Quietude

Longtime UNS Member, Sharon Meyers, is currently studying ceramics in Japan for several months. This is a glimpse into her world and journey.

Konichjwa!

So much of my experience in this place, in the many spaces I inhabit in my heart and mind, are in quietude. I have been told “Kyoto rewards the curious, who want to discover the quiet ...” and I am relishing this type of exploration – so easy to seek out, yet so rewarding.

The intimacy of rest, gazing at plum blossoms now bursting on a grey spring afternoon, hearing the rustle of leaves, lightly falling raindrops from the leaves, the trees seeping into each other that freshen the moss and the stepping stones have all become a sort of silent ritual. Whether enclosed in privacy or extending from temples and shrines, Kyoto’s gardens stand as testimony to an ongoing dialogue between the outside and inside of my experience in calm repose.

There is quietude in the slow, attentive approach to craftsmanship. Artisan hands create beauty from natural materials here as part of the enjoyment of everyday life: bamboo, bronze, ceramic, cotton, ink, silk, urushi acquer and washi paper – these do not curry favor with machines.

I find I am no longer much at home with objects that shine and glitter, polished to a fine brilliance. Silver here is not polished, but enjoyed most when the luster has worn off, taking on a dark, smooth, patina. Tarnish is patiently waited for. It is not that I dislike all that shines, it is just that I have become accustomed to low luster and a murky light that reflects the sheen of antiquity on so much that I see here, whether in shops, shrines, studios or simply on the streets.

Likewise, there is a quiet dignity in unglazed pottery, matte glazes, colors of ash and celadon and blue green called oribe, like jade vs. emerald, an accumulation of the past that is held within. The pale white glow of the shoji screen I pause before, makes me forget the passage of time as the gold leaf in fusuma sliding door panels faintly reflects the distant glimmer from my studio garden. What an inspired way to learn and work each day! At eventide, the Golden Buddha I visit offers quiet illumination amidst the shadows.

Within this mindset, this experience is the sharing of myself, like an object touched over and over again, the oils of my own skin creating that patina, whether for the enjoyment of the object itself or the satisfaction it will bring by its handling. I embrace the soft subdued colors that are much of the past that made them: ochre and sienna, cinnabar red, even urushi black. Living amidst old houses, old objects, and under mentorship of old sensei/ master artisans provides in some mysterious way a sense of peace and repose, perhaps even dignity. Art lives on as part of my daily way of being in this place of so much Imperial history.

Such delicious anticipation to sip matcha from an ancient bowl. To look upon its face, observe it in esteem, turn the bowl ¼ turn and inhale that first aroma then sip, turn this tea ware of history again ¼ turn and sip once more, is a moment veiled in entrancing the eye as well as touch and taste. Some suggest Japanese food is a cuisine to be looked at rather than eaten. I will go further – so beautiful as to be meditated upon as yokan/ silent music. It is often enough satisfaction to savor the “foodscape” of color, form and attention to detail. And yet, the flavors are intriguing, so satisfying and in harmony with each dish as prepared and presented.

Oishi/ delicious!

There is beauty in the shadows, subtle delight in stripping away useless decoration. So satisfying. In the quiet, I reflect upon the importance of age and patina. In quietude, I am content.

Arigato,
Sharon

Images:

• Garden path of moss and stone.
• Snow, Moon, Flowers as collaboration between 3 artists, 1932, Fukuda Art Museum.
• Plum blossoms in Heian Garden.
• Meditation.
• Simple condiments, served so beautifully in Kyoto glass and stone.
• Early Spring sweets presented in an ancient bowl.
• Dragon bridge of stepping stones, Heian Temple Garden.
• Hojo Rock Garden, Nanzen-ji Temple.
• Rock pool, spotted along a small lane. Lovely garden moment.

P.S. Please click the downloads below to read Sharon's recipe from Garden Chat.