Great Wall - or the longest tourist site

[Remembering the Great Wall - or the longest turist site in the world ...]. June2007.

Hiroshima, with korean eyes

[remembeing: Hiroshima, with korean eyes.] (Translation into english maybe some day)

[recordant: Hiroshima, amb ulls coreans.]

Molt més al sud de la capital nipona, Hiroshima té el seu nom lligat al terror de la bomba atòmica llançada sobre la ciutat, com Nagasaki. Milers de visitants – un bon grapat de coreans, també - s’hi apropen a diari, encuriosits per veure com s’ha transformat després de la matança de fa uns quants decennis. Enmig d’una ciutat qualsevol, anònima, ressorgida insípidament de les cendres, produeix un petit nus a l’estómac veure l’únic edifici que va restar dempeus (i que s’ha mantingut com a recordatori, declarat Patrimoni Mundial de la Humanitat per la UNESCO) a tocar d’un grup de soldats americans, amb els emblemes de les seves unitats militars a la motxilla, pegats de la Coca-Cola i altres elements de la cultura americana. El Japó, com Corea del Sud, està ple de bases americanes farcides de soldats i armament, conseqüències presents de guerres passades, on els antics enemics passaren a ser estrets col·laboradors.
Als monuments per al record, dos avis miren en silenci la flama de l’esperança, potser supervivents del terror. Al museu pròxim, milers de dades, recreacions, maquetes i demés elements museístics per fer entendre la magnitud de l’increïble realitzat per l’ésser humà a visitants vinguts d’arreu del món.
Els plafons plens de dades informen de l’arribada d’immigrants coreans al Japó a partir del mil vuit-cents setanta, incrementant-se a partir del mil nou-cents deu amb l’annexió per la força de la península a l’imperi japonès. Es tractava d’empresaris en busca d’oportunitats, grangers, pescadors, pels quals Hiroshima era un dels destins, ja que representava la tercera posició en nombre d’immigrants coreans en el total de les quaranta-set prefectures. La situació d’aquests es veié afectada per la ‘Llei de Mobilització Nacional’ de l’abril del 1938, que provocà que la totalitat de la mà d’obra es veiés forçada per ordre governamental, a partir del juliol del 1939, a treballar per la indústria militar, que era especialment important a Hiroshima. Inclosos els coreans i les altres minories nacionals, en règims humiliants quasi d’esclavitud. El sis d’agost del 1945, l’explosió de la bomba atòmica afectà a més de tres-cents cinquanta mil civils i personal militar, incloent-hi desenes de milers de coreans forçats a treballar i les seves famílies, així com estudiants d’altres països i soldats americans retinguts com a presoners de guerra. Actualment, i des de fa pocs anys, un nou monument s’ha instal·lat com a recordatori de les víctimes coreanes silenciades durant anys: un tambor de percussió de grans dimensions acompanyat d’un sentit text explicatiu.

Nara, Japan

[Remembering Nara, Japan, 2007]




[Japenglish: 'no, smoking']

Haensa (II) - Tripitaka

The Tripitaka repository is a complex of four buildings: the Hall of Sudara, the Hall of Dhama Jewell, the House of Dong-sa-gan and the House of Seo-sa-gan. It was constructed in 1398 specially to hold a complete copy of the Tripitaka Koreana, the collected writings of Mahayana Buddhism, making Haeinsa one of the most important Buddhist Korean temples. Carved in the 13th century, the Tripitaka consists of 52,382,960 characters carved on 81,258 double-sided woodblocks in 6,802 volumes. Each block measures 70 centimeters wide and 24 centimeters long, weighing about 3,2 kilograms. It was commissioned by the government-in-exile on Ganghwa island, who undertook the carving in the midst of war with the Mongols as an act of faith intended to arouse the intervention of Buddha to Korea's cause.


The House of Tripitaka Koreana was constructed specially to keep this valuable pieces of wood. The low-decorated complex consists of four buildings of different sizes and the total number of pillars is 108, which is the Buddhist symbol of human agonies, showing us the essence of it’s religious use. Although the structure of the buildings seems simple and plain, the simplicity is calculated to preservation and to use technology harmonizing with nature perfectly. The fixed bar-windows and their distribution was studied: sizes of upper and lower windows are different, to make air circulate from bottom to upper inside the building, keeping air dry. The ground floor was digged and filled with soil mixed with charcoal, salt, clay, sand and plaster powder; then, when it rains, the ground absorbs moisture, while when it dries, moisture in the ground id emitted into air.


Although many critical moments happened since the construction of Janggyeong-gak – major fires, Japanese invasions in different periods, Korean Civil War -, it has been preserved with it’s inner treasure for more than seven hundred years.

Haiensa (I)

[Finals de novembre del 2006, Temple de Haiensa, al sud de la peninsula]

Haeinsa Temple is situated in the Gayasan National Park, in the west of Daegu city at the edge of Gyeongsang province. It holds a long history, has major relevance as one of the most important Buddhist temples of Korea and keeps many treasures, specially the Tripitaka Koreana Wood Blocks – Cultural Heritage of the world by the Unesco.
Haeinsa Temple represents the Dhama – the teachings of Buddha; its name was taken from a phrase in the Avatamsaka sutra (Flower Garland), which compares the wisdom of Buddha to a calm see. Haein means ‘reflection on a smooth sea’.

The temple was founded in 802 upon the return of monks Suneung and Ijeong from China, under the ruling of King Aejang during the Silla Period. In 903 was the first major renovation, while the famous monk Hirang was the chief of the temple. The Tripitaka Koreana was transferred from Gwanghwa to it in 1398, giving its aspect as Dhama. The second major renovation was carried out in 1488 by the senior monk Hakjo – when the Tripitaka repository was built. During 1817, a great fire caused a lot of damage; the reconstruction brought the completition of the main buildings that give its actual ambience and scale in 1818 during the late Joseon (Chosôn) dynasty. In many periods of history, auxiliary temples and Buddist monuments have been constructed around the Temple, harmonizing with nature and enhancing the Buddhist complex.

Haeinsa is the typical mountain monastery, with platforms in different heights, axes of the ground, halls and houses arranged according to Buddhist symbols, giving panoramic views showing symbolic processes of enlightenment, according to religious traditions.

Nikko, temples i vegetació

[Recordant] Nikko, poblet a un parell d’hores en tren al nord de Tokyo, temples i vegetació, patrimoni mundial.