Basho’s hydrangea

紫陽花 (ajisai), hydrangea, is the deciduous shrub up to five feet high with ball-shaped clusters of bluish flowers in June and July. It has become a common ornamental throughout the world. In Japan both 額紫陽花(gaku ajisai), H. macrophylla and 沢紫陽花(sawa ajisai), H. serrata in particular have been cultivated for so many centuries that they … Continue reading Basho’s hydrangea →

Basho’s Irises

Iris is a genus of between 200-300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also very widely used as a … Continue reading Basho’s Irises →

Basho’s peach blossoms

This is a picture of peach blossoms I took in Akita in the middle of May. Peach blossoms have been loved and taken up in haiku, waka, folklore, legends, and cultural events since the ancient days in Japan. Peach trees originated in China, where they loved peaches as well as peach blossoms, so they … Continue reading Basho’s peach blossoms →

Basho’s cherry blossoms

Since the April flowers have come and gone, the May flowers have been coming out and blooming one after another here in Akita. The other day Thorfinn Tait from the UK happened to see some Enkianthus flowers, called 満天星 (dodantsutsuji) in Japanese. He took a picture of the flower, deeply moved by its beauty. Just … Continue reading Basho’s cherry blossoms →

Basho’s bush warbler

In May, I took a stroll in the woods in Akita. There I heard bush warblers singing in fresh green and I saw skunk cabbages growing in the marsh. I felt as if I were in a natural temple, suddenly created in the woods, because it seemed as if there were bush … Continue reading Basho’s bush warbler →

Basho’s dream

335 years ago, in 1689, 松尾芭蕉 (Matsuo Bashō) (1644-1694) visited 象潟 (Kisakata) in 秋田県 (Akita Prefecture) as part of his journey on『おくのほそ道』(The Narrow Road to the Deep North) and wrote the following haiku. 象潟や雨に西施がねぶの花 kisakata ya 　ame ni seishi ga 　nebu no hana Donald Keene （鬼怒鳴門） translated this haiku into English. Kisakata― Seishi sleeping … Continue reading Basho’s dream →