January is the peak season for daffodils, especially Japanese narcissus, and April is the peak season for tulips.  In haiku, daffodil is the winter season word, and tulip is the spring season word.  Narcissus, which represents the winter, and tulip, which represents the spring, are competing in front of us.  It’s a strange sight.  Even with vegetables and fruits, there is no sense of the season now.  Strawberries and watermelons can be eaten all year round.  This is the result of the great contribution of advances in cultivation technology.  However, the current situation is that even the flowers that grow outdoors in nature are undergoing major changes in the sense of the seasons.  The effects of breeding may have extended to the flowers of Noyama, but I am still worried about the effects of global warming.  Although reducing CO2 is an urgent issue, there is less interest in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

水仙、特にニホンズイセンは１月が最盛期で、チュウリップの最盛期は４月です。俳句でも水仙は冬の季語であり、チュウリップは春の季語です。その冬を代表する水仙と春を代表するチュウリップが目の前で競い咲いています。なんとも奇妙な光景です。野菜や果物にしても、今や季節感がありません。イチゴもスイカも年がら年中食べられます。栽培技術の進歩が大きく寄与した結果です。しかし、屋外の自然の中で育つ草花までが、季節感に大きな変化が起こっているのが現状です。品種改良による影響が野山の草花にも及んでいる事もあるでしょうが、やはり心配なのは地球温暖化の影響です。CO2の削減は喫緊の課題なのに、現在進行中のウクライナ紛争で関心が薄くなっています。

In Osaka, the cherry blossoms were declared to bloom on the 23rd, but even today, five days later, they are still one-third in bloom.  Is it because the chilly days continue?  While being distracted by the cherry blossoms, Beniuchiwa by the window makes three small flowers bloom before I know it.  Normally, it starts to bloom when the cherry blossoms fall, but it must have misunderstood the season because I put it by the window. The name Anthurium is now more popular than the name Beniuchiwa. Anthurium, which blooms brightly colored heart-shaped flowers, has come to have the flower words of “heart to fall in love” and “distress” because it reminds someone of a strong love affair.  It is native to the West Indies from tropical America and was brought to Japan in the middle of the Meiji era.  The part that looks like a petal is a big change of the bract called “Buppo Uen” that is seen in plants of the Araceae family such as the calla lily, and the actual flower is the part seen like a tail. It is a cute flower that you can enjoy not only potted flowers but also cut flowers for about a month.

大阪は23日に桜の開花宣言が出たというのに、５日経った今日もまだ３分咲きといったところです。肌寒い日が続いているからでしょうか。桜に気を取られている内に、窓際のベニウチワがいつの間にか小さな花を三輪咲かせています。いつもなら、桜の花が散る頃に咲き始めるのですが、窓際に置いていたせいで、季節を勘違いしたに違いありません。ベニウチワというよりも今はアンスリウムと言う方がポピュラーになっています。鮮やかな色をしたハート型の花を咲かせるアンスリウムは、誰かに激しく恋い焦がれている様子を連想させることから「恋にもだえる心」「煩悩」という花言葉を持つようになりました。熱帯アメリカから西インド諸島が原産で、日本へは明治時代中期にもたらされたそうです。花びらのように見えている部分は、カラーなどのサトイモ科の植物に見られる「仏炎苞（ぶっぽうえん）」という苞が大きく変化したもので、実際の花は、尾のようにつきだした部分です。鉢花はもちろん、切り花でも1か月くらい楽しめる可愛い花です。

The number of daffodils that bloom in the neighborhood has increased.  Narcissus can be roughly divided into Japanese narcissus and Western narcissus.  Japanese narcissus has colonies along the coastline of various parts of Japan, and it is often thought that it is a narcissus that grows naturally in Japan. The original name, Narcissus, comes from the legend that a boy who was looking at his beautiful figure on the surface of the water became a flower.  Japanese narcissus blooms with its face facing forward, while western narcissus blooms as if looking into itself at the water’s edge.  In addition, Japanese narcissus bloom in the midwinter from December to March, but May as from March is the flowering season for narcissus and other daffodils.  In Japan, narcissus are the image of snow, but in Europe they are the image of spring.

