Iris (ayame)

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Iris (ayame, shoobu, kakitsubata, airisu)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Summer
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

Iris Flower (hanashoobu 花菖蒲)　Iris　ensata

ayame あやめ Ayame iris
hana ayame 花あやめ（はなあやめ)
shiro ayame 白あやめ（しろあやめ）white iris
kuruma ayame くるまあやめ
chabo ayame ちゃぼあやめ
Iris sanguinea


hanashoobu 花菖蒲 (はなしょうぶ) Shobu iris
shoobu mi 菖蒲見（しょうぶみ）viewing Shobu
shoobu en 菖蒲園（しょうぶえん）Shobu park
shobu ta 菖蒲田（しょうぶた）field with Shobu
Iris ensata


shiro shoobu 白菖蒲（しろしょうぶ）white Shobu
ki shoobu 黄菖蒲（きしょうぶ） yellow Shobu


shoobu 菖蒲 (しょうぶ ) Japanese Shobu iris
..... ayame あやめ、ayamegusa あやめ草（あやめぐさ）
noki ayame 軒あやめ（のきあやめ）iris under the eaves"
hakushoo 白菖（はくしょう） white Ayame iris
Acorus calamus


ichihatsu 鳶尾草 (いちはつ) Ichihatsu iris, "wall iris"
..... ichihatsu 一八（いちはつ）"one eight"
koyasugusa こやすぐさ
suiran 水蘭（すいらん） "water orchid"
Iris tectorum


. Blue Flag (kakitsubata 杜若) .
and Matsuo Basho about Hokku

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いずれあやめかかきつばた - more photos
- reference source : edococo.exblog.jp... -

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kigo for early summer

airisu アイリス Iris
seiyoo ayame 西洋あやめ（せいようあやめ）"Western Iris"
Fam. Iris


niwazekisho 庭石菖 (にわぜきしょう) Niwazekisho Iris
Sisyrinchium rosulatum


sekishoo 石菖 (せきしょう) "stone iris"
ishiayame,ishi ayame 石菖蒲（いしあやめ）
Japanese Sweet Flag, Grassy-leaved Sweet Flag
Acorus gramineus



shaga no hana 奢莪の花 (しゃがのはな) Shaga iris
kochooga 胡蝶花（こちょうか）
Iris japonica Thunb.


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Hanashobu park

There are many more words in Japanese to differentiate between the many kinds of iris that flower mostly during the rainy season, giving a special elegance to an otherwise dreary season. In Japan, there are many famous Iris Parks and Iris fields, which I will introduce below.
Gabi Greve




Nisaburo Ito (1910-1988) 伊藤仁三郎


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Famous Iris Fields in Itako
Itako Town in Ibaraki Prefecture lies beside the river Tonegawa. During the Edo period (1603-1868) it flourished as a relay port for the shipment of cargo from the north of Japan by water to the nation's capital, Edo. The beautiful scenery on the waterfront was much admired by writers and artists, many of whom visited the town.

Today, the Ayame (iris) Festival in June is the biggest tourist attraction. Along the sides of the river iris flower park has been set up, and as the season approaches, as many as one million individual plants of around 500 colorful varieties come into bloom in purple, white and yellow. During the festival season every year the town attracts about half a million visitors. Boatmen ply the waters in rowboats, taking sightseers on trips redolent of the past. If you are lucky, you might be able to see a beautiful bride going out to meet her bridegroom on one of these boats.
Have a look at some pictures of the area too.
http://web-japan.org/atlas/nature/nat23.html

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The famous Meiji Shrine Iris Garden


Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is famous for its splendid Iris Garden, which was designed by the Emperor Meiji himself.
People take joy in painting and making haiku about these plants.

Look at many more beautiful pictures here:
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mako/dojikko/01_scene/200106/200106.htm
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More photos of the many Iris Festivals (ayame matsuri) in many areas of Japan.
Mizumoto Park, Horikiri Park and more in Ibaragi Prefecture.
http://avenir.pekori.jp/album/mizumoto/mizumoto2001-1.html
http://itp.ne.jp/i-town/chugoku/yamaguchi/photo.html
http://f27.aaacafe.ne.jp/~takaji/bistaliall_009.htm
http://www.geocities.jp/thitosh/nikki/2003/nikki0306.html

Toyotsu City
http://pinebooks.cool.ne.jp/sanpomiti/01/toyotushobu.html

Look at an Iris Garden in Yokosuka, Japan.
http://hamakko.info/fgarden/egar06.html


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An Iris called TRILLION



Shared by Elaine Andre
Joys of Japan, February 2012


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Story about Daruma Dolls with Iris Design


http://darumadollmuseum.blogspot.com/2004/11/kashiwa-daruma.html

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Ayamegusa 菖蒲草 - The words of Ayame
by the first Yoshizawa Ayame (1673? - 1725)



Yoshizawa Ayame I (初代 吉沢 菖蒲)(1673-15 July 1729)
was an early Kabuki actor, and the most celebrated onnagata (specialist in female roles) of his time. His thoughts on acting, and on onnagata acting in particular, are recorded in Ayamegusa (菖蒲草, "The Words of Ayame"), one section of the famous treatise on Kabuki acting, Yakusha Rongo (役者論語, "The Actors' Analects").
. . . Ayame is famous for advocating that onnagata behave as women in all their interactions, both onstage and off. In Ayamegusa, he is quoted as saying that "if [an actor] does not live his normal life as if he was a woman, it will not be possible for him to be called a skillful onnagata."
Following his own advice, Ayame cultivated his femininity throughout his offstage life, and was often treated as a woman by his fellow actors. His mentor, Arashi San'emon, and others are said to have praised him on many occasions for his devotion to his art.
. . . Though most commonly known as Ayame, Yoshizawa took on the stage names of Yoshizawa Kikunojō during a brief stint performing in Edo, and Yoshizawa Gonshichi when performing as a tachiyaku (in male roles). He also used the name "Gonshichi" as a nickname (替名, kaena) used when patronizing a brothel or restaurant. His haimyō (俳名, poetry name) was Shunsui, and his guild name (家名, kamei) Tachibanaya, after his mentor Tachibana Gorozaemon.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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ayame　あやめ was a way to call the cheaper prostitutes at the hatago hostels along the various kaido-roads of the Edo period.
Most came from poor farming families, had to do hard work in the hostels and died at a young age.
They were also called "women to put rice on the plate", meshimori onna　
飯盛り女。


