🌿ROYAL ESCAPE🙏
Cherry blossoms aren't the only flowers in town🤔
For two brief periods each year the once-imperial nunnery of Reikan-ji (霊鑑寺) opens its gate to the public.
Until April 7th visitors can enjoy over 100 species of camellia dotted around the hillside gardens.
Camellia flowers inspire a mind-boggling number of traditional sweets.
The most famous, and one of the oldest (an early version featuring in 'The Tale of Genji'), is 'tsubaki-mochi' (椿餅).
Now a rather delicate sweet, in 'The Tale of Genji' Tsubaki-mochi are described as being eaten as a light meal. Camellia leaves were used to pick up the sticky dumplings (originally made from rice powder and 'amazura' 甘葛 ivy sap syrup).
Over time sweet bean paste was added.
winter wind-
camellia blossoms have fixed
their make-up
木がらしや椿は花の身づくろひ
-Kobayashi Issa, 1824.
Trans. David G. Lanoue.
Although predominantly considered a winter plant, camellias can be seen blooming for a large part of the year (from late fall to mid-spring)🙌
In 1644 Tōfukumon-in, consort of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, was bequeathed the old hermitage of Jimyōin Motoko (持明院基子 ?-1644).
She suggested the emperor construct a new temple, and so in 1654 he established Reikan-ji (霊鑑寺) with his daughter Gekkō Sōchō (月江宗澄) as founding head.
Reikan-ji (霊鑑寺) is named after a sacred mirror enshrined in its main hall. The mirror was a relic of Nyoi-ji (如意寺/如意輪寺), a wealthy temple complex that originally stood on the site and spread all the way across the mountain (Nyoigadake 如意ヶ嶽, aka Daimonji-yama 大文字).
Likely founded by Enchin (円珍 814-91) as an offshoot of Mii-dera, Nyoi-ji was lavished with imperial support.
During its late 12thC golden age, Nyoi-ji's precincts spread across the mountains to its parent temple. Caught up in numerous conflicts, by the Ōnin War it had vanished.
Camellia Tea Ceremony
Martin Rundkvist