Peony

Hiroshi Numata

Chairman of the Board, Maruishi Numata Shoten Co., Ltd.; Vice Chairman, Aomori Mita-kai; 1973 Faculty of Law

In Aomori Prefecture, seasonal flowers bloom one after another as the snow melts. Once the cherry blossoms of Hirosaki Park—selected as one of the "Stunning Views of the World to See Before You Die"—scatter like a blizzard of petals, the 8,000 peony flowers of Nagaya Peony Garden in Nanbu Town begin to bloom. It is said that this began when parishioners of the adjacent Eko-in (a sub-temple of the former Hase-dera) planted peony saplings received from the head temple, Hasedera in Nara Prefecture. Later, Nanbu Town undertook the development of the garden as a community-wide project under the catchphrase "One plant per person." Today, it has expanded to 33,000 square meters (about 70% the size of Tokyo Dome), where 130 varieties of gorgeous, colorful peonies bloom.

The sight of peonies, known as the king of flowers, in full bloom is truly worthy of the phrase "spring in full glory" and is praised as the best in Tohoku. According to the Nanbu Town Tourism Association, the peak viewing season is usually about two weeks from late May to early June, though blooming may be slightly earlier this year. I have seen the peonies at Hasedera in Nara as well, and these are just as impressive as the originals; they will surely soothe the hearts of all who visit.

Taeko Yamazaki

Director, Yamatane Museum of Art; 1984 Faculty of Economics

Gyoshu Hayami (1894–1935) was a genius painter who raced through the Japanese art world from the late Meiji period to the early Showa period. Although his life was short—only 40 years—richly colored and decorative flowers and birds were his consistent motifs. However, after his trip to Europe in 1930, he began to explore new styles. Of particular note is a series of flower paintings produced in 1934. These were based on ink wash (suiboku) with light colors added, and all of them demonstrate his outstanding technique.

In this work, "Peony (Ink Peony)," the flowers painted in ink show an exquisite expression that utilizes the texture of the Japanese paper and the bleeding effect of the ink. It can be called a profound work that fully displays Gyoshu's matured technique. According to a fellow painter, Gyoshu used a secret technique where he would coat the paper with dosa (an aqueous solution of glue and alum used to prevent bleeding on the base material) and then use boiling water to remove the dosa only from the parts where he wanted the ink to bleed. As a result, the "Black Peony" was likely depicted more glamorously and plumply than any color could achieve.

Nobuaki Miya

Visiting Researcher, Waseda University Theatre Museum; 2003 Faculty of Letters

The dead of night, when the flow of water stops and the plants are asleep. With the loud clatter-clatter of koma-geta sandals, the ghost of Otsuyu appears every night before Shinzaburo, for whom she yearned. Her hair is tied up in a Bunkin-takamagae style, her kimono is a long-sleeved furisode dyed in autumn grass colors with a burning scarlet crepe (hi-jirimun) undergarment, and in the hand of the maid Okome who leads the way, a lantern decorated with crepe-work peony flowers is held. It is as terrifying as it is beautiful.

Encho Sanyutei's "Kaidan Botan Doro" (The Peony Lantern) has had a major influence not only on the world of performing arts but also on Japanese cultural history, including the genbun-itchi (unification of spoken and written language) novels of Shoyo Tsubouchi and Shimei Futabatei, as well as theater and film. It was even adapted into a TV drama by NHK just last year. It goes without saying that the most important motif of this ghost story, which is counted as one of Japan's three great ghost stories, is the peony lantern used in the title.

When it was dramatized and performed at the Kabuki-za in July 1892, large gray lanterns with artificial peony flowers were hung at ice shops throughout Tokyo, and on the night of the Kawabiraki (river opening) festival on the 23rd, it is said that 2,000 peony lanterns were floated down the Okawa River. One can only imagine how beautiful and eerie that sight must have been.

Yusuke Sugata

Representative Director, NPO MOTTAI; 2019 Faculty of Policy Management

"Peony" (botan) is slang for wild boar. It was born as a way to eat meat in secret during the time when meat consumption was taboo in Japan. What is the appeal of such "peony meat" (boar meat)?

As someone who started hunting in my second year of university, I believe the appeal lies in the deliciousness of the fat. The thick, pure white fat built up to survive the winter. When you eat it after it has been heated and become translucent, an intensely rich umami and natural sweetness spread through your mouth, enough to hit the brain. And this umami and sweetness pair perfectly with condiments like ginger, garlic, and green onions, as well as miso and salt.

While the deliciousness of fat grown in nature is the charm of boar meat, one must be careful of individual differences. Delicious meat is delicious, but bad meat is thoroughly bad. In particular, males during the mating season have a chemical taste permeated into their fat, and it is surprising to think it is the same kind of meat. This element of luck is also part of the charm of boar meat.

With the number of hunters and farmers plummeting and animal damage increasing, eating wild game also leads to protecting the natural environment. Boar meat is a way to contribute to society through eating; why not give it a try?