The Harvest Before the World Stood Still
Your support for the Bell Shakuhachi is what made this story possible. It allowed me to fund a pilgrimage to Japan this past winter to harvest my own Madaké bamboo. It was a whirlwind trip, a journey that unfolded over Christmas and my own birthday on New Year’s. I returned in mid-January 2020, and in hindsight, the timing was nothing short of miraculous. Little did I know, I had slipped through a closing door just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world. It would take over a year before the shipping channels cleared enough for my precious harvest to finally reach me.
The mountains demanded a heavy toll. I lost body weight I couldn’t spare, and there were moments of such profound exhaustion that I had to fight just to stay upright. But the experience was raw and unforgettable. I found myself scaling steep hills and navigating anti-erosion walls, my path crossing with venomous centipedes and a surprising confrontation with wild boars.
But for every moment of hardship, there was a greater reward. For every minor injury, there was the profound beauty of the bamboo groves and the deep satisfaction of harvesting perfect culms with my own hands. I left a part of myself in those groves, and I returned with beautiful bamboo and, just as importantly, new friends.
My focus was on the bamboo, not the lens, so the few photos I managed were captured in hurried moments on my phone. They are small glimpses into an incredible adventure. Enjoy, J
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