[On the Zarakgil] 2. The Path of Philosophy

Walking along the Zarakgil, the footpath of Ansan, Seoul, I often think of other hiking trails I'd taken before. These include Camino de Santiago in Spain, Indian Ladder Trail in Upstate N.Y., and the Path of Philosophy in Kyoto.

 

 

Camino de Santiago is the 800km walking trail from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in southern France to Finisterra in western Spain, where I had restored my mental and physical health. The Indian Ladder Trail is a 1.6km hiking trail with full of memories after walking hundreds of times over the past 20 years.

 

 

The Path of Philosophy is in Kyoto, Japan. It is a two-km trail that runs from the entrance of Gingakuji Temple to the entrance of Nanshenji Temple. Small canal flows, and a narrow path that allows two people to walk side by side or barely move past, stretches sometimes on both sides, sometimes on one side.

 

 

The Path of Philosophy is famous for its scenic views throughout the seasons. Cherry blossoms bloom in spring, and fireflies dance on summer nights. Autumn leaves are as red as fire, and in winter, it is beautiful, covered in snow.

 

I have walked this path twice, in late spring and in late autumn. There was no particular view in the late fall when the leaves had already run out, except for the serene walking path and the still warm sunlight. When the cherry blossoms fell past their peak, however, the stream ran white, covered by cherry petals.

 

 

In Japan, August 10 is the Day of Road, established in 1986. In the second Day of Raod in 1987, 100 beautiful trails were selected, across Japan. The Path of Philosophy has been one of them since.

 

 

 

So, I know well, from hearsay and my own experience, that this road is beautiful, I was curious though about the odd nickname, the Path of Philosophy.

 

 

The trail is part of a service road of the 20-km waterway called Biwakosho(琵琶湖疏), constructed between 1885-1912. Kyoto Univ. opened near it in 1897. In 1913, Kitaro Nishida(西田幾多郎, 1870-1945) was appointed as a liberal arts professor, teaching philosophy, ethics, and religious studies until he retired in 1928.

 

 

Professor Nishida was said to take a walk every morning in the path, and it was called the Path of Waterway, the Path of Stroll, or the Path of Contemplation. After local residents organized a landscape preservation movement in 1969, they decided to call the road the Path of Philosophy in 1972.

 

 

It occurred to me that the Path of Philosophy in Kyoto might have copied the Philosopher's Way in Heidelberg, Germany. It is true that Hegel(1770-1831), a professor at the Heidelberg University(1816-1818), and Goethe(1749-1832), who visited Heidelberg during his stormy period(1775) and fell in love with a 30-year-old married woman when he was 62(1814-1815). took a walk in there. The Philosopher's Way, however, was way ahead of Goethe and Hegel.

 

 

Founded in 1386, the University of Heidelberg, like any other university in Germany, required the freshmen to study philosophy. You have to pass the philosophy exam to be able to choose a major. So, the freshmen of Heidelberg University were called "philosophers." These young philosophers walked on the footpaths of Mount Heiligenberg for hundreds of years, and this path became the Philosopher's Way.

 

 

Even if neither the Pathe of Philosophy in Kyoto nor the Philosopher's Way in Heidelberg, every road makes us think. Frédéric Gros hit the nail on the head, when he wrote The Philosophy of Walking (2008).

 

 

Walking is not just about training your body. It is also about training your mind in general and thinking in particular. That's why I consider the Zarakgil a good teacher of mine. (jc, 2024/1/4)