7:10, that’s the appointed time we are to be in the
van to go down the hillside for the tour of the “diner” menu while enjoying a
lovely view of the ocean. Half the menu was Japanese sets and half was
American-style item so our mostly European group was torn with indecision. The
one thing that became clear, they were going to start stocking more yogurt
during the next few weeks because that was the number one choice.
An hour later our boots are lined up at the entrance
door, hot water is on for tea and we are ready for the 3 hour history lecture.
This would be our daily routine for the next two weeks.
To create a school in Japan you must own the
buildings and you must operate the school for many years before applying for
financial support. This program for training people from other countries in the
tradition of Japanese gardens was developed over many years of planning by the
Mr. Kosugi’s team at Kosugi-Zohen and he is clearly thrilled to share his
experience and culture. He joined us almost every afternoon to guide our
lessons in the field with his patient manner and introduced us to many of his
clients and colleagues so we could have a complete immersing experience.
Mr. Kosugi showing us one of the numerous handouts
prepared in English for students to bring home.
Partnering with the European Landscape Association, the “in English” session
drew participants from around the world and his dedication to making the
program and our visit a success inspired us to be good students. The program is
challenging and rewarding. http://kosugi-zohen.co.jp/seminar_top.htm
Dr. Andreas Hamacher developed this course and I
couldn’t imagine a more qualified teacher. His degree from Chiba University
required his thesis book on the Hein period in Japanese gardens to be written
and defended in Japanese but much of the research required fluency in Chinese
as well. Those two languages joined his native German and mandatory English allowing
him to cross many borders in sharing his extensive background with our eclectic
group. My colleagues were from Finland, Australia, Japan, Germany, Switzerland,
and South America. We would soon be taking notes as fast as possible to squeeze
as many translations in as possible because it quickly became clear that we
couldn’t possibly absorb all that was to come. I personally gave up on writing
the Chinese derivations of words and settled for the poetic Japanese translations.
Dr. Andreas Hamacher at the white board where Japanese landscapes were interpreted using diagrams of plans and descriptions in Japanese-Chinese-German-English.
Since this was our first day, we started with bit of
trivia and general information about frequently asked questions. Apparently the
one place everyone wants to go is the famous moss garden in Kyoto. We would not
be going there. Only two groups a day are allowed to visit, the cost is an
astounding 3000 yen ($30), and the monks require you to spend the first hour practicing
writing characters in ink. We later found that admission to gardens was
typically only 25 or 50 cents.
I love to hear foolish myths dashed by fact and in
the United States, Japanese gardens are buried in false information. Dr.
Hamacher didn’t disappoint me, “Many stories are made up to sell tickets
because people like the charming stories.” He warned us to be careful about what
was being distributed as the true history of gardens and to critically consider
the explanations regarding the origin of spaces. Was the tea garden created
before the arrival of Buddhism? It makes a difference and we would spend 3
hours a day for the next two weeks sorting out those details.
“Just
because one is Japanese doesn’t mean they know gardens.”
