JOURNAL ・ FIELD NOTES

The Reflected Maples of Rurikoin — Autumn, Mirrored on Black Lacquer

In the hills northeast of Kyoto lies Yase. Step off the Eizan train, cross the murmuring Takano River, and you reach Rurikoin, held in mountain quiet. On the second floor of its study stands a black desk, polished to a mirror — and for a few weeks each year, the maples beyond the window are reflected whole upon its surface. It is a hushed wonder, open only during the special spring and autumn viewings.

A Second Autumn, Resting on the Desk

Climb to the second floor of the study, sit before the black desk, and for a moment you lose track of which maples are real. The trees beyond the window and the trees mirrored in the dark lacquer overlap above and below, as though the autumn leaves were sinking into still water. When the light softens, the red on the desk deepens and settles; when the clouds part and the sun breaks through, it blazes across the surface like fire. It is only a reflection, and yet a second autumn truly gathers there — and somehow your own breathing grows quiet as you watch.

Polished Black, and the Time of Copying Sutras

Rurikoin is a sukiya-style study, built long ago as a place of rest framed by the nature of Yase. The desks upstairs hold their deep, dark gloss because they have been polished by hand over many long years. In one corner stand low desks for copying sutras, where you may trace a passage of scripture with your own hand. In my work, I usually live among seconds that cannot be lost, in the emergency room. Perhaps that is why these few minutes of simply waiting for the maples to settle on the desk feel rich in a wholly different way. This place teaches, very quietly, the abundance of nothing happening at all.

The maples beyond the window, the maples upon the desk.
Here, autumn happens twice.

Planning your visit — season

The colours you meet depend entirely on when you come.

The maples are usually at their best from mid to late November, and in some years they hold into early December. Rurikoin is normally closed to the public, opening only for its special viewings — the fresh green maples of spring and the crimson of autumn. The autumn opening generally runs from around October into December, and on the busiest days near the peak, advance reservation is required. Admission is roughly two thousand yen, with a discount for students. Opening dates, reservation methods and any evening viewings change from year to year, so please check the latest official guidance before you plan your trip.

Getting there

From Demachiyanagi, take the Eizan Railway and get off at Yase-Hieizanguchi, one stop before the terminus. Cross the bridge over the Takano River and follow the path upstream for a few minutes, and you arrive at Rurikoin — about a five-minute walk from the station. Wrapped in maples, the walk itself already feels like the beginning of the visit. The Eizan Cable Car up to Mount Hiei departs nearby, so the village and the mountain can be joined in a single day.

Tips for photographers

For the tsukue-momiji, treat the desktop as a single mirror. Bring your camera or phone gently close to the edge of the desk and search for the height at which the maples above and their reflection below sit in symmetry. Holding the exposure slightly low lets the depth of the black and the brilliance of the red live together. During the busy season especially, please take care: keep your hands inside the marked boundary, and do not linger to hold a spot. Tripods and monopods are often not permitted, and photography is for personal enjoyment only — please confirm the rules in the latest visitor guidance.

While you're in the area

Get off one stop earlier at Miyake-Hachiman for Renge-ji, a temple known for its quiet garden. The frame of maples seen from its study has a calm, different character from Rurikoin. Near the Cable Yase station spreads a green-maple lane, and from there the Eizan Cable Car and ropeway carry you up toward Mount Hiei, the autumn colours falling away beneath you. Let the village of Yase and the views from the mountaintop become a single autumn journey.

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