Kakitsubata
The Kakitsubata (link to article in Japanese) (カキツバタ, 杜若?, Iris laevigata) grows in the semi-wet land and is less popular, but is also cultivated extensively.
It is a prefectural flower of Aichi Prefecture due to the famous tanka poem which is said to have been written in this area during the Heian period, as it appears in The Tales of Ise by Ariwara no Narihira (note that the beginning syllables are "ka-ki-tsu-ha (ba)-ta"):
| Original text | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
|
から衣 きつゝなれにし つましあれば はるばるきぬる たびをしぞ思 |
Karakoromo Kitsutsu narenishi Tsuma shi areba, Harubaru kinuru Tabi o shizo omou |
I have come so far away on this trip this time and think of my wife that I left in Kyoto |
Kakitsubata at Ōta Shrine, Kyoto, is a National Natural Treasure. It was already recorded in a tanka by Fujiwara Toshinari also in the Heian period:
| Original text | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
|
神山や大田の沢のかきつばた ふかきたのみは色に見ゆらむ |
Kamiyama ya ōta no sawa no kakitsubata Fukaki tanomi wa iro ni miyu ramu |
Like the kakitsubata at Ōta Wetland, a God-sent heaven, my trust in you can be seen in the color of their flowers. |
Read more about this topic: Japanese Iris