談山神社

談山神社

5.18.2012

Wisteria in the wood of Kasuga

Spring brings lots of flowers. Now wisteria are in full bloom in Nara park.

There is the popular wisteria as "砂ずりの藤(sunazuri-no-fuji)" at the world heritage site, Kasuga-Grand-Shrine. Sunazuri-no-fuji means that the point of wisteria's clusters almost reach the grand. I heard the cluster's length were around 1.5m till last springs. But I couldn't see those long clusters on the day in their full bloom in this year. So I went there to see them after two days again but they had already started  withering. I wonder what's the matter with them? I'd like them to grow longer next year.
So I visited Man-yo-botanical garden(the garden of Kasuga-Grand-Shrine). Lots of wisteria flowers  welcomed me with sweet smell.


This is 砂ずりの藤. But they don't touch the ground.









Also wisteria is the crest of Kasuga-Grand-Shrine. Kasuga-Grand-Shrine was built in  8th century       by the Fujiwaras family and it's the family shrine of the Fujiwaras. This family was a key member of the aristocracy  till around Edo-period. The crest of the Fujiwara family was wisteria. I saw the crest on the lantern on the night of the burning of the dead grass on Mt.Wakakusa.(here's a link to my blog about burning the dead grass on Mt.Wakakusa)


This is the wisteria-crest of Kasuga-Grand-Shrine

Incidentally this is also a kind of  wisteria-crest of Kofukuji-temple. So this temple was built by the ”Fujiwara-family”



          At the garden of Kasuga-Grand-Shrine


Wisteria-Garden occupies a plot in the garden





 These are about to reach ground.






























Wisteria is leguminous plant



Talking of wisteria, I remember some "Wisteria-maidens".
One is the "Wisteria-maiden" in Kabuki.(Japanese dance-drama)
A wisteria nymph takes the shape of a wisteria maiden and dances  in Kabuki.
There is  the pine  symbolize men on the stage and the wisteria symbolize women and a wisteria nymph dances, complaining she can't control a man's heart.
Please click here to see this dance on You-Tube.


This dancer is a famous Kabuki actor Tamasaburo Bando". Can you believe this dancer is a man? Kabuki is played by only men. So the role of woman is played by a Kabuki actor called "女形(onnagata or oyama)". They play the role of woman more femininely than women.


Next, I remember 押絵羽子板(osie-hagoita)-this is a kind of ornament that has a shape of a figure  made by cardboard and it is wrapped by beautiful silk cloth and is stuffed with cotton  to make relief and it is pasted on a rectangle board with handle. Many of  figures on the board are maidens from  kabuki.
When I was a small girl I used to decorate  羽子板(hagoita) like this at the alcove  on the new year.  And  mine was the  羽子板of  wisteria-maiden. I liked it.


a 羽子板of wisteria- maiden



  This is a wisteria made of porcelain   


This post is linked Our World Tuesday











22 件のコメント:

cosmos さんのコメント...

藤色の滝ですね!しばし陶酔のひと時です・・・
Youtubeの紹介ありがとう。見るのは初めてで玉三郎さん、さすがに美しいですね!ちょっとしたしぐさに色んな意味があるのですね。
そうそう、羽子板もありました。今も主人の実家では飾りますが私のはどこに行ったのやら・・興味深いポストをありがとうございます。

Arti さんのコメント...

I love Wisteria blooms and you have captured them so beautifully. I wish they do touch the grounds next year. The way you have explained them relating to a traditional dance and ornament gave me more of an insight into them. The maidens look so beautiful and charming and calm.. Thanks for sharing yet another interesting post, Sarah.

Tania さんのコメント...

This is so beautiful!The flowers is like jewelry. Wish we hade some of them here..

Hope you have a good time over there:-)
Tania

snowwhite さんのコメント...

風に揺れる藤はこの上もなく優雅です。今年は特に野生の藤がほぼ全滅で、残念な年となりましたね。
sarahさんのパープルシャワーは本当に美しいです。
玉三郎さん、久しぶりに拝見しました。男性が演じる理想の女性像、これには勝てませんね。
keiko

Rurousha さんのコメント...

I love wisteria, and your photos capture their beauty so perfectly.

This was a disappointing wisteria year in Tokyo, too: the flowers didn't bloom at the same time and there weren't as many as in previous years. Not sure why. Perhaps the spring was too cold?

