5,000 Hydrangea to Bloom at Yokokuji Temple in Kyoto

08.June.2019 | SPOT

Yanagidani Kannon (Yokokuji Temple) is located in the city of Nagaokakyo in Kyoto Prefecture. The temple has been used as a place of prayer for many people with eye disease since the Heian Period. It is believed that praying at the temple will cure eye disease.

 

This summer, the temple’s annual Hydrangea Week is set to take place once again from June 8 to July 7 which will welcome around 5,000 hydrangeas, the biggest collect in the whole of Kyoto.

Yanagidani Kannon is home to a bamboo thicket that was the model for The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. During the event, you’ll get to take in the sight of 5,000 gorgeous hydrangeas. Additionally, the event will include a special public opening of the Joushoin, or upper study, which is normally open only once a month. From there you can see one of the gardens which was selected as an old garden of the pre-war days. Guests can also receive an original hydrangea goshuin stamp which are available for a limited time only. Part of the treasury house will also be open for public viewing which includes treasures bestowed by the Japanese Imperial family.

At the Joushoin, visitors can look forward to seeing paintings by Kanō Mitsunobu, a influential artist of the Kanō school of Japanese painting, as well as Konoe Nobutada, both of whom were active during the Azuchi–Momoyama period. The pieces encompass the world of the Man’yōshū, a collection of of ancient Japanese waka poetry, one of which was the impetus for the naming of the new Japanese Reiwa era. For just ¥800, visitors can gain access to both the Joushoin and the treasury.

The above pictured goshuin stamp will also be available from June 17. There will also be an exhibition of paintings with different showcases each month. In June, Murasakishikibu will be on display. This was painted by Hanko Kajita, a painter who was active in the Meiji and Taisho periods and whose works are displayed in the Tokyo National Museum and Yokohama Museum of Art.

Don’t miss this year’s hydrangea season at Yokokuji Temple in Kyoto.

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