NO2/King

●Kojun: A History

1993: Professor Sumio Goto, of the Japan Fine Arts Institute, bestows Kojun with the "Jun" title. In Japan, this title carries a great deal of prestige and is a sign of artistic accomplishment. The "Ko" Kanji character in Kojun signifies light - light that glitters, light that is honorable. The "Jun" Kanji character signifies purity, or the absence of impurities. In Japan, Kanji name characters are very important - they can be representative. "I am often mistaken for a man." This is because Kojun represents a man's name.

●I like antiques.

I may have received inspiration for my work from my private collection. It is a process that requires no thought.

▲”Large plate of Kutani-Ware (38cm)”

▲”Ukiyoe (Toyokuni Style)”
Traditional Japanese painting.

▲”The Kwannon of Satsuma-Ware”
I found it in a flea market in New York last year.

▲”Bodhisattva of Myanmar (gold lacquer)”

▲”China, wood carving Gautama Buddha Buddhist triads”

▲”Sri Lanka, traditional woodcarving, Hindu-God Ganesa”

●I found these flames very interesting so I decided to use them for some of my paintings.

I think that a work is completed only after framing it. Therefore, when choosing a frame, I put in a lot of thought into the process.

●My trip diary/Thailand

I arrived in Phitsanulok, which is 1 hour by plane from Bangkok. This town was, for a short time, the temporary capital of the Khmer Empire. I was always fond of Phra Buddha Chinnarat; it became the focus of my trip. Phra Buddha Chinnarat is housed inside Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat. It is a very beautiful Buddhist image and was the biggest temple in Northern Thailand. Believers gathered from all over the country. I was finally able to see Phra Buddha Chinnarat. I felt very happy. It was well worth the wait.
I was also able to see the huge Nirvana Buddha and the Buddha's foot inside Wat Po in Bangkok. Astrology is popular in Thailand. A famous English speaking Thai astrologer divined my future. The Emerald Buddha is inside the Grand Palace. Worshipers enter Wat Po in order to read the sutras. When I heard the sutras being read sung, it reminded me of Japanese sutras. I felt wonderful.
The ruins of Ayutthaya are located in about 75km from Bangkok. King U-Thong started the dynasty here in 1351. His dynasty has lasted over 400 years. Nagamasa Yamada is remembered here in Ayutthaya.
Many wonderful ruins touch visitors' hearts. I am going to communicate the deep impression I obtained on this trip in an exhibition in the Ginza Renga Art Gallery in Tokyo to be held in November 2002. My next trip will be to Nepal and Tibet in Jun.

▲Ayutthaya ruins 1

▲Ayutthaya ruins 2

▲Grand Palace

▲This is a God which appears in the Indian myth “Ramayana”. It is a half man-half bird statue.

▲WAT PO

●My trip diary/Tibet

I chose to fly from Katmandu to Tibet on this trip. I enjoyed looking out on the Himalayas from the airplane. The peak of Mt. Everest was shining beautifully, white and divine.
When we landed in Lhasa, Tibet, I was wrapped in a feeling of relief of having arrived at last. Unfortunately, I was affected by altitude sickness shortly after I arrived. It continued until I left Lhasa to go back to Japan. I suffered from headaches, nausea, stomachaches, nosebleeds, etc. Altitude sickness occurs between 4,000-5,000m where oxygen is thin. There is not enough oxygen for the body. I long dreamed of visiting Tibet. I wanted to see as many Buddhist images as possible, but in the process, wore myself out.
Drepung temple is located about 7,456 miles northwest of Lhasa. Drepung temple is the Gelug group's abbey which was founded in 1416. Here, no less than 10,000 priests worshiped in the Golden Age. I looked at the inside of the temple and was awed by the colors. The colors are blended harmoniously. It was a whirlpool of color that overflows the mural paintings, Buddhist images, such as inside Sera, Jokhang, and Dolma Rakan temples. I was in this whirlpool of color, which brought out very nostalgic thoughts and some feelings like being in the spiritual birthplace of me.
In Tibetan, Yamdoc Lake means, "turquoise lake near a plateau pasture." The deepest part is 60m and melted snow, which flows in from surrounding mountains, serves as its source. The lake is very holy. Yaks are raised nearby and I met a nomad's parent and child.
I went to Potala Palace, which is the symbol of Lhasa. Potala Palace, which was the Dalai Lama's Royal Palace, is 115m tall, 360m wide, and covers 41km2. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. It is said that the name of Potala was Sanskrit, and is the name of the mountain where the Goddess of Mercy lives. The inside is intricately complex, like a labyrinth. While it was a dwelling, it was also a political meeting place. It was the center of religion and culture for 300 years, until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India in March 1959.