Oh? Some of you might be wondering. That’s right, the bird called “hototogisu” is famous for the three haiku by Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu that start with “Nakanunara, ~ (If you don’t sing, ~)”. I never knew there was a flower with the same name. When I visited a nearby art museum, I noticed an interesting flower blooming by the garden pond, so I approached it and saw a name tag that said “Hototogisu.” Upon investigation, I learned that the name “Hototogisu” was given to the flower because its spots resemble the feather patterns of the Hototogisu bird. Hototogisu is a cold-resistant perennial plant in the lily family that is native to Japan, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and more. It has been cherished by people for a long time and has also been used as a tea flower in autumn.
By the way, the English name for Hototogisu is “Toad Lily,” and it seems that to Westerners, the beautiful spots look sadly like the patterns of a toad.
As a side note, the haiku that mentioned Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu’s Hototogisu is famous for capturing the personalities of these three Sengoku warlords. But Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic), wrote a haiku that goes, ‘If it doesn’t sing, that’s fine too, the Hototogisu.’ It’s a verse that reflects Mr. Konosuke’s unique and seasoned character.

あれっ？と思われる方もおいででしょう。そうですね、信長、秀吉、家康の「鳴かぬなら〜」の3つの句で有名なのは鳥のホトトギスです。まさかそれと同じ名前の花がある事は知りませんでした。近くの美術館に行った折、庭園の池の側に面白い花が咲いているので近づいてみると「ホトトギス」と名札に書いてあります。調べてみると、花の斑点が鳥のホトトギスの羽毛の模様に似ていることからホトトギスという名前がついたそうです。ホトトギスは、日本、台湾、朝鮮半島などを原産とするユリ科の耐寒性多年草で、古くから人々に親しまれ、秋の茶花としても使われてきたことも知りました。
ちなみにホトトギスの英名はToad Lilyだそうで、欧米人には美しい斑点は悲しいかなヒキガエルの模様に見えるらしいです。
余談になりますが、先ほどの信長、秀吉、家康のホトトギスを詠んだ句は、戦国武将三人の人柄をよく表している事で有名ですが、松下電器（現:パナソニック)の創業者である松下幸之助氏は「鳴かぬなら それもまた良し ホトトギス」と詠んだそうです。幸之助さんらしくて味わいのある句です。