The city is suffused with the haze of cherry blossoms, and with them, branches on soft spring nights speckle petals against the sky. Among all things that heighten beauty and accentuate the charms of an environment – rain, snow, sunlight – pink cherry blossoms must be one of the most magical and charming. When they come into bloom, they enhance everything around them – the sky, blue, grey, or black. Sunlight, moonlight, walls, sidewalks, riverbanks, lamps. Did they descend like a cloud cloak, or burst out from the ground? We are all softened and awed again this spring.

I’m picking out my favourites this month of the many special Buddha showings in Nara …and they are all Taimadera legend related. The story goes that Princess Chujo had a vision of the Pure Land and guided by bodhisattva Kannon she wove a tapestry mandala of it. They say the threads she used were dyed in a well where today’s Sekkoji Temple (also known as Somedera (the “dyeing temple”) is, and it is there too that the oldest stone representation of Miroku Buddha (the “Future Buddha”) in Japan is found. What a place of origin – as close as you can get to the moment of adoption of a culture – and so little-known. The princess is said to have later become a nun, and here she is at Taimadera, the temple where her woven tapestry is kept. And here is the beautiful Kannon, who guided her in her art. Three pieces, three places, three figures – Buddha, woman, nun. “Create, and you will be saved”: what a message the religious culture of Taimadera brought.

This is it, the earliest stone representation of Miroku Buddha in Japan, unearthed in 1991: an, otherworldly piece from the late 7th century that sculpturally evokes both Chinese lines, with elongated ears, but a simple facial affect – flat face, simple slitted eyes – redolent of those of simple pre-Buddhist figurines. You can see it this month from the 14th. It will be on display for one month. The temple garden is also peony-filled at the moment and below is a clip announcing the same opening a few years ago. Wonderful. Go see the turning point of religious culture in Japan.

石光寺　日本最古の石仏 開帳

 On the 16th of every month, the “Guiding Kannon Prayer Meeting” is held, and by participating in the prayer meeting, visitors can view a special statue of the guiding Kannon inside the hall. This statue, carved from a single piece of hinoki cypress wood, has been regarded since ancient times as one of great dignity, and it is said to beautify both body and mind when directly looked at . I am not quite sure what this entails but maybe I can get along to find out 😉 Isn’t she lovely?

How to get to Sekkoji Temple 石光寺 and Taimadera 当麻寺 Temple:

Transportation from the nearest station: Kintetsu Taimadera Station is a 25-minute walk.

Please find full listings of Buddha showings for Nara this April here: 日本最古の石仏開帳｜石光寺｜葛城市｜生駒・信貴・斑鳩・葛城エリア｜秘宝・秘仏　特別開帳｜祈りの回廊 [奈良県　秘宝・秘仏特別開帳]