There were no forests in my childhood.

As a youngster, I never looked up in awe at towering trees. I never walked along a shady path in the woods. There were no mysterious birds I couldn’t see. No sounds of wild water. What I knew: impeccably green lawns nurtured on chemicals and palm trees wedged into concrete holes, lined up like soldiers alongside the street. Water ran through culverts, and everywhere, the urban clamour of humans and their machines could be heard.

I remedied that deficit when I was on my own at 17. Along life’s way, I’ve sat, touched and listened to forests in many lands. I’ve forgotten how many species of birds I’ve seen (well over 1,000!) and how many flashes of brilliant colours I’ve glimpsed in the dense verdant canopy. I’ve come to love evergreens—those cone-bearing woody plants that are also known as conifers—and in particular, the Pines. No longer do pines seem boring or repetitive. On my Japan journeys, I fell under the spell of the gardens and parks where pines, contemplation and quiet joy abound.

We’re so ephemeral compared to pines, whose ancestors date back to 130 to 200 million years ago. Most pine species can live for 100 years or longer under favourable conditions. More than a hundred species exist today, in habitats ranging from sea level up to the tree line. Some are low prostrate forms, while others consist of rounded shrubs or tall, narrow trees.

The physical attributes of pines

Pine foliage is needle-shaped and held in clusters that are attached to the branches. Depending upon the species, the bundles consist of two, three or five needles that are held together by sheaths at their base. Their narrow shape prevents heavy snow accumulation and the consequent branch breakage. In all species, needles are coated with a waxlike substance that inhibits water evaporation and protects cells from freezing.

Pinus species produce dry fruits (cones) consisting of a central stalk surrounded by overlapping woody scales that separate to release the seeds. Individual trees produce both male and female cones. Male cones release pollen to be spread by gravity or the wind, while female ones are larger with seeds contained between the scales.

The significance of Japanese pines

Pines are the dominant native plant in Japan and the most important tree in Japanese gardens. Known as matsu, they’re strongly associated with Japan’s oldest religion, Shintoism, which views pines as yorishiro—that is, “a place capable of attracting the gods.” I love the idea that matsu means “waiting for a god’s soul to descend from heaven.”

Matsu are associated with endurance and longevity, not simply because pines are evergreen and long-lived, but also because of the mythic image of pine-covered Mount Horai, “the island of the Eight Immortals.” Pines are also considered emblems of constancy, health and joy.

Representations of matsu are seen everywhere in Japan, from everyday objects to works of art and literature. Before the New Year, a pair of decorations known as kadomatsu (translated as “gate pine”) are placed on either side of a house entrance to provide a temporary home for the spirits. Matsu images abound in poetry, woodblock prints and decorated screens.

The two most important species of pine in Japanese gardens are the two-needle forms. Pinus thunbergii, the Japanese black pine, is a seacoast native, while Pinus densiflora, the Japanese red pine, is native to mountains and hillsides. In gardens, both are used to represent these native habitats.

Japanese Pine Trees are often cloud pruned, which is a technique that creates rounded cloudlike shapes on each branch. This gives them the well-known nickname of “cloud trees.”

With intricate and skillful pruning, Japanese pine trees have been trained over many years to achieve an arching, leaning or angular shape. Some of the older Japanese pines have been the work of generations of skillful gardeners at prominent shrines, gardens and temples. That skill is taken to the limit with the training of miniature trees (often pine) in containers. These are called bonsai, and this practice is known as a high art in Japan.

Every Shinto temple and Buddhist shrine is deepened by the grey-green pine trees standing in its silent gardens. Pine trees look exquisite all throughout the year, with each season providing its own unique touch to the appearance of the trees. In summer, pine trees appear green and lively. But during the wintertime, when the clouds of the pine trees are draped in snow, they’re unforgettable sights to behold.

The gentle rustle of matsu branches
A carpet of spent needles reveals the way.
My breathing slows.
Nothing awaits, only now.

«RELATED READ» THE GUEST OF THE EMPEROR: Finding the will to survive in a bonsai»

image: Wikimedia Commons

The post A MEDITATION ON PINES: The most important tree in Japanese gardens appeared first on The Mindful Word.