KEIKO KOMA net

19 Apr. 2011

Cherry blossom and peach flower

After the biggest disaster ever, cherry blossom that gently waved to winds and played the music of love was, however, in full bloom. Eventually I noticed that the north-east of China, where the birthplace of Koguryo, Mt. Gojo was also located, was by now in full bloom with peach flowers. Last year I wanted to visit Mt. Gojo coinciding with the season of peach flowers so, accordingly, I planned a concert project there and made a schedule to visit Mt. Gojo. Unfortunately, I had to change my plan, as reactions from China to my concert project were negative, so I cancelled my trip. While I loved peach flowers since childhood, I did not feel like appreciating cherry blossoms, as they made me sad. I could only face them when I went out alone and glimpsed them rather secretly. In my mind I used to hear a voice that told me that cherry blossoms were for Japanese and not for us. Because I was Japanese, this message sounded very strange, and I used to wonder about it many times until I came to visit Mt. Gojo last March, when I asked our Chinese guide if there was a bloom of cherry blossoms, and the answer was utterly negative, and instead he said that at Mt. Gojo there was blooming of peach flowers. Then I acknowledged that a flower blooming in my heart was a peach flower and not a cherry blossom. As there came a season of peach flowers I enjoyed the sound of melting snow that people traditionally called “Tokasui”, peach flower’s water. A human being was indeed a mysterious existence. One could envision since childhood a special light-scape, sound and aroma that had never been taught by anybody or experienced in one’s life. I recalled that when I visited a historic land of Koguryo I realized that I knew beforehand, in visions I had since childhood, its blue sky, vast field and big trees waving to a wind that was stretching straight towards Heaven. I recalled also that I was greatly impressed by the photo of cherry blossoms taken by Mr. Idaki Shin, that I had selected for his concert in Kyoto. He said that this year cherry blossoms would be particularly beautiful. I started to embrace its beauty in my mind, and realized that cherry blossoms have always been together with Japanese people, and shared pains, sadness and grudge. They seemed to fly freely over the sky like a dancing angel who secretly embraced their sadness. Actually I could not see a cherry blossom without shedding tears all by myself. This year after the disaster, cherry blossoms seemed to have brought us gentle winds that would nurse our heart filled with enormous sadness. They seemed to encourage us to go forward all together. They were in full bloom at the world of eternity and nothingness that allowed us to transform sadness and grievances into energy to live on. I knew that peach flowers in Mt. Gojo were also in full bloom and shining brilliantly. I was embracing my dream about Mt. Gojo and paving a way for realizing this. I recalled my dream about Mt. Gojo as I watched this year’s cherry blossoms.