{"id":1669,"date":"2010-11-26T00:14:43","date_gmt":"2010-11-25T15:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2010-11-26\/1669"},"modified":"2010-11-27T23:38:25","modified_gmt":"2010-11-27T14:38:25","slug":"nishimura-stone-carvers-autumn-2010-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2010-11-26\/1669","title":{"rendered":"Nishimura Stone Carvers, Autumn 2010 Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nIt Must Be Autumn in Kyoto<\/span>\ntime for the annual trek to the Nishimura Stonecarver's back garden\n<\/div>\n\n

Paul Barr<\/a> is in\nKyoto again, and we made a trip<\/span> to the back gardens of Nishimura\nStone Lanterns<\/i><\/a>, behind their stone-carving workshop<\/a>, as we did last year.\nEven after all the posts last year (enough to merit a\n“Nishimura Stonecarvers” category<\/a> on my blog), including a 51-photo\n“overview” post<\/a>, there was much left to explore at the gardens.<\/p>\n\n

Unfortunately, despite our visit being 10 days earlier than last year's,\nthe fall colors were mostly gone and the trees bare, and to make it worse,\nsomeone had just cleaned up all the photogenically-endearing leaves from the\npaths. But on the<\/span> bright side, that someone was the wife of Daizo Nishimura<\/a>, the\naffable fifth-generation carver I'd met before. He was out<\/span> of town, but\nshe and I had<\/span> a nice<\/span> chat.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nClean Sweep<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

It was decidedly less photogenic a place<\/span> than last year, but still magical.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 2000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLast Bits of Sun<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

It's on the south slope of a mountain, so it gets very little sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSharp<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nCreamy<\/span>\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 3600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHairy<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMoss: Wide View<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

There are all kinds of mosses growing naturally all over the carvings\nand the paths and such, all beautiful. Some, like in the two shots above,\nhave a forest<\/span> of bits sticking out, and I thought<\/span> the Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm\nf\/2.5<\/a> might have some fun with it, so here's a close<\/span> up of the moss on the left side\nof the lantern in the photo above...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMoss: Close Up<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

This is viewed straight on, of course, with the shallow depth of field\nfocused on the tops of the “forest” putting the bulk of the moss into a\nblur.<\/span> It's quite<\/span> a different<\/span> look than the from-the-side extreme seen in this shot<\/a> (of an apparently different kind of moss, but you get the idea).<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWorking It<\/span>\n the orange background splash comes from a tree<\/span> on the neighboring property\n
Vertical Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\n1050×<\/span>1680<\/a>  ·  1200×<\/span>1920<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>2560<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nContented<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 @ 50 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 1400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTwins<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>160 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 6400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nAngles<\/span>\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\nStandard: 1024×<\/span>768<\/a>  ·  1440×<\/span>1080<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>1200<\/a><\/small>     <\/span>\nWidescreen:  1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

This is the roof of the gazebo<\/a>, at an\nangle. It might<\/span> be too disconcerting to be a desktop<\/span> background, but I\nthought<\/span> I'd give it a try.<\/span> (I tend<\/span> to like geometric-inspired compositions,\nsuch as this collection<\/a> from the summer,\nor this one from a couple<\/span> of years ago<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSorta Okay<\/span>\nthe one bit of color still around\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMuch Better<\/span>\nneighbor's tree\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\nStandard: 1024×<\/span>768<\/a>  ·  1440×<\/span>1080<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>1200<\/a><\/small>     <\/span>\nWidescreen:  1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Next door is the well-hidden Nitenji Temple, from which I posted<\/span> a few<\/span> shots<\/a> last\nyear, but I've still not done a proper<\/span> writeup. Too. Much. Richness. In. Kyoto.<\/span>\nI could<\/span> never take another picture and still write a post<\/span> a day<\/span> for years with\nall I've got waiting in my archives.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSomebody Has a New<\/span> Hat<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 280 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nVery, Very Old<\/span>\n( I'll touch base on this basin again later in this post )\n
Desktop-Background Versions<\/b>\n\n\nStandard: 1024×<\/span>768<\/a>  ·  1440×<\/span>1080<\/a>  ·  1600×<\/span>1200<\/a><\/small>     <\/span>\nWidescreen:  1280×<\/span>800<\/a>  ·  1680×<\/span>1050<\/a>  ·  1920×<\/span>1200<\/a>  ·  2560×<\/span>1600<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/8, ISO 5000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDiscards<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I call these the “gardens”, but that's not really the appropriate word. The current<\/span> head of the family (the 72-year-old fourth-generation stone\ncarver Kenzo Nishimura) created this area 20 or so years ago as a way<\/span>\nto house and display their inventory, and to make it so that it could be\nenjoyed. But odds and<\/span> ends have to end up somewhere, and all stone can be\nreused, so some areas pile up like this. This apparently fascinates me,\nbecause I took<\/span> a similar<\/span> picture of this area last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 @ 24 mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nJust a bit<\/span> Ungainly<\/span>\nan artist suffers for his craft\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 1250 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe Big Spoon<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Paul and I noticed this big rock as being new the moment we arrived, and\nwondered what it was. I had neglected<\/span> to ask the fifth-generation's wife\nearlier, but was lucky to still be there when the aforementioned\nfourth-generation current head of the family, Kenzo Nishimura, happen to\nreturn from an outing and proceeded to give us an impromptu grand tour. I found<\/span> his Japanese particularly difficult to understand, but the stories\nof his history and of specific pieces were quite interesting.<\/p>\n\n

