Magnolia Grandiflora (Southern Magnolia) 泰山木（タイサンボク）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a magnolia grandiflora or commonly known as southern magnolia tree at Tennoji temple in Ueno, Tokyo. Can you see how the flowers are big? 

Magnolia grandiflora tree at Tennoji temple 天王寺の泰山木

The flower of southern magnolia is big!! タイサンボクの花って大きい！

The flower is fragrant! いい香り！

The tree is tall! 高いね！

Tennoji temple in Ueno 上野の天王寺

Tennoji temple is surrounded by high-rise buildings タワマンに囲まれて

Tokyo National Museum in Ueno, Tokyo, one of my favorite museums, was closed until recently under the direction of the Tokyo Metropolitan government. So, that day, I went to Ueno, but not the museum but the surrounding area where the temple is located. I've been there once after enjoying the museum, but wasn't interested in the temple that much. 

But that day, large white flowers on a tree in the back of the temple premises caught my eye, then when I approached the tree, the fragrance of the flowers caught my nose!! 

The temple has several interesting things, including this tall tree and Japanese stewartia, which is called by a wrong name, and an interesting history.

The temple originally belonged to the Nichiren school of Buddhism but was persecuted by the Edo government and at the end of the 17th century forcefully converted to the Tendai school with two monks at the temple being sent away to a distant island.     

The Nichiren school refuted other Buddhist schools, provoking the anger of not only the priests but also the country's rulers, resulting in the persecution of the Nichiren sect and temples of that sect. But now, Tennoji temple has nothing that reminds visitors of such a history, but just beautiful trees and flowers.

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上野天王寺の泰山木です。東京国立博物館に行った後、散歩の途中で寄ったことはあったのですがそれほど興味はありませんでした。ところがその日は門の外からも大きな白い花が目につき、近くに寄ったらいい香りがするではありませんか！

天王子は元々日蓮宗のお寺でしたが、江戸幕府に弾圧され、17世紀末には天台宗に改宗させられました。なかなか激しい歴史です。

でも今はそんな姿は露も見せず、沙羅双樹の木（本当は沙羅の木ではありません。理由についてはこちらをどうぞ！）や美しい花が楽しめます。

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