四谷新宿馬糞の中で アヤメ咲くとはしおらしい
Yostuya Shinjuku bafun no naka de ayame saku to wa shiorashii
. prostitutes flowering in Yotsuya and Shinjuku, Edo .


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HAIKU

In 1689 Matsuo Basho (松尾芭蕉) crossed the Natori River and entered Sendai, Miyagi on ‘ The Narrow Road to Oku.’ It was the day they celebrate by converting their roofs with ‘Sweet flags’, or Calami’ (あやめ). He visited there around the time of the Sweet Flags Festival (あやめの節句)(5th day of Fifth Month, also called the Boy’s Festival), when sweet flags were displayed on the eaves of houses to drive away evil spirits, or they took “Shobuyu, or 菖蒲湯 (bath with floating sweet flag leaves)” baths. The leaves keep mosquitoes and snakes away with strong fragrance. As the strong fragrance was believed to drive away bad air, people began to take baths with sweet flag leaves. Furthermore, the plant ‘Sweet Flag’ was believed to be a symbol of the samurai’s bravery because of its sharp sword-like leaves. Even now many families with young boys enjoy “Sweet Flag Bath(shobu yu)” in the Boy’s Festival on May 5.
source : Akita Haiku



CLICK to see more stamps from Oku no Hosomichi.

Basho on his way from Sendai to Hiraizumi.

あやめ草足に結ん草鞋の緒
ayamegusa ashi ni musuban waraji no o

irises in bloom
let me tie around my feet
the cords of the sandals


Matsuo Basho,
Sendai, Oku no Hosomichi
. . . cirje/research



I shall tie
irises to my feet -
sandal thongs

Grass of the sweet flag -
I shall use them to tie
my straw sandals
Tr. Shirane


I will bind iris
Blossoms round my feet―
Cords for my sandals!
Tr. Keene



It looks as if
Iris flowers had bloomed
On my feet -
Sandals laced in blue.
Tr. Yuasa

. the Matsuo Basho Archives 松尾芭蕉 .

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asatsuyu no hajike furueru ayame kana

morning dew
shaking it off trembling
the iris

Gabi Greve
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/61

from the tallest iris
he partakes of the sunset
the tiny frog



Photo and Haiku from Gabi Greve
My Iris and the voice of Buddha (2005)


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われもさす照り降り傘や花菖蒲
ware mo sasu terifurigasa ya hana shoobu

I will also put up
an all-weather umbrella -
iris flowers

Mitsuhashi Takajo 三橋鷹女

. terifuri-gasa 照り降り傘
umbrella for rain and shine .


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In the archives of Shiki you find a collection of haiku about iris from 99.

through the picket fence
the thin blades
of irises
Yu Chang

Evening sunshine
after the rain –
yellow irises
Alison Williams

Read more here:
http://shiki1.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/~shiki/kukai/kukai63-1.html

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blue irises -
grandmother walks along
without her cane

- Shared by Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu -
Joys of Japan, March 2012


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Watching the iris,
The faint and fragile petals ―
How am I worthy?

Amy Lowell


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紫のさまで濃からず花菖蒲

久保田万太郎 Kubota Mantaroo
http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/kp/koto/96plant/june/3/hanasyobu.html

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.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Kakitsubata



summer again -
friends of two colors
side by side

© Photo and Haiku by Gabi Greve

Read more of my stories about Kakitsubata:
http://happyhaiku.blogspot.com/2005/06/summer-iris.html


The literal meaning of the Chinese characters 燕子花 is
"Child of the Swallow", because the form of the flower looks like a baby swallow starting its first flight.


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tsubakura mo shoobu fuku hi ni aeri keri

swallows too
the day eaves are thatched with irises
show up

-Issa, 1809

The night before the annual Boy's Festival (fifth day, Fifth Month), eaves of houses were thatched with grafts of blooming irises; Kiyose (Tokyo: Kakugawa Shoten, 1984) 122. The return of the swallows coincides with the human celebration.
Tr. David Lanoue


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Katsushika Hokusai, 1834

stirred by wind
along the wayside
iris bows to strangers

Shared by Isabelle Loverro
Joys of Japan, February 2012





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Related words

The long leaves of the iris (shoobu) reminded the samurai of their swords.
The word SHOOBU　勝負 also means a fight, usually to the death.

***** . seasonal festival of the iris .
菖蒲の節句 shoobu no sekku
The Boy's Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, now May 5.

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kigo for late spring


neji ayame 捩菖蒲 (ねじあやめ) "twisted iris"
barin 馬蘭（ばりん）、baren ばれん、nejibaren ねじばれん
Iris lactea

Grows to about 1 m long. Originated in China, with twisted leaves and light purple flowers.

