Kakitsubata (Iris) flowers: Garden of Nezu Museam (Tokyo)

 In May of this year, I visited Nezu Museum (Minato-ku,Tokyo) to appreciate the three greatest pictures of the Rinpa School, namely, Korin Ogata's national treasure picture “Kakitsubata-hana-zu (rabbit-ear-iris flowers picture),” Okyo Maruyama's picture “Fuji-hana-zu (wisteria flowers picture),” and Kiichi Suzuki's picture “Natsu-aki-keiryu-zu (mountain stream in summer and autumn)" in the special exhibition celebrating the 85th anniversary of this honorary private museum.

(Please refer to the links for each of the paintings on the official web site of this museum.)

After viewing the exhibition, I wandered through the verdant Japanese garden attached to the museum. At the end of the intricate walking path, I suddenly found numerous ultramarine-blue flowers of Kakitubata blooming brightly in the dazzling sunlight of May in the central garden pond, which gave me an unexpected pleasure as a bolt from the blue. 

Kakitubata (Iris laevigata) flowers: Kaizo-ji

The green sword-shaped leaves and dainty violet flowers of Kakitubata are reflecting themselves in the calm pond.

In the quiet passage of spring, the precious glimpses of life are revealed to me inconspicuously in this way.