A Different World

                                                                                                                                    2015  12  15

     A Different World 

This is a different world.

While I hear about big snows in Seoul, it is more or less 18 degree Celsius here in Kyoto. Kyoto’s main attraction, Momiji, autumn leaves, have finally come around.

I have no memory of enjoying the autumn leaves inside Seoul. I used to go far off to Mountain Seorak or Naejang for that. Trees in the city might have been cut down to build houses and buildings.

In the middle of this city, Kyoto, however, there are many old maple trees. Any temple, shrine, garden, or park is filled with them. A sudden chill after warm weather, allegedly, makes the distinctive color of autumn leaves. They say it is not as beautiful as previous years due to global warming, it seems just as auspicious to me.

The four seasons and their changes freshen our lives. I am only thankful that such an autumn exists between hot and cold weather.

Spring flowers are often considered to be positive for they symbolize a hope you have throughout the long winter time, whereas autumn leaves are interpreted as solitary and lonely for they signal the exhaustion of a year, reminding us of the fall of our lives. When autumn finally arrives, however, I gaze upon them being united with their beauty and then suddenly realize there is no single moment in my life that lacks unexpected mystique and beauty.

Although I had seen Kyoto's autumn leaves so many times, I have met some leaves that I would have missed if it weren't for my long-term stay. I will go searching for more beautiful leaves during a long weekend due to the anniversary of the founding of Toshisha University.

For a while, I almost forgot in which city I was living for I had been too busy with my study. Now I finally appreciate the beauty of Kyoto once I start wondering around the city. It is unbelievable that the peak time of autumn leaves in Kyoto is in December.

I have seen this autumn from many other places of this city, such as the Imperial Palace, Kiyomizudera, Kodai-ji, Entokuin, Eikan-do, Nanzen-ji, Tofuku-ji, Sennyu-ji, Kitano Tenmangu, Shisen-do, Konkaikomyo-ji, Shinyu-do, Enko-ji, Tenryu-ji, etc. There is no way, however, to describe the beauty of the bright red leaves of a chestnut tree reflected in a quiet pond at Kodai-ji, the house of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, where the performance of new images takes place every year. The maple tree seen from the opposite side, from the house of his wife, Nene, is also an art beyond this world.

But this autumn, I came across, for the first time, the cascading maple trees along the long brook in Kitano Tenmangu, the garden of mystical autumn shade at Syorenin that looked upon from the room in the middle of the city where the emperor often visited to compose Tanka, and Hogon-in in Arashiyama, all of which are purely fantastic. There is no way to describe the elegant garden of autumn leaves at Shisen-do and Enko-ji with words.

All the visitors were not exclaiming a single word, such as 'Wow, beautiful!' or 'Wonderful!', but looking out upon the garden quietly. I was walking silently not to disturb the harmony.

Japanese maple trees are usually 15 to 30 meters tall. When I look up at those three with my head bending all the way back, I see the nail-size little leaves with the blue sky as their background as a race of star-shaped flowers pouring down overlapped in bright-red, orange, yellow, light green, and green shades.

There are different classes among autumn leaves. As if a peacock's tail, or a voluminous ball dress, the leaves unfold in a big scale, clearly demonstrating their quality and class that have been established over a long period of time.

I used to say that it was Baekje who transmitted their art of gardening to Japan way over a thousand years ago, around the sixth century, but now I can no longer say that. Because I can feel their effort, without being told by anyone, to maintain and develop the beauty of autumn leaves by perfecting their location, shape, the flow of water, and the overall design of the garden after studying and developing various kinds of leaves.

They last longer then spring flowers that perish away in three days, though, it is sad that such a harmony of life, which seems to belong to a different world, falls down to go back to the earth. It is not even possible to properly photograph this great collaboration of God and men. Since I have lost my camera a few years ago, I only keep it to my heart by fumblingly clicking my cellphone.

At the end of a long year in a foreign country for many various reasons, I am moved by the fact that this kind of extreme beauty was waiting for me. I wish, one day, I could find time to write more about the minds of those autumn leaves in detail.