Niji no Izumi

We were en route to find an abandoned school in Nara when on a country road outside the tiny town of Haze, something by the side of road caught my eye and I immediately pulled over.

What looked like spires of coral were shooting up from within a walled compound. A lady was sitting comfortably out front at a table. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking at but I could make out a sign on the table reading entry: ¥‎500. I left Florian in the car to pour over his amazing haikyo maps and program in our next destination, paid the entry and was handed a leaflet with a smile and directed inside.

Niji no Izumi, or the Rainbow Fountain, is the life’s work of artist Kenji Azuma. From 1978 until his death in 2013, Azuma produced a huge volume of intricate ceramics and arranged them all in this palatial space. Some of the pieces tower over you, but all are hand made from interconnected smaller works. The level of detail on some is quite remarkable.

Running along one side is a wall full of designs from the public. You can pay to create your own piece on clay and have it fired in the kiln and incorporated into the wall. These designs ranged from prayers for fortune to well wishes to the dead to popular figures from anime and manga.

The entire space was very peaceful to wander through, surrounded by hills, forest and silence. No other visitors stopped while we were there, and just a few cars drove on by.

I put a roll of Portra through my old 500c/m (still my camera of choice when I want to just enjoy myself and a space) and reluctantly headed for the exit. I realised while chatting to the attendant on the way out that she was the late artist’s wife, and she maintains and adds to the project as requested by him in his will.

Sadly, the light was retreating and we had another location to find, so we had to press on, but I really wish I could have chatted to her more. I’d love to go back, and look more closely at all the beautiful details. I’m so glad we found it there, in the middle of nowhere.

It doesn’t show up easily when searching google maps, but fortunately Florian was able to find it again for me. You will definitely need a car to visit it, but it can be found here. If you’re in the area it’s without a doubt worth the pilgrimage, and I hope more people find their way there to appreciate something absolutely unique.