D8 ME - Art Festival: The Commentary (Open to all)

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Eiji chuckled.

"Ah, excellent, Asahina-san, that will surely be the testimony that sees me exonerted before the magistrates, 'He said he wasn't going to burn it all down.'"

He pondred the nature of art as the pair walked through the festival.

"I do have stories able to fit most occassions, although that brings another point about the imperanence of art. Stories, as words on wind, or text on a scroll, are imperanent...but also eternal in a way. Asahina and Yasuki's artwork both leave a mark upon me, but I cannot recreate them. Even if tell someone what I saw, I simply lack the skill to capture every aspect of what makes them inspiring."

"Now stories, on the other hand......if Asahina-san liked my tale, she could easily retell it to any she cared to. And if she wanted to say the siblings were Daidoji instead of Crab, or that the curious noble was a Phoenix instead of a Scorpion or wanted to go deeper into the romantic elements of the story, none of these change the heart of the story."

He shook his head.

"Perhaps your upcoming picinic is influencing my thoughts, but I can't help but think that all art dies, but stories are, in a sense, reincarnated with each retelling."

Hoshiko leans in to examine the whole little Phoenixy scene. "The carving here is quite fine, particularly on such a timeframe. Not so permanent a sculpture as stone, but it seems not all the sculptors were thwarted by the schedule."

She smiles. A rare, full grin. "Ah but Soshi-san that's true of all art. No art truly lives until someone sees, or listens, or whatever to it. Each person will see it a bit differently. So even a painting has a thousand lives, each one an interaction between the artist, and a viewer. Stories, in their malleability just make that all more visible."

[Soshi Eiji]

Hoshiko leans in to examine the whole little Phoenixy scene. "The carving here is quite fine, particularly on such a timeframe. Not so permanent a sculpture as stone, but it seems not all the sculptors were thwarted by the schedule."

She smiles. A rare, full grin. "Ah but Soshi-san that's true of all art. No art truly lives until someone sees, or listens, or whatever to it. Each person will see it a bit differently. So even a painting has a thousand lives, each one an interaction between the artist, and a viewer. Stories, in their malleability just make that all more visible."

Eiji nods conceeding the point.

"Wood is quite the versatile material to work with. An artist of such once described me their process as 'I see what is trapped within the wood, and then I cut away everything that holds it back to free it.' I would suppose were they have to seen this particular piece before it was carved, they truly would have found contentment in their work." he comments.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Eiji nods conceeding the point.

"Wood is quite the versatile material to work with. An artist of such once described me their process as 'I see what is trapped within the wood, and then I cut away everything that holds it back to free it.' I would suppose were they have to seen this particular piece before it was carved, they truly would have found contentment in their work." he comments.

"That sounds a bit like aligning with the spirits already in the wood. A valuable gift."

'Hmm...speaking of gifts...Soshi-san is of a family of priests, but does not appear to be among those who hear the kami, yes? They are our spiritual cousins in some ways, as they are also attuned to the air. As an art, storytelling seems a natural fit there."

One Lion's Cranes are before them and are even Hoshiko's primary art form. She takes some time to study them, offering the respect of a full assessment.

[Soshi Eiji]

Snip!

Eiji studied the display as well.

"Ah, a c'mon misconception, Asahina-san. I married into the Soshi this year, in fact. I was born and trained a Lion, an Ikoma to be precise. Though my wife also lacks the gift to speak with the kami. It made the negotiations somewhat easier, as I understand that shugenja families tend to prefer to marry shugenja to shugenja whenever possible, and the Soshi are one of the smaller shugenja families." he explained.

"Hmmm, it's certainly an evocative piece. It's quite rare to see a single artist bring three seperate artform into a single harmonious work. They're really quite talented." he added.

[Yasuki Masaki]

"And here we have the organiser herself."

A nod or artistic appreciation was returned, but the rest of Minase's expression was hidden behind her fan.

"What a creative presentation, Yasuki-san," Shinnosuke says with a warm smile and a courtly bow. "Is this sort of puppetry a folk art from Crab lands? Or is it an invention of your own?"

After only a quick look at the Lion display - she'd back to look at it properly later! - the Yasuki turns and walks back towards the two Crane.

