Worldview of Japan: The symbol of spring "SAKURA" in the "Shodaiji" Temple

The origin of the Japanese who embody cherry blossoms

The cherry blossoms that bloom in spring embody the landscape of the Japanese.

For Japanese history and culture that has continued from the ancient "Jomon (BC14000-BC300)" period, cherry blossoms have always been so familiar that they cannot be separated.

The relationship with cherry trees, which started as wood for everyday use, became a symbol of public culture in the "Heian (AD800-AD1200)" period, and became part of the "Noh" world in the Kamakura period (AD1200-AD1300). From the appearance of cherry blossoms in bloom and scattered, they developed the aesthetic sense of "transience."

Sakura may be a spirit that dwells in the world of Japanese aesthetic sensibility beyond mere appreciation.

A big cherry tree

The vitality of the great tree, called the giant tree, gives people a feeling of being beyond human wisdom. It is the original "fear" of the origin of religion, and the roots of the "Jomon" period, which flourished in Japan for thousands of years, are also linked to the worship of trees and other elements. The origin of Japanese sensitivity also goes back to the relationship with trees.

How a giant tree gives life is the life force that has survived for hundreds of years, and we feel we can confer full power.

Such giant trees display various appearances during all four seasons, but the cherry blossom appearance is particularly beautiful.

The ordinary cherry blossoms in the row of cherry trees are also beautiful, but you will be drawn to the appearance of the huge trees that are hundreds of years old and blooming.

Most of the giant cherry trees are solitary and slightly upright, and the kanro feels divine. It feels ephemeral and skillful to coexist with power, and it is venerated so often that it is anthropomorphic.

It is a good idea to visit a huge cherry tree full of indescribable emotions.

A large cherry tree in the "Shodaiji" temple in ODAWARA

The only cherry tree in the Shoko-ji Temple in Chokozan, Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, is a wonderful weeping cherry tree. The bath is 320 years old and lives in a different dimension from the surrounding trees.

<Access: Chokosan Shodaiji Temple>

 Address: 303 Ikuta, Odawara-shi, Kanagawa

 ※ Get off at Hakone Tozan railway, Iriuda station / 5 minute walk