The Seasons of Yamato (2021)
The Seasons of Yamato
2021Here is the high-resolution movie by Koichi Hozan, a videographer living in Nara Prefecture, with exclusive pieces which a pianist, Mine Kawakami, played on the "Hyakunen (100-year-old) Piano." The light and sound create a poetic video to make you experience each season.
Seasons & Episode
Chogakuji Temple is known as the Flower Temple. Every year in early summer, Kakitsubata (water iris) plays the leading role. A thousand irises bloom in front of the main hall. In the blue-violet paradise that appeared on the water, a dragonfly stated, "I'm here." A stone Buddha statue looking down there might have smiled at it. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Rikka is from May 5 to 21.
"Nara Tōkae Festival" is held in Nara Park every summer. The lens of Hozan captures the flickering candles that participants lit one by one. Mine Kawakami plays on the Steinway, which has spent a long time at Nara Hotel in the center of Nara Park. The time to think of someone close rolls by in the summer night. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Taisho is from July 22 to August 7.
In Asuka Village, around the time of the Autumnal Equinox. Thousands of Higanbana (Red spider lilies) bloom surrounding golden fields with ripe ears of rice. Red flowers cover up every pathway to make red carpets. What might glide over them, a red dragonfly or an autumn breeze? As the sun sets, the cluster of red clouds seems to absorb the color of Higanbana to change itself redder and darker. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Shuubun is from September 23 to October 8.
Around the Beginning of Winter, it is deep autumn in Tenkawa Village, Nara Prefecture. There are leaves of various colors and shapes that the morning frost edges. At the temple called Ryusen-ji, an immense number of autumn leaves fall on the water sprung from a dragon's mouth. After the maple leaves turn red and leave their mother's trunk, some sink to the bottom of the water to rest peacefully, and others float and set out on a long journey. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Rittou is from November 7 to 22.
It is the Heavy Snow of the 24 Solar Terms. The morning service at Kohfukuji Temple begins while it's still pitch dark outside. As the sky grows lighter, its hue changes every second. Although it is both blue and red, how does a great writer describe such delicate colors at the break of dawn? At Tobihino, the deer that cannot wait for the morning have already started their day. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 3 (2021), Taisetsu is from December 7 to 22.
There is the Fujioka Family Residence in Gojo City. This Japanese Registered Tangible Cultural Property gives us an idea of how the village headman and apothecary existed in the Edo period. It is also the house where the Haiku poet Gyokkotsu Fujioka was born. Its garden has a 250-year-old plum tree that blossoms in the cold weather and is very "old and strong." Despite freezing rain, the color of these flowers is tinged with spring. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Risshun is from February 4 to 19.
Nara Gokoku Shrine is also known as the "Camellia Shrine." Ten thousand camellia trees with flowers of various colors and shapes bloom now. Many petals of red, white and light pink float on the surface of the pond, next to the shrine. These tiny, warm-colored boats hardly ever sink, even when cold raindrops hit them. *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Usui is from February 19 to March 5.
A carpet of canola flowers tells the Yamanobe-no-Michi Road that spring has come. The warm weather tempts tree frogs to come out and ladybugs to play with horsetails. Spring light fills up the field as if to compete with the yellow of the canola flowers. As the sun sets, the yellow of the flowers slowly grows darker until they become black silhouettes. But please do not worry about it. Tomorrow should be warmer than today! *According to the 24 Solar Terms of Reiwa 4 (2022), Keichitsu is from March 5 to 21.
It is no secret that Mount Yoshino is a famous spot for viewing cherry blossoms. Spring comes slowly there. Around the Fresh Green, various cherry trees start blossoming like a contest in the villages and on the mountain slopes. What did Emperor Go-Daigo, who built the Southern Court there, dream about while sleeping under those cherry trees?
Here is the high-resolution movie by Koichi Hozan, a videographer living in Nara Prefecture, with exclusive pieces which a pianist, Mine Kawakami, played on the "Hyakunen (100-year-old) Piano." The light and sound create a poetic video to make you experience each season.