Hydrangea Otaksa

Mag

Early summer or before a summer starts,  Japan has a rainy season

(middle of June to middle of July) somewhat akin to the monsoon.

Every day is a rainy day.  And under the rain, it is the time to appreciate

pale blue Hydrangea flowers = 紫陽花 アジサイ.

There are many famous Hydrangea　Garden arround Tokyo, especially

in Kamakura city (one hour from Tokyo),　Meigetsu-in Temple, Hase-dera

Temple, Jyoju-in Temple are only name　but few.   

Why Hydrangea in the Temple  is because of its meditative blue color.

Buddhist monks are the sombre  people.  😀  — I’m just kidding.  😀

non

You might have heard that the Hydrangea flower originated from

Japan.  It was brought back to the Netherlands and spread to the

Europe in late 19^th century and since then many horticultural

varieties were created especially in England.

The person who introduced it to the west was a German Doctor working

in the Dutch mercantile, in Nagasaki, Philip Franz von Siebold.

( In fact, he came  Japan twice, and for the second time he acted as a

foreign affair adviser for the Shogun )

While he was in Japan, along side working as a doctor and teaching

western medicine, he studied Japanese Flora and Fauna, and collected

vast amount of botanical specimen as well.  From this study and the

research, worked together with a Botanist J.G. Zuccarini, a book

[Japanese Flora] was published.   In this book, one of the native plant

was named as Hydrangea Otaksa.  ( though, it has been renamed to

Hydrangea macropylla (Thunb) seringe f. macropylla )

Shy Siebold himself made an excuse that the name Otakusa came  

from local name though, a Japanese Botanist, Tomitaro Makino

later traced back its origin to his Japanese wife Otaki-san.

 

The name he put, Otaksa came from non other than his Japanese wife

Otaki-san in deed. (Incidentally, a daughter he made to Otaki-san,

the Oine = 楠本イネ, became the first female doctor, gynecologist in the

Japanese Medical history.)

He must loved her so much, as he even taught his Parrot to repeat her

name “Otaki-san” —– and a funny story was that since then it became

a custom to teach a Parrot to call the name ”Otake-san” in Japan.

( Similar to a custom in Japan, a lots of dog has their name “Pochi”

—– originally it was copied from the call for a dog “Pooch” in

English or American.)   😀

 

nonBotanical research institutes in the world exchanges their collection

each other.  When I was in my Uni’, my part-time work was taking

botanical photos and making the specimen in the Makino Herbarium＝

牧野植物標本館 (a part of the Science Dept’ )

One day, the Herbarium received a parcel from the Science Dept’ of

the Leiden University, Netherlands.

It was the very botanical specimen which  Siebold had taken to 

the Netherlands.    And 110 years later, they were returned to Japan.

As I happened to have best dexterity, I was asked to stick those old

fragile specimen onto the card paper, then labelling them.

It was an extremely delicate work.   Not only the specimen were

completely dry old plants, but the paper base is not solid board.

Any bending force to the base paper would crumble the specimen.

Hence the binding tape need to have some margin of gap to allow

the specimen to move, while securely holding it.

The specimen itself were nothing special —– they are quite

common (to Japanese eyes)  plants, such as cherry blossoms etc.

(though, Hydrangea wasn’t included)  but the matter was its

association with historical figure Siebold who taught the Japanese

herbalists to sort the plants in real scientific way first time.

Non

While making those specimen I’ve put a plank — I wrote my name

under the label with thin pencil. It is not visible though, if anybody

see through the label against the light, the name may be seen.

( This is the first time I revealed such mischief to the others.)  😀

Few years ago, I heard from a retired Professor of Makino Herbarium,

the portable specimen dryers powered by mobile electric generator

which I designed and made for the Ogasawara expedition ( I made its

metal work  in the Technology Dept’s work shop) were still there and

nearly 40 years later they are still working !

— its funny to think the staff of the herbarium might be wondering

to see the name on the dryer’s label “Who the hell, this guy ?”

(A facility in a big institute show no personal name as a manufacturer)

And in the Japanese practice, the photos taken by the staff doesn’t

show the photographer’s name. So, my name only remains on member

list of the expedition and behind the labels of Siebold collection.

—– it’s a hidden joke.    😀

 

PS: The Hydrangea in the Photo above is rather primitive type

( I couldn’t find the exact name of it though) unlike the common

types, this flower showed the real flower in the centre of sepal.

The common horticultural variety has atrophied flower  (in fact, 

it is not a flower but just the sepals)

I rather like to see the flowers in its natural form than in

an artificially created “gorgeous” style.

*****

Hydrangea Otakusa / Makino / Ogasawara Expedition

Order in Disorder (1)

Reflecting back my own life, I myself often amazed, or even bemused,

how I’ve been coming through chancy life.   I wouldn’t say I was anything casual or irresponsible,

because if there was anything due, I did my bargain in my best.   But beside this, I put even more effort for

something else which is not necessary I was expected to do. —– but in the hind sight, I’m wondering

whether it was my choice or just happened to be there, and I just picked it up ?

