＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
When we think of paulownia, we immediately think of paulownia chests, paulownia sandals, paulownia boxes, and even koto (harp) made from paulownia wood, which were once standard wedding furniture. However, few people have actually seen paulownia trees, paulownia flowers, or paulownia berries.
I rarely see paulownia trees myself, but I happened to come across four or five paulownia trees near Aquapia Akutagawa while taking leisurely walks around Takatsuki City. They were in full bloom, with pale purple blossoms hanging like bells, making them very noticeable even from a distance.
1. Paulownia Trees, Paulownia Flowers, and Paulownia Berries
Paulownia is a deciduous tree in the family Thujoceae (Lamiales). It grows to a height of 10-15 meters. Its bark is grayish-white, and its leaves are large, broadly ovate, and opposite, with long stalks.
From mid-April to May, pale purple, bell-shaped flowers bloom in cone-shaped clusters.
When the fruit ripens, the shell splits open, scattering many winged seeds.
The wood is white, light, and resistant to cracking and warping, and can be polished to a lustrous shine, so it is used for chests of drawers, geta sandals, and koto (harp).
2. Paulownia-related Proverbs and Haiku
(1) Proverbs
“A single paulownia leaf falls, and the world knows autumn is here.” It can also be said, “A single leaf falls, and the world knows autumn is here.” This is derived from a phrase in the “Huainanzi” (Enanzi) in the “Shuzan” reading.
(From the idea that seeing a single paulownia leaf fall, which falls earlier than other trees, means knowing that autumn has arrived.) This is an analogy for predicting the general outcome from a small phenomenon.
(2) Haiku
① “Paulownia Blossoms” (Summer Seasonal Word)
・大空やみなうつむいて桐の花（原 石鼎）
・虚無僧に犬吠えかかる桐の花（夏目漱石）
・花桐や二条わたりの夕月夜（内藤鳴雪）
・桐咲けり天守に靴の音あゆむ（山口誓子）
・花桐にカステラ甘き露台かな（久米正雄）
・町古りぬただ華やかに桐の花（佐藤春夫）
② “Paulownia fruit” (Autumn season word)
・桐の實や干鯵をまた乾かさむ（石田波郷）
・から～に桐の実かれし小窓哉（寺田寅彦）
・桐の実のおのれ淋しく鳴る音かな（富安風生）
・桐の実の鳴らんと仰ぐ鳴りにけり（石田波郷）
③ “A Single Paulownia Leaf” (Autumn Seasonal Word)
At the beginning of autumn, large paulownia leaves sometimes softly fall without a breeze. This is called “A Single Paulownia Leaf” or simply “A Single Leaf.”
・我宿の淋しさおもへ桐一葉（松尾芭蕉）
・桐一葉日當りながら落ちにけり（高浜虚子）
・西向の解剖室や桐一葉（寺田寅彦）
・胃洗うて病院桐の秋濶（ひろ）し（飯田蛇笏）
・夏痩の骨にひゞくや桐一葉（正岡子規）
・線香を干した所へ桐一葉（芥川龍之介）
3. Family Crests, Medals, Hanafuda Cards, and Nicknames
(1) Family Crest
The paulownia family crest is called “kirimon”（「桐紋（きりもん）」） or “tokamon”（「桐花紋（とうかもん）」）.
The basic design consists of three upright inflorescences and three leaves. The most common is the “Gosan no Kiri” (Gosangiri) with 3-5-3 flowers per inflorescence, but there is also the “Goshichi no Kiri” (Goshichigiri) with 5-7-5 flowers.
It has been used by various governments, including the Muromachi Shogunate, the Imperial Family, and the Toyotomi government, and is currently used as the coat