Japanese flowers and their meaning
Japan has its own language of flowers, based on ancient Japanese traditions.
It's called Hanakotoba. "Hana" means flowers in Japanese, a symbol of life and love. Hanakotoba is used not only when making bouquets of flowers. This language is deeply embedded in Japanese culture and traditions. Hanakotoba symbols can be seen in many Japanese films, cartoons, and anime. Speaking of Japanese flowers, you should know about the most famous Japanese flower, the cherry blossom.
We can also say that the symbols of Japan are the blooming Sakura and Mount Fuji. What about other colors? So let's find out more!
In the end
These are the most famous flowers in Japan. Aren't they beautiful? The Japanese love to admire flowers.
Ikebana 生花
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Sakura (桜)
Who doesn't know about sakura, known as cherry blossoms? These flowers are so beautiful and so attractive. Cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees in the genus Prunus, which is known as Japanese cherry. So, what does Sakura symbolize then? Sakura symbolizes chastity, love, affection, purity and good luck. Sakura - kindness, politeness, nobility.
You may have heard the Japanese word "Hanami" (花見). The word "Hanami" comes from two words: "Hana" (花), which means flowers, and the word "mi" (見), which means to look or look. So it literally means looking at flowers, “flower admiration.” Which flowers? The most common flowers they like to admire are sakura. This means that if Japanese people say they will go to Hanami, it usually means they will go to Sakura's. Hanami is a very short-term pleasure, lasting about 7-10 days, and then the petals fall. His procession of ume (Japanese plum) flowers begins. After ume, sakura blossoms.
Higanbana - flower of remembrance
In autumn, Japan celebrates the Buddhist holiday Higan for a whole week. On these days, it is customary to remember those who have passed on to another world and to clean up cemeteries. Then the flower of death is planted at the gravestones. The Japanese have long identified the image of this plant with the afterlife. The name of the flower comes from the word Higan, which means “other shore” or “paradise of the pure land” as opposed to Sigan - “earthly world” or “this shore”.
All parts of the “Western Buddha's Paradise Flower” are poisonous and careless handling of the stem, inflorescence or rhizome can be fatal. Therefore, gardening work with the flower of death should be carried out exclusively in thick rubber gloves.
Ajisai (紫陽花)
The next most popular is ajisai, known as hydrangea in Japan. It is a species of flowering plant native to South and East Asia such as China, Japan and Korea. The greatest species diversity is found in East Asia, especially Japan. What then does this flower symbolize? It symbolizes sincere emotions, pride, self-esteem. Unfortunately, in a negative sense, this flower symbolizes heartlessness and frigidity.
Tsubaki (椿)
The next one is “Tsubaki” or known as Camellia in Japanese. These flowers symbolize admiration and perfection. There is a phrase to describe the red camellia: “You are the flame in my heart.” What a wonderful phrase, isn't it? In Japan there is also the great Tsubaki Shrine, which is located in Mie Prefecture.
Camellia red - love. Camellia yellow - passionate desire, desire. Camellia white - waiting.
Hydrangea / Hydrangea / Ajisai
Japanese name Ajisai . Most types of hydrangea are shrubs 1-3 m high. The flowers are collected at the end of the stem in spherical inflorescences. The most popular large-leaf hydrangea (more than 600 varieties) has flowers that can be white, blue, lilac, pink, red (depending on the acidity of the soil). In Japan, the peak flowering time for hydrangeas is the rainy season (mid-June). Around many temples and shrines there are many hydrangea bushes (sometimes up to 150 thousand): Meigetsu-in in Kamakura, Fujimori Jinja, Tofukuji in Kyoto. , Hydrangea Festivals (Ajisai Matsuri) are held in shrines and parks in Japan
Kikyo (桔梗)
It is also known as Platycodon grandifloras (bellflower), which is a species of herbaceous flowering perennial plant. This flower is native to East Asia, such as Japan, China and Korea. Depending on the regions, there is Chinese bellflower, Korean bellflower, and Japanese bellflower. What then does this flower symbolize? It symbolizes endless love and honesty, gratitude, appreciation. There is a belief that the flower marks the “return of a friend”
Higashizawa Rose Park [Yamagata Prefecture]
Higashizawa Bara Koen (bara is Japanese for “rose”) is a seven-hectare garden with 700 varieties of roses collected from all over the world. It is one of the hundred most “fragrant” landscapes in Japan. Here you will not only see the beauty of 20,000 roses, but also be immersed in their incredible scent. You can also see the rose species "Murayama", named after the city where Higashizawa Park is located. We recommend coming here from the beginning of June to the end of September. Admission is completely free, but during the Bar Matsuri, or Rose Festival, the management sets an entrance fee of ¥600 for adults and ¥300 for schoolchildren and children.
Evening primrose (月見草)
Evening primrose - in despair, reckless, hopeless, hopeless, driven to despair. Anyone who has ever seen how evening primrose flowers bloom at nightfall will not forget this wonderful sight. In two or three seconds, the bud tube unfolds with a loud rustle and reveals a large, up to 7 cm in diameter, fragrant flower. They bloom one after another all evening, until the entire bush is covered with moon-colored petals.
Japanese language of flowers meaning and symbolism
Hanakotoba
“Flowers are the free beauty of nature.”
The meaning of the most popular flowers in Japan
Rose red/Akaibara (赤い薔薇)
Japanese meaning: Romance. Western meaning: Romance
Clove/ Kaneshon (カーネーション)
Japanese meaning: love, red carnations are a traditional gift for Mother's Day. Western Meaning: Western culture has a wide variety of meanings for this flower, depending on the color. For example, red carnations symbolize romantic love, while yellow carnations signify abandonment.
Amaryllis/ Amaririsu (アマリリス)
Japanese meaning: modesty. Western meaning: pride.
