By Taichi Kurosawa
Akihabara News (Tokyo) — It may be bold for me to say so, but there are some Japanese flowers that really stand above the others in my own mind. Here I offer my personal list of the Top Five.
Cherry Blossom
Sakura (桜・櫻)
Cherry blossoms are the most famous flower of Japan, often used to symbolize the nation itself. It blooms for just a few weeks sometime in March to April (or January in Okinawa Prefecture). The color of the blossoms are, of course, a distinctive pale pink. There are more than two hundred varieties of cherry blossoms in Japan. The best known is the Somei-Yoshino.
Chrysanthemum
Kiku (菊)
Chrysanthemums are the symbol of Japanese autumn, but it is a perennial flower. The blossoms can be yellow, white, pink, orange, red, green, or purple. There are more than six thousand family members. Chrysanthemums appear in national emblem and the Imperial crest, among other places.
Camellia
Tsubaki (椿)
Camellias are a flower native to Japan, and they blossom from February to April. Generally, there is only one flower at the tip of a branch. There are also more than six thousand kinds of camellia. The interior of the Catholic church in Goto, Nagasaki, including its stained glass, are famously decorated with camellia images.
Morning Glory
Asagao (朝顔)
Morning glories symbolize the Japanese summer, and it conjures up images of Japanese traditional events such as fireworks displays and festivals, as well traditional clothes such as kimono. The morning glory market held in Iriya, Tokyo, in early July, is routinely crowded. There are about 1,600 varieties of morning glories. Their color is determined mainly by the pigment called anthocyanin in the petals.
Hydrangea
Ajisai (紫陽花)
Hydrangeas are one of a few flowers which bloom in the rainy season. Like morning glories, their color is determined mainly by the pigment called anthocyanin in the petals. There are more than two thousand kinds of hydrangea. The hydrangea pattern is often used in Japanese traditional clothes, including kimono, and references can be found in the Manyoshu, the oldest collection of Japanese poetry.