A lesured old man, Shiho's talking over tea.

A lesured old man, Shiho's talking over tea.

I am a vegetarian since more than one month ago.

It was an unexpected event on January 18 2006. I said to my wife. "I will live on vegetables from today."
"Again?" She said.
I became a vegetarian about 15 years ago. At that time, my stomach wouldn't accept fish, poultry and meal. I was at my wits' end about what refused such food. What I had the troubles after I became a vegetarian. When I had an exhibition for my works at one department store, some manager invited me to a japanese restaurant, at that time I had to say that I am a vegetarian. Some manager found a restaurant for vegetarian, even though it's very hard to find a Japanese restaurant for a vegetarian in Japan. I always felt beholden to the manager.

About four years ago, I had eaten "Tenpura" every day. Because I liked it and another reason. The reason was;
"I lived a small apartment, and a neighbor was running a tenpura store. His wife asked me every morning before they went to their store, 'what kind of tenpura do you like today?' They brought me several kind of tenpura. So I had eaten tenpura for one and half years. When one and half year passed, the day had come unexpectedly. I couldn't take a sniff. I felt sick when the smell of tenpura attacked to me. I couldn't have a tenpura for over ten years since that time. I don't have a reason this time. Main food of a doctor of homeopathy is vegetable, though he is not a vegetarian. It's one reason.
I remembered one thing the 18th of last month. It's in the early of 1950s, I was a schoolboy. In those days, there were few food in Japan after World War II. The season was early summer, someone gave us a pheasant which was special food for us. At the evening, We had sukiyaki for dinner. My ffather biled the meat of pheasant. All of my family had watched the sukiyaki pan, and had waited the sukiyaki was ready. But a bad smell came out, and the sukiyaki was foaming which we had never seen. Nobody ate it though we didn't have enough food.
"We can't eat this, throw away." my father said. Nobody against him.

I suppose that a pheasant eat wild grasses in winter, then a hunting season is limiting only winter. After all, t's nice to eat a pheasant which doesn't eat flesh. That is it. I think there is a reason on it.
Then I live on vegetables. I have many kind of seed for breakfast. For example, Chinese matrimony vine, almond, flax seed, fermented soybeans, walnut and so on. And I have rye bread and raw vegetables juice. My blood-sugar level and blood pressure is normal now. I became thin during I was suffered from gangrene. But now, I recovered my spirits and strong body.

Month02 Day28 Year2006 (Tue) No.13

Old man, 63 years old bycicle rider come into this world.

The late autumn in 2003, I accessed to an auction site by chance, I found a 26-inch mountain bike there.
I bade \14,000 for the bike with a joke, the bicycle was knocked down to me for \14,000. Then I received the finished mountain bike in a big box. I adjusted the bike instantly and I had a test ride about 5 kilometers. My breath became faint even though I do take a walk more than one hour every day. It seems that the muscles used by a walk and a bicycle completely differ. Shiho studio is on an hill with about 100m gently-slope. I couldn't go up the gently-slope.
Although the motive of the bid was impulsive, I keenly realized the lack of exercise after a trial ride, I decided to ride on a bicycle, taking advantage of this opportunity. Since then, I had run around there more than ten km with the mountain bike for about one year until I suffered from a gangrene. As a result, I could go up the slope to a studio and also I could cross a ridge to a next village easily.
But I suffered from a gangrene, I couldn't ride on a bycicle for 10 monthes. Fortunately, I almost recovered the gangrene around the end of September 2005. So I tryed to ride it afresh over again. But I had a lack of exercise for one year, it's very hard to go up the mountain pass. Last year, even though I could cross some ridge easily.

The mountain bike was so heavy. I want to get a light bicycle. I went to a bicycle shop. Tere were many cycles. Among the cycles, I found two bycicles, one was "Specialized SIRRUS 2006" and "Giant OCR3 2006". I decided to purchase Giant OCR3. I rode on a road bycicle to go to a next village from the next day, a little more than about 15km. The racing cycle could reach a peak easier than a mountain bycicle. I was getting fascinated with the road bicycle while riding on it every day. I had just begun to ride on GIANT, I wanted to purchse a lighter bycicle than GIANT.