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Actor Matsumoto Koshiro

. Utagawa Toyokuni . (1769-1825)

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Indian Summer (koharubi)

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Indian Summer, koharubi 　小春日

***** Location: Japan, worldwide
***** Season: Early winter
***** Category: Season

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Explanation

koharubiyori 小春日和、
ko rokugatsu 小六月"small June"

koharunagi 小春凪（こはるなぎ）no wind at Indian summer time
koharuzora 小春空（こはるぞら) sky at Indian sumer time

Koharu 小春　means a little spring and biyori (hiyori　日和) a fine day any time of the year, literally meaning the sun is at peace. This word has a very gentle ring to the Japanese.
We can add the suffix "biyori" at many other words, like a fine day for an excursion "ensokubiyori"　遠足日和.
According to the Asian Lunar calendar, this was October, but now it is November, when we have a stroke of fine days with bright sunshine.


A warm day in winter, feeling like the coming spring, is quite common, especially after the New Year.

We also have

fuyu atataka 冬暖か (ふゆあたたか) winter is warm
..... fuyu nukushi 冬ぬくし（ふゆぬくし）
toodan 冬暖（とうだん） warm winter
..... dantoo 暖冬（だんとう）

. Winter, the season (fuyu) 　



CLICK for more photos !



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Worldwide use

Why INDIAN ?

The first reference that we have is from a book with the title A Snow Storm as it affects the American Farmer, which was written by a French-American farmer named J H St John de Crèvecoeur in about 1777. In it he said “Then a severe frost succeeds which prepares it to receive the voluminous coat of snow which is soon to follow; though it is often preceded by a short interval of smoke and mildness, called the Indian Summer”.

There are several explanations for where the phrase came from, mostly put forward in the early nineteenth century, which suggested the term was of sufficient antiquity by then that its origin had gone out of living memory. William and Mary Morris suggest it came about because the word “Indian” had been adopted as a term among early colonists to describe something false, or a poor imitation of the real thing, as in Indian corn or Indian tea.

Whatever the reason, this name for a short period of fine weather at the end of autumn is now the standard term, even in Britain, where older names such as St Luke’s summer, St Martin’s summer or All-Hallown Summer are now obsolete or rare.

©　www.worldwidewords.org. /Michael Quinion

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Indian summer

"spell of warm weather after the first frost," first recorded 1778, Amer.Eng., perhaps so called because it was first noted in regions inhabited by Indians, or because the Indians first described it to the Europeans. No evidence connects it with the color of fall leaves or a season of Indian attacks on settlements. It is the Amer.Eng. version of British All-Hallows summer, Fr. été de la Saint-Martin (feast day Nov. 11), etc. Also colloquial was St. Luke's summer (or little summer), period of warm weather occurring about St. Luke's day (Oct. 18).
©　www.etymonline.com

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The term Indian summer has been used for more than two centuries.
The earliest known use was by French American writer St. John de Crevecoeur in rural New York in 1778. There are several theories as to its etymology:

* It may be so named because this was the traditional period during which early North Americans First Nations/Native American harvested their fall crops.
* It may be of Asian Indian origin rather than North American Indian. H. E. Ware, an English writer, noted that ships traversing the Indian Ocean loaded their cargo most often during the Indian summer, or fair weather season. Several ships actually had an "I.S." on their hull at the load level thought safe during Indian summer.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Germany



In German, the Indian summer is called "Altweibersommer", which is a slightly less polite way of saying "old ladies' summer". Interesting though that it should be almost the same in Hungarian, which is a very different language!

We had a few days of Indian summer here in Europe -- October has been a somewhat more "summery" month than anything we have had since the end of April! I exaggerate but infinitely slightly...

Indian summer --
settling to smoke and drink
on the doorstep
(2006)


Indian summer --
walking down the sunny side
of the street
(2007)

Isabelle Prondzynski, October 2007


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Hungary

falling leaves sound
invite to meditation
old ladies' summer

hulló falevelek hangja
meditálásra késztet
vénasszonyok nyara

In Hungarian, the equivalent to the USA "Indian Summer" is the idiom translated "old ladies' summer", vénasszonyok nyara. In this poem it is the last line in the English version and the Hungarian version.

　©　Julianna Kádár

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Russia

"Women's summer" (bahbia leto)


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


古家のゆがみを直す小春かな
furu-ie no yugami o naosu koharu kana

he repairs the slant
of my old home
during a warm spell in early winter . . .

The cut marker KANA is at the end of line 3.

Buson talks about a carpenter, who had come to repair his home before the winter starts. Since it is a warm day, he works leisurely and we can almost hear the sound of his hammer and saw.

. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .


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小春日やお茶のけむりを眺めをり
koharubi ya ocha no kemuri o nagame-ori

indian summer afternoon -
watching the steam rise
from hot green tea

Etsuko Yanagibori
(Tr. Gabi Greve)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cherrypoetryclub/message/20609

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Indian summer –
the rattle of cornstalks
in a windy field

Indian summer -
earth-scented breeze strokes
my daughter’s hair

Indian summer –
all the windows on the street
open

Indian summer –
a new bird
at my window

Indian summer –
overhead an airplane
rocks its wings three times

Zhanna Rader

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indian summer--
in the patches of sunlight
schoolgirls bundle up

Angèle Lux

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Indian summer --
balcony spider weaves
between the rails

Isabelle Prondzynski, 2005


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Indian summer
the acupuncturist brings his cactus
back outside

From my new book “the canary funeral”
- Shared by Alan Pizzarelli -
Joys of Japan, 2012



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Related words

***** Goose summer

In the days of Middle English, a period of mild weather in late autumn or early winter was sometimes called a "gossomer," literally "goose summer." People may have chosen that name for a late-season warm spell because October and November were the months when people felt that geese were at their best for eating.
"Gossomer" was also used in Middle English as a word for filmy cobwebs floating through the air in calm clear weather, apparently because somebody thought the webs looked like the down of a goose. This sense eventually inspired the adjective "gossamer," which means "light, delicate, or tenuous" - just like cobwebs or goose down.

goose summer--
many colors fill
forest and field

"chibi" (pen-name for Dennis M. Holmes)
Ocotober 2007



Origin:
Gossomer, gossummer, gosesomer, gosamer, gossamer, perh. For goose summer, from its downy appearance, or perh. For God's summer, cf. G. Mariengarr gossamer, properly Mary's yarn, in allusion to the Virgin Mary. Perhaps the E. Word alluded to a legend that the gossamer was the remnant of the Virgin Mary's winding sheet, which dropped from her when she was taken up to heaven.
For the use of summer in the sense of film or threads, cf. G. Maedchensommer, Altweibersommer, fliegender Sommer, all meaning, gossamer.

