Flowers of Japan: Wisteria

I am on an intense, flower-viewing mission this spring.  Because of last year's evacuation following the Tohoku Earthquake, Little TF and I were unable to enjoy the season.  Even if we had been here, we probably wouldn't have appreciated it, anyways.  It was not an enjoyable time.  This year, I am making up for it! Every few days, a new type of flower is blooming.  Little TF and I cruise around on our bicycle until I see a garden to photograph.  She thinks it's great and always asks to see the thumbnail on the camera.  This Sunday brought perfect weather, so I dragged the TF family out for a neighborhood bike ride.  The wisteria are blooming!

References to wisteria can be found all over Japan.  The kanji for the flower is 藤, and one of its readings is "fuji."  For about a year, I thought the city of Fujisawa (藤沢) was named for its stunning view of Mt. Fuji.  A friend eventually told me the name actually means something along the lines of Wisteria Marsh.  The wisteria  pops up in the name of one of Japan's most famous families, the Fujiwara clan. For several centuries, this aristocratic family was the not-so-shadowy power behind the imperial throne.  Supplying a steady stream of regents, male members of the Fujiwara family were often uncle, maternal grandfather, father-in-law, or brother-in-law to the reigning emperor.  Wisteria also appear in Japanese sects of Buddhism.  Images of the low-hanging blossoms evoke humility and reverence.  Cultural references to wisteria include the kabuki play Fuji Musume (Wisteria Maiden).  The twining wisteria vine echo the play's themes of love and passion.  

Wisteria vine near my house.

Washi paper with wisteria vines.

Family crests featuring stylized wisteria.

Stamp from my shrine book featuring wisteria.

The famous wisteria at Ashikaga Flower Park

Looking for an intense wisteria experience?  Ashikaga Flower Park, in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, is currently featuring Wisteria Story, one of the park's eight floral seasons.  In addition to the familiar purple wisteria, white, light pink, and yellow wisteria variants are on glorious display. There are also Giant wisteria and double-petaled wisteria. After viewing the Flower Park's website's spectacular photos, I think I need to go!  Wisteria Story can be viewed until mid-May.

Ashikaga Flower Park

An attendant's wisteria headpiece at Kasuga-Taisha Shrine,
the shrine of the powerful Fujiwara Family.

 More neighborhood wisteria.