J I D A I . F E S T I V A L
acrylic on canvas and painted wooden frame, 46 x 60 inches
.......Then out into the brilliant sunshine again, it's really quite hot, to decide where to stand for the best vantage point of the festival which will proceed under the huge orange tori. We decide on the shrine where it's heading for. The police are there edging us back inch by inch. Eventually a rope cordon is run across the road and rush matting (tatumi) is laid either side for everyone to sit on though I stay standing. It's a breathtaking pageant going back through Kyoto's history, each age played by the thousands of participants all dressed authentically to evoke the era and recall its remarkable past. the more important dignitaries, often a shogun with his vast entourage. One can see how terrifying they would have been in battle. The fabrics for the costumes have been dyed using the same pigments and techniques of each period. The opening was particularly beautiful - hundreds of japanese women clad in identical costumes dancing as they paraded in exquisite sequence........
Kyoto 22.10.2004