Wandering Spirit --- za faasuto iyaazu (the first years)

There I was ... I was born in the Midsummer night of 1640 at Kyoto as the son of a high ranked samurai and a geisha named Fujiko, Child of the Wisteria. I can't remember her, she died as she was giving birth to me. My father told me that she was as beautiful as the Wisteria. He gave me the name ... Yozakura, Blossoms in the Moonlight. Several years later he showed me the beauty of blossoms in the moonlight especially the blossoms of the Wisteria.

My father was not an easy man, certainly not the first years of my life. I think he was angry with me, because I was alive and the woman he loved so much had died as I was born. I didn't understand that of course.
Sometimes my dad brought me to his mother, my grandmother, Emiko, Beautiful Child. She, my grandmother, was a beautiful woman. In my eyes she was very old, but she always smiled and gave me all the love and comfort I needed. Through her love I learned to accept that my dad was sometimes angry and why ...

Wisteria Garden

One day my father took me by the hand, I had just turned four, and said: "Yozakura, it is time. Come I will show you your mother's grave". We walked to a beautiful garden and every were I looked I saw Wisteria blossoms in wonderful  colors. In the middle of this garden I saw a marble grave on which the name of my mother was calligraphed.
"This is your mother's grave my son. Here I was almost all those days you were at your grandmother's place. I couldn't stand you, because I thought you were guilty of the dead of your mother, but recently I got to know a priest, a Shinto priest named Daisuke, Great Helper. He was for sure a great helper my son. He taught me how to cope with the loss of your mother. Daisuke was the one who said that I had to create a garden for your mother in which I could mourn and talk with her. Daisuke once asked me if I had children. I told him about you Yozakura".
I looked at him with tears in my eyes and took his hand. "Dad", I whispered. "Yes my son". I wiped away my tears. "I love you dad. Grandmother told me why you abandoned me in a way. I understand that. Thank you for showing me this wonderful garden in honor of my mother". He knelt next to me and kissed me on my forehead. I felt his tears on my face. "I am sorry my son ... I am sorry. Can you forgive me?" I hugged him. We had no need for words ... only the silence and the beauty of the wonderful Wisteria garden for my mother.

only silence
the summer breeze caresses
Wisteria blossom

© Kiyoshi (my father, his name means "pure")

Yozakura (1640-1716)

to be continued