In this issue

KJ 84 opens with Douglas Brooks’ glimpses of a practice once ubiquitously vital to all Japan’s coastal, lake and river communities, now almost lost: the art of wooden boat building; Donna James meditates on another ancient conjunction of ingenuity, respect, and natural materials – in Sogetsu flower arrangement. Douglas J. Penick explores mythic and haunting sarugaku origins of Noh theater.

Kyoto photographer Naoyuki Ogino opens our eyes to see into the shadows of traditional Buddhist O-bon dance, Clark Lunberry reads the fiery calligraphy of Kyoto’s mountainside Daimonji festival, and Victoria Knobloch’s photos reveal the devotion of world’s most populous (yet virtually unknown) Buddhist learning community – in Larung Gar, Tibetan China. Winifred Bird interviews the artist Inoue Yoko, who engages with present-day economics, consumer culture and the TPP; Aaron Gilbreath profiles a devotee dealer in vintage American records in Tokyo.

Our In Translation section features ‘The Sacred Horse,’ a story by Hiroshima writer Hiroko Takenishi, translated by Lawrence Rogers. In Fiction, ‘How to Build a House’ by Holly Thompson and ‘Distant and Far Apart’ by Joe Milan Jr.; in Poetry, musings by Paula Bohince, Angela Narciso Torres, Andrew M. Crabtree, Jerrold Yam, and Gail Gutradt. As always, we include an informative Reviews section. And in an excerpt from his recent book The Big Elsewhere, Robert Brady observes the bigger picture in ‘Leonid Time.’

Kyoto Journal Magazine Description:

KJ is in many ways a unique publication. Firstly, it is not only non-profit, but also completely volunteer-based, over a very wide-reaching network. None of the editors – or contributors – are paid. We believe that KJ’s uniqueness extends to its editorial approach, its content – the range of topics covered – and to our approach to design.

A journal, whether public or private, is an ongoing means of looking afresh at the inhabited world, both social and natural. In selecting material for KJ we look for intelligent work that comes also from the heart. We are curious about society, beliefs, traditions and new developments — how people live, and live well — through the lens of Asian experience. Our generous contributors share valuable Asian insights through special features, interviews and profiles, fiction, poetry, photo-essays and reviews, in both omnibus and specially themed issues.

The unique aspect of KJ’s award-winning visual presentation is that our designers shape each story according to its individual content, without relying on templates. Each article is a separate exploration and finds its own form, while often existing in a deliberate interplay with other pieces, meaning that each issue adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

Our name, “Kyoto Journal,” also reflects more than a physical location. Kyoto is a place of deep spiritual and cultural heritage, and has been the measure of such things here in Japan for more than a millennium. Kyoto culture has looked deeply inwards (think Zen, and a host of related experiential paths) and has also drawn richly from outside, especially in relatively recent years since the Meiji modernization. Essentially, KJ is a community that transcends place, while respecting and celebrating regional and local identity.

We aim to make the best use of the media at hand in continuing to seek the essence of Asia. Care to join us?