My husband , my second son and I visited our family's grave on March 20Th,one day earlier of the spring equinox day, as one of family events, as weather forecast said it was going to rain on the following day.
According to Buddhism, it is said that on the spring equinox day people pray praising nature and for living people, besides on the autumnal one they pray for ancestors and the deads' souls.
I don't think so many Japanese are serious believers of Buddhism,including my family, though there are many who visit their family graves on the day of both of equinox.
This time I also couldn't help praying for numerous disaster victims by the biggest recorded earthquake and Tsunami unleashed by it on March 11Th in northen area in Japan.
There are often snow damage in some parts of the area, and they got hit by the devastating disaster when the long winder is at last going to over.
Our grave yard is located to near a temple, Byakugou-ji(白毫寺）, where we dropped in.
This small mountain temple is famous for a camellia tree that has five different coloured flowers, red, white, pink, white with red stains and red with white stains, as a result of graft in the tree.
Unfortunately the buds of it are not yet loosen, though some other sorts of camellia blossomed out in various ways.
And a sort of cherry tree, Kan-zakura, which flourishes in a cold season"Kan", had some white serene flowers.
雪消（け）ぬとう訳にはゆかぬ北方の被災思えり寒桜咲き
A cherry tree has its flowers like some snow flakes
in a cloudy morning
that let me think about the sufferers in the boreal
whose untold disasters are like huge icy rocks
It is my sincere wish that a speedy restoration and support will bring back the victims their peace and normal days sooner.
18 件のコメント:
Hello!
Beautiful and interesting.
Thank you... and have a wonderful day.
I pay a visit to ancestors’ grave on both Equinox Day, without knowing the difference you mentioned, to thank for the ancestors and pray for living people. I, too, prayed for the victims both dead and alive.
I haven’t seen Goshiki Tsubaki in person. The picture is the flower of red with white stains? Its texture looks stronger than the soft pink one.
Snowflake-like higan zakura reminds me of Tohoku people exposed to the coldness of sadness and danger. Very touching tanka.
I have been to this temple several times on the way from Kasuga primeval forest. It is in good location overlooking Nara city.
I haven't been lucky enough to come across a camellia with five different colored flowers in full bloom, but in autumn Hagi flowers along the stairs were beautiful.
I also sincerely prayed for the recovery from this unprecedented disaster of our country, wishing for easing the hardship of survivors.
Hello,haricot.
Very touching tanka. The beautiful east cost line of Japan was the place where my husband and I occasionally traveled, while our son lived in Sendai as a University student. It is very serious regarding leak of radiation in Kantou area. However, it is sure that the Japanese have become one to overcome this disaster.
Your camellias are beautifully taken. I love the pink one.
A very moving post.
Mme la Vache lived in Japan for 15 years. Her son, her brother and her mother are still living there. They were far enough from the earthquake and tsunami that they were unharmed.
Louis is right. This is a very moving post and a great blog. I have some friends in Tokyo and in Hiroshima. They were unharmed. What a horrible tragedy. Bon courage to you.
Thank you for visiting this blog,andreiraduM.
I visited your site on the disaster and saw the video, though it was difficult for me to read your text unfortunately.
Thank you for your comment, stardust.
The camellia at the left is of another tree, and I did not find any name plate on it. Probably the texture is a little bit harder than that of pink one, I think.
Thank you, cosmos.
I suppose many Japanese on the equinox day prayed for the victims' souls and survivors. It is the time when people who evaded the disastrous situation think and do anything what we can to support them.
Thank you, redrose.
I suppose that your experience of the beauty of these region makes your grief deeper...
And we can't foresee what will happen regarding the unstable condition of leak of radioactivity.
Difficult time, though the survivors' ways of manner are so touching. It is hope. The name of the pink one is "akebono".
Thank you,Louis la Vache.
You and Mme worried so much about them, I suppose.
Now the consequence started to have influence upon whole the country, though at the same time we can cooperate and do endure with them now.
Enchantee
Merci beaucoup pour votre gentil comment, Marie.
J'en essayer.
This is a beautiful blog. I went to see Mononofu Tubaki, Samurai warrior Camellia in Bukko-ji Temple.
I have not visited any blogs nor written comments. Just I could not do so. I'm thinking what I can do. When I heard the news of nuclear plant crisis at first, I got a very bad feeling. Now it is coming true one by one.
Thank you, snowwhite.
I know that you are doing as a volunteer translation on face book for this disaster. It's courageous! I'm doing economisation of electricity and finance and would like to donate little by little constantly.
There is a very transparent atmosphere.
It is space appropriate for the prayer...
I went Tohoku area last year to see cherry blossom. We visited Akita,Aomori,Iwate,Miyagi. In Tohoku when spring comes after a long winter, a lot of kind of flowers bloom at once. They are very beautiful and cherry blossom are especially.I was wondering if they hold "sakura festival" like last year. I heard they do it at Hirosaki-Castle. it's bright sign. I pray victims regain from the desaster.
Thank you, ruma , for this comment.
I like the atmosphere of this small temple, and it was my husband's father's favorite place, too.
Thank you, sarah, for your comment.
Yes, the season of cherry blossoms has arrived in Japan. They will bloom in the northen area soon. I hope they will brighten people's hearts in such difficult time of living.
コメントを投稿