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Coeleen Kiebert
Impression of her visit at "Oomoto Miroku Village"

April 10th, 2007

Today Kimura drove me through cherry blossom blooming mountains to Ayabe to meet with Kuranai Deguchi. I was told repeatedly by Hiromi that we would meet her in a new art village that had been established in Ayabe. So, I thought it was perhaps some collection of artists from the Ayabe community. When Kimura and I met Hiromi there, we began our walk to the art village and very shortly I learned that the art village is actually the area between the back road and the old pottery studio. You wouldn't recognize it because the old storage sheds are gone. Instead there is a beautiful stone wall and very refined steps leading up the hill. There is also an impressive wooden sign/arch that is painted in Kurania's calligraphy, with the name of the art village, which is Mirokumura., meaning coming of Maitreya, The New Age Village. This is because they believe that the key to world peace is through the arts. Maitreya is the final God after Buddha (this is a Buddhist teaching) when the world is finally enlightened and at peace...eons from now.

We were shown into the most beautifully simple tea room. Kuranai's calligraphy is hanging in the tokonoma, also saying Mirokumura. She told me she did this wih her left hand, although she is right handed,so as not to try to be perfect. Tea was served in her tea bowls...which have her definite character. She is clearly developing this as she has made over 400 tea bowls...in just a three week period. They are very free, odd shaped and expressive. When I asked about the decoration on mine...which could be a tree...she said it was just from her imagination...unlike most Japanese today. As a gift, she gave me one of her sake cups that had been fired in the old climbing kiln. It is rough, not perfectly round and has a white, rather shino-like glaze. She also gave me a very large skien, bolt of indigo fabric which she wove. It has an even stripe of navy indigo and light blue indigo.

I gave her a dark purple silk velvet Tiffany scarf, printed with wysteria, from the Tiffany show at the Metropolitan Museum. When I saw it there, I knew immediately that it was the gift for Kurani. She was very familiar with the Met, but not Tiffany. It was nice to tell her about Tiffany and how influenced he was by Japanese art.

After a second serving of Peets coffee, we were taken into the weaving rooms, equally elegant in their refined simplicity and purity. There are 6 looms, worked on by assistants and then a sparate room for her own loom. There is a shrine in the corner of her room where someone prays while she weaves. These rooms open onto a garden that faces the pottery studio. The pottery studio is nearly immaculate, with assistants working with her, teaching her, who come from a line of National Living Treasures. The fired work sitting on the shelves is very rough...the glazes applied freely. The shapes are individual, the foots very exprssive...quickly dug out. There is a high level of energy in the work...which is so nice to see. Shades of Onisaburo and Naohi. Outside the studio, beyond the tea room and weaving studios, there is a garden. This is also part of the art center. The food there is especially grown and it is also a contribution towards research. Gardening is the third art that Kuranai is working in this art center...I suppose enzyme, as this was first invented by Oomoto people. One other very interesting discovery...under the garden, Kuranai had the intuition there might be clay. Others thought she was just imagining this possibility, but she had them start digging and, below, about 2-3 feet, they came upon the most excellant clay for making tea bowls. They have dug up a large area...I'd say about 50x50 feet, out of which they have collected about 4 years worth of clay, so far. That clay is in covered piles next to the garden, aging...as it will, for 3 more years. Therefore, the art center is a complex of tea, weaving, pottery and the garden. I was impressed with how much Kuranai has transformed this area. It is a work of art in of itself. It exemplifies the Oomoto mission...the sacredness of art. There is something very complete about it's simplicity and clarity...it's purity and honesty. It speaks well of her action and devotion to her belief.

Later, Kimura took me on a walk about the ground. I was shown a new find...in the parking lot. Kuranai believed there was a spring in a certain place and that they should dig. Sure enough, they cam upon a spring that has completely pure water...of a mot unusaul nature. Kuranai plans to have this water (if not already) directed to the pond by the main shrine, I think to the art center and out to the Japan Sea, so that all of the world will be connected by this purity. Over the spring there is a large stone monument, about 5 feet high, resting on a mound. It has Kuranai's calligraphy explaing the meaning of this spring. This Spiritual Leaders actions and influence is truly remarkable and, fo me, so inspiring. （2007.4.10）

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