"Doji-san, Asahina-san, so glad to see you here - and your contributions, of course!", she says with a polite bow. "And thank you for the kind words, of course, Doji-san", she says with a gentle smile.

"These... well, the straw figurines you've seen me working with before, I believe?" She gestures at those she'd done. "But the way the story is told..." her face seems to redden slighly, but only for a moment before a light chuckle and a smile dissipates it. She takes the Ki-rin figurine, moves it around as if wandering the land.

"It's actually inspired by something my family did in my young years - they'd use small statues and netsuke and make them the characters when telling us traditional stories. I always assumed it was something more widely done, at least in the south... although I'll admit Kuni-san, myself and the others took some risk doing something similar to tell stories to adults." She puts the Ki-rin back and looks at the other pieces. "That graduates of the famous Kakita Academy should find our piece interesting enough for a kind word makes me very happy.", she adds with a warm smile.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Eiji studied the display as well.

"Ah, a c'mon misconception, Asahina-san. I married into the Soshi this year, in fact. I was born and trained a Lion, an Ikoma to be precise. Though my wife also lacks the gift to speak with the kami. It made the negotiations somewhat easier, as I understand that shugenja families tend to prefer to marry shugenja to shugenja whenever possible, and the Soshi are one of the smaller shugenja families." he explained.

"Hmmm, it's certainly an evocative piece. It's quite rare to see a single artist bring three seperate artform into a single harmonious work. They're really quite talented." he added.

"Ah! Well congratulations on the match then. May Musubi bless your years together." She nods, "hai. Those with spiritual gifts are often thought to understand one another better, for a more harmonious match." One hand lifts to wobble in a 'so-so' sort of gesture. "There are shugenja of every temperament and one common interest or experience can only go so far in building harmony."

"The talent does shine through. I appreciate the precision on the folds. It can be difficult with connected pieces like that."

[Soshi Eiji]

"Ah! Well congratulations on the match then. May Musubi bless your years together." She nods, "hai. Those with spiritual gifts are often thought to understand one another better, for a more harmonious match." One hand lifts to wobble in a 'so-so' sort of gesture. "There are shugenja of every temperament and one common interest or experience can only go so far in building harmony."

"The talent does shine through. I appreciate the precision on the folds. It can be difficult with connected pieces like that."

Eiji considered the Asahina's words.

"I suppose when you are connected to the world in such a spiritual fashion, it makes sense to wed someone who is as well. You can speak in allegory, you can speak plainly, but it surely helps when your partner understands that you intended something as an offering to the kami, not a gift for a mortal friend. And in a lesser sense, the same could be said for pairings of bushi or courtiers. I do find pairing bushi and courtier together...pleasing in a sense. The balance of summer and winter, yojimbo and charge...the libraries are full of such tales."

And as they walked on, the encountered another tale, one of Ho-oh.

Eiji listened intently. The story was somewhat outside his normal genre. Typically his tales focused on the actions of mortals, with the occassional celestial figure making a cameo. Focusing exclusively on them, made it a bit harder to relate.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Eiji considered the Asahina's words.

"I suppose when you are connected to the world in such a spiritual fashion, it makes sense to wed someone who is as well. You can speak in allegory, you can speak plainly, but it surely helps when your partner understands that you intended something as an offering to the kami, not a gift for a mortal friend. And in a lesser sense, the same could be said for pairings of bushi or courtiers. I do find pairing bushi and courtier together...pleasing in a sense. The balance of summer and winter, yojimbo and charge...the libraries are full of such tales."

And as they walked on, the encountered another tale, one of Ho-oh.

Eiji listened intently. The story was somewhat outside his normal genre. Typically his tales focused on the actions of mortals, with the occassional celestial figure making a cameo. Focusing exclusively on them, made it a bit harder to relate.

She nods. "There are pairings where one looks for different strengths to make a match that is larger than its parts. A theologically-minded bushi might well balance a courtly priest, for example."

The tale is familiar and well-told. "The longer version has a good bit more 'help from kindly friends along the way' but makes things rather long for this format." Hoshiko notes. "It's a useful one for pointing out many spiritual lessons... though it can a bit advanced for children when one message is that not controlling oneself can lead to disaster, but another being that disaster may bloom in unexpected ways. Well, that's a difficult set of concepts to hold side by side when you're seven."

