DAY 16, Apr 27 Saturday 2024:

Tokyo Meiji shrine, Botanical gardens, National museum

Sandwich prep at apartment to take for our picnic meal:

meal before starting the day

Meiji Shrine

Meiji Shrine (明治神宮, Meiji Jingū) is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken.

His reign [1867-1912] is associated with the Meiji Restoration, a series of rapid changes that witnessed Japan's transformation from an isolationist, feudal state to an industrialized world power.

This is the traditional gate, Torii, at the entrance to Meiji-jingu

Meiji Shrine is located in a forest that covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres). This area is covered by an evergreen forest that consists of 120,000 trees of 365 different species, which were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established.

Barrels of sake (Nihonshu, Japanese rice wine) donated to Meiji Shrine

Barrels of Burgundy wine from France donated to Meiji-shrine

second torii...representing the boundary between secular area and sacred area

shrine

Sacred Couple camphor trees... the leaves smell so good when crushed

Meiji Jingu Treasure Museum

This museum did not have much to see, we had bought the combo ticket, but the other museum was amazing

Emperor Meiji's funeral

Lovely miniature models of the royal funeral procession...

Trees transported from all over the country to Meiji shrine

Cherry blossoms

1:20 Model of the shrine

"Uchiwa" and "Sensu": Japanese Fans:

The two main varieties are the flat uchiwa and the folding fan [the sensu ].

Sensu folding fans originated in Japan during the early Heian period, in around the ninth century, and were known as ōgi, a type of fan that could be folded up and carried easily. They were initially used by men in the imperial court instead of paper to make notes on about etiquette.

Gradually, these ōgi became more colorful and pictures were added to them. Women in the court began using them too, leading to them becoming more of a decorative accessory. People would draw pictures or write waka poems on them, appreciating them as art, while others would dedicate them to the gods and Buddha.

These are made from bamboo and covered with either paper or silk, and then decorated using gold and silver leaf

Royal carriage

Jade vase on emperor's table

Emperor's jacket

Pic below is from the net [Pictures and videos are not allowed in many museums in Japan, this was one of them and there were strict security guards keeping an eye, as specified some of the pictures are from the net]

this was the angle I could get discretely...

Empress Shoken's Court Dress (Tsujo Reifuku), Mid-Meiji period...Pic below is from the net

Pic below is from the net

this was the angle I could get discretely...

Pic below is from the net

Embroidery sample

Japanese handscrolls

Beautifully inscribed with calligraphy and intricately painted, emaki were primarily commissioned by the elite, such as the imperial family, the shogun, or monks from wealthy Buddhist temples. The calligraphy and painting were generally done by official court painters. The text usually precedes the illustration, although in some cases it may be interspersed with the images

SOUVENIR SHOP:

The Souvenir shop was pretty well stocked

since it was our penultimate day we bought a few magnets, key chains and pins...

TOKYO DOME AREA

we took the metro from Meiji shrine.

Tokyo dome area is a Hot and happening place with weekend crowd having fun on the roller coaster

We walked to the Koishikawa Korakuen gardens

Koishikawa Korakuen (Koishikawa Kōrakuen) [1629]

Koishikawa Kōrakuen is a large urban park in the Koishikawa neighborhood of Bunkyō, Tokyo. The Japanese garden dates from the early Edo period, 1629.

Like most traditional Japanese gardens, Koishikawa Korakuen reproduces famous landscapes in miniature, using ponds, stones, trees and man-made hills to replicate both Japanese and Chinese scenery.

Shrine here...

awesome carvings...

TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM

We bought the ticket for the special exhibition as well as the regular entry. special exhibition was closing at usual 5PM, the rest at the extended time 7PM..weekend timing

We went to the special exhibition first, Hōnen and Pure Land Buddhism

Dragon-Headed Ewer

This ewer was originally part of the Imperial Bequest to Hôryû-ji Temple. In Meiji 11 (1878), it was given back to the Imperial Household.

The shape of this ewer, with the handle attached to a long neck and the main body expanding at the bottom, originated in the Persian Sassanian Dynasty (A.D. 226-642). Once thought to be made of silver, this piece was formerly designated a National Treasure as the Silver Dragon-Headed Vase (J. kohei). It was later found to be cast of bronze and plated with gold and silver.

The stately dragon's head forms the spout and its slender body is extended as the handle. A butterfly hinge at its jaw by the handle serves as the lid, which can be opened by flipping up the dragon's head, thus allowing the user to pour with one hand. The dragon's eyes are inset with pale green glass. On the main body, which was thinly cast, four winged horses (Pegasus), delicately depicted in fine hairline engraving (J. kebori) and highlighted with gilding, face each other in two pairs. The body, the spout, and the lever were cast separately, and the neck and main body were completed on a lathe.

This magnificent object, combining a Chinese dragon and the Persian Pegasus- traditional motifs of east and west-conveys a sense of power and energy in both design and form. Although it had been thought to originate in Tang-dynasty (618-c. 907) China, the molding of the dragon and the hairline engraving technique provide evidence that it may have been produced in seventh-century Japan.

Illustrated Biography of Prince Regent Shotoku [Color on figured silk, 10 panels]

This set of paintings is the oldest and largest extant illustrated biography of Prince Regent Shôtoku (574-622). It depicts places and events related to the traditional account of his life, stemming from the veneration of the prince that began in the Nara period (710-794). These paintings were originally on fixed doors that adorned the Picture Hall in the East Precinct of Hôryû-ji Temple. They were remounted as freestanding screens in the Edo period (1615-1868), and in recent times were again remounted on ten panels. Records tell us that Hata no Chitei, an artist from Settsu Province (present-day Osaka Prefecture), painted them during the second to fifth month of Enkyû 1 (1069). Although little of the original figured silk ground and polychromy remains, the works still tell us a great deal about large-format narrative painting of the Heian period (794-1185).

Small cartouches pasted on the picture surface have inscriptions that indicate the content of the nearly sixty scenes selected from Prince Shôtoku's life. To the viewer's right is the Asuka region, in the center is the Ikaruga Palace, and on the left side are Shitennô-ji Temple, Naniwa, and China. The depictions of events of Shôtoku's life and the landscape in the background are beautifully integrated in this magnificent composition.

Lacquered Sutra Box with Floral Motif

Japanese traditional drawing Ink calligraphy/ sumi-e

Japanese ink painting, or sumi-e, is the embodiment of Japanese aesthetics. Using just simple black ink and carefully curated white space, sumi-e captures the timeless beauty and complexity of the natural world.

Sumi-e means black ink painting (sumi 墨 = black ink, e 絵 = painting). Zen Buddhist monks from China introduced this style of ink art to Japan in the fourteenth century where over time the brush strokes were reduced in number and simplified and were often combined with poetry to create the sumi-e style

Buck and doe

NOH DOLLS of Benkei and Ushiwakamaru

Below is the famous first meeting of Benkei and Ushiwakamaru. The story tells that Benkei, a wandering priest feared for his strength and swordsmanship, waited in the shadow of Gojo Bridge to challenge unsuspecting warriors. One night, Ushiwakamaru (Yoshitsune) attempted to cross the bridge. Though Benkei expected a quick victory, Ushiwakamaru easily bested the towering priest. Following this moonlit duel, Benkei became one of Ushiwakamaru’s most loyal followers.

NOH is a ceremonial drama performed on auspicious occasions by professional actors for the warrior class—as a prayer for peace, longevity, and the prosperity of the social elite. Outside the noble houses, there were performances that popular audiences could attend.