Butterbur (fuki no too)

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Butterbur sprouts (fuki no too, fuki no tou) fukinotou

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Spring
***** Category: Plant

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Explanation

One of these plants, when mentioning the name, many Japanese turn the eyes to heaven and sigh ! ... and hope for spring.
It is the memorial flower of the northern province of Akita.

The first tempura or miso soup with these sprouts is a special treat in rural areas, especially in mountainous areas of the Main Island, Shikoku and Kyushu, where it shows its head below the snow. It tastes quite bitter, but never mind, this is the taste of SPRING !

This year I had to wait quite a while before being able to take this photo. Finally, quite a cold winter was over !

seeing your face
on the forest ground !
butterbur sprouts


© Photo Gabi Greve, 2006

butterbur sprouts, fuki no too 蕗の薹 ふきのとう
Petasites japonicus
spring butterbur、春の蕗 haru no fuki
butterbur sprouts, fuki no me 蕗の芽
butterbur flowers, fuki no hana 蕗の花

Another name is
"Mother in Law of the Butterbur"
fuki no shuutome, 蕗の（ふきのしゅうとめ)

Japanese Sweet Coltsfoot.
Huflattich-Blüte

For Summer Kigo, see below.

The Greek word "petasos" means a summer head with a broad rim, like the broad leaves of the plant.


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Worldwide use

Bergrhabarber


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Things found on the way






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HAIKU

The scattering petals
of the wild butterbur.
The sound of a waterfall.

Matsuo Basho
http://www.shin-ibs.edu/ccsbsomn2.htm

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蕗の薹 おもひおもひの 夕汽笛
fuki no too omoi-omoi no yuu ki bue

butterbur season -
the different sounds of
night trains
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

中村汀女 Nakamura Teijo

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the butterbur leans
as I weed around it
the spring moon looms behind

Koi Nagata,
translated by Nana Naruto and Margaret Mitsutani
http://www.assemblylanguage.com/text/Yuriya.html

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Related words

Kigo for Early Summer

***** Butterbur, fuki 蕗
Petasites japonica

butterbur leaves, fuki no ha
field with butterbur, fukibatake



"butterbur like aloeswood", kyarabuki 伽羅蕗
a special dish prepared from the stems, as a tsukudani boiled with soy sauce. The name KYARA comes from the color of the incence, which is the same as the fuki stems.

(Aloeswood (aloes-wood 伽羅) is a special ingredient of incense)


伽羅蕗のほどよき照りや傘雨の忌
kyarabuki no hodoyoku teri ya San-u no ki

the shimmer of these
boiled coltsfoot stems is just right -
memorial day of Mantaroo

Karasawa Nankaishi 唐沢南海子



伽羅蕗の滅法からき御寺かな
kyarabuki no meppoo kara ki otera kana

Boosha 茅舎


ＷASHOKU : Mori no Megumi
Food from the Bountiful Woods 　


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HAIKU

蕗の葉にとんで引くりかへる哉
fuki no ha ni tonde hikkurikaeru kana

onto the butterbur leaf
landing upside down...
a frog

Issa has some more haiku about the butterbur leaves.
Butterbur Haiku by Issa

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awabi ama fuku no ha ni fuku iso megane

Woman diver for
abalone wipes goggles
with butterbur leaf
(Tr. Koko Kato)

Akio Ohyama
http://www.e-net.or.jp/user/tmt/ani360/walk.html

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fukinotou chinoikioi o ete ideshi

butterbur sprout
comes out,
raised by Mother-earth

© Neal's Haiku
http://homepage2.nifty.com/nealoshiro/haikuenglish.html

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***** Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), Europa fuki tanpopo (Japan)


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WASHOKU ... Japanese Food SAIJIKI


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