—

When I was small, my interest was the Nature, insect or plant kind.    But it was not my choice.

Soon after the war ended, Tokyo was a burnt down city, not much other than a wild field to go around and

no sports facility or game kind there.     (My hobby of electronics was definitely my choice. And to get the

components, I needed to take a journey to Akihabara where ex-Korean war junk was sold — and those

mechanical-electronical components  such as variable condenser, vacuum bulb’s intricate, futuristic

structure fascinated me ! )

—

For me to turn my eyes to human life and its psyche was happened when one of the (bad) boy in the

secondary school incited me to read a book of the notorious suicidal novelist, Osamu Dazai.

(so, I became bad boy too —– and became a rebel )

And to start to go to mountain other than for chasing the insects was, simply the class teacher organized an

out of school activity club and I joined it.    (Since I was familiar with walking on the hill or in the woods)

And this activity continued while getting heavier and heavier even to winter rock climbing level.    (Its mean,

I did this, one of the physically, mentally hardest training from 12 years to 27 years, up to 1/3^rd of the year

in the mountain)

non

For me to take the subject of  Industrial Sociology  in my Uni’ was also a sheer coincidence.

A Professor of Industrial Sociology asked me to help his project, and I got involved deeper, that’s all.

But I personally learned from him, how to observe and analyse the man and its society.

(Visualize somebody’s life and give an insight “If I were the man in there, how do I feel

and behave”—– this approach gave me great insight, and the way to see the human life

—– instead of imposing the view or criteria of observation, not to take superficial

observation of one’s behaviour, but to see the situation from the person’s psyche and his

stance, was the crucial attitude I learned from him)

—

And while in my Uni’ I spent most of the time  (well, while I was not in the mountain)  in the Herbalium in

the Science dept’ despite I was studying sociology.    This Makino Herbalium is one of the largest in Japan

having millions of botanical specimen and I was working there, taking photo of plant or making specimen.

It was my part-time work to pay for the Uni’ and to go to mountain or skiing.

While there, I was asked to join 3 expeditions to help botanists as a botanical photographer and an expert of

jungle walking   🙂 —– in fact for those reason I remained in my Uni’ altogether 7 years.

(with annoyance of the administrator, who shouted me  “Are you still here ?” 😀 )

———- but I might have made a mistake to become a photographer   😀

( But if I were not a photographer, I didn’t come and to live here —– it was a necessary

 element in the course of my life —– like a Butterfly Effect / minute change may cause

the drastic difference in the end result —– therefore, there is no regret )

( To deal with close-up photography,  it is necessary to improvise or even specially design the equipments.

Working in a part of the Science Dept’,  I could access the engineering machine in the Technology Dept’ and

having the knowledges of electronics lead me to design even special camera.  It happened, as it happened.

—– was that natural consequence or just a lucky coincidence  —– it’s a good question  🙂 )

non

Then I left Japan.  And while staying in England as a photojournalist, suddenly the awkward court case was

started which I had no choice.   I had to deal with the case as a Litigant in Person while learning English Law

overnight —– and I was forced to give up photographic business.   Court case really consume time though,

in the other hand,  if next hearing is months away —- suddenly, too much time but nothing to do.

So that, I got plenty time for reading and thinking —– about  Zen.  Then, suddenly  “ Alas,

now I know,  all through my life,  I was given the hardest training to become a Zen monk”.

I’ve learned Nature. Then my scope was expanded to human existence while dealing with sociology and

working in the mountain as a voluntary keeper,  seeing the people in their edge of  the life.   Hence, farther

into the spiritual fundamental aspects of humanity.

(but didn’t learn how to deal with funeral , so, don’t ask me to conduct a funeral 😀 )

(Since, the Court case was caused by a woman’s explotitation of my immigration status, I was quarified to decrear

” Woman is the cause of nothing but the trouble”  hence I quit to deal with woman.  Literally became a monk  😀  )

Non

Looks utterly chancy life ––— though, on the end, it converged into one direction.

And yet another coincidence,  I happen to start this Zen blogging.

Before I left Japan,  I was told by my mother who was a psychic, and while she was reading my palm line

“Since you got mission, you wouldn’t be fallen before your task was accomplished. Therefore I wouldn’t

worrying about you at all” —– I don’t know the reason why I don’t get ill (I still have no registered Doctor

while staying in this country 35 years), or in the mountain,  I had falls on the rock 3 times though never

injured.   And I’ve broken 3 skis but never broken any bone   😀

—– It’s hard to tell, whether all of those are just the sheer coincidences, and I was just lucky

—– or something else ? —– there seems to be no order or rational connection, everything

were just occurred,  yet still,  in the hind sight,  there was a certain direction.

( If A hasn’t been there, encountering  B wouldn’t be happened, then at the B, conveniently C

happened —– and so on,  and lead to  Z  on the end = this is the life. )

—?— is this the hidden order ? —– Or the Dharma’s intention ?

___/\___

( To be continued to the next post  🙂  )

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