The world of the monochrome

There was the heaviest snowfall in many years around Nara district.
After waking up and open the window I discovered so white snow world outside. It's very beautiful, quiet morning. Then I got a call from a friend that it's a good chance to take  snow views today.
As it's so cold I was reluctant to go outside but that  call encouraged me to go outside.

At the entrance, I hesitated which boot I should put on. I don't have long snow boot. Because we rarely have snow in Nara area. So I put on mountain-climbing boots.

While I was walking to the station, traffic was blocked with a stalled truck on a snow slope. A patrol car was crying to another cars "U-turn". I thought u-turn is tough work on the snow slope. Many cars didn't take snow-tires or chain. Very dangerous. Drivers aren't used to  the snow road.
A commuting bus also had an accident and many commuters had to walk about 2kilometers to the station.
At the station, trains had 18minutes' delay. The announce said " Due to snow, trains run slowly." Japanese trains usually seldom delay but it's no wonder today.

Heavy snow and water of thawing snow soaked  my shoes soon in Nara park.

                                                  Kofukuji-temple ,five-storied pagoda

                                                        Ukimi-do

                                                 Sarusawa-pond

                                              Kofukuji-temple, hakakudo

                                          The approach to kasuga-grand-shrine

                            Ｄeers eat leaves. So trees around here are trimmed at the level of  deer's height.

                                                           Kasuga-shrine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The view seemed like monochrome painting. Black and white and stillness. The snow is only accumulating with no sound. This was a monochrome world like a Japanese ink wash painting.
Japanese ink wash painting flourished in 室町時代（Muromachi-era,1392~1573). As the Ashikaga-Shogun in Muromachi-era protected Zen, Zen culture thrived and influenced on monks who drew the ink wash painting like 雪舟（Sesyu). They depicted actual view or mountain landscape in Japan with the original way.

                                                                 Japanese ink wash painting by 雪舟

          Thank you for visiting. Have a lovely day!

The first day of spring

節分万灯篭（setubun-mantoro)------節分means time when seasons change and especially the day before the beginning of spring. 万灯篭means many lanterns.
This event has been holding from about eight hundreds years ago. About 3000 lanterns are lit at Kasuga-Grand-Shrine on the nights of 節分（setubun, on February 3rd) and お盆（obon, on August,14th and 15th).

From old days , offering light for divine has the same meaning to pray with offerings. We devote, moving our cordiality to light,I heard.

Kasuga-Grand-Shrine enshrine the Davine of Fujiwara clan originally. This event was started by donation of lanterns from Fujiwara-clan in Heian period of 8~9century.

There are a lot of stone-lanterns in the precinct.

 

Each of the patterns made by the metal outside lanterns is different because many people devoted their own original ones. There are many lanterns decorated with its heraldry or has the  name of contributors with kanji character.
This lantern was devoted by 直江兼続（he is a famous samurai in 16-17century and his armor helmet has the big character "love (愛）" in front of it.）He devoted this by his daughter's name 松。

Many stone lanterns to the approach to the shrine were lit on the night .

The next day of this event is the first day of Spring,according to the calendar. But it's pretty cold today.


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Birds came in our winter garden. My husband hung a can put fruits fragment from the branch at the near window of the dining room. So we can enjoy their figures through the window,having meals.

A white -eye are eating a persimmon that a bulbul dropped.

I am surprised his appetite. They come to here many times a day and eat greedily and drop many food. They got here as their territory.

I don't know this bird's name. It's too yellow for a sparrow.

This bird's favorite is  banana, I wonder. But this is too small for banana.

Other four kinds of birds come but their motion is too fast to take photo for me.


                                         Thank you for visiting, Dear  friends!