Week 10

Discussion

From a painting by Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849). See discussion.

About Lilies

True lilies are tall (2 to 6 ft.) perennials, all of which grow from bulbs and have large flowers with colors ranging from whites to yellows to oranges to pinks to reds and purples. Blossom petals often have spots. Most species grow in the Northern Hemisphere from the temperate zone to the subtropics.

There are around 90 lily species. Some well-known ones that have become popular around the world are native to Japan. They all have a similar anatomy.

Lilies in Japan

There are 10 lily species native to Japan. Here are some of them.

Teppō Yuri (Lilium longiforum)

This first Japanese lily is sometimes known as the trumpet lily. That is the literal meaning of Teppō Yuri. In the West, it is also known as the Easter Lily.

It is cultivated, of course, but it also grows wild in Okinawa and the southern end of Kyushu

Oni Yuri (Lilium lancifolium)

Known as a tiger lily in the West, Oni Yuri is native to Eastern Asia. Its popularity has led to its being imported to other places of the world including the U.S. where it is now in the wild in some areas. It has medicinal uses for the treatment of urinary infections, nausea, and other diseases

Tiger Lily pollen is toxic to animals, cats in particular. Cats don't seek it out, but when brushing by these plants, cats can easily pick up pollen on their fur. Later when cleaning themselves, cats ingest the pollen and can die.

Oni Yuri is very commonly used as an ornamental in gardens

Kanoko Yuri (Lilium speciosum)

A common name for this is the Baby Deer Lily, though there appears to be other lilies with that common name, too. This one has a strong fragrance. It is rare in the wild these days, but it is widely cultivated.

Hime Yuri (Lilium concolor)

Also known as the Princess Lily, Hime Yuri grows mostly at high altitudes. Parts of it are edible, and its scent is so popular that it is used in some perfume brands. Some Hime Yuri subspecies have other colors besides red.

Yama Yuri (Lilium auratum)

The literal meaning of the Japanese name for this plant is Mountain Lily because of where it most often grows in the wild. Common names are Golden-rayed Lily or Goldband Lily. It is another lily with a strong fragrance. Its bulbs are edible.

It is the largest of the lilies, growing as much as 8 feet tall. A single large plant may have as many as 20 blossoms.

Otome Yuri (Lilium rubellum)

Otherwise known as the Maiden Lily, Otome Yuri is rare and very hard to grow. Perhaps that is the reason that not much has been written about this beautiful flower.

The Meaning of Lilies

The ancient Romans filled pillows and quilts with lilies because of their fragrance. This led to lilies becoming associated with love making. Other associations are with femininity, purity, and grief. In Japan, white lilies symbolize chastity and purity, and orange lilies symbolize revenge or hatred. Tiger lilies mean fortune and wealth. Spider lilies have meanings, too, but spider lilies aren't true lilies, so its meanings will have to wait for another occasion.

What do you think of when you see lilies?

Lady Beetles

I've chosen to add a lady beetle tenkei to my demonstration painting this week, so a word about them is appropriate, the first of which is that "lady bug" is not the best name for these insects because they are not true bugs according to entomologists. They prefer "lady beetles". "Ladybird beetles" is used in England.

The elytra is a wing casing, not the wings. They hinge out of the way when a Lady Beetle is flying.

Lady beetles are good for your gardens. They eat aphids, and they don't bite. They can be stinky in large numbers inside your home, however. You especially don't want Asian Lady Beetles in your homes. Though they look very similar to the domestic variety, they aren't the same, and the do bite. Beware!

Artwork

Here are a few yuri paintings by Japanese artists.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)

Though Hokusai is well known for his ukiyo-e prints, he did a great number of other paintings, too. The painting below titled Yuri no Hana is from Volume 3 of "Hokusai Gaen" (A Garden of Pictures by Hokusai), published in the 1840s.

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)

Though nearly as well known as Hokusai, Hiroshige's paintings were much more limited to ukiyo-e prints. The lily painting below titled Tôto Senju yuri (Lilies at Sanju in the Eastern Capital) is from his series of prints titled Sanjûrokkasen (Thirty-six Selected Flowers).

Itō Sōzan (1884 - ?)

Little is known about Sōzan other than his birth date and that his artistic output was almost entirely in the 1919 - 1926 period when he worked with Watanabe Shozaburo, a shin-hanga publisher. The round seal in the lower left of the picture is the mark Watanabe used up until 1919, helping to date this print, Lilies with Bees.

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