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AYAME- Iris Daruma from Kashiwa
菖蒲だるま 柏だるま


AYAME Daruma, Iris-Daruma  あやめだるま 菖蒲達磨

The most famous Iris Daruma are from Kashiwa Town in Chiba prefecture, where we have some of the famous iris gardens as introduced below. They are papermachee figures with a painting of iris on the stomach,sometimes beautiful lady Daruma in a violett dress. The shape is almost like a flat square.


There are many more different papermachee Daruma on this LINK.
http://www.darumanetjapan.com/da_text/datext.html
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Den/5589/daruma.html

The famous Kashiwa Daruma 柏だるまfrom Chiba are from papermachee. Some are decorated with iris, some with other patterns. Most of them are quite funny and sort of simple in style.

Here are two of my own collection. A couple from Shimofusa and one lonely princess with a blue-violett dress.


Two others are from the collection of Mr. Minegishi and from an Internet collection.


http://www.amie.or.jp/daruma/ABC.html
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~um8d-tmzk/kasiwa.jpg
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~um8d-tmzk/darumasan7.htm
There is another Daruma with iris decoration, in the form of a clay bell.

http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dri8/me%20daruma.jpg
http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dri8/doreinotabi03.htm
http://www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~dri8/ayame.jpg


There are many words in Japanese to differentiate between the many kinds of iris that flower mostly during the rainy season, giving a special elegance to an otherwise dreary place. For example Shoobu, Kakitsubata, Airisu and others.

・ Famous Iris Fields in Itako
Itako Town in Ibaraki Prefecture lies beside the river Tonegawa. During the Edo period (1603-1868) it flourished as a relay port for the shipment of cargo from the north of Japan by water to the nation's capital, Edo. The beautiful scenery on the waterfront was much admired by writers and artists, many of whom visited the town.
Today, the Ayame (iris) Festival in June is the biggest tourist attraction. Along the sides of the river iris flower park has been set up, and as the season approaches, as many as one million individual plants of around 500 colorful varieties come into bloom in purple, white and yellow. During the festival season every year the town attracts about half a million visitors. Boatmen ply the waters in rowboats, taking sightseers on trips redolent of the past. If you are lucky, you might be able to see a beautiful bride going out to meet her bridegroom on one of these boats.
Have a look at some pictures of the area too.
http://web-japan.org/atlas/nature/nat23.html

More photos of the many Iris Festivals (ayame matsuri) in many areas of Japan. Mizumoto Park, Horikiri Park and more in Ibaragi Prefecture.
http://avenir.pekori.jp/album/mizumoto/mizumoto2001-1.html
http://itp.ne.jp/i-town/chugoku/yamaguchi/photo.html
http://f27.aaacafe.ne.jp/~takaji/bistaliall_009.htm
http://www.geocities.jp/thitosh/nikki/2003/nikki0306.html
Toyotsu City
http://pinebooks.cool.ne.jp/sanpomiti/01/toyotushobu.html

Look at an Iris Garden in Yokosuka, Japan.
http://hamakko.info/fgarden/egar06.html

・Meiji Shrine Iris Garden
Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is famous for its splendid Iris Garden, which was designed by the Emperor Meiji himself.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mako/dojikko/01_scene/200106/200106.htm


asatsuyu no hajike furueru ayame kana Gabi


morning dew shaking it off trembling the iris
Presented by Gabi Greve, GokuRakuAn, August 2004
Please send us your contributions.
gokuraku@po.harenet.ne.jp


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