Blurb: On our meandering adventure of a honeymoon in May-June 2019, we travelled by many means of convenience including a wide variety of trains, rental cars, occasional coach buses and what not. See the whole Shinkonryoko Scrapbook for a mixed-media ephemera overview and a list of places visited for the curious.
i see you too
As such, in Kanazawa, Ishikawa-ken (a city filled with exceptional museums – by my standards, especially small, specialized, and a little bit quirky) we visited the D.T. (Daisetz) Suzuki Zen museum.
This esteemed gentleman was largely the driving force for introducing the concept of Zen Buddhism to the “west” in contemporary times. He spoke several languages and traveled widely, certainly influencing notable figures as Alan Watts and Gary Snyder and possibly you.
the restraint of *not* filling walls with *everything all at once* is not something i am accustomed to :)
The museum is a modern, rendered concrete designed by Yoshio Taniguchi largely assembled rectangles with a water courtyard with large windows playing with light against the garden.
As one might expect, lots of space for contemplation throughout the buildings, long empty hallways, simple signage, a few large pictures and wonderful scrolls.
the scholar and teacher DT Suzuki doing his scholarly pursuits
This shelf, containing “danger on peaks” was itself dangerous and not aesthetically pleasing so now it is a garden planter box
March 13, 2022: I went to sleep last night – first night without a fire in the stove for some time – on tatami mats reading “Danger on Peaks”, dedicated to Carole, woke up as my Ryoko took little Ichiro to school, recalling Gary writing about being a 63-year-old stepdad taking a 10-year-old to school in the carpool, and thinking of myself at 10 years old on 95th Ave. in Surrey, getting ready for church the Sunday morning when Mt St Helens erupted, remembering the feeling of the unusual rumble (was not an 18 wheeler), and thinking of Gary coming down the mountain as a 13-year-old to learn that Japan was bombed and “nothing will grow there for 70 years“ and how Hiroshima is just down the road from me, indeed wonderful noodles, activists & parks.
Poured fresh French Press coffee, and picked up my robot and read Wang Ping’s remarkable recounting moments with the axe handle, with the boy-now-man (about my vintage) who the axe handle was created with, with the poet (who had been just up the road in Kyoto, probably pass through here at some point), together throwing hatchets into a stump, then into a barn (no food allowed to prevent pests, like my kura), pulling out Ezra Pound and Han Shan, pages falling open to the exact place, and marveling at the un-coincidence of it all. Such treasure.
It’s all about the cycles as Gary said to Lew. Or was that vice versa?
Also, Ichiro – a year and a half old – loves no toy more than the brush and scoop to clean the woodstove & darling Ryoko now has the skill to light the store with a single match with help from my special arts and crafts made from egg cartons, soy paraffin and sawdust learned from my mother, her ashes on the altar.
Hail the fire queens, axe carvers, and pantry mice!
Written (maybe March 2021?) in reply to an association/community of creatives riffing off the Jack Kerouac writing for Japhy Ryder (*cough* modeled after Gary Snyder) about a rucksack revolution.
My feeling is the beat generation, the lost generation, romantics, punks/hippies/pranksters and/or whatever movement you want to namecheck are labels of convenience (we love to categorize) and – importantly – don’t live fossilized in amber.
Ergo: people who are creating today *honestly and authentically* are part of a continuous strand which occasionally picks up names along the way.
daveo
stash your gear in a rucksack and go be in the world
We are a *new* movement whether it has an “name” or not. If you are writing, sharing, wondering, wandering, rambling, sharing, filling notebooks with joy & impunity, endless letters to lovers you’ll never meet & living full on, going going going.
We are who we are, regardless of generation and accidental timings of birth or state of the world, we take in all that came before us and (perhaps) we spark what will come after us. We are the rucksack revolution who found a place to sit calmly, share widely, create honestly, give openly, inspire gently and carry-on intrepidly through it all.
Indeed for decades when I would ramble on about these literary heroes, most people would stare blankly, even lots of Deadheads didn’t trace the lineage but now, what was once “counter culture” has bubbled up into consensus reality so often.
