The Pattern Formed By Old Foundation Stones Suggests that a Temple Modelled After the Great Phoenix Hall in Uji Once Stood In What Is Now Hojo, Tsukuba
By Avi Landau
The magnificent Amida Hall at the Byodo-In Temple at Uji, popularly known as the Phoenix Hall is flanked on both sides with wing-like features which spread out and then bend towards the pond
The Phoenix Hall of the Byodo-In Temple in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, is one of the Japan`s more sublime works of architecture and design. It is also one of the most familiar- since its image is stamped onto all the country`s 10-Yen coins ( while one of the phoenixes which adorns its roof- and is the source of its nickname- can be seen on the 10,000 Yen bill).
The city of Uji, prominently featured in the world`s first novel- The Tale of Genji, and famous today for its high quality tea, was a favorite spot for the aristocracy to build their summer villas during the Heian Period (794-1185). This was not only because it was conveniently situated midway between the old capital Heian-Kyo (Kyoto) and the even older capital- Nara, but also because the breezes by the banks of the Uji River provided a cooler refuge from the stultifying summer heat of those cultural centers.
So it was only natural that in the year 998, the Minister of the Left, and one of the most important men of his era- FUJIWARA NO MICHINAGA- bought an old villa in Uji and had it restored. And though the great minister did spend his last years there in peaceful seclusion devoted to religious contemplation, it was not until long after his death (in 1028), that a proper temple was built on the property by his son FUJIWARA NO YORIMICHI. What later came to be known as The Phoenix Hall was completed in 1053. Other buildings and landscape features were added later and over the generations , in a temple compound called BYO-DO-IN (平等院)
The Amida-Hall, of the Byodo-In Temple, known more popularly since the Edo Period as the Phoenix Hall (Ho-o-Do, 鳳凰堂)
The building, along with its surroundings and interior decor which continued to develop over the years, grew to be not only beautiful, but also to perfectly encapsulate the religious ideas that were popular among Japan`s aristocracy of the time ( and which would later take a great hold on the general poulation, as well)- the belief that upon ones death, one would be saved ( be brought to the Western Paradise) if one had faith in the Buddha Amida ( who among other things, made a vow to save all those who trusted in him).
The most distinctive architectural features which help to accomplish this act of symbolic representation are the WING-LIKE appendages which come out of each side of the relatively small hall, which contains the main Buddhist image ( a seated Amida), and then bend forward. To someone who gazes at this structure from across the pond which lies in front of it, it appears as if the building is coming forward as if to gently embrace or even scoop up the viewer to be carried off to paradise ( it is for this bird-like quality as well as the bronze birds on the buildings roof that the nickname Phoenix Hall was popularized in the Edo Period). At the same time, through an opening, one can see the seated golden Amida, as if floating serenely in the center it all.
Later, if one enters the hall, one can see what for me are the most beautiful works of art in all of Japanese history lining the walls- a set of heavenly musicians carved ever so elegently in wood. Its truly as if one has been lifted off to paradise.
The Phoenix Hall of the Byodo-In Temple in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture is featured on Japan`s 10-Yen coin
Not long after the establishment of Byodo-In, in the same Heian Era, though far, far from the capital and from Uji - in what is now Hojo Town in Tsukuba City, it seems apparent that a temple was built which had been MODELLED AFTER the famous Phoenix Hall. Unfortunately, however, today only the foundation stones upon which its posts were set ( along with some roof tiles) remain for us to see. It is the pattern which these stones form- showing the same wing-like extensions as the Phoenix Hall, that seem to confirm that the faith in Amida and the architecture which represented this faith, had spread all the way to the foot of Mt Jo-Yama (129.4 m), just to the south of Mt Tsukuba.
In the late Heian Period, a fortress was built on this little mountain ( more of a hill, you could say)- the new home of the TAKI ( also pronounced TAKEH) FAMILY, a branch of the great TAIRA. The Taki`s had moved to their new fortification from their former stronghold the MIMORI JO CASTLE ( a few kilometers away on the other side of the Sakura River)- on the same vast lands which the family had recieved for helping suppress the rebellion of Taira no Masakado.
It seems likely that it was one of the Taki`s rulers built the temple- perhaps under the influence of their relatives living in capital at the time.
We cannot be sure, however, since there are no written records left providing any explanation of the buildings origins ( though the ruins do seem to indicate that whatever the building was, it was destroyed by fire). The Taki Family was eventually wiped out after being wrongly accussed of rising in rebellion after the establishment of the first Shoguante in Kamakura.
