Lady Purple

Wisteria flowers are symbolic blooms in Nara. Usually, in early May no matter where you go in Nara Park,  you are welcomed by the purple clusters shining in a balmy sunlight.

 

This year seemed not to be a good year for wisterias.  Nara Park was supposed to become the paradise of wisterias.  But, the clusters were shorter and the flowers were less than usual. What happened to them?  Last year they did splendid jobs and pleased the eye of people.  I guess the wisterias were too tired to bloom in full power and Spring Goddess decided to give them a rest.

Why are wisterias here and there in the park?
In the 8th century when Nara became the new capital of Japan, the Fujiwaras were the most powerful and rich clan. They expanded their political power through marriage with the Imperial family. The same old story here! Fujiwara means "Wisteria Field". Wisterias were the Fujiwaras' favorite flowers.

 Kasuga Grand Shrine

Kasuga Grand Shrine was founded by the Fujiwaras as their family shrine as well as the guardian deity for the new capital in the 8the century. The shrine is famous for a seven hundred year old wisteria which is called "Sand-Sweeping Wisteria (砂摺りの藤)"　as the  clusters grow long and look as touching the ground almost. The longest cluster was measured 1.65 meters in length last year. 

The Fujiwaras loved wisterias, so the hanging wisterias became  the crest of the Fujiwaras as well as Kasuga Grand Shrine.　

This is one of two guardian lions in front of the second Torii gate.

The crest of the Fujiwaras  is carved on the  pedestal.

The shrine maidens wear a crown of wisteria flowers.

This is "Rice Planting Ceremony" held every year in March in the shrine.

I have ambivalent feelings toward wisterias. The hanging flowers are graceful. The colors of wisterias, various shades of purple, are so noble. But under the flowers there are vines coiling and twining other trees. And they are climbing up and blooming on the top.

This is my blog about wild wisterias.

"Paradise of Wisteria"

I love wild wisterias more than cultivated ones, because I can see the nature of the flowers in the wild wistreerias better. This year, the wild wisteria bore less and less flowers. So, no photos of them.

 For me snake-like vines of wisterias look like the legacy
 of the power struggles fought in the Imperial court in the 8th century.

Purple has been a noble and mysterious color since ancient times. 

紫草（むらさき）の　にほへる妹を　憎くあらば　人妻ゆゑに　われ恋ひめやも
大海人皇子
Oh, beautiful  you,  like a purple grass!
How I can give up my love towards you
even though  you are other man's wife!
(mentioned by Prince Oama in the 7th century)

What a passionate love letter it is! Though there is another interpretation, I'd like to take this poem as the outpouring of his emotion. According to one theory, in those days purple was so loved that the color was synonymous with purple.  The flowers of purple grasses were mentioned a several times in  an ancient anthology of poems which has been loved for over 1200 years by people in Japan. It is 万葉集 - Anthology of Ten Thousand Leaves.

The flowers of purple grasses are lily white. The dried  roots of the grasses were used to dye clothes in deep purple and the grass symbolized a lover. I wonder what color  it is. They say natural purple is much deeper than synthetic purple.

Flikering like puple stained glasses. 

In "The Tale of Genji" (源氏物語) written by Murasaki Shikibu around the beginning of the 11th century, two ladies take important roles in the story. One is 藤壷, Lady Fuji-tsubo and another one  is his wife, 紫の上, Murasaki-no-ue. Fuji means wisteria flowers and Murasaki is purple in English. Two women are depicted as his ideal female figures. Shining Genji devotes his eternal love to them. The name of the author also has the color  purple.

"The Potted Wisteria Exhibition"held in May in Nara.

Mysterious Field and Sakura

From the morning mist, the deer appear one by one. Through  the fine veils of the dim sun light,  everything looks soft. Here, the Sakura blossoms (cherry blossoms) are passing the last stage.  If one more wind blows, all petals will fall immediately.   I love Sakura in all phases, but now how delicate and subtle grace they show. 

