Kiku Matsuri

Kiku Matsuri, also called Kiku no sekku or Choyo no sekku (重陽の節句), takes place on September 9. It is one of the 5 sekku (節句) celebrations of the passing of seasons, along with:

• January 1rst (New Year);
• March 3 (Hina Matsuri, the Dolls festival or girls festival);
• May 5 (Kodomo no Hi, Children’s day); and,
• July 7 (Tanabata, the Stars festival).

In the former luni-solar calendar, abandoned in the early Meiji Era (1868 – 1912), placed this celebration on the 9th day of the 9th month, during the agricultural peak season and especially the time of rice harvesting. In nowadays’ calendar, it falls around mid-October, the actual period when chrysanthemums start blooming and the time of harvest festivals (such as the Kunchi Matsuri festivals in Nagasaki and Karatsu).

The date itself was calling for rituals, as the number 9 in Japanese can be pronounced ku, a sound that conveys the meaning of suffering, that symbolically seemed to be doubled on this specific day.

The origins of Kiku Matsuri

Kiku Matsuri was imported in Japan from China during the Heian period (794 – 1185). The chrysanthemum flower was already the focus of this celebration, as a symbol of youth and eternal life. It was the occasion of sumptuous feasts at the Japanese Imperial Court on the 9th day of the 9th month, in hope of benefiting from is supposed properties on longevity. Flowers were used for purification rituals as they were believed to ward off evil.

These beliefs were sustained by the legend of Kikujido (a Japanized name meaning "the chrysanthemum boy"). Kikujido was the favorite of the emperor of China and was exiled due to intrigues at the Court. He is said to have lived and sustained his youthful appearance for 700 years, a miracle attributed to the many chrysanthemums growing in his place of exile, and to him drinking kikuzake, the chrysanthemum sake 🍶. Some versions of the tale attribute his longevity to his religious devotion, as he copied sutras on chrysanthemum petals.

How the flower became important

The chrysanthemum cultivation, with a long history in China, was imported in Japan at the same time as Kiku Matsuri. It is mentioned as soon as the 8th century in the Man’yoshu, the oldest poems anthology in Japan.

The flower was certainly appreciated in the Land of the Rising Sun, first and foremost by the emperors:

• Emperor Saga (784 – 842), who was fond of Chinese culture, had a "chrysanthemum island" arranged on the pond of his garden, part of which still exists nowadays at Daikaku-ji temple;
• A few hundred year later, emperor Go-Toba (1180 -1239) was the 1rst to use the 16 double-petals chrysanthemum flower as his coat of arms, that was used by several of his successors;
• The chrysanthemum becomes the official symbol of the Imperial Household in 1926 (hence the name "chrysanthemum throne", and has been illustrating the Japanese passports ever since.

The fondness for this plant also quickly grew into the people, and its cultivation became widespread during the Edo period (1603 – 1868), where researches were made to improve the plants, leading to the number of approx. 350 chrysanthemum varieties originating from Japan only. Chrysanthemum exhibitions and contests started to develop and peaked during the Meiji Era, with the opening of the country to the world and consequently to the Western and Chinese horticultural methods.

How to celebrate Kiku Matsuri ?

During the Edo Period, Kiku Matsuri was the most important sekku festival. The celebration of the flower at the end of fall was the counterpart of the plum blossom celebration of spring 🌸. At the occasion of Choyo no sekku, the Hina Matsuri 🎎 dolls were displayed again in the houses. They were then called "fall dolls" (Aki no hina, 秋の雛) or Nochi no hina (後の雛, "after dolls"). This tradition has since mostly disappeared.

Nowadays, Kiku Matsuri is a 2 times celebration: on September 9 and between mid-October to mid-November, a period that corresponds to the 9th month of the former lunisolar calendar, and the flowering of the chrysanthemums.

On September 9, rituals are mainly held at Shinto shrines, for good health and longevity. Some old traditions are still prevailing, such as:

• Drinking kikuzake (菊酒), a sake infused with chrysanthemum petals, for longevity. In the past, pickled chrysanthemum flowers could also be eaten;
• Making a kikumakura (菊枕, "chrysanthemum pillow") by inserting a sachet filled with sun dried chrysanthemum flowers in a pillow. The perfume of the flower is said to foster a quality sleep, while keeping evil spirits away;
• Making kisewata (被せ綿), that is to say wrapping chrysanthemum flowers in cotton on the evening before September 9. The next day, the cotton saturated by the flowers’ perfume and humidity can be used in a cosmetic routine to delay skin aging.