Jo-Yama ( Fortress Mountain), at a mere 129.4 meters in height, still blocks out the view of Mt Tsukuba ( seen at the top right) from the town of Hojo
No one had any idea that such an usual building had once existed at the foot of the old castle mountain until the year 1979 when a housing development was being constructed for town officials. Work was stopped when the foundation stones were discovered, and an excavation and survey were carried out over a period of two years.
Since the address of that particular spot in Hojo Town was HYUGA (日向), the ruin came to be known as the Former Hyuga Temple ( Hyuga Haiji Iseki, 日向廃寺遺跡).
The construction project was eventually re-started ( and what an eye-sore those buidings continue to be!), though the most important part of the site has been left as an open plaza- used as a playground by local children ( the few of them that there are in this severely GRAYING town!).
A large structure- probably a Amida Hall like that at the Byodoin Temple in Uji once stood at this site
Two of the former temples foundation stones stand by a sign explaining the excavation
I am a regular visitor to the ruin- as I live not more than two hundred meters for them. In fact, every night I can sit and contemplate the Jo-Yama mountain from the comfort of my bath ( though the little mountain completely blocks my view of Mt Tsukuba!)
One of the foundation stones still set in the earth
Appropriately, the narrow road which runs East-West by the old temple ruin is lined ( on its North side) by temples and shrines. The Westernmost of these - closest to the Western Paradise- is the Muryo-In- which belongs to the relatively rare Ji Shu Sect (時宗)- which emphasized faith in Amida ( by continuously chanting his name- and occassionally dancing ecstatically while doing so. The founder of this sect, Ippen Shonin, took the ideas of the Heian Aristocracy ( belief in the saving powers of Amida) and brought them to the PEOPLE- especially the poor.
A closer look at one of the foundation stones
There ARE other example of old temples modelled after the Phoenix Hall in Uji- most notably in the North-Eastern Region of Honshu Island. And though this area lies much further away from Kyoto than does Tsukuba- this makes sense. It was an area in which the Fujiwara Family,the family which built the Phoenix Hall, took refuge centuries ago.
The Former Hyuga Temple is thus an important an RARE example of such a temple in the Kanto Area. I try to conjure up what it would have looked like as I sit in my bath, imagining a golden image- seemingly afloat- and the inviting wings spreading out before scooping up in their embrace.
The temple ruins now lie surrounded by this public housing development at the foot of diminutive Mt Jo-Yamama
The layout of the foudation stones at the Hyuga Temple Ruin Site in Hojo Tsukuba indicates that it was modelled after the Byodo-In`s Phoenix Hall
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Hotoke no Za (仏の座)- a harbinger of spring which can also cause some confusion for those interested in Japanese nature and culture
By Avi Landau
A hotoke no za flower in bloom- Feb. 26th, 2012
Walking in Tsukuba`s wild places in winter can take some determination. Though there is no snow on the ground and the temperature readings on the thermometer are really not very low, when the chill wind starts to blow ( and it does so often), your hands and face can sting and burn, making a leisurely stroll quite uncomfortale. What makes it even harder to plow on through these frosty gusts, is the depressing lack of color. While local residents as well as the local government keep things cheery in parks and around homes, offices and the major thoroughfares with plenty of plants that blossom or bear fruit in winter- including sazanka, nandian (nanten), and various citrus trees, the areas which are not looked after by humans, look mostly dried out- all browns and straw color.
The typical winter colors of Tsukuba`s wild, unkept places
One thing that KEEPS ME GOING on my daily walks, however, is the knowledge that SOON, spring, with its flowers and WARMTH, will be here. So as I make my way though the brush and woods near my house, I keep my eyes wide open for signs of things to come.
Yesterday, while I was on my way to check on just exactly where our neighborhood goshawks ( O-Taka) would be nesting this year ( they have used several different trees in the past), I regretted not having taken gloves and a warmer Jacket. I kept my hands in my pockets and face turned down and out of the wind.
Happilly I ran into my neighbor, who also happens to be very interested in what these noble birds are up to (in fact it is due to her unflagging efforts that they still live around here at all) !
As we shuffled along the road together, gravely contemplating the future of this amazing part of Tsukuba, snowless winterscapes stretched out in every direction.
Then, an excited, high-pitched, cry from my neighbor- HOTOKE NO ZA !- which came so suddenly and with such enthusiasm that my heart almost stopped.
When I looked over, I found that she had in fact already leapt down into a small depression by the side of the road. She was pointing at a low growing plant with tiny purple flowers protruding on top. Before I could protest, she pulled the little blossom out of the ground and handed it to me saying- SPRING IS HERE!
