Outline of Exhibition
It is said that the cultivation of primroses in Japan began in the middle of the Edo period when plants with unusual flowers were selected from those growing in the wild. The wild primrose has single-petalled flowers, most of which are flat. The primroses that were chosen were not flamboyant types such as those with blooms having petal lobes that are incurving or shaped like grasping hands. It was through the cultivation of seeds from these plants and a process of selection that more beautiful plants were propagated. Sakuraso Sakudenho ("The Method for the Propagation of Primroses") dating from the latter part of the Edo period tells us that primroses were displayed on tiers and that a method of appreciation also emerged which was based on arranging the flowers according to color.
On display during the program are primroses arranged on a tiered stand constructed to resemble a small hut, which would most likely have been built in the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Recently cultivated double primroses also feature in the display.
Period | April 17 (Tue) - May 6 (Sun), 2007 |
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Venue | Botanical Garden of Everyday Life, National Museum of Japanese History |
Admissions | General (elementary school age on up): ¥100 |
Hours | 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (no entrance after 4:00 p.m.) |
Closed | April 23 (Mon) |
Sponsor | National Museum of Japanese History |
About the exhibit
Note: Please note that items in the exhibition are subject to change.