FROM THE GARDEN OF ZEN: 2026

March 12, 2026

Tamanawa-zakura (Prunus x yedoensis 'Tamanawa-zakura') flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Ume flowers quietly herald the stealthy arrival of spring with their modest beauty and fragrance, while sakura flowers let us know the prime of spring clearly with their magnificent splendor.

The ume flowers have already passed their days of glory and their elegant figures and aromas are beginning to fade quickly. Early-blooming sakura flowers are now appearing successively as the symbolic successors of spring flowers. Mercifully, it makes me forget the sadness of seeing the plum flowers fade away.

The Tamanawa-zakura is an early-blooming cultivar native to Kamakura City. It was developed in 1969 at the Ofuna Flower Center through a natural, accidental mating between the Somei-Yoshino zakura and early-blooming Ookan zakura. "Tamanawa" is the old name of the location where this flower center is situated. This beautiful flower born as a result of God's whim fully blooms from late February to mid-March.

Its distinctive features include a pale pink color similar to that of the Somei-Yoshino zakura and a long blooming period (approximately one month). As a spring flower representing Kamakura, it is widely planted in temples, shrines, and parks throughout this ancient city.

Tamanawa-zakura (Prunus x yedoensis 'Tamanawa-zakura') flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Under the lightly overcast sky, Tamanawa-zakura flowers are quietly beginning to open as if to timidly confirm that spring has just arrived here. These earliest flowers are modestly emerging into the chilly world and presenting their precious, ephemeral beauty to us.

The flowering of plants is a comprehensive phenomenon that occurs only when the plant’s memory of its environment throughout the year can satisfy its internal flowering requirements.

Flower buds grow quietly from summer to fall. In winter, the plant goes dormant and experiences cold temperatures. In early spring, the plants sense the increase of temperature and sunlight, which causes their buds to swell. Finally, the flower opens with the help of water in its flowering time.

Water promotes cell swelling in plants, causing the petals to expand by increasing turgor pressure. Water rapidly flows into the flower’s cells and expands their volume, which causes the petals to open and leads to full bloom.

Tamanawa-zakura (Prunus x yedoensis 'Tamanawa-zakura') flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Ume flowers quietly herald the end of long winter and the inconspicuous arrival of early spring, while Sakura flowers impress the upsurge of spring and the vibrant renewal of life. Spring is the spirited season refreshing every living thing with vitality, awakening it from its dormancy and ushering in a lively time of regeneration and regrowth.

I heartily welcome the fickle arrival of long-awaited spring winds. But I worry that its capricious nature might cause the newly-bloomed spring flowers to scatter prematurely. The spring weather is unpredictable, with wild fluctuations in temperature and sudden gusts of wind and rain showers.

Just as the various creatures that have eagerly awaited the auspicious spring winds, enduring the winter cold and hunger, I am watching anxiously the shifting passage of this beautiful season.

Tamanawa-zakura (Prunus x yedoensis 'Tamanawa-zakura') flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Kinkacha (Camellia chrysantha) flower: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

The evergreen shrub known as Kinkacha (Camellia japonica var. flavescens) is native to southern China and Vietnam. Kinkacha means "golden-flower tea tree." It is a general term for yellow-flowered camellias and is classified under the Kinkacha group.

It was introduced to Japan around 1980 and attracted attention as the “mythical golden-flowered camellia” because the yellow coloration is not found in native Japanese camellia species.

When it was discovered in 1965, it became a sensation known as the “phantom yellow camellia.” At the time, it was so rare that it was treated as the "panda of the plant kingdom" in China and was considered so precious that its export was prohibited.

It produces thick, vivid golden-yellow flowers at leaf axils and branch tips. Although its Japanese name includes the character for “tea” (cha), it is not a green tea tree, and its leaf is unsuitable for drinking.

The dried flower of kinka-cha is a traditional herbal tea known for its beautiful golden petals. This flower tea, with its elegant and gentle aroma, offers numerous health benefits alongside its natural beauty. According to traditional medicine, it is said that it helps reduce body heat, has detoxifying properties, and can lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Sazanka (Camellia sasanqua) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Ume (Japanese apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

February 15, 2026

Ume (Japanese apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Although the gloomy winter sky is persisting and the biting cold is showing no sign of retreat, Ume flowers have begun blooming gracefully to let us know of the stealth arrival of spring in the quiet, pale gardens.

These flowers seem still delicate, and their fragrance remains faint. In the depth of winter, I had noticed their buds appearing secretly on the dark, slender twigs, patiently enduring the bitter coldness and dryness of gray winter days.

After weathering the harsh winter, starved birds are beginning to joyfully dance on the flowers and lap up their sweet nectar as if to seek the blessings of the long-awaited spring.

Ume (Japanese apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Ume flowers bloom ahead of all other flowers during the cold months of January to March, before the fresh green leaves emerge. This property is said to be a smart strategy for growth and survival. The absence of foliage allows the flowers to stand out and attract pollinating insects and birds to win the race of pollination in the plant kingdom.

They bloom foremost when the landscape is still flowerless and colorless in the harsh winter. In Japan, they are also called “Haru-tsuge-gusa," which means the plant heralding the arrival of spring at the very beginning in the lingering chill.

Cherished since the Nara and Heian periods in Japan, Ume flowers are known for their sweet fragrance of spring given off in the cold, dry air. Thanks to this elegant scent, we can sense the secret beginning of spring. Furthermore, they bloom admirably amidst the cold of winter, which impresses a virtue of patience and nobleness

Ume (Japanese apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

The Ume flower has been admired for its nobleness and endurance since ancient times throughout East Asia, including Japan. This fragrant flower overcomes the coldness of winter and blooms before all other flowers to show the quiet arrival of spring in the chilling air.

