FROM THE GARDEN OF ZEN: 2025

March 29, 2025

Tamanawa-zakura (Prunus x yedoensis 'Tamanawa-zakura') : Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Koubai (Japanese red apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Hakubai (Japanese white apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Koubai (Japanese red apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Hakubai (Japanese white apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Koubai (Japanese red apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Hakubai (white Japanese apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

February 24, 2025

Koubai (red japanese apricot) flowers: Kencho-ji

In the garden of this historic Zen temple, as if to joyously herald the long-awaited arrival of spring, the early-flowering apricot tree has begun blooming vigorously in response to the stealthy increase in temperature and sunlight. They have been quietly preparing to bloom during the gloomy winter to welcome the bright newborn spring.

The Earth orbits around the Sun over the course of a year. As the Earth orbits, the way in which the Earth and the Sun face each other continually changes, which brings about the endless parade of the seasons.

The seasons are turning ceaselessly as they always do. As always, the sleeping plants, which have silently survived the winter, are just waking up and steadily opening their fresh leaves and bright flowers one after another to resume their stories of life for flourishing lively.

Image of Jizo Bosatsu (Kshitigarbha): Kencho-ji

This seated statue of Jizo Bosatsu (Jizo Bodhisattva), which is the Honzon (principal deity) of Kencho-ji Temple, is housed in the exquisitely constructed wooden Buddhist hall. It is very rare in the Zen temples of Japan for a Jizo Bosatsu image to be the principal object of worship.

This Buddhist guadian-deity (371.5 cm high) is made by "Mokushin kanshitsu-zukuri" method (dried lacquer over wood-core) and is thought to have been made in the Muromachi period (1336-1573). With this shaping technique, the general shape of a statue is carved out of wood and finished off with a layer of wood shavings and Japanese lacquer on top of it.

Although the common principal image of Zen temples of Japan is usually Shakyamuni Buddha or Vairocana Buddha, but Kencho-ji Temple have had Jizo Bosatsu as its principal image, because this temple was built in the place of the old Jizodo hall which had stood to console the dead souls in the execution site called Jigoku-dani (hell valley). Jizo Bosatsu performs his sacred mission of relieving dead children, slain travellers and decreased persons from the underworld.

In Japan, the Buddhist images made with the use of Kansitu-zukuri (dry-lacquer techinique) were very popular during the Nara period (710-794), because the plasticity of the materials was matched the realistic style of the statues. But this technique was gradually declined as it was time-consuming and its materials (especially japanese lacquer) was scarce.

Mokushin-kanshitu statues had been produced since the early Heian period. In the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1336-1573) periods, with the rise of the trade between Japan and the Sung dynasty, many Chinese Zen monks including Rankei Doryu (the founder of Kencho-ji) were invited to Japan from the Sung dynasty, and Zen temples were built in Kamakura and Kyoto under the teaching of these monks. The Buddhist images in the style of Mokusin-kanshitu are said to be influenced by the modeling technique of the Sung dynasty.

This seated statue of Jizo Bosatsu is said to have been created in the Muromachi period, and is characterized by the vestment style called "Hoe Suika" in which the sleeves and hem of the robe are hung down. This Sung-Dynasty style vestment of Buddha images was popular in the Kamakura region from the Nanbokucho (Northern and Southern Dynasties) to the early Muromachi period (1336-1573).

Butsu-den (Buddha hall): Kencho-ji

In Kamakura period (1185-1333), in course of the trade between Japan and Song Dynasty of China, Chinese Zen masters were actively invited to Kamakura to introduce Zen Buddhism in Japan. Zen Buddhism is the sect of Mahayana Buddhism which asserts that spiritual awakening from delusions can only come through deep meditation and intuition without words and letters.

Along with this arrival of Zen masters, the products of Chinese culture and the architecture style of Chinese Zen temples at that time were introduced into Japan.

In Japan, as in the case of the Shariden hall (National treasure) of Engaku-ji Temple in Kamakura, the architecture of Zen temples typically adopted the austere and sturdy style called Zenshu-yo (traditional Zen-sect-style architecture).

However, this Butsuden (Buddha hall) of Kencho-ji Temple, which enshrines its principal image (Jizo Bosatsu), seems to be graceful and decorative in comparison with the traditional Zen-style buildings. Its style looks like that of the buildings of Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine (1636) which is a typical architecture style after mid-late Edo period.

According to the description presented in the official web site of Kencho-ji, this Butsuden building is said to be the fourth building since its initial construction. In 1647, Kencho-ji took over the Mitamaya (mausoleum) of the wife (Oe no Kata) of the second Tokugawa Shogun. This mausoleum was originally located at Zojo-ji Temple in Shiba, Edo (Tokyo). On the occasion of the rebuilding of the mausoleum, this beautiful building was given to this temple together with the Karamon (Chinese-style gate).

Image of Bodhidharma: Kencho-ji

Bathed in the bright afternoon sunlight, the black granite statue of Bodhidharma (Daruma) sinking in deep meditation is placed beside the winter bamboo grove.

This image of Bodhidharma seems to represent his ascetic Zen practice to seek true enlightenment by continuing to sit in meditation alone while gazing the rock wall in a dark and narrow cave.

Bodhidharma, the founder of Chinese Zen Buddhism, is said to have been a Brahman from India. He traveled to China in the early 6th century and taught Zen in various places.

It is said that he spent nine years for performing his intense Zen meditation for entering nirvana, at Suzan Shorin-ji Temple in the outskirts of Luoyang.

In the Shaolin Temple, there is a small cave called "Daruma-Cave" behind the Hatsuzo-an hermitage on the hillside of Gonyu Peak. This cave is said to be the place where Bodhidharma kept performing the rigorous practice of Menpeki (facing the rock wall for meditation).

Winter bamboo grove: Kencho-ji

Hakubai (white japanese apricot) flowers: Engaku-ji

Roubai (winter sweet) flowers: Engaku-ji

Earlier than any of the spring flowers, the small golden flowers of Robai are innocently blooming to welcome the new spring in the chilly air.

Before my finding these flowers, they let me notice their graceful opening by their faint and pleasant scent in the first south wind and gently announce the secret arrival of the delightful spring.

Koubai (red japanese apricot) flowers: Engaku-ji

Suisen (narcissus) flowers and Tsukubai (wash basin):Engaku-ji

Hakubai (white Japanese apricot) flowers: Tsurugaoka-hachimangu

Koubai (red Japanese apricot) flowers: Tsurugaoka-hachimangu

Hakubai (white Japanese apricot) flowers: Tsurugaoka-hachimangu

Fuyu-botan (winter peony): Tsurugaoka-hachimangu

Botan (peony) flowers are originally bloom in early summer. They magnificently bloom from April to May in Japan, flowering after fresh green leaves appear.

In China and Asian cultural regions, they have long been admired as "the king of a hundred flowers", "the flower of wealth and beauty" etc.

Huyu-botan (winter peony) is the traditional Japanese horticultural species, which is artificially grown with spending time and effort to bloom in cold winter. These graceful and auspicious flowers make us enjoy beautiful colors and shapes in the shady winter when the colorful flowers almost disappear.

These fragile peony flowers are enclosed in the Wara-bocchi (straw umbrella) to protect them from the coldness of the winter.