SPRING OF JONGMYO
宗廟の春
Jongmyo Shrine has fewer flower trees than the royal palaces because it is a space for ancestral rites, but there are hidden places where you can feel the blooming of spring. By the time young grass starts to sprout from the paving stones on the Woldae terrace, the Jongmyo forest announces the advent of spring with soft green light and the smell of soil. When I started taking pictures in 2015, I took pictures of flowers blooming on a plum tree in front of Hyangdaecheong Hall. Six years later, I took another similar composition and realized that the plum tree had grown magnificently with thick stems and abundant flowers. If the tree has grown that much while the season has changed twenty-four times, I wonder how much have I and my photos grown so far.
In springtime, my favorite place in Jongmyo is outside the East Gate of Yeongnyeongjeon Hall. When the spring breeze blew over the foundation stones of the former Jeonsacheong office's remains and the Panwi (tile-paved platform, the royal stands) of Yeongnyeongjeon Hall, I got excited since it felt like I had finally found THE spring of Jongmyo Shrine. The spring scenery over the fence from Oedaemun Gate, the main entrance, to Seosunra-gil Street, the street along the outside of the shrine, is also extraordinary. Cherry blossoms and trees extending their heads over the wall give people spring’s warmth into their hearts.
祭祀のための空間だった宗廟は宮殿に比べると花木が少ない方だが、春の気配を感じられる風景があちこちに隠れている。正殿の月台の薄石の間に若草の葉が芽生える頃、森にはか弱い緑色が広がり暖かい風に乗って土の香りが春の到来を知らせる。私が写真を撮り始めた2015年、香大庁の前にある花の咲いたスモモの木の写真を一枚撮っておいた。2021年の春に宗廟を訪れ6年前と似たような構図で写真を撮って比べてみたら、幹も太くなり花もたくさん咲く素敵な木に成長していた。季節が24回変わる間に木がこんなに素晴らしくなったのに、自分と自分の写真はどれだけ成長したのか振り返ってみることになる。
春になると宗廟で一番好きな場所は永寧殿の東門の外だ。今は跡だけが残っている戦士庁の礎と永寧殿の板の上に春風が立ち、小さな桜の花びらが舞う時、ついに「宗廟の春」を見つけたような気がして胸がときめいた。そして外大門から西順羅道の方へ行く途中の塀越しに見える春の風景も格別だ。塀の上に顔を出した桜と木々が道を通る人々の胸に暖かい春をたっぷり届けてくれる。
060. Spring scenery of Yeonji Pond | 2015
蓮池の春の風景
062. Plum tree in front of Hyangdaecheong Hall, the Great Incense Hall | 2021
香大廳の前にあるスモモの木
069. Jeongjeon Hall viewed from the southeast | 2015
東南側から眺めた正殿
076. Foundation stones on the site of Jeonsacheong Hall of Yeongnyeongjeon Hall | 2021
永寧殿の典祀廳跡に残っている礎石
077. Cherry blossom petals falling on the foundation stone of Jeonsacheong Hall | 2021
典祀廳の礎石の上に落ちた桜の花びら
