Suiseki in California

CC ALIFORNIAALIFORNIA A A ISEKIISEKI K K AIAI Volume 38, Issue 8 August 2020

"Rocks of the Rockies" Paul Harris will present stones collected during his time living in Colorado last year, as well as the ‘Geoheritage’ they represent - and he'll explain what Geoheritage is all about.

This will be live via Zoom on August 26 at 7PM (PDT). If you would like to join us, please email Nina in advance so we can send you the link.

Join Paul and see your friends for the first time in months! We know you miss them.

The following was published in Aiseki Magazine in June 2014.

Back to the Desert

A year has passed– time for another club trip to the Yuha Desert. We chose the weekend of March 8/9 for the trip because the weather is usually acceptable- 24C. As I am writing this, April 7, the temperature at the Yuha is 37 C in the day and 20 C at night. These high temperatures can last until late November. The stones are too hot to handle! It does rain - a total of 13 cm (5”) a year, usually during the winter. This year 37 Aiseki Kai members signed up for the trip. Further, we were joined by motion picture director, Kristen Zethren, and her camera man, Brian. She is producing a documentary program on the interest in viewing stones, in particular, the hunt for the stones. It will be aired on a public television channel eventually. The temperature on this trip was just right for our hunt, although there was a strong wind most of the first day. Fortunately, the velocity was less than that needed to create a sand storm. (A few years ago we had to leave because of blowing sand. It hurts and makes visibility a challenge, not to mention that it can etch the paint on your car.) No matter the number of hunters, in the desert, within minutes you are all alone. This is a vast area which allows for our members to disperse in all directions. We rarely see one another, let alone cross paths. There is no rush or concern that another member will pick up “your stone” before you do. In contrast, on the river, with many members in limited space, one is in a race to get ahead of the crowd. The first person on the scene picks up the prize, if there is one. For example, one or our members hurriedly writes his initials with chalk to lay claim to multiple stones without examining them, then comes back later for a closer look. Perhaps the best part of our trip was the annual poolside party we had on Saturday night. Ralph Johnson (see Volume 11, 2013) provided a case of fine wine and 10 extra large pizzas, enough leftovers for lunch the next day-the pizza, not the wine.

We will continue with our water based stones this month. These will be island stones! Please email your uncropped photos and we will share them in the next newsletter. Remember to include the size (w x h x d) and the source. Matsuura wrote that “Shimagata-ishi resemble remote islands floating in vast expanses of sea, or depending on the perspective of the viewer, perhaps smaller islands in calm or quiet lakes.” “...generally speaking, shimagata-ishi have a more distant feel…” Although island stones are usually displayed in suiban to re-enforce the sense of a body of water, please do not feel compelled to do that if a suiban is not available to you. A daiza will be fine. We want to see your stones!

!!! August Program !!!

continued on page 11

Jim Greaves: 8 3/8 x 3 x 4 3/16 Eel River

Stone of the Month

The 1 inch wide inner m

argins are designed for use with a 3 hole punch.

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We are doing everything we can to keep our members engaged while we wait for in person meetings and we believe that participation in the Stone of the Month, along with your thoughts on all things suiseki, as well as feedback on our newsletter articles, is the best way to do that. We look forward to hearing from you. And… please don’t forget our live meeting via zoom on August 26 at 7PM (PDT)

Karen Higgins: 9 x 4 x 7.75 Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

NINA’S NOTES

Jim Greaves: 14 x 9 x 9 Tuolumne County, CA

Stone of the Month: water based stones Measurements are in inches, w x h x d

Debra Mauzy-Melitz: 10 x 5.5 x 3 Yuha Desert Buzz Barry: 7.5 x 2.5 x 5.5 Yuha Desert

