Chrysanthemum (kiku)

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Chrysanthemum (kiku)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: All Autumn and others, see below
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation


Many Japanese kigo in connection with Chrysanthemums:

hatsugiku 初菊（はつぎく）first chrysanthemum

white chrysanthemum, shiragiku　白菊
yellow chrysanthemum, kigiku 黄菊

fine weather to enjoy chrysanthemums, kikubiyori 菊日和

crowded chrysanthemums,　rangiku 乱菊
home full of chrysanthemums, kiku no yado　菊の宿
time for the chrysanthemums, kikudoki　菊時
park with chrysanthemums, sono no kiku 園の菊（そののきく）
friends enjoying chrysanthemums, kiku no tomo 菊の友（きくのとも）
owner of chrysanthemums, kiku no aruji 菊の主（きくのあるじ）

dew on chrysanthemums, kiku no tsuyu 菊の露

Chiyomigusa 千代見草　("live to see 1000 generations")
Manjuugiku 万寿喜久 (Long Life Chrysanthemum)
Kisewata 着せ綿 ("under the cotton blanket")
Koganegusa 黄金草（こがねぐさ）"golden plant"
Yowaigusa 齢草（よわいぐさ）
Shimomigusa 霜見草（しもみぐさ）"plant seeing frost"
..... Hatsumigusa 初見草（はつみぐさ）

kogiku 小菊（こぎく） small chrysanthemum
kiku dairin 菊大輪（きくたいりん）large round chrysanthemum
magaki no kiku 籬の菊（まがきのきく）rough fence with chrysanthemums
kikubatake 菊畑（きくばたけ）field with chrysanthemums

hyakujgiku 百菊（ひゃくぎく）
"one hundred different types of chrysanthemums"

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kigo for late autumn

zangiku 残菊 (ざんぎく) remaining chrysanthemum
..... nokoru kiku 残る菊（のこるきく）
..... kiku nokoru 菊残る（きくのこる）

bangiku 晩菊 (ばんぎく) late blooming chrysanthemum

observance kigo for late autumn

kiku kuyoo 菊供養 (きくくよう) memorial ritual for chrysanthemums

18th of October
At the Asakusa Temple in Tokyo.
People by the chrysanthemums offered at stalls and persent them on the altar as an offering to the Kannon deity. Then they take a flower which had been offered by someone else and take it home. This is their amulet for warding off evil influence in the coming year.

. Asakusa Kannon　浅草観音 Tokyo .


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observance kigo for mid-autumn
sometimes placed as late autumn of the new calendar.


chrysanthemum festival 菊の節句 (きくのせっく) kiku no sekku
September 9, the ninth day of the ninth lunar month


. chooyoo 重陽 (ちょうよう) chrysanthemum festival, double nine festival
Chrysanthemen-Fest 　
Observance kigo for late autumn





Chrysanthemum-Dolls　菊人形 kiku-ningyoo
They are displayed in many temple grounds and prizes are given for the most beautiful ones.
. . . CLICK here for more Photos !


. Daruma as Chrysanthemum Doll 　


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plant kigo for all winter

karegiku 枯れ菊　. 枯菊 (かれぎく) withered chrysanthemum
kiku karu 菊枯る (きくかる) chrysanthemums wither
..... kiku karuru 菊枯るる（きくかるる）
kare nokoru kiku 枯残る菊（かれのこるきく）withered chrysanthemums left
itegiku 凍菊（いてぎく） chrysanthemum in the cold



kangiku 寒菊 (かんぎく) chrysanthemum in the cold
shimo no kiku 霜の菊（しものきく） chrysanthemum in frost

fuyugiku 冬菊 ふゆぎく winter chrysanthemum
.... fuyu no kiku 冬の菊（ふゆのきく）

other names for the chrysanthemum in winter
hatsumigusa 初見草（はつみぐさ）"plant first seen"
shimomigusa 霜見草（しもみぐさ）"frost viewing plant"
yukimigusa 雪見草（ゆきみぐさ）"snow viewing plant"
akinakgusa 秋無草（あきなぐさ）"plant without autumn"
nokorigusa のこり草（のころぐさ）"left over plant"



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plant kigo for mid- winter

kiku no toojime 菊の冬至芽（きくのとうじめ）
chrysanthemum budding at the winter solstice


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Chrysanthemums have been cultivated in Japan since the Nara period. At the Heian court, Chrysanthemum shows and poetry assemblies were very popular.

