Hurano-jinja

Tags

Cherry Blossom, Hurano-jinja, Kazan

(Photo by Brian Adler: Wikipedia)

 

The cherry blossom

began in Kazan’s reign* and

his mausoleum

marks the resting place of one

who preferred to be a monk.

 

• Emperoro Kazan

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Matsunoo-taisha

Tags

Kinpaku, Matsunoo-taisha, miso, sake

(Wikimedia C Commons; photo by

KENPEI, Aug, 2010)

 

Where the turtle bathed

beneath the waterfall shrine,

makers of miso,

sake, pray for a blessing:

Kinpaku’s gold* gives them hope.

 

• a drink with gold flakes in it.

Shimogamo Shrine

Tags

bussokusekika, god of fire, god of thunder, Shimogamo, Tamayori-hime

(photo by Mojo; uploaded under GNU FDL:

Wikipedia)

 

Tamayori-hime*

and the gods of fire, thunder,

dwell in the forest

where all lies will be exposed;

not all trees destroyed.

 

• daughter of the sea-dragon god

Iwashimizu Hachiman

Tags

bussokusekika, Gyoko, heihaku, Iwashimizu Hachiman, Kamakura, kami, Kyoto

Wikipedia: source

 

 

Gyoko, the monk,

said that Hachiman wanted

to guard Kyoto.

Heihaku* told the kami**

Kamakura*** news and views.

 

• Imperial messengers
• ** spirits
• *** early political centre of Japan.

Japan’s Twenty Two Shrines

Tags

Amaterasu, boussokusekika, Ise Jingu, Japan, Sacred Mirror, shrine

I understand that there are three levels of shrines:

Upper/ First Rank : 7 examples

Middle : 7

Lower : 7 (plus 1)

 

I am going to go through each shrine and try to write a boussokusekika

for each.  5,7,5,7,7,7 syllable pattern.

Here goes:

 

Ise Jingu

(Photo by N yotarou, 2008)

 

Amaterasu,

here is your Sacred Mirror;

it reflects the truth:

though damaged by fire, its ash

was used to make it anew.

 

The goddess Amaterasu emerging from a cave.

 

 

Root Oot

Tags

Captain English cricket team, Joe Root, Oval cricket

Photo by Naparazzi, Jan 2014;  (Wikipedia)

 

 

Poor Joe Root,

he got a ‘peach’ and now he’s oot.

Someone’s * tweeted he’s not the ticket

and will be the shortest reigned captain in English cricket.

 

• someone called Adrian Murray ?? on Twitter

Might not be true – he (Joe) may redeem himself yet.

Buddhapada

Tags

Bo-Tree, boussokusekika, Buddhapada, Shakyamuni

 

Shakyamuni prints,

wept over by a woman,

were then petrified.

On each toe, a conch proclaims

post-Enlightenment wisdom

from the Bo-Tree, to the world.

 

Today’s Tanka

Tags

flint, Shard, tanka

(Photo from herboyves@blogspot.com)

 

 

A blue and white flint,

embedded in the chalk soil:

perhaps pottery;

carelessly shattered vessel;

shard from Life’s jigsaw?

Attraction

Tags

attraction, Buddleia, bussokusekika, butterfly

 

You, white Buddleia,

are a butterfly magnet;

generous hostess.

How do they all know to come?

What attracted me to you?

Teasles

Tags

bussokusekika, Goldfinch, teasles

Another bussokusekika:

 

(Photo by Renardeau, Ardenne, 2005)

 

TEASLES

 

Today the teasles

were pale green and soft lilac,

swaying in a breeze,

but, in a few months, Goldfinch

will eat brown seeds all winter.