榊(さかき) Sakaki(Cleyera japonica)
榊(さかき)はツバキ科サカキ属の常緑高木です。葉はツヤのある深い緑色をしています。６月頃に白い花を咲かせ、１１月頃に黒い実をつけます。神社での祈願に使う玉串(たまぐし)として知られています。榊に良く似たヒサカキも玉串の代用として使われることがあります。古代では、神に奉げるいろいろな常緑樹を「さかき」と呼んでいたようです。
- "Sakaki" is an evergreen tree of the genus Cleyera japonica in the Theaceae family. The leaves are shiny and deep green. It blooms white flowers around June and bears black fruits around November. t is known as "Tamagushi" used for praying at a shrine. "Hisakaki", which looks a lot like "Sakaki", is sometimes used as a substitute for "Tamagushi". In ancient times, it seems that various evergreen trees dedicated to God were called "Sakaki".
榊(さかき)を詠んだ歌
0379: ひさかたの天の原より生れ来る神の命奥山の賢木の.......(長歌)