[Doji Shinnosuke]

"And here we have the organiser herself."

A nod or artistic appreciation was returned, but the rest of Minase's expression was hidden behind her fan.

"What a creative presentation, Yasuki-san," Shinnosuke says with a warm smile and a courtly bow. "Is this sort of puppetry a folk art from Crab lands? Or is it an invention of your own?"

After only a quick look at the Lion display - she'd back to look at it properly later! - the Yasuki turns and walks back towards the two Crane.

"Doji-san, Asahina-san, so glad to see you here - and your contributions, of course!", she says with a polite bow. "And thank you for the kind words, of course, Doji-san", she says with a gentle smile.

"These... well, the straw figurines you've seen me working with before, I believe?" She gestures at those she'd done. "But the way the story is told..." her face seems to redden slighly, but only for a moment before a light chuckle and a smile dissipates it. She takes the Ki-rin figurine, moves it around as if wandering the land.

"It's actually inspired by something my family did in my young years - they'd use small statues and netsuke and make them the characters when telling us traditional stories. I always assumed it was something more widely done, at least in the south... although I'll admit Kuni-san, myself and the others took some risk doing something similar to tell stories to adults." She puts the Ki-rin back and looks at the other pieces. "That graduates of the famous Kakita Academy should find our piece interesting enough for a kind word makes me very happy.", she adds with a warm smile.

"No wonder the story had such an atmosphere of innocence," Shinnosuke says, brows arching over his bright gray-blue eyes. "I'm sure I remember playing those kinds of games as a child, now that you mention it, but presenting such play at the imperial court is really rather original and daring. An interesting way to bring the work of many hands together, too, if loosely."

[Soshi Eiji]

Snip

Eiji nodded.

"Indeed, shortening a tale to fit the constraints of the venue is a challenge. It puts one in the mind of someone taking a magnificent garden sculpture and attempting to turn it into a bonsai. There's always a danger in cutting too much."

He smiles a bit.

"But moderation as you say, is key but it's never the first lesson. You first must teach to put everything into an action. Whether it's a sword strike or a speech, if you leave room for doubt, it will fill the space. It's only once you've learned to put yourself fully into the moment you can start learning when to check your strike. One needn't use a tetsubo to swat a fly." he mused.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Eiji nodded.

"Indeed, shortening a tale to fit the constraints of the venue is a challenge. It puts one in the mind of someone taking a magnificent garden sculpture and attempting to turn it into a bonsai. There's always a danger in cutting too much."

He smiles a bit.

"But moderation as you say, is key but it's never the first lesson. You first must teach to put everything into an action. Whether it's a sword strike or a speech, if you leave room for doubt, it will fill the space. It's only once you've learned to put yourself fully into the moment you can start learning when to check your strike. One needn't use a tetsubo to swat a fly." he mused.

She gestures to the little Gardener figurine. "And this tale has so much, and so many contributing. I think we could revisit their work a dozen times and find something new. Like I'm just noticing that this is made to appear made of vines, and not a simple sculpture. Could you remove him, or some other piece, and have the whole work as well as it does? Questionable."

Her expression is strange as he fills in a flurry of analogies. "So many warlike figures of speech to carry your ideas. Not that they are unusual I suppose. No wonder we tend to solve everything with swords, whether or not they'd benefit from something like a vinegar trap...very good for catching flies without making holes in things swinging a club around."

[Soshi Eiji]

Snip!

That brings a laugh from the Soshi.

"Forgive me, Ashina-san, I am misjudging my audience. When one is born a Lion and trained in the art of telling stories to further the glory of the brave warriors of the Lion.....well, I could say I have many such stories in my aresnal...but for this audience, I should say my toolkit." he offers with a smile.

He shrugs a bit.

"Were I born to your family, perhaps I would have more gardening analogies, or to the Phoenix and I could rhapsodize about the spirits as easily as wind through a chime. But when one plants rice in a rice paddy they should not expect plum blossoms."

As he spoke, he walked a bit, leading the pair to Ryusei's display for the Lion.

He makes a small gesture towards the display.