A sales message of Felt's catalogue tempted me to purchase "FELT F55". F55 arrived at my home after one week. The weight of Giant was about ten kg, and the weight of Felt was about eight kg. 2 kg weight difference is large. Since that time, I went on the FELT to a next village every day. But A cold wave hit the Japan area at the end of the last year. It's too cold to ride on a bicycle.
My New Year's aspiration was what I want to travel around the Biwa Lake about 200 km by bicycle.
I will be travelling around the Biwa Lake by Giant.
Before everything, I changed tires both in front and in the rear from 700-25c to 700-28c. The Giant handlebar has two auxiliary brakes. The angle of the brakes was not suitable for my hand.

Then I put the bar tape out of the handlebar, and arrange the angle of it. Also I put a rear carrier and center stand. So Giant is changing to a travel bicycle day by day. I want to make a dream what I do travel of Lake Biwa, the total mileage is about 200 km. It's necessary to develop basic physical strength still more. Don't laugh when you saw whom a helmeted 63 years old man rido on a bycicle with drop handle. In Japan, I was reborn when I reached my 60th birthday. So I'm 3 years old yonger than my grandson.<<~_~))

Month02 Day27 Year2006 (Mon) No.12 (Hobby::Bicycle)

Mr. Gagnon back to Shiho's studio.

Movie Director Claude Gagnon went to Berlin Film Festival and went to Bangkok Film Festival from Berlin directly on Feb. 17th as I wrote before. Assistant director Takako told us, "He returned to his home yesterday from Bangkok. The temperature of Berlin was 19 centigrade below zero and it's about 30 centigrade in Bangkok. He might be tired, but he has an interview by a Magazine now. I am editing the Shiho Kanzaki's documentary at the next room. And I took a photo." Takako said. Photo by Takako.

Please look at the message on Feb. 19th. titled "Mr. Claude Gagnon visited to Shiho Kanzaki's studio again." Mr. Gagnon came back to my studio Nov. 14th 2002 according to our promise. We had to wait about one month to have an anagama firing. Mr. Gagnon had stayed at Shigaraki Pension. He came to my studio by his car every day. He took video to show his movie staffs. At night, he wrote a scenario for his next movie "KAMATAKI".

And the day came, FIRING day. One professional potter came here from Taiwan to assist me. Mr. Gagnon was like my apprentice. He was eager to have a firing. He noted down what he had his experiences. He asked me many many thing. I saw his attitude of having a firing with enthusiasm, no movie director had like his experiences. I am sure that he can make a film of real kamataki scene. I decided that I want to help him as possible as I can during he shoot his movie.
He experienced the opening kiln on Jan. 6th 2003. He left for Canada the next day and he said " I will return on March".

Month02 Day24 Year2006 (Fri) No.11 (Movies::KAMATAKI)

Ten students of Cornell College visited to Shiho's studio.

This afternoon, 12 persons came to my studio. They came here from Cornell college in Iowa, U.S.A., Mr. Kawasaki guide them. He is my friend, and he graduated from Cornell College, and graduated from graduate Iowa University. So a member of Cornell college visit to Shigaraki every two years. They are staying with the Kawasaki's friends. A leader of the group is Professor Doug Hanson who visited to my studio three times. Many students are interested in Japanese culture. They came into my studio, and one student asked me "Does that fish have a meaning ?", She pointed a pothook with a big fish which is a carp. Pothook has many sculpture. Difference sculpture has difference meaning. My pothook has a carp sculpture, so I told them about pothook with a carp.

"God lives at Japanese hearth as we think. Fire is the most important thing to live in this world. Don't treat fire carelessly, fire must be worshipped as a god. Our ancestor thought that the carp attached to the pothook also is god. They thought a carp is changing to dragon. The carp along with smoke from the herth goes up to the sky, the carp is changed to dragon. And the dragon turned to carp come back to the herth bringing good fortune. A canopy covered the pothook, it's meaning that the pothook and herth is a God in Japan.

