AUTUMN OF JONGMYO
宗廟の秋
I was the first person to enter Jongmyo Shrine that day. I dashed toward the Jaegung Office as soon as I entered from the outer gate, wanting to take a good picture of the autumn scenery of Jongmyo Shrine. Usually, employees working at Jongmyo would sweep the fallen leaves to one side early in the morning. Yet on that day, although I still could see the employees with brooms around, the fallen leaves were still on the ground, as if they had left those leaves there intentionally. Even though I didn't ask them directly, I believe it must have been a careful consideration to share the beautiful scenery with visitors. Looking at the Samdo (“three paths” spirit trail leading to the shrine) covered with red maple leaves and golden ginkgo leaves like blankets in the drizzle and fog, I admired the moment permeated by such vivid colors. I won two awards at the Jongmyo Photo Contest with two photos taken that day.
Sometimes, I would lean against the South Gate pillars of Jeongjeon Hall to listen to the sound of raindrops falling from the end of the eaves, then soon I would get lost in thought. Taking a walk in Jongmyo Shrine under the clear autumn sky is one thing, but its authentic charm is revealed in the rainy morning. Fallen leaves thicken their colors by getting wet, and the colors of old tiles become deeper than the color of the soil they were made with. You can genuinely appreciate autumn here, which is only getting shorter as the years go by.
その日、宗廟に最初に入ったのは私だった。今日こそは宗廟の秋の風景をしっかり撮りたいと思いながら外大門に入るやいなや斎宮へと向かった。普段だったら宗廟の管理人たちが朝早くから落ち葉を掃き集めたはずなのに、その日は周りにほうきを持った人がいたにもかかわらず、まるでわざと手をつけなかったかのようにばらばらと落ちた紅葉がそのまま床に散らばっていた。互いに交わす言葉はなかったが、美しい風景を観覧客と共有しようとする細心の思いやりだったと思う。霧雨と霧の中で赤い紅葉と黄金色のイチョウの葉を布団のように覆っている三道を見ながら、宗廟にも鮮やかで華やかな色が染み込む瞬間があるという事実に感心した。その日撮った2枚の写真で「宗廟写真コンテスト」で2回も受賞することになった。
たまに南神門の柱に寄りかかって軒先から落ちる雨粒の音を聞きながら、誰もいない正殿の前で思いにふけったりもした。清明な秋空の下で宗廟を散歩するのも良いが、やはり雨の日が一番美しい。落ち葉は雨に濡れて色が濃くなり建物の屋根と塀の上の古い瓦も本来の土の色より深くて重い色を見せてくれる。年々短くなる秋をここでは思う存分満喫できる。
024. Autumn scenery of Yeonji Pond | 2015
蓮池の秋の風景
028. Autumn scenery around the eastern wall of Jeongjeon Hall | 2015
正殿の東側の塀一帯の秋の風景
030. Nujo on the south side of Hawoldae Terrace in Jeongjeon Hall | 2017
正殿の下月台の漏槽
032. The southern gate of Yeongnyeongjeon Hall and juniper tree | 2015
永寧殿の南神門とイブキ
037. Red maple leaves and the Chwidu on the roof of Sejajesil Chamber | 2018
世子齋室の鷲頭と赤い紅葉
040. Red maple leaves around Jaegung Office | 2019
斎宮の周りの赤く染まった紅葉
