Wishing you a wonderful 2023
Category Archives: Hakusan Creation
Summer Clouds
Naomi and I have taken a bit of a break from the blog. As long-time readers have noticed, we have been moving quite a bit over the last few years. When we started Hakusan Creation in 2013, we focused on our life in rural Maine. We have also shared many stories from our travels. Over the next few months, Naomi and I will be evaluating the direction we would like to take with our blog and the stories we would like to share. We will of course continue to share our photography. We hope you will continue this journey with us.
New Resource: Gear Talk
We have added a new section to Hakusan Creation called Gear Talk. This new section is a place where we discuss the equipment we use, the photographic process, and thoughts on photography. Use the following link or resources menu to take you to the pages:
Gear Talk
We hope you enjoy this new feature.
Sacred Spaces, Part 3
Kabuto Jinja under the Shuto Expressway, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. This shrine faces the Tokyo Stock Exchange. From the book Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscape. Click on the image for a larger view.
Sacred Spaces, Part 2
The entrance to Atago Jinja, founded in 1603, marked by the shinto Tori gate or Torii. Built on one of the highest points in Edo overlooking the bay (26 m, 85 ft.), the shrine was famous for its views. Today, that view is obscured by buildings. The fire god Homusubi-no-mikoto is the main deity, reflecting how deadly and feared fires were to the Edo population. From the book Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscapes. Click on the image for a larger view.
Sacred Spaces, Part 1
Shusse Inari Jinja, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. The shrine was founded in 1620 by Lady Kasuga, a powerful woman in the Tokugawa Shogunate. The sound that periodically sweeps through the shrine is a cross between wind and thunder—the noise of the Thunder Dolphin roller coaster, the structure in the background, as the cars pass the gap between the buildings. From the book Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscapes. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tokyo Bay Seawall
The defense along the artificial islands in Tokyo Bay. From our book Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Emptiness: Tokyo Landscape. Click on the image for a larger view.
2019 Greater Kansas City Japan Festival
We had a marvelous time at the 2019 Greater Kansas City Japan Festival in Kansas City on Saturaday. Many people attended our Shikoku pilgrimage lecture. The festival had an eclectic schedule involving performances, vendors, food, and events. There were sumo wrestling and your favorite anime characters. Click on the image for a larger view.
Kansas City Japan Festival
Naomi and I will be speaking at this year’s Kansas City Japan Festival. We will be giving a one-hour presentation on our experience of the 88 Sacred Places of Shikoku Pilgrimage, a 700-mile walking pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku in Japan. Our presentation is at 1 pm in the recital hall, but events are planned for the entire day.
The festival is on October 5th at the Johnson County Community College and sponsored by the Heart of America Japan-America Society. More can be found on the festival website.
Winter
Solitary Sunday
Blanket of snow
My gaze
My silence
（1989）
TRANSLATED FROM THE JAPANESE POETRY BOOK ON LOVE
OTOHIME KARA URASHIMA TARO NI TSUGU BY NAOMI OTSUBO.
FROM CHAPTER ONE, BEFORE MEETING
冬
ひとりの 休日に
いちめんの 雪
みつめる わたし
音のない わたし
（1989年）
English