Plum blossoms (ume)

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Plum Blossoms (ume, Japan)

***** Location: Japan, other countries
***** Season: Early Spring, others see below
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation



Next to the Cherry blossom, the plum blossoms are loved by Japanese poets and where enjoyed even more than the cherry in the Heian peroid. Sugawara Michizane was especially known for his love of the plum blossoms shared in many Tanka poems. More about him below.

Ume, Prunus mume, is biologically of the apricot family.
For kigo of other seasons related to the plum fruit, see below.

More kigo with the plum blossoms

white plum blossom, hakubai 白梅
red plum blossom, koobai　紅梅
wild plum blosoms, yabai　野梅
plum with hanging branches, shidare ume 枝垂れ梅
old plum tree, roobai 老梅

plum plantage, plum park, bairin　梅林
plum park, baien bai-en　梅園

plum blossoms in the last snow, zansetsu bai 残雪梅（ざんせつばい）

village with plum blossoms, ume no sato
梅の里（うめのさと）
home with plum blossoms, ume yashiki 梅屋敷（うめやしき）
lodging with plum blossoms, ume no yado 梅の宿（うめのやど）
owner of a plum blossom grove, ume no aruji 梅の主（うめのあるじ）


Fragrance, smell of plum blossoms (ume ga ka)


Talking about a white plum blossom the reader will still feel the cold of winter, while a red blossom implies the warmth of spring. The fragrance of the plum (ume ga ka 梅が香)　brings fond memories and an old plum tree refers to old age and loneliness. Just one flower on a tree ume ichirin (梅一輪）or one all white flower （umemasshiro, 梅真っ白）well that seems like a fair maiden.　

The plum blossom viewing (ume-mi, kan-bai 梅見、観梅) is more of an　individualistic　endeavor, different from the noisy, crowded cherry blossom parties.


plum blossom viewing in the evening, yoru no ume
夜の梅（よるのうめ）
plum blossom viewing in the dark, yami no ume 闇の梅（やみのうめ）


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early plum blossoms, soobai 早梅 (そうばい)
..... ume hayashi 梅早し（うめはやし）
kigo for late winter

..... hayazaki no ume 冬 早咲の梅（はやざきのうめ）
winter plum blossoms, fuyu no ume 冬の梅（ふゆのうめ）


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March, "month for plum blossom viewing", umemizuki
梅見月（うめみづき）
..... umetsusazuki 梅つさ月（うめつさづき）
kigo for mid-spring


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Famous Plum parks in Japan

The Kairaku-En Park in Mito is the most famous, I guess, for Plum Viewing.
The famous Feudal Lord, Mito Komon loved plums very much (for their medical purposes, I guess). Plum trees have been introduced to Japan via China as a medicine quite a long time ago.

Plum Festival in Mito, Kairaku-En Park　水戸偕楽園



http://www.mitokoumon.com/maturi/ume/ume.htm
http://homepage3.nifty.com/kazu_kawamura/kairakuen.html
http://homepage3.nifty.com/kazu_kawamura/kairakuen2.html

http://ww7.tiki.ne.jp/~inabah/deki0013.htm
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Hollywood-Miyuki/6603/umemi.html
http://www4.zero.ad.jp/ucchy/other/other/kannbai/kanbai.htm


Yugawara Plum blossom Festival


http://fine.tok2.com/home/nakae/nikki/2003/20030302/page0001.htm

Atami Plum Festival, Ume-matsuri

梅まつりＡ　→ Plum Viewing
梅まつりＢ　→ Plum Viewing

More Plum Viewing
With a waterfall at the entrance of the park
http://www2.tokai.or.jp/triangle/atami-ryojyou/a-atamibaien1409/baien1409/b-umeminotaki.htm
http://www2.tokai.or.jp/triangle/atami-ryojyou/a-atamibaien1409/baien1409/samuneiru.html


Look at this Plum Viewing Park in Kume Town,
very near my home.

taking a nose walk
in the plum park -
Kume no Sato

Gabi Greve, 2006

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When the east wind blows,
Send me your perfume,
Blossoms of
the plum:
Though your lord be absent,
Forget not the spring.

- Sugawara Michizane
trs. G. Bownas A. Thwaite
http://www.ahapoetry.com/ahalynx/172bkrv.htm



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Gallery with Plum pictures


Most pictures on this page are curtesy to these links.
http://www.hana300.com/ume0001.html
http://www.hana300.com/ume0002.html
http://www.hana300.com/ume0003.html



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Worldwide use

Kenya

Plum Fruit



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Things found on the way

All about Sugawara Michizane and the Tenmangu Shrines.


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Prune

A prune is a dried fruit of various plum species, mostly Prunus domestica. It is wrinkly in shape, unlike its non-dried counterpart.
　© wikipedia


The German ZWETSCHGE is also a different fruit.


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HAIKU

even the heavenly gods
crowd' round
plum blossoms

Issa

Tr. David Lanoue

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Ume ichi-rin Ichirin hodo no Atatakasa

..... Hattori Ransetsu (1654-1707)

one plum blossom
brings us just one more
step to the warmth

(Tr: Gabi Greve)

Read more about this famous haiku
and look at one plum blossom.

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koobai ni miageru sora no aosa kana

between red plum blossoms
looking at the sky
so blue, so blue!

© Photo and Haiku, Gabi Greve



ume ichirin kao ni kakarishi Amida kana

.. .. .. .. .. one plum blossom
.. .. .. .. .. clinging to the face
.. .. .. .. .. of a stone Buddha

..... Gabi, Kamakura Tookei-ji Temple, 1991

For details about Amida Nyorai, check this link
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/amida.shtml

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learning from the plum -
never give up
spring blossoming

The tree in my garden is so crooked and full of greenish moss, so old and fragile during winter

> > > AND YET
> > > come spring
> > > come blossoms

© Photo and Haiku by Gabi Greve

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old plum tree
the road crew unloads
a bulldozer

Laryalee Fraser, WHCworkshop

Look at a haiga to go with this haiku
http://crossspot.net/laryalee/haiku/plumtree.html

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Japanese Haiku about the Plum
梅,梅林,白梅　

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Related words

***** green plum, ao-ume (the fruit),
ume no mi, mi-ume 青梅、梅の実、実梅　
kigo for mid summer


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dryed plums,ume boshi 梅干 (うめぼし)
..... hoshi ume 干梅（ほしうめ)
kigo for all summer

to dry plums, ume hosu 梅干す（うめほす）
to pickle plums, umezuke 梅漬（うめづけ）
..... ume tsukeru 梅漬ける（うめつける）

mat to spread plums to dry, ume mushiro 梅筵（うめむしろ）


Umeboshi (literally "dried ume") are pickled ume fruits. Ume is a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a plum but is actually more closely related to the apricot. Umeboshi are a type of tsukemono, or traditional Japanese pickled food, and are very popular in Japan.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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***** plum wine, plum liqueur (umeshu　梅酒）
non-seasonal topic

Ume liquor, also known as "plum wine", is popular in both Japan and Korea, and is also produced in China. Umeshu (梅酒, sometimes translated as "plum wine") is a Japanese alcoholic drink made by steeping green ume in shōchū (燒酎, clear liquor).
It is sweet and smooth. The taste and aroma of umeshu can appeal to even those people who normally dislike alcohol.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


a toast to the sun
as it plops in my cup
of plum wine

b'oki


Cheers Plum Wine !
Never too late
to give in....

Gabi
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/208



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***** Sour plum, Prunus spinosa, Spinosa sumomo スピノサスモモ


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