Hydrangea (ajisai)

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Hydrangea (ajisai)

***** Location: Japan, other countries
***** Season: Mid-Summer
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation



© Photo Gabi Greve, July 2007


Hydrangea, hortensia, ajisai あじさい / 紫陽花
"ball flower", temaribana 手毬花（てまりばな）
..... katashirogusa かたしろぐさ
"flower with four petals", yohira no hana 四葩の花（よひらのはな）

"embroidery flower", shishuubana 刺繍花（ししゅうばな）
... tamabana, keika 瓊花（たまばな, けいか）



"changes colors seven times", shichi henge 七変化（しちへんげ）


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"flower of the eight Chinese immortals" , hassen ka 八仙花（はっせんか）
Hassen refers to eight Chinese immortals, who were famous for their drinking capacity, and have been depicted on a wine cup (inchuu hassen 飲中八仙).



source : Ken Ishihashi, facebook
万暦風赤絵八仙人図 水注


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"frame flowers" gaku no hana 額の花 (がくのはな)
die gerahmte Hortensie
"frame hydrangea" gaku ajisai 額紫陽花（がくあじさい）
..... gaku soo 額草（がくそう）, gakubana 額花（がくばな）

A special type with small flowers inside and a few large ones around them, like the frame of a photo.

Some sources say the Gaku no Hana was the original wild species in Japan. In the early Meiji restauration it was brought to Europa where different typed evolved very fast. These were then brought back to Japan were their evolution is still going on.
In many temples and gardens they evolve all by themselved, bringing new flower patterns every year.

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Hydrangea (common name also Hortensia)
is a genus of about 70-75 species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia (from Japan to China, the Himalaya and Indonesia) and North and South America. The flowers are extremely common in the Azores Islands of Portugal, particularly on Faial Island, which is known as the "blue island" due to the vast number of hydrangeas present on the island. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China and Japan (See: Japanese Ajisai flower).

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Hydrangea Temples in Japan, Ajisai-Dera 紫陽花寺can be found all over Japan and are a pleasure to visit during the rainy season.




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Hydrangea Festivals, Ajisai Matsuri, are very popular in Japan.



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Hydrangea Festival, Ajisai Matsuri 紫陽花祭り

At Takahata Fudo Temple 高幡不動尊

More LINKS about these Festivals.

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「当盛六花撰　紫陽花」
Utagawa Kunitoyo 3 歌川豊国

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In Tottori people hang some Ajisai in the house to ward off evil influence.
If you hang a gourd 瓢 in the room where a birth is taking place, the bad animals like foxes and Tanuki will not come to do harm.

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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HAIKU

紫陽花や帷子時の薄浅黄
ajisai ya katabira doki no usu-asagi

these hydrangeas -
time for a linen kimono
in light blue

Written in 貞亨元年, Basho age 41.


More colors with : asagi 浅葱
source :　www.colordic.org


Ajisai haiku by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


. katabira 帷子 かたびら unlined (linen) kimono .

. asagi あさぎ - 浅黄 - 浅葱 hues of light yellow, green and blue .

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紫陽花や青にきまりし秋の雨
ajisai ya ao ni kimarishi aki no ame

Hortensias
Elle a choisi le bleu
La pluie d'automne

Masaoka Shiki


These Hydrangeas !
they are now all blue -
autumn rain

Tr. Gabi Greve

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首塚にロザリオひとつ額の花
kubizuka ni rozario hitotsu gaku no hana

on the head mound
just one rosary -
hydrangeas

Kashiwara Min-U 柏原眠雨
Head Mound Haiku

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Related words


***** tsurudemari 蔓手毱 (つるでまり) "Temari hand ball with vines"
Hydrangea petiolaris


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. tsurushibina, tsurushi bina つるし雛 / 吊るし雛 small hanging hina dolls .

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***** Rainy Season (tsuyu)

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. PLANTS - - - the Complete SAIJIKI . 　


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- #ajisai #hydrangea #hortensie -
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