"Of course, Asahina-san surely knows which stories are nearly as well liked as stories of courage in battle?" he asked.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

snip

"Toolkit indeed," she says, appreciating the clever switch. "I might equally use more metaphors of wind and sea, being of a coastal house, but I see the direction you're sailing there."

She looks over the display of calligraphy, which does seem very simply and elegantly representative of the Lion. At his question, she shakes her head. "I admit, I don't. Storytelling is an art I've admired but not studied in any serious fashion. If I had to guess though?" She thinks for a moment. "The popularity of pillowbooks says that Benten's tales might have a large presence."

[Soshi Eiji]

snip

"Toolkit indeed," she says, appreciating the clever switch. "I might equally use more metaphors of wind and sea, being of a coastal house, but I see the direction you're sailing there."

She looks over the display of calligraphy, which does seem very simply and elegantly representative of the Lion. At his question, she shakes her head. "I admit, I don't. Storytelling is an art I've admired but not studied in any serious fashion. If I had to guess though?" She thinks for a moment. "The popularity of pillowbooks says that Benten's tales might have a large presence."

Eiji grinned at that.

"I thought you might say that, given your clan's devotion to Benten....which is why I had cleverness in mind. Heroes who succeed not through force of arms, but with quick thinking and wit." he admitted with raised eyebrows.

"Given Asahina-san's perceptive nature, I would think her standards for such would be high. I imagine her being frustrated by clever twists that anyone with common sense should have picked up on."

[Asahina Hoshiko]

snip

She shakes her head. "Their purpose is often not cleverness for the sake of a surprising new ending, but clever ways to deliver what is expected from wherever the tale begins." Nodding toward the spirited performance of the Ho-oh's tale as an example, she notes, "I will always know where this one is going, no matter how many quests the poor bird embarks upon. There are villages with versions that include a sidetrip that explains this or that sacred feature within their lands, but all wind back to the proper ending."

"So I don't find them frustrating there. And in pillowbooks? Well I didn't quite see how they were getting Kiku out of her trouble in the latest book of The Cartographer's Tales, but I don't think it would have been terrible if I had spotted it ahead of time."

"I imagine it's difficult for you to find much that's surprising in tales after learning so many?"

[Soshi Eiji]

snip

She shakes her head. "Their purpose is often not cleverness for the sake of a surprising new ending, but clever ways to deliver what is expected from wherever the tale begins." Nodding toward the spirited performance of the Ho-oh's tale as an example, she notes, "I will always know where this one is going, no matter how many quests the poor bird embarks upon. There are villages with versions that include a sidetrip that explains this or that sacred feature within their lands, but all wind back to the proper ending."

"So I don't find them frustrating there. And in pillowbooks? Well I didn't quite see how they were getting Kiku out of her trouble in the latest book of The Cartographer's Tales, but I don't think it would have been terrible if I had spotted it ahead of time."

"I imagine it's difficult for you to find much that's surprising in tales after learning so many?"

Eiji chuckled.

"I'm a storyteller, Asahina-san, not a library on legs. Whenever I go somewhere new, meet someone new there is a chance a new story may yet surprise me. True, there are many stories where it's easy to follow the formula and arrive at the twist well ahead of the characters, but not always." he said.

"In fact, two examples come to mind , both centered on magistrates. The first was a really good series. The thing that made this series stand out was that the murder's identity was known to the reader from the very first scene. The hero of these tales was this short, one-eyed Sparrow Emerald magistrate. An unfashionable frumpy litle man who was incredibly clever. The twist in the tales was not for the reader to figure out who the killer was, but to try and figure out how the magistrate would get the testimony he needed to solve the case. He had this very distinctive interrogation style where he'd ask a series of innocous sounding questions, and then make to leave, setting the suspect at ease before the magistrte would pause and want to ask just one more thing." he described.

"Now the second was a very bad story about a Yogo magistrate. Upon reading it, you may have gotten the very distinct impression that the author started writing while enjoy his second bottle of sake for the evening, and did not stop drinking until he stopped writing. The narrative order was a shambles, randomly the characters would just start playing kemari with no rhyme or reason or even mention of it. The characters were wholly unlikable with compoletely random motivations. The mother of the magistrate announces she is dying of a terrible disease....and there is no futher mention of her or the announcement. So I can certainly say that while I did not enjoy the story, I was certainly surprised with each new page."