Source: Websters Dictionary

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. . . . WINTER - - the complete SAIJIKI

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Ikebana

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Ikebana / Flower Arrangement

***** Location: Japan, other countries
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


Origa (Olga Hooper)


ikebana 生け花,　いけ花, 生花　literally "living flowers"
活花、活け花
hana o ikeru　花を活ける literally maybe: "to bring the flowers to life"
the way of the flowers, kadoo　花道

In Japan, one of the oldest uses of arranging flowers in special vases was used by Buddhist monks to decorate the altar. Flowers were one of the special offerings to a Buddhist deity, apart from light (candles) and incense.

Obviously ancient China influenced Japan strongly, just as we in the West were influenced by Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. This is also true of Ikebana, "The Way of the Flower" (kadoo 花道）. The early ideas travelled to Japan with Chinese monks but the formalisation of the Art occured through many generations of devoted Japanese Masters.They developed progressive new forms from basic principles that had been set. Schools were set up to pass on the heritage to new generations and these became the workshops where the art was distilled to its essence.


The origin of Ikebana stretches back over 500 years. The oldest Ikebana manuscript, "Kao irai no Kadensho" dates from 1486. The famous "Senno Kuden" manuscript, by the founder of the Ikenobo School of Ikebana, was written in 1542. Since this time, many styles have appeared, disappeared and developed.
When Buddhism was introduced to Japan in about 538A.D, monks started to arrange flowers to decorate the altars of temples. In the Heian period (794-1192), appreciating flowers in a vase unrelated to religious worship also became popular. There are number of novels, essays and poems of that time which describe the aristocracy enjoying flower arranging and admiring arrangements of flowers.
In the Kamakura period (1192-1333), the Samurai (elite warrior class) wrested the power of government from the aristocrats and brought great lifestyle and fashion changes into the whole of Japanese society.

Read more about the history of Ikebana and the different schools in Japan.
- Reference -



Flower arrangement フラワー‐アレンジメント
is a word also used for other types of Western floral arrangements,
not in the way Japanese ikebana is done.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for the New Year

ikezome 生初 (いけぞめ) first flower arrangement
..... seika hajime 生花始（せいかはじめ）
..... sooka hajime 挿花始（そうかはじめ）


. NEW YEAR - KIGO for HUMANITY


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Sogetsu-School of Ikebana


Ikebana Net
http://www.ikebana-net.com/





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quote
Aibi 4th Annual Sogetsu Ikebana show 2011
. . . . . As I pondered the eyeless dolls, and the symbolism associated with them, and what Japan is dealing with in the wake of the recent disasters, the themes of vision and resilience emerged.

More photos are here at Nihonbi
source : nihonbi.wordpress.com


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Worldwide use

Germany

Exhibition of Haiku and Ikebana in Germany.
Leader is Sachiko Schmid.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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Things found on the way

Meet Erika Schwalm

Erika is/was a member of our World Kigo Forum.

Homepage von Erika Schwalm, Riji Meisterin der Sogetsu-Schule Tokyo und Leiterin des Frankfurter Haikukreises.

Februarregen.
Im Zimmer ruht die Spinne
am Ikebanabild.

February rain.
In the room a spider rests
at the Ikebana picture.

(Tr. Gabi Greve)
http://haiku.zeigdich-online.de/

She loves nature and the Japanese gardens and tries to combine various arts, like music, ikebana and haiku.


.... Erika Schwalm, - In Memoriam December 2005


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HAIKU

During a haikai meeting in the Edo period, it was custom to perform an ikebana arrangement after the guest of honour had written the first poem (hokku　発句) with a seasonal hint.


rikka 立花 "standing flowers"


Rikka style was established in the Muromachi period, in the 15th century. It is said to be the foundation of Ikebana, from which Shoka, Moribana and Nageire styles evolved.
the traditional Rikka Shofutai and the more modern,
Rikka Shimputai.
source : ikebanabyjunko.co.uk


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たくさんの活け花のある寒さかな
takusan no ikebana no aru samusa kana

there are so many
ikebana flower arrangements
in the cold

Kishimoto Naoki 岸本尚毅


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an Ikebana
a cosmic arc of
a leaf ~
brahman~Narayanan~


single leaf
the curve of beauty
unmeasured
drussell


Ikebana
the center stalk
world in a vase
Angelika Kolompar

http://home.alc.co.jp/db/owa/PH_detail?photo_sn_in=981


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source :　facebook

an ikebana moment


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Related words


*****　Bonsai 盆栽

Bonsai (literally "potted plant")
is the art of aesthetic miniaturization of trees by growing them in containers. Originating in Chinese penjing (Chinese /Japanese bonkei : 盆景, "tray scenery"), Japanese bonsai developed its localization of techniques and aesthetics after its introduction to Japan by imperial embassies returning from China in the ninth century. In Western culture, the word "bonsai" is commonly used as an umbrella term for all miniature trees.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !



