Kyoto Sakura

Soundtrack: Pablo Casals Kol Nidrei


Two weeks ago (yes I'm behind, but with good reason that will be explained later) I spent the weekend in Kyoto with family. We all got together to enjoy the annual Hanami (花見)
or Sakura (櫻) Cherry Blossom viewing. The kanji for Hanami actually translates directly into "flower" (花) "viewing" (見). They are in bloom for about 2 week (depends on the weather of course) but Hanami tends to happen in 1 of 2 weekends bookending the blossom period.
My first day in Kytot was brief, I arrived late on the Shinkansen from Tokyo with one of my cousins from Tokyo. We went out to dinner at Al Camino (I know linking to myself is bad form, but I'm saving you from another gushing review). The next day we had a delightful breakfast, and spent pre-lunch time sightseeing.
The first stop was Adashino Nenbutsu-ji Temple (化野念仏寺). This is an ancient (9th century) cemetary, complete with bamboo forest and new "modern" cemetery attached. Created by Kukai (774-835), the founder of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism, it evolved to become a monastery for Amida Buddhism. In the 12th Century, Honen (法然), the founder of Pure Buddhism (or Jodo Shu) fully transformed it into a school. The large Buddha is from the Kamakura period (1183-1392), and the main temple was built in 1712.
It is incredibly beautiful, and I've attached some photos. Kyoto is a fantastic city, and this section, nestled in the mountains was only a few minutes car ride away from downtown, but it felt like it was worlds away.
There are about 8,000 stone Buddhas throughout the temple, many still being discovered scattered throughout the bamboo forest. The interesting thing about many of these stones is that Buddha gravestones are traditionally marked with the names of the deceased, but these bare no traces of any such markings.
Annually, on my Birthday actually, they have a 1,000 candle offering (Sento-kuyo) to these stone Buddha who are in honor of their possessing the spirits of the deceased. I'd love to get back and see this.
Next up: Ghi-ohji, a moss temple that was within walking distance of Adashino Nenbutsu-ji. This is a latter period temple (12th century). It reached it pinnacle of publicity when the poet Heiki Monogatari composed a story about the 2 sisters Shirabyoshi (singers/dancers) and their mother who all became nuns at Ghi-Ohji after the temple fell out of favor of the ruling lord of that area.
This tale was actually mirrored in a recent story of a Geisha, Chishoni, who became a nun to take care of Ghi-ohji after it had been untended for decades.
Next up, lunch in the Meditation Halls of Tenryu-ji, the head temple of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. Tenryu-ji is fantastically beautiful, and the cherry blossoms were an incredible addition.
The meditation hall is a new building (built last 20 years) and is separated from the main buildings by a sprawling pond. The hall has a private koi pond, with some truly monstrously sized Koi (black being the largest, with the white and orange koi being much smaller).
On to the festivities, we all enjoyed Tamano Hikari (the family brand) and went around introducing ourselves, and somehow I got conned into making the toast. It went well, but the art of the toast in English is very different than the Japanese method.
The food was fascinating, and a monk came to greet us, explain some of the history of the temple and the food. My understanding is that this food is designed to "eat to live" rather than the excess of "living to eat." The food is divided into 6 basic flavors: bitter, sour, sweet, salty, light and hot. Other disciplines are applied, such as the food is designed to be "light an flexible, clean and neat, conscientious and through." Needless to say, it was entirely vegetarian, and ingredients with strong odors were not included.
I found one mantra to describe their philosophy inscribed in english:

"First, let us reflect on out own work,
let us see whence this comes;
Secondly, let us reflect how imperfect our
virtue is, whether we deserve this offering;
Thirdly, what is most essential is to hold
our minds in control and be detached
from the various faults, greed, etc.
Fourthly, that this is taken as medicinal
is to keep our bodies in god health;
Fifthly, in order to accomplish the task of
enlightenment, we accept this food."

After this unforgettable lunch, we walked through the adjoining grounds of Tenryu-ji, past were my mother had a similar Hanami lunch with her relatives when she was a teenager. We walked along a neighboring river, crowded with boats viewing the sakura from the river.
I bid my farewells here, and caught the shinkansen back to Tokyo.