Autumn in Japan : Autumnal color of an ancient city

＜　The complete view of the precinct of temple “ Eikando”　＞

I went to Eikando in Kyoto, because I wanted to see autumnal color.

The wonderful scenes are introduced with some pictures.

The autumnal color of the garden blazed up by fine weather.

The temple, the pond, and the garden were wrapped in red and a yellow and green color, and I feel my heart lift.

 

紅葉が見たくて、京都の永観堂に行って来ました。

素晴らしい景色を紹介します。

庭園の紅葉はさらに燃え上がりました。

寺院、池、庭園は赤、黄、緑の色に包まれ、私の心は晴れて行きました。

 

This Buddhist temple is located at the foot of Higashiyama in Kyoto. 

The origin goes back about 1000 years ago. This is an exercise hall for Buddhist invocation, and deifies an Amitabha that is one of all fathers. 

With the upper photograph, a two-storied pagoda is visible to a left hillside and a big temple in the center.

 

この仏教寺院は京都の東山の麓にあります。

その起源は約１０００年前に遡ります。ここは称名念仏の道場であり、最高神の一つ阿弥陀様を祀っています。 

上の写真で、左の山腹に多宝塔、中央に大寺院がある。

＜　a pictorial map of the precincts of the temple　＞

＜　the precinct with autumnal color of leaves and the city of Kyoto ＞

＜　crimson autumnal color of leaves　＞

＜　The leaves of a crimson maple　＞

＜　The mossy rock and autumnal color of leaves　＞

 

＜　A small dry landscape garden and autumnal color of leaves ＞

＜　The autumnal leaves and deep green that look beautiful in a backlight ＞

＜　The vermilion of a temple and the autumnal color of leaves ＞

＜　yellow of a ginkgo tree and autumnal color of leaves　＞

＜　coloring of the trees of a courtyard surrounding a pond　＞

＜　The pond where a mandarin ducks and a carp play　＞

While I was walking along this garden, I felt my heart lift.

By the way, the beauty of the garden filled with crimson is a temporary thing.

Possibly the priest of the temple tried to express prayerful ecstasy like the ephemeral beauty blazed up.

This garden structure has exquisite and extraordinary consideration.

The autumnal leaves even have deep red and a yellowish brown, yellow, and green color.

Moreover, the deep green of moss and the pine, the shining yellow of ginkgo tree pull out each beauty. 

And a pond, a dry landscape garden and a temple, a roofed passage, and the stairs of a stone also harmonize with autumnal color of leaves.

 

This may be one of the essences of Japanese culture and the Buddhist culture which people hold.

この庭園を歩いていて、私の心は高揚して行きました。

ところで、真紅で埋め尽くされた庭園の美しさは一時だけのものです。

寺の僧侶はこの刹那に、燃え上がる美しさのような法悦を表現しようとしたのかもしれません。

この庭園造りには絶妙で途方もない心遣いがある。

紅葉する樹さえ濃い赤、柿色、黄色、緑の色とりどりがある。

また銀杏の輝く黄色、苔や松の濃い緑が、それぞれの美しさを引き出す。

また、池や枯山水、寺院や渡り廊下、石の階段も紅葉と調和する。

これは日本文化、庶民が抱く仏教文化の真髄の一つかも知れない。