Acebia (akebi) kazura and tsuta

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Acebia (akebi)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: various, see below
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation


for other vines, see below

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akebi あけび【通草／木通】acebia, akebia.
"chocolate vine", five-leaf akebia, woody climbing vine
Akebia quinata (Houtt.) Decne
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

The name may be derived from
開け実 hirake mi ... fruit which opens, because it looks like an open mouth.



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kigo for mid-spring

akebi no mezuke あけびの芽漬（あけびのめづけ)
pickles of akebi buds

WASHOKU : pickles of spring


tsuta no me 蔦の芽 (つたのめ) buds of the Japanese ivy


kigo for late spring



akebi no hana あけびの花 / 通草の花 (あけびのはな)
flowers of the acebia
... yamahime no hana 山女の花（やまひめのはな）
... akebi no hana 丁翁の花（あけびのはな）
... hana akebi 花通草（はなあけび）
akebikazura あけびかずら acebina vine in blossom
mitsuba akebi 三葉通草（みつばあけび）"three leaf acebia"
akebi saku 通草咲く（あけびさく） acebia is blossoming


mube no hana 郁子の花 (むべのはな) mube blossoms
(a kind of acebia)
..... ube no hana うべの花（うべのはな）
..... noboke 野木瓜（のぼけ）
..... tokiwa akebi 常盤通草（ときわあけび）
Stauntonia hexaphylla
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for mid-autumn



akebi あけび【通草／木通】acebia, akebia

akebi no mi 通草の実 fruit of the acebia

akebi kazura 通草かずら（あけびかずら）acebia vine
... akebu あけぶ、omekazura おめかずら、kamikazura かみかずら
yamahime 山女（やまひめ）"mountain princess"

akebidana 通草棚（あけびだな）shelf for growing acebina


mitsuba akebi 三葉通草 (みつばあけび) three-leaves acebia
A. trifoliata


mube 郁子 (むべ) evergreen acebia
..... tokiwa akebi 常盤通草 (ときわあけび)
Stauntonia hexaphylla



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quote
Akebia quinata (Chocolate Vine or Five-leaf Akebia) is a shrub that is native to Japan, China and Korea.

It grows to 10 metres or more in height and has compound leaves with five leaflets. The inflorescences are clustered in racemes and are vanilla-scented, with three or four sepals. The fruits are sausage-shaped pods which contain edible pulp.

In China A. quinata is referred to as 木通 "mu tung" (Wade-Giles)) meaning "perforated wood". It is also occasionally known as 通草 "tung tsao" (Wade-Giles)) meaning "perforated grass".

In the Chinese pharmacopoeia it is believed to be therapeutic as a diuretic, antiphlogistic, galactagogue and analgesic. The principal use of the herb in China is as a traditional remedy for insufficient lactation in nursing mothers. The medicinal part of the plant is the woody stem which is sliced in transverse sections and prepared as a decoction. The stem contains approximately 30% potassium salts thus giving the diuretic action.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. WASHOKU
akebi no karakkozuke アケビの殻っこづけ
akebia skin stuffed with meat and vegetables 　
Akita and Yamagata


Yamagata is one of the most important growing areas for akebi.
山形の郷土料理 Yamagata Local Food

akebi tenpura あけび天ぷら tempura from akebia
akebia meat tasts good with fat, like tempura or simply fried with shiitake mushrooms or other vegetables.



nikuzume あけびの肉詰め akebia stuffed with minced meat

nuta-ae あけびのぬたあえ with a vinegar-miso-sauce

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Worldwide use

Akebi-Ranke

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Things found on the way



The vine is used to make baskets and containers.
akebizaiku アケビ細工
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. Folk Craft from Nagano .


tsuruzaiku, tsuru saiku　つる細工 craft from vines
is also popular in many parts of Tohoku. During the long winter months people used to make all kinds of containers from the local vines, especially akebi.
There are workshops to teach the art to the younger generation and the pieces become popular souvenirs for tourists.


Work from the Aizu region　会津のつる細工


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HAIKU


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


秋風や桐に動きて蔦の霜
aki kaze ya / kiri ni ugokite / tsuta no shimo


苔埋む蔦のうつつの念仏哉
. koke uzumu tsuta no utsutsu no nebutsu kana .
Nenbutsu 念仏


蔦の葉は昔めきたる紅葉哉
tsuta no ha wa / mukashi mekitaru / momiji kana


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蔦植ゑて竹四五本の嵐哉
tsuta uete take shi go hon no arashi kana

ivy planted,
and four or five stalks of bamboo
in the windstorm
Tr. Barnhill


vines planted
four or five bamboo trees
stirring in a storm
Tr. Shirane


A greeting hokku for poet Roboku 廬牧 (1628–1706)
kanjin no boosha 閑人の茅舎 The thatched hut of a recluse in Ise

Roboku must have lived a very simple life of a recluse, planting vine creepers on purpose and just a few poles of bamboo in his garden.

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

tsuta vine planted
and four or five bamboo poles
in the storm . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve


at Ise Jinguu　伊勢神宮 Grand Shrine at Ise -
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


Nozarashi Kikoo 野ざらし紀行, 1684
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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桟はしや命をからむ蔦かつら
桟や命をからむ蔦葛
kakehashi ya inochi o karamu tsuta katsura
(sanbashi ya)

this plank bridge -
the tsuta and katsura vines
coil their lives


This was an old fragile bridge in the times of Basho, at the Nakasendo, Agematsu juku　上松塾.
The Kakehashi from Kiso 木曽の桟（かけはし）
It was one of the most dangerous places on the old road, along with
Atsuta no watashi 太田のわたし　river corssing at Atsuta
and
Usui Tooge 碓氷峠 Usui pass.