I looked at the flower closely. It was really quite amazing ( for a plant considered by many to be a weed), and I could see right away why it was called HOTOKE NO ZA, which means Buddha`s Seat or Buddha`s Throne. It is because its slender, vertical, cone-like flowers, seem to rise right out of the nearly horizontal leaves creating the image of little Buddhas standing or sitting on lotus leaves.
From March through June these flowers will be blooming along roads, by the fields, and in the wilds across most of Japan( though not in Hokkaido), sometimes forming purple or pink carpets.
The hotoke no za, which has the scientific name Lamium amplexicaule L., has the habit, of being fooled into blooming by the warm weather of an Indian Summer, and can sometimes be found blooming in December or even November. The weather has not been especially warm around here recently, but when I got down on my knees for a closer look, I noticed the ground covered with these same plants just about to burst into bloom. These will be important for setting the activities of spring into motion as they are some of the earliest bloomings of the important pollen sources for bees.
Surely a heartwarming sign that spring was just about here.
A cluster of hotoke no za as seen from above ( Feb. 26th, 2012)
Still as we started walking again and I started to twirl the little flower by the stem slowly in my hand, I began to think about this plant and its name, and also about the reaction that it aroused in my neighbor. I was reminded once again of how very complicated the Japanese language and culture can be- and realized that in this case- a misunderstanding coulld make things could get dangerous!
This is why.
The plant name HOTOKE NO ZA evokes images of spring in just about every Japanese adult. This is because it is the name of one of the SEVEN GRASSES OF SPRING (haru no nana kusa) which are eaten in a porridge on the seventh day of the New Year.
There is a classic poem listing these grasses, which makes them easy to remember: SERI NAZUNA GOGYO- HAKOBERA HOTOKE NO ZA SUZUNA SUZUSHIRO KORE ZO NANA GUSA (芹薺五形はこべら仏の座菘すずしろこれぞ七草)- which I translate as: These are the seven grasses- seri, nazuna, gogyo-, hakobera, hotoke no za, suzuna and suzushiro.
Since the name HOTOKE NO ZA is clearly listed among the seven plants of SPRING that are eaten a week into the new year (and which are supposed to be good for your health), it is easy to understand why this flower would be associated with spring.
There is one big problem , however. The plant mentioned in the poem, the one eaten in the NANAGUSA porridge is a completely DIFFERENT PLANT!!!!!!!
That plant, which has YELLOW FLOWERS, is now called the KO- ONI-TABIRAKO (コオニタビラコ), Lapsana apogonoides Maxim, a type of chrysanthemum - is EDIBLE.
Ko-oni-tabirako, which are one of Japan`s seven plants of spring
The HOTOKE NO ZA, Lamium amplexicaule, that I saw yesterday by the road is a member of the Lamiaceae ( shiso) Family and is NOT EDIBLE!
So dont put it in your seven herb porridge!
Because of the name being used for two different plants ( though the name has now changed for the edible one) many people seem to get confused. Some English language websites I looked at actually mistakenly say that Lamium amplexicaule are edible and used in the porridge!
An understandable mistake for those who do not DOUBLE CHECK everything.
So now that we know you are not going to eat them, keep your eyes open for these unusual flowers- they are harbingers of spring! If you do spot some, crouch down, or get on your hands and knees for a closer look. Dont let something so beautiful just slip by under your nose!
The flower now called hotoke no za ( Buddha`s Chair) obviously reminded people of the lotus flower-shaped pedestals that Buddha images are often depicted standing (or sitting) on
I have also written about other early bloomers which foretell the coming of spring- UME (梅), plum:
Hotoke no za
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The Poisonous Flower with the Very Auspicious Sounding Name- FUKUJU-SO-, is blooming late this year and can now be seen at Tsukuba`s Botanical Garden
Fukuju-so- (adonis) blooming at Tsukuba`s botanical garden on February 25th- much later in the season than usual
Fukuju-so- at Tsukuba`s botanical garden
Like tiny yellow PARABOLIC ANTENNAE, these flowers emerge from the frosty (often snow covered) ground in the first weeks of February- exactly when New Year`s ( O-Shogatsu) fell according to the old Japanese calendar (and the same time the Chinese still celebrate it). It is because of their timely appearance, at what was the most auspicious time of year, that these curious looking, low laying, poisonous plants are considered great symbols of good luck. This is reflected in the name by which they are still called- FUKUJUSO (福寿草), which means the GOOD FORTUNE- LONG LIFE PLANTS. For the same reason they have also been called GANJITSU-SO (元日草), the New Years Day Plant, and during the Edo Period (1600-1868） these stumpy, bright yellow, INDIGENOUS flowers were sold in flower pots, often coupled with other auspicious plants of the season, as New Year`s decorations. Besides the real fukujus0 (called Adonis ramosa in English), painted versions also made for a popular decorative motifs for the beginning of the year.