Upon hearing that I am American, he mentioned that he'll be in The\nStates in a few<\/span> months to deliver a five<\/span>-ton piece that's been\ncommissioned, and that he'd helped with “that Oracle guy's<\/a>”\ngarden in California.<\/p>\n\n

I asked about the big spoon (my name for it), and it seems to date back\nto the Edo period, perhaps a few<\/span> hundred years. As best I<\/span> could understand,\nthe “handle” part sticks up out of the ground, with the rest used to anchor\nthe piece firmly. The top has<\/span> a hole<\/span> upon which a wooden<\/span> beam pivots,\nfilling with water from a waterfall<\/span> and falling to the ground, spilling its\nwater, and rising up again to start the process over. I see small<\/span> versions\nof this kind of thing at temples, where the cross beam is made of bamboo,\nand makes a resonate<\/span> “bonk” when it hits the ground. This one is 20×\nlarger, so I would<\/span> have liked to have seen it in action.<\/p>\n\n

Nishimura-san suggested how parts of it might be used if it's not used\nfor its original purpose again. The handle<\/span> part, for example, could be the\nmain span of a small<\/span> stone bridge.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a> Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 @ 24 mm\n— 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO\n1400 — full\nexif & map<\/a> — nearby\nphotos<\/a><\/span> Personal Tour<\/span>\nfrom the head of the house, Kenzo Nishimura\n<\/div>\n\n

All of the rocks here are very old, of course (likely hundreds of\nmillions of years old), but the carvings mostly date back to the Edo Period\n(1603-1868), with a fair<\/span> number going back to the Kamakura Period\n(1185-1333). However, the simple stone basin pictured above and in “Very, Very\nOld” dates from, I think<\/span> he said, the Asuka Period (538-710). He has some<\/span>\nother pieces even older, but he explained so much about so many pieces, I\ncan't<\/span> remember clearly what was what.<\/p>\n\n

(When I'd talked to his son last year, his son had said that the oldest\npieces dated to the Kamakura Period, but I realize<\/span> now that he must have\nbeen speaking of only stone lanterns, and not all carvings.)<\/p>\n\n

After we were done with the back gardens, we moved to the front gardens,\nwhich I haven't<\/span> really posted about before, so yet another thing added to\nthe backlog of stuff I want<\/span> to share...<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paul Barr is in Kyoto again, and we made a trip to the back gardens of Nishimura Stone Lanterns, behind their stone-carving workshop, as we did last year. Even after all the posts last year (enough to merit a \"Nishimura Stonecarvers\" category on my blog), including a 51-photo \"overview\" post, there was much left to explore at the gardens.<\/p>

Unfortunately, despite our visit being 10 days earlier than last year's, the fall colors were mostly gone and the trees bare, and to make it worse, someone had just cleaned up all the photogenically-endearing leaves from the paths. But on the [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1,2,23,6,25],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}