盆栽や　悠久な時の　夏の夜
bonsai ya yuukyuu na toki no natsu no yoru

admiring bonsai !
time passes elegantly this
summer night

Gabi Greve, August 2006 　








. Takamatsu Bonsai Exhibition 2008 .


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planted in a vase
a large tree
- bonsai art



Rogerio Viana/ Rosa Clement, Brasil

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Ikebana from Hata san, Japan


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Ways to decorate plants on a portable stand



shimadai, shima-dai 島台 "portable island"
stand in the shape of an island




suhamadai, suhama-dai 州浜台 "beach stand"
standing trays with sandbar patterns

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kigo for all summer

suiban 水盤 (すいばん) shallow basin
shallow container for displaying flower arrangements
Iit can be filled with stones or other things too that make us feel cool in summer.
Sometimes small crabs can swimm in it.
It is mostly made of pottery or metal.



. . . CLICK here for ikebana suiban Photos !


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hakoniwa 箱庭 (はこにわ) landscape garden

A miniature landscape garden, prepared in a box or basin with tiny plants, stones, miniature houses, miniature bridges, etc.
It lends a feeling of coolness to a room in summer.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !





Yumedono cactus, Haworthia emelyae, ハオルチア.


箱庭に置く夢殿のなかりけり
hakoniwa ni oku Yumedono no nakari keri

alas there is no
"Hall of Dreams" I could put
in my landscape garden . . .

Nakata Go 中田剛 (1943 - )



This is a play of words with the famous building

Yume-dono 夢殿 Hall of Dreams
at Temple Horyu-ji, Nara



. hakoniwa gangu 箱庭玩具 toy tools for a landscape garden .


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winter forest work
a hairdresser clips
his bonsai

Stella Pierides
source : facebook December 2011


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filling
emptiness of the room
with ikebana

- Shared by Ram Krishna Singh -
Joys of Japan, 2012


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. keman 華鬘 flower garlands .
temple decorations

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"Arranging flowers"
Katsushika Hokusai

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Iced Coffee, aisu-koohii (Japan)

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Iced Coffee, aisu-koohii　アイスコーヒー

***** Location: Japan, worldwide
***** Season: All Summer
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

In Japan, we have iced coffee, meaning hot coffe cooled down with ice cubes and drunk with milk and sweet syrup.



There is also Coffee Float,
cold coffee with floating vanilla ice cream and plenty of whipped cream.


http://www.grkt.com/message/cnv_img.php?img=0405011136

Both are of course favorites in summer and some stores do not sell them in the winter months.
It is best with dripp coffee and ice, but now of course we have also instant ice coffee, cans and bottles to choose from.
It is usually served in a high glass, but can also be served in a mug of copper, where the dewdrops create an extra effect of coolness.

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How to prepare Iced Coffee in Japan.
http://www.shiinoki-coffee.com/drip/08/

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Worldwide use

Bermuda Ice Coffee
Put a cup of coffee to which cream and sugar has been added in a blender. Add 1 or 2 scoops of Coffee ice cream. Blend. Serve in cold mug or glass.
http://www.culinarycafe.com/Drinks/Bermuda_Iced_Coffee.html

England
We don't tend to drink iced tea or iced coffee in England so "cold coffee" doesn't evoke any particular season here.
Eryu

Germany
We have Eiskaffee, which is coffee with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, as the Japanese call the floating coffee. After all, not the coffee is floating, but the ice cream in it.
Gabi Greve

Greek Eiscaffee with Kahlua
http://www.eckes.org/article.php?sid=134

Thai Iced Coffee with Cardamon
http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/thai/00/rec0005.html
http://coffeefaq.com/coffaq7.htm#ThaiIcedCoffee

USA
Perception of kigo is strongly cultural, laced throughout its literature, customs, etc. For me if the season isn't obvious I don't feel it's a good kigo for my American culture. Cold coffee has little precedence as a kigo for me.
For example 'hot chocolate' is a good American Winter kigo, books and movies are filled with it as a Winter beverage and is a common treat for children after playing in the snow. Even regions in America where there is no snow and hot chocolate is rare, its presence in books and movies make it known there as well.
Although iced drinks are appreciated more in the summer many are consumed all year while others have a distinct seasonal quality. For me iced coffee and iced pop don't have a strong seasonal precedence but iced lemonade does again with its presence in books and movies.
Michael Baribeau

Vietnamese Iced Coffee, illustrated. Ca phe sua da.
http://www.vaneats.com/features/vietnamese.iced.coffee
http://coffeefaq.com/coffaq7.htm#VietIcedCoffee

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Things found on the way

The Ultimate Coffee Page
How to brew the ultimate drink
Is water important?
How to store coffee?
Growing coffee trees
And so on and so on
http://coffeefaq.com/coffaq.htm

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The origin of the Chinese characters for coffee 珈琲


- reference source : nsh-s.com/wp... -

、蘭学者で津山藩医の宇田川榕菴
In Okayama there was a school for rangaku 蘭学 learning of the West.
One of the masters there was 宇田川榕菴 Udagawa Yoan.
He knew the Dutch word ｋｏｆｆｉｅ.
There are now sometimes memorial services in a temple, where coffee is offered to the ancestors and the visitors
- but in tea cups of the time.

. Udagawa Yōan 宇田川榕菴 Udagawa Yoan .
(1798 - 1846)


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HAIKU

Seen in Thailand on the rural market place, but also in many other places in Asia:

iced coffee -
the boy stirrs his drink
with the fingers

Eiscaffee -
der Junge ruehrt im Glas
mit dem Finger

Gabi Greve

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Related words

***** Cold Coffee
iced coffee, ice coffee, Eiskaffee
Kigo for all summer
WASHOKU : COLD COFFEE

Of course, in winter, it cools faster -- the indoor temperature in Irish homes is often so chilly that coffee is already cold before one is quite ready to drink it... shiver!

