2012年7月5日木曜日

at a grand temple, Tōshōdai-ji

Today I came to Tōshōdai-ji (唐招提寺) which is located in southwest in Nara city. The gate came within sight by a road in local and rustic town.


 
The main hall called Golden hall has eight stout columns at its facade, and they, as well as the shape of the roof with tiles, make this architecture significant .


 


This temple was established in 759 by Ganjin( 鑑真)(688~763) who had been a high Buddhist priest in China. According to the leaflet, " Ganjin Wajo decided to go to Japan. Overcoming the hardship that even took the loss of his eyesight, he crossed the ocean to arrive in Japan on his sixth such attempt in 753."


It is said that the difficulty for Ganjin was not only to travel overseas but also to leave China as he was already well known and important priest for his mother country.



As for travelling overseas I remember the scene, in a novel「天平の甍」"Tenpyo- no- iraka"(Tenpyo is a period , iraka means tiles on a roof), that massive numbers of handwritten books are sinking in the sea when the ship was wrecked.


The novel tells the story of Ganjin and also of ambitious Japanese students who went to China to learn. They dedicated themselves to write down Buddhism doctrine, as it was the main subject for them to learn at that era, and many of them got older until finally they came to be able to go back to Japan with their manuscripts. And then the travel itself was a great obstacle for them.

Many years have passed since I read the novel, yet I remember clearly the scene of the books sinking .
 
There are greenery yard and several paths in the precincts. Hundreds of leaves are flowing in the breeze.
 
 


It is said that haiku poet Bashō(1644~1694) wrote the following haiku facing up to the Seated Stature of Ganjin.






青葉しておん目の雫ぬぐはばや


I wish

I could wipe your eyes

with a green leaf

 
 

  One of the paths led me to a yard where lotus were planted in some pots.
Some  are not yet blooming and some are flourish.

 As it is often said lotus flowers are symbolic for enlightenment, for the bright bloom after growing in the mud. Ganjin must have seen the brightness with his mental eyes.






Getting back to columns at the Golden hall, there is a stone at a corner of the precincts and the inscribed on it is a tanka by Yaich Aizu(1881~1956)in regard to these columns. 
 
おおてらの まろきはしらの つきかげを. つちにふみつつ ものをこそおもへ 会津 八一

Stepping on the shadows

of columns

at the grand temple

in a moon light

I think now is the time to ponder




The archtectures of  Tōshōdai-ji were designated World Heritage site in 1998.




25 件のコメント:

Sy さんのコメント...

These photos are beautiful! I'd love to visit Japan one day. Seems like such a beautiful place, rich in history and folklore. At uni I did a one year course on Japanese politics and popular culture, for one of my assignments I did a piece on Japanese poetry and literature. It was facinating!

Z さんのコメント...

What a beautiful place, Haricot, and so peaceful.

Jen さんのコメント...

The imagery of the handwritten books sinking is very powerful! How amazing that he made 6 attempts. I love the way you weave together nature, history and poetry here. The haiku is very moving, and I love the line "I think now is the time to ponder."

xo,

Jen

☆sapphire さんのコメント...

Thanks a lot for this Toshodaiji post! Oh So glad that it has been beautifully renovated!! The temples in Nara are usually much larger and grander than those in Kyoto. I always feel refreshed while walking on the extensive grounds of such temples. The lotus floweres are lovely!!

2008年に妹と奈良へ行ったとき、唐招提寺、幌をかぶっていたので、パスをしたのを思い出します。嬉しいです。大改修が無事に終わって。私は古墳をめぐるのが好きで、この近くの垂仁天皇陵やらをぷらぷら巡りながら、薬師寺・唐招提寺へと西の京の道をよく歩いた若かりし頃(笑)がなつかしいです。大好きです、唐招提寺!

stardust さんのコメント...

唐招提寺は大好きなお寺の一つです。湿気でさらに色が深く見える八本の柱はまさに壮観ですね。開山忌に御影堂の東山魁夷画伯の障壁画「濤声」を眺めていると波の音が聞こえ、鑑真和上が偲ばれます。芭蕉も鑑真和上を拝まれたのですね。蓮の花が咲くともう夏だなと感じます。

cosmos さんのコメント...

唐招提寺はもう何十年も訪れていません。今行けば、どのように感じるのか少し楽しみでもあります。是非行ってみます。ハスの花も楽しみです。

Celeste さんのコメント...

Un merveilleux endroit qui aspire à la sérénité.......
J'aime beaucoup les photos de lotus qui pour moi est la fleur "divine"
Je vous souhaite un bon weekend.
Amicalement Celeste

Dave King さんのコメント...