We are the ambassadors and the diplomats but also the practitioners … and we have mighty tools available to us! So many writers were never “known“ because a suit in a New York City office didn’t *take a chance* on them (their efforts sequestered in shoeboxes in attics and lost to unknowing grandchildren or recycle bins) but now all of us can publish everything / all the time / everywhere and (importantly) cultivate a community like one does with a garden.
Now I’m so pleased and proud to help amplify these classic & contemporary stories in Japan through exhibits and examples, plus – again importantly – inspiring other people to create their stories and sprinkle them out to the universe in whatever form they choose.
Fck Stats, Make Art.
Right here / it’s all about the cycles: they showed us the way, keep your notebooks handy & pencil sharpened, remember to share, remember to seek, & remember to go go go.
“I see a vision of a great rucksack revolution thousands or even millions of young Americans wandering around with rucksacks, going up to mountains to pray, making children laugh and old men glad, making young girls happy and old girls happier, all of ’em Zen Lunatics who go about writing poems that happen to appear in their heads for no reason and also by being kind and also by strange unexpected acts keep giving visions of eternal freedom to everybody and to all living creatures …”
Jack Kerouac *fictional quoting* Japhy Ryder in Dharma Bums
The great poet Gary Snyder’s “entire” collection of published – and previously uncollected works – was recently assembled and published by the “Library of America” (realizing here I don’t really know exactly what the Library of America is but certainly recognize their distinctive cover art).
Riprap and Cold Mountain Poems | Myths & Texts | The Back Country | Regarding Wave | Turtle Island | Axe Handles | Left Out in the Rain | from No Nature | Mountains and Rivers Without End | Danger on Peaks | This Present Moment | Uncollected Poems, Drafts, Fragments, and Translations
Poet Wang PingSensei Gary Snyder
Anyway, to commemorate the occasion, there was a video-teleconferencing-event with various collaborators, writers, enthusiasts, naturalists, acquaintances, a noted elected official, and so on providing personal anecdotes about esteemed Mr. Snyder as well as reading a few particular favourites from his extensive canon.
For my own reference (and yours), here are a couple of screenshots from (what was the early morning in Japan) event with Gary and Poet Wang Ping who shared her wonderful story about Axe Handles which includes a real life incident involving *the* axe handle, the real kid (now adult), and the actual Ezra Pound book – whew.
These Postcards come with a scribble note of unexpected affection from my official fountain pen, meanwhile, items by post of late (and late they are) include:
Everest First Day Cover Aerogramme
Inscribed book by ephemera art master
Poetry collection from a laureate
Concorde First Day Cover from a flight which may not be useful
Investigate below:
Sagarmatha/Chomolungma (aka Everest) in Aerogramme
First day Everest Aerogramme, Aug 1, 1975, Nepal / waiting for destination.
notes from a master
There is only one postmaster authorized to use this stamp / do you know who? hints: #griffinandsabine #katin Yup, Nick Bantock and his new limited edition book “WasNick”.
new poems from a champion
There is always a Present Moment to spend with Gary Snyder, poet laureate of all that is good coming my way herein Japan where he roamed from just across the Taiheyo in the Sierras.
this flight is landing before it takes off… note to self: further research
Aqaba to Amman via Concorde, first day cover envelope with all sorts of flair!
Did some sortganizing in the archive & took a few quick snaps of interesting items, snip’d, collect’d, curat’d.
Now into plastic sleeves and binders of personal archaeology and inspiration. None of these by themselves are “important“ and it’s not any kind of complete collection on any certain topic, but they’re all *just* decorations accumulated throughout my life which collectively, colour in the white space.