近所に咲く水仙もラッパ水仙が多くなりました。水仙は大きく分けるとニホンズイセンとセイヨウズイセンに分けられます。ニホンズイセンは日本各地の海岸線に群生地があり、元から日本に自生する水仙と思われがちですが共に地中海原産で、とても古い時代にシルクロードを通って中国経由で渡来して野生化した種と言われています。原名のナルキッソスは、美しい自分の姿を水面に映して眺めていた少年が花になったという伝説に由来します。ニホンズイセンは顔を前に向ける様に咲くのに対して、セイヨウズイセンは正しく水辺で自分の姿を覗き込むように咲きます。またニホンスイセンは12月から3月ぐらいの厳冬期に開花しますが、ラッパスイセンをはじめとするセイヨウズイセンは3月からの春が開花期です。日本では水仙は雪のイメージですが、ヨーロッパでは春のイメージです。

When I was a kid, a neighboring farmer came to get human wastes from a house in the city to use it as fertilizer for the fields.  It was cows and horses that were pulling the big wooden tanks.  So, at that time, I often saw cows and horses in the city.  I don’t see such large animals at all now.  I happened to see Asebi (Japanese andromeda) flowers blooming on the side of the road, and I remembered that it was a “馬酔木 (horse drunken tree)” when written in Chinese characters.  The Asebi contains toxic ingredients, and when the horse eats the leaves, it becomes drunk, so it was named “Asebi (horse drunk tree)”.  Asebi is a plant that has been familiar to us since ancient times, as 10 songs have been   composed in the Manyoshu.  Yamochi Otomo also has a Waka that says, “Let’s put the beautifully blooming Ashibi flowers in the sleeves, reflecting the shadows on the pond water.”

子供の頃、近隣のお百姓が田畠の肥料にする為に、街中のおうちにし尿を取りに来ていました。大きな木製のタンクを引っ張っていたのが牛や馬でした。と言うわけで、その頃は、牛や馬は街中でもよく見かました。今はそんな大型動物は全く見かけなくなりました。道路わきにたまたまアセビの花が咲いていて、漢字で書くと「馬酔木」であるのを思い出しました。アセビには有毒成分が含まれていて馬が葉を食べると酔ったようになってしまったことから「馬酔木」と付けられました。「馬酔木」は万葉集に10首読み込まれているほど、古くから馴染みの深い植物です。大伴家持にも「池水に 影さへ見えて 咲きにほふ 馬酔木の花を 袖に扱入れな」と言う歌があります。

On March 23, the cherry blossoms in Osaka were declared to bloom.  Last year was the 19th, so it is a declaration of flowering four days late.  However, the average year is 27 days, so it’s not too late.  The declaration of flowering does not mean that the flowers are in full bloom, and it will be in full bloom around 30 days after a week.  The nearby cherry blossom trees are in just beginning to bloom, but the Hikobae of the old Yoshino cherry are in full bloom.  “Hikobae” is a twig that grows from the root of a cherry tree, and it is not good for the cherry tree itself because it drains nutrients to the outside.  Sakura is often compared to “a fool who cuts cherry blossoms, a fool who doesn’t cut plums”, but this is also a misunderstanding, and it seems that such “hikobae” and twigs should be pruned appropriately. The temperature will rise rapidly today and it will bloom all at once.

３月23日、大阪の桜開花宣言がでました。昨年が19日でしたから、４日遅れの開花宣言です。しかし、平年は27日ですから、決して遅いわけではありません。開花宣言が出たからといって花がいっぱい咲いているわけではなく、満開になるのは1週間後の30日ころです。近くの桜並木も一分咲きといったところですが、ソメイヨシノの古木には「ひこばえ」が満開です。「ひこばえ」とは、桜の木の根元から伸びている小枝のことで、養分を外に流してしまいますので、桜本体には良くありません。よく、桜は「桜を切るバカ、梅を切らぬバカ」と比喩されることがありますが、これも間違った解釈で、こうした「ひこばえ」とか、小枝は適当に剪定した方が良いようです。今日は気温もぐんぐん上がり、一気に花開くことでしょう。

Personally, the best way to eat shirasu is to dip it in a seasoning such as vinegar and soy sauce and eat it as it is.  However, it is also a good idea to sprinkle “shirasu-dried”, which is a semi-dried salted boiled product, on top of rice, or to mix it with grated radish and season it with soy sauce.  After the ban is lifted, “Spring Shirasu” is a gem of spring gourmet food.  Shirasu refers to fry such as sardines, sand lances, and eels, but the shirasu commonly found in the market tends to be fry such as sardines and anchovy.  Foods rich in protein and calcium that are softly dried are called “shirasu-dried” (Kanto-dried), and those that are dried until they become firm are called “chirimen” or “chirimen-jako” (kansai-dried). is.  Recently, from the viewpoint of protecting marine resources, there are many places where a fishing ban period is set every year from January to mid-March.  Even so, the current situation is that the catch is steadily decreasing, and Shirasu cuisine is no longer a high-class dish.

