In 2011 I did an article on an exhibition at the Geidai Museum for the Japan Times. I had absolutely no idea about the contents of the exhibition, which were artworks connected to Japan's ancient perfume culture, so I had to dig up one of the curators, an academic lady, and shoot her some questions that reveal my ignorance of the subject and her erudition. The image is an AI-generated image of a serious Japanese lady academic, not an actual image of Yokomizo herself, whom I suspect is not so hot.
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Liddell: How many fragrance boxes are in the exhibition? I counted two. What are the fragrances in them? Are these fragrances different at different times or the same fragrances throughout the exhibition.
Yokomizo: If you are referring to the boxes that you can open the lid, and smell the fragrance, there are three boxes. The fragrance changed from ume plum to orchid this Monday, but the "Kyara" and "Takimono" are the same throughout the exhibition.
Liddell: When we think of perfume we think of "hiding bad smells." This is certainly the case with France, a country that was once notorious for poor bathing habits. Although the origins of Japan's fragrance culture are in Buddhism, it was developed by the Heian nobility. Is it true that they seldom bathed, and that they used perfume in the same way as the old French nobility to "hide bad smells"?
Yokomizo: Yes, it is considered so in Japan also.
Liddell: In Japanese culture you talk about "hearing" aroma. By contrast, this exhibition invites us to "see" the aromas. The connection between smelling and hearing seems natural as aromas are a little unclear and abstract like music, but seeing is precise and definite, so it may seem an unusual idea. How would you compare and contrast "hearing" an aroma with "seeing" an aroma?
Yokomizo: "Hearing" aroma is the term used in Kodo, because the person heartfully "listens" to what the fragrant wood is expressing, as if the wood was a person. "Seeing" aroma is rather an attempt to see what the painter is expressing, in the case of the paintings in this exhibition, the painters have the aroma as a part of the theme in painting.
Liddell: The English philosopher John Locke made a distinction between Primary qualities of sensation (solidity, extension, motion, number and figure) and Secondary qualities of sensation (colour, taste, smell, and sound). The former were regarded as more objective, while the latter were regarded as more subjective. This distinction was a foundation of the mechanistic outlook common in Western culture. Is there a similar distinction in Japanese culture? If not, why not?
Yokomizo: I am not quite sure about this, and will send this question to Mr. Ryo Furuta, the main curator of this exhitibion. I hope he will respond quickly.
Liddell: Japanese fragrance culture is unique and highly developed and an important part of general Japanese culture. What is the foundation of this? Why did Japan develop this strong fragrance culture, while in other cultures, even in France, smell and aroma have traditionally been regarded as mere aspects of other cultural areas, such as cuisine, wine, flowers, and fashion?
Yokomizo: Considering how widely tea is enjoyed in Japan, there is much [in] common with fragrance appreciation, and incense was used in various scenes in the Japanese daily lives. Incense is most the essential item when we pray for the souls of those who have past away, even today. It is essential in all scenes in Buddhist rituals, as offerings to Buddha and other subjects of rituals, widely carried out throughout Japan from ancient times to the present . Since the Heian period, it was considered an etiquette, to create unique incense fragrances. Fragrance was enjoyed with literature, expressed often in poems, and is probably part of the spirit in Japan to enjoy the various different elements of the four seasons, such as the many plants and flowers. It was also used to both rise and calm spirits, and Kodo developed along with Sado, and widely carried out, first throughout the nobles, and later to the common people.
Liddell: In Japanese culture you talk about "hearing" aroma. By contrast, this exhibition invites us to "see" the aromas. The connection between smelling and hearing seems natural as aromas are a little unclear and abstract like music, but seeing is precise and definite, so it may seem an unusual idea. How would you compare and contrast "hearing" an aroma with "seeing" an aroma?
Yokomizo: "Hearing" aroma is the term used in Kodo, because the person heartfully "listens" to what the fragrant wood is expressing, as if the wood was a person. "Seeing" aroma is rather an attempt to see what the painter is expressing, in the case of the paintings in this exhibition, the painters have the aroma as a part of the theme in painting.
Liddell: The English philosopher John Locke made a distinction between Primary qualities of sensation (solidity, extension, motion, number and figure) and Secondary qualities of sensation (colour, taste, smell, and sound). The former were regarded as more objective, while the latter were regarded as more subjective. This distinction was a foundation of the mechanistic outlook common in Western culture. Is there a similar distinction in Japanese culture? If not, why not?
Yokomizo: I am not quite sure about this, and will send this question to Mr. Ryo Furuta, the main curator of this exhitibion. I hope he will respond quickly.
Liddell: Japanese fragrance culture is unique and highly developed and an important part of general Japanese culture. What is the foundation of this? Why did Japan develop this strong fragrance culture, while in other cultures, even in France, smell and aroma have traditionally been regarded as mere aspects of other cultural areas, such as cuisine, wine, flowers, and fashion?
Yokomizo: Considering how widely tea is enjoyed in Japan, there is much [in] common with fragrance appreciation, and incense was used in various scenes in the Japanese daily lives. Incense is most the essential item when we pray for the souls of those who have past away, even today. It is essential in all scenes in Buddhist rituals, as offerings to Buddha and other subjects of rituals, widely carried out throughout Japan from ancient times to the present . Since the Heian period, it was considered an etiquette, to create unique incense fragrances. Fragrance was enjoyed with literature, expressed often in poems, and is probably part of the spirit in Japan to enjoy the various different elements of the four seasons, such as the many plants and flowers. It was also used to both rise and calm spirits, and Kodo developed along with Sado, and widely carried out, first throughout the nobles, and later to the common people.
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