Temple & spring garden

Motif

Japanese gardens are rooted in Shinto religion. However, most of the main Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are surrounded by different types of gardens. The way in which they change throughout the seasons is often a pretext for important annual celebrations. The gorgeous plum tree garden, blooming at the end of winter at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto is one of many famous examples.

This pagoda seems to be surrounded by cherry or plum trees in bloom as the soft pink colour palette suggests. The scene is composed as it would be on a painting and the branches and flowers resemble those made by the painter’s brushstroke.

FABRIC

This jacquard obi is woven of silk threads and thin silvery slats. The warp itself is made of a golden slat which gives this fabric an intense shine when it moves in the light.