"Kalter Kaffee" (cold coffee) is German for old hat -- stale news, something that has had its day, something one cannot take seriously any more...
Isabelle Prondzynski

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HAIKU

Cold coffee,
dark as the morning light –
one abandoned cup.

Isabelle Prondzynski

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bus stop bench
coffee in a paper cup
half frozen

Carol Raisfeld

The winter kigo is frozen.

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***** Hot Coffee
Kigo for Winter
WASHOKU : HOT COFFEE

Hot coffee can be enjoyed at any season, even at an Ice-coffeeshop in summer on a warm terrasse.
But as a warming experience, it is a winter kigo.


HAIKU

hot coffee---
the stench of
unscaled fish

Robert Wilson

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bundled children
walking to school-
hot coffee

The winter kigo is bundled.

hot coffee-
forsythia blooms
blind the drivers

'forsythia' , kigo for spring, is a bush full of yellow blossoms, plantedalong the highways in my state.

Kate

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***** Eiscaffee
Kigo for All Summer

A cafeteria where you can enjoy your hot or cold or iced coffee. In Germany they are open all summer, usually serving delicious Italian icecream too. Some Italian Eiscaffees also serve Pizza all year long. They are very popular in Germany.
http://tinyurl.com/52jjp

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. Cappuccino with Dragon design .



WASHOKU ... Japanese DRINKS SAIJIKI

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August 2005

nnnnnnnnnnnn TOP nnnnnnnnnnnnn

Latest Additions

........................................................................ August 2005

Dragonfly (tombo, tonbo) Japan (05)

INDIA SAIJIKI (under construction)

Bon Festival (o-bon) (05) Japan
..... Awaodori Dance (05) Japan, Bon-Odori, Bon-Dance
..... Bon Boats for Souls (shooryoobune) (05) Japan
..... Bon Flowers (bonbana) (05) Japan
..... Bon Stove (bongama) (05) Japan
..... Bon of Wind (kaze no bon) (05) Japan

Pinks (nadeshiko) (05) Japan. Fringed pink

Nairobi Bomb Day , Kenya, August 7

Tea Ceremony Saijiki 茶道の歳時記

Manatee North America

Crape myrtle (sarusuberi) (05) Japan, North America

Cicada (semi) (05) Japan, other areas

Ant (ari) (05) Japan, worldwide



***************************
Please send your contributions to Gabi Greve
worldkigo .....

Back to the WHC Worldkigo Index
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

Additions August 2005

Safekeep copy

........................................................................ August 2005Dragonfly (tombo, tonbo) Japan (05)INDIA SAIJIKI (under construction)Bon Festival (o-bon) (05) Japan..... Awaodori Dance (05) Japan, Bon-Odori, Bon-Dance..... Bon Boats for Souls (shooryoobune) (05) Japan..... Bon Flowers (bonbana) (05) Japan..... Bon Stove (bongama) (05) Japan..... Bon of Wind (kaze no bon) (05) JapanPinks (nadeshiko) (05) Japan. Fringed pinkNairobi Bomb Day , Kenya, August 7Tea Ceremony Saijiki 茶道の歳時記Manatee North AmericaCrape myrtle (sarusuberi) (05) Japan, North AmericaCicada (semi) (05) Japan, other areasAnt (ari) (05) Japan, worldwide

***********************
Please send your contributions to Gabi Greve
worldkigo .....

Back to the WHC Worldkigo Index
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/

Harvest Moon, North America

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Harvest Moon

***** Location: North America
***** Season: Mid-Autumn
***** Category: Heavens

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Explanation

Full Harvest Moon - September
This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon.
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/fullmoonnames.html

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The Harvest Moon
occurs for about a week during the month of September at a time when farmers are busy gathering their crops for the upcoming winter. "Harvest Moon" is the name given to the full moon occurring nearest the autumnal equinox (around September 23rd) and it marks the first day of fall. Many years ago before the invention of electricity or farm equipment with lights, the stronger light of the harvest moon made it possible for the farmers to extend their work day well into the evening.

This phenomenon is caused when the full moon of mid September rises to the same level on the east horizon as the position of the sun as it's setting on the west horizon. The display produces an attractive moonrise and sunrise together at about the same time each evening for several evenings in a row.
http://hometown.aol.com/panda34911/KidsParties/HolidayFunPg11DFallA.html

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

Shine On Harvest Moon
Words & Music by Jack Norworth & Nora Bayes-Norworth, 1908

Shine on, shine on harvest moon
Up in the sky
I ain't had no lovin' since January, February,
June, or July
Snow time ain't no time to sit
Outdoors and spoon
Shine on, shine on harvest moon
For me and my gal
http://hometown.aol.com/panda34911/KidsParties/HolidayFunPg11DFallA.html

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HAIKU

loved ones return home
harvest moon rises
over the bridge

DeVar Dahl -Canada-
http://www.ecf.or.jp/shiki/1999/result.html

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Harvest moon
shared with a stranger
bus window

Kiyoshi Fukuzawa (Tokyo)

There are a lot more haiku about the MOON on this Link.
http://www.asahi.com/english/haiku/041101.html

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still pond
she walks ankle-deep
in the harvest moon

Dustin Neal , October 2006
Editor of Clouds Peak
http://du5tin.net/haiku

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watching
young clouds polish
the harvest moon

Paul Hunter, October 2006

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oh, mister harvest moon !
you are racing so-o-o fast
through the rain clouds

Gabi Greve, 2006. Look at it HERE !


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Related words

The Japanese Meigetsu 名月 is sometimes translated as "Harvest Moon".

See the MOON entry for more information !



