Cherry blossoms in Daigo-ji Temple: “Joucho” and Brightness


The most popular place for cherry blossom viewing in Japan is certainly Kyoto, and the most popular spot for cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto is surely Daigo-ji Temple.


In Daigo-ji Temple there are a lot of cherry trees, especially weeping cherry blossoms are popular. When they are in full bloom a countless number of visitors close in and fill up the wide grounds. It goes without saying the beauty of cherry blossoms, moreover, magnificent wooden buildings of the old temple add rhythms and harmonies to the beauty of the cherry blossoms. This temple was built by a disciple of Kukai in 874 and there are a lot of buildings and Buddhist statues of national or significant treasures. And this is one of the world heritage sites.


So visitors can enjoy seeing cherry blossoms and Buddhist buildings and looking at a lot of treasures, and, of course, they can pray.



“Joucho” during cherry blossom viewing


After strolling around the grounds my wife and I had lunch at a restaurant in the temple. Even though in a temple (normally, meats and fishes are prohibited) we had dishes with meats. It is suitable for foreigners.


While sipping coffee and relaxing after the meal, from a big weeping cherry tree, a gentle breeze brought some cherry petals in the air, so I felt a kind of sensibility which was different from an emotion in a flash moment. In the moment there was no self but sensibility in my minds. The sensibility in the moment was “joucho” in Japanese. It is difficult to explain joucho, but I dare say that joucho is a harmony made between humans and nature. It was outside of joy, anger, pathos and humor. Even if it isn’t easy for foreigners to grasp such a sensibility at one time, please challenge yourself to sense joucho on looking at cherry blossom petals floating by. It is not to reflect it on your mind but to transfer your feeling into nature. A tip is to take a few seconds to be silent. It is difficult to say words, then, please try. If you can sense it, your mind shall become relaxed.


A few days after this viewing I met my friend, Frank, and I told him about my experience. Best of all, he had the same experience. He came to Japan from Australia, and when he saw cherry blossoms for the first time he thought cherry blossoms were pinky trees. But yet the more times he saw them, the deeper he felt from them. At last five years ago while viewing petals of cherry blossoms floating his feeling was transferred into nature in a while. He said;”it’s beauty in death”.


Magnificent gardens made for welcoming an emperor


This origin of the popularity of cherry blossom viewing in Daigo-ji Temple is the planning of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. He unified Japan in the warring states period and this reached it climax in that time. He planned to welcome an emperor to Daigo-ji Temple. Then he built the wide and gorgeous cherry blossom temple-garden. Two paulownia leaves in the picture above show the emblems of Toyotomi family. We can see them around the garden.


He designed another monument for welcoming the emperor, and it was for flaunting his power as well.


Please look at the picture above. The gate in this picture shows two emblems. One is the paulownia of the Toyotomi family and the other is the chrysanthemum of the emperor’s family. By lining up these emblems, instead, by putting his emblems in the center he flaunted his superiority.


He built a Japanese garden as well. This garden is different from fuedal-lord gardens in the following period, the Edo period, and Zen Gardens in the previous period, the Muromachi period. It merges the spirit of Zen, the spirit of imperialism and the spirit of the samurai, but more than these things the bright characteristics of Hideyoshi show in the garden, I think. I felt enjoyment rather than spirituality sitting in front of this garden. If you like Zen gardens, to feel something other from this garden will be interesting for you.


The climax event in the welcoming party was the collecting party of Japanese poems (such events have been continued by historical Emperors). Hideyoshi wrote three Japanese poems. This is one of them below.

“Miyuki-yama”, white cherry blossoms and petals like snow are so beautiful


Then I am sorry to go back


But shall I forget today’s cherries someday?




※Miyuki-yama means a hill of miyuki. The hill means a place. Miyuki has two meanings. One is the event that an emperor visits somewhere, in this case it means the welcoming party by Hideyoshi. The other means beautiful snow. Hideyoshi named this party “snow” instead of cherry blossoms.

This Japanese poem is simple and comprehensive rather than the ones by Imperial Court members. However it shows minimum intelligence in order to rank among Imperial Court members. It shows that Hideyoshi had strategic thoughts to win battles and rationality to manage brave samurai lords, but also intensive training in culture.

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