A hanging scroll painting depicted fukujuso and a plum tree bonsai- which would have been used as a New Year`s decoration
I have already mentioned that the fukujuso`s flowers remind one of parabolic antennae. They not only look like them, they ACT like them, as well! The flowers actually follow the movement of the sun as it crosses the sky. Because of this, the temperatures inside these flowers becomes quite higher than the surrounding air, which helps ( along with the bright yellow colors) the few insects which have become active in the cold weather. These little critters can often be seen flying about from one fukujuso to another. The pollen spread by these insect helps to put spring into motion.
As the sun sets, the fukujuso`s flowers close up for the night, and then reopen the next morn to follow the suns course once again.
This is an excellent adaptation for a flower which blooms at such a cold time of year. They attract the insects with the heat they build up from the sun, without wasting any energy on producing the sweet nectar which many other plants ( which start blooming when it gets warmer) do to bring in the bugs.
In art, fukujuso is often paired together with plum blossoms, another popular symbol of the traditional New Years season. In fact, it was some plum trees in bloom which led me to discover these flowers in Tsukuba. Noticing from a major road ( HIGASHI O-DORI) that the plums were blooming in Tsukuba`s botanical garden, I decided to go in, and spend some time eating, reading and relaxing near them.
As the time to go approached, I walked down to the garden`s pond and crossed the bridge. On the far side of it, to the right, I found the fukujuso emerging from the ground, making it an extra AUSPICIOUS day.
Telling a friend about my find, I was told that these same rare flowers can be seen at Mt Tsukuba, near the cable car station.
They should be in bloom through May. I hope that you are FORTUNATE enough to spot some this year!
February 25th 2012 in Tsukuba
Last year`s (2011) fukuju-so- at the same spot bloomed three weeks earlier
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A Closer Look at the Evolution of Japan`s HINA DOLLS and the Hina Matsuri Festival (again)
When there is not enough time ( or energy) to put away the dolls right after the festival ( as required by tradition) th dolls might just be TURNED AROUND like this
Whem families are too busy to put their elaborate doll sets away ( as they traditionally should) they sometimes just TURN THEM AROUND like this
A boxed lunch (bento) with a Hina Matsuri Motif
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Tiny Wildflowers With An Embarrassing-to-say Name In Japanese: O-Inu No Fuguri ( Large Dog Testicles!)
O-inu no fuguri (Veronica persica)
They bloom low to the ground and in abundance, forming a cobalt blue carpet of tiny flowers beside Japan`s vegetable and rice fields and in its wild open spaces. And though they have only been present in Japan since the late 19th century, many Japanese consider their blossoming a signal that spring has come. This is not only because they bloom before the cherry trees (sakura) but also because being so low down, and so cute and pretty that they make more of an impression on small children than do Japan`s more revered spring blossoms. Thus their appearance in March ( or like this year, even earlier) brings back a flood of memories to many people.
When I first pointed these flowers out to a Japanese neighbor of mine years ago, she told me that they were called O-inu no fuguri. At that time I could not undertand exactly what this name implied, but I could catch that it meant A DOG`S SOMETHING OR OTHER, but I had no idea what FUGURI meant. When I asked my neighbor, she turned a bit red, and told me that she was two embarrassed to say!
My curiosity peaked, I went home and took out my dictionary. Fuguri meant BALLS..... I mean testes or testicles! Later at the library I read that these flowers were given that name because a part of them supposedly resembled a dogs bullocks. Going back for another look at the flowers, I just couldnt see it.
Tiny testes shaped fruit
An O-inu no fuguri in my hand
I got down to have a closer look. In fact, I got all the way down to the ground, laying on my side to examine the little flowers. There they were, under the flowers, two little fruits, which look like..... well.... er.... dog testicles.
Still I think it quite odd that these very cute flowers be so coarsely named.Especially in the polite world of Japanese botany and horticulture. Whoever it was who decided on it, sure had balls!
For more pics ( and much better ones than mine), go here:
http://rokkoflower.cool.ne.jp/souhon/sub704.html
And dont forget to look for them outside!
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