Peony - Peony

Japanese: ボタン（牡丹） - ぼたん

A deciduous shrub of the Peonies family (APG classification: Paeoniaceae). It grows to a height of 1-2 meters. The bark is blackish gray, the branches are thick and sparsely branched. The leaves are alternate and large, bipinnately compound. The leaflets are ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 5-10 cm long, 2-3 lobes, the lobes are pointed at the tips, entire, and white on the underside. In May, a single white or reddish purple flower, 10-17 cm in diameter, blooms at the end of a new branch. There are five green, recurved sepals. There are 5-8 petals, obovate, with irregular notches on the edges. There are many stamens. There are 3-5 pistils, and the ovary is surrounded by a thalamus at the base. This species was once classified in the Ranunculaceae family, but is now treated as part of the Paeonaceae family due to its characteristics, such as a concave receptacle and centrifugal development of stamens. The fruit is an egg-shaped capsule densely covered with yellowish-brown short hairs, and when ripe, splits longitudinally on the inside in August to September. The seeds are numerous and black. It is native to western China.

Although peonies resemble Japanese peonies, they are perennial plants. Their leaves are glossy on the upper side and pale green on the underside. There are also differences, such as the base of the leaflets often running down the stem.

There are many cultivars, with flower colors of white, pale pink, scarlet, purple, dark purple, yellow, etc., and with semi-double to ten thousand-petaled flowers, lion-shaped flowers, two-tiered flowers, etc. For the Kanbotan (winter peony), the buds that formed in spring are removed, the leaves are cut off in August, the second buds are allowed to grow, and the flowers that bloom from late autumn to winter are enjoyed.

It is unclear when they were introduced to Japan, but they are said to have been cultivated in the Heian period. However, there is a theory that the peony mentioned in the Engishiki (927) and Honzou Wamyo (918) is not the modern-day peony, but the Karatachibana. In the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, they were widely planted in temples and gardens. Flower appreciation became popular during the Genroku and Hoei periods (1688-1711) of the Edo period, and the Kadanjikinsho (Ito Sannojo, 1695) lists 179 varieties of white peonies, 160 varieties of red peonies, and 138 varieties of Chikuzen peonies. After the Meiji period, as many as 260 varieties of seedlings were produced in the Ikeda area of Osaka Prefecture. Currently, Niigata Prefecture and Shimane Prefecture are the main production areas.

It can be propagated by grafting, division, or seedlings. Tree peonies and Chinese peony rootstocks are used for grafting. The best time to transplant is late August to September. It does not like excessive moisture, prefers well-drained sandy loam soil, and is a sun-loving tree that is cold-tolerant.

[Yoshio Kobayashi May 19, 2020]

Places of interest

Famous temples include the Kanahebi Water Shrine Peony Garden in Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, the Sukagawa Peony Garden in Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, the Yakyu Inari Shrine Peony Garden in Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, Kasuisai in Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Hase Temple in Hase, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, and Taimadera Temple and Sekkoji Temple in Taima, Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture.

[Yoshio Kobayashi May 19, 2020]

Medicinal

The bark of the root is called botanpi, and in traditional Chinese medicine it is used as an anti-inflammatory, blood purifying, and painkilling agent to treat appendicitis, menstrual pain, menstrual irregularities, bruises, swelling, etc. It has a strong, distinctive odor, which is due to the inclusion of the glycoside paeoniflorin.

[Motoo Nagasawa May 19, 2020]

Cultural history

It is often mentioned alongside the peony and the Chinese peony, but while the peony is recorded in the Book of Songs and has been known since before Christ, the peony appeared later, with records of its use as a medicine in the Shennong Materia Medica, and it is said that it was used for decorative purposes and depicted in paintings during the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577), but it was not until the Tang dynasty that its cultivation became widespread. In the Tang dynasty's "Francois Peony" by Shu Yuanyu, it is stated that Empress Wu Zetian ordered the transplanting of peonies to the Upper Garden of the Imperial Palace. Furthermore, in his Youyang Zasso (c. 860), Duan Chengshi wrote that at the beginning of the Genwa era (806-820), peonies were still few in number, but now they rival the number of hollyhocks, showing that peonies rapidly became popular in Luoyang during the 50 years of the 9th century. By that time, peonies had already evolved into varieties with different colors such as white, purple, red, and yellow-white, double flowers, and large flowers with diameters of 7 to 8 inches. They were planted in temples and peony events were held. Bai Juyi wrote, "The blossoms bloom and the 20th day of falling." Luoyang has been the center of peonies since the Tang Dynasty, and in the 11th century, Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty wrote "Records of the Luoyang Peony," which featured more than 30 varieties, and recorded that one bud of the yellow-flowered Yao Huang and the red-flowered double-petaled Wei Hua was purchased for 5,000 sen. He also wrote that in the spring, people of all ranks in the city of Luoyang put peonies in their gardens.