Ergo, evidence: (brief annotations in captions)
Firstly and importantly, a calendar from a great Mexican restaurant in Provo, appropriately permanently forever in July/August 1991 one of the weirdest summers of my life (and that’s saying something) #FishTacosFlyer for a (church)?group hike up Timpanogos 11,750 in Utah Valley, prob 1987/8Mudhoney in Weekly Volcano 2005 / As for “still rockin’” now in 2022 they’re on tour with the meat puppets, just in studio recording another album, consistently putting out great music, and this article in 2005 was 17 years from the release of “Superfuzz Bug Muff” and 17 years till now.Mike Watt 2011 / Legend just completed a massive 43 date to her, got back and immediately started on another live project while also putting out frequent podcasts, a book of photography etc. etc.Gary Snyder in Seattle Times, Nov 30, 2004
Curiously Punctuated (and Ready) ~ Beat Sushi with Jason Emde
Spontaneous riffs and readings from world rambling renegade letter writer with a new master’s thesis, Jason Emde who, as it goes from his home in Gifu also makes a podcast called “writers read their early sh!t”.
oh Hi, let’s try on hats and listen to records
From the Kura barn studio, Dave meanders about Japan geography and “things not done” and hat selections for Kyoto before reading Jason’s letter to Molly, then rambles on about similarities in geography, points of view, adventures whilst recounting how he came across Jason’s work stretching over a decade or more (and including naval officer Bob), oh then 2 freeverse poems (after Gary Snyder) with Jason’s streams about “usual days” in Gifu and Vernon.
Beat Sushi with Jason Emde at daveostory (art by Ichiro Stanley)
Plus name checks for James Joyce’s Ulysses, Christopher Trottier, Marshall McLuhan, Ken Babbs, Ken Bole, music bits from Bachman Turner Overdrive Live at Budokon, John K Samson (of The Weakerthans etc), hooray for ampersands and em-dashes! Also Amsterdam, London, Vancouver, Bali and most points in between, except Africa, haven’t gone there.
Thanks to Dan for the package of friendship, ephemera, artifacts and goodness
Taking a break from chainsaw noise cutting down bamboo, DaveO rambles on about the importance of community and correspondence (yes spelled incorrectly) – especially while in a rough patch with a chronic and complex illness #MECFS – and shares a remarkable package sent by Kerouac enthusiast Dan Bacon in Massachusetts including: scrapboook, artifacts, ephemera and memorabilia from Lowell, Jack Kerouac’s 100th birthday, and other events including the impending Town and the City music festival which inspires playing of lovely blue Tanya Donelly and Parkington Sisters vinyl record.
Also shows new-ish Cascadia passport and meanders about Gary Snyder in Japan years ago and his recent convos with poet Wang Pang ++ love of maps, letters, stories, and how we’re all part of the erstwhile Beat tradition if we are living intentionally, respecting others’ voices and creating goodness.
Happy to be your fan, fondly etc. from Giggling Piglet Studio in a historic Kura storehouse in Tsuchida, Okayama, Japan.
Stopped by Mac’s goat farm yesterday and always happy to see my painting that somehow has “come true” with postcards and letters arriving regularly, with or without eating a peachFrom Shiv – a poet, publisher, Nepal/India traveler and guide, and book shop/ashram proprietor in Woodstock NY – you know I love the confidential stamp Quoting Gary Snyder from Gifu – Sage and timely advice, from a rather remarkable character / recently reading both Gary and Jason‘s books, interviews, pods etc.I used to get frustrated when people spell “Olson” within “Ae” instead of a second “o” – I used to be annoyed when people would call me “David” instead of “Dave” despite the former being my legal name… Now, neither of those things bother me – daveo is fine / this classic gem also comes from Gifu in all it’s antique gloryFrom the palm desert of California, three friends transitioning life from the rainforest to sunnier climates, making their way as they find roots. Always so grateful for support and kindness, at first for my creative projects and later for me and my little family. <3Riding along in the pick up truck with an Insta snap Fading into history, as appropriateThis one should be filed under “delivered“ as it’s 2000/1 New Year’s card, from the “time travelers” series displayed in a renegade photographer/many-other-things pal’s burley pick-up truck on a Salish sea isle, all fading into a wonderful patina due to the glorious paper used on that project along with patient, time and weather