This spacious grass field , which is part of Kasuga Grand Shrine precincts, is called "Tobihino, 飛火野- Flying Fire Field". The name is derived from a myth .

When Nara became the Capital of Japan in 710, the new Capital needed a strong protection. So, the most powerful god was invited to protect Nara. He came from Kashima Shrine in Ibaraki near Tokyo, travelling on the back of a white deer.  The god arrived in Nara at night. To welcome him and light the way, one deity belched fires. But the fires continued to roll over the field  and never went out. The emperor ordered  field guards to take care of the fires. Another theory says that smoke signals were made here in the 8th century. 

That's why the field is called "Flying Fire Field".

The field is also the place where noble people used to take a walk and enjoy picking up spring grasses in Nara Period (710 - 784). Did they see the scene which I see now? Did they see deer appearing like this?

 I feel time has  flown slowly here since ancient times.

They are dressed in the 8th century costumes of noble people.

 (My related blog  Once Upon a Time, My Town Nara)

Tobihino field just before sunset

In May, here becomes the paradise of wild wisteria flowers.

 This tree is a guardian of Tobihino field. Its trunk is completely hollow, but the tree is  growing and thriving.  

 (My related blog, Amazing Power of Trees)

 There is another mysterious story about Tobihino field in Noh play. 

A travelling priest finds a pond and gets interested in it. He asks an elderly field guard  the name of the pond. The guard answers it is called "野守の鏡、the mirror of a field guard". Because field guards use the pond as a mirror. He continues and says  that  this pond has a special power. When the emperor lost his hawk during hunting, this pond told the location of the hawk in its reflections.  At night the guard transforms himself into a fierce deity and appears with a magical mirror in front of the priest. The deity says that his mirror is the real mirror of a field guard. He shows the priest everything from the hell to the heaven in the reflections of the mirror. When the deity stamps his feet,  the ground is split in two. Inside the ground, the path to the hell appears. The deity climbs down the path and disappears. This story is set in Tobihino field.

Be careful if you find a strange path in Tobihino field. The path might lead you to the hell.

The fierce deity with a magical mirro in Noh play..

If there is a so-called power spot in Kasuga Grand Shrine, I guess it must be somewhere in Tobihino field. So whenever  I come here, I keep a compass. Because  I believe the compass will tell me any change of the magnetic field and pinpoint the power spot. Unfortunately,  my compass has never told me any clue so far.

Lying Dragon and Swimming Dragon

2012 is the year of the dragon.  Each year has each animal name based on  the twelve animal zodiac signs introduced from China. The twelve animals are mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog and wild boar. I wonder why the eleven animals are real, but only the dragon is imaginary.

These are some of New Year's cards sent by my friends. Which dragon do you like?

Dragons in Japan are divine. They are the deities of water which gather clouds and give blessed  rain to farmers. They never breathe out fire  like many of the dragons in western countries nor are doomed to be vanquished by dragon slayers. Also a green or blue dragon is a directional guardian of east .

 In the grounds of a temple or a shrine, there is a dragon on a water basin. 

Water is pouring out of the mouth, and people wash their hands and rinse their mouths 

to purify themselves before praying.

There are many objects whose names have the Chinese character "龍" meaning a dragon in them.  Especially many of the temples and ponds  contain 龍 or dragon  in their names.

 This is a pond in Shugakuin Imperial Villa in Kyoto.  The island in the pond looks like a swimming dragon. So this pond is called Yokuryu-chi pond "浴龍池"meaning "Swimming Dragon" pond.

It is believed that  people have different destiny and character according to what year of  the animal sign they were born in. The people who were born in the year of the dragon, are said to be very assertive, idealistic, proud, intelligent and have strong  belief, and more. Do you believe it? If you were born in 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940, 1928, 1916・・・・・, you are the person of the dragon sign.

