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Rapeseed (Brassica napus)

This bright-yellow flowering plant with the unfortunate name (also known as just Rape or Oil Rape) is closely related to mustard plants and cabbages. Its oil-rich seeds and high protein content make it one of the most important agricultural crops in the world, being the third largest source of vegetable oil and the second largest source of protein for livestock and human consumption combined.

Tourists enjoy the blossoming rapeseed fields of Luoping in eastern Yunnan province of China below.

The beauty of rapeseed (nanohana in Japanese) in bloom isn't lost on Japanese tourists who travel to the southernmost rail stop in Japan, JR Nishi-oyama at the southern tip of Kyushu, to view nanohana fields in bloom against the backdrop of the 3000 ft., volcanic Mt. Kaimondake, sometimes called the Satsuma Fuji.

Another attraction in the area is the famous Sunamushi (Sand Steam Bath) onsen where rising steam from underground geothermal sources can bake potatoes buried in the sand (the onsen really does that) and apparently can bake people, too.

Nanohana

Rapeseed plants grow to about a meter in height, but only the top 6 inches of the stalks, including buds and leaves, are used for cooking. Nanohana flavor is similar to broccolini when the buds are closed, but its flavor is a bit more bitter after the flowers are open. The whole plant is used for animal feed--mostly cattle, but swine and poultry, too.

As can be seen, nanohana forms clusters of blossoms at the end of stalks. Each blossom has four petals and a calyx made of four sepals. Each blossom has six stamen, two on short filaments and four on medium-length filaments.

Here is a much closer look at a nanohana blossom. If you look closely at the closest blossom, you can see a couple of the sepals between the blossom petals.

Rapeseed plants are rich in vitamins B and C, high in antioxidants like beta-carotene, and a source of folic acid, calcium, and iron. This includes the leaves. Nanohana (which literally means vegetable flower) is not used raw. It can be pickled, fermented, fried, boiled, sautéed, and steamed. There are a wide variety of recipes it can be used with. It is said to be good for the digestion, helping detox the body and jump-start one’s metabolism after a long winter.

After the blossoms come oil-rich seeds in pods

Here is an interior view of an opened seed pod.

The seeds come in a variety of colors depending on which hybrid of nanohana is being harvested.

Natural nanohana is one of the oldest vegetable oils in use, but it is not good for animal feed because of high levels of erucic acid which can damage cardiac muscles. For that reason, hybrids have long been cultivated to reduce harmful substances and enhance useful products. One of the best known rapeseed hybrid products is canola oil.

Sakai Hōitsu (1761 – 1829)

An important Rinpa school artist, Hōitsu is especially known for having revived the popularity Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716) and his younger brother, Ogata Kenzan (1663 – 1743), in part by reproducing many of their works. Among his works are three books of woodblock prints. The first two contained reproductions of works of the Ogata brothers. The third, Oson Gafu published in 1817, contained works of his own, including this 2-page spread of nanohana.

Ohara Koson (1877 – 1945)

Koson was a prominent member of the shin-hanga movement that sought to restore traditional Japanese subjects and methods to Japanese art after they had been largely abandoned in favor of Western art styles after Japan opened up to the West at the end of the Edo Period (1603 - 1868). Koson produced some triptychs depicting scenes from the Russo-Japanese War (1904 - 1905), but he is best known for his many kachō-ga (birds and flowers) prints. He became well-known in the West and sold well there. His Butterfly and Rapeseed print was produced in 1912.

Unknown Artists

The following butterfly and nanohana print was produced in 1920. Butterflies and nanohana seem to be popular combinations.