Suikinkutsu
A suikinkutsu (水琴窟, lit. 'water koto cavern') is a type of Japanese garden ornament and music device. It consists of an upside down buried pot with a hole at the top. Water drips through the hole at the top onto a small pool of water inside of the pot, creating a pleasant splashing sound that rings inside of the pot similar to a bell or Japanese zither. It is usually built next to a traditional Japanese stone basin called chōzubachi, part of a tsukubai for washing hands before the Japanese tea ceremony.
Traditional construction
Constructing a suikinkutsu is more difficult than it looks, because all components have to be finely tuned with each other to ensure a good
The suikinkutsu usually rests on a bed of gravel underground. The base underneath the jar is sometimes mortared to keep the water in, and sometimes consists only of soil as for example clay. The drainage pipe makes sure that the water level in the suikinkutsu does not rise too high. Sometimes ceramic tiles are also used on the sides of the jar. Fist size stones are on top of the suikinkutsu to cover the jar completely. Traditionally suikinkutsu are always found near a hand wash basin chōzubachi used for the Japanese tea ceremony, and the suikinkutsu is buried between the basin and the stepping stone next to the basin. The designs and materials used for a suikinkutsu also vary widely, often depending on the local region.
Usually, only a single jar is buried underneath a chōzubachi Japanese stone basin. However, in some rare cases there may also be two suikinkutsu adjacent to each other in front of the same chōzubachi. Such a double installation can be found for example in front of the Iwasaki Castle,
Modern variations
There are a number of modern variations form the traditional suikinkutsu. the list below shows some of the possibilities for modern suikinkutsu.
- Modern suikinkutsu are not always located next to a chōzubachi as traditionally required.
- Suikinkutsu can also be built with a continuous stream of water for a continuous suitekion sound instead of the ryūsuion and suitekion alteration (see below).
- Metal suikinkutsu are also available nowadays.
- Some above ground devices similar to a suikinkutsu have also been installed, for example as part of sculptures.[1]
- Suikinkutsu are also installed indoors
- Commercial venues (restaurants, shops, and also offices) may have the sound of the indoor or outdoor suikinkutsu amplified electronically and played through speakers.
- An additional pipe may also be installed to convey the sound from the cavity in the suikinkutsu to another location, e.g. indoors.[2]
History
Historically, suikinkutsu were known as tōsuimon (洞水門, literally "water gate"), but they were rarely used in Japanese gardens. It is believed that initially a vessel was buried upside down next to the washing basin in Japanese gardens to act as a drainage system. This sometimes produced pleasant sounds, and gardeners subsequently sought to improve the sound quality of the device. Their rise in popularity and the name suikinkutsu originated from the middle of the
At the beginning of the 20th century, i.e. the early
Acoustics
The sound of a suikinkutsu has its own name in Japanese, called suikin'on. The sounds can furthermore be divided in two sub groups, ryūsuion and suitekion. The ryūsuion is the sound of the first few water drops at the beginning of washing hands. The suitekion describes both the sound of a lot of water falling at the same time during washing hands and the slower drops at the end of the washing.
A superior suikinkutsu has water drops originating from different spots on the surface of the jar. Unglazed jars hold moisture better, and therefore have drops originate from more spots on the surface. The impact of the water on the surface creates a sound, that is amplified by the design of the jar. Some suikinkutsu do provide a bamboo tube nearby, which can amplify the sounds if one end is put on the ground near the top of the suikinkutsu and the other end is placed on the ear.
It is said that every suikinkutsu sounds different.
Philosophy
An important part of the idea behind the suikinkutsu is that the device is hidden from view. Instead, the visitor washes his/her hands, and suddenly hears the pleasant sounds coming from underground. The act of washing the hands can also be considered as playing the suikinkutsu, and the sounds emerge shortly after the washing. This clear sound of water drops is considered relaxing and soothing, and also described as beautiful and peaceful.
See also
References
- ^ Suikinkutsu "Water Chimes" Archived July 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Finer, Jem (22 September 2006). "Jem Finer on his new composition". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2021.