Japanese iris

The term "Japanese iris" encompasses three varieties of irises cultivated in gardens or growing wild in Japan: hanashōbu, kakitsubata and ayame.

Hanashōbu

The Hanashōbu(ハナショウブ, 花菖蒲, Iris ensata var. ensata, syn. I. ensata var. hortensis I. kaempferi) grows in the wet land and is the most extensively cultivated variety in Japanese gardens. According to the place where it was cultivated, it is classified into the Edo (Tokyo), Higo (Kumamoto Prefecture), Ise (Mie Prefecture), American (U.S.A.) and other series.

Where to see

[http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/midokoro/2.html Iris Garden], Meiji Shrine, Tokyo
Horikiri Iris Park, Katsushika, Tokyo
Meigetsu-in, Kamakura
[http://www.city.yokosuka.kanagawa.jp/iris/ Iris Park], Yokosuka

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:

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.) Notice that the beginning syllables are "ka-ki-tsu-ha (ba)-ta."

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:

Kamiyama ya, Ota 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.)

Where to see

Three largest places in Japan where the kakitsubata naturally grows:

Koztsumi East Pond, Kariya, Aichi
Ōta-no-Sawa, Ōta Shrine, Kita-ku, Kyoto
Kara River Wetland, Iwami, Tottori

Ayame

The Ayame(アヤメ, 菖蒲, 文目, Iris sanguinea) is the iris typically growing wild on the dry land in Japan.

Where to see

Ayame no Sato (Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Mount Kushigata (Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture)
Ryumonbuchi Park (Akashina, Azumino, Nagano Prefecture)

How to distinguish them

How to distinguish among these three kinds always baffles the beginners, so usually the following instructions are given in Japanese gardens:

<TABLE border="1"> <TR> <TH>Classification</TD> <TH>Color of flower</TD> <Th>Leaf</TD> <TH>Feature of flower</TD> <TH>Location</TD> <TH>Flowering time</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD>Hanashōbu</TD> <TD>Red purple, purple, etc.</TD> <TD>Distinct artery</TD> <TD>Shows no net</TD> <TD>Wet land</TD> <TD>Early June - late June</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD>Kakitsubata</TD> <TD>Blue, purple, white, etc.</TD> <TD>Small artery</TD> <TD>Shows no net</TD> <TD>In water or wet land</TD> <TD>mid-May - late May</TD> </TR> <TR> <TD>Ayame</TD> <TD>Purple, rarely white</TD> <TD>Main artery not clear</TD> <TD>Shows net</TD> <TD>Dry land</TD> <TD>Early May - Mid-June</TD> </TR>

</TABLE>

Note: Sweet flag, called Shōbu (ショウブ, 菖蒲) in Japanese, is a plant belonging to the Acoraceae family, Acorus genues, known for its fragrant roots, rather than its flowers.

Translation of "Japanese iris"

German: Japanische Sumpf-Schwertlilie, Korean: 꽃창포, Japanese: ハナショウブ, Chinese: 玉蝉花.