Stone Collecting with a Fellow Stone Enthusiast at the Sea in Mie, Monochrome Stones | Memories No. 126-1 |
April 8, 2023.
I’m at Nagoya Station today, waiting for someone.
It’s not TADA from Fukui. It’s not CharizmANDO. It’s not 384 or Thoroughbred K. It’s definitely not the stone villain Matthew.
I’m waiting for “Ishi Sukida,” someone I’ve recognized through SNS, and with whom I’ve frequently exchanged DMs. I’ve taken the liberty of calling him a member of the early stone enthusiast community on social media.
I’ve exchanged information with various stone enthusiasts so far, but this is the first time I’ll actually meet someone and go stone picking together. Am I going to be okay? I hope there won’t be any conflicts over stones.
Thinking back, all my previous stone companions were people I had introduced to the world of stones. They were naturally led to participate in stone picking, opening their hearts to the world of stones.
It seems that Ishi Sukida has been reading my stone diary since its early days, and his immense love for stones has taken him all over Japan, hunting for stones. He has discovered many stone spots I didn’t even know about and has collected a variety of fascinating stones.
The stones Ishi Sukida chooses are all rich in character and have a refined charm. In contrast, my stones tend to be more straightforwardly beautiful, sometimes even flashy. His selections feel a bit more niche, quietly exhibiting a strong sense of rustic charm. Within them, there’s an air of mystery and cuteness.
Compared to the other stone companions, Stone Lover’s preferences are the closest to those of Thoroughbred K. As I’ve mentioned before, K’s parents are art teachers (though I might be mistaken), and his grandfather was a traveler (again, I might be wrong). He has inherited a keen sense of aesthetics from his family’s DNA. As evidence, he once picked up a very intriguing stone during a stone picking trip in Aomori.
Stone Lover shares some similarities with K, but true to his nature as a stone enthusiast, the stones he collects radiate an even more mysterious worldview. They also give off a slightly softer impression compared to the rugged and cool stones of Thoroughbred K.
I was rambling on about confusing things without making any progress, so I decided to leave Nagoya. However, I was so anxious about meeting someone for the first time for stone picking that I arrived at the station too early.
Ishi Sukida usually goes on stone-picking trips by car, and he kindly offered to take me to the beach in Mie, our destination for today. I’m grateful for that. But at the same time, I’m a bit anxious. What if it gets awkward in the car on the way from Nagoya Station to the Mie coast when we meet for the first time? I couldn’t help but think how brave Ishi Sukida was to take a mysterious stone person like me along on the trip.
I arrived too early and was so anxious that I lost my mind. For some reason, I ended up grabbing a quick breakfast at McDonald’s just in time before heading to the meeting place. It was still dark outside due to the early morning hour. As I looked around, I spotted someone standing there, dressed as I had been informed via DM. Is that them? I couldn’t tell at all. Gathering my courage, I approached and asked.
Ishi no Hito: “Are you Ishi Sukida?”
Ishi Sukida: “Yes, and you must be Ishi no Hito.”
Thank goodness…
Still, what is this “Stone Person” and “Stone Lover” situation? Two suspicious people calling each other “Stone” at Nagoya Station early in the morning. It’s like a meeting of a new stone-worshipping cult’s local branch, revering the Stone God. We’d better get in the car and head to Mie before the police take notice!
I got into the car.
Bang bang.
Vroom vroom vroom.
…
Stone Lover: “So, this is what you’re like, Stone Person.”
Stone Person: “You’re pretty much what I imagined, or something like that.”
What kind of feeling is that? Right. Stone Lover often shares their daily life on X, so I can somewhat sense their vibe, but I have no exposure at all. I only publish photos and writings about stones and the sea.
It seems that Stone Lover’s stone journeys involve multiple nights of traveling by car to various stone spots. I’ve taken many trips with TADA for stones, but from what I’ve heard, this is the first time I’ve met someone who dedicates everything to a journey for stones, with such a stoic focus on seeking them out. Amazing. Too amazing. Am I even worthy of calling myself a Stone Person?
