Japanese iris

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term "Japanese iris" encompasses three varieties of irises cultivated in gardens or growing wild in Japan: hanashōbu, kakitsubata and ayame.

Hanashōbu at Meigetsu-in

1 Hanashōbu
- 1.1 Where to see
2 Kakitsubata
- 2.1 Where to see
3 Ayame
- 3.1 Where to see
4 How to distinguish them
5 See also
6 External Links

[edit] Hanashōbu

The Hanashōbu (ハナショウブ, 花菖蒲, Hanashōbu^? Iris ensata var. ensata, syn. I. ensata var. hortensis I. kaempferi) is the most extensively cultivated variety in Japanese gardens. According to the place where it was cultivated, it is classified into the Edo (Tokyo), Higo (Kumamoto Prefecture), Ise (Mie Prefecture), American (U.S.A.) and other series.

[edit] Where to see

[edit] Kakitsubata

Kakitsubata (カキツバタ, 杜若, Kakitsubata^? Iris laevigata) is less popular, but is also cultivated extensively.

It is a prefectural flower of Aichi Prefecture due to the famous tanka poem which is said to have been written in this area during the Heian period, as it appears in The Tales of Ise by Ariwara no Narihira:

Karakoromo
Kitsutsu narenishi
Tsuma shi areba,
Harubaru kinuru
Tabi o shizo omou

(I have come so far away on this trip this time and think of my wife that I left in Kyoto.) Notice that the beginning syllables are "ka-ki-tsu-ha (ba)-ta."

Kakitsubata at Ōta Shrine, Kyoto, is a National Natural Treasure. It was already recorded in a tanka by Fujiwara Toshinari also in the Heian period:

Kamiyama ya, Ota no sawa no kakitsubata,
Fukaki tanomi wa iro ni miyu ramu.

(Like the kakitsubata at Ōta Wetland, a God-sent heaven, my trust in you can be seen in the color of their flowers.)

[edit] Where to see

Three largest places in Japan where the kakitsubata naturally grows:

Koztsumi East Pond, Kariya, Aichi
Ōta-no-Sawa, Ōta Shrine, Kita-ku, Kyoto
Kara River Wetland, Iwami, Tottori

[edit] Ayame

Ayame (アヤメ, 菖蒲, 文目, Ayame^? Iris sanguinea) are irises typically growing wild in Japan.

[edit] Where to see

Ayame no Sato (Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Mount Kushigata (Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture}
Ryumonbuchi Park (Akashina, Azumino, Nagano Prefecture)

[edit] How to distinguish them

How to distinguish among these tree kinds always baffles the beginners, so usually the following instructions are given in Japanese gardens:

Classification	Color of flower	Leaf	Feature of flower	Location	Flowering time
*Hanashōbu*	Red purple, purple, etc.	Distinct artery	Shows no net	Wet land	Early June - late June
*Kakitsubata*	Blue, purple, white, etc.	Small artery	Shows no net	In water or wet land	mid-May - late May
*Ayame*	Purple, rarely white	Main artery not clear	Shows net	Dry land	Early May - Mid-June