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by Yuka Morii
Clay sculpture
Twin dragon pine spirits who appeared as children at Chōkōji Temple, leaving brush poetry of enduring fortune.
In front of Chōkōji Temple, in what is now Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, once stood two pine trees whose intertwined forms resembled dragons. One day, two children appeared beside the trees and borrowed an inkstone and writing brush from the temple. They wrote down an auspicious Chinese poem and then mysteriously vanished. The temple and its chief priest continued to prosper in peace for many years afterward. The children are said to have been the spirits of the two pine trees.
In front of Chōkōji Temple, in what is now Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, once stood two pine trees whose intertwined forms resembled dragons. One day, two children appeared beside the trees and borrowed an inkstone and writing brush from the temple. They wrote down an auspicious Chinese poem and then mysteriously vanished. The temple and its chief priest continued to prosper in peace for many years afterward. The children are said to have been the spirits of the two pine trees.