Fujii Francoise ( 1962 –  )  The Garden of “My, DEER !?”

Fujii Francoise is a Japanese painter who has also entered into Shinto priesthood as well as being an accomplished performer of old Japanese court music. Given her unique background, she has been exploring her identity by creating art.

This time we will be taking a look at her ambitious work that draws from the various elements of her life and brings them together in the moss garden installation work, Garden of “Kimigayo”.

“Kimigayo” translates as “ My Dear“ and is the name of the poem that the Japanese National Anthem lyrics come from. This exhibition of Fujii Francoise is inspired by KIMIGAYO and represents it through a series of paintings of deer. 

“KIMIGAYO” is the title of Japanese National Anthem. Its lyrics are based on a very old poem composed more than 1000 years ago. It was a British military musician, who first proposed that Japan should create a national anthem and he composed the melody in 1870. Although the original melody was later changed by a German composer, Kimigayo has been sung as the national anthem ever since. 

The opening lyrics are well-known; My dear, I hope your life will last long for thousands of years.

However, it is the rest of the poem that Fujii Francoise has taken as inspiration for her garden installation. She describes the poem,

“Small pebbles gather in space and stick together to become a larger and larger rock. A new life is born. It continues until it becomes covered in moss.”

She sees this as depicting the birth of the earth. In her eyes KIMIGAYO captures this event in a short poem and is a song of praise to nature.

Fujii Francoise believes “Nothing is sure but change” and sees this impermanence lighting the way to eternity. New connections are made, things evolve and the cycle continues. This is a stark break with the custom of resisting change that was particularly strong during the feudal government of Japan but still persists to this day.

Japan`s indigenous religion, Shinto is animistic. Kami (sort of God in Japanese mythology) are believed to exist in all things. Fujii Francoise is a Shinto priest and she expresses this concept in her installation. 

In this work Kami from various parts of Japanese mythology are embodied as deer. 

Given this and the meaning of KImigayo as my dear, perhaps a fitting English title for Fujii Francoise installation would be the Garden of My Deer.

Our spiritual adventure is here.

Why not come and visit “the Eternal Garden” and experience the poetry of nature.