Japan: Images from a Visual Journal
Artist Statement
"The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime spent adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."
These words were written by the poet Basho some 500 years ago in his diary, Journey into the Far North. When I traveled to Japan in October 2007, these words echoed in my mind as, at the beginning of my journey, I attempted to follow in Basho’s footsteps north to the temples of Motsuji and Chusonji, then on to Matsushima. Every day was indeed a journey: into the past of a thousand years ago in Nara and Kyoto; into the timeless crafts of sumi ink and brush making; into a very special world of music and tea ceremony; into the 16th century world of a mountain village; and into the hyper-modern world of Tokyo.
These images are a few of those that captured my eye and heart, a body of work that I have named Japan: Images From a Visual Journal.
Jan Kapoor
"The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime spent adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."
These words were written by the poet Basho some 500 years ago in his diary, Journey into the Far North. When I traveled to Japan in October 2007, these words echoed in my mind as, at the beginning of my journey, I attempted to follow in Basho’s footsteps north to the temples of Motsuji and Chusonji, then on to Matsushima. Every day was indeed a journey: into the past of a thousand years ago in Nara and Kyoto; into the timeless crafts of sumi ink and brush making; into a very special world of music and tea ceremony; into the 16th century world of a mountain village; and into the hyper-modern world of Tokyo.
These images are a few of those that captured my eye and heart, a body of work that I have named Japan: Images From a Visual Journal.
Jan Kapoor