Kyoto Journal 101: “Water in Kyoto”
¥2,300
The vital element of water has been one of Kyoto’s most characteristic features, ever since Heian-kyo was famous for its “purple mountains and crystal streams.”
Kyoto Journal ’s 101st issue, ‘Water in Kyoto’
—celebrating 35 years of all-volunteer publication, since 1987
¥2300
The vital element of water has been one of Kyoto’s most characteristic features, ever since Heian-kyo was famous for its “purple mountains and crystal streams.”
This specially-themed issue of Kyoto Journal, ‘Water in Kyoto,’ focuses on the ubiquity of aquatic memes throughout Kyoto’s distinctive cultural landscapes, revealing water as a physical presence that is key to rich traditions in sake, tofu and other culinary staples, tea ceremony, dyeing, public bath-houses, diverse styles of garden design, and other notable aspects. And as a more intangible presence water plays a prominent role in past and present religious ritual, kimono design, graphic arts, painting, the poetry of wakaand haiku, and as a defining factor in the varied manifestations of every season, inspiring artists and photographers alike.
Supported by spectacular imagery, KJ101 presents illuminating interviews with eminent artist Hiroshi Senju, whose powerful waterfall wraps around our cover; Kyoto photographer (and 16th-generation sobarestauranteur) Ariko Inaoka; the world-renowned musician Stomu Yamash’ta; artist Niwa Yuta, exploring myths of Kyoto’s mysterious giant salamander; and Chinese/Japanese photographic duo RongRong and Inri, who now reside in Kyoto.
Also featured, Kyoto garden experts Gunter Nitschke, Marc Peter Keane and Stephen Mansfield, Buddhist scholar Catherine Ludvik, meditative walker Edward J. Taylor, Kamogawa strolling path designer Yamada Akihiro, and many more writers with closely-examined water-based insights. Meanwhile, looking to the future, long-term Shiga resident and artist Brian Williams analyzes the global warming risk to Lake Biwa, Kyoto’s primary source of drinking water, and environmental researcher Nagano Takanori warns of a new Shinkansen tunnel threatening Kyoto’s precious ground-water.
KJ101: 128 pages in full color, printed by SunM, Kyoto’s premier printing house, in limited edition of 1500 copies. Complimentary copies will be provided to contributors.