Chrysanthemums became the symbol of the imperial family of Japan at the time of Emperor Gotoba 後鳥羽 (1180-1239), who loved this flower very much.




As a symbol for long life, the chrysanthemum was already popular in ancient China. Together with Buddhism and other cultural topics the flowers were brought back to Japan by the ambassadors to China (kenzuishi, kentooshi, see below).
To collect the dew on the chrysanthemum petals and drink it would bring you long life (chooju 長寿). The Flower Festival on the 9th of September is also one to celebrate one's wish for longevity 不老長寿.

As an auspicious symbol of long life (kisshoo monyoo 吉祥文様) the chrysanthemum was used for many decoration, on embroydered kimono and as sweets (wagashi).
The Chinese boy Kikujidoo　菊慈童　（きくじどう）drank the dew of the chrysanthemum and lived to gain immortality without ageing, or rather to the ripe age of 800 years. This legend was later incorporated into a famous Noh drama.

To grow big chrysanthemums for the autumn exhibitions is rather difficult. You have to care for the flower in special ways.

Look at : Big Round Heads, atsumono 厚物　
They are said to imitate the Buddhist symbol of a wishfulfilling jewel (hooju 宝珠).

Three flowers from one stem are called "sanbon jitate 三本仕立". They represent Heaven, Earth and Man (ten chi jin 天地人). This is a symbol for "all things shinra banshoo 森羅万象", the cosmos, nature and human society.



Another type looks like 　"hanging from a cliff", kengaigiku 懸崖菊
(click for some photos) .
kigo for late autumn


Here are some photos from "one thousand flowers from one stem 　"one thousand flowers from one stem" senrinsaki 千輪咲き .

Chrysanthemums start to flower after the autumn solstice. They need long hours of darkness, before they start producing their buds. They flower long into winter and enchant us with their manyfold colors and forms.



. kikuzuki 菊月（きくづき）chrysanthemum month 　
... kikuzakizuki 菊咲月（きくざきづき）
kiku no aki 菊の秋（きくのあき）autumn with chrysanthemums



　kiku makura 菊枕 (きくまくら) "chrysanthemum pillow"

Gabi Greve

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purple chrysanthemums, murasaki mum

murasakigiku 紫菊
In memory of the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu.

. The Tale of Genji, Genji Monogatari ... and haiku



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Worldwide use

Romania

Crizanteme
The floral autumn kigo par excellence.

the chrysanthemums—
left alone under the clouds
withstanding the wind

the owner is late
three chrysanthemums are left
on the piano

she will catch a cold:
watching the chrysanthemums
she forgot her coat

Cristian Mocanu
Romanian Saijiki

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the butterfly grown old,
its spirit plays
with the chrysanthemums

Seifu Enomoto

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Things found on the way

Sweets and the Chrysanthemum, the Culture of Kyoto

Manjuugiku and then Chiyomigusa, another name for the Chrysanthemum with the wish for a long life, is also the name of a small sweet Japanese cake made by in Kyoto.




"Under the cotton blanket", kisewata 着せ綿, reminds of a custom in the Heian period to put a cotton blanket over the flowers at night and then wipe their own body with this in hope to gain longevity.


www.kaho-fukuoka.co.jp/image/2004-10/kisewata.jpg


This is a cake in honor of the "Chinese Chrysanthemum Boy (kiku jidoo)"



Photo of the Manjuugiku sweet cake for Long Life

Click HERE to look at more sweet cakes with chrysanthemums !