After then we were talking about anagama firing and works I showed a magazine which carries an American ceramic artist, Karl Beamer. Cornell college doesn't have an anagama kiln. So Every body are so interested in anagama works with natural ash deposit. We had a great time together. They will be staying in Shigaraki until 25th of Feb. I hope they have good experiences in Japan, and come back to Japan again.

Month02 Day22 Year2006 (Wed) No.10 (Culture)

Mr. Claude Gagnon visited to Shiho Kanzaki's studio again.

The movie "KAMATAKI" received five section's awards by Montreal Film Festival. It's an brilliant achievement. Then, it's invited to many international film festivals. For example,
From January 5th : Palm Spring film festival (Matt also went to there in the east of a Los. where is a health resort in a desert.)
From February 9 -- the Berlin Film Festival and the Kinder section competition (film festival familiar by "Kenny"). The KAMATAKI received a special prize as I wrote on News Flash.
Director Gagnon went to Bangkok directly from Berlin on February 16.
Because it is invited to Bangkok film festival from February 17.
In addition, From March 3rd. KAMATAKI will be start to show each movie theater in Montreal (Quartier Latin, Beaubien, St-Foy, AMC, Rock Forest).

For the first time, Director Gagnon had visited to my studio for a movie "KAMATAKI" on November 2, 2002. I thought that Gagnon san already left Shiga for Tokyo. The next day, November 3 2002
he's still in Shiga Prefecture, and he sent me his E_mail.

The E_mail is;
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was a real pleasure meeting you yesterday. Your presence and hospitality gave me a lot of ideas. I just don't want to abuse your kindness, like us, filmmakers often have a tendency to do. So please don't hesitate to tell me if you feel that I'm going too far. Before I leave for Tokyo, I was hoping to stop once more by your workshop tomorrow in order to take some home video pictures of your place. I will call you around 7:00 pm to confirm if it is alright with you. Thanks again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
He called me just 7 o'clock.

I already had an appointment with a curator in Minneapolis Meuseum from the tomorrow morning. It's very important meeting for me. So I told Gagnon san that I can see you around 4 o'clock.

November 4 2002

I told about a traveling exhibition at the museums in U.S.A. for my work with Mr. M.W. who is a curator of Minneapolis Museum.　The first exhibition is starting from Minneapolis art museum to another 8 or 9 museums in U.S.A..
At that time, Mr. Claude Gagnon came to my studio again.

Mr. M.W. and Mr. Gagnon were the first meeting. Mr. M.W. had watched a movie of Mr. Gagnon, and their conversation was full of excitement. "We hope that there's a documentary of Shiho Kanzaki at the exhibition", Mr. M.W. said to Mr. Gagnon in their conversation. But there was no answer of Mr. Gagnon immediately.

We (Mr. Claude Gagnon and Shiho Kanzaki) were talking about clay, making a pottery, firing and so on. I told my schedule of the next anagama firing. It's starting from the middle of Dec.. And opening the kiln on Jan. 6th 2003.
Just after Mr. Claude Gagnon heard it, he said to me that
"I thought that I will be leaving from Japan for Canada on Nov. 14th., and I will be back to Japan on Marc in next year. But if you accept my desire, I would like to assist your next anagama firing. Is it possible for you? And I will be in Shigaraki until Jan. 6th when your kiln opening. During that I'm at your studio, I can see how to make your works, I split the firewoods, and I've an anagama firing as your assistant.
My wife, Yuri, and my mother-in-low will be coming here soon, I will ask them that I wnant to stay in Shigaraki, and having an anagama firing." Mr. Gagnon said to me. Yuri san's surprised to hear that. But she gave him an agreement promptly. I gave her two books what I wrote. Then they left my studio. At that time Mr. Gagnon told me "I will be back on 14th in this month".

This photograph is Asian and Japanese art exhibition room of the Minneapolis art Museum. The large jar in the very bottom is Shiho Kanzaki's New texture work. I named it "Bakufu Yohen".

Month02 Day19 Year2006 (Sun) No.8 (Movies::KAMATAKI)

It is NHK news at 6:30 in this morning Japan time, "The movie KAMATAKI was won "Special Jury Prize" at the Berlin Film Festival."
A e-mail arrived from ZUNO FILM in Canada just during I'm reporting this news flash.

