The Gardener’s View

The Blooming of the Thunberg’s Meadowsweets

The Thunberg’s Meadowsweets already had lots of buds growing on them, and now one by one they are starting to blossom. At full bloom, their wall of hanging branches blossoms with flowers that look just like piled up snow.

Special Lecture: The Director of the Kyoto Elevation Difference Society! “Murin-an Seen through the Landscape of the Higashiyama Mountains”

Special Lecture: The Director of the Kyoto Elevation Difference Society! “Murin-an Seen through the Landscape of the Higashiyama Mountains”

On March 21 (Thurs./national holiday), we held a lecture by Hideyuki Umebayashi of the Kyoto Elevation Difference Society and learned about the “garden topography” surrounding Murin-an as we walked around the garden and the neighboring area.

Murin-an Tea Ceremony School

Murin-an Tea School
On the afternoon of March 20 (Wed.), we held a tea ceremony lesson in the tearoom with a foreign visitor who also visited Murin-an last year. He learned a series of tea ceremony motions by following the instructor’s directions and taking every move slowly and carefully. The atmosphere in the classroom momentarily changed, however, when the numbness caused by kneeling made him say, “I feel like I have no legs!”
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The Gardener’s View

Weeping Ferns at Murin-an
On the large Itajii Chinkapin tree near the stone monument erected to commemorate the Meiji emperor’s donation of two pine saplings to Murin-an, there are many weeping ferns growing.

Weeping ferns are aerial plants, which means that they choose to live on trees rather than the ground. Yet on the reverse side of this large tree, they hardly grow at all. Because they prefer areas with lots of sunlight, there is a conspicuous difference between how they grow on the front and back of the tree trunk. They also grow in many other areas of Murin-an, so be sure to look for them around the garden’s different tree trunks and stone lanterns.

During this time of year, there are also many round sporangium growing in rows on the bottom of the weeping fern’s leaves.

The Gardener’s View

The Blooming of the Eurya Japonicas
Here and there in the garden, there are many downward facing Japanese Euryas whose flowers, accompanied by their unique fragrance, are now starting to bloom. This species has both male and female plants and during this season, when their flowers bloom, you can tell them apart by looking at whether or not they have stamens.

Murin-an Tea School vol.10 (Final)

Murin-an Tea School vol.10 (Final)
March 17 (Sun.) was our final Japanese tea lecture. The topic this time was “night tea.” What sort of tea do you drink at night? What do people usually conceive of as being the charms of coarse green tea (bancha)? Our participants learned how to enjoy Japanese black tea. As Tyas Sosen handed out course completion certificates to those who participated consecutively, this tea school series drew to a close.

The Gardener’s View

The Blooming of the Japanese Star Anises
As one walks along the path toward the three-tiered waterfall, a sekimori (or “barrier-keeper”) stone comes into view. Then, as you raise your eyes, you see all the cream-colored flowers. There are many Japanese star anises blooming here. In Japanese, they are known as “Shikimi.” It is said that one of the meanings behind their Japanese name is “beauty (mi) of the four seasons (shiki),” a reference to how they stay beautiful all year round.

Weekend Garden Tour: A Garden Tour by a Garden Concierge

Weekend Garden Tour: A Garden Tour by a Garden Concierge

On March 16 (Sat.), we toured through Murin-an’s garden with our participants, pointing out to them the highlights of each of its areas. They also expressed an interest in Murin-an’s garden stones, so we explained them too. They were very pleased by how the garden landscape reflects the tastes of its original owner, Yamagata Aritomo. To finish, they took their time gazing at the garden from inside the main building.

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Murin-an Tea Ceremony School

Murin-an Tea School
On March 16 (Sat.), we held a trial tea lesson for two friends amid the pouring rain. This was an enjoyable lesson where many things were learned for the first time. Our students were very interested to learn that the proper way to place one’s hands when bowing differs according to the tea ceremony school. Midway through the lesson, the rain lifted and everyone was impressed with the garden as it was illuminated by the sunlight pouring in.
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The Gardener’s View

The Arrival of a Grey Wagtail
Inside the stream visible from the 10- and 8-tatami mat spaces in Murin-an’s main building, we often see a Grey Wagtail that flitters its tail up and down and walks around in short steps.
We always see the same bird in this place; it seems to have made the area into its territory.
When it looks for food or straightens its wings, its yellow plumage radiates beautifully.