Michizane Sugawara was very fond of ume (Japanese plums) from a young age. This love of plum trees spilled over to his love of poetry, as he composed plum-related Waka from age five and then moving on to Kanshi from age 11.
His fondness for plum trees lasted all the way to his demotion to Dazaifu, where he wrote a poem about his beloved plum trees back in Kyoto.
“Whenever the east wind blows, my dear plum blossoms remember spring, even if your master won’t be there.”
He wished that the winds from the east would carry the scent of his plum trees to him from Kyoto to Dazaifu. He hoped that the plum blossoms would remember to bloom in the spring, even without their master. And with this poem, it’s said that his plum trees heard their master's call and flew to Dazaifu, blossoming there.
Even today, there are 6,000 plum trees at Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, and Tobiume is said to be the first one who heard Tenjin’s (Michizane) call and followed him to Dazaifu.
What do you think snow turns into when it melts?
It becomes water.
That’s the simplistic way to think about it, but with that kind of thinking you won’t understand Tobiume.
When snow melts, it turns into “Spring”.
Someone once told me that this kind of answer is the Japanese way of thinking.
You are probably saying to yourself “there’s no way a plum tree could fly,” but that’s not the point.
Japanese language and culture use indirect expression, so you should read between the lines to understand what’s really going on.
Without jumping to your instinct that “trees don't fly”, think about what the words are trying to tell you. There was a sense of appreciation and longing between Michizane and the plum tree, and this connection still lives on in the shrine between the plum trees and the groundskeepers.
There is another interpretation to “Whenever the east wind blows…” One could say that the plum tree represents Michizane’s disciples. He couldn’t say it outright, so he expressed his will in his poetry--
“Even after I am gone, don’t forget what you’ve learned. Just as the east wind brings new culture, so too will you keep our teachings alive.”
