I have been to Kirigamine Kogen (plateau) often ever since I was a small child, and, as the name of the plateau implies, dense fog often settles there. When I am surrounded by fog, I get the illusion of fog spreading everywhere, devoid of boundaries.
People used to worship Kirigamine, and Shinto services are still held at the remains of a shrine in a grass field there. This ritual could be traced back to the Samurai, who held hunting ceremonies there 800 years ago. In the grass fields, people have also begun abandoning their residences one by one when they are no longer any use to them. Theses deserted buildings will look like ruins in the future and, from their remains, future generations will learn how we lived.
Fog is ephemeral ― it appears and disappears. It may look like it covers everything, but it will eventually vanish. Our activities might be considered in the same way. Ancient remains and modern architecture on the plateau exist only briefly. We can see Kirigamine presently as something similar to fog, can’t we?
Time has no bearing on how long Kirigamine has been or will exist, just as fog has no beginning or end.
I continue on my path, tracing fog wherever it appears or disappears.
霧のあと
幼少の頃から足繁く通った霧ヶ峰は、名前の由来通り、しばしば濃い霧に包まれる。霧に覆われると境目が消え、どこまでも先に続いているような錯覚を覚えた。かつての霧ヶ峰では山岳信仰が盛んだったという。草原に残る社跡で行われる神事は、800年前に武士たちが行っていた狩猟祭の名残でもある。一方で草原には本来の役目を終えた建築群が、ひとつ、ふたつと増えている。放置された無人の建造物は現代の活動を後世に伝える新たな遺跡のようにも思えた。
霧は一瞬の出来事だ。出ては消えて、すべてを覆うようにみえてもどこかへ消える。人の活動も同じだろうか。古の史跡も現代の建物跡も山の表面に作られた一過性の存在に過ぎない。現代の霧ヶ峰自体が、霧のような一瞬の存在とは考えられないだろうか。山の長い時間軸のなかで、霧の先には、はじまりはなく、終わりもない。あとに残る、あるいは埋れていく霧のあとを探して、私は道を辿っている。
Trace of Fog
I have been to Kirigamine Kogen (plateau) often ever since I was a small child, and, as the name of the plateau implies, dense fog often settles there. When I am surrounded by fog, I get the illusion of fog spreading everywhere, devoid of boundaries.
People used to worship Kirigamine, and Shinto services are still held at the remains of a shrine in a grass field there. This ritual could be traced back to the Samurai, who held hunting ceremonies there 800 years ago. In the grass fields, people have also begun abandoning their residences one by one when they are no longer any use to them. Theses deserted buildings will look like ruins in the future and, from their remains, future generations will learn how we lived.
Fog is ephemeral ― it appears and disappears. It may look like it covers everything, but it will eventually vanish. Our activities might be considered in the same way. Ancient remains and modern architecture on the plateau exist only briefly. We can see Kirigamine presently as something similar to fog, can’t we?
Time has no bearing on how long Kirigamine has been or will exist, just as fog has no beginning or end.
I continue on my path, tracing fog wherever it appears or disappears.