White rose/Shiroibara (白い薔薇)
Japanese meaning: purity, silence, fidelity. Western meaning: virtue and chastity.
Pink rose / Pinku no bara (ピンクの薔薇)
Japanese meaning: trust and happiness. Western meaning: grace.
Yellow rose/ Kiiroibara (黄色い薔薇)
Japanese meaning: envy, jealousy. Western meaning: friendship and loyalty.
Red tulip/ Akaichurippu (赤いチューリップ)
Japanese meaning: glory. Western meaning: eternal love.
Yellow tulip/ Kiiroichurippu (黄色チューリップ)
Japanese meaning: unrequited love. Western meaning: unrequited love, hopeless love.
Primrose/Sakuraso (桜草)
Japanese meaning: despair. Western meaning: eternal love.
Sweet Pea/Suitopi (スイートピー)
Bell/ Buruberu (ブルーベル)
Japanese meaning: gratitude Western meaning: gratitude
Cactus flower/ Saboten no hana (さぼてんの花)
Japanese meaning: lust. Western meaning: mother's love.
Camellia red/ Tsubaki (椿)
Japanese Meaning: Unless you are a samurai, the scarlet camellia symbolizes love. Western meaning: exceptional craftsmanship.
Licorice / Higanbana
Licorice is blooming - and it is impossible to die at such a time. (c) Taneda Santoka
Lycoris ( Higanbana ), Latin name – Lycoris radiata (bulbous plant of the amaryllis family). It originates from Greek mythology - the Nereid Lycoris was famous for her beauty. In English, the names Red Spider Lily and Hurricane Lily because they bloom before the hurricane season. In Japanese, the main name of this flower is Higanbana . It blooms in September - just in time for the autumn equinox - Higana (Aki no Higan) . But besides this, lycoris has many more names: shibito-bana - “flower of the dead”, yuurei-bana - “ghost flower”, tengai-bana - “a flower that looks like tengai” (decoration of the dome of a Buddhist temple), yome no kanzashi - “a flower that looks like the kanzashi (traditional hairpin) of the bride”, doku-bana - “poisonous flower”, manjushage (in Sanskrit - “manjusaka”) - “heavenly flower” (in Buddhist sutras there is a mention of red flowers falling from the sky, bringing joy), jigoku-bana – “hell flower”, kamisori-bana – “razor flower”, kizune-bana – “fox flower”. So mysterious and ambiguous. And everything would be fine, and the flowers in the photo are beautiful, but lycoris is not planted near houses - it is a flower dedicated to the dead. He loves to grow up on the battlefields where the blood of warriors was shed. Traditionally, lycoris is planted in cemeteries (not only as decoration, but also for protection from animals due to its toxicity). It is believed that if you bring flowers into your home, it may cause a fire. But the Japanese specifically planted lycoris on the borders of rice fields. Firstly, the bulbs strengthened the soil, preventing it from weathering and being washed away by water. In addition, poisonous plants protected crops from rodents. And finally, during crop failure, the bulbs and stems were eaten (the poison could be washed out with plenty of water). Lycoris stems emerge from the ground in autumn and bear bright red flowers. Then the flowers fade and leaves appear, which remain until the beginning of summer. So flowers and leaves can never be seen together. In Korea, lycoris was given the name “san cho” - “flowers miss leaves, and leaves miss flowers.”
Japanese language of flowers
Of course, Japan has its own language of flowers.
, based on ancient Japanese traditions.
It is called Hanakotoba
. Hana in Japanese means flowers, a symbol of life and love.
And, of course, greeting cards in Japan should be chosen with Hanakotoba
.
The four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck not only in Japan, but in almost all Western countries.
Japanese honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica
Thunb.).
Photo: Lionel Allorge.
Gardenia jasminoides
Georgi)
Photo: Erin Silversmith.
White jasmine (
Jasminum officinale
L.), either medicinal or real.
Japanese jasmine or yellow jasmine ( Jasminum mesnyi
Hance).
Pansy is the name given to the tricolor violet ( Viola tricolo
r L.) in the photo on the right and Wittrock's violet (
Viola x wittrockiana
Gams ex Hegi). Photo: Cbaile19.
Sweet pea variety "Painted Lady".
Fragrant violet ( Viola odorata
L.)
Japanese anemone or Hubei anemone ( Anemone hupehensis
var.
japonica
Thunb.)
Chinese hibiscus ( Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
L.). Variety "Kyoto Red".
Japanese camellia ( Camellia japonica
L.) variety "Somersby".
Camellia japonica variety "Jurys Yellow".
Camellia japonica variety "Wark's White Single".
Peony variety "Mons. Jules Elie"
Photo: Michael Gwyther-Jones.
Mistletoe (
Viscum album
L.).
Holly holly ( Ilex aquifolium
L.).
Photo: Christian Pirkl.
Freesia
symbolizes childhood and youth.
Snow white lily ( Lilium candidum
L.)
Bulbous lily ( Lilium bulbiferum
L.)
Tiger lily ( Lilium lancifolium
Thunb.)
Tiger lily variety "Flore Pleno" in the Osaka Prefectural Flower Garden, Osaka, Japan.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemum is not just a flower, but also one of the symbols of the Land of the Rising Sun. It is no coincidence that the chrysanthemum proudly displays on the coat of arms, and it can be found in any locality, even the most remote villages.
In general, chrysanthemums appeared in Asia and have always been popular in this region. But only the Japanese go crazy about them. These flowers are given for any occasion, be it the birth of a child or retirement.
Local online flower shops stock chrysanthemums in a variety of colors, again a clear indication of their popularity. You, too, can order beautiful bouquets using the Koricaflowers service, at any convenient time and for a reasonable price.
