9/03/2007

Bush clover (hagi)

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Bush clover (hagi  萩 はぎ)

***** Location: Japan, other areas
***** Season: Early autumn and see below
***** Category: Plant


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Explanation

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Lespedeza is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the pea family Fabaceae, commonly known as Bush clover or Japanese clover. The genus is native to warm temperate to subtropical regions of eastern North America, eastern and southern Asia and Australasia.

 © Read more in the WIKIPEDIA !
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Bush clover is one of the seven plants of autumn in Japanese culture. Although it is a tree and not a weed or herb, it is listed as the first autumn plant. See below.
It is said the Chinese character for this tree 萩 with flowers on top of autumn, has been made in Japan. It is the most characteristic plant of autumn in Japan.

Seven Flowers of Autumn (aki no nanakusa).. Seven Herbs of Autumn


kigo for early autumn

viewing bush clover, hagi mi 萩見(はぎみ)
first bush clover, hatsu hagi 初萩(はつはぎ)
flower of the bush clover, hagi no hana 萩の花(はぎのはな)

mountain bush clover, yamahagi 山萩(やまはぎ)

"deer crying plant", shika nakigusa 鹿鳴草(しかなきぐさ)
... shika tsumagusa 鹿妻草(しかつまぐさ)

"treasure viewing plant" tamami gusa 玉見草(たまみぐさ)
"garden viewing plant", niwami gusa 庭見草(にわみぐさ)
"first viewing plant", hatsumi gusa 初見草(はつみそう)

wild bush clover, nohagi 野萩(のはぎ)

white bush clover, shirohagi 白萩(しろはぎ)
small bush clover, kohagi 小萩(こはぎ)
"real buch clover" mahagi 真萩(まはぎ)

bush clover scattering, hagi chiru 萩散る(はぎちる)
... kobore hagi 、こぼれ萩(こぼれはぎ)
... midare hagi 乱れ萩(みだれはぎ)

field with bush clover, hagiwara 萩原(はぎわら)
This is also a common family name in Japan.

door with bush clover, hagi no to 萩の戸(はぎのと)
lodging with bush clover, hagi no yado 、萩の宿(はぎのやど)
owner of the bush clover, hagi no aruji、萩の主(はぎのあるじ)


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kigo for late autumn

cutting bush clover, hagi karu 萩刈る はぎかる
... hagi kari 萩刈(はぎかり)



kigo for all winter

withered bush clover, karehagi 枯萩 かれはぎ
... hagi karu 萩枯る(はぎかる)



CLICK for Enlargement!
© PHOTO Masaji


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kigo for late summer

natsu hagi 夏萩 (なつはぎ) bush clover in summer
aohagi 青萩 (あおはぎ) green bushclover

Some bushclover like the Miyagi nohagi 宮城野萩 in Sendai start flowering in July and June.
They are also called

inugagi 犬萩 "dog bush clover"
Lespedeza tomentosa
nekohagi 猫萩 "cat bush clover"
Lespedeza pilosa





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Famous Bush Clover Temples in Japan

Hokaiji Temple, Kamakura
Hagidera : Ryugenji Temple


CLICK for more photos about Japanese bush clover temples !

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


from the Manyoo-Shuu (万葉集)

Flowers blossoming
in autumn fields -
when I count them on my fingers
they then number seven.

The flowers of bush clover,
eulalia, arrowroot,
pink, patrinia,
also, mistflower
and morning faces flower.


Yamanoue Okura (C. 660 - 733)
Manyoshu: 8:1537-8

Read more about the seven plants of Autum, from the point of view of the Tea Ceremony of Urasenke
http://urasenke.org/flowers/

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Wid Boar and Bush Clover, Hagi ni Inoshishi 萩にいのしし
Japanese Flower Trump (Hanafuda) and haiku



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Hagi is a town in Western Japan, famous for its pottery.

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Hagi Ware
by Robert Yellin


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HAIKU


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狗のかざしにしたり萩の花
enokoro no kazashi ni shitari hagi no hana

a great decoration
for the puppy -
bush clover blossoms

Issa
Tr. Gabi Greve



御馬の屁ながれけり萩の花
on-uma no he nagare keri hagi no hana

Sir Horse's fart
wafting over...
blooming bush clover




きたないといふまま萩の咲にけり
kitanai to iu mama hagi no saki ni keri

down and dirty
just as is...
bush clover blooms


More ISSA haiku, tr. David Lanoue

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波の間や小貝にまじる萩の塵
nami no ma ya kogai ni majiru hagi no chiri

In the surf
Mingled with small shells
Petals of the bush clover


Matsuo Basho in 1689 on his travels to the North
Translated by R.H. Blyth in "Haiku" (Hokuseido Press)


Between wave & wave:
mixed with small shells, the remains
of bush-clover bloom.


Mingled with tiny shells
I saw scattered petals
Of bush-clovers
Rolling with the waves.


© Kojima Nobuo



Between the waves:
mixed in with little shells,
shreds of bush-clover

Tr. Hiroaki Sato



Henderson translates 'chiri' as "rubbish."
Ueda translates it as "debris."
Barnhill translates it as "dust."


. Matsuo Basho in Tsuruga

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Related words

***** Seven Herbs of Autumn

***** Bush Clover and White Dew (shiratsuyu)
Matsuo Basho


. PLANTS - - - the Complete SAIJIKI .  


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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

mountain village--
an old-style cat
and bush clover

yama-zato ya mukashi katagi no neko to hagi

.山里や昔かたぎの猫と萩

by Issa, 1811

At first, this haiku was puzzling to Sakuo Nakamura, who wondered: "What kind of cat is old-style? A cat who is modest or gentle?" Gradually, however, Issa's implications became clearer to him:
"Issa is expressing the loneliness of a mountain village."

I wonder if Issa might also be recognizing the ancientness of the mountain village scene: this cat, this bush clover, are exactly like the cats and bush clover from olden times. Nothing has changed.

Tr. David Lanoue
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Gabi Greve - Basho archives said...

Matsuo Basho - Kashima Kiko
.
萩原や一夜はやどせ山の犬
hagihara ya hito-yo wa yadose yama no inu

Bush clovers,
Be kind enough to take in
This pack of mountain dogs
At least for a night.

Tr. Yuasa

MORE about the trip to Kashima

Gabi Greve - Basho archives said...

Matuo Basho and hagi

一家に遊女も寝たり萩と月 
hitotsu ya ni / yūjo mo ne tari / hagi to tsuki



小萩散れますほの小貝小盃  ko hagi chire / Masuho no ko-gai / ko sakazuki


寝たる萩や容顔無礼花の顔  netaru hagi ya / yōgan burei / hana no kao


濡れて行くや人もをかしき雨の萩 
nurete yuku ya / hito mo okashiki / ame no hagi


七株の萩の千本や星の秋 
nana kabu no / hagi no chimoto ya / hoshi no aki


しをらしき名や小松吹く萩薄  shiorashiki / na ya komatsu fuku / hagi susuki

Gabi Greve - Basho archives said...

Matsuo Basho in Komatsu

濡れて行くや人もをかしき雨の萩
. nurete yuku ya hito mo okashiki ame no hagi .

Gabi Greve said...

Kobayashi Issa

萩寺や鹿のきどりに犬が寝る
hagi-dera ya shika no kidori ni inu ga neru

bush clover temple --
the deer strikes a pose
the dog sleeps


Tr. David Lanoue
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