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chrysanthemum:
the last-ing taste of
blowfish flesh

Chibi

Chibi is referring to Fugu, a poisonous fish prepared in this manner:

http://www.daifuku.net/ft-02.html


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isogiku いそぎく(磯菊) silver and gold chrysanthemum
a wild kind. Ajania pacifica, chrysanthemum pacificum.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


磯菊に林檎を乗せるあぶない夜
isogiku ni ringoo o nosete abunai yo

placing an apple
on the isogiku chrysanthemum ...
a dangerous night

Noraneko
Tr. Gabi Greve

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HAIKU

Matsuo Basho　松尾芭蕉

朝茶飲む僧静かなり菊の花
asacha nomu soo shizuka nari kiku no hana

drinking morning tea
the monk becomes peaceful -
chrysanthemum flowers
Tr. Gabi Greve


A monk sips morning tea,
It's quiet,
the chrysanthemum's flowering.　
Tr. Hass


At temple Soozuiji 祥端寺, Katada 堅田, Otsu town 大津市
. . . CLICK here for Photos of the stone memorial !



菊の香や庭に切れたる履の底
kiku no ka ya niwa ni kiretaru kutsu no soko

chrysanthemum fragrance—
in the garden, the sole
of a worn-out sandal
Tr. Addiss

元禄6年10月9日 - 1693, October 9
This is just one month after the famous Chrysanthemum Festival.
Basho and his disciples had a late celebration at the home of Yamaguchi Sodoo 山口素堂 Yamaguchi Sodo. They saw the sole of a straw sandal with a broken thong.
They seemed to enjoy the contrast of the elegance of the Chrysanthemum festival with the lost sandal in the garden.


Chrysanthemum Haiku by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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Haiku by Kobayashi Issa　小林一茶
Comment by Chris Drake


大名を味方にもつやきくの花
daimyoo o mikata ni motsu ya kiku no hana

a chrysanthemum
backed by
a domain lord

This hokku is from a group about chrysanthemum shows/contests (kiku-awase, kiku-kurabe), probably in Edo, in the Ninth Month (about October) in 1817. Issa was in Edo earlier in the year, but by the Ninth Month he'd returned to his hometown area, so this must be a hokku based on a rumor he'd just heard or perhaps a memory. A daimyo is a domain lord and rather different from a warlord. Warlords had ravaged the country in the 16th c. and earlier, but in the 17th c. the Tokugawa shogunate gained the upper hand and enforced a kind of Pax Romana, establishing a nationwide system of domains (han), each overseen by a daimyo lord who had pledged his allegiance to the shogunate in Edo. (Daimyo has become an English word, so perhaps it's better to use it than "domain lord.") One way a daimyo was prevented from rebelling and making war was his duty to leave his wife and heir as de facto hostages in his mansion in Edo, while he himself spent alternate years in Edo and his local domain.

While they were living in Edo, the mostly very rich daimyo concentrated mainly on ceremonial work and their hobbies. Chrysanthemums were considered to be a noble flower in samurai culture, and some daimyo liked to raise and train large, elaborate chrysanthemums. Commoners also loved raising and creating new strains of chrysanthemums, and in the late Edo period the craze for training and sculpting chrysanthemums almost reached the proportions of the tulip craze in Europe. Issa's hokku was written during one of the high points in the craze, and he has a rather low opinion of chrysanthemum training and chrysanthemum shows/competitions for various reasons.

The chrysanthemum (or group of chrysanthemums) in this hokku has been placed in a show, at which various prizes have been given or soon will be. It's unlikely a daimyo would submit a chrysanthemum under his own name. Instead he would probably use a proxy, either a retainer or a rich commoner, who would be able and willing to mix with lowly commoners. In the hokku before this one Issa evokes a contest loser finding out that the chrysanthemum that beat his was submitted for a daimyo. So it appears that contest judgments were -- as art and other contests are reputed to be even today -- heavily influenced by money and social position. Probably the winning judgment on the chrysanthemum has been made already and the creator or at least submitter revealed. Since Issa says "supported/backed /favored by," I interpret this to mean either that the name of the daimyo's proxy has been revealed or that the submitter has been revealed to be a proxy for a daimyo.