This property has long been regarded as an auspicious symbol of rebirth and longevity. Furthermore, its patience in harsh conditions was thought to be the symbol of the dauntless spirit that endures adverse circumstances.

Moreover, its vibrant, competing beauty has been viewed as the metaphor of the exchange of love and the beauty of women. Thus, since ancient times, people have projected various sentiments and ideals onto the Ume flower, its branches, and even its fruit.

Ume (Japanese apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Spring is the highest season of blooming, when various plants and trees successively reach their beautiful flowering peaks, repeating their brief cycles of birth and decay.

Soon, the Ume flowers will scatter quietly, and then splendid cherry blossoms will begin to bloom flourishingly everywhere here.

The seasons change in response to the movement of the earth, and plants repeat their cycle of life depending on the transition of seasons. The annual cycle of plants embodies the universal cycle of birth and death in visible form.

The sprouting in spring represents “birth,” the flourishing in summer represents “growing,” the coloring and falling in autumn represents “change,” and the withering in winter represents "extinction."

This corresponds to the Four Phases (birth, growing, change, and extinction) of the Nirvana Sutra, symbolizing the Mujo (impermanence) of all existence.

Ume (Japanese apricot) flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

Mt.Fuji at dusk：Inamuragasaki Cape (Kamakura)

Robai (chimonanthus praecox) flowers: Kita-kamakura

Kawazu-zakura (Cerasus lannesiana 'Kawazu-zakura') flowers: Ofuna Flower Center (Kamakura)

January 12, 2026

Before sunset: Yuigahama-beach (Kamakura)

The sun is sinking steadily, making the sky aglow above the far horizon. Low-hanging masses of gray-blue clouds are tinged by the golden light of the setting sun while drifting quietly in the winter sea breeze. Soon, these dense clusters of clouds will catch the final, fleeting sparkle of the sun to emit their last fiery glow before darkness comes.

As the evening deepens over the quiet seaside, the rhythm of the waves is gently sounding all around and makes me feel the secret beating of the earth. I realize that I am standing alone here at this moment as a minute and illusionary being within the infinite universe.

The calm waves, lighted dully by the setting sun, are washing the sandy shore one after another. The setting sun continues painting the ever-changing tableau of a majestic winter seascape before night's curtain falls finally.

Before sunset: Yuigahama-beach (Kamakura)

The city of Kamakura was the ancient capital with a seafront, and its maritime landscape shaped its essential character. This old city of a military aristocracy was a natural fortress surrounded by mountains on its three sides (the east, north, and west) and the sea of Sagami Bay.

The sea also served as the gateway for overseas trade and cultural exchange. In the medieval period, Yuigahama and Zaimokuza Beach (the coastal zone) of Kamakura flourished as a commercial port, and its Wakae Island is Japan's oldest port construction site. This small island is man-made and is currently situated beneath the surface of the sea.

Development of seaborne trade advanced during the period of Hojo Yoshitoki (1183-1242). He was the third Shikken (regent) of Kamakura Bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun).

Various commodities and knowledge were imported from the Southern Sung Dynasty in China. Along with such trades, Zen monks from the Southern Song Dynasty arrived in Kamakura to convey the teachings of Zen.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, Zen Buddhism flourished, with the Rinzai School at its core, where Koan meditation became the mainstream practice.

The visiting Zen monk "Rankei Doryu" introduced authentic Zen Buddhism to Japan. The teachings of Southern Song Zen exerted a profound influence on Japan (particularly the Kamakura samurai), playing a decisive role in the subsequent development of Zen Buddhism of Japan, including the establishment of the representative Zen temples in Kamakura.

The central dogmas of Zen teachings, namely, Mujo (impermanence), Muga (selflessness), and Hudoshin (unshakable mind), were received sincerely by the Samurai warriors who lived in the harsh world of the war as the moral codes of Samurai (Bushi-do).

Zen provided “a mind unafraid of death,” “concentration on the present moment,” and “selfless, quiet courage,” which brought about the ideal spiritual principle for Bushi warriors (Samurai).

It can be said that the seashore of Kamakura welcomed Zen Buddhism, and its sturdy spirituality illuminated the path of life for Japan's Bushi warriors.

Before sunset: Yuigahama-beach (Kamakura)

The sea has no boundaries, and its end is invisible. When faced with this vastness, people must feel the smallness of their own existence, yet conversely, their minds feel liberated from the narrow prison of the soul.

The sight of the sunset sinking into the sea is the moment when the finite (myself) and the infinite (the sea and sky) melt into one completely. Gradually, the contour of myself fades out, and the boundary between myself and the endless world disappears.

The ever-changing scenery, where the sea, the sky, the clouds, and the sinking sun blend together, quietly conveys the sense that “everything is interconnected” in the whole universe.

It may be an experience of awaking parallel to the "Ichinyo" (absolute oneness) described in the Zen teachings.

Before sunset: Yuigahama-beach (Kamakura)

Dusk gradually falls over the sea, and the low murmur of waves and breezes invites me to the evening shore.

I stand still on the beach at eventide, watching the sun slowly sinking beyond the far horizon and the evening sky glowing with beautiful golden hues.

The limitless seascape arouses the enigmatic nostalgia for the distant, unknown birthplace from which I might have arrived at this seacoast of the earth.