KYOTO - Kyoto's Torin-in temple on Thursday began a special viewing of fallen Japanese stewartia blossoms, whose brief life made them a symbol of impermanence in classic Japanese literature.
Visitors to the temple in Kyoto's Ukyo Ward sat on the veranda and quietly viewed the white flowers, which last a single day, fall onto the green moss of the garden.
The trees were planted as a substitute for the sal trees under which the Buddha is said to have died in present-day India, with tradition saying the flowers fell on his body.
The blossoms are also referenced in the opening passage of the 13th-century classic "The Tale of the Heike," which cites the flowers as showing that "all that flourishes must fade" before recounting the rise and fall of two samurai clans.
The temple's chief priest, Genbo Nishikawa, 87, said, "The flowers teach us through their own lives how important it is to live each day without regret."
According to the temple, the stewartia trees now on the grounds were grown from seeds collected from a 350-year-old tree that died about 20 years ago.
The flower viewing will run through June 24, with no reservation required. The admission fee including matcha and traditional Japanese sweets is 1,600 yen ($10).