Peter Bloomer: 11 x 5.5 x 9 Van Duzen River, CA

Buzz Barry: 8.75 x 2.5 x 7 Yuha Desert, CA

Carol Mortensen: 14 x 3 x 9.5 Eel River, CA

CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 38, ISSUE 8 PAGE 3

Butch Buddingh: 5 x 9 x 5 Source unknown

Peter Bloomer: 6.5 x 10 x 6 Kern River, CA

Linda Gill: 9 x 4.5 x 3 Snohomish River, WA

Jack Levy: 12 x 7.5 x 6.5 Thomes Creek, CA Jack Levy: 8.5 x 3.5 x 4.5 Thomes Creek, CA

Paul Harris: 4.5 x 3 x 5 Palos Verde, CA

Debra Mauzy-Melitz: 4.5 x 3 x 3 Yuha Desert

continued on page 11

Ken McLeod: 5.5 x 2.5 x 3 (source unknown)

Beyond the Stone–Considerations for presenting viewing stones within a thematic concept, Part XIV: Overview of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Shikishi, and Tanzaku

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Ask GuyJim

Hi GuyJim, What are your thoughts on using Japanese woodblock prints with suiseki? We have some woodblock prints that we love, but don’t know if the Japanese approve of them for suiseki display.

Dear Lisa and Phat, Who cares? If your woodblock and stone establish a relationship that speaks to you why not enjoy it … At Home! Now that I have your attention, one can actually conceive of situations where the use of woodblock prints within public viewing stone displays might be effective, although likely not in a tokonoma setting purporting to exemplify Japanese practice. In Japan, a woodblock might be found within a tokonoma in an informal home setting or decorative commercial situation, e.g., a tokonoma within a traditional hotel room; rarely, if ever, within the refined levels of the traditional tokonoma that has over centuries evolved to be a space set aside especially for the display of kakejiku (hanging scrolls). The familiar Japanese woodcut prints, known as ukiyo-e (‘pictures of the floating world’), are relative latecomers that became popular during the Edo period (1603–1868). Although they became hugely popular with commoners and the merchant class, in the eyes of the elite they were cultural ‘Rodney Dangerfields' – “getting no respect”; the upper-class Japanese considered them to be on the level of popular souvenir postcards and pornography – which they often literally were – not prime time tokonoma material! Still, while earlier images of beautiful women and actors may find no place, landscapes by recognized masters such as Hokusai and Hiroshige, the renderings of seasonal fauna and flora that became popular in the 19th century, and many of the softer, more atmospheric prints from 20th century artists, do have the potential to complement our stones. See Lisa and Phat’s display photo on the next page. As a practical note, I suggest you consider removing the glass from framed woodblocks because reflections will likely interfere with viewing the image and the hard, smooth glass introduces a manufactured element that is visually inconsistent with the otherwise soft atmosphere of your arrangement. One might also explore the possibility that a woodblock of the right size could be mounted for display in the manner of a shikishi or tanzaku. (See discussion beginning on

page 5.) During the Edo Period some woodblocks were designed specifically for mounting on hanging scrolls as surrogates for expensive kakejiku. Let me close by straying a bit beyond Lisa and Phat’s subject of mounting individual decorative arrangements incorporating a woodblock with a single stone by noting the potential for integrating woodblocks with viewing stones at the overall ‘exhibition’ level. On two occasions the AVSRC has cooperated with art museum curators to exhibit our stones in conjunction with displays of Asian woodblock prints. (See next page) In the first AVSRC exhibit that Alice and I did at the Mingei Museum in San Diego (American Viewing Stones – Natural Art in Asian Tradition, 2007) the stones were presented on pedestals while a selection of Chinese woodblock prints from the Ten Bamboo Studio series were hung on the surrounding walls. In 2010, at the Reynolds Gallery, Westmont College in Santa Barbara, our selection for American Viewing Stones was integrated with an exhibit of contemporary woodblocks by Kiyoshi Saito. In neither case was there a direct or even implied relationship between the woodblocks and stones; rather, the woodblocks, being two-dimensional and mounted on the walls, complemented the three-dimensional stones being shown on lower pedestals, combining to establish a harmonious gallery experience. [You may also recall, that for a subsection of last year’s Ice & Stone exhibit at the Portland Japanese Garden we actually did create complementary pairings of viewing stones with photographs by Michael Kenna selected by their curator (CAK 9-2019)]. Happy to learn that you are working on displays as well as daiza,

