Autumn splendor at 天授庵 Tenjyu-an and 南禅寺 Nanzen-ji

It’s that time of the year when Momiji, Japanese maples, shine blazing red.

This post is a report of 天授庵 Tenjyu-an and 南禅寺 Nanzen-ji Temples.

Don't you feel excited just looking at Tenjyu-an from the outside?

The inside is much more than your expectation.
You enter Pond Garden by way of Dry Landscape Garden.

Fascinating reflections can exist anywhere.

A garden with a pond spreads in front of the Shoin architecture.

Tranquil and serene.

Carp look swimming through the reflected leaves.

An image with reduced reflection

Tenjyu-an

Verdant garden of 天授庵 Tenjyuan shows what the garden is like in May.

Which garden do you like, in spring or in autumn?

 Tenjyu-an is close to the massive San-mon Gate of Nanzen-ji.

Trees are fiery red.

Among all the autumn leaves, Momiji is the last to paint the landscape shades of red.

They have touched Japanese people’s heart at its core from the ancient times.

The precinct is ablaze with the final burst of glory before the winter calm.

Nanzen-ji

Today is the coldest of this season; the heaviest snowfall in 10 years

is forecasted in the northern Japan.

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Strolling around my town

 Apricot Rains is over!

Blistering sunny days have come after the sweltering rainy season.

 I've stayed home mostly except for the evening walk as I feel like that I'm being choked 

in sauna in the daytime.

While I spend idly and casually, I've created a post about my town from spring to summer.

My town is a nice and quiet residential area, a bedroom town of

Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, lying on the rolling hills overlooking four directions.

 I like walking around my town, neighboring towns, and the surrounding area.

Townspeople take care of their gardens earnestly, and the public planting space, too.

Flowers on fences or gates.

Sakura (Cherry blossoms) are beautiful in every park.

I like the stillness of the parks after children go back home.

Sakura bloomed late this year but Dogwood, Wisteria, Geraniums, Roses, Hydrangeas .... 

come to bloom earlier and earlier every year.

I'm always marveled at how many people love to grow plants with green thumbs.

In the nearest park, the Liriodendron tulipifera bloom in mid-May. 

 Few people notice the orange and green, tulip-shaped  flowers on the upper part of a quite tall tree.

Flowers under our feet, either.

In a couple of minutes from the park, I'm home!

Rainy season set in significantly late and ended almost the same as usual.

It was sweltering hot when the sun appeared.

Raindrops on the morning glory; short-lived respite.

By the way, the west side of the town is a countryside with history longer than 1300 years.

Chinese milk vetches dot the off-season paddies in April. 

Where have gone the nostalgic flower carpets? (2016)

When Emperor Shomu (the period of reign 724-749) passed by the area, Ono Fukumaro, 

who ruled the area, was using a "三 three-pitted 碓 stone mortar" to grind grains.

Emperor Shomu saw it and called the area 三碓 Mitsu-garasu.

It is thought to be the origin of the name of this area.

The stone mortar is kept at the Konsho-in Temple next to the Mitsugarasu Shrine 

which enshrines tutelary "kami" who protects the area .

I'll be on summer break in blogging as usual.

Wish you a pleasant season wherever you are.

Stay safe from any disasters.

See you in two months!

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紫陽花 Ajisai and 梅雨 Apricot Rains

How has the weather been recently?

It has been like this here in Kansai region; when it rains, it pours 

and when it's sunny, it's very hot for June.

The rainy season set in yesterday at last when we are usually right in the middle of it.

In the southern Okinawa and Amami Oshima, its end was declared the other day.

Our rainy season is called 梅雨, Apricot Rains, because it falls on the time

when 梅 Japanese apricots ripen.

As its poetic name suggests, there are many nice things during this season.

Ajisai, or Hydrangea, is the most popular flower of the season.

They don't come and go all at once like Sakura but last long almost all through

the Apricot Rains.

When Ajisai start blooming, they show shades of cream to green.

As they age, their colors deepen.

I like blue Ajisai above all.

When I walked along my favorite Ajisai lane , which partly runs parallel 

to Chokyu-ji Temple, I focused on blue flowers to photograph.

June 8th

The path, which connects the Tomio River and the Mayumi residential area,

 is nicely narrow and curving.

A couple of days later than that, I visited 般若寺 Hannya-ji Temple for Ajisai.

I prayed for no risk of torrential downpours.

June 11th

Hannya-ji is more famous for its cosmos flowers in autumn as is called "Cosmos Temple".

Cosmos, autum sky, rain, and a celebration (2017)

Summer cosmoses were mostlly over.

I have stopped by in June every year since I saw Ajisai Bowls for the first time 

three years ago.

One of the monks came up with the idea of Ajisai Bowl to make use of Ajisai flowers

 that are still beautiful after their prime time.

The round Ajisai flowers look beautiful from any angle in spherical glass container.

The temple has changed the way of displaying Ajisai Bowls every year.

The same Ajisai Bowl seen from the different angle.

I liked it when the bowls were placed among the greenery to reflect the surrounding colors.

They looked like planets as is reported here, Ajisai walk, joy of rainy season (2022)

There are many nice places to stroll through Ajisai in and around Nara City 

including temples, parks, streets, etc.

矢田寺 Yata-dera and 岩船寺 Gansen-ji Temples are famous as “Ajisai Temple”.

At Yata-dera Temple on a drizzly, humid day 

Gansen-ji Temple in the various shades of Hydrangea

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At Yata-dera Temple on a drizzly, humid day

It's the rainy season, 梅雨 Apricot Rains,which spans about one and a half months.

It's 紫陽花 Ajisai, Hydrangea season, too.

Hydrangea is a floral symbol of Japan's rainy season.

I went to Yata-dera on a drizzly, humid day.

Yata-dera is the center of Jizo Bosatsu worship.

It houses the oldest Enmei Jizo Bosatsu Statue in Japan.

Hondo, Main Hall

Stone Jizo Statues along the path leading to the Hydrangea Garden

They've planted hydrangeas since 1965

as the round flower looks like the gemstone held in Jizo's hand,

and the changing colors of the flowers teach 諸行無常 Shogyomujyo, 

everything is constantly changing and nothing remains the same.

There are around 10.000 shrubs of hydrangea of 60 different species.

(Yata-dera homepage)

In the Hydrangea Garden, visitors climb up and down stone stairway

 flanked either side by clusters of blue, purple, pink flowers against lush green backdrop.

Wet stone steps are slippery.

Watch your steps.

Hydrangeas make our rainy days brighter as they bloom one after another

during their relatively long life span.

When I can't expect blue skies, clear blue hydrangeas especially brighten my heart.

Yata-dera is located at the middle of Yata-yama Mountain in the castle town 

Yamato-koriyama City.

About 1350 years ago, Prince Oama fled to this mountain and prayed for victory

 during the civil war, Jinshin War in 672.

 After his victory and enthronement as Emperor Tenmu, the temple was founded 

around 679 under his orders. He reigned 673 to 686.

Leading up to the temple gate is a steep slope 

and to the Main Hall and Hydrangea Garden is a long winding stairway.

Yata-dera; The temple of o-jizo-sama and hydrangeas 

Yamato-koriyama City; Sakura at Koriyama Castle Ruins

Indigo dyeing and goldfish

Cheers to Hina dolls and womanhood

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