
Zuigan-ji (2016)
Majestic Zuigan-ji Temple in northeast Japan is a national cultural treasure. Completed 400 years ago by the feudal lord of the region, Date Masamune, it’s famous as a lavish and glorious example of the culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (mid-1500s to 1600). The main hall is decorated with beautiful period-style art created by painters and master craftsmen summoned from Kyoto. With ground subsidence now causing its pillars to tilt, Zuigan-ji has been undergoing comprehensive repairs and restorations since 2009, called "the great Heisei restoration." An essential consideration when repairing Japanese cultural properties is that old and weathered parts must not be replaced and existing original materials must be reused to the greatest possible extent. The restoration's greatest challenge was to reinforce the structure to protect against earthquakes. This program follows the Japanese engineers and craftsmen, striving to clear the hurdle with their conviction and ideas, to preserve the national treasure.
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Kiraigo -800 Years of Performing Hell Theater-
2018 30 mins[Festivals of Japan Season 2] The stage is set in hell. Demons curse and berate the sinner who has committed a terrible crime. The only play in Japan ever to be set in hell, the "Kiraigo" of Yokoshibahikari Town, Chiba Prefecture, has had a history of 800 years. Yet despite...more details -
Mikoji -Jisa, Anesa, and a 19-year-old Spring-
2018 30 mins[Festivals of Japan Season 2] The "Mikoji Dance" is a 150-year-old dance performed during the Taromaru Shuuraku Spring Festival in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. In this dance, the sitting doll of an old man and the standing doll of a young woman comically dance to the accompaniment of vibrant drums,...more details -
Ornamental Silk Apron for Sumo Wrestlers -Oozumo Kensho-Mawashi-
2015 30 mins[Craft Masters of Japan] Hirokuni Ohno is one of the very few Hakata textile weavers left in the world and has a workshop in Kokura Town in Kitakyushu City. He creates ornamental silk aprons for Sumo wrestlers to wear in the ring. The apron is approximately 70 centimeters wide and...more details -
Zuigan-ji (2016)
2016 48 minutesMajestic Zuigan-ji Temple in northeast Japan is a national cultural treasure. Completed 400 years ago by the feudal lord of the region, Date Masamune, it’s famous as a lavish and glorious example of the culture of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (mid-1500s to 1600). The main hall is decorated with beautiful period-style...more details