Nothing so represents the poetic sense of springtime renewal as fresh greenery, midori みどり. As always, gardeners keep busy in this season. The Garden’s fixtures are renewed in time with the leaves and blossoms—fresh, green bamboo is cut and wooden structures are made to look new again. As spring is the first seasonal change of the new year, preparing for its arrival—spring cleaning, in a sense—has a feeling similar to welcoming a guest.
On this occasion, we also welcomed two world-renowned guest speakers to the Garden, Dr. Makoto Suzuki and Mr. Shiro Nakane. With the Garden looking its best, black twine topknots were retied on several bamboo fences in honor of our distinguished guests.
A fresh green bamboo spout, or kakehi 筧, at the Garden entrance crouching basin arrangement (tsukubai 蹲踞).
Jasmine Blue
Gardeners scrubbed the railing above the Sand & Stone Garden to remove lichens and algae, restoring a fresh look to the wood. Burrs from the scrubbing will be polished away for a smooth, sealed finish before a coat of oil is reapplied.
