Blog #3: Shrines in Kyoto & the Bamboo Forest

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The Bamboo Grove of Arashiyama

       This past August, my father and I embarked on a tour through Japan as a father-son trip. My father has a zeal for travel and I love Asia, so it was a perfect spot for the two of us. While we were there, we saw and did many things including climbing part of Mt. Fuji, taking the bullet train, socializing with geishas, and my favorite part: Japanese gardens. 


Sunlight breaking through Moso Bamboo

       As a people, the Japanese have always had a reverence for nature. The indigenous religion, Shinto, is based entirely around gods and spiritual entities that have direct ties to nature. Their rich history as an ancient nation also fuels their conservation efforts. As an island nation, they have limited space, so conservation is a top priority. Thus, Japan is fervent in their protection of historical and environmental sites. 


This small shrine features a pond with stone frogs, as well as a deity. Haruko-nishiki, or Japanese willow, grows adjacent to this small pond.

        On such site is the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, or Sagano Bamboo Forest as it is also known. The bamboo featured is this grove is called Moso Bamboo, or Phyllostachys edulis. The Grove is considered a soundscape of Japan, which I would agree with. The pathways cutting throughout the forest, as well as the adjacent Nonomiya Shrine, are completely silent save for the scattered voices of tourists and the rustling of bamboo. It's one of the most serene places on Earth, and arguably my favorite place in Japan.



Moso Bamboo lines the pathways to the Shrine

        All this talk of bamboo reminds me of a famous Japanese folktale, The Tale of Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語). This traditional story features an old bamboo cutter who cuts down a piece of bamboo only to find a tiny, thumb-sized infant inside. This infant grows to become the epynonymous Princess Kaguya, vied for by suitors and mysterious to the world around her. She is pursued by illustrious suitors throughout feudal Japan, including the Emperor, but denies their proclaimations of love, claiming she isn't from their country.

A young woman dressed in a pink kimono recedes on towards a palace the sky surrounded by clouds as people on the ground look on.

"The Receding Princess" from The Japanese Fairy Book, 1908

        Kaguya has an odd connection to the moon, she cries everytime she sees it. This worries her parents until she reveals that she belongs to the Celestial Kingdom of the Moon. She explains that her return to the moon is imminent, as her time on earth is ending. It ends with her parents, as well as the Emperor, mourning her absence. To memorialize her passing, the Emperor takes a final letter to her and burns it atop the highest mountain in Japan, Mt. Fuij. This folktale explains that the smoke rising from Mt. Fuji is the letter eternally burning to reach Princess Kaguya. 

        Although Mt. Fuji is mostly dormant, this tale would have explained why Mt. Fuji was smoking to people in feudal Japan. Princess Kaguya is an iconic folktale in Japan and in literature around the world, and her connection to bamboo seemed too kismet not to bring up in this blog post. I'd highly recommend the Studio Ghibli film of the same name too. It's an accurate retelling that captures the story in gorgeous watercolor style.





 

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