NEWS

お知らせ

Nov. 30, 2022

Azuma and Chosa of the Kyoto Yamashina Creation Trip Office spoke with Shushin Osuga, top priest of Iwaya-dera Temple

▶ About this project

Azuma: Thank you very much for letting us host the sword-forging and bamboo fence making projects, the first revion of the “Journey to Create a New History of Yamashina, Kyoto”! How do you (Shushin Oosuga) feel about this project?

Ohsuga: This year marks a memorable time for the temple to be reborn into a new era with the renovation of the temple’s treasury. At this time, I myself was thinking a lot about how we should convey the true image of this temple, which was Oishi Kuranosuke’s last residence. Although the Yoshinaga warriors have been often depicted in fictional stories, what I think is important is to convey them in non-fiction stories. In the midst of all this, Azuma-san said, “I want to create a new history,” and he came up with this project to decorate the temple with traditional crafts.

▶ Teaching the art of seppuku

Ohsuga: There is another true episode in this project which nobody easily believes is true. Since I was renovating the Treasure Hall, I kept wondering how I should spread the word about its value. One day, as I fell asleep thinking about it, Azuma-san appeared in my dream and told me that he was going to teach me how to commit seppuku. I woke up a little confused, and to my surprise, Azuma-san really came to me that day and told me about this sword project. I was really surprised at that time. I remember that I felt something like fate.

Azuma: Thank you very much. I am not that familiar with the rituals of seppuku. (laugh) I know that some people may be a little perplexed when I tell this story, but I think it is very real that more than 40 Ako-roshi warriors put their lives on the line in history. They of course understood that if they participated in the raid, they would lose their own lives. Even so, they chose to dedicate themselves to the beliefs of Oishi Kuranosuke. Iwayadera Temple, which was the final stage of their preparations, is a perfect temple to convey the spirituality of the passionate warriors.

▶ Oishi Kuranosuke

Azuma: In this day and age, I believe that many people in high positions are unreliable. There are also various stories of political corruption. Many young people have lost interest in politics. It is precisely because we live in such a world that I think it would be good if many people could see how Oishi Kuranosuke lived, who strongly led the warriors with a single belief.

Ohsuga: What is always important is what a person themself thinks. I think it is because Oishi Kuranosuke lived his life with his own strong, core belief that so many people followed him. Nowadays, we live in a world where people are often influenced by big forces or attracted by money. Therefore, I believe that it is my mission to convey what Oishi Kuranosuke thought in a realistic nonfiction story.

Azuma: There must have been many different ways of thinking among the Ako Ronin, but I think it was amazing that he managed to bring all the Ronins all together on his own. Sengakuji Temple is often featured in movies and other media, but this temple, which was prepared before the raid, does not get a lot of light. I would be happy if this project will bring it into the spotlight.

Ohsuga: Chushingura used to be very popular. At the end of the year, there were long-hour special programs, but these days we don't see much of it. I think it is one of the signs that people are no longer interested in feelings and loyalty. The world has become more convenient. We have everything we need, and we can look up anything on our smartphones. But when I think about the hearts and minds of people, I wonder if they have really become richer. I wonder if we have become richer.

▶ Traditional crafts

Chosa: I am honored to have the opportunity to work with you on this project. Thank you very much. I believe that traditional crafts are the accumulation of wisdom and awareness of people who have created wealth by making good use of things found in nature, rather than today when everything is commonplace. I believe that traditional crafts are just the right fit in this attempt to reaffirm the value of old history and pass it on anew.

Azuma: It is really convenient now, but even so, people today can no longer build pyramids, for example. I think this shows how wonderful the things that people have created in their experience are. Nowadays, you can find out anything by looking it up, so on the contrary, we don't think about anything anymore. I can't even write kanji characters satisfactorily by hands anymore (laughs).

Ohsuga: We live in a world where the outside is getting better and better, but the inside of people's lives may be getting more and more fragile. The other day, I had one of the prototype bamboo fences for this project made, and it is so beautiful that I look at it every day. It is a small bamboo fence, but I feel that the space itself has changed dramatically just by having it.

▶ Now, let's join the "journey of creation"

Chosa: Actually, that is something that Mashimo-san, the bamboo fence craftsperson who installed the fence, also values, so I am very happy that you feel that way. Mashimo-san gave tremendous thought to where the bamboo fence would be built and what dimensions he would use before he built it. I think he used all of his experience to carefully imagine how the space would look if this bamboo fence were built there.

Azuma: The way the viewer perceives the work is also important. I think Ohsuga-san and Mashimo-san shared exactly the same feeling. If we continue to live in this convenient world, our spirit may become obsolete. This “Journey of Creation” project is to regain our lost spirit with our own bodies and minds, with more reality than what we see on TV or in plays. Creating swords and bamboo fences is to breathe life into things, and I believe it is to breathe life into temples. I hope many people will join us.