A Letter from Saihoji June

This year, in this series, I would like to share with you the everyday life of Saihoji through interviews with people working for Saihoji. The first installment focuses on rainy season. This long rain season would be depressing for many people. However at Saihoji, as expressed in the phrase “five seasons,” which includes the rainy season in addition to the four seasons, it is an attractive season with moisturized greenery. In this article, I interviewed a gardener.

Speaker: A gardener who has been working for Saihoji for 6 years. He is very particular about water and always goes to mountain to fetch spring water.
Interviewer: Hosotani from Saihokai Association

[Interviewer]
ー Why does the moss seem full of life in the rainy season?

[Interviewee/Gardener]
It is because, when it rains, leaves of moss open to absorb water. I like it when the sun comes out after the rain, because the dewdrops on the moss shimmer in the sunlight.

But, I wonder what the moss feels like. I worry that the moss will get sunburned and damaged if sunlight suddenly shines onto the moss. The view after the rain is beautiful for sure, and I do think the moss here is adaptable to any environment because it grows naturally. Still, I am not sure if it is okay to say that the wet and shimmering moss in the sunlight is beautiful while that the weather could be harsh for the moss.

ー I got the impression that the gardeners at Saihoji are helping the moss to live by the power of nature as much as possible. What do you usually do when it rains a lot?

We can’t do broom work in the rain, so we weed the garden instead. When the soil is wet and soft, it becomes easier to pull up the weed. The weeds and the moss compete for land, so we try to reduce the weeds so that the moss can gain enough space to spread themselves.

ー You are taking care of the moss with delicate work. There are more than 120 kinds of moss in the garden. Which one is your favorite kind?

I like cedar moss and cypress moss. I especially like and enjoy taking care of tall mosses such as them. At the end of the garden path, there is a gravel staircase. To the right of it, there is an area with only cypress moss, which is my favorite.

ー Is there something you like besides moss?

I like kingfishers. They come to the garden every year and often sit on branches of the cedar tree on the island in the Golden Pond. I sometimes see a parent and a child flying together. They probably give birth to their kids here. Their voice is really distinctive, so when I hear their voice, I can immediately tell that they are now somewhere in the garden. They fly around the island chirping happily.

Also, I would feel happy if visitors pay attention to the stone arrangements and the structure of the garden such as the three sacred stones called “sanzon-seki” representing three statues of Buddha. These stones are easy to overlook, but I hope people have an interest in such details.