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About 1,500 of the ume trees so loved
by Michizane vie for your attention. |
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Confronted with the Fujiwara conspiracy to banish him to Dazaifu, Michizane wrote the following poem in front of the ume trees at Kobaidono, the Michizane residence in Kyoto, just before he departed on the journey. "When the east wind blows, loose your fragrance, for even without their master, ume blossoms should never forget Spring." There is a well known legend, the "Tobiume Densetsu," which has it that out of their yearning, the ume trees flew all the way to Dazaifu in a single night, before Michizane even arrived there, to lay down new roots and release their fragrance for their master. As that famous poem shows, Michizane had an extraordinary love for ume blossom. Kitano-Tenmangu has about 1,500 ume trees of more than 50 types spread over the approximately 6.6 hectares of the shrine grounds, and today it is the most famous ume viewing spot in Kyoto. February 25th is the day of Michizane's
death, and the Baikasai (Ume Blossom Festival) is held on this day every year. At the festival, always bustling with visitors, geisha from the Kamishichiken district of Kyoto brew tea in an outdoor tea ceremony amid the strong fragrance of the ume blossom. Located on the shrine grounds, is the Baien Ume Garden, a 1.7 hectare ume garden established in 1966. This garden (containing an earthen embankment around the "Odoi", a 0.7 hectare enclosure designed as protection against flooding and constructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi) is opened to the public every year in the first part of February. The best time to view the blossoms is the period from the end of February until the middle of March, when ume trees with either red or white blossoms, and both single and double-flowered blossoms fill the garden with their sweet fragrance.
Opening of the Baien Ume Garden
| Period open: |
From the beginning of February through the middle of March |
| Hours open: |
10 AM - 4 PM |
| Entrance fee: |
Adults (older than elementary school children)
600 yen, Children 300 yen |
* Groups (30 or more) get a 10% discount, except for the 25th of every month and Sat., Sun., and holidays.
* Persons physically challenged: Adults 300 yen, Children 150 yen.
* All cases: Japanese tea and cakes provided. |
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| Baikasai (Ume Blossom Festival) |
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Baikasai (Ume Blossom Festival) Outdoor Tea Ceremony |
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Baikasai (Ume Blossom Festival) Outdoor Tea Ceremony |
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| Baikasai (Ume Blossom Festival) Outdoor Tea Ceremony |
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Baien Ume Garden |
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Baien Ume Garden |
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