Feb 17, 2006:
A Crystal Bear for the Best 14plus Film

The Youth Jury of 14plus, the youth film competition of the 56th Berlin International Film Festival, awards a Special Mention to the following films:

A Special Mention goes to:

Kamataki by Claude Gagnon, Canada/Japan

“Elementary encounters help a person who has become incapable of feeling anything to rediscover his zest for life. The intense images of the film create an enchanting atmosphere and the shifts from dynamic to calm moments held us gripped.”

The members of the Youth Jury were:

Zazie Agro, Vincent Forster, Mania Godarzani, Billy Holzberg, Rebecca Martin, Joseph Theune and Laura Wurth.

The award ceremony will be held at the Zoo Palast on 17 February 2006 at 5 p.m.

Month02 Day18 Year2006 (Sut) No.6 (Movies::KAMATAKI)

Mr. Azumi called me.

Mr. Azumi san called me, "my mother died three days ago, she was 90 years old. we already hold a funeral for her. I'm very sorry, but I couldn't tell you. My mother had been in bed for seven and half years since she broke down. Thank you very for your kindness to her." he said to me disconnectedly.

"Many thanks for your trouble for long years. Since your mother had broken down, you all had watched affectionately as she passed away.... You might be very tired taking care of her, please take care of yourself and your family. I will be there someday to pray for her."
he told him disconnectedly.

We first made each other's acquaintance in eighteen years ago when I buil my studio. He said to become a fan of Shiho since he read two books written by Shiho Kanzaki. The title of one book is "The Voice of Fire The Voice of Earth". Other one is "The Chance of Fire The Chance of Human beings". Shiho says in the books that he's very hard to live for long years. His life was like a hippie. Fortunately, I got out of my poor life. And I built my studio, my family and my aprentices were starting to live the new house on June 6th 1988. Mr. Azumi came to my new house. When he opened the door of entrance, he made the first sound. "Is that a lie what your books say? I thought that you live at a poor hut with a tin roof. But you live at a fine mansion like this."
"The books say real story. I and my aprentices lived at a poor hut. It's not a lie." I replyed him.
"I knew that you are very hard to live, so I couldn't wait to bring a number of vegetables which I raised at my farmland." he said to me. And he took several carton boxes in which there were several kind of vegetables to the entrance of my house. Since that time, we've kept company with all our family.
When I visited to his home, he said to me "please meet to my mother", and let me enter her bedroom. There's a bed, and his mother's in the bed. Her husband and her granddaughter were beside her. She joined her hands in prayer to me, and she said something. I couldn't understand what she said. Her granddaughter told me "she said, thank you for your coming from a long way." Her granddaughter can understand the speech of her.
Someday, I went to his home again, and visited her bed room. Around that time, Nr. Azumi's wife stoped working for taking care of her mother-in-low.When she quit her working, she worried about their life. She decided to stop working finally, after she read my two books.

She joined her hands in praying to me, and pointed a photo on a wall. And she said something. Her granddaughter interpreted her words. "I'm looking at the photo which my son took me with you, I'm greeting to you every morning and evening." as she said. There's another photos that she and her granddaughter are in a same bed.

And we had a supper. The grand daughter rose up and said "my grandmother might be feel lonely, so I will go beside her, and I will sleep with her." She went off the room.
I've never seen like a happy family. They all were taking care of their grandmother who couldn't move. they make me happy always.
May her soul rest in peace.

Month02 Day16 Year2006 (Thu) No.5

Mr. Claude Gagnon visited to .....

Claude Gagnon san is attending the International Filmfestival in Berlin. The KAMATAKI is invited by The Festival officially.

I remembered encounter with Gagnon san on Nov. 2nd 2002.
He visited to my studio. I was able to talk with him on that day. He's talking to me about his next movie called "TAKUMA" in English clealy and slowly.

