Yamabuki
This page is about the motif, for the color please see Yamabuki-iro.
| Motif Information | |
|---|---|
| |
| Rōmaji | Yamabuki |
| English | Yellow mountain rose |
| Kanji | 山吹 |
| Kana | やまぶき |
| Season | Spring |
| Seasonal Exceptions | None |
| Auspicious | No |
| Motif Type | Flower |
| Pronounciation | |
| {{{10}}} | |
Yamabuki (山吹, lit. mountain breath) refers to the yellow mountain rose (Kerria japonica). As the common name implies, yamabuki grows in the wild on mountainsides in dense thickets. It blooms in spring, producing numerous yellow five petaled flowers along the length of its branches.[1]
In the early nineteenth century, Scottish botanist William Kerr developed a domesticated cultivar, Pleniflora, with double-flowers.
Contents
Seasonal Use, Exceptions & Pairings
Yamabuki blooms in late spring.
Motif Connotations & Symbolism
Yamabuki when depicted with a river is referring to Ide no Tamagawa (井出の玉川, Jewel River of Ide) near Kyoto, a famous spot for yamabuki flower viewing.[2]
Yamabuki also have a melancholy connotation that is evoked by the folk belief that the flowers do not produce fruit.[3]This belief lead to the flower being used as a Buddhist symbol for mono-no-aware, the impermanence of things.
Common Motif Pairings
Identification & Style Variations
Yamabuki is identified by its bright yellow flowers. They may appear as the five petaled wild version or more rarely, as the domesticated double-flower (the petals form a pompom). The branches are thin are often depicted as trailing or draping.
Motif Examples
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Explain motif in example and what is is featured on and with
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Explain motif in example and what is is featured on and with
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Explain motif in example and what is is featured on and with
Motif in Literature & Other Usage
The yamabuki found growing along the Ide no Tamagawa was supposedly planted in the Nara era by Tachibana no Moroe..[4] Fujiwara no Shunzei, a late Heian era poet, wrote several poems that cemented the association of yamabuki with Ide no Tamagawa.
Yamabuki-iro is the color used to refer to gold, often in a pejorative sense, as in a bribe during the Edo period.
In Poetry
The poem inscribed by Matsuo Basho at right is reproduced and translated below:
| ほろほろと | horohoroto | Quietly, quietly |
| 山吹ちる | yamabuki chiru | yellow mountain roses fall |
| かたきのおと | taki no oto | sound of the rapids[5] |
Article Notes
Relevant Threads / Discussions
- Link to any relevant threads on IG
References
- ↑ Wikipedia article on Kerria japonica. Accessed January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Baird, Merrily. Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design. Rizzoli. 2001. p.99.
- ↑ World Kigo Database Article on Yamabuki. Accessed January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Shirane, Haruo. Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons: Nature, Literature, and the Arts. Columbia Press. 2011. p. 61.
- ↑ Wikimedia page on poem.Accessed January 25, 2017. Translation by Makoto Ueda.
Image Credits
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