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Monday, February 28, 2011

Ume blossoms - harbinger of spring


                 梅一輪、いちりんほどの暖かさ

服部嵐雪 (1654-1707)

one ume blossom
brings us just one more
step to the warmth

-Hattori Ransetsu-

This "haiku"  is about the joy of weather becoming warmer with each new bloom.   りん of いち(one)-りん means both “a little (厘)” and “full of spirit, or dignified, 凛”.  In ume blossoms, I see not only beauty but also perseverence and refinement.

                                         (weeping ume in my garden)



Now ume buds、 which have been constanly swelling persevering the bitter cold of winter, have bloomed into white, plae pink, rose, or deep red.


                                   





Early spring of Nara Park starts with the sweet, clean scent of ume, or Japanese apricot blossoms, in  Kataoka ume-grobe. 





Sometimes deer accompany visitors. Though they are wild deer, they are very friendly.




"Keep Out" due to a preservation order
Marumado-tei, a square hut with a thatched roof and round windows, was built in Kamakura period (1192-1333)  as a sutra repository of Kasuga Grand Shrine, moved to this site in 1894, and then renovated into current form. 


"Marumado" means a round window.



Vist MyWorld to learn more about our world!

22 comments:

  1. Dear Stardust, hi
    Wonterful coloured photos !!!
    The spring in Japan is the best in the world !!!!
    Thank you
    Greetings from Greece

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  2. Such beauty! The colours and sunlight make my heart sing. :)

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  3. The haiku is so beautiful.I love this poetry! But even more I love these trees in blossom - you live in amazing country! It's my dream to go there one day:)
    Have a wonderful evening and thanks for the beauty!
    Hugs

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  4. What beautiful shots! I love the haiku-so beautifully written, and the photo it goes with is lovely. Can't wait till my side of the world looks like this. Mickie

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  5. Ah … to have the stable warmth of spring, as you say, would be wonderful, indeed. The contrasting colors of blossoms give hope of the season. And to roam the park alongside a deer is a delightful thought. I also enjoyed seeing how a circle can frame the scenery.

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  6. Absolutely beautiful!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  7. Spring in your world is lovely, especially the weeping ume in your garden. I always enjoy your visits to Nara Park, the deer there are fascinating, the ones that visit here aren't quite that friendly...but maybe someday.

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  8. Your spring world is simply marvelous! I really like the haiku, too.

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  9. From the picture starting with a close-up of a single Ume flower to the last whole Ume blossoms, I can feel the joy of early spring swelling in my heart. The moderate moist of rain during the night will accelerate steps to the full bloom. March starts.I like March.

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  10. Beautiful Haiku and beautiful blossoms. You've capture one of my favourite things in this world, blossoms (cherry, apple and now ume).

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  11. So very very beautiful!

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  12. love the spring colors, here it is still winter

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  13. Wonderful blossoms, wonderful deer and wonderful park, but even more wonderful are your photos.

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  14. Beautiful spray of colors against the sky.

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  15. Bellissima questa tua primavera !
    Buona giornata :)
    Myriam

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  16. Wonderful sights of spring. Very beautiful sequence.

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  17. A wonderful haiku and stunning photographs! You've brightened my heart up today with this lovely post...:)

    Lynette
    Imagination Lane

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  18. So beautiful trees

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  19. The Ume Blossoms in Nara Park are a wonderful harbinger to spring. The pale ones are lovely, but since red is my favorite color, I must say that the spray of red against the blue of the sky is superb! I'm going to enjoy Nara's spring while snow keeps falling in Breckenridge.

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  20. Your blossoms warm my heart and give me hope for spring to soon come here. It has been a very long, cold winter. Very beautiful architecture photos.

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  21. I like a drooping plum or drooping cherry. They come down to me to show their appearrance well. The full-dress spring is coming soon. And I have to be careful for hay fever and sunburn.

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  22. Wow, now is the best time to enjoy colorful ume blossoms and appricots in Nara Park! I will have to go to Nara Park to see the flowers before my hay fever starts. Thank you for sharing your many photos. You must have spent walking for a long time in that large park.

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