Lisa and Phat Vo, Phoenix AZ

GuyJim The views expressed in this column are personal, perhaps irreverent, irrelevant or just plain wrong and do not reflect the consensual view of California Aiseki Kai. Send your viewing stone questions (or comments) for GuyJim to jimgreaves@roadrunner.com or 1018 Pacific Street, Unit D, Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 452-3680

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Shikishi and Tanzaku: In fact, as it happened, Lisa and Phat actually raised their above question awhile ago and it had been my intent to table it for discussion until a more appropriate point within the sequence of this series on stone display. However, coincidentally, in recent issues of the CAK Newsletter, Yvonne Graubaek has shared her personal use of shikishi with suiseki within her home (May, p.4, 5; June, p.5). Yvonne so ably illustrated the use of shikishi to create her Japanese style seasonal displays that I decided to explore the subject now … and while her examples are close at hand for reference – saves GuyJim a little work. (Thank you, Yvonne!) Her three displays illustrate just how well a carefully chosen shikishi scroll can be substituted for a kakejiku. (Honestly, did you observe that she was not using actual kakejiku?) While reading Yvonne’s discussion I was pleased to see that she carefully distinguished her personal use of shikishi from any claim to represent an established tokonoma practice: neither shikishi, tanzaku nor woodblocks would be acceptable within the refined practices of Keido. As to ‘established’ practice, we are unlikely to ever know to what degree, if any, there actually are rules governing when a shikishi or tanzaku – even by a respected artist or notable personage – would be found acceptable at various levels of less formal tokonoma use. One suspects that in the end any acceptance would be largely circumstantial and from our perspective, as with so much Japanese practice, remain ambiguous.

It is safe to assume that with few exceptions the Japanese consider conventional shikishi to be of inferior artistic rank to kakejiku. However, I would also venture that a properly presented, appropriate shikishi with, for example, a seasonal poem, drawing, or even images such as Yvonne’s, might reasonably be taken beyond the home and integrated into our own public stone presentations, including within a temporary tokonoma setting. In fact, in a different vein, I have

Mingei Museum Exhibit

Westmont College Exhibit

A series of 12 tanzaku. Tairyūkyo Zeshin, Meiji era (1868-1912), each one is approx 14.25 x 2.5.

Lisa and Phat’s peaceful display in a tight niche at home. Hiroshige’s “Warbler on Blossoming Plum” complements their Eel River stone, “High Mountain and Flowing Waters” 15 x12 x 4

personally expanded the shikishi/tanzaku modes of presentation to subtly hold appropriate informational material where a more common sign holder would be intrusive (below).

Kakemono (hanging things):

Kakejiku (hanging scroll) – calligraphy or paintings Shikishi – paintings or calligraphy done directly on a thin board prepared with paper 9.5 x 10.7 27.2cm x 24.2cm Tanzaku – paintings or calligraphy done on paper or a thin board prepared with paper 14.25 x 2.4 to 2.9 36cm x 6cm to 7.5 The present forms of shikishi (colored paper) and tanzaku (small paper strips) go back to at least the mid-Edo period (18th C). The narrower tanzaku form is derived from hanging prayer strips (or cards) that are especially associated with the Tanabata Festival (Star Festival). Because shikishi and tanzaku are relatively inexpensive they are a favorite of students and amateur calligraphers and painters… less often they may see the