個人的には、生きたままのシラスを酢醤油など調味料にくぐらせ、そのまま食べる「踊り食い」がいちばんです。しかし、塩茹でを半乾燥品とした「しらす干し」をご飯の上に振りかけたり、大根おろしと和えて醤油で味付けしたりして食べるのも乙な物。解禁明けの「春シラス」は春のグルメの逸品です。シラスは、イワシやイカナゴ、ウナギなどの稚魚のことを指しますが、一般的に市場で見かけるシラスはマイワシやカタクチイワシなど稚魚であることが多い傾向です。タンパク質やカルシウムが豊富な食品で、やわらかめに乾燥されたのものを「しらす干し」（関東干し）、固めになるまで乾燥させたものを「ちりめん」または「ちりめんじゃこ」（関西干し）と呼んでいます。最近は、海洋資源の保護の観点から毎年1～3月中旬ごろに禁漁期間が設けられている場所も多いです。それでも漁獲量がどんどん減っているのが現状で、シラス料理はもはや高級料理になっています。

There is a “Jizouin” in Kita-ku, Kyoto, commonly known as “Tsubakidera”.  Here is a famous camellia tree where you can see flowers of various shades in one tree.  It’s called “Goshiki Yae Santsubaki”.  When the flowers are scattered, the petals of Sasanqua are scattered one by one, while the camellia is characterized by the fact that the whole flower falls off.  This “Goshiki Yae Santsubaki” is a famous camellia tree that Toyotomi Hideyoshi loved because the petals are scattered one by one even when it is scattered.  The current tree is about 120 years old and is second generation, but it is designated as a natural monument designated by the city of Kyoto. It is said that Hideyoshi Toyotomi, who succeeded Nobunaga Oda, presented a tree to commemorate the “Kitano Tea Ceremony” that was held as if he was proud of his power. This Hideyoshi’s tea ceremony, which can be attended by anyone, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, regardless of whether they are a tradesman or a peasant, is truly generous, and everyone would have thought that Tenkabito (the people who controlled Japan) who came out of the common people was different. Sen no Rikyu was in charge of this big tea ceremony, but after that, the crack between the two deepened, and Rikyu finally became seppuku.

京都市北区に通称「椿寺」と呼ばれる「地蔵院」があります。ここに、１本の木に濃淡様々な色合いの花が見られる椿の名木があります。人呼んで「五色八重散椿」。花の散り際、山茶花は花びらが一枚一枚散っていくのに対して、椿は花丸ごとポロッと落ちるのが特徴です。この「五色八重散椿」は、散り際も花びらが１枚ずつ散り美しいと、豊臣秀吉も愛した椿の名木です。現在の木は樹齢約120年の二世ですが、京都市の市指定天然記念物に指定されています。織田信長の跡を継いだ豊臣秀吉が、その権勢を誇るかの様に開いた「北野大茶会」の縁により献木したと云われています。「貴賤に寄らず、貧富に拘らず」、町人だって、百姓だって誰でも望めば参加できるという秀吉主宰のこの大茶会は、さすが太っ腹、庶民から出た天下人は違うと誰しもが思ったことでしょう。この大茶会を取り仕切ったのは千利休ですが、この後、二人の亀裂は深まり、利休は最後には切腹します。

The row of cherry blossom trees along the Nagase River is on the verge of blooming.  The red bonbori lanterns are lined up in a row, and the strips of tanka, haiku, and senryu are swaying in the wind.  Old trees that have grown older have knots, and the knots at the base have buds directly attached to them, and some of them have flowers.  Perhaps the water temperature has risen, and large carps are swimming in groups.  When I opened my smartphone, my favorite Uemura Shoen’s “春芳(Fragrance of Spring)” jumped into my eyes. Sakura is drawn conservatively beside the beautiful woman who does not need to say. It is a work with a pure and dignified female dignity.  Invited by the “Sakura Festival” written in the bonbori, it must be crowded with cherry blossom viewing visitors even tomorrow.  Now, people in wheelchairs are just approaching from the other side.  It was a day when I could feel the ripples in my heart.