.　World Kigo Database .
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Hunter's Moon

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Hunter’s Moon

***** Location: England, USA
***** Season: Autumn, October
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

The full moon of October is called the Hunter’s Moon in England because it coincides with the start of the official legal hunting season which begins 12 October, “The Glorious 12th”. The moon at this time is close to the earth at this latitude; thus very large and reflecting a lot of light for night hunting.

It is a widespread countryside practice in England to hunt all kinds of wild creatures on foot or on horseback, often with a pack of dogs kept specifically for the purpose. Foxes are popular as prey as they are viewed as vermin by many farmers. Also, grouse, quail, partridge, pheasant, duck, and other game birds (wild or raised for the shoot). Game birds are protected by law until 12 October, so “The Glorious 12th” is the start of the shooting season; as well as other hunting activities.
When the very large and bright October moon coincides with clear skies it is called a “Hunter’s Moon”, allowing the hunt to continue on well past the early dusk or begin well before the late dawn.

Hunting (shoot) is another kigo for autumn in England.

It is likely that hunting with dogs will slowly die out as an acceptable hunting method; following recent legislation to end it as a rural sport. This will of course cause some interim conflict - but the likelihood is that those images of "the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable" in the John Peel tradition of horns blowing to call packs of dogs to marauding slaughter of wild foxes, hares and deer will go the way of bear-baiting and cock fighting. "Ahhh," some say, "sic transit gloria mundi".

It does, as a sideline which no-one seems to have picked up on yet, protect badger setts from "lamping". the practice of going out with a lamp and terrier to flush out badgers and kill them. This based on a completely unproven idea that badgers are responsible for the transmission of bovine TB. The recent legislation has no effect on the shooting season though, so the mass slaughter for sport of tame game-birds bred for the purpose, although much reduced from the excesses of the Edwardian era, will still be a feature of the October landscape for a long time to come.

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Worldwide use

USA
ForeWord Magazine, a major independent publishing trade journal, has awarded Stoeger Publishing’s book, Mr. Whitetail’s Trailing the Hunter’s Moon with a Gold Book of the Year Award. Established in 1998, ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program has become one of the most prestigious honors for independent presses and their authors.

Weishuhn’s book takes readers along on his journeys in search of trophy big game animals in regions as diverse as the windswept prairies of Saskatchewan, the arid hill country of northern Mexico and the woodlands and gravel hills of his native Texas. Throughout the 160-pages of this adventure book, Weishuhn recounts tales of the hunt and lessons learned through his extensive hunting career.
http://www.stoegerpublishing.com/articles/detail.tpl?CAT=2&ID=17


Tonight’s full moon is traditionally known as the “Hunter’s Moon.” The Harvest Moon fell in September this year. November will bring the Beaver Moon (sometimes called the Frost Moon), and the Yule or Long Nights moon falls in December.

。。。Now and then
。。。The clouds give us a rest　－
。。。Moon watching.

Basho
http://paperfrog.com/blog/archives/000385.html

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Dear Hunting Season in Michigan

Bow Season (Archery Deer Seasons) starts October 1st and Rifle/Gun Season (Firearm Deer Season) runs November 15-30th with Rifle Season as the most popular. Typically a male 'sport' the men folk will leave for the weekend or even a week to hunt with their buddies, leaving behind their wives who dub themselves 'Deer Hunting Widows'.

700,000 hunters receive hunting licences and bag around 500,000 deer. In Michigan the deer Population is estimated to be 1.75 million. Deer hunting isn't just considered a sport here, it is also necessary to restrain deer population. Each year there are tens of thousands of white-tailed deer/car collisions in Michigan plus hundreds of thousands of deer starve durring our snowy Winters.

Deer Season
a pick-up truck parked
on the edge of the wood

Michael Baribeau

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Deer season is certainly a strong kigo in the South in the US. In Arkansas we also have a bow season beginning in October, and a gun season November through part of December (I think). It's mostly a guy thing here as well, though a few women do occasionally go hunting with their mates.
Hunter's moon is a Native American name, occurring in October and November, when the moon can be seen more clearly because the leaves have fallen from the trees.

Johnye Strickland

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

Hunter’s moon ~
swimming in milk
a cat flea

Eryu
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Hunter’s moon,
A stick match lights up
A hound’s eye.

Andrea Zipper
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/haiku/03/0310.html

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a hunter's moon
the o's of howling dogs
ring in the mists

Jane Reichhold
http://www.ahapoetry.com/aadoh/autcel.htm

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Related words

***** Fox, game birds of any kind . Kigo for Autumn in England.

See the MOON entry for more MOON links.
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/2006/01/moon-and-his-links.html

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Proposed by: Eryu

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Holly hiiragi

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Holly Tree (Ilex family)

***** Location: USA, other countries
***** Season: All Winter (late autumn in Japan)
***** Category: Flower

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Explanation

Ilex opaca : American Holly
Ilex aquifolium : English holly
Ilex cornuta : Chinese holly
Ilex crenata : Japanese holly
Ilex paraguariensis : Yerba mate
(from whose leaves mate tea is made)




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hiiragi no hana 柊の花 (ひいらぎのはな) flower of the holly
Osmanthus heterophyllus

hiiragi sasu 柊挿す (ひいらぎさす) piercing with a holly
and some setsubun riutals, February 3.



. hiiragi ochiba 柊落葉（ひいらぎおちば）
fallen leaves of the holly .
..... mochi ochiba 冬青落葉（もちおちば）
Ilex pedunculosa
kigo for early summer


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A green prickly tree with berries that become red late autumn/fall/early winter. Most associated with Christmas in English-speaking countries, but known in many others.
Kate Steere.

Leaf: Alternate, simple, and persistant, thickened and leathery, eliptical in shape, 2 to 4 inches long, dark green and shiny above, pale green below with entire or spiney-toothed margins.

