| Tsurishinobu-en in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, is in the busiest season for shipping Tsurishinobu or hanging Shinobu fern, one of Japan’s traditional summer products.
It is one of the classic arrangements of Davallia mariesii (called Shinobu in Japanese) since the Edo Period. The garden owner, Makoto Ichihara, first grows young Shinobu ferns for four years, plants them in firm soil balls, and grows them again for around one and half years. Japanese people buy them as one of the summer features to enjoy their clean and cool impressions. The most sought-after Tsurishinobu items are those with a diameter of 10 centimeters. Each Tsurishinobu comes with a Nambu iron wind bell, another symbol of Japanese culture believed to ward off disease and misfortune. The garden now receives orders from all over the country for midyear gifts. Ichihara plans to ship approximately 5,000 Tsurishinobu this summer until the end of the season in mid-August. “Hot, humid weather is expected to continue, but I hope the look of the Tsurishinobu and the sound of the wind bell will help people stay cool in mind,” the 78-year-old owner of the garden said with a smile.  Ichihara checking his Tsurishinobu (in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture) |