菊
菊は中国が原産ですが、８世紀ごろ日本に伝来した後、日本人の好みに合わせてさまざまな改良が加えられ、今や春の桜と同様に日本を代表する秋の花となっています。そのため品種は非常に多く、花の色は白、黄、桃、紅など、また大きさも大菊・中菊・小菊などがあります。17世紀にはオランダ経由でヨーロッパに渡り、高い評価を受けました。香りがよく、気品の漂う菊は皇室の紋章ともなっており、また、死者や先祖を慰める墓参りにも菊は欠かせません。菊は日本人の持つ繊細な美的意識の象徴と見なされ、ルース・ベネディクトの日本研究の書『菊と刀』のタイトルともなっています。
Kiku(Chrysanthemums)
Kiku were originally produced in China and were brought to Japan in the eighth century. They underwent various improvements that appeal to Japanese tastes, and now have become the typical fall flower of Japan just as the springtime cherry blossom. Thus, there is an extremely wide range of varieties, in white, yellow, pink, and red colors and large, middle and small sizes. In the seventeenth century, they were brought to Europe by way of Holland and received high appreciation. The kiku, with its fragrance and aura of elegance, is the crest of the Imperial Household, and the flowers are indispensable for visiting graves to honor the dead and ancestors. The kiku is regarded as a symbol of the subtle sense of beauty held by the Japanese people; it was even used in the title of Ruth Benedict's book on Japan, "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword."