The Seasons of Yamato

"Sagari-Fuji (hanging down wisteria flowers)," the crest of Kasuga Taisha Shrine is related to the Fujiwara clan, the flowers of Fuji (wisteria) are peerless. At Kokuu, when vermillion shrine halls, fresh green leaves and the purple wisteria flowers overlap, people find themselves at a loss for words to describe the beautiful vivid play of colors. A fawn was looking at us in the sacred precincts. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Kokuu is from April 20 to May 5.

Chogakuji Temple is known as the Flower Temple. Every year in early summer, Kakitsubata (water iris) plays the leading role. A thousand irises bloom in front of the main hall. In the blue-violet paradise that appeared on the water, a dragonfly stated, "I'm here." A stone Buddha statue looking down there might have smiled at it. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Rikka is from May 5 to 21.

They say Nara Prefecture is the southernmost original habitat of the lily-of-the-valley. When people finish the rice-planting, the flowers like pure white pearls start to blossom. The combination of the clear water drops and those white flowers makes a jewel of nature. It seemed as if a tree-flog was so mesmerized that it sat still. Meanwhile, the flowers of Kazaguruma (Clematis) spread their purple petals. Though they look like tiny pinwheel blades, they never spin in the wind. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Shouman is from May 21 to June 5.

Chokyuji Temple in Ikoma City is famous for hydrangea. At the beginning of the rainy season, hydrangea fills the temple precincts with flowers of various shades such as red, white and blue. Raindrops fall on the flowers and the Buddhist statues. Moss covering those stone faces has a beautiful matte green color. What have the motionless devas thought for such a long, long time while the moss was growing over them? Instead, have they thought nothing? They show gentle expressions all along. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Boushu is from June 5 to 21.

Hangesho (Asian lizard's tail) is in full bloom around the time of Hangesho, which begins 11 days after Geshi (Summer Solstice) as a division of the 72 pentads. The green leaves turn white like snow in summer. Okada Valley of Mitsue Village is one of the few places where Hangesho plants grow naturally. Embraced by the overlapping white leaves, many creatures such as snakes, lizards, frogs and damselflies enjoy their lives. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Geshi is from June 21 to July 7.

Koichi Hozan filmed breathing lotus flowers in 4K high-definition videos at Manyou Botanical Garden of Kasugataisha Shrine. And Mine Kawakami plays on "Hyakunen (100-year-old) Piano," a 1922 Steinway that the Ministry of Railways of the time purchased to furnish Nara Hotel. Through the land of Yamato, the wind and water flow, and the light and sound reflect each other. Seasons go around with the brilliance of life. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Shousho is from July 7 to 22.

"Nara Tōkae Festival" is held in Nara Park every summer. The lens of Hozan captures the flickering candles that participants lit one by one. Mine Kawakami plays on the Steinway, which has spent a long time at Nara Hotel in the center of Nara Park. The time to think of someone close rolls by in the summer night. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Taisho is from July 22 to August 7.

At the Beginning of Autumn (Risshuu), the hot and sunny days would continue for a while yet. It is a sunflower field in Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture, filled with gorgeous flowers under the scorching sun. We can see the signs of autumn inside of blooming sunflowers. A sudden shower passed. And in the panoramic view of Yamato Sanzan, the 3 mountains of Yamato, a rainbow appears. The sound is played on "Hyakunen (100-year-old) Piano" in the dining hall of Nara Hotel. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Risshuu is from August 7 to 23.

According to the calendar, it is already autumn. The scorching summer heatwaves are now going to end. In the rice fields of Asuka Village, rice plants are flowering, and the greenness of their leaves is dazzlingly bright. And tiny living things shine themselves also, such as grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders and frogs. When the summer sky with columns of clouds is dyed orange, a cool breeze will blow from somewhere. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Shosho is from August 23 to September 7.

At dawn in the early autumn -- Uda City, Nara Prefecture, surrounded by mountains, is blanketed in the morning mist. When you look down from a high place, it is a "sea of clouds" literally. As the sun rises, the gray waves of clouds are dramatically dyed orange at first and end up in silky white. Shining drops of the dew on flowers and leaves seem to celebrate the beginning of a new day. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Hakuro is from September 7 to 23.

In Asuka Village, around the time of the Autumnal Equinox. Thousands of Higanbana (Red spider lilies) bloom surrounding golden fields with ripe ears of rice. Red flowers cover up every pathway to make red carpets. What might glide over them, a red dragonfly or an autumn breeze? As the sun sets, the cluster of red clouds seems to absorb the color of Higanbana to change itself redder and darker. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Shuubun is from September 23 to October 8.

Gangoji is a temple of Nara City inscribed on the World Heritage list. Every autumn, countless flowers of Hagi (bush clovers) are in full bloom surrounding its main hall, a Japanese national treasure. They look like colored snowflakes dancing in the wind. And then it starts raining. Fat drops of dew on the tiny leaves glitter coldly. Wet stone Buddha statues seem to smile to bless the rain. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Kanro is from October 8 to 23.

