👣LOTUS LOVE😇
In Kyōto 'kanrensetsu' (観蓮節), 'lotus flower viewing', coincides with the culmination of the Gion Matsuri, when the gods of Yasaka-jinja arrive at their temporary holiday abode in the city.
Temple ponds offer a welcome distraction from the sweltering summer days.
this world
bristles with thorns...
yet there are lotuses
世の中よ針だらけでも蓮の花
-Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶), 1815.
Lotus flowers in many ways perfectly compliment spring's cherry blossoms: sakura (桜) have become a symbol of life's impermanence in Japan, whereas the lotus (蓮 'hasu') offers a more hopeful message of enlightenment and rebirth.
Murakami Mondo (村上主水) has kindly shared some of his recent creations. As flower arranging is very seasonal, lotus flowers will soon be featuring prominently.
One of the most influential & popular Buddhist scriptures is named after the humble lotus.
The Lotus Sūtra (妙法蓮華経 'Myōhō Renge Kyō') influenced the creation of the Tendai & Nichiren schools of Buddhism.
It teaches that 'all beings have the potential to become buddhas'🪷😇
In the language of flowers, lotuses unsurprisingly symbolise 'pure-heartedness' and 'sacredness', representing Buddha's compassion and wisdom.
Some Buddhist teachings describe the flowers growing in the 'Pure Land' (浄土), where those who have achieved enlightenment dwell. #lotus
Lotuses are also associated with 'estranged love' and 'separated lovers'. This may seem odd, but the connection emerged because the flowers only bloom for a short period in the morning.
As they are difficult to keep 'fresh', lotuses are rarely used in bouquets or as gifts. #Japan
🪷THE LOTUS TEMPLE📿
One of the best places to see lotus flowers in Kyōto is at a small temple not too far from our Garden Teahouse. Hōkongō-in is better known as 'Hasu-no-dera' (蓮の寺).
Over the years many kinds of lotuses have been collected from all over the world. #Kyoto
Hōkongō-in (法金剛院) is affiliated with Tōshōdai-ji (唐招提寺) in Nara, and is one of the few Ritsu sect (律宗) temples in Kyōto.
The large pond, empty for most of the year, is utterly transformed in June and July, with umbrella-sized lotus leaves creating an alien landscape.
First known as Narabigaoka-dera (双丘寺), Hōkongō-in was created from the villa of Kiyohara-no-Natsuno (清原夏野 782-837) after his death in 837.
During his lifetime Natsuno filled the gardens with many rare plants, and covered the nearby hillsides with bush-clover. #Kyoto#Japan
Over time the area around the temple became known as 'Hanazono' (花園 'Flower Garden').
The gardens we see today are a remnant of the beautiful grounds created by Empress Taikenmon-in (待賢門院 1101-45), when she transformed the ruined site into a new temple called Hōkongō-in.
As with hydrangeas, different colour lotuses represent different things...
💙wisdom & knowledge (symbol of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom 文殊菩薩)
❤️compassion & feelings of the heart (symbol of the Bodhisattva of Compassion 観音菩薩)
💜mysticism (symbol of some esoteric sects)
🪷The pink lotus flower is most commonly associated with Buddhism, representing one's spiritual path (closed bud) & enlightenment (open flower)
🤍perfection of spirit and mind, beauty and grace
💛joy, intellectual curiosity and hospitality
Although hana-chōzu have gained in popularity over the last few years, Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū (鶴岡八幡宮) in Kamakura is one of only a few places to make use of lotuses in their displays.
Renkon (レンコン/蓮根 'lotus root'), the underground stem of the lotus plant, is a popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
Because you can look through the many holes that run through the renkon, people associate the vegetable with a problem free future & eat it at celebrations.
🪷LOTUS STRAWS🥤
On July 10th Mimuroto-ji (三室戸寺) hosts one of Kyōto's more interesting events, the 'Hasuzake o Tanoshimu-kai' (ハス酒を楽しむ会 'Meeting to Enjoy Lotus Saké').
Saké is poured onto lotus leaves & sipped through the stem!
