zashiki no muki [座敷の向き] means the orientation of the room -- that is, on which side of the host the guests are seated.

    Kokoroete sakuji-subeshi [心得て作事すべし]:  kokoroete [心得て] is effectively past tense, and means “(only) after coming to an understanding (of this matter).”  Sakuji [作事] means to build or construct something.

    The actual reason for all of this derives from the way paintings are thought about in chanoyu.  Since the earliest days, it was the monkish artist who painted the picture who was held in veneration, as much as the subject matter and the beauty of execution were admired as aesthetically pleasing.  Since it is his signature and name seals that reveal his identity, it was important for the guests to be able to see and read these things clearly.

    During the daytime, people would be able to make them out without great trouble*; but at night, there was a problem -- because of the lack of natural light (and the poor quality of the artificial illumination provided by candles and oil lamps).  Thus, since ancient times, a kake-tō-dai [掛燈臺] was hung from a hook temporarily nailed into the toko-bashira, at a height appropriate for throwing light onto the signature and name seals, so as to illuminate them as clearly as possible.  But this, in turn, was predicated upon the signature and seals being on the side of the scroll closest to the toko-bashira.  Consequently, if the signature was on the left side of the scroll, the toko-bashira had also to be found on its left; while if the signature was on the right, then the toko-bashira, too, should (ideally) have been located to its right.  This was especially important when it was a meibutsu scroll (since the scrolls of this type were all painted by renowned monks and artists), and it was for this reason (as much as for fit) that the host was obliged to carefully consider the orientation of his tokonoma when he was able to acquire a meibutsu scroll. ___________ *In Rikyū’s day, and of course earlier, the tearoom was nowhere near as dark during the sho-za as it usually is made nowadays.  The present way of artificially darkening the room during the sho-za, by hanging sudare [簾] (reed blinds) over the windows, is a misunderstanding of the classical teaching that the sho-za is supposed to be yin [陰] (which can mean shaded), as the go-za is supposed to be yang [陽] (which word can mean bright) -- an erroneous interpretation that entered chanoyu through Sōtan and the machi-shū.

    The original idea of “covering the windows” during the sho-za, and “removing the covers” during the go-za that were linked to the ideas of yin and yang, refer not to the ordinary windows (which are there to let light into the room, and so should not be impeded), but specifically to the two shitaji-mado [下地窓] -- the furosaki-mado [風爐先窓] and the bokuseki-mado [墨跡窓] -- that were always present in the small room.  Unlike the other windows, the shitaji-mado are important primarily for ventilation.  During the sho-za (when the fire is weak) the shitaji-mado were covered (with hanging paper shades) to keep wind from blowing in -- so the room does not get cold in winter, or so that the shita-bi does not burn out quickly, and the ashes are not blown out of the furo in summer.  But, during the naka-dachi, the paper shades were taken off so that the fumes from the fire and excess humidity could be vented before making the guests feel uncomfortable.

    Thus, with most of the windows left as they were, the light would be adequate for most people to read the signature on the kakemono, even if it were old and somewhat faded.

[crownedinwood]

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, literally "Temple of the Golden Pavilion"), officially named Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺, literally "Deer Garden Temple"). Ikkyu-san was a famous monk; there is a temple nicknamed Ikkyu-ji associated with him and located in Kyotanabe. It's a lovely temple in it's own right (and a very unique and delicious black natto is made there), but looks nothing like this.

The Ikkyu-san Temple in Japan                           

Source