JAPANESE IRIS ‘HANA-SYOUBU’ IN THE UKIYO-E PICTURES

The art of Ukiyo-e made by woodlock print pictures, originated in the metropolitan culture of Edo (Tokyo) about 200 years ago.
Many Ukiyo-e prints by artist like Hiroshige etc. have had an enormous impact on landscape painting all over the world.
We investigated twenty of Ukiyo-e pictures that painted with Japanese iris called ‘Hana-syoubu’ botanical garden in Edo period.
In ‘Hana-syoubu’ of Ukiyo-e, color of flower showed blue, white, purple and red.
But this was more or less sophisticated and animated.
About 80% of flower formed ‘horizontal-form’ (typical Edo-type) to improve looking down on the top of the hills in the garden.
These cutivars were now still preserved and we should protect further for genetic and cultural resources. Ukiyo-e with ‘Hana-syoubu’ painted with beautiful girls that wore colorful and gorgeous costumes. ‘Hana-syoubu’ garden had widespread field and hill with teahouse.
These results suggest that botanical garden of ‘Hana-syoubu’ may act as an important place of the urban pleasures of the people in Edo period.

XXVII International Horticultural Congress – IHC2006: International Symposium on Asian Plants with Unique Horticultural Potential

T. Tabuchi, K. Kobayashi, N. Hiramatsu, Y. Matsushita, S. Suzuki, C. Watanabe, Y. Tomizuka, N. Hashimoto

cultural resources, Edo period, genetic resources, ‘Hana-syoubu’, Japanese iris, Ukiyo-e, urban pleasures

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.769.60