Happy spring!
April seemed to fly by. At the end of last month we were in Kyoto for spring break. It was such a wonderful opportunity to see the cherry blossoms. On April 1st we left by boat from Kobe, passing through the Setō Inland Sea to Oita on the eastern side of Kyushu. From there we crossed Kyushu to Kumamoto, stopping at a few sights, before taking another ferry over to the Shimabara peninsula for a couple of days of hot spring relaxation. With spring break ending, I drove the family up to the Nagasaki airport so they could fly back to Iki and turned around to spend a few more days on my own doing field research in southern Shimabara.
It was beautiful weather and my arms and neck turned red as I tromped around the ruins of Christian castles. These were destroyed in the 17th Century, sparking the exodus to remote islands and the “Hidden Christian” phenomenon in Japan. It was a fruitful trip, and was to be the first of three this month. Unfortunately, the cherry blossom season at the end of March triggered a flare-up of coronavirus, forcing me to stay put and cancel my trips to Tsushima and the “pirate” base of Hirado.
The latter half of April has been spent at home, catching up on research (and a backlog of AAS Conference videos), riding my bike in the nice weather, and doing simple home things like making bao.
It has given me some time to catch up, as well as sit and think. There is much on my mind that needs to be put down in words, including some chapter writing for the book. I still have many photos to process, and travel reports to write up. I hope to do that all in May. However, I have a feeling next week will be a wash as we are heading into the “Golden Week” holiday. Since we cannot go anywhere, we shall have to be satisfied exploring the last little nooks and crannies of Iki. We only have a few more months before we leave this island. The weather should be good, and I will be sure to post lots on Twitter if you want to keep up.
This month’s newletter is one of little content as I meditate on many matters. But there are still some photos for you to enjoy!
My best to you and yours,
Chad
🖋 From the Blog
Creating the image of peace — Kitamura Seibo
Introducing the artwork of a famous Nagasaki sculptor, and his message for creatives.
🧭 Elsewhere
📸 Photos from Oita’s Stone Buddhas and “bat” cave, Kumamoto Castle which has been restored after damage from the 2017 earthquake, and walking through the “hells” of the volcanic Shimabara peninsula.
📹 My cramped POV walkthrough of a stalactite-ridden limestone cave at Usuki. Video →
📖 What I’m Reading
Seeking Sakyamuni: South Asia in the Formation of Modern Japanese Buddhism by Richard M. Jaffe (27% complete)
Once Japan re-opened near the end of the 19th C there were many Buddhists that were itching to travel to India and other Buddhist locations in South Asia. Jaffe profiles a number of these pioneers, their struggles living far away from Japan and studying entirely different strains of Buddhist practice, and their influence on the “modernization” of Japanese Buddhism once they return home. This book is fascinating to me!