I'm glad I could enjoy a wisteria season on your blog!

stardust さんのコメント...

Wow, breathtaking purple cascades! Your wisteria is elegant, beautiful, and powerful at the same time. I think it's interesting that branches of wisteria coil up other plants and create complicated geometric patterns, while the clusters of flower hang straight down. Thanks for the video; Tamasaburo’s Fujimusume looks more feminine than real woman.

haricot さんのコメント...

春日神社で撮られたものと、万葉植物園での写真があるのですね。一見区別がつきませんが、どれも色、姿、ともに素晴らしい藤。野生の藤も大好きです。万葉集では雲に例えられてもいますが、藤色の雲って優雅ですよね。

Tomoko さんのコメント...

優雅にたっぷりと香りが漂ってきそうな藤ですね。風のない静かな時間に、まっすぐに垂れ下がる藤は好きです。ベストタイミングで撮られたように思えます。
Tomoko

Rahul Bhatia さんのコメント...

Very captivating:)

Karin M. さんのコメント...

Wow .... nicely dream,
.. a photo more beautiful than the other ..
Best regards, Karin

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

¸.•°`♥✿⊱╮
❤♡
Essas flores são tão belas que fico imaginando como deve ser bom e encantador passear nesse parque!...
Beijinhos.
Brasil.
°`♥✿⊱╮

LifeRamblings さんのコメント...

beautiful blooms. the wisteria and maidens complement each other so well. thanks for sharing the beauty.

Giga さんのコメント...

Dziękuję za te cudowne zdjęcia. Uwielbiam to pnącze i zawsze je podziwiam, gdy je zobaczę. Mam je w ogródku. Niestety zima znacznie go uszkodziła. Pozdrawiam.
Thank you for these wonderful pictures. I love this vine and always admire them when they see it. I have them in the garden. Unfortunately, it is substantially damaged the winter. Yours.

you-wee because さんのコメント...

Thanks a lot, Sarah, for your comment on my latest blog post. Currently I have been a little busy, so there was not time to answer any earlier.
But within the next days I have a little more leisure time to concentrate more on my photography projects.
Thanks for sharing some of your impressions of the wisteria bloom.

Three years ago I took some photos of the wisteria bloom on the balcony of our friend and neighbors and made a post out of it.
http://you-wee-because.blogspot.de/2009/05/wisteria-lane-wisteria-balcony.html

Have a great weekend with even greater light for your next photos,

Uwe.

Q さんのコメント...

You have brought tears to my eyes. These photographs are so very beautiful.nI just fell in love with wisteria....
I shall find a way to grow some in my gardens....
Thank you...
Thank you for the u-tube link too. I just love your culture!
Sherry

ruma さんのコメント...

Hello, sarah.

 Your heartwarming works fascinates my heart.

 Thank you for your kindness.
 And i pray for you and yours peace.

Have a good new-week. ruma ❃

Magia da Inês さんのコメント...

♫♫♪¸.•°`
Bom domingo!
Boa semana.
Beijinhos.
Brasil°º✿
¸¸.º°❤
°º✿

Forest Dream Weaver さんのコメント...

Sarah,thank you for showing this profusion of beautiful wisteria.I enjoyed the film,it was very interesting and the dance wonderfully graceful.
Sorry I'm late commenting,I've been away from my blog for a couple of weeks.

Have a good week!
Ruby

orchid0324 さんのコメント...

What a wonderful blog you have showing us beauty of Japan♡♡♡
I also trying to introduce Japanese culture as much as I can.

Wonderful to find you as one of the fellow Japanese.

Sincerely Yours, Miyako*

joy さんのコメント...

I love the Awesome pictures and the story in your post. I learn your culture and catching a glimpse of your beatiiful world. Thanks for sharing:)

you-wee because さんのコメント...

Hi Sarah,

here in Germany we call the wisteria plant "Blauregen" - the Blue Rain!

In 2009 I posted some photos of the wisteria at our appartment house; the huge plant takes the whole balcony railing of our neighbours in possession! If you wanna cast a glance, here's the link to my post:
http://you-wee-because.blogspot.de/2009/05/wisteria-lane-wisteria-balcony.html

Enjoy watching!

Uwe.

今、この一瞬を さんのコメント...

ふっと、その空間に溶け込んでしまいそうな藤の花です。
柔らかな色の極致のような気がします。

素敵な場所ですね。