hand of a master. The ranges of subject matter and quality of execution are extreme; you might encounter anything: a celebratory birthday note and doodle; possibly a haiku or tanka by a fine calligrapher; or a desirable image such as Yvonne’s example of ‘willow with firefly’. Unfortunately, if you search the Internet for shikishi you will find – as is sadly also true with a search for suiseki –predominately terrible examples, in this case endless mass produced flowers and birds; $50 celebrity autographs; zodiac signs; too-too-cute animals – some even in tutus… and a contemporary ‘shikishi’ iteration that I’ll call ‘manga meets NYC subway’ that is the antithesis to everything peaceful we are seeking! … (For fun, Richard T. might take up the challenge!) Although original artwork or calligraphy might be preferred, in Japan high quality reproductions are available at museums, gift shops, etc. While kakejiku are executed in a wide variety of sizes and formats (both vertically and horizontally), the dimensions of the commonly encountered prepared shikishi and tanzaku boards are largely standardized to fit specifically pre-prepared ‘hanging scroll’ mountings where their corners/edges are slipped under fine threads on the front of the hanging – the strings become largely invisible at a normal viewing distance. This system enables the shikishi or tanzaku to be conveniently interchangeable. Referring again to Yvonne’s May and June examples, did you notice the mounting strings at the corners of the shikishi or that the two shikishi in the May issue were both being presented on the same scroll mounting? Less often the boards may be slipped into a pocket on the back of the hanging.

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Close up of the strings used for securing the shikishi or a tanzaku

As an alternative to the above hanging scroll mount, (see page 6) shikishi and tanzaku may be presented on a variety of wood and bamboo devices that are also meant to be hung on the wall. These range from simple brackets to elaborate circular frameworks and, importantly, they are usually more flexible as to the size of board they will hold; thus, they might accommodate woodblocks, photographs, etc., that deviate from the standard sizes accepted by the less flexible scroll mountings. For completeness we should note and then generally dismiss the possibilities for employing tabletop display easels and simple shikishi frames similar to those that hold photographs; even if subject matter and quality were acceptable, simply being of similar size and on the same level as one’s stone would potentially place the shikishi in direct visual competition with your stone. Thus, there would seem to be little place for this type of display within public exhibits – perhaps with exceptions within kids’ exhibits or to include a poem within a memorial display. A final observation that one would have hoped did not require saying but unfortunately does: simply propping or pinning a shikishi –or small kakejiku for that matter – against a table or table’s backdrop is never acceptable. Overview: While many of the approaches we have discussed may add to your enjoyment of stones at home, any public use should be well thought out, consistent with and complementary to the overall appearance of the exhibition. I usually find exhibitions with scrolls sporadically interspersed along with the traditional presentation of individual stones on low tables to be distracting. Hanging scrolls are most appropriate when hung in a relatively spacious, visually isolated setting such as against a neutral colored wall panel or pseudo tokonoma space. Most exhibition backdrops are not high enough to adequately accommodate typical scrolls of medium-to-long lengths and, unfortunately, short kakejiku of acceptable quality are frustratingly difficult to obtain. The substitution of far less expensive shikishi and tanzaku actually does offer a viable option to low quality kakejiku. However, the availability of these less expensive options for adding a Japanese touch does not justify abusive use – a poorly executed, token ‘rising sun’ or ‘hazy moon’ does not automatically make a display that will complement and elevate the appreciation of your stone, but, rather, may trivialize it – doing a disservice to your stone, to the exhibit, and disrespecting the underlying Japanese aesthetic that we admire.

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Above: 3 tanzaku, one in wood wall mount, center. Below : 4 examples of shikishi

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Beyond the Stone – Considerations for presenting viewing stones within thematic concepts, Part XV: ‘The Japanese Garden’ 1

2 3 We resume our exploration of the uses of box style stands (begun in July) with ‘The Japanese Garden’. Variations of this concept have been included within several exhibitions over the twenty-five years. The stand and stones are small making them particularly suitable for use in restrictive spaces and museum cases

– the cases themselves providing the necessary security for small stones on long-term display. I often display the arrangement on the unifying footprint of a jiita, on a Japanese mat as presented here, and/or elevated on an Auxiliary Display Riser (ADR).

