Discussion

Saikanniyū

Saikanniyū is the name of one of the combination painting subjects documented in the Canvas Appendix module to this course, unit A3.3.3 Named Painting Compositions. In English it is called Two Friends in Winter. The two friends are plum and camellia.

Ume is a deciduous tree that can blossom as early as January, but it more typically blossoms in February and into March, associating it with the winter season. Though a winter plant, it is often referred to as a harbinger of spring.

Its five petaled blossoms are varying shades of white, pink, and red and have a strong fragrant scent.

The flowers are typically ¾ to 1 inch in diameter. Note that the petals are rounded. Blossoms bud from and grow directly on ume twigs and branches.

It is easy to confuse ume (plum) blossoms) and sakura (cherry) blossoms. Cherry blossoms grow on short stems instead of budding directly on branches, and cherry blossom petals are slightly dimpled as can be seen below.

The blossoms of some ume varieties are doubled.

The ume fruit ripens around June and July at the same time as the East Asian rainy season occurs, known as the meiyu (plum rain 梅雨).

The fruit is sour tasting and is usually processed before being eaten. A popular form is umeboshi (梅干) or pickled plum. It is often eaten with rice.

A sweet alcoholic beverage called umeshu is also made from the fruit.

Japanese love flowers, and they often go on outings to view them during peak blooming seasons. For a very long time, ume was the most popular tree in Japan for its flowers before being replaced by cherry trees. 

Camellia (tsubaki)

Camellias are flowering plants native to eastern and southern Asia but now cultivated throughout the world. They are sometimes called Rose of Winter. There is an ongoing debate over how many species there are with estimates ranging from 100 to 300. There are over 3000 cultivars. Tsubaki, the Japanese name for the species Camellia japonica or C. japonica grows throughout Japan with the exception of Hokkaidō, the northern most of Japan's four main islands. Its great popularity in Japan began when Shōgun Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) began to use the flower in his tea ceremony.

Camellias are evergreen shrubs or trees that usually grow 6 to 15 feet tall, though under ideal growing conditions, they can reach up to 30 to 40 feet in height.

Camellia flowers can be up to 4.5 inches in diameter. Their colors vary from white to pink to red. A yellow variety grows only in South China and Vietnam. Tea varieties are always white. Cultivated varieties can be multi-colored. In the wild, flowers bloom from January to March.

The largest collection of camellias in North America, sheltered under a canopy of coast live oak trees, is located in Descanso Gardens at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 in Los Angeles County.

Fruiting occurs in September to October.

The "fruit" is a dry capsule with up to eight seeds inside.

Artwork

Ikebana

This ikebana flower arrangement of Two Friends in Winter, camellias and plum blossoms, was done by Junko Torigoe, one of my students. The flowers are from her garden.

Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716)

Kōrin was one of the founders of the Rinpa school of decorative art. He is best known for his byōbu (literally: wind wall), decorative screens. Several of his works have been designated national treasures, including his Red and White Plum Blossoms below, done around 1714 to 1715. The byōbus should be "read" from right to left. That is why Red precedes White in the title.

Ogata Kenzan (1663–1743)

Kenzan was the younger brother to Ogata Kōrin. Both were famous for their art; Kōrin for his paintings and Kenzan for ceramics. From Wikipedia: "Ogata [Kenzan] produced a distinctive style of freely brushed grasses, blossoms, and birds as decorative motifs for pottery. His pieces were noted for their perfect relation between design and shape." Though not much remembered for 2-dimensional art, Kenzan was also a quite accomplished painter. The byōbu below, painted in the last year of his life, shows camellias growing below a plum tree.

Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826 - 1869)

Hiroshige II was a student and son-in-law of the famous ukiyo-e artist, Ando Hiroshige (1797 - 1858). He inherited Hiroshige's name when the elder artist passed away. This ukiyo-e print, Camellia at Ueno Shimotera in the Eastern Capitol, part of his Thirty-six Selected Flowers series, was executed in 1866.

Ohara Koson (1877 - 1945)

Koson was a prominent part of the shin-hanga (new prints) movement of the early 20th century. The print below of Two Parrots on a Camellia Branch was printed in 1929.