Tennō II: Two Basins - The Imagination of Governance
If the question is how the Emperor came to occupy the position he did — not as the strongest ruler, but as the center of an order that outlasted every ruler — the entrance to that question is not Kyoto. It is Nara.
Tennō I: Stone Walls and Clay Walls: What Two Palaces Say About Japan
The stone walls of the Tokyo Kōkyo say: there is force here that protects what lies within.
The clay walls of the Kyoto Gosho say: there are people who want to protect this place.
The first is protected by power. The second is protected by relationship.
Gardens, Tea and the Space Between
Years ago, at Cornell University's library, I came across a Japanese book on a shelf. Nihon Design Ron — A Theory of Japanese Design — by Teiji Itoh, published in 1966. I remember thinking: why is a Japanese-language book sitting here in upstate New York?
I picked it up anyway. An hour later I was still reading.