Slow Life Wakayama 6 Plans and flowers 草と花

Sazanka (山茶花camellia sasanqua) is one of the few flowers that adorn winter gardens. Like tsubaki (椿camellia japonica) that bloom early spring, sazanka is a popular ornamental tree often used for hedges and screens. The two characters of 茶花 (tea, flower) has a "crown" that represents plants eg 草 葉 茎 芽. The symbol木 as in 椿 represents a tree as in cherry桜, cedar 杉, cypress檜 and camphor樟.

The 7th day of the new year is nanakusa (七草), a Seven Plant Day when seven kinds of herbs are cooked with rice porridge for a healthy beginning of the year (and to rest the body after New Year’s overindulgence if you have!). Seri (Japanese parsley), Nazuna (Shepherd’s purse), Gogyo (Gnaphalium affin), Hakobera (Sterallia), Hotokenoza (Lapsana apogonoides), Suzuna (Turnip), Suzushiro (daikon radish) are the traditional Seven, but those who are not so traditionally minded would use whatever the left-over vegetables to make up the variety. The Pillow book includes a description of people picking herbs for nanakusa on the 6th day of the New Year: 七日の若菜を人の六日にもて騒ぎ The Pillow Book).

While these seven herbs are the Spring Seven Plants (Haru no Nanakusa) for eating, the Autumn Seven Plans (aki no Nanakusa) are for viewing and appreciation: Hagi (bush clover), Obana (Silvergrass) , Kuzu (Kudzu), Ominaeshi (Patrinia scabiosifolia), Fujibakama (throughwort), Kikyo (balloon flower), Nadeshiko (Dianthus) are the autumn wild flowers found in the fields. They are gentle small flowers that are suited for the autumn when colours and sounds of the natural environment are subsiding. Hana (花flower) generally and particularly in spring refers to cherry blossoms but hana-no (花野flower field) refers to a field of wild flowers in Autumn. Hana as in many other languages represents beauty and the essence of aesthetics. Basho (1644-1694) wrote in Oino Kobumi: 見る処花にあらずといふ事なし。おもふ所月にあらずといふ事なし。像花にあらざる時は夷狄にひとし。心花にあらざる時は鳥獣に類す. Everything we see, everything we imagine, like flowers and moon, everthing around us is beautiful. Seeing such beauty, Basho suggests, is an essential inspiration for haiku, which I believe also resonates with those who respect and care for the environment.