Before daybreak at the Nara Palace Site, frost forms on the vast field where ears of Japanese silver grass have begun to stand out. The edge of the distant mountains begins to whiten, and the light shines suddenly. It's sunrise. The Suzaku-mon Gate's silhouette emerges in the sunlight. When the orange sun rises from behind the mountains and spreads into a round shape, the frost melts to become transparent beads, covering the wild chrysanthemums' petals. It's the beginning of a new day. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Soukou is from October 23 to November 7.

Around the Beginning of Winter, it is deep autumn in Tenkawa Village, Nara Prefecture. There are leaves of various colors and shapes that the morning frost edges. At the temple called Ryusen-ji, an immense number of autumn leaves fall on the water sprung from a dragon's mouth. After the maple leaves turn red and leave their mother's trunk, some sink to the bottom of the water to rest peacefully, and others float and set out on a long journey. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Rittou is from November 7 to 22.

It's early in winter at Oka-dera temple in Asuka Village. The three-storied pagoda, reconstructed in the Showa period, is now wrapped up in maple leaves. Bright sun rays clearly emphasize the redness of those leaves as the pagoda dims its vermilion color. And then, the sun goes down to dominate the sky as a gorgeous orange sunset. However, "Nothing is permanent." After sunset, when night fog covers the village, it's time for the moon. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Shousetsu is from November 22 to December 7.

It is the Heavy Snow of the 24 Solar Terms. The morning service at Kohfukuji Temple begins while it's still pitch dark outside. As the sky grows lighter, its hue changes every second. Although it is both blue and red, how does a great writer describe such delicate colors at the break of dawn? At Tobihino, the deer that cannot wait for the morning have already started their day. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Taisetsu is from December 7 to 22.

Andon-Yama Kofun Tumulus in Tenri City, where migratory birds gather, is the spot where the sun sets on the Winter Solstice. It is the season when the beginnings and ends of lives pass each other. Persimmons and mandarins ripen, foxtail grasses die, and bird's eye speedwell sprout to have lovely flowers. Death and rebirth are 2 sides of the same coin. A new year is ahead of us. What does the master of the tumulus think now? *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 and 4 (2021-22), Touji is from December 22, 2021, to January 5, 2022.

Hannyaji Temple is known as "Kosumosudera (cosmos flower temple)." During wintertime, the main flowers are daffodils. They bloom as if they are competing around the stone statues of Buddhists, which were dedicated in appreciation for curing diseases. Are those flowers praising the virtues of the Buddha or showing off their beauty? The 13-story stone pagoda, which has stood there since the Kamakura period, is towering against the crisp blue winter sky. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Shoukan is from January 5 to 20.

During the Greater Cold, Tobihino whitens its mornings. The ground covered with frost seems like a vast carpet of ice. Although the plum trees have started to blossom in the precincts of the Kasugataisha Shrine, icicles form woods at the Chozudokoro (water pavilion for hand washing). The dripping water raises the ice columns, dissolves them, and reraises them. It is the coldest season of the year. But spring is right around the corner. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Daikan is from January 20 to February 4.

There is the Fujioka Family Residence in Gojo City. This Japanese Registered Tangible Cultural Property gives us an idea of how the village headman and apothecary existed in the Edo period. It is also the house where the Haiku poet Gyokkotsu Fujioka was born. Its garden has a 250-year-old plum tree that blossoms in the cold weather and is very "old and strong." Despite freezing rain, the color of these flowers is tinged with spring. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Risshun is from February 4 to 19.

Nara Gokoku Shrine is also known as the "Camellia Shrine." Ten thousand camellia trees with flowers of various colors and shapes bloom now. Many petals of red, white and light pink float on the surface of the pond, next to the shrine. These tiny, warm-colored boats hardly ever sink, even when cold raindrops hit them. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Usui is from February 19 to March 5.

A carpet of canola flowers tells the Yamanobe-no-Michi Road that spring has come. The warm weather tempts tree frogs to come out and ladybugs to play with horsetails. Spring light fills up the field as if to compete with the yellow of the canola flowers. As the sun sets, the yellow of the flowers slowly grows darker until they become black silhouettes. But please do not worry about it. Tomorrow should be warmer than today! *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Keichitsu is from March 5 to 21.

At the Nara Basin, spring is in full bloom. Around the Yamato Sanzan (the 3 mountains of Yamato, Mt. Unebi, Mt. Miminashi and Mt. Kagu), Fujiwara-kyo, the ancient capital of Japan, once flourished. In this season, the old city ruins' protagonists are the cherry trees of Someiyoshino. They blossom here and there to color the air pink. What was the spring view like when Prince Naka no Oe watched this place? *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Shunbun is from March 21 to April 5.

It is no secret that Mount Yoshino is a famous spot for viewing cherry blossoms. Spring comes slowly there. Around the Fresh Green, various cherry trees start blossoming like a contest in the villages and on the mountain slopes. What did Emperor Go-Daigo, who built the Southern Court there, dream about while sleeping under those cherry trees?