There is surely irony and satire in the fact that a great daimyo is revealed to be indulging in such materialistic competitions, and by implication spending a lot on bribes, thus showing that in this respect he is basically no different from commoners, except in the degree of his corruption. Because of the great wealth and social influence daimyo and some merchants possessed, the world of sculpted chrysanthemum shows/contests is clearly regarded by Issa to be just as corrupt as the society in which it developed.

The first hokku in this series:

人間がなくば曲らじ菊の花
ningen ga nakuba magaraji kiku no hana

if there were no humans
there would be no
crooked chrysanthemums


Here "crooked" suggests not only "misshapen" (by sculpting) but also the ethical judgment that resides in the Japanese magar-.






薮原や何の因果で残る菊
yabuhara ya nan no inga de nokoru kiku

overgrown meadow --
what karma, chrysanthemums,
keeps you alive?

bushes, grass, trees
and these chrysanthemums --
what's kept you alive?


This hokku is from the 10th month (November) of 1815, when Issa was traveling in the area just east of Edo. The hokku before and after this hokku in Issa's diary give a good idea of its context.
The previous hokku:

kigi no ha ya kiku no mijime ni sakinikeri

tree leaves --
what miserable
chrysanthemum petals

The flowers are unable to grow well in the shade and among all the bushes and wild grass around them, and Issa is amazed they've survived this long. Wild chrysanthemums usually resemble daisies and bloom in clusters, so I use the plural for them.
Then, following the first hokku above, is this one:

akagiku no akahaji kaku na mata shigure

red chrysanthemums,
don't blush so from shame --
cold rain again

Issa asks some red wild chrysanthemums with scraggly blossoms not to feel ashamed of being seen in their pitiful condition, and he assures them that cold early winter rain, which is beginning to fall again, will soon cool off their hot, blushing faces.

The hokku following these three are about the Ten Nights services in which Pure Land (Honen) sect monks chant Amida's name for ten days and nights, beginning on 10/6, so Issa seems to be thinking about the buddha-nature of the chrysanthemums and marveling at how they manage to survive even in a very difficult environment.
The Japanese word for karma is gou ( 業 ), and the word Issa uses in the first hokku above is inga (因果), literally 'cause and effect,' which is short for dependent co-origination, the Buddhist notion that cause and effect are never simple but dependent on and interlinked with a wide network of other relationships and actions. In Japanese the word 'cause and effect' was also sometimes used in a secular way by people speaking about causation in general, while 'karma' in English doesn't commonly refer to ordinary cause and effect, so there is some slippage in translation here.

I doubt that Issa is asking in a simple linear way about what kind of deeds the chrysanthemums did in previous lives. He is probably talking, I assume, about the other-power behind the amazing ability of the flowers to bloom in a very hard place, and he also seems to be talking about more than the individual flowers. I think his notion of karma is a kind of ecosystemic one, with many different factors involved, factors that ripple outward, perhaps infinitely, and overlap with Amida. Issa seems to be wondering what all the various factors might be. He may be wondering, for example, whether the chrysanthemums are themselves silent versions of Amida's name.

Finally, inga (cause and effect; karma) seems to have several meanings in this hokku by Issa:

chiru arare hato ga inga o kataru sama

hail falling --
pigeons seem to be
discussing karma

and/or: its/their karma
and/or: what's happening
and/or: what's causing it

Chris Drake


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酒臭き黄昏ごろや菊の花
sake kusaki tasogare goro ya kiku no hana

the smell of sake
around about dusk...
chrysanthemum

The Chrysanthemum had special importance to Issa, especially after his 1814 marriage to Kiku, who was named after this flower.

