Clement, Ernest W.

English

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THE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR.BY ERNEST W. CLEMENT, M. A.VI. THE IRIS.OF the iris there are several Japanese varieties, known as avaiU:'.luviashobii, kakitsiibafa, shaga, etc. In Tokyo the most fa-mous show of this flower is at Horikiri, "where in ponds aiulThe Iris at Horikiri, Tokio.trenches grow acres of such Heur-de-hs as no Bourbon ever knew.""In strong- contrast to the riotous carnival of the cherry-viewing, "thi-festival is a quiet and decorous garden-party, where summer-houses.352 THE OPEN COUR'lhills, lakes, armies of royal flowers, and groups of visitors seem tobe consciously arranging themselves for decorative effects."The iris is a favorite flower in art. Not only do "we find itsamong flowers used for ceremonies and congratulatory occasions,except that, on account of its purple color, it is prohibited from wed-THE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR. 353dings. In arranging hanashobu according to the complex theory offlower arrangement explained by Mr. Conder "the three center-mostleaves should be long and a special leaf called the Kommiiri-ha orCap-leaf must be placed as a back-ground to the principal flowers."The iris is a favorite flower in art. Not only do "we find itsdelicate-colored flowers on stuffs, lacquer, inlaid ivories, and inmother-of-pearl" ; but "the metal-worker, too, twists its gracefulleaves into delightful patterns for his pierced sword-guards."From a pretty crepe booklet on The Japanese Months, we leanthe following folk-lore item:"There used to be a custom of hanging beneath the caves, onthe 5th day of the 5th month (O. S.). bunches of sweet-flag {shohu]and mugwort, and of putting the former into the hot water of th."public baths, so that bathers carry away with them its agreeable odor.The sweet-flag is also steeped in sake, which, flavored in this way,is drunk on the 5th day of the 5th month,—the plant in questionbeing commonly believed to be efficacious in the prevention ofdisease."Piggott adds the following points: "Probably the same super-stition led to the common custom of planting beds of iris along theridges of the thatched cottages in the country. In days gone by, boy>^wore wreaths of iris leaves, and made ropes of them to dance with,and beat the ground to frighten away the demons from theirfestival."A famous Japanese poetess, b}' the name of Kaga No Chiyo.wrote the following pretty little poem :"Water was the painter,Water again was the eraser,Of the beautiful fleur-de-lis."To illustrate the brevity of Japanese poetry, the original isadded here:'' Miziiga kakiMiziiga keshikeriKakitsitbata."We append two more poems concerning the iris, as translatedby a young Japanese teacher of English:"The iris, grown between my house and the neighbor's.Is just burnishing in its deepest color and glory;I wish that some one would come to see it,Before it withers away and returns to the dust."354 I'HE OPEN COURT." On my journey far away from homeMy heart flies to the beloved left at home,Who has been as indispensable to meAs the soft cloth that I put on constantly."The last poem is, in the original, an acrostic which spells outkakifsnbata. It is for that reason only that it was selected. Thisstyle of poem is quite prevalent in Japanese literature.

The Japanese Floral Calendar.  VI. The Iris.

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The Japanese Floral Calendar. VI. The Iris.

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