長瀬川沿いの桜並木も開花寸前です。紅いぼんぼり提灯がずらっと並び、短歌や俳句、川柳が書かれた短冊が風に揺れています。樹齢を重ねた老木は節くれ立ち、根元の節くれには直に蕾が付き、花を開かせているのもあります。水温も上昇したのか、大きな鯉が群れて泳いでいます。スマホを開くと、大好きな上村松園の『春芳』が目に飛び込んできました。言わずもがなの美人の傍らにはサクラが控え目に描かれています。清らかで凛とした女性の気品が漂う一品です。ぼんぼりに書かれた「さくら祭」に誘われて、もう明日にでも花見客で賑わうに違いありません。今は、向こうから車椅子の人が近づいてくるだけ。心のさざ波を微かに感じる一日になりました。

Today is Shunbun-no-hi (the day of the spring equinox), and Higan-no-chunichi (the middle day of the equinoctial week). The representative flower of the autumn equinoctial week is “Higanbana (cluster amaryllis)”, but what is the representative flower of the spring equinoctial week?  There are various opinions, but it seems to be “Kinsenka (Calendula officinalis)”.  This ” Shunbun-no-hi” was originally renamed from the “Spring Emperor’s Festival” that was in the old law.  Spring Emperor’s Festival is one of the rituals of the Imperial Palace that is still held today, and is a grand festival of the Emperor’s family held twice a year on the spring and the autumn.  Astronomically, it is the day when the south-middle altitude (the height of the sun at noon) is 90 degrees on the equator, that is, just above the head, and it is about 55 degrees in Japan.  It is often referred to as “a day when the lengths of day and night are equal”, but in reality it seems that day is a little longer.  In this way, like the Emperor’s event, the movement of the sun has been precisely observed and of interest since ancient times.  Many Japanese holidays used to be fixed, but now they move from year to year to increase consecutive holidays.  However, the spring equinox day and autumnal equinox day have changed from ancient times to years.

今日は春分の日、お彼岸の中日でもあります。秋のお彼岸の代表的な花といえば「彼岸花」ですが、春のお彼岸を代表する花はなんでしょう。いろいろ意見はありますが、いちおう「キンセンカ」のようです。この「春分の日」はもとは旧法にあった「春季皇霊祭」から改称された日です。春季皇霊祭は、現在でも行われている宮中祭祀の一つで、毎年2回、春分の日と秋分の日(秋季皇霊祭)に行われる天皇家の大祭です。天文学的には、赤道上で南中高度(正午の太陽の高さ)が90度、つまり頭の真上にくる日で、日本では大体55度くらいです。しばしば「昼と夜の長さが等しくなる日」といわれますが、実際は昼の方が少し長いようです。この様に、天皇家もそうですが、もっと古くから太陽の動きは精密に観測され、関心が持たれてきました。日本の祝日も、以前は固定した日が多かったですが、今は連休を増やす為に年によって移動します。しかし、春分の日と秋分の日は昔から年によって変わりました。

There are cherry blossom viewing spots along the Nagase River that runs through Yao City, Osaka.  The Nagase River was formerly known as the Yamato River.  This former Yamato River is also called the Kyuhoji River, and it was a large river with a width of 200m, where Yaohama and the Kyuhoji pier are located.  A sword-tip ship came and went to the Senba along the Okawa (New-Yodo River) via Kyobashi, carrying people, rice, and timber.  It was an important river that directly connected Nara and the center of Osaka.  However, due to repeated floods, the former Yamato River was replaced on a large scale and became the current Yamato River. The current Nagase River is about 5m wide at most, and cherry blossoms and hydrangeas are planted on the banks of the river, so you can enjoy the scenery of the four seasons.  Red bonbori lanterns are also hung, and when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom soon, the haiku and senryu strips sway in the wind, and you can enjoy the wind.

大阪八尾市を流れる長瀬川沿いにちょっとした花見所があります。長瀬川は、以前は大和川と呼ばれていました。この旧大和川は久宝寺川とも呼ばれ、八尾浜や久宝寺船着き場のある川幅は200ｍも有る大河でした。京橋を経て大川(新淀川)沿いにある船場まで剣先船が往来し、人や米、木材などを運んでいました。奈良と大阪の中心部を直結する重要な河川であったわけです。しかし、度重なる洪水によって、旧大和川は大規模な付替工事が行われて、現在の大和川になりました。現在の長瀬川は川幅も広い所で５m程、川岸には、桜やあじさいなどが植えられていて、四季折々の景色を楽しむことができます。紅いぼんぼり提灯も吊り下げられ、もうすぐ桜が咲き始めると俳句・川柳の短冊が風に揺らぎ、風流を堪能できます。