Byodoin Flowers throughout the Year
Byodoin is famous for its gardens. In the spring, there are several varieties of cherry blossoms, including weeping cherry, Yoshino cherry, and mountain cherry. There are three wisteria trellises, the most magnificent of which stands by Aji-ike Pond and is around 280 years old. The gorgeous clusters of flowers grow as long as one meter, with purple blooms cascading almost to the ground.
Byodoin is famous for a unique variety of lotus that grows nowhere else. The lotus is descended from one lotus seed discovered in a layer of earth during the excavation of Aji-ike Pond in 1999. Scientific research showed that the seed was from the late Edo period (1603–1867) and this seed sprouted successfully. The petals of the lotus descended from the plants grown from the seed look exactly like the lotus petals depicted on the wall behind the main statue of Amida (Sk. Amitabha) Buddha in the Phoenix Hall look exactly like. Clusters of lovely water lilies grow on the southeast side of Aji-ike Pond, which is often compared to the Takara-ike Pond depicted in visions of the Buddhist Pure Land (Jodo). Camellia seeds were discovered in earth layers from the Muromachi period (1336-1573) during excavations of the garden grounds. The seeds sprouted and the first flower bloomed in 2003. Two different kinds of azaleas, Hirado and Kirishima grow on the grounds, beginning to bloom around the same time as the wisteria. The crape myrtle blossoms in late summer and maple trees change color in autumn.