"Yes, the cherry trees put this truth very plainly: none of the glory of blossoms and autumn leaves lasts long in this fleeting world."
-The Tale of Genji (源氏物語), Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部 ? 973-1031?).

From 831 cherry blossom banquets became an annual event at court, and as the Heian period deepened 'hanami' came to refer only to sakura.

As cherry blossom parties became fashionable amongst the aristocracy, 'hanami' began to appear in works such as 'The Tale of Genji' (源氏物語).

Camellia flowers inspire a mind-boggling number of traditional sweets.

The most famous, and one of the oldest (an early version featuring in 'The Tale of Genji'), is 'tsubaki-mochi' (椿餅). Camellia leaves adorn a sticky rice cake, but unlike sakura-mochi the leaves act as decoration only.

“It was true then: he had after all the shifting hue of the dewflower. She had heard about that. She had heard, albeit in general terms, that men were good at lying, that many a sweet word went into the pretense of love.”

-Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部), The Tale of Genji (源氏物語).

Iwato Myōken-gū's statue of Myōken likely belonged to Reigan-ji (霊厳寺), a temple established in 839 by Engyō (円行), and famously alluded to in 'Wakamurasaki' (若紫), Chapter 5 of 'The Tale of Genji'.

In Heian times imperial offerings were made on the 9th day of the 9th month.

Chapter 9 of 'The Tale of Genji' (源氏物語), 'Aoi' (葵), features the Aoi Matsuri (葵祭).
As Hikaru Genji (光源氏) is participating in the festival Lady Rokujō (御息所), his mistress, arrives early in her carriage to save a good spot.

A little later Genji's wife, Lady Aoi (葵の上), has her servants maliciously shove Rokujō's carriage aside.

Utterly humiliated and filled with hatred, Rokujō's living spirit will later possess and kill Aoi!

Likely beginning as a summer retreat for Minamoto-no-Tōru (源融 822-95), possible inspiration for Murasaki Shikibu's "Genji", the property passed through the hands of Emperor Uda, Minamoto-no-Shigenobu (源重信 - Uda's grandson), and on to the powerful Regent Fujiwara-no-Michinaga.

#日本文学 の #文体 の よい例を見せるために #土居光知 は #源氏物語 の #桐壺 をとります。

.> 私はまた明治十年代の 漢語を多く用いた影響から 自由になろうとしたので ありますが、 これは過去の 文体のよい伝えを 破壊したもの ではありません。 「定める」の名詞を 「定め」とし 「決定」、 「確定」、 「規定」等の 漢語を 取らなかったのは、

.> 朝夕の宮仕へにつけても、人の心をのみ動かし、恨みを負ふ積もりにやありけむ、いと篤しくなりゆき、もの心細げに 里がちなるを、いよいよ あかずあはれなるものに思ほして、人のそしりをもえ憚らせ給はず、世のためしにもなりぬべき御もてなしなり。

.> 上達部、上人なども、あいなく目をそばめつつ、いとまばゆき人の御おぼえなり。唐土にも、かかる事の起こりにこそ、世も乱れ...

のような文章を手本にしたので、 また 「偽りの話し」を 基礎語として, 欺言、 佯言、 虚言、 妖言等を 取らないことにしたのは 文学の範囲では すでによいと 認められていることでありますし、 昭和十七年 文部省によって 示された標準漢字表からも これら漢字の多数は 省略されていますから、 日本語の文章は いつか はこの傾向に従う ことを 想像されます。

Katsura Rikyū (桂離宮) stands on the west bank of the Katsura-gawa, sprawling over 70,000 square metres.

Since ancient times this area has been considered the perfect moon-viewing spot, and in the Heian period 'rustic' villas of the aristocracy were constructed beside the river.

The garden was created by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd heads of the Hachijō-no-miya family: princes Toshihito (智仁親王), Toshitada (智忠親王 d.1662) & Yasuhito (智忠親王 d.1665).