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The gardens of the Motsuji Temple are immense. The Oizumigaike
Pond measures 180 meters east to west by 90 meters north to
south. A waterway called the "Yarimizu" flows through
the gardens, which are adorned with superb rock arrangements.
The Paradise Garden is the oldest Japanese garden that retains
the style of the Heian period, and is designated as both a National
Historic Spot and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Plum blossoms
and azalea in spring, irises in summer, Japanese bush clovers
in autumn and other seasonal flowers sway gently in the wind
as if they were flowers from paradise.
People of the Heian period gathered in such gardens and enjoyed
an elegant and peaceful play on words at the "Gokusui no
En" Tanka party. First, a cup filled with sake is gently
placed on the waterway upstream. A Japanese poem will be composed
and written down on a strip of rectangular paper while the cup
flows slowly downstream. When the cup arrives, the composer
will take the cup and taste the sake. Every year, on the fourth
Sunday of May, the Gokusui party is reenacted at the Motsuji
Temple. The participating poets dressed in the attire of Heian
period noblemen disperse into the gardens and take their seats
by the waterway. Traditional dresses in various colors stand
out against the backdrop of green grass and mesmerize the viewers
with the sense that they have actually gone back in time to
the Heian period.
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The
beautiful attire used for the Dance of the Ennen is a major
tourist attraction.
Motsuji
Temple in winter
Oizumigaike
Pond covered with snow. |
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Hatsuka-yasai
Night Festival of Jyogyodo |
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In 850 A.D., the same year as the Chusonji Temple, Zen priest
Jikaku-daishi Ennin established the Motsuji Temple. Since then,
Motsuji Temple managed to increase its power in the same way
that the three generations of the Northern Fujiwara clan continued
to prosper. At its height, it owned 40 temple towers and 500
priests' quarters. However, repeated fires burned down all the
buildings that existed in those days.
On January 20th every year, which falls upon the final day of
the annual festival at Jyogyodo, reconstructed in 1728, the
Dance of the Ennen is presented as a dedication to the temple.
The dance, which has survived for over 800 years, is designated
as a National Important Intangible Cultural Property.
The Dance of the Ennen will continue late into the night following
the sermon. The dances are performed in the order of "Dengaku-odori,"
"Michi-mai," "Notto," "Chigo-mai,"
and "Chokushi-mai." The masks and attire of the dancers
are a sight to behold.
Jyogyodo's Hatsuka-yasai Night Festival is held on the same
night. Young men and women who have hit upon yakudoshi, or the
bad-luck years in one's life, march behind a brightly lit torch
towards Jyogyodo, and dedicate vegetables such as Japanese radish
and Chinese cabbage to wish for good health and well-being of
their families. The fiercely burning flames of the torches brighten
up freezing winter nights.
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