JOY AND SORROW
JOY AND SORROW
- Description
JOY AND SORROW
JOY AND SORROW
- Description
JOY AND SORROW
340 years, it has been here. The weeping cherry tree, or Shidare-Sakura, of Shodai-ji Temple stands halfway up the hill in a secluded part of Odawara City in Kanagawa.
Spring is the most jubilant time of the year in Japan, but standing before this full-blown tree, I somehow feel a sense of sorrow.
It’s a smile, but not of the youth. . .
It’s an old man’s smile.
People come here every spring to admire the blossom, and many years ago, the tree must have stood very proudly, so full of life.
Nothing has changed since then. . . except the tree itself.
We want to live happily, but when happiness has been around for so long, a sense of vanity starts to stream into our minds.
Still happy, but sad at the same time.
That’s the state of mind the tree is in. . . or I am.