Plant Journeys blog post #6 – Wisteria: cascading blossoms

Our current exhibition at Broughton House, Plant Journeys, includes a wonderful selection of plant-inspired Japanese objects collected by ‘Glasgow Boy’ Edward Atkinson Hornel when he was in Japan in 1894–5 and again in the 1920s. In this series, researcher Dr Minna Törmä explores the same plants by season, highlighting the history of their introduction into Europe, their meaning and significance in Eastern cultures, and what makes each one so special.

When Hornel decided to add wisteria to his garden, could it be that he was influenced by the beautiful wisteria growth in Japan? This flower is prominently featured in many of the Yokohama shashin photographs he collected. Or was he aware of and inspired by the wisteria trellis on Claude Monet’s (1840–1926) Japanese bridge in his water lily garden in Giverny? Regardless, Hornel had a deep affection for wisteria and considered it one of his favourite Japanese plants. This is evident from the various wisteria designs found in the kimono pattern books he obtained.

Wisteria arrived in Europe from two directions. Wisteria sinensis came from China through Guangzhou in the early 1800s, while the violet-blue W. floribunda arrived from Japan shortly after. Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796–1866) introduced the Japanese variety and had a beautiful illustration of it created by the Japanese artist Kawahara Keiga (1786[?]–after 1859) in Siebold’s Flora Japonica.

Wisteria (fuji) often appears in Japanese literature and poetry, perhaps most famously in The Tale of Genji, the early 11th-century novel by Murasaki Shikibu. In the novel, and also historically, it is the name of the Fujiwara clan, the name of the two women Genji loves most. Wisteria is also often connected with pine, a combination symbolising harmony between man and woman. The following haiku by Nishiyama Sōin (1605–82) creates a humorous image of the two of them together:

‘wisteria on the pine –

like an octopus

climbing a tree’

[Stephen Addiss, The Art of Haiku: Its History through Poems and Paintings by Japanese Masters (Boston, MA: Shambala Publications, 2012), p. 69.]

While wisteria is rare in Chinese art, in Japan we find it in addition to literature in Kabuki theatre, in paintings and prints, like in the Hiroshige (1797–1858) print of a Swallow and Wisteria, and as decorative motif on ceramics and other objects. The lacquered tebako (box for personal accessories) is a fine example of the use of wisteria to decorate everyday objects and make them feel special.

Dr Törmä’s research can be explored further in a new exhibition. Plant Journeys: Stories of East Asian Plants in Hornel’s Home and Garden, which runs until 31 October at Broughton House, Kirkcudbright.