Flower: Dioecious, dull green-white, male flowers on 3 to 7 flowered cymes, female flowers are solitary with a pleasant odor. Flowers apparent April to June.

Fruit: A berrylike drupe, red, rarely yellow when ripe, 1/4 inch in diameter, containing ribbed nutlets. Maturing September to October, persisting on tree into winter.

Twig: Slender with rust-colored pubescence.

Bark: Light gray, with prominent warts.

Form: A small tree, with a thick crown and pyramidal form, usually with branches to the ground.
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/iopaca.htm

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One of the most famous English-speaking Christmas hymns :
"The Holly and the Ivy"
This is one of a series of medieval English carols on the subject of the rivalry between the holly and ivy vying for mastery in the forest. These two plants came to be associated with the sexes, holly being masculine and ivy feminine. In this carol, the holly is used to represent various aspects of Christ's life and the ivy is not discussed at all.

1. The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.

Read it all here:
http://ingeb.org/spiritua/theholly.html (including Japanese translation!).

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Mythology and Folklore of the Holly

For most of us the sight of holly leaves and berries is inextricably linked with Christmas, whether we celebrate this as a secular or a religious festivity. Christmas brings with it many traditions and it is probably the one time when many of us still practice at least a few old folklore customs today. Indeed in some parts of Britain holly was formerly referred to merely as Christmas, and in pre-Victorian times 'Christmas trees' meant holly bushes.

Holly was also brought into the house variously to protect the home from malevolent faeries or to allow faeries to shelter in the home without friction between them and the human occupants. Whichever of prickly-leaved or smooth-leaved holly was brought into the house first dictated whether the husband or wife respectively were to rule the household for the coming year.

In Celtic mythology the Holly King was said to rule over the half of the year from the summer to the winter solstice, at which time the Oak King defeated the Holly King to rule for the time until the summer solstice again. These two aspects of the Nature god were later incorporated into Mummers' plays traditionally performed around Yuletide. The Holly King was depicted as a powerful giant of a man covered in holly leaves and branches, and wielding a holly bush as a club. He may well have been the same archetype on which the Green Knight of Arthurian legend was based, and to whose challenge Gawain rose during the Round Table's Christmas celebrations.

Read a lot more interesting facts here:
http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.mythholly.html


About the celtic origins of the Holly
In addition to being associated with the Sun God (Saturn) in ancient Rome, holly was important in Pagan/Druidic religion and customs. Under many Pagan religions, it was customary to place holly leaves and branches around their dwellings during winter. This was intended as a kindly and hospitable gesture; they believed that the tiny fairies which inhabited the forests could come into their homes and use the holly as shelter against the cold. This may actually have had some basis in fact, as holly growing in the wild is often used as shelter by small animals, primarily insects.

Read more here:
http://www.tartans.com/articles/holly.html

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Worldwide use

The American Holly


Native Americans used wood from the American holly for many uses and the berries were used for bartering and decorating. The American holly was also a favorite of George Washington's and he planted many throughout his properties. Wood from American holly trees is still used today in woodworking projects, most often for decorative inlays in cabinetry.

The American holly is an pyramid-shaped evergreen that can grow to be 40-50 feet in height but often the trees are pruned to serve as attractive hedges. These slow-growing trees develop small white flowers in late spring and bear bright-red berries in fall that last throughout the winter. However, the berries only grow on female American holly trees and the male trees must be nearby to pollinate the female's flowers and ensure fruiting.

Read more here:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/



Ilex vomitoria,
commonly known as Yaupon or Yaupon Holly, is a species of holly that is native to southeastern North America. The word yaupon was derived from its Catawban name, yopún, which is a diminutive form of the word yop, meaning "tree". Another common name, Cassina, was borrowed from the Timucua language (despite this, it usually refers to Ilex cassine).
The fruit are an important food for many birds ...



Native Americans used the leaves and stems to brew a tea, commonly thought to be called asi or black drink for male-only purification and unity rituals. The ceremony included vomiting, and Europeans incorrectly believed that it was Ilex vomitoria that caused it (hence the Latin name). The active ingredients are actually caffeine and theobromine, and the vomiting was either learned or as a result of the great quantities in which they drank the beverage coupled with fasting.
Others believe the Europeans improperly assumed the black drink to be the tea made from Ilex vomitoria when it was likely an entirely different drink made from various roots and herbs and did have emetic properties.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Yaupons thick with red,
Bright sun shining on their fruit,
Mockingbirds on guard...

- Shared by Steve Weiss -
Haiku Culture Magazine, 2013


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Japan

"mock-plum", finetooth holly, winterberry, ume modoki 梅擬, 梅嫌, 落霜紅
Ilex serrata and similar species
tsuru-ume-modoki 蔓梅擬 bittersweet. Celastrus orbiculatus
..... tsurumodoki, tsuru modoki つるもどき bittersweet

kigo for late autumn.


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Japanese Winterberry 黐の木（もちのき）科
Dedicated to those born on November 1. Also a Symbol of Wisdom.


http://www.hana300.com/umemod.html


hiiragi no hana 柊の花 (ひいらぎのはな) flower of the holly
Osmanthus heterophyllus
kigo for early winter


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Things found on the way

"Heigh ho! sing heigh ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly."
from 'As You Like It' by William Shakespeare
http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.mythholly.html

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HAIKU

a rustle
in the holly-
two squirrels

Kate Steere

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Related words

***** Dog Winterberry (inu umemodoki 犬梅モドキ）
Ilex serrata form. argutidens


http://www.hana300.com/inuume.html

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hiiragi no hana 柊の花 (ひいらぎのはな) flower of the holly
Osmanthus heterophyllus


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