Sakura Festival :1, Yoshino Mountain
Sakura’s race of Yoshino Mountain are mainly Shiro-yama-sakura(Castle-Mountain-sakura) and over 35000 trees were counted. Those trees are growing at 4 areas ;they are called Shimosenbon(foot thousands trees), Nakasenbon(middle thousands trees), Kamisenbon(the top thousands trees) and Okusenbon(the deep thousands trees). Mount yoshino will be celebrated in pink getting at the foot of mountain and then cover it all in April.
There is a sakura historical legend of En no Gyoja(AC634-701) (a founder of shugendo which is a religion for the mountain worship, and known for a mystic and Yamabushi origin). In 7st century En no Gyoja was given a revelation of Zao Gongen (an incarnation of Buddha) in shugendo meditation at the Yoshino Mountain. He drew Zao Gongen on the board of sakura.
Since then the sakura tree has been treated as a sacred tree and eventually regarded as a wooden symbol like pagota stand. In fact a lot of Yamasakura(Mountain-sakura) was donated to the mountain area and they were planted from the foot to top which is now called Mount yoshino the best thousand sakuras. Cutting sakura tree and breaking a twig are prohibiting in the Mountain.
Motoori Yorinaga(a scholar of the Japanese classics) answered “Yamato-damashii (Yamato spirit is Japanese and Samurai mind) is like a fragrant Yama-sakura in the morning sunlight” to answer the question about what is “Yamato-damashii”?
As long as, you keep enjoying hanami under Somei Yoshino cherry blossom. You may not understand the meaning of Motoori Yorinaga’s Tanka (a 31-syllable Japanese poem).
The foot, middle and top thousand are so beautiful. But the deep thousand is special cherry blossom place for some trial experience of Yamato-damashii.
You start from Kinpu Shrine and keep walking through a steep narrow road in the deep forest for 40 min, and then you come to the wide-open ridge.You can see over look the divine and godly the Okusenbon(deep thousand). The Okusenbon is a layers of mid-slope to deep mountain. Spring water is nearby. Sakura’s heights of the Deep thousand are much taller than the popular one. When the wind blows, the Deep thousand shakes the branches of sakura widely and make pink petals fluttering like a shower. You say ”WAO” in your mind, such as very strict circumstance for grow. And you feel definitely strong impression about that these sakura are very strong, beautiful and godly at the place no one expect to see the cherry blossom.
Usually sakura tree blooms flower first without leaf and the flower fall down quickly before leaf comes out. This way cherry blossoms scatter from the trees impresses Japanese really graceful. It could be said that Japanese mind also cast a reflection of cherry blossoms on the human life.
Access
| Name; | Yoshino Mountain |
| Place; | Yosinoyama 2498, Yoshino town, Yosino County, Nara Prefecture |
| Access; | ・ from Nagoya to Yosino 2h 55min, take Kintetsu line (change at Kasihara Jingu-mae), ・from Osaka Area to Yosino 1h 15min, take Kintetsu line at Osaka-abenohasi (from Tennouji station 5min by walking), ・from Kintetsu Yosino station to Yosino Mountain, take a cable car at Senbonguchi (3min from Kintetsu Yosino station) to Santyou Yosino Mountain station. |
| By car; | ・ from Nagoya 3h, Higashi-Meihan expressway to Meihan National Road, exit at Hari R369.370 to Yosino ・from Osaka area 2h, Nisi-Meihan expressway via Kashihara R169 or from Hanwa expressway Mihara Jc via Road Minami –hanna Katuragi I.C,R165(Takada bypass)Kasihara then R169, 1h |
Yu-pon loves this place in autumn season as well as in cherry blossom season. That is the colored leaves in Yoshino Mountain, you should be enjoying by Momiji hunting(Momijigari) when hiking along the road going down from Kinpu Shrine to Yoshimizu Shrine . Yoshino Mountain was appointed as the World Heritage National Park. In this Park, the famous religious trainee’s path (Omine Okugake michi) is situated and that you can command the path from Yoshino to Kumano trees Mountains.
You will see some relics, a monuments, shrines and temple related to shugendou. Also available are 4 World Heritage National Treasure; Yoshimizu Shrine, Yoshino Mikumari Shrine, Kinpu Shrine and Kimpusen-ji.
Yu-pon think that foreign tourist who may have fascinated by the ancient capital of Kyoto, but the most of them don’t know Yoshino.
My favorite’s places; One is Kimpusen-ji where 3 Kingo-Zao-Gongen, 7m tall models are enshirined.
The Gongen’s face was put on a powder of lapis lazuli blue is shining in the Zaodo(蔵王堂)’s dark.
Yu-pon was impressive enough to sense a sweet feeling that mix with fear.And felt a beauty full of energy at the first look. So tremendous and beautiful as well! In BC1336 the Emperor Go-Daigo started the Imperial South Court at Yoshino Mountain and the Court was moved to Anou(賀名生) in BC1348.
So, where the ancient capital could be observed.
Beside,available for public are some onsens in a couple of Ryokan from the area. You can see the pink or red surface of the Mountain while bathing in onsen in you are lucky.
