Japanese Maple

This is 'Iroha Momiji' or Japanese maple. The other Japanese names are 'Iroha Kaede', 'Takao Kaede', and 'Koha Momiji'. The botanical name is Acer palmatum.





This tree has been very familiar in Japan since very long time ago, and many short poems in a famous Japanese playing cards called 'Hyakunin-Issyu' contain this tree:

'Okuyama-ni Momiji-fumiwake Naku-Shika-no Koe-kiku-Toki-zo Aki-ha-Kanashiki'
'Konotabi-ha Nusa-mo-toriahezu Tamukeyama Momiji-no-Nishiki Kami-no-manimani'
'Ogurayama Mine-no-Momiji-ba Kokoro-araba Ima-hitotabi-no Miyuki-matanamu'
'Yamagawa-ni Kaze-no-kaketaru Shigarami-ha Nagare-mo-ahenu Momiji-narikeri'
'Arashi-fuku Mimuro-no-Yama-no Momiji-ba-ha Tatta-no-Kawa-no Nishiki-narikeri'


The Japanese version of this article is here!

Japanese character(s) (kanji)
* Iroha : いろは
* Momiji : 紅葉
* Kaede : 槭 (or usually 楓 is also used, but strictly speaking, this is not correct one)
* Takao : 高雄
* Koha : 小葉
* The short poems are:
奥山に　紅葉ふみわけ　鳴く鹿の　声きく時ぞ　秋はかなしき
このたびは　幣も取りあへず　手向山　紅葉の錦　神のまにまに
小倉山　峰のもみじ葉　心あらば　今ひとたびの　みゆき待たなむ
山川に　風のかけたる　しがらみは　流れもあへぬ　紅葉なりけり
嵐吹く　三室の山の　もみぢ葉は　龍田の川の　錦なりけり