The lotus blossoms are out! Let's look at a few photos of them.
世の中よ針だらけでも蓮の花
yo no naka yo hari darake demo hasu no hana
this world
full of needles and thorns...
yet lotus blossoms
—Issa
This is exactly when the microseasons, the traditional Japanese almanac (２４節気) predicts they will start blooming, and it remains usually pretty accurate.
The lotus is loved all over Asia and plays a central role in both the two biggest eastern religions: Hinduism and Buddhism.
It is admired for it's ability to grow out of gunk yet remain perfectly clean and beautiful.
蓮の香や水をはなるる茎二寸
hasu no ka ya mizu o hanaruru kuki ni sun
lotus fragance
over the water
on two sun stems
—Buson
Two sun (pronounced sue-n not sun like our star) is about 6 centimeters, considered the perfect lotus stem length.
This place is a shrine, it has a giant lotus pond full of at least a hundred of them. I come here every year.
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David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
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