More Evidence of How Cool Minekura Is
So I was doing research on flower symbolism for a school project, and I came across some interesting information. There is a type of flower called a "snowdrop" and, unlike other most of the other flowers I came across in my research that had multiple meanings, this one only had one recognized symbolism: hope.
And here I'd thought the Snowdrop arc ( Read more... )
And here I'd thought the Snowdrop arc ( Read more... )
Chrysanthemums in Japan have an association with the imperial family -- their mon is a stylized chrysanthemum design. The flower's a solar symbol (hence the link to the imperial family, who claim descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu), and due to its blooming season it's associated with autumn (much like cherry blossoms are emblems of spring and plum blossoms, along with bamboo and pine, are associated with winter); in the modern day white and yellow chrysanthemums in particular are also very, very common as funeral flowers, although I'm not sure just how far back that goes. The Chinese longevity association also comes from that late blooming season -- they're still blooming in autumn when most other flowers are long done, so that's emblematic of a long life.
Cherry blossoms, because they're so fleeting, along with the seasonal springtime associations are a symbol of the transience of life -- beautiful, but a little melancholy. (Now reread Gaiden with an eye to the omnipresent floating sakura everywhere, stagnation in a heaven where spring never ends, Kenren's last moments amidst talk of blooming and scattering...oh, my heart!)
Ume, which is one of my favorites because I'm a lush who guzzles too much plum wine, is one of the "three friends of the cold" -- it blooms in winter as the earliest harbringer of spring. These "winter friends" are used in New Years' decorations. Because they're blossoming amidst the snow, along with the seasonal late winter/early spring associations, plum blossoms can be associated with courage and resilience in the face of harsh adversity -- which makes me squee my little brains out over a couple of doujinshi circle that really, really seem to like to draw the kappa in ume-patterned kimono.
Peonies, especially when paired with lion-dogs in a shishi ni botan design, can be associated with the bravery and elegance that were thought to epitomize a samurai's spirit; in tattooing in particular this design also came to be associated with gamblers, who took a similarly devil-may-care fearless attitude towards risk...all of which makes the very traditional hikae-gobu chest-and-half-sleeve tattoo in this Egoistic Guess image stunningly well-suited for Gojyo, even aside from the poignant canon backstory involving red flowers -- and yeah, that's ume on the kimono! Sakura petals are drawn a bit longer and more oval then round, and gently notched at the tip.
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