The two poems in this room are connected to Kofuku-Ji Temple.

“Cherry blossoms bloom on the roadside of Kofuku-Ji.” It may sound rather ordinary as poems go, but there is actually some context behind this phrase. During the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the restoration of Nara fell to a man named Akira Kawajito. A man of good politics, he was a favorite of the rural villagers. Environmental maintenance was one of his jobs, so he re-forested the bare mountains of Nara. He also planted cherry blossom trees at Kofuku-Ji and the temple has gone on to become a famous spot for them. If not for him, who knows what would have become of Nara? The cherry blossoms blooming along the roadsides are not to be taken for granted. To learn more about these cherry blossoms, we recommend visiting the signboard near the stairs connecting Kofuku-Ji Temple and Sarusawa Pond.