The charm of cherry blossoms and Mount Fujiyama

Geisha girls, Mount Fujiyama, cherry blossoms, gardens of stones, rounded bushes and rocks and ancient temples these make up the beauty of Japan and its manifold aspects. Manzurul Huq, who has spent two decades living and discovering Japan, and has a daughter by his Japanese wife, has had every opportunity to know and photograph the historic places of Japan. The camera becomes the third eye, as the famous Bangladeshi photographer Anwar Hossain, puts it, he “sings the ballad of the samurai land”, in the exhibition titled “Eternal Japan” at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts.  
Huq was there in Japan during the tsunami and earthquake and saw the ruination of 2010. He has done his Masters in Oriental Studies in the University of London. He had served as the president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan and is a part of all the activities of the club.

The beauty of the land is not just how nature has created it but how the Japanese men have put in their effort and imagination to preserve and develop it. The islands are sharp contrast to the deserts. Against the blue waters are the mountains, where nations have attempted to conquer after Hillary and Tensing.
Japan has endeavoured to showcase its old archery as a rich cultural heritage. In Kyoto, 2004, as special day marked the thousand anniversary of the “The Tale of Genji”, the first piece of fiction writing in the world. Photos of Samurai are seen with ordinary people -- the warrior in full battle gear, with helmet, leggings and swords. The archery of the girls on horseback, wearing white and red with white helmets is picturesque, with the swarm of audience. The castle gates have the warlord standing in front. Even the kimono, worn with its ten layers, is a fabulous display of the layers of multi-coloured cloth and sash. It is there to enhance the limbs of the wearer. Even the geisha girls with their powdered faces and mandolins are wonderful to behold. As for summer festivals, as summer is for a short time in Japan, this is the time people take out time to socialise, with food, fans, wreathes, dancing in traditional costumes to recall the forgotten days.

The shrines and temples are not so much the places of meditation and worship but a display of culture -- with wreathe on the head and flowing garbs in red and white. At one time people went there for blessings for health and good harvest. The orange-coloured gates and bright orange buildings are surely charming. The shingles on the roof make them more attractive, as they go with the tiled grounds and the jade shrubbery. The stone garden of Rewanji temple, with its seventeen stones, has its own mystic rhythm of greens and grays.
The photographer has not left out the importance of the stage performances, with the masks and multi-coloured clothes that blend with the joie de vivre of the performers. Theatre performance has its own long history in the land of the rising sun. Huq has taken a group of smiling children, who have enormous satisfaction in presenting a fairy tale with success. In the Niigate prefecture in winter, the stage too has its share of snow.

As the place is not far from the arctic zone, the place in this season is as pretty as any part of Europe or the US. The barren white land has resulted in pristine white pictures – here even the lake is frozen. Mt. Fuji, another symbol of the mountainous country, is snow-capped and has a long history of climbers -- even from Bangladesh. At times, even on not so foggy days, Mt Fuji is not seen by the clear eye.
Having relished the images of kimonos and cherry blossoms, one would certainly think of saving for a trip to Japan for their next visit abroad. The warmth and courtesy of the people there is overwhelming.
The exhibition, which began on December 21, ends on December 25.