👣🗾SCATTERING EARTH🤏⛰️
For 25 years Kurita Kōichi (栗田宏一) has walked the length and breadth of Japan, gathering small samples of soil from each settlement (whether hamlet, village, town or city) he passes through.
At Hōnen-in (法然院) he made a dedication of his life's work.
#Japan #Kyoto #京都 #KuritaKoichi #栗田宏一 #Honenin #法然院 #PhilosophersPath #Higashiyama
Kurita's dedication was inspired by the temple's 'sange' (散華), a ritual offering of flowers made early each morning.
25 flowers (usually camellia) are dedicated to a statue of Amida Nyorai. The flowers represent the 25 bodhisattva who help Amida take the souls of the dead to paradise.
Hōnen-in is no stranger to using earth and sand as a form of offering.
Upon entering the temple visitors pass through the 'Byakusadan' (白砂壇), 2 terraces of white sand (roughly 7m long, 3m wide and 10cm high).
Said to symbolize water, the sand purifies the body and soul.
The terraces are regularly raked, and patterns created that reflect the seasons.
From the millions of soil samples collected over two and half decades, Kurita-san made a dedication of 729 portions (in the actual sange ritual only 25 flowers are used).
When finished, the soil was symbolically gathered up and scattered on the Byakusadan as a universal prayer.
It is perhaps incorrect to call Kurita-san an artist as his dedication to a single goal is almost religious in nature. Known to some as a 'researcher of soil', Kurita-san has been active in France in recent years.
In 2017 alone he collected 35,000 samples from around Japan.
In many ways Kurita-san's work is not only an offering but also a memorial. He has a particular interest in collecting samples from old settlements, hometowns that are declining and may well disappear for good.
By preserving samples he is honouring their memory🗾🛻🤏🪨👝🙏
Astonishingly Kurita-san's last 'exhibit' at Hōnen-in (法然院) was 25 years ago, shortly before his odyssey to gather soil from across the country began.
Camellia Tea Ceremony