Calligraphy by Kitamura Bakotsu

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:::: Life :::: Environment

Mount Tsukuba (Tsukuba-san) is an 877 m mountain located in Ibaragi prefecture around 200 km away in the north of the metropolis of Toyko, Japan. Next to Mount Fuji, it is one of the most famous mountains in Japan, and is particularly well-known for its toad-shaped Shinto shrine. Many people climb the mountain every year to enjoy the panoramic view of the Kanto plain that can be enjoyed from the summit.

Since most mountains in Japan are volcanic, many people assume that Mount Tsukuba is a volcano. However, the mountain is composed of non-volcanic rocks such as granite and gabbro.

Kitamura Bakotsu lives at the foot of Mount Tsukuba.The solitude amongst bamboo forsts, rice paddies and farm land gives him the resources he needs for his creations. Since 1998, he lives in this place in the end of a narrow street about 30 minutes by car away from the next larger place called Shimodate-shi. Since he does not own a car, Bakotsu relies on his friends or a mail service to bring him regularly food and other necessities for daily life.

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:::: Newspaper article on Kitamura Bakotsu (Japanese/ click to see full size 450 kB)