Wonderful imagery of Golden Hall.
Basho's Haiku is, of course, fine, but the tankf probably the top spot. It is both beautiful and profound.

haricot さんのコメント...

Sy
I'm glad to hear your experience of study Japanese literature and culture in University.
Now I'm belonged to reading class in which we can learn English literature.

Z
Thank you for your visiting. This place is calm and few visitors except the terms some events are held in, and the enviroment makes me happy.

Jen

Thank you for your heartful comment as usal. I'm glad to hear your opinion about what I described and the poems I chose.

sapphire
そうそう大修理のことを書きませんでしたね。この2年間ほどかけて仏像も解体修理されとようです。それまでにも手を加えて保存されてきているのでしょうが、あまりそのことを感じさせない趣があります。わたしも好きなお寺です。コメントありがとうございました。

stardust
東山魁夷画伯の絵は実物よりずっと大きく感じられますね。晩成の画家ということもすごいと思います。
奈良のお寺や博物館の中庭などで蓮が見られるのは嬉しいですね。

cosmos

行事がないときは人が少ないのも嬉しい要素の一つです。
もう少しシックな写真が撮れたらなあといつも思うのですが、、、。

Celeste

J'ai vu "water lily" dans votre blog. Elle est tres belle aussi!
Bon demanche a vous et merci beaucoup pour votre commentaire tres gentile!

Dave

Thank you for your reading.
I like this tanka very much, and I think you would like Basho's other haikus, and you would understand his spirit better than I.

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

❤✿•.¸•.¸¸
Muito, muito bonito.
Principalmente as flores.
♡ Boa semana!
Beijinhos.
Brasil
✿•.¸¸✿⊱╮

haricot さんのコメント...

Magia

Thank you very much. I'm glad to hear you like the flowers ♬

sarah さんのコメント...

この前薬師寺へ行った後唐招提寺をおとずれたのですが、閉門時間でした。残念。又ゆっくりいってみます。今は、お写真から、青葉とはすがとてもきれいですね。柱もエンタシス?なんですね。

haricot さんのコメント...

sarah

どうもありがとうございます。
これから厚さが厳しくなりますので、萩の季節もいいと思いますよ。

ruma さんのコメント...

Hello, haricot.

  It is my joy to share your wonderful work.
  And sweet message charms my heart.

  I pray for your happiness and world peace.

Have a good weekend. ruma ❃

今、この一瞬を さんのコメント...

蓮の色は、本当に深遠な雰囲気を持っています。
淡いような、濃いような・・・。

柔らかなタッチの撮影です。

haricot さんのコメント...

ruma

As the news report about the flood in Shiga prefecture, I was anxious about you and tried to write Email for you. Now I'm relieved to see your kind comment here.
Thank you very much.

今この一瞬を

蓮の姿は美しいですが、それを撮影するとなるとなかなかうまくいきません、、、。
コメントありがとうございます。

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

¸❤✿•.¸
♥ Bom fim de semana!
♡ Beijinhos.
Brasil

snowwhite さんのコメント...

The main hall of the temple is one of my favorite structures. Last year I came here to enjoy lotus flowers, but I could not see the flowers of precious kinds, 孫文蓮 or 奈良蓮 and so on. Many temples grow lotus flowers, but i think lotus flowers fit this temple the most because of Ganjin. I am very happy to travel this lovely temple. Thanks a lot.

keiko

haricot さんのコメント...

Magia
Thanks (^^)¸❤✿•.

sowwhite
I remember your post of this temple on a rainy day. They were chic photos, and I really want to take some photos like yours!
Thank you for visiting.

Elena di V. さんのコメント...

So peaceful, so rich coloured!.. I love those geometric shapes and poetry lines. Thank you very much!

haricot さんのコメント...

Elena
Thank you for your visit.
The place was calm and classical.
I'm not Buddhist but it is fine to be there thinkng about the great priest.

Minoru さんのコメント...

こんばんは。 初めまして。素晴らしいブログと英語に感動致しました。
 この様にたんかや俳句を英訳できたら楽しいだろうと思います。
 ブログを見させていただいたきっかけはブログのタイトルです。
 あわて者の私はHaircut Tanaka. と書いて有る様に見えました。

haricot さんのコメント...

Minoru
どうもありがとうございます。
そうですね、、、英訳は何かアイデアが浮かぶと面白いのですが、どうしても説明調になってしまいがちで、すっぱりとしたに訳はなかなか到達しません。他の方の詩のブログなども読んだりするのですが、、、。

In My Wild Eden さんのコメント...

It all feels so peaceful. The story about the sinking books made me sad.

haricot さんのコメント...

Lisa
Thank you for your kind comment.
Yes, the scene is very sad, though their enthusiasm is great...