He told me that......
"(1) I want to shoot a ceramic artist, "TAKUMA" who is the embodying of Japanese culture. Japanese traditional ceramics art work is flowing on there.
(2) I want to shoot this movie that I've thought about it for several years continuously.
(3) So Mr. Claude Gagnon was looking for the ceramics art work what "TAKUMA" made in his movie. He looked at many works from Okinawa, Mashiko, Tokoname, and so on. Unfortunately, he couldn't find them what Mr. Gagnon had an imagination. After then, he found a homepage in inter-net, it's Shiho Kanzaki's "Anagama" site. He saw Shiho Kanzaki's works in his home page, He suddenly slapped his knee and said "I got it".
(4) I read all articles which appeared in the homepage and knew Shiho Kanzaki's personality. And I wanted to try to meet you eagerly." he said to me.

According to Mr. Gagnon's schedule, he leave for Canada on 14th in Nov. 14th 2002, and he would like to return to Japan on March, and he's starting to shoot his movie from September, 2003.

I told Gagnon san that I would like to cooperate with you if you still are interested in my work after you encountered me. That why, I was impressed with him that Mr. Gagnon devoted itself to a movie purely.

We decided to contact together about the future schedule and details by E_mail.
And he left Shiho's studio.

Month02 Day14 Year2006 (Tue) No.4 (Movies::KAMATAKI)

About a category of

I've forgotten to tell you about a category of "KAMATAKI" in "Movie". I had to write it before everything. So I try to write about it.

* This category of Movie is about a movie "KAMATAKI" and "Shiho Kanzaki's documentary film" until reaching completion from the opening.
* This movie's shot by Canadian movie director Mr. Claude Gagnon. The scene was shot on location in Shigaraki town, especially at Shiho Kanzaki's Studio.
* KAMATAKI has been selected by the 29th World Film Festival of Montreal for the official competition. The world premiere took place on August 31st, 2005 during the Montreal World Film Festival.
* The KAMATAKI movie received five prizes by the 29th World Film Festival of Montreal.
(1) Best Director
(2) Air Canada People's Choice Award
(3) Award for the most popular Canadian film
(4) FIPRESCI PRIZE (INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS)
(5) ECUMENICAL PRIZE
* This story's open from A E_mail of Mr. Claude Gagnon on 28th October 2002.
* I'm writing this story according to my memory.

Thank you.

Month02 Day12 Year2006 (Sun) No.3 (Movies::KAMATAKI)

Movie KAMATAKI began by one E_mail.

When Shiho Kanzaki received an E_mail from an unacquainted person, Claude Gagnon, the movie KAMATAKI started on Oct. 28th 2002.

Oct. 28th 2002

The subject of this E_mail is "visit".
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Kanzaki,

It was with great pleasure that I went over your web site over the last couple of weeks. It was a fantastic source of information, a very inspirational place to visit. I loved what I saw of your work, even though it was only through Internet, and I specially appreciated the way you approach your work and life in general.

My name is Claude Gagnon, and I am a French Canadian filmmaker who used to live in Kyoto in the seventies. Among the movies that you might have heard of, there is Keiko which I shot in Japan in ・8 and which received several awards there and overseas. I also made a movie called "Kenny" in Japan or "Kid brother" in Western countries about a wonderful handicap kid who moves around on a skateboard. The movie was fairly successful in Japan and you might have heard of it about ten years ago.

For a while I moved away from directing, producing instead for my friends directors over a period of about ten years. Then last year I came back to directing at the invitation of my old friend Mr. E.O. who had played in another of my movies, "The Pianist" some thirteen years ago. E.O. co-produced this new movie, "Revival Blues" with my wife Yuri and our son Samuel. Revival was shot entirely in Japan, in Japanese (even though I am ashamed to confess that my Japanese is very poor) with Mr. T.N., Mrs. K.M. and Mr. E.O.. I just arrived in Japan last week to show them the finish product, discuss the promotional campaign and prepare for my next movie.

This is in relation with this new project, "Uncle Takuma" that I get in touch with you today. I loved so much to work with Mr. T.N. that I tried to imagine another story that would give me the chance to work with him again in the near future. My cinema is always extremely realistic and has almost a documentary like quality (or default?) to it. In my new movie, Mr. N. would be a ceramist artist.