Matsuo Basho traveling along the
. Nakasendoo　中山道 The Nakasendo Road .




source :　Sake barrel from 西尾酒造


Masakoa Shiki also wrote about this place

かけはしやあぶない処に山つつじ　
kakehashi ya abunai tokoro ni yama tsutsuji

this plank bridge -
at the most dangerous spot
mountain azaleas

桟や水にとどかず５月雨　　

正岡子規


The new metal bridge at Kiso.

Take a look at a stone memorial from Basho :
source : kaidou/nakasendo

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手とどかぬ通草ばかりが目について　
te todokanu akebi bakari ga me ni tsuite

I can only see
these akebi fruit
too high to grab　　　　　　　

Shimomura Umeko 下村梅子

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ぬれ髪のまま寝てゆめの通草かな　
nuregami no mama nete yume no akebi kana

I sleep
with wet hair - in my dream
akebi vine

Akao Tooshi 赤尾兜子 (1925 - 1981)


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あけびの実軽しつぶてとして重し　
akebi no mi karushi tsubute to shite omoshi

Kaneko Tohta 金子兜太


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Related words

kigo for early autumn

binboo kazura 貧乏葛（びんぼうかずら） "poor man's vine"
bushkiller
yabu karashi, yabukarashi 藪からし (やぶからし / 藪枯らし) Yabu Garashi
Cayratia japonica, Japanese Cayratia Herb
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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kigo for mid-autumn

fuusenkazura 風船葛 (ふうせんかずら) Balloon vine
Love in a puff
Candiospermum halicacabum
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



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kigo for all summer

aotsuta 青蔦 (あおつた) green Japanese ivy
tsuta aoba 蔦青葉（つたあおば）green leaves of Japanese ivy
tsuta shigeru 蔦茂る（つたしげる）Japanese ivy grows thickly
tsuta aoshi 蔦青し（つたあおし）Japanese ivy is green
natsutsuta 夏蔦（なつつた） Japanese ivy in summer



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kigo for all autumn

tsuta 蔦 (つた) Japanese ivy
Parthenocissus tricuspidata
tsuta momiji 蔦紅葉 red leaves of Japanese ivy
nihsikizuta 錦蔦 "brocade leaves of tsuta"

tsuta kazura 蔦かずら (つたかずら) ivy and vines
all kinds of creepers


tsuta in other seasons

. karetsuta 枯蔦 (かれつた) withering ivy, wild wine withering
..... tsuta karu 蔦枯る（つたかる）
..... karekazura 枯かずら（かれかずら）


. tsuta no shoogatsu 蔦の正月（つたのしょうがつ） New Year of the vines


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. kuzu kazura 葛かずら（くずかずら）Kudzu-Vine 　
Arrowroot, Pueraria lobata


binan kazura 美男葛 (びなんかずら) "beautiful man" Vine
sanekazura 真葛（さねかずら）Sanekazura, Sanekadsura
..... 南五味子（さねかずら）
..... tororo kazura とろろかずら
Kadsura japonica
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for late summer

tsuzurafuji 葛藤 (つづらふじ) Sabia vine
tsuzura つづら、tsuzurakazura 葛籠葛（つづらかずら）
aokazura 青葛（あおかずら）"green kazura vine"
aofuji 青藤（あおふじ）"green fuji vine"
bokubooki 木防己（ぼくぼうき） "tree broom"
Sabia japonica Maxim


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kigo for late autumn

masaki no kazura 正木の鬘 (まさきのかずら)
sprindle tree creepers
masaki no kazura 柾の葛（まさきのかずら）
teika kazura 定家葛（ていかかずら）
Euonymus japonicus



hiyodorijoogo 鵯上戸 (ひよどりじょうご) Solanum lyratum
hakuei 白英（はくえい）
horoshi 鬼目（ほろし）
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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kigo for all winter

fuyuzuta 冬蔦 (ふゆづた) Japanese ivy in winter
kizuta 木蔦（きづた）


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observance kigo for mid-winter

hikage no kazura 日蔭の蔓 (ひかげのかずら)
lit. "kazura vine in the shadow"
hikage no ito 日蔭の糸（ひかげのいと）"string in the shadow"
hikage no kokoroba 日蔭の心葉（ひかげのこころば）
kokoroba 心葉（こころば） "leaf of the heart"

At certain court rituals (新嘗祭、大嘗祭、豊明節会（とよあかりのせちえ）, the participants used to wear a special head gear with vine on both sides to show humility (monoimi 物忌). Sometimes moss (saruogase さるをがせ) was used or "moss from the pine" matsu no koke 松の苔. Later white or colored strings were used. The "leaf of the heart" could be a leaf of chochikubai pine, bamboo and plum, cherry or chrysanthemum.




hikagenokazura ヒカゲノカズラ club moss
Lycopodium cunninghamioides Hayata



In the Genji Monogatari this is also a kakekotoba for
hikage 日光（ひかげ)

. SAIJIKI
OBSERVANCES, FESTIVALS, RITUALS


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くふ飯に蔦ぶら下る山家哉
kuu meshi ni tsuta burasagaru yamaga kana

ivy hangs down
into the food we eat --
mountain house

Kobayashi Issa

This hokku is from the 8th month (September) of 1822, when Issa was visiting a mountainous area not too far from his hometown. People who lived in the mountains tended to eat mainly millet and other grains that could be grown in dry fields on the slopes.
Meshi can mean either the main food one eats, or, in a lowland context, cooked rice.
Chris Drake


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***** AUTUMN PLANTS -
SAIJIKI


. PLANTS in all seasons - SAIJIKI


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