The Best Time to See Plum Blossoms of 300 Trees is from Mid-Feb to Mid-Mar! －”Yushima Tenmangu”

“Yushima Tenmangu(湯島天満宮)” enshrines the god of learning, Sugawara no Michizane(菅原道真). It is said that the shrine brings you good luck for academic achievement and luck, many exam candidates and students pray for success in examinations. In addition, It also has been known as a ‘plum spot’, many people visit there for seeing the beautiful scenery of 300 plum trees made up of 20 varieties in the spring.

“Yushima Tenmangu” is a shrine that was established by the name of the emperor Yuryaku(雄略天皇) in 458. At first, this shrine was established in order to worship the god, Ameno-tajikaraono-mikoto(天之手力雄命), later in 1355, Sugawara no Michizane was newly welcomed as a scholar. Since then, many scholars have worshiped this shrine, even now, it’s a famous one in Tokyo as a god of learning ‘Yushima Tenjin(湯島天神)’. There are shrines dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane nationwide known as ‘Tenmangu’, and Yushima Temangu is one of them.

The shrine has been famous for its ‘plum spot’ since the Edo period and it is familiar to many people from that time. Plum is said to be a flower loved by Sugawara no Michizane, and the plum trees which are varying shades of white and pink are planted in the plum garden on the grounds. You are able to see about 20 kinds of plum in total such as the white plum ‘Shirokaga(白加賀)’ and ‘Shidare Ume(枝垂れ梅)’ that blooms like weeping.

The best time to see the plum blossoms at Yushima Tenmangu is from the middle of February to the middle of March every year. Although the plum trees are not so large at 300, Yushima Tenmagu is the only place where you can see the scenery alongside the main hall and the trees in the precincts. Why not visit the shrine for seeing the plum blossoms that make you feel the arrival of spring?