Camellia Tea Ceremony🌸KYŌTO'S LAST CHERRY BLOSSOMS🌸
drowsy spring
begins with
Omuro’s flowers
ねぶたさの春は御室の花よりぞ
-Yosa Buson (与謝蕪村 1716-84).
Ninna-ji's (仁和寺) grove of cherry trees are some of the last to bloom in the city, bringing sakura season to a dramatic close.
flowers in full bloom
the paths of Omuro
bustling with people
花盛り御室の路の人通り
-Dōkei (桐渓).
This poem seems rather apt. Just a few years ago the grounds would have been a checkerboard of picnic blankets, with drunken revelers napping on benches and children playing.
Reaching their peak (typically) around mid-April, the temple's groves of cherry trees are the last to bloom within the city.
Known as 'Omuro-zakura' (御室桜), Ninna-ji's trees are uniquely stunted, growing to only around 2m tall. They are a variant of 'sato-zakura' (郷さくら).
It is thought that Omuro-zakura (御室桜) originated in Heian times.
The current cherry trees were planted in the early Edo period (江戸時代), shortly after Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光 1604-51) helped rebuild the temple.
Between 1661-73 cherry blossom viewing at Ninna-ji became popular with the nobility. Emperor Go-Mizunoo (後水尾天皇) visited on many occasions.
Originally only those of noble blood were permitted through the gates to enjoy the groves of Otafuku-zakura (お多福桜).