KYOTO NOW:SOEI Patent & Law Firm

 I went to see the plum blossoms in Kitano Tenmangu.

The blossoms were at their peak and the place was very busy with lots of visitors.
The plum tree in the left photograph——probably called a weeping plum——was just amazing.

Here, people are queuing up in front of the main shrine to pray. I joined them, of course, and prayed solemnly for a colleague in our Kyoto office so that he may pass his patent attorney examination, and for myself so that I could get a high score in the TOEIC test I might be taking. I went through the ritual of bowing twice, clapping twice and bowing once at the end.

I also made a visit to Daitoku-ji, which is close-by. The temple grounds here is huge with 21 tatchu or sub-temples. This photograph shows the gates of Daisen-in, one of the tatchu. I went inside and had a look, but, unfortunately, it was forbidden to take photographs.

There is a tea room inside the main hall of Daisen-in where it’s said that Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Sen no Rikyu actually enjoyed tea ceremonies a long, long time ago. It was here that one day Hideyoshi told Rikyu to arrange some flowers, but instead of placing them in the usual place in the tokonoma (alcove) of the tea room, Rikyu poured some water over a flat stone in the garden in front and placed some flowers there. Isn’t that elegant?

I was wondering why there were so many people wearing kimono in the grounds of Daitoku-ji, and realized that today was the day of the memorial tea ceremony for Rikyu by Urasenke. It must be quite an experience to take part in a tea ceremony in the temple associated with Rikyu.

Spring is nearly there.