They pick up stones until they are exhausted, falling asleep while thinking about the next stone beach, and then they do it all over again. They are strong both physically and mentally, pouring all of that into their passion for stones. Today’s stone picking seems like it’s going to be intense…
I was worried that the atmosphere in the car might become awkward, or that we wouldn’t have enough to talk about for such a long time, but those concerns turned out to be completely unnecessary. The conversation about stones was non-stop. We talked about the stones themselves, life as stone enthusiasts, and our feelings toward stones, along with the philosophy surrounding them (if you could even call it that).
The conversation flowed so fast that I couldn’t remember everything, and if I tried to write it all down, we’d never reach Mie! Before I knew it, we arrived in Mie in no time.
“We’re almost at the stone beach!”
Sure.
Stone picking trip｜Mie prefecture coast
Bang bang.
We have arrived. The beach in Mie is very nice today.
I once visited this beach with my elementary school classmate, Stone Evil Matthew. He kept picking up stones only to throw them again, and after that, he continued to disrespect the stones, which is why he is referred to as Stone Evil.
When it comes to the coast of Mie Prefecture, the northern part isn’t that beautiful, but as you head south, stunning beaches unfold. The sea around here is truly lovely.
I wonder how my stone collecting will change with my companion transitioning from Stone Evil to a Stone Lover.
Countless gray stones are scattered everywhere. In contrast to the colorful beaches of Fukui and Aomori, this coastline is monochrome, with stones in shades of white, gray, and black.
Normally, I would refer to it as a parking lot, but the stones here have a unique quality.
First of all, the quality of the stones is excellent. They are very hard, smooth, and truly embody the essence of stones.
And upon closer inspection, there are diverse patterns, making it quite enjoyable even in monochrome. Unfortunately, this is not conveyed at all through the photo.
Since the waves are quite strong, I don’t often pick up stones right at the water’s edge.
zazazan, zan.
zazazazazazan.
Some of the stones have a beige hue, giving off a calm and stylish impression, which might be great for picking up elegant stones. However, since they’re not strikingly beautiful or flashy, beginners might find them a bit lacking. I can understand why Matthew might have thrown them away.
There are no agates or colorful stones. There aren’t many stones that can be imagined to resemble shapes either.
It’s difficult to find a stone I like among the countless ordinary pebbles. I’m starting to feel like I’m getting caught up in this kind of pointless pondering again. I wonder what Stone Lover-san thinks about this.
Focus. The breath of the stone.
Immersion.
I am focused 100% on the stones. I am at best at 50%.
I realized something: Ishikizuki-san tends to crouch down while searching for stones, whereas I walk around. It feels a bit haphazard. My approach is driven by a somewhat selfish desire to find good stones quickly.
Ishikizuki-san likely also wants to find as many good stones as possible, but it seems they’ve honed a more meticulous method over time. This probably takes longer. While TADA and I can only manage about an hour, Ishikizuki-san could probably keep searching for stones for three hours straight, if not longer—perhaps even infinitely, pushing their limits. I hope they don’t overexert themselves!
While Thoroughbred K can’t pick up stones for that long, he has the same level of concentration. Because he spends so much focused time on stone picking, he develops his eye for stones at a much faster rate than I do.
I’m starting to lose track of what I’m thinking again, and it feels like I can almost hear a voice asking me to just pick up stones and explain them without any unnecessary thoughts, even though there’s no such voice. However, I can’t help but be curious about what Stone Lover is doing.
Stone Lover continues to pick up stones quietly. It’s time for a lunch break now, so let’s line up the stones we’ve collected so far.
Stones picked up from the sea｜Mie prefecture coast
My twelve stones lined up. So, does this mean these are my top twelve? I have no memory of that, and I don’t feel that way now. However, perhaps the interesting patterns of the stones I mentioned earlier are somewhat conveyed. Polka dots, larger speckles, gradients, and stripes. They exhibit diverse expressions and are intriguing.
他の石も含めて並べた。いいじゃないか。石の成り立ちはそれほど違わないものも多いはずだが、なぜこんなにも模様が違うのだろうか。不思議だ。
石は見た目が全然違うものでも同じ質のものだったり、見た目はほぼ同じでも実は質が違ったりする。素人目にはわからない。
そのあたりの修行はしないのかと問われると何度も言っているとおり全くその気はない。ないが気になりはする。どないやねん。
I’ve lined up the other stones as well. Not bad, right? Many stones have similar formations, yet why do they have such different patterns? It’s a mystery.
