1919(Taisho 8), a new style using Western flowers."Sasaoka style Morika"``Mishoryu Sasaoka'' is known for inventing this. The current headmaster, Ryuho Sasaoka, is attracting attention for his activities in a wide range of fields, including not only traditional flower arranging expressions, but also collaborations with other genres such as musicals and Kyogen. Mr. Sasaoka, who lives in Kyoto, talks about the monthly flowers and Kyoto's special features for each month in his series ``Monthly Flowers, Monthly Kyo'', and March is ``Peach'' and ``Hina no Sekku''.

Why do we decorate peach blossoms during the Kamishi Festival?

In honor of the Peach Festival, we put ``Karamomo''. Peach is a plant belonging to the Rosaceae family, Prunus genus, and is said to have been brought to Japan from China during the Jomon period. The ornamental varieties are called ``Hanamomo'', and one of them is ``Karamomo''. Common peach blossoms are relatively straight, and the undersides of the young branches are bright green. It is an honest and lovely flower material. Karamomo, on the other hand, is characterized by its strong, curved branches. The bark of the tree is also black, making it a quaint flower material.

The custom of decorating with peaches on March 3rd comes from China. In Japan, odd numbers are considered ``lucky'' and their overlap is celebrated as a festival. On the other hand, in China, it was customary to use the power of plants to exorcise evil spirits, believing that odd-numbered days were bad luck. The color red is said to ward off evil spirits, and it is said that the custom of decorating with peaches, which have flowers that are close to red, came to Japan.

``Nagashi Hina'' at Shimogamo Shrine is a ritual to exorcise evil spirits.

In Kyoto, the ``nagashi hina'' event will be held at Shimogamo Shrine on March 3rd. Men and women dressed in Heian costumes gently float paper hina dolls on sandawara into the Mitarashi River in the shrine grounds, praying for the child's health and exorcism. Kamishi no Sekku is said to have evolved from a Chinese event in which dolls (Hitogata) are floated into rivers or the sea as scapegoats to exorcise evil spirits, which was introduced to Japan and changed its form. When you look at the peaches and Nagashi Hina dolls displayed during the Kamishi Festival, you can clearly see that Japanese festival events were influenced by ancient China.

``A stream where the raindrops stand.'' The origin of the elegant name of autumn leaves

The pale green leaves are a type of ``Yamamomiji'' called ``Shigitatsusawa.'' This elegant name comes from Saigyo's famous poem, ``Even the heartless body is known for its pity.Autumn dusk on the river where the raindrops stand.'' There is a theory that there were many maple trees in this mountain near Oiso, Kanagawa Prefecture, where Saigyo composed this poem, but it is not clear why this mountain maple is called ``Shushitatsuzawa.'' We tend to think of maple leaves in autumn, but the soft, pale green of Shizutatsuzawa from spring to early summer is refreshing. During this season, the dark green veins stand out on the pale leaves, giving it an even more refreshing look. By adding wisteria, it became even more spring-like in color. Tasteful Chinese peach branches are stretched out wide, and wisteria is placed at their feet as an accent. This is also a "new landscape flower" that we introduced in February.

The idea of ​​``yin and yang'' that remains in Kyoto influences the arrangement of male and female Hina dolls.

Hina decorations in Tokyo will be decorated on March 3rd. Of course, it varies from house to house, but in Kyoto, some houses continue to display the decorations until March 3rd according to the lunar calendar, or until the beginning of April according to the new calendar. The positions of the male and female Hina dolls are also different; in Kyoto, the male Hina dolls are on the right (top), and the female dolls are on the left (lower side), and in Tokyo it is the other way around. In Kyoto, the influence of the old yin-yang philosophy remains, with men who are considered ``yang'' good at it, and women who are considered ``yin'' are bad. The way of decorating in Tokyo is, if anything, a new arrangement that incorporates protocol and the way men and women line up in Europe and America.

Memories of childhood come back every time we celebrate Doll's Festival

In my home, Hina dolls are displayed until March 3rd of the lunar calendar. Starting with my grandmother's tiered decorations, my mother, wife, and daughter each have their own Hina dolls, so this year it's a big job to decide which Hina dolls to display and where to put them out. My eldest daughter, Hina, who is now in her first year of junior high school, is wearing a decoration made by the Imperial Prince at the Ando Doll Shop. Lately, my grandmother's tiered decorations have been rotated, such as this year's ``Sannin Kanjo'' and next year's ``Gonin Hayashi''.

In front of the Hina dolls, we wear kimono and enjoy amazake and Hina arare. The bright spring sunlight shining in the garden and the laughter of my grandmother and mother. Even as an adult, those childhood memories warmly come back to me. And every year, each time we celebrate the Kamishi Festival, the memories of the times we spent with our families pile up in layers and become even richer. Festival events, not just Kamishi, play an important role in accumulating memories. It's something I want to cherish forever.