Discussion

Japanese Plums (Prunus mume)

This week and next week, we cover the fourth of the four shikunshi subjects; plum tree, or more specifically, plum blossoms. Ume is the Japanese word for both. This week's focus is on hakubai (white plum blossom). 

Ume are associated with winter. That is appropriate because ume blossom from January through mid-March. Their timing also leads to their being thought of as a harbinger of spring.

An ume tree in full bloom can look quite spectacular. The tree below is a variety of ume that is officially called a Prunus mume 'Pendula'. Common names for this specific variety are weeping plum, weeping apricot, and weeping cherry.

Ume trees are deciduous and grow from 13 to 33 feet tall. Blossoms are under an inch in diameter, come in varying shades of white, pink, and red colors, and have a strong, fragrant scent.

The photos below show the sequence of stages that ume blossoms go through on the way to becoming flowers. They have very short to no stems.

A. Winter buds

B. Swelling

C. Flower buds begin to appear

D. Blossoms begin to emerge from the calyx

E. Opening begins and stamens become visible

F. Flowers fully open

Ume blossoms grow directly off of twigs.

Ume leaves don't appear until after blossom petals have fallen. This photo of ume leaves includes developing ume fruit. 

Ume fruit develop in the months of June and July during the time that Japanese call tsuyu (梅雨); the rainy season. As a side note, the two kanji characters that represent tsuyu each have a meaning of their own. The first kanji character, 梅, means ume or plum, and the second character, 雨, means ame or rain. In effect, tsuyu literally means plum rain.

Here are ume fruit. Though unripe, they are at the proper stage for harvesting because this is when they become commercially useful.

This next photo shows the fruit approaching maturity. Fully ripe ume are extremely bitter and are barely edible. They are likely to give people upset stomachs. 

Among the products produced by the harvested ume fruit is umeboshi; pickled ume fruit. It is very popular in Japan and is served in several ways. It can be eaten by itself.

Though originally an unripe green, the red color is picked up from some of the herbs used in the pickling process.

Umeboshi can be served as a flavor enhancer with a number of other foods. It is very popular with rice. This type of sushi is called nigirimeshi.

Other uses are for jams, syrups, and sauces. Its acidity can help neutralize odors in food. They are often boiled with dark meat fish for this reason.

Above all, ume trees are beautiful for viewing.This photo is from the Atami Baien (Atami Plum Gardens) in central Japan. The gardens hold a wide variety of plants, but ume are among the most prominent. The gardens opened to the public in 1886.

Artwork

Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716) 

Kōrin was one of the founders of the Rinpa School of art. The name of the school is taken from part of Kōrin's name. He is considered to be one of Japan's greatest artists. One of Japan's national treasures is a pair of bi-fold byōbu painted by Kōrin titled Red and White Plum Blossoms. It is believed to have been painted in the early 18th century and may have been one of Kōrin's last works.

Kōrin was influential in other ways. He grew up in a family that was prominent in the textile industry and became a textile pattern designer himself. The unique way he had of depicting plum blossoms became known in the industry as Kōrin plums. The picture below shows an example.

Takahashi Shōtei (1871 – 1945)

Relatively early in Shōtei's career, he produced shinsaku-hanga (souvenir woodblock prints) in the styles of some of the great ukiyo-e masters, most notably Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 – 1858), to meet the growing Western demand for Japanese art. When the great Kanto earthquake of 1923 destroyed his publisher's facilities and all of its woodblocks, Shōtei shifted his focus to become a prominent shin-hanga (new prints) artist. The 1910 print below, Plum Blossoms in Snow, is an original composition of Shōtei's, done in Hiroshige's style.