June 26th- June 30th, 2024 is Summer – GESHI (Summer solstice)-29th KOU “HANASHOBU (Irises ) bloom.”
The English name for HANASHOBU is iris sanguinea, but a species of iris endemic to Japan.
Perhaps for this reason, it has been loved by Japanese people since old days, and lots of attempts were made to improve it during the Edo period. It is said that there are an astounding 5,000 different combinations of flower colors and shapes. (Reference https://tokyoiris.com 東京花菖蒲会 in Japanese)
The rainy season began in the HOKUSHIN area on June 21. HANASHOBU in the rain, how elegant! But perhaps due to the record heat that continued through May and June, most of the flowers have already finished blooming.