[Hiroshi Yuasa May 19, 2020]

literature

It is also called peony or botan flower. In the "Prostitute" chapter of the "Wakan Roeishu", there is a poem by Bai Juyi, "The spring wind blows and the peony flowers burst into bloom," and in the "Kanke Bunso" volume 4, "The White Peony of Hokkeji Temple," it is written, "The color is pure white, and the name is still called peony." In "Kagero Nikki," she writes, "Among the lush grasses that I don't know, the peonies look pitiful, as they stand with their petals falling." In "The Pillow Book," she writes, "After the Lord Has Arrived," she writes, "The peonies planted in front of the dais were beautiful." In "The Tale of Flowers," she writes, "The Jeweled Dais": It is known that they were planted as garden plants in front of houses, as in the passage "He made the balustrade high and had roses, peonies, daffodils, and red lotus flowers planted underneath," but they are not listed as subjects or subjects for poems in "Kokin Rokujo," "Horikawa Hyakushu," or "Eikyu Hyakushu," and therefore cannot be considered a poetic word. However, there is a theory that the "kutani" that appears as a flower in the front garden of the summer quarters of Rokujo-in in the "Monono-na" section of the "Kokinshu" and "Otome" in the "Tale of Genji" is a peony (there are also theories that it is gentian, etc.), and "kutani" is a poetic word. The combination of peony and butterfly based on "Zhuangzi" and the ghost story "Peony Lantern" are also well known. Summer seasonal theme. "Two or three pieces of peony scattered and overlapping" (Buson).

[Teruhiko Komachiya May 19, 2020]

[Reference] | Peony | Peony lantern

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There are many cultivars with flower colors ranging from white, pale pink, crimson red, and yellow, and with semi-double and two-tiered flower shapes. ©Tatsuo Katsumata ">

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Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

ボタン科（APG分類：ボタン科）の落葉低木。高さ1～2メートル。樹皮は黒灰色、枝は太く、まばらに分枝する。葉は互生し、大形の2回3出羽状複葉。小葉は卵形または卵状披針(ひしん)形で長さ5～10センチメートル、2～3裂し、裂片は先がとがり、全縁で裏面は白色を帯びる。5月ころ、新枝の先に白色または紅紫色で径10～17センチメートルの花を1個開く。萼片(がくへん)は5枚、緑色で反曲する。花弁は5～8枚、倒卵形で縁(へり)に不規則な切れ込みがある。雄しべは多数。雌しべは3～5本、子房は、基部は花托(かたく)に囲まれる。本種はキンポウゲ科に入れられていたこともあるが、花托がへこみ、雄しべが遠心的に発達するなどの特徴により、ボタン科として扱われる。果実は卵形の袋果(たいか)で黄褐色の短毛を密生し、8～9月、熟して内側が縦裂する。種子は黒色で多数ある。中国西部原産である。

　なお、シャクヤクはボタンに似ているが、多年草である。葉は表面に光沢があり、裏面は淡緑色である。小葉の基部はしばしば柄に沿下しているなど、違いがある。

　多数の園芸品種があり、花色は白、淡紅、朱紅、紫、暗紫紅、黄色などで、半八重から万重咲き、獅子(しし)咲き、二段咲きなどがある。カンボタン（寒牡丹）は、春にできたつぼみを取り除き、8月に葉を切り取り、第二のつぼみを発育させ、晩秋から冬に開花する花を観賞する。

　日本への渡来は明らかでないが、平安時代には栽培されたといわれるが、『延喜式(えんぎしき)』（927）や『本草和名(ほんぞうわみょう)』（918）などに載せられた牡丹(ぼたん)は、今日のボタンではなく、カラタチバナであるとの説がある。鎌倉、室町時代には寺院や庭園などに広く植えられるようになった。江戸時代の元禄(げんろく)・宝永(ほうえい)年間（1688～1711）には花の観賞が盛んになり、『花壇地錦抄(じきんしょう)』（伊藤三之丞、1695）には、白牡丹の仲間179品種、紅牡丹の仲間160品種、筑前(ちくぜん)牡丹138品種を載せている。明治以後には、大阪府池田市付近で260品種もの苗が生産された。現在は新潟県と島根県が主産地である。

　繁殖は接木(つぎき)、株分け、実生(みしょう)による。接木の台木はボタン、シャクヤクを使う。移植の適期は8月下旬～9月で、過湿を嫌い、排水のよい砂質壌土を好み、陽樹で耐寒性がある。