GuyJim

As with July’s ‘Classic’ display, this is another arrangement employing vertical perspective. However, rather than a ‘painted’ landscape ranging from distant mountain to immediate foreground, here the focus is on a more limited spatial representation, an intimate environment that may also be perceived as a ‘story’. Besides being immediately understandable by the uninitiated public, from a didactic perspective, the selection introduces several categories of stones while occupying a minimal footprint: landscape, human, object, animal, plant, and optional water pool. The top stone is indeed the familiar distant mountain, but here it represents the Japanese garden design concept of shakkei (borrowed landscape): the mountain is being observed through the trees and incorporated into the garden, itself. (This Lake Hill stone was collected by Robert T. Watson who was curator of the Japanese Garden at the Huntington and I am confident that he recognized the image as I did.)

The second level has human-related stones with the figure – generally seen as a Geisha despite a somewhat chiseled Samurai sternness –interacting with the lantern (both from Dumont Dunes). The bottom level contains two natural elements: the rabbit is from Garnet Hill

and the flower from the Washington coast. Until Alice found this small flower stone an actual living flower or, if not available, a succulent, were used in its place – something I still occasionally do to add a bit of living color when the exhibit will be of short duration. The most apparent variation has been within the evolving choice of the water pool stone: initially a less satisfactory, flat desert pool stone (fig 3); then the Koi Pond (fig 2) (Stony Creek, Frank English) and the most recent iteration (fig 1) incorporating a true water basin (Yuha Desert, Kathleen Emerson-Dell). Serendipitously, there are embossed fish forms at the bottom of the Koi Pond (detail above). Here let me interject that, when presenting the pool stone as a koi pond I frequently morph into Hollywood mode and add colorful koi tenkei into the pool – a prime purpose is to stimulate interaction between children and families, but experience shows that most adults delight in discovering the unexpected fish as well.

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~Larry Ragle

PAGE 10 VOLUME 38, ISSUE 8 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Harvest, late summer colors have come and there is a change in the air. Setagawa ishi is in the daiza by Harada Kazuya and the picture shows "Momotaro and friends".

Tokonoma Display for August

From Yvonne Graubaek, Denmark

August Contributors: Yvonne Graubaek, Jim Greaves, and Larry Ragle. Mailing: Flash Partch Editor: Nina Ragle

Contact People

PAGE 11 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 38, ISSUE 8

Newsletter Committee

We hope you will participate. Please send any submissions to ragle@cox.net no more than 10 days following our monthly meeting. Thank you!

California Aiseki Kai meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Nakaoka Community Center located at 1670 W. 162nd St, Gardena, CA. Second floor. We do not meet in Nov-Dec.

Programs: Larry Ragle 949.497.5626 crimescene@cox.net Treasury/Membership: Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 ragle@cox.net Annual Exhibit: Jim Greaves 310.452.3680 jimgreaves@avsrc.org Exhibit Set Up: Marty Hagbery 909-257-9559 Refreshments: Janet Shimizu 310.822.6012 janet.shimizu46@gmail.com Beverages: Jack Levy 626.794-4572 jnlevy@earthlink.net Historian: Ray Yeager 760.365.7897 ryeager890@aol.com Webmail: Chris Cochrane 804.918.4636 sashaichris@gmail.com

Peter Bloomer: 7 x 8 x 4 Eel River, CA

~Larry Ragle

Peter Bloomer: 6.5 x 6 x 5 Garnet Hill, CA

Sunday was a better day, less wind and fewer people. One of our less experienced members, Judy Hsiao, found a near perfect hut stone. The amazing part of this story is she recognized the traditional hut shape because she admired a ceramic thatched hut I had made in a college class that we both attend. Lucky for her.

Suiseki in California continued from page 1

Mika Noguchi: 4 x 3 x 1.5 Peru

Stone of The Month continued from page 3

John Mortensen: 12 x 3 x 8 Northern California

Ragle P.O. Box 4975 Laguna Beach CA 92652

In the Mailbox

Leaves no stone unturned

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

aisekikai.com

Aaron Finkbiner writes that this new addition to their home garden in Pennsylvania weighs more than 250 pounds! We guess that a daiza is a long way off.

Alison Barker just found this Merced River stone! After several tanseki in recent years, she finally said, “I’m hooked!”