今日は春分の日。昼と夜の長さが同じになるとされている(厳密には昼の方が少し長い)。
秋分の日と同じように、「此岸(しがん)と彼岸(ひがん)が最も通じやすい日」と考えられたことから、この日に西に向かって拝むと功徳が施されるとも信じられている。ということで、春分の中日(祝日)に供養を行うようになったといわれている。
春分は二十四節気の一つで、寒さに耐えて草木が徐々に芽を吹き、春の到来を感じさせてくれる。自然をたたえ、生物をいつくしむ日でもある。

Today is Vernal Equinox Day. It is said that the length of day and night will be the same (strictly speaking, day is a little longer).
As with the Autumnal Equinox Day, it was thought that "the day when this bank (current life) and the equinox (the world after death) are the easiest to the most accessible day ", so it is believed that worshiping toward the west on this day will give merit. Therefore, it is said that the memorial service was started on the middle day (holiday) of the spring equinox.
The spring equinox is one of the twenty-four solar terms, and the vegetation gradually sprouts withstanding the cold, making us feel the arrival of spring. It is also a day to praise nature and care for living things.

昨日、一足先に誇らしげに咲いている桜を見に行ってきた。西宮市今津町にある小さな公園に一本、お彼岸の中日に合わせたかのように満開だった。
わざわざこの一本を見るために自転車を走らせた。

Yesterday, I went to see the cherry blossoms that are proudly blooming. One of them was in full bloom in a small park in Imazu-cho, Nishinomiya City, as if it was set in the middle of the day on the equinoctial week.
I ran a bicycle to see this one.

この桜は、西宮市の固有の桜。今津の小さな市民の憩いの公園で見つかった桜が、西宮の固有種として認定され、2020年、市民公募で「今津紅寒桜(いまづべにかんざくら)」と名付けられた。3月上旬から中旬の早咲きで、お椀状の大きな花びらが特徴でつぼみの時は濃いピンク色である。

This cherry blossom is endemic species to Nishinomiya City. The cherry blossoms found in the resting park of a small citizen of Imazu were certified as an endemic species of Nishinomiya, and in 2020, they were named "Imazu Beni Kanzakura" by a public offering. It blooms early from early to mid-March, and is characterized by large bowl-shaped petals, which are deep pink when it is a bud.

西宮は桜の名所として有名だが、数多く存在する桜の中でも西宮には3種の固有種(オリジナル種)がある。この「今津紅寒桜」をはじめ「西宮権現平桜」と「夙川舞桜」。今津紅寒桜は早咲きであるが、あとの2種はこれから。満開の折は、3種の美の共演を紹介する。

Nishinomiya is famous as a famous place for cherry blossoms, but among the many cherry blossoms that exist, Nishinomiya has three endemic species (original species). Including this "Imazu Beni Kanzakura", "Nishinomiya Gongen Hirazakura" and "Shukugawa Maizakura". Imazu Beni kanzakura is in early bloom, but the other two are yet to come. At the time of full bloom, l will introduce the co-starring of three kinds of beauty.

リポート&写真/ 渡邉雄二　Reported & Photos by Yuji Watanabe