About the name ‘Kangetsu’

The word ‘kangetsu’ describes the scene of the moon on a cold winter night. In Japan, the moon seen during the cold season is considered to have a special beauty. The moon shining quietly in the clear winter air evokes feelings of calmness, tranquillity and some mysterious atmosphere. The name also has poetic connotations and is an expression of the beauty of the seasons and nature for the Japanese. The beauty of the moon, dignified in its coldness and tranquillity, is a scene that calms the hearts of those who see it and allows them to feel the power of nature and the changing of the seasons.

This name was chosen as an appropriate symbol for the traditional cultural experience we offer at Ninenzaka in Kyoto.

The name ‘Kangetsu’ is also a reference to my great-grandfather, Awashima Kangetsu. He was an artist and painter active in the Meiji period and collected many works of art with a deep respect for the beauty and traditional culture of the Edo period. Although much of his collection was lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake, his achievements and spirit still live on in Japanese culture. In our classrooms, we place great importance on passing on the beauty of Japanese culture that my great-grandfather loved to the present day. Under the name ‘Kangetsu’, we offer our visitors a quiet and deep experience of Japanese culture, a moment of immersion in the depths of technique and beauty, and a taste of the Japanese way of life.

Awashima Kangetsu

Awashima Kangetsu was born on 23 October 1859 in Nihonbashi Bakurocho, Tokyo, He died on 23 February 1926 and was a Japanese literary scholar, haiku poet and painter, as well as a novelist and essayist. His real name was Hōjūrō, and his aliases also include Aikakuken and Bon'un-an. Influenced by Fukuzawa Yukichi when he was young, he yearned for Western culture and aspired to become a naturalised American citizen, but from around 1881 or 1882 he was awakened to Edo culture and became particularly devoted to the works of Ihara Saikaku. This contributed to the revival of Genroku literature in the Meiji era, particularly the Saikaku style, and had a major impact on the literary world. Later, he was exposed to a wide range of ideas, including Zen, archaeology, Christianity, evolution and socialism, and in his later years he became passionate about collecting toys. His major works include Hyakubibi Bun (One Hundred Beautiful Writings), Bongun'an Miscellaneous Stories and the novels Hyakibijin (One Hundred Beauties) and Baka Monogatari (Tales of Baka), and posthumously published collections of haiku, such as Kangetsu Kushu (Collection of Kangetsu's Poetry) and Kangetsu Zetsugen Renku (Collection of Kangetsu's Posthumous Poems). Kangetsu also devoted himself to haiku, and his haiku collection includes works such as ‘Ujibashi ya senbukiji no vernal wind’. His activities were instrumental in the study and introduction of Edo literature and had an important influence on the literary circles of the Meiji period.