Discussion

The Prime Minister of Flowers

The Chinese or herbaceous peony (Paeonia obovata), known as shakuyaku in Japan, was probably introduced to Japan around the 8th century by Buddhist monks who used it for medicinal purposes. Its roots are used as a painkiller, tranquillizer, and anti-inflammatory and also a cure for cardiovascular disease and bleeding.

Sometimes called the woodland or Japanese forest peony, another name for shakuyaku is the Prime Minister of Flowers. its blossoms come in white, pink or purple/red colors.

The blossoms are fairly short lived once opened, but seed pods continue to grow until in late summer or early fall, they burst open to reveal black seeds nestled among red infertile seeds.

The King of Flowers

The other, more popular, peony species in Japan is Paeonia x suffructicosa. It is a woody or tree-like variety and is entirely a result of hybridization. It is not a natural species. The most spectacular of the P. suffructicosa peony varieties is called botan in Japan and is otherwise known as the King of Flowers. Botan is this week's painting subject.

Botan plants grow much taller than shakuyaku and has woody stems.

The most noticeable visible difference between the two, other than the height of the plants and the woody stems, is the size and complexity of the blossoms.

It comes in more colors, too.

The seed pods of tree peonies like botan tend to not be as attractive as the seed pods of shakuyaku seed pods.

he size, color, and overall attractiveness of botan blossoms make fine displays.

Peonies are found in many parks, gardens, and temples throughout Japan. One of the best known is Tōkyō's Ueno Toshogu Peony Garden in Ueno Park.

Artwork

Artwork that features peonies are almost by definition kachō-ga (pictures of birds and flowers). Here are examples by four masters.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)

Hokusai's amazingly prolific career included many genre besides landscapes for which he is best known. His kacho-ga below, titled Canary and Peony, was produced in 1834.

Suzuki Kiitsu (1796 - 1858)

Long considered a minor Rinpa school artist, Kiitsu has been reconsidered in the past few decades and is now regarded with considerable respect. He is best known for painting byōbu like the one below titled Flowers of the Four Seasons. Reading from right to left, the byōbu begins in early spring with quince, plum, and rapeseed. It continues to summer with iris and peony. Autumn features chrysanthemums and maple. Narcissus is a winter flower.

Hiroshige II (1826 – 1869)

Hiroshige II was a student and son-in-law of Hiroshige I's. When the first Hiroshige died, Hiroshige II adopted his name for his own use. The  painting styles of the two were so similar that scholars sometimes have difficulty telling which one was the real artist. The roman numerals following the names were not used by the artists; they are used by modern scholars to distinguish between the two. The ukiyo-e print below is titled Peonies at Kitazawa in Tōkyō. It is part of a series titled Thirty-six Selected Flowers published in 1866.

Yōsai Nobukazu (1872 - 1944)

Also known as Nobukazu Watanabe, Yōsai was one of the few remaining woodblock artists working in the late 19th century. He produced several subjects, but his greatest success was his series of prints depicting scenes of the Sino-Japanese (1894/95) and Russo-Japanese (1904/05) wars. His kacho-ga titled Pigeons and peony below was produced in 1896.