Snippets of Museum Exhibits

		Pages Nihon 2019 Late Summer Intro Kay on Memory Lane Family and Food Bruce Scans Japan Kay Kicks it in Kyoto Dewa Sanzan: Mt. Haguro Ascent Dewa Sanzan: Mt. Haguro Shrine Dewa Sanzan: Mt. Gassan Ascent Dewa Sanzan: Mt. Gassan Descent After-Haguro Sightseeing Sazaedo, the "Double-helix" Temple Deities Snippets of Museum Exhibits
Snippets of Museum Exhibits Museum Snippets; English text
The Genji Museum, Uji	Revised understanding of ancient history
Experience has taught us that one learns often startling stories of local culture and history at local museums. You will not find most of the information on the internet. Exhibits which have been vetted at higher levels tend to be more sanitized. Moreover, well-spoken english text explanation is especially precious. For more on the Genji Museum



1. The Genji Museum, Uji Nihon August-Sept 2019
746 _19Aug31-nh19_1958_nn Bruce's pilgrimmage to the Genji museum in Uji. This exhibit demonstrates a famous scenaio from the novel. As always when in my parent role, there was no time. I could not read everything nor take pictures. So I just had to buy the guidebook for subsequent study.	745 _19Aug31-nh19_1957_nn A model of Genji's "residence", deduced from the text and from the customs of Heian time.	Though I had to run through the exhibit, I noticed what looked like an alphabet. Pausing, I realized that icons of this msterious alphabet appeared on the glass museum hallway walls at breast level. Now I realized, these were not mere decorations.
Fragrance vaults in the museum display, visitors can sample. The alphabet has a relation to the Incense Ceremony, to which several display cases referred. A sort of cult, my guess - but a fun one.	My presumption: centuries of reverence for Genji Mongatari have begotten a subculture. There is nothing of this on the English language internet.	This explains the logic of the letters, but I can't read it.
"Having no excellence within myself, I have passed my days without making any special impression on any one. Especially the fact that I have no man who will look out for my future makes me comfortless. I do not wish to bury myself in dreariness. Is it because of my worldly mind that I feel lonely? On moonlight nights in autumn, when I am hopelessly sad, I often go out on the balcony and gaze dreamily at the moon. It makes me think of days gone by. People say that it is dangerous to look at the moon in solitude, but something impels me, and sitting a little withdrawn I muse there. In the wind-cooled evening I play on the koto, though others may not care to hear it. I fear that my playing betrays the sorrow which becomes more intense, and I become disgusted with myself—so foolish and miserable am I." (from Murasaki's diary, about 5 years after finishing Genji Mongatari, 1008 AD.) "Life is short; art is long."


2. Revised understanding of ancient history Nihon August-Sept 2019
977 _19Sep08-nh19_1319_bw This gallery is brand new. Hence the archeology is very recently updated. I did not have time to write notes; my camera had to do the job.	977 _19Sep08-nh19_1328_bw	978 _19Sep08-nh19_1329b_bw
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982 _19Sep08-nh19_1433_bw	982 _19Sep08-nh19_1435_bw	982 _19Sep08-nh19_1436_bw Sutra Copier. This was a vocation with a guarantee of employment. The large number of positions sustained a social class.