January 2008

Happy New Year!

As people get together to enjoy a warm Christmas family time in the Czech Republic, for the Japanese the biggest celebration comes with the New Year as it is the quietest and divinest time of the year.

In Japan, in the murmuring silence of the New Year’s night, the air rings with the holy sound of temple bells as they are struck exactly 108 times. It is believed that every person has 108 egos. The idea of so many egos illustrates the changes through which we go in our everyday life as we age. The number itself is a result of the following calculation: the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch plus intention are multiplied by our essential emotions: suffering, joy, neither suffering nor joy, love, hate, and neither of the last two. Finally, we get the number 108 by multiplying this by the three basic space and time relations: past, present, and future.

Each ring of the temple bell removes one of the 108 egos from our bodies, purifying us for the year ahead. Thus, the ceremony reminds us of the importance of trying to improve on ourselves. It leads us to neglect all the irresponsible and damaging impulses which we all have inside us. The bell invites us to embrace the transformation into responsibility and wisdom, which we hope to gain through the experience of life.

Perhaps, in this quiet mood, the holy places in Japan indeed retain some deep connections beyond the world. A feeling of something magical surrounds our imagination. In Japan, the entire culture is firmly rooted in this sense of a fragile but essential relationship and balance of life, holiness, and the nature. Even the understanding of space, including architecture and interior, relates strongly to this world of gods and nature in Japan. Hence we create a lifestyle where you can ‘breathe’ in the space, keeping it plain and simple with rooms free of the scurry of the world.

To stimulate the mind, senses and passionate emotions, I hope that ESTATE will give you a hint to start the New Year 2008 right.

I wish you well and have a wonderful year.