Ode to the Venerable Plum Blossom Trees

Weeping plum tree at Jonan Shrine in Kyoto

The firstborn in a family enjoys a celebrity status right up to the birth of a sibling, at which time the child gets unceremoniously pushed aside and forgotten. The plum blossom tree, or ume in Japanese, is that firstborn child.

Arriving from China in the 8th century, plum blossoms occupied a preeminent position in the Imperial Court of Emperor Saga during the Nara Period (710–794 CE). At that time, Japanese aristocrats attended garden hanami (flower viewing) parties to gaze at the beautiful pink and white flowers and write poems about the beauty of plum blossoms.

Then came the Heian Period (794–1185) and the appearance of the precocious cherry blossoms, which supplanted plum blossoms as the object of adoration in the eyes of the Japanese aristocrats.

Nevertheless, there are still a few places around Japan where plum blossoms are celebrated for their beauty. Two of the most famous places in Kansai are the Jonan and Kitano Tenman shrines in Kyoto.

Jonan Shrine

Built when the capital moved from Nara to Kyoto in the 8th century, the
Jonan Shrine, or “shrine south of the capital,” was established in the southern part of Kyoto to ward off calamities and offer prayers for the prosperity of the country. It is also a shrine for people who are bad at directions and seek safe travels.

*Miko* blessing worshipper with bells and a plum blossom branch

Throughout the year, mikos, or shrine maidens, offer a ritual kagura dance to the gods before blessing shrine visitors with bells and a seasonal flower branch. In ancient times, shrine maidens served as a spiritual medium to communicate with the dead, perform healing rituals for the sick, and foretell the future.

There are seven gods enshrined here including Amaterasu Ōmikami, the sun goddess, Ōkuninushi, the deity who protects Japan, and Sugawara no Michizane, known posthumously as Tenjin, the deity of learning in Japan.

Rakusuien Garden

Spring Mountain Garden features roughly 150 plum blossoms trees and camellia plants

The Rakusuien Garden, which covers approximately 30,000 sq. meters, surrounds the Jonan shrine and is comprised of five gardens. The Spring Mountain Garden treats visitors to roughly 150 plum blossoms trees and camellia plants before leading them to the Heian Garden where they can see a small stream and lush moss. Across from these gardens are the Muromachi, Momoyama, and the Jonan Imperial Villa gardens where visitors can see a pond with carp, a teahouse, rock garden, and flowers that include cherry blossoms and azaleas.

The garden is impressive no matter the season and is often called the Tale of Genji garden since all of the 100 different types of plants mentioned in the Tale of Genji can be found at the Jonan Shrine.

Heian Garden featuring a small stream and lush moss

Kitano Tenman Shrine

Located in west Kyoto, this shrine was established in 947 and enshrines the spirit of the scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane, who was canonized after his death as Tenjin, the deity of learning. He was the first person to have been deified in Japan.

While the Jonan Shrine also has a small shrine devoted to Sugawara no Michizane, the Kitano Tenman Shrine was the first established for the deity Tenjin, and it currently serves as the head shrine for the various Tenjin shrines throughout the country.

One of the many cow statues at the shrine for good luck and relief from pain

Sugawara no Michizane had been a gifted civil servant who quickly rose up the ranks to become advisor to Emperor Uda. Unfortunately, when Emperor Uda abdicated his throne, people who had been jealous of the civil servant’s success had him banished in 901 to the faraway island of Kyushu where he lived in obscurity until he died two years later.

Ornate walls and lanterns of the shrine’s main hall

Following his death, Kyoto suffered severe thunderstorms, earthquakes, and outbreaks of the plague, and there were sudden, mysterious deaths among the people who had banished him and members of the imperial family. People concluded that the angry spirit of Sugawara no Michizane was to blame for these misfortunes, and the Kitano Tenman Shrine was established to appease his angry spirit.

Bai-en Garden

Plum blossom flowers blooming in late February

Plum blossoms were a personal favorite of Sugawara no Michizane. For this reason, the Bai-en Garden within Kitano Tenman Shrine has nearly 2,000 plum blossom trees. From mid-February through early March, the garden is open to the public for a small entrance fee. On February 25, the shrine holds its annual Ume Blossom Festival, and there is a tea ceremony on the day where geikos and maikos (Kyoto geishas and apprentices) from the nearby dKamishichiken district come to the shrine to serve matcha tea and Japanese sweets.