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Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto

Feb 4

Spot the odd one out.

#daruma #達磨 #達磨寺 #Kyoto #京都 #Setsubun #節分 #Japan #naodaruma #kimono

🔥DARUMA DOOM👀
Daruma await their fate at the small temple of Hōrin-ji (法輪寺).

Having fulfilled their destinies, and hopefully bestowed wishes upon their owners, they're gathered at Setsubun (節分) and burnt on a ritual bonfire🫡👋🔥✨😔
#Setsubun #Kyoto #京都 #節分 #達磨

Daruma (達磨) is the Japanese name for Bodhidharma, a 5th or 6thC monk credited with establishing zen.

Daruma dolls, typically red & made from papier-mâché, are modeled on the story of Bodhidharma wall-gazing in a cave (close to the Shaolin Monastery) for 9 years.
#だるま #Japan

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Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto

Oct 27, 2022

😇👋A MONTH OF NO GODS🧳⛩️
There is a quaint belief that in the 10th month the gods of Japan congregate for a great gathering to discuss matchmaking at Izumo-taisha (出雲大社) in Shimane Prefecture.
Only hard-of-hearing Ebisu & the Sun Goddess miss this annual pilgrimage.
#Japan

In the traditional calendar the 10th month is known as 'Kannazuki' (神無月), which nowadays has come mean 'Month Without Gods'.
Because the gods are said to gather at Izumo-taisha, in Izumo Province the 10th month was called 'Kamiarizuki' (神有月 'Month With Gods').
#folkore

It seems that originally the 10th month was called the 'Month of Gods' across Japan, as the character '無' was used for its sound ('na') rather than its meaning. In fact it's possible that when imported from China, the characters '神無' were only used for their phonetic value.

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Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto

Oct 26, 2022

through the smoke
a glimpse of olden times...
fallen leaves
けぶらして昔めかする木の葉哉
-Kobayashi Issa (小林一茶), 1807.
Trans. David G. Lanoue.

#Kyoto #京都 #Japan #銀杏 #ginkgo #autumn

The Great Yellowing is not yet upon us (ginkgo leaves will reach their golden peak around November 23rd), but you've probably already smelt autumn in the air.
When the fruit from female ginkgo trees falls & begins to rot, the butyric acid in the skin gives off a vomit-like odor🤢

🌳THE UPSIDE DOWN GINKGO🔃

Nishi Hongan-ji's (西本願寺) famed 400 year old 'sakasa-ichō' (逆さ銀杏 'upside down ginkgo') is so-named because when the leaves have fallen it looks surprisingly like roots reaching up to the sky.
#Kyoto #ginkgo #京都 #西本願寺 #folklore #逆さ銀杏

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Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto

Oct 25, 2022

👹'TOMB OF THE BEASTS'😱

In 1611, during excavation of the Takase Canal (高瀬川), Suminokura Ryōi (角倉了以) discovered a stone pagoda. Further investigation revealed that he had unearthed the tomb of the 'traitor' Toyotomi Hidetsugu (豊臣秀次 1568-95).
#folklore #Kyoto #京都

Hidetsugu was the nephew and heir of Japan's de facto ruler, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉), but in 1595 he dramatically fell from grace and was forced to commit seppuku at Mt Kōya.

His grave became known by many names, including the "Beast's Mound" (畜生塚 "Chikushō-zuka").

It is unclear why Hidetsugu was so abruptly put to death, but the most likely explanation is the unexpected birth of Hideyoshi's son in 1593.
When Hideyori (秀頼) survived his first years, Hideyoshi no longer needed an adopted heir & Hidetsugu may well have thought about a coup.

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Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto

Oct 23, 2022

🪟WINDOW TO AUTUMN🍁

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').

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Camellia Tea Ceremony

@camelliakyoto

Sep 13, 2022

📿KYŌTO'S SHIKOKU PILGRIMAGE🙏

even in Kyoto-
hearing the cuckoo's cry-
I long for Kyoto
京にても京なつかしやほととぎす
-Matsuo Bashō (松尾芭蕉 1644–1694).

Around the New Year I like to complete a small pilgrimage, not particularly well known, on a mountain close to my house.

Are you interested in undertaking the Shikoku Pilgrimage (四国遍路), but find yourself without any real time to do so?🤔

Not to worry...close to our Camellia Garden Teahouse there is a way to complete the pilgrimage without ever leaving Kyōto🙌
#Kyoto #Japan #京都 #四国遍路

Snaking up and down the slopes of Jyōju-san (成就山), a mountain that rises behind Ninna-ji (仁和寺), is a tiny version of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Kūkai (空海 774-835), founder of Shingon Buddhism (真言宗), is alleged to have first created the circuit of 88 temples on Shikoku👣

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