Articles
Peonies and camellias: flowers of Matsue bringing us together
Article number
1434_3
Pages
19 – 26
Language
English
Abstract
On behalf of our citizens, I thank you all for coming all the way to Matsue city, “the perfect symbol of an authentic Japan”. Matsue has established 2 contrasting plants as our city’s representative flowers: the peony which is often referred to as “the king of flowers”, and the camellia which is known as the “elegant beauty”. Firstly, Matsue is proud to have the largest production of peony flowers in all of Japan.
Peony cultivation began here in the 1700s, and currently over 350 different breeds of peony are grown here.
In the 1950s, certain grafting techniques were established and as a result overall production levels dramatically rose.
Door-to-door sales done by local farmers led to a national level branding of this area’s peonies from the 1960s onwards.
Also, Matsue was the first in the world to develop a temperature control technology that allow peonies to bloom year-round in 1999. With this technology, we have become able to supply peonies even in periods of high demand such as the New Years holiday period, and they are earning high acclaim from other nations, including those in Europe, as well as North America and Taiwan.
Matsue’s peonies are so loved you can find them all over the world, including in Taipei’s Jianguo Holiday Flower Market, New York’s Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Rockefeller State Park.
Matsue also has a long, deep connection with camellias.
In fact, they are mentioned in the [Izumo-no-kuni Fudoki], Japan’s oldest remaining topographical and historical record.
Fumaiko, the 7th lord of Matsue Domain during the Edo period, was fond of using camellias in flower arrangements that decorated tea rooms.
In fact, Matsue is referred to as the “the chief city of the province of the gods”, this term being coined by a literary master of the Meiji period, Lafcadio Hearn.
Hearn wrote a work titled “Old Camellia”, in which he shared the connection between camellia’s and Japanese spirituality.
On the 9th and 10th of March 2024, Matsue domain hosted the 34th National Camellia Summit, at which about 4,000 individuals gathered from all over Japan.
Thanks to the assistance of many businesses including Shiseido Japan Co., Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, and others, we were able to showcase the charm of the camellia through Japanese confectionary workshops of that theme, as well as demonstrations of cosmetics that used camellia oil.
I hope that with this international symposium, flowering plants such as peonies and camellias will be the catalyst for the creation and expansion of new ties and exchanges between Matsue and the rest of the world.
Peony cultivation began here in the 1700s, and currently over 350 different breeds of peony are grown here.
In the 1950s, certain grafting techniques were established and as a result overall production levels dramatically rose.
Door-to-door sales done by local farmers led to a national level branding of this area’s peonies from the 1960s onwards.
Also, Matsue was the first in the world to develop a temperature control technology that allow peonies to bloom year-round in 1999. With this technology, we have become able to supply peonies even in periods of high demand such as the New Years holiday period, and they are earning high acclaim from other nations, including those in Europe, as well as North America and Taiwan.
Matsue’s peonies are so loved you can find them all over the world, including in Taipei’s Jianguo Holiday Flower Market, New York’s Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Rockefeller State Park.
Matsue also has a long, deep connection with camellias.
In fact, they are mentioned in the [Izumo-no-kuni Fudoki], Japan’s oldest remaining topographical and historical record.
Fumaiko, the 7th lord of Matsue Domain during the Edo period, was fond of using camellias in flower arrangements that decorated tea rooms.
In fact, Matsue is referred to as the “the chief city of the province of the gods”, this term being coined by a literary master of the Meiji period, Lafcadio Hearn.
Hearn wrote a work titled “Old Camellia”, in which he shared the connection between camellia’s and Japanese spirituality.
On the 9th and 10th of March 2024, Matsue domain hosted the 34th National Camellia Summit, at which about 4,000 individuals gathered from all over Japan.
Thanks to the assistance of many businesses including Shiseido Japan Co., Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, and others, we were able to showcase the charm of the camellia through Japanese confectionary workshops of that theme, as well as demonstrations of cosmetics that used camellia oil.
I hope that with this international symposium, flowering plants such as peonies and camellias will be the catalyst for the creation and expansion of new ties and exchanges between Matsue and the rest of the world.
Authors
A. Uesada
Keywords
Matsue city’s official flower – peony, Matsue city’s official flower – camellia, Mastue Daikonshima Botan, peony flowering regulation method, National Camellia Summit Conference in Matsue
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