The Temple of Peonies in winter

Hase-dera Temple dates back to 686.  It is located on the mountainside of Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture, an hour drive from my house in Nara City.  It is a beautiful place in all seasons: early spring with cherry trees, spring with peonies, early summer with fresh greenery and then hydrangeas, autumn with brilliant maple leaves, and winter with dusting of snow, and .....

Winter peonies! 

They are usually covered with straw-hat in order to avoid frost and snow. 

The wooden roofed corridors are composed of 399 steps which lead people to the Main Hall.  This is one of the longest corridors of this type in Japan.  The corridor was first built in 1039: today's dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1868).  There are many temple facilities alongside the staircases. 

In May, many peonies are in bloom on both sides of the corridor.

last May

 

last week

Now in the coldest period of the year, what catches people's eyes are red berries of nandina or coralberry.

a hint of yellow in winter



spring greenery

The Main Hall (National Treasure, reconstructed in 1650) is one of the largest wooden structures and has a large overhanging wooden veranda similar to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple (Kyoto).

There is a small door at the back of the Main Hall.  The hazy pinkish bare trees are cherry trees.  Do you know bare twigs of cherry trees have a tint of pink color?   Some people dye cloth with the twigs right before flowers bloom, as the pale soft pink color is contained in them.   (See here.)

 

 



 



  

Main Hall's veranda is the best spot to see the Five Storied Pagoda, which was built in 1954 at the north site of the original Three Storied Pagoda. 

The precinct was sunk into the stillness with few visitors in the very cold weekday morning in January.   
  

winter



spring

When spring comes, I'll report about peonies and how this temple looks.  There are 7000 peonies of 150 varieties. 

When snow comes down in large flakes,  we call it  "botan-yuki", or "peony-snow".  Japan is enveloped in the coldest wave in 20 years.  It is snowing hard in the northern parts and along the seacoast of the Japan Sea, but it hasn't snowed yet in my region except fluffy snowflakes blown from the blue sky so far.