April 20, 2020.
On this day, I photographed the wisteria of Byodo-in in Uji in full bloom in the ARW files of my camera.
This was still a time when the aftereffects of the COVID era lingered heavily, and the number of visitors had fallen drastically.
Paradoxically, that created an exceptionally favorable environment for photography.

The beauty of the wisteria on this day was exquisite.
The Kirishima azaleas along the edge of the pond were equally magnificent, and in the light of spring they brought out even more deeply the beauty of Byodo-in as a singular place.
I captured the phoenix shining against the blue sky with a telephoto lens.
I also recorded the beauty of the Uji River, the striking appearance of a heron, and, for the first time, the cormorant enclosure where birds are kept for ukai fishing.

For this work, I chose Debussy.
His delicate and dreamlike sound resonates deeply with the hanging clusters of wisteria, the light of spring, the presence of water, and the quiet dignity of Byodo-in.

The wisteria of Byodo-in.
The Kirishima azaleas.
The phoenix suspended against the blue sky.
The flowing beauty of the Uji River.
And the essence of beauty that became visible precisely in that unusually quiet age.

I offer Byodo-in in Uji on this day to the world as a visual poem.