Close Encounters with Shinsengumi History in AMERICA

Dear members:

These past few days have been indeed interesting for me, both as a
scholar and as a Shinsengumi fan. During my seemingly never-ending
travels, I had the opportunity to see an exhibit on the famed artist
couple, Ike Taiga and Tokuyama Gyokuran, at the Philadelphia Museum of
Art. The couple, natives of Kyoto, lived in the mid to late 1700s, and
were skilled artists of the nanga genre. That's nanga, not manga--
nanga are "southern drawings," manga are "sequential drawings."
Anyway, I went to this exhibit, and after several hours inside, I saw
something that made my jaw drop.

It was a set of doors, depicting West Lake, a traditional topic for
Chinese and Japanese artists alike, painted by Gyokuran, Taiga's wife.
Now, that would all be fine and good, except these doors came from
Konkai-komyoji, her family temple. Now what, you may ask, is the
significance of Konkai-komyoji?

It was the headquarters for the Aizu clan in Kyoto. Shinsengumi,
especially Kondou, went there OFTEN.

Think about it. These doors were probably seen when Matsudaira
Katamori, lord of Aizu, entered the place, and may have been mute
witnesses to the decision to take Shinsengumi under Aizu command.
Nagakura, when he went to the temple to appear before Matsudaira
Katamori and censure Kondou, might have sat next to them. Kondou
himself might have walked right through them. Kondou also may have sat
near them when receiving the formal awards from Lord Matsudaira, in
recognition for Shinsengumi's work at Ikedaya. Or they might have been
in a less prominent place, but perhaps still seen as our boys passed
by. Or not seen at all, though I doubt that the doors, painted as they
were by a famed artist, would be in a place that was not prominent.

It was unreal. A security guard walked up to me and commented that I
looked like I really loved the exhibit, because apparently I'd been
inside for hours. I was so moved that I had to go two days in a row,
just to look at it again and picture our boys. They probably saw it
with their own eyes. This set of 4 doors, now hanging on a wall in
Philadelphia...

I will never forget those visits to the art museum as long as I live.
When I lived in Japan I got to see places where Shinsengumi had been,
such as Matsushima Bay, Nijo Castle, the Imperial Palace, Hiroshima,
Osaka...but seeing those doors was different. They weren't a place,
they were a thing. A tangible object, that had crossed the ocean and
which I had encountered without even knowing.

It's too bad the exhibit closed on Sunday. It would have been so nice
if it was more permanent, so those of you (predominantly in the US)
able to do so could make the trip to Philadelphia to see the doors.

In short, the history came alive in that set of somewhat
unremarkable-looking, painted, sliding doors. And that is why, dear
members, history compels me.

-M.

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "M." wrote:

>
>
> In short, the history came alive in that set of somewhat
> unremarkable-looking, painted, sliding doors. And that is why, dear
> members, history compels me.
>
> -M.
>

That's why I love going to Japan - I had a moment like that in 2001,
where I stood in the very spot Toyotomi Hideyoshi held his final Grand
Kitano tea ceremony. I was looking at the exact landscape everyone in
attendance would have seen, although a lot of cherry trees had been
planted since then. It's sort of awe inspiring experiencing that sort
of thing.

You guyz.. are verrrry lucky person !!!
I never had a chance to see anything (untill now). But I wish I will..

Im living in Indonesia.
Here, I never met any person who knows Shinsengumi, so I never share and get anything.
I never met peole who love Japanese history either.
Here also, I can find ONLY one book bout Shinsengumi, so I have to order it and ask my sensei or my friend to send me from Japan. T__T
The only one I can talk, ask and share with.. is just my (japanese) friend.
(Umm.. sometimes I call him as my rekishi no sensei)

Untill (fortunately), I found you guyz.. people who admire history and Shinsengumi of course.
Thank God Im not alone ... he he he

Although I know Shinsengumi from anime, but I start to admire them since I read lots of their story of life and struggle.
The only moment I feel sooooo much influenced by them was.. when I read Kondo's poem.
( I appreciate them-and this poem- in my site http://cyborg13.multiply.com/ )

And now, even I never watch any (un)remarkable thing, even I stil now nothing bout Shinsengumi, even I can't talk english and japanese fluently, I try to make people know them from simply things, such as in speech contest, paper writings, sites, or by teaching and pushing my junior in campus to learn more bout history ..ha ha ha ( eventhough it seems useless cause theyre all more interesting in japanese society class T__T ).





Kitsuno <samurai-listowner@...> wrote:

--- In SHQ@yahoogroups.com, "M." wrote:
>
>
> In short, the history came alive in that set of somewhat
> unremarkable-looking, painted, sliding doors. And that is why, dear
> members, history compels me.
>
> -M.
>

That's why I love going to Japan - I had a moment like that in 2001,
where I stood in the very spot Toyotomi Hideyoshi held his final Grand
Kitano tea ceremony. I was looking at the exact landscape everyone in
attendance would have seen, although a lot of cherry trees had been
planted since then. It's sort of awe inspiring experiencing that sort
of thing.






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