Even stones that look completely different can be of the same quality, while stones that appear nearly identical may actually differ in quality. To an amateur eye, it’s impossible to tell.
When asked if I plan to study that aspect, I’ve said many times that I have no intention of doing so. However, I can’t help but be curious about it. What’s going on with that?
I’ve simply arranged the top picks nicely. Looks good.
Just neatly arranged the second string. The second string is saying goodbye.
I wonder what kind of stones Ishizukida picked up. I can hear some humming, like “Hmm, hmm.”
There are so many stones. I regret taking the photo from a distance, but within this collection, there are many stones with incredible patterns.
Hmm… Hmm…
“Is everything alright, Stone Lover?”
“I struggle to narrow it down like you, Stone Person. I end up wanting this one and that one…”
I see.
Actually, I thought I was also someone who couldn’t narrow it down. For instance, when I searched for stones at the same beach as TADA, he typically collects only about 1/5 of the stones I do. He only puts two or three stones in his bag.
Of course, his mindset is influenced by the thought that he can always pick up more in Fukui later, but still, TADA’s collection is surprisingly small. I think it was similar when we picked stones in Niigata and Shizuoka as well.
“Stone Lover, shall we try to narrow it down?”
To be honest, it’s up to him since I’m not the one taking them home, but I was curious about how he would go about selecting them. (Don’t experiment too much!)
Bam.
I’m not quite sure what this is. This is probably the selected stones. I feel like there were more, but maybe they will be gathered later.
I’ve noticed something else here. Stone Lover genuinely enjoys picking up stones that have no patterns at all…!
I hardly ever have that feeling. While I might find a plain stone or two as an accent among the many patterned stones I search for, I tend to only pick them up if they have a distinct color, a beautiful surface, or are perfectly spherical, triangular, or square.
Just plain stones. Stones that are typical of what you’d call “rocks.” Stone Lover takes delight in those.
This reminds me of Professor Kazuo Watanabe, who said that all stones are beautiful.
Stone Saint…! (Someone who has mastered and enlightened themselves in the ways of stones. I’m starting to feel embarrassed explaining this.)
It flashed through my mind. Stone Lover is incredibly close to being a Stone Saint…
Ah, I knew it. Enlightened TADA, Thoroughbred K, and Natural 384. I felt a sense of crisis and urgency as they effortlessly surpassed the heights I aspire to in my stone journey, and here was Stone Lover, who is not only exceptional at stone picking but also does so at an extraordinary rate. He probably goes stone picking several times more often than I do.
The very person I should be most conscious of in the world of stone picking is right here, arranging stones…
All my previous stone picking battles have been at the district qualifying level.
What’s unfolding here is a battle for the national championship to decide the best in Japan.
The battle of stones is suddenly on.
I believe these are the stones that Stone Lover has said goodbye to.
As for the remaining stones from the Japan representative…!
Even though they were supposed to be chosen, it seems hardly any have been reduced…!
Why is that…?
And thus, the battle of stone picking continues…!
“Stone Lover, let’s take a lunch break for now.”
“…Yes, indeed.”
→Various stones I have picked up so far
→ Read from the first stone diary
You can choose a stone diary from / at the bottom of the menu on the right side of this site.
→ The Beginning of the Journey
→ Aomori Edition
→ Beyond Aomori
Land of the Lustrous was too good.
→A photographic work by ISHINOHITO.
→SHOP
→いしひろいたろう
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石グッズ
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Toumo
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今回の石の人のおすすめ（2024 9/7）
・ちょぼちょぼ 昔ながらの焼菓子 なつかしい味わい
・秋田杉GIN
・モダン仙禽
「今回の石の人のおすすめ」のまとめ
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石の人の写真・記事
・ユリイカ 2024年9月号 特集「石」（表紙と口絵／石の人）
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石の本 その一
・日本の石ころ標本箱
・地球の石ころ標本箱
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・いい感じの石ころを拾いに
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石の本 その二
・石の辞典
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・美の壺 水石
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・BRUTUS 珍奇鉱物
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・はまべにはいしがいっぱい
・君たちはどう生きるか
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