surely it is spring
in the nameless mountains
a thin haze

– Matsuo Bashō

South of Kyōto City, the major Shintō shrine closest our house is Nagaoka Tenman-gū (長岡天満宮), associated with the presence of the statesman-scholar Fujiwara Michizane (菅原道真) over a thousand years ago in the Heian Period. He was not the only case of being exiled wrongly by the Imperial court, followed by natural disasters, interpreted as the work of his angry ghost, then being deified as the Shintō kami Tenjin (天神) to supplicate his spirit. Thus the shrine is also called Nagaoka Tenjin (長岡天神). Students facing high-stakes exams have traditionally prayed at the many Tenjin shrines to this god of learning. Today, the large shrine grounds provide a place to walk and commune with nature as well as to worship and to hold hopeful events. Now is peak cherry blossom season, so here are four scenes where I often go for contemplative hikes.

Publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

#Japan #Kyoto #Shinto #shrine #spring #cherry #blossoms #nature #hiking #photos #photography

@religion

#3GoodThings today

Spring arrivals :
1. the first Robin sang this morning

2. I heard several Brown Creepers on our 6 km walk

3. just spotted two Turkey Vultures

Was die Magnolien und Tulpen machen.

Tigger Savannah cat enjoys the signs of the Spring season. The grass is starting to grow, birds are singing, and the cats are feeling talkative and feisty.

Over a hundred Dunning's mining bees (Andrena dunningi) are back in the front yard again this year! WARNING: Graphic Content #bees #pollinators #insects #Illinois #nature #photography #Spring

I love spring and the light green of the #leaves
#spring

Spring is such a beautiful time...

A bit of cuteness for today ~ Ballerina Bunny: https://1-lisas-baker.pixels.com/featured/ballerina-bunny-lisa-s-baker.html

After two days with really warm temperatures and a lot of sunshine we had a cold easterly wind with just as much sunshine today. Temperature dropped from early summer to early spring, but trees are blooming anyway.

I took this photo in a village in the Lowenstein hills.