Nishiki Tenmangū (錦天満宮) stands on Shinkyōgoku (新京極), at the east end of Nishiki Market (錦市場). Enshrining Tenjin (天満天神/Sugawara-no-Michizane 菅原道真 845-903), people pray here for wisdom, scholarship & prosperous business. #Japan
The shrine also goes by the names Nishiki Tenjin-sha (錦天神社), Nishiki Tenman-jinja (錦天満神社) and Nishiki-no-Tenjin-san (錦の天神さん).
In early Heian times it was discovered that the area's natural spring water (known as Nishiki Water '錦の水') acted as a preservative for fish, fowl & fresh produce, and as a result countless shops congregated in the vicinity.
Each year Shimogamo-jinja (下鴨神社) holds a special tea gathering called 'Hotarubi-no-Chakai' (蛍火の茶会). Over 600 fireflies are released beside the Mitarashi-gawa (御手洗川) as evening falls, bringing an otherworldly feel to the tea ceremony. #Japan
What better way to celebrate firefly season than with Kameya Yoshinaga's (亀屋良長) cooling 'hotaru-no-yoru' (蛍の夜 'evening fireflies').
The sweet is a type of 'kingyoku' (錦玉), a jelly made from boiling agar and sugar...particularly popular in summer.
In the traditional calendar June 11th-15th is known as 'kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naru' (腐草為螢), 'rotten grass becomes fireflies'. There was a belief, imported from the mainland, that fireflies were born from grass decaying in the humid early summer heat. #Japan#fireflies
The celebration was created by the Tōkyō Ice Cream Association (now Japan Ice Cream Association) in 1964, to remember the day in 1869 that ice cream was first sold in Japan (in Yokohama)🙌 #Japan
In 1860 Machida Fusazō (町田房造) was part of an official delegation sent to the United States from Japan aboard the Kanrin Maru (咸臨丸).
Whilst in San Francisco the group tasted ice cream for the first time & Fusazō determined to recreate this delicious dessert back home.
Back in Yokohama, Fusazō marketed his creation as 'aisu kurin' (アイスクリン). Containing milk, eggs and sugar, it was more like frozen custard than the ice cream we’re now familiar with.
On May 9th 1869 he began selling 'aisu kurin' from his store "Hyōsuiten" (氷水店). #icecream
Like many holy sites in Kyōto, Eikan-dō (永観堂) once proudly boasted of its '7 Wonders' (七不思議). This list of miraculous spots and objects acted as an early form of promotion to attract pilgrims (and their money). #Kyoto#京都#Japan#永観堂
A little while ago I talked about the '7 Wonders of Kitano Tenman-gū' (北野天満宮)🐂⬇️
As you will see with both Kitano Tenman-gū and Eikan-dō, the number is more than just 7 (I guess 7 has a nice ring to it)🤔 #Kyoto#7Wonders#京都#北野天満宮#永観堂
1) THE LOOKING BACK AMIDA🤨
Eikan-dō is perhaps best known for its 77cm tall statue of Amida looking back over his shoulder ('Mikaeri-Amida' 見返り阿弥陀).
Having been locked away from the public in Tōdai-ji's treasure house, when he left the temple Yōkan took the image with him.
cherry blossoms-
over there an edge
of Old Japan
花さくやあれが大和の小口哉
-Issa (小林一茶), 1798.
This weekend marks the start of sakura season here in Kyōto, and the crisp weather suggests the trees will be putting on a special show this year. #Japan#桜
It's often difficult to gauge when to start celebrating the various blossoms...but this isn't a problem inside the teahouse😋🌸
On 8th October 1594 the 'bandit' Ishikawa Goemon (石川五右衛門) and his young son were thrown into a boiling vat of oil beside the Kamo River.
As a warning to others the giant cauldron remained in place until a flood swept it away. #Kyoto#folklore
The story goes that Goemon, in revenge for the murder of his wife Otaki and son Gobei, crept into Fushimi Castle (伏見城) to assassinate the despot ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉). As he drew close to the sleeping Toyotomi he knocked over a small bell and was caught. #Japan
Like England's 'Robin Hood', so many legends surround Goemon and his band of outlaws that it's difficult to unpick fact from fiction.
It seems that a man was executed by being boiled alive in oil by the banks of the Kamo-gawa, but beyond that we know very little. #Japan#folklore