Dec 2017 – Jan 2018 Issue

Once again this year, we’ve prepared an “uprooted pine” (nebiki-matsu), a Kyoto New Year’s pastime. Decorative pine trees (kadomatsu) for the New Year’s holiday are seen all over Japan, but in Kyoto gates and foyer areas are decorated with a pine sapling with its root still intact. Our uprooted pine is wrapped in a decorative cord made from twisted paper called mizuhiki and decorates the main house’s foyer area to the side of the ticket counter. The fact that it has its root attached is meant, among other things, as a prayer for continued healthy growth in the new year. It is also thought to be an object that a divine spirit can enter in order to bring happiness.
The evergreen pine tree is also used in gardens as a symbol of eternity. One theory even holds that the origin of the word for pine tree in Japanese, matsu, comes from the word tatematsuru, meaning to make an offering to the gods. As one learns about the view of plants that has been nurtured by human activities, gardens become increasingly enjoyable. Come enjoy a leisurely New Year’s holiday at Murin-an, where even in winter there are still so many things to see.
We also offer free ten-minute tours. Come and enjoy the new winter season here.
Why not renew your spirit with a New Year’s tea ceremony? Enjoy a tea ceremony experience in a tearoom that is right in the middle of the garden. Murin-an’s tearoom sits right by the water stream. From inside the tearoom, the stream is not visible, but it is always audible, an effect that brings a quiet tranquility to tea ceremony time. As you enter the garden that unfolds outside, you should be able to appreciate it even more deeply.

Gardener’s View

At Murin-an, a modern Japanese garden masterpiece, we have been getting ready amid the cold winter air for a spirit-renewing New Year’s holiday with an uprooted pine (featured on the cover) and other preparations.
During the New Year’s season, Murin-an’s gardeners use young bamboo to replace the bamboo fences and barriers. Young bamboo is also used in the world of tea to express a “just for you” level of reception when entertaining an important guest. We are now getting ready so that we can welcome the coming of a new spring to the garden together with all of you. Experience how good it feels to have refreshingly young bamboo inside the garden.