Kamakura Essays in Idleness ~Bamboo temple in Kamakura~

Last Saturday, I visited 報国寺(Houkoku-ji-temple) which is also called as Take-dera(Bamboo temple) with my friend. They have a great garden where you can enjoy landscape and sound of bamboo, drinking a green tea. This garden was one of bests among gardens I've visited.



When we arrived at Houkokuji's gate, bush warblers were singing. I said "little cuckoo", but I found they were warblers. "Warblers" sounds strange to me because they are うぐいす to me.



I composed a tanka-s after I arrived home. One was very good, I think. So I show you the other inferior one. I want to post better one to contest, so I can't show it you here.



鶯の声は写真に入らねど

笑み和やかに竹寺の門



うぐいすのこえはしゃしんにはいらねど

えみなごやかにたけでらのもん



(I tried to translate it into English.)

We can't take a picture of songs by Uguisu,

but smiles are genial at Bamboo temple's gate.



Houkoku-ji is a temple of Rinzai-sect(Zen Buddhism). There are many temples whose names are Houkokuji in Japan. Hence, you should remember the Houkokuji is in Kamakura and called as "竹寺(Bamboo temple). It seems the Houkokuji was established in 1334 by 足利家時(Ashikaga Ietoki) who was a grandfather of 足利尊氏(Ashikaga Takauji) who established Ashikaga Shogunate.



In the temple, there were many 孟宗竹(mousou bamboo). When strongish wind blew, bamboos became a percussion instrument with murmurs overhead. There must be much negative ion generated by the forest. I enjoyed the view, drinking Maccya green tea. I became to want to live in the temple. I'll upload pictures of the trip little by little.



It is said Mousouchiku's bloom cycle may be 67 years. last time, They bloomed in Shouwa 40s. That is, we can enjoy the garden at least for 20 years or so. Bamboo is a bent grass. Once they bloom, all bamboos blight, as I recall. In fact, I haven't seen any flowers of bamboo with the naked eye, and I don't know much about it.



Anyway, the sounds of the bamboo forest were great, greater than greatest. I took a movie though, the sound quality is not good and I think it is better not to upload it this time. Maybe, the sounds of bamboos were greater than any instruments I've ever hard.



I think I've visited a similar garden in Kyoto, but I don't remember exactly, that is this garden is better than Kyoto's one , I guess.



I and my friend visited there in midmorning after rain. It was a best timing to enjoy gardens. Rain drops cleaned up leaves and it gave moisture to the forest and optical reflections, even though water drops had gone already. My friend once studied Sadou, and it was lucky I could study about it a bit. When I was a kindergarden kid, I was forced to study it, but I've forgotten it perfectly. I'm not sure which school I studied. Just I used to enjoy to eat Japanese cakes at that time. And we went to Jyoumyou-ji-temple and enjoy a Karesansui(dry garden), drinking a green tea. That's enough for today.



Have a nice day.



I took the photo at Houkoku-ji-temple in Kamakura.