On 7th January,  I went to a botanical garden in Kasuga Grand Shrine to pay homage to the tree nicknamed  Garyuu"臥龍" which means "Lying Dragon".  The tree is a  gigantic Ichii-gashi ( a kind of an oak tree) on a small island in a pond of the botanical garden.

The tree was blown down by the heavy wind, but  it never gave up growing.  For me it looks like it has a strong will to live. With the lying trunk covered with moss, it has continued to grow up to the sky.  As the shape of the tree looks like the lying dragon, people have called the tree "lying Dragon" oak. This tree is also a guardian of the garden. I am always amazed with this powerful energy of the tree and look at it with awe.  No wonder, people see the divinity in the tree.

It was a fair winter day. I walked around the garden where there was  no visitors but me. The garden was only for me!

Let's walk for a while.

In the pond, there are a lot of Koi carps which usually beg food noisily,

but now they are very quiet. They are half-hibernating.

Dry leaves look like butterflies!

                                                                                           

An auspicious mushroom.

 

Ornamental cabbages  look like peony flowers. They are popular as New Year's decorations along with bamboo, pine and Japanese apricot. 

Melia azedarac.  I love their delicate purple flowers in May as well as their fruits in winter.

On the left Melia azedarach flowers are in full bloom.( Photo was taken in May, 2011)

 

Oh, harbingers of spring!

Cotton

Fruits of Rosa multiflora

My related blog to this botanical garden ：
                       Paradise Flowers Come Out of 2000-Year Sleep.

Near the botanical garden is a Japanese restaurant where I ate lunch. This is rice porridge cooked with seven wild herbs of spring.  We eat the rice porridge with seven spring herbs to give a rest to the stomach as well as pray for our health on January 7th. We ate a lot of delicious food and rice cakes during New Year's holidays. So, the stomach is tired.

Falkor, the luckdragon with Bastian on the back appears in the sky!

A cup of cappuccino has a  dragon.

He travels once a year.

The children in traditional attire. When my son was five years old, he was one of them.

On-maturi (Honorable Festival)   is the largest festival in Nara which is held on December 17th every year. Actually the festival continues for 4 days from the 15th to the 18th,  and the 17th is the climax as the traditional costume parade and art performance are held.  These parade and the art performances  are the offerings to a deity, called "Young Prince",  the son of Kasuga gods in Kasuga Grand Shrine.

Horse races are part of the festival. Too fast to catch them!

The origin of the festival dates back to the 12th century when rain did not stop and this unusual weather caused a  very bad famine. People were tormented. They decided to ask Young Prince for his help. They invited the deity to a temporary shrine and entertained him by showing traditional art performances. Prayers were granted soon.

One of characteristics of this festival is that many children participate.

This bamboo gate is a boundary to lead to the most sacred place, the temporary shrine.

This is the temporary shrine made of black pine tree branches.

Behind the bamnboo curtain, Young Prince sits and enjoys the parade and performing arts.

 I like this idea that the deity travels once a year  from his shrine to the temporary shrine,

and there he is entertained. 

In front of the temporary shrine, the shrine maidens perform the sacred dances and prayers.

Six performers covering their faces with a white mask,

dance very simple but mysterious dances.

This is based on the legend that the goddess of sea was ugly

and even her face was covered with acorn barnacles.

So, when she was summoned, she appeared with a white mask to hide her face.

The performances are going on and on.

The first Torii gate is decorated with holly Nagi tree branches.

(These photos were taken just before the parade would start.)

Just before the procession starts, the participants are gathering. Some of them are tense and others are relaxed.

He is rechecking the itinerary of the festival.

The other main characters are horses. Some of them are really excited.

On the 15th December, the costumes for the festival are exhibited.

At the same day, a shrine maiden performs "Boiling Water" ritual to invite the local deities

to pray to them for the success of the festival.

May all bad things be gone with 2011 and all good things come with 2012.
I wish your Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!