クロガネモチ：Kurogane holly (Ilex rotunda)

何度もこの木の前を通りながら存在に気づきませんでした。強く剪定されて樹形と果実があらわになったから気づいたのでしょう。実に存在感のある樹です。クロガネモチは老木になると幹がふっくらとすると言われますが、これはまさにそれです。幾星霜を生き抜いてきたたくましさ。ゾウのような、バオバブのような、或いは縄文土偶のような、包容力のある母性を感じさせます。京都市右京区梅宮神社の近くで目撃しました。

I have walked past this tree many times and never noticed it. This time I noticed it because it was pruned so hard that the shape of the tree and the fruit were exposed. The tree really has a strong presence. The toughness that has survived the years is here. It is said that the trunk of a Japanese kurogane holly becomes plump as it ages, and this is exactly that. The tree is like an elephant, a baobab, or a Jomon clay figurine, with a maternal presence. I saw it near the Umemiya Shrine in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City.

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Photos 2022-01-10