Cold eases slightly; plum fragrance drifts through the East Gardens. We recently featured Kairaku-en, one of Japan's three great gardens—this time plums at nearby Bairin-zaka in the East Gardens. Season for blossom viewers and photographers.
Closer from Hirakawa Gate near Takebashi; from Ote-mon (old Edo Castle main gate) it's 10–15 minutes on foot. As the name suggests, a plum grove on a slope with sturdy stone walls—not large, but views from below and above differ.
Before Tokugawa Ieyasu entered Edo, in 1478 (Bunmei 10) Ota Dokan planted hundreds of plum trees enshrining Sugawara no Michizane.
"Tokyo City History Draft, Imperial Grounds" records: when the shogun moved from Odawara... many plums planted on the small slope, two shrines within viewed... Dokan the poet built Tenjin Shrine... ordered replanting like Kitanomaru... plum trees remain—hence Bairin-zaka. For Edo castle construction, Michizane worship moved to Hirakawa-cho, Kojimachi—now Hirakawa Tenmangu. Bairin-zaka also had Sanno Gongen, now Hie Shrine in Nagatacho. A large hazenoki atop the stone wall contrasts with enoki and pine in autumn red, yellow, green.
White plums were planted when the East Gardens opened in 1968 (Showa 43). Red plums joined; ~50 trees now.
That day mejiro busily flitted for flower nectar.
Sadly I lacked even a compact digital camera—shot on smartphone. Couldn't match mejiro speed; caught one on a branch fork but wanted this composition close-up—too late, click. Trimmed on PC but blurry—sorry.