The great leaf change is almost upon us, and the countdown to 'momijigari' (紅葉狩り 'autumn-leaf viewing') has begun.
back window-
the deer strikes a pose
the dog sleeps
うら窓や鹿のきどりに犬の寝る
-Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶), 1820.
Trans. David G. Lanoue.
Fall colours arrive at a different time each year, but the Japan Meteorological Agency has a handy tracker...
🗾🍁➡️n-kishou.com/corp/news-cont…
It seems that ginkgo will be at their peak around November 23rd & maple leaves around December 2nd (a bit later than last year) in Kyōto.
One annual event we eagerly await is Yūhisai Kōdō-kan's (有斐斎弘道館) competition to find the best 'kyōgashi' (京菓子 - traditional Kyōto-style confectionery) on a given theme...which this year is Sei Shōnagon's (清少納言 966-1025?) 'The Pillow Book' (枕草子 'Makura-no-sōshi').
Last year's work took inspiration from Yoshida Kenkō's (兼好 1283–1350) "Tsurezuregusa" (徒然草 "Essays in Idleness").
A selection of the sweets that made it to the final will be exhibited at Yūhisai Kōdō-kan (有斐斎弘道館) from November 1st-15th. #kyogashi#京菓子#Kyoto#京都
The great thing about the competition is that anyone can enter. All you have to do is submit a detailed idea.
There were 593 submissions this year. Judges choose around 40(ish) to be made into actual sweets, and from these 4 winners are selected (& a further 4 highly commended).
Yūhisai Kōdō-kan (有斐斎弘道館) is named after an academic establishment founded by the Confucianist scholar Minagawa Kien (皆川淇園 1734-1807). A monument to the old 'university' was found in the grounds, indicating it likely stood here.
🖌️Yūhisai was one of Kien's pen names.
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Kyōto was once home to the greatest statue of Buddha in all Japan.
4m taller than Tōdai-ji's Daibutsu, the statue stood in an immense hall in precincts now taken up by Toyokuni-jinja and Hōkō-ji (remnant of the original Buddha's home).
The great hall and last (vastly smaller) incarnation of Kyōto's Daibutsu are sadly lost, but within the neighbourhood (where once the temple precincts sprawled) are a series of wonders.
They include a great bell that brought down a ruling clan, an exploding cow, & a tomb of ears.
1) THE CHIMES OF DOOM🔔
Having seized control of the country after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu calmly waited for an excuse to destroy the rival Toyotomi clan.
His chance came with the forging of a new bell and an inscription that could be read as a threat.
🙊THE MONKEY'S SLIDE🛝
At first glance the teahouse garden appears to be made up of mostly moss, pine & camellia...but if you look more closely the borders are packed thick with dozens of varieties of plants.
One of the most beautiful at this time of year is the "Monkey's Slide".
More commonly known as crape myrtle (百日紅), older generations in Japan fondly call the tree 'saru suberi' (サルスベリ the "monkey's slide").
The bark of the tree is so smooth that even monkeys struggle to get a foothold!
#Kyoto #京都 #Japan #百日紅 #サルスベリ #IwataMonkeyPark
Crape (also crepe) myrtle gets its name from the appearance of its flowers, which look very much like crepe paper.
Blooming from mid-summer through to autumn, the flowers (commonly bright pink) are also known in Japan as 'hyakujitsukō' (百日紅 'red for 100 days').
One of the Shōren-in's (青蓮院) most striking features greets you as you enter the drawing room...a series of bold coloured lotuses, blooming across 60 panels.
Begun in 2005, the work was created by the artist 'Ki-yan' (キーヤン/Kimura Hideki 木村英輝). #Japan
When visiting Shōren-in, Kimura was suddenly inspired to fill the drawing room's plain fusuma with colour.
It took him two years to complete the 3 sets of lotus paintings (蓮三部作)...
🪷"Blue Illusion" (青の幻想)
🪷"Amitabha's Pure Land" (極楽浄土)
🪷"Hymn of Life" (生命賛歌)
Why all the blue lotuses?🤔
Shōren-in was originally constructed atop Mt Hiei as a lodging facility for monks serving at Enryaku-ji.
Shōren-bō was named after a nearby pond in which blue lotus flowers bloomed ('shōrenge'). Many famous monks, such as Saichō & Ennin, lived here. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
It's been a while since I've done a #folklorethursday, so here's some local, rather less well-known tales.
Demizu was once home to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's lavish palace 'Jurakudai' (聚樂第), and the area has many strange wonders. #Kyoto#京都
Kannon-ji's 'Gate of 100 Lashings' (観音寺 百叩きの門) belonged originally to the prison at Fushimi Castle (伏見城). When the castle was dismantled the doorway was gifted to the temple🏯🚪🩸😰👋
The gate is just 1 of the '7 Wonders of Demizu' (出水の七不思議). #Kyoto#京都#出水
Before prisoners were set free they underwent a final punishment at the prison gate...a warning to stay on the straight & narrow.
They were lashed 100 times with a piece of split bamboo across the back. It was agonizing, & sometimes deadly!
'May Sickness' (五月病 'gogatsu-byō') is a term for a seasonal disorder that strikes just as Golden Week comes to an end.
After the flurry of changes that take place each April, it may seem like May should be smooth sailing, but returning to work/school after the break is tough.
It may seem like a small thing, but sweets absolutely help lift a gloomy mood...
🌫️🌩️☁️😶🌫️🌥️🌤️🌞
Kameya Yoshinaga (亀屋良長) has done the impossible and perfectly captured the blue skies & cotton puff clouds of May in sweet form☺️
The wonderful 'hikōki-gumo' (ひこうき雲)✨
While 'May Blues' doesn't sound particularly serious, in some cases it can lead to depression, anxiety & insomnia.
In April the new school/work year begins, and there's a feeling that Golden Week only helps exacerbate feelings of disorientation, mental exhaustion, & apprehension. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Astonishingly the temperature will soar close to 30 degrees today...the hottest day of the year so far😓
As this heat is a little unexpected we swooped on Ishidatami (石畳) for their famous matcha soft serve (抹茶ソフトクリーム). Fresh matcha is kneaded into the ice-cream🍵🍨🙌
Fresh matcha as an ingredient in cooking and baking tends to lose its flavour quickly, and so Ishidatami doesn't serve ice-cream older than 3 hours, preferring instead to make new batches throughout the day😮