［小林義雄　2020年5月19日］

名所

宮城県岩沼市の「金蛇(かなへび)水神社牡丹園」、福島県須賀川(すかがわ)市の「須賀川牡丹園」、埼玉県東松山市の「箭弓(やきゅう)稲荷神社牡丹園」、静岡県袋井(ふくろい)市の「可睡斎(かすいさい)」、奈良県桜井市初瀬(はせ)の長谷(はせ)寺、奈良県葛城(かつらぎ)市當麻(たいま)の當麻寺、石光(せっこう)寺などは有名である。

［小林義雄　2020年5月19日］

薬用

根の皮部を牡丹皮(ぼたんぴ)といい、漢方では消炎、浄血、鎮痛剤として虫垂炎、月経痛、月経不順、打撲症、腫(は)れ物などの治療に用いる。特有の強い臭(にお)いをもつが、これは配糖体ペオニフロリンなどを含有することによる。

［長沢元夫　2020年5月19日］

文化史

ボタン、シャクヤクと並び称されるが、シャクヤクが『詩経』に記録があり、紀元前から知られていたわりには、ボタンの登場は遅く、『神農本草経(しんのうほんぞうきょう)』に薬としての記録があり、北斉(ほくせい)（550～577）のころには観賞用とされ、絵画にも描かれたと伝えられているが、栽培が広がったのは唐代になってからである。唐の舒元輿(じょげんよ)の『牡丹賦(ぼたんふ)』には、則天武后が宮中の上苑(じょうえん)にボタンの移植を命じたと述べられている。また段成式(だんせいしき)は『酉陽雑俎(ゆうようざっそ)』（860ころ）のなかで、元和(げんわ)（806～820）の初めはまだ少なかったが、いまは戎葵(じゅうき)（タチアオイ）と数を競うほどになった、と書いているので、9世紀の50年間に洛陽(らくよう)でボタンが急速に流行したことがわかる。当時すでに、白、紫、紅、黄白(おうはく)などの色変わりや、八重咲き、また花径7～8寸の大輪花などの品種が分化し、寺院に植えられ、牡丹の会が開かれていた。白楽天は「花開き、花落の二十日」と詠んだ。唐以降も洛陽はボタンの中心地で、11世紀、宋(そう)の欧陽修(おうようしゅう)は『洛陽牡丹記』を著し、30余の品種を取り上げ、なかでも黄花の姚黄(ようこう)や紅花八重の魏花(ぎか)という品種は1芽が銭五千で買われたと記録している。また、洛陽の城内では春、貴賤(きせん)を問わずボタンの花を挿したとも述べている。

［湯浅浩史　2020年5月19日］

文学

ぼうたん、ぼうたんくさ、ともいう。『和漢朗詠集』下「妓女(ぎじょ)」に、白楽天の「春の風は吹き綻(ほころ)ばす牡丹(ぼたん)の花」などという句がみえ、『菅家文草(かんけぶんそう)』巻4「法花(ほっけ)寺白牡丹」に、「色は即(すなは)ち貞白為(た)り、名は猶(なほ)し牡丹と喚(よ)ぶ」とある。『蜻蛉(かげろう)日記』中に、「何とも知らぬ草ども繁(しげ)き中に、牡丹(ぼうたん)草どもいと情けなげにて、花散りはてて立てるを見るにも」、『枕草子(まくらのそうし)』「殿などおはしまさで後」の段に、「台の前に植ゑられたりける牡丹(ぼうた)などのをかしきこと」、『栄花(えいが)物語』「玉(たま)の台(うてな)」には、「高欄高くして、その下に薔薇(さうびん)、牡丹(ぼうたん)、唐瞿麦(からなでしこ)、紅蓮花(ぐれんげ)の花を植ゑさせ給へり」などとあり、前栽(せんざい)の植物として植えられていたことが知られるが、『古今六帖(こきんろくじょう)』や『堀河百首』『永久(えいきゅう)百首』などには歌材や題として掲げられず、歌語とはいえない。もっとも、『古今集』物名(もののな)や『源氏物語』「少女(おとめ)」の六条院の夏の町の前栽の花としてみえる「くたに」を牡丹とする説（ほかに竜胆(りんどう)説など）もあり、「くたに」は歌語となっている。『荘子(そうじ)』を踏まえた牡丹と胡蝶(こちょう)との配合や、これも中国の『牡丹灯記(とうき)』の翻案だが怪談の『牡丹灯籠(どうろう)』などもよく知られる。夏の季題。「牡丹散つてうちかさなりぬ二三片」（蕪村(ぶそん)）。

［小町谷照彦　2020年5月19日］

[参照項目] | カンボタン | シャクヤク | 牡丹灯籠

ボタン

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