I know and understand that you are an extremely busy person and that you received a lot of requests for visiting you. I would feel very privileged to have the chance of meeting you and perhaps visit your location. At the same time, I would understand perfectly well if you were to ecline to meet me and I would not feel offended in the least. I want you to feel completely at ease with this. My mother in law happens to live on the West side of Biwako and I plan to visit her for a few days from the second of November. I would appreciate if you could let me know if it is at all possible to meet you around that time.

Sincerely yours,

Claude Gagnon
----------------------------------------------------------------
Shiho Kanzaki accepted his wishes immediately.

Month02 Day11 Year2006 (Sut) No.2 (Movies::KAMATAKI)

That can't be true!

I decided to show "A lesured old man, Shiho's talking over tea" from today, February 9, 2006. I can write only my experiences and my thought based on my experiences.

Shiho and Monku Araya were driving to Ikuchi Island in Hiroshima in the freezing rain on February 6 before three days. Around ten years ago, we had to board a ferry boat from Mihara to Ikuchi island. But now, we can go to there from Onomichi-city by car.
The car which Monku Araya drove left Shigaraki and arrived at Ikuchi-shima Island in more than 5 hours. We received welcome of Yoko who is a daughter-in-low of Saint Shinku and passed through the main gate of Honen temple where my Mentor, Shinku Beppu live.

About one years ago, Feb. 20th 2005, Mr. Beppu visited to my home where I had lived fighting against my disease, gangrene since Nov. 15th 2004. My wife, Keiko came to my bed room and said to me,
"Your teacher, Saint Shinku Beppu came to see you. He's worryed your desease. Can you see him?"
"I don't like to show him looking like this. I am sick and emaciated like this and I'm in an acute pain for long days. If he saw me like this, he might be in stronger sorrow. I don't like to make him sorrow. So tell him instead of me courteously, "Shiho can't see you now, he is going to see you after he became a recovery from the illness." She went to the guest room.
I joined my hands in prayer to him and said "THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING A GREAT DISTANCE AREA, IKUCHI JIMA, THANK YOU, THANK YOU." Around that time, I was falling into a critical condition and I endured an acute pain for long days. So other Shiho said to me, "You should see him NOW! If you lost this chance, you can't see him again. Hurry up! See him now, NOW!." At that time, I'm almost ready to die.

On the same day, A Doctor of homeopathy Dr. E.W. came back to my home from Germany. I believd spontaneous recovery. But I went to a hospital sice Nov. 15th 2004. Dr. gave me many medicines and gave an intravenous drip injection to me. I din't believe medical treatment, but I was received it. I've yielded to self-hatred.
Dr. E.W. told to me.
"Could you throw away all of the medicine what you have ?"
I threw away them immediately. And Dr. E.W. gave me a remedy.
The DR. E.W. came here around 10 o'clock in the morning, and he left here around 5 in the evening.
At the same evening, When Keiko and I had a supper, Keiko said to me,
"Your looking returned to be alive."
By the way, I will write about homeopathy someday.
We arrived the temple.

The slide door of the priests' living quarters opened suddenly just before I touch to it. There were Saint Shinku and his wife with a smiling face. "Welcome, welcome, very cold today, come in here." my teacher said. He walked to the main hall of the temple through their living room and big corridor. It's very warm every where. Maybe they put on the kerosene heater early mornig. I touched their warm heart. We arrived at the main hall. there is a chair and a lap robe for me. They prepared them everywhere. We sat in front of Amida Buddha and recite Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu,.......... together. My voice is becoming intermittently and broken. Tears shed in my face. My teacher's voice also is becoming intermittently.

"That can't be true! I'm here to see him and his family. I can't believe this situation." I thought.

We came into their guest room. There's also a chair. We were talking talkin......together. We were there about three hours. I told to Mr. Araya, shall we back to our home?" Just after my teacher and his wife heard it, "wait, wait. we will take some visitables for you." They went to their truck farm under the hevy snow.

Namu Ami Dabutsu.........

Photo by Monku Araya.

Month02 Day09 Year2006 (Thu) No.1 (Disease::Gangrene)

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