Sacred Lotus flowers: Tsurugaoka-hachimangu

The round and massive leaves of lotus also show unique fineness and traditionally have been incorporated into Japanese and Chinese fine arts, designs, and poetry.

In Japanese Buddhist paintings (Muromachi-Edo period) related to Zen Buddhism culture and Pure Land beliefs, the large, splendid leaves of lotus are always drawn in the scenery of the sacred lotus pond of nirvana. The Kano and Rimpa schools of painting (17th-19th century) often used the motifs of blue-green lotus leaves on the gilded backgrounds of folding screens to create a sense of solemnity and purity.

In Chinese paintings (Southern Song and Yuan dynasty), lotus leaves are depicted in large sizes along with the flowers, and the contrast between the fresh blue-green of the leaves and the red and white of the flowers expressed the untaintedness and stillness of the world. In the Southern Song dynasty, the veins of the leaves were finely drawn in paintings, which emphasized the exquisite beauty of nature.