ISSA - Translations by David Lanoue
There are 44 haiku on this ISSA link:
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/searchissa.php?a_id=100&show_e=T&colors=T


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ものいはず客と亭主と白菊と
mono iwazu kyaku to teishu to shiragiku to

nobody talks -
guests and host and
a white chrysanthemum

niemand spricht -
Gaeste und Hausherr und
eine weisse Chrysantheme

Oshima Ryota 大島蓼太
September 9. 1718-1787

Discussing the various translations
Haiku Forum


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残菊の黄をとじこめし氷かな
zangiku no ki o tojikomeshi koori kana

the yellow
of late chrysanthemums all locked up
in ice

Tsuji Momoko 辻桃子


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A wren drinks
from white chrysanthemums -
morning fog

Zhanna P. Rader


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chrysanthemums
her cold wedding ring
in his pocket

Petar Tchouhov, Bulgaria, 2007

Origa writes

A poignant and haunting moment of high significance.The direct yet suggestive picture painted in this haiku shows in a symbolic meaning an ambient harmony of the wedding ring and the seasonal flowers offered to the dead wife. In many countries in Europe, chrysanthemums are the flowers for the dead, they are often seen in cemeteries. Chrysanthemum is also a symbol of longevity in Japan, and as such, in this haiku they suggest that the death/departure survived by a long lasting love and memory of the husband/widower.

Multilayered, skillfully composed, "classic" haiku, with obvious relations to the theme and dedication of this contest -- and needless to say, with such an immediate striking effect on the readers. I would suggest (and I kept it in mind while translating) ellipses at the end of L1, both in English and in Russian versions: it will reinforce the effect of the last departure painted by words in this haiku. Bravo, Petar!


RESULTS of the Sixth Calico Cat haiku contest.
Read more Chrysanthemum haiku from the contest HERE

Origa (Olga Hooper) 2007


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sunshine -
in grandmother's window
a chrysanthemum

Alex Serban, Romania


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Related words

..... Wild Chrysanthemum (nogiku 野菊

婦人会　皆花の咲く　野菊かな

all so active
in the Village Ladies Club -
wild chrysanthemum

Look at the phots by Gabi Greve, September 2006

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***** Spring Chrysanthemum
shungiku 春菊 (しゅんぎく )
leaves of chrysanthemum, kikuna 菊菜（きくな）
..... shingiku しんぎく
Shungiku is often used as food. See WASHOKU SAIJIKI.


seedlings of the chrysanthemum, kiku no nae
菊の苗 (きくのなえ)
kigo for late spring
buds of chrysanthemum, kiku no me 菊の芽（きくのめ）
fresh green of chrysanthemums, kiku no wakaba
菊の若葉 (きくのわかば)


hinagiku 雛菊 (ひなぎ) English daisy

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***** Summer Chrysanthemum
(natsu no kiku, natsugiku　夏菊)


kigo for all summer
Some early blooming types, with white or yellow flowers.


Haiku

夏菊やかるき昼餉の手打そば.. .. ..
natsugiku ya karuki hirumeshi no te-uchi soba

summer chrysanthemums -
for a light lunch
handmade buckwheat noodles
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Usui Musoko (臼井無窓子)
http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~turu/kukai/g_200407.html


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kigo for early summer

matsubagiku 松葉菊 (まつばぎく) "pine needle chrysanthemum
sabotengiku 仙人掌菊（さぼてんぎく）
Lampranthus spectabilis


yagurumasoo 矢車草 (やぐるまそう) "windmill plant"
yagurumagiku 矢車菊（やぐるまぎく） Rodgersia podophylla

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kigo for mid-summer

jochuugiku 除虫菊 (じょちゅうぎく) nsect powder chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium


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kigo for late summer

Ezogiku 蝦夷菊 (えぞぎく) chrysanthemum from Ezo (Hokkaido
..... ezogiku 晩夏 翠菊（えぞぎく）
asutaa アスター China Aster
Callistephus chinensis


kinkeigiku 錦鶏菊 (きんけいぎく) golden wave
Coreopsis drummondii


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Reference:

Japanese Historic Embassies to China : Kentooshi 遣唐使
by Gabi Greve

Noh Drama of the Chrysanthemum Boy, Photo

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. PLANTS in all seasons - SAIJIKI

WASHOKU ... Japanese Food SAIJIKI



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