2nd celebration: from mid-October to mid-November

Kiku Matsuri, the chrysanthemum festival, is also the season when these flowers bloom, an event celebrated throughout the country in various exhibitions, in the same way as the flower expositions of the Edo and Meiji periods. Thanks to their multiplicity, there is plenty of room for any kind of events and set ups: from the simple container of 3 giant flowers, to more sophisticated compositions reminding of fireworks 🎆, or skits featuring chrysanthemum bonsai, and even kiku ningyo (菊人形, "chrysanthemum dolls") that are life-sized characters whose clothes are ornamented by or composed of many, various and colorful chrysanthemum flowers.

In this beginning of autumn, delicacies are nutrient-rich seasonal foods, such as chestnuts prepared with rice (kuri gohan), always with the underlying idea of preserving health and extend life expectancy. Sushi 🍣 and sashimi may also be served with yellow chrysanthemum: the flower is not only decorative, but its petals are to be enjoyed dipped in shoyu soy sauce, for an additional tasteful experience. Wagashi traditional pastries are shaped into small chrysanthemum flowers.

Where to attend a Kiku Matsuri

Ceremonies can be held on September 9 at specific Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples:

• In Kyoto’s Kamigamo shrine, priests perform a ritual for good harvests and good health by dancing and singing in an imitation of crows; then kikuzake is served and followed by a sumo tournament whose participants are children.
• In Horin-ji temple in Arashiyama, sutra chanting is performed by choirs of monks.

Flower exhibitions are usually open between mid-October and until the 2nd third of November, depending on the area, and especially:

In Kyoto

• Daikaku-ji temple, historically associated to the flower’s introduction in Japan, organizes every year the Saga Kikuten, Emperor Saga’s chrysanthemum exhibition, in November from the 1rst to 30th.
• Kyoto Botanical Garden is hosting a large chrysanthemum exhibition between October 20 to mid- November.

In Tokyo

• Sugamo Nakasendo Kiku Matsuri, November 06 to 14, the whole Sugamo area is filled with flower sculptures and alleys of giant chrysanthemums, especially at Edo-roku Jizo-son Shinsho-ji and Kogan-ji temples.
• Bunkyo Kiku Matsuri, November 1rst to 22~23 at Yushima Tenmangu shirne near Ueno. A local horticultural association cultivates 2,000 plants that are visited by approx. 100,000 people every year.
• Meiji-jingu shrine, from November 3 (birth day of emperor Meiji) to 23.
• Kameido Tenjin shrine in the east of Tokyo, not far from Asakusa and the Tokyo SkyTree; the place is renowned for its wisterias but also displays chrysanthemums from October 22 to November 23.
• Zenyo-ji temple in Edogawa has been hosting since 1967 the Yôgô kiku taikai, from October 16 to November 23: an exhibition of about 1,000 chrysanthemum plants.
• In Shibamata, the Yamamoto-tei house has a small exhibition also encompassing the celebration of Shichi-Go-San, between the end of October and the end of November.
• The Japanese garden Shinjuku Gyoen also has a chrysanthemum exhibition on the 1rst half of November.

In Osaka

The economic capital of the Kansai area has various places ornamented with chrysanthemums, such as its castle 🏯 or the Shitenno-ji temple, between late October and around mid-November.

• The biggest chrysanthemum fair in the world takes place at the Kokkaen exhibition park on an artificial island near KIX airport in Osaka. The All Japan Chrysanthemum Exhibition is usually held from October 20 to November 23 and admission is free.
• Hirakata City (Osaka prefecture) is holding the Hirakata Kiku Festival from October 25 to November 13 and specializes in the exhibition of life-sized chrysanthemum dolls.

Early fall and the flowering peak of the chrysanthemums, that lasts nearly 1 month, are some of the perfect moments to visit Japan. Depending on the weather, the luckiest travelers may even be able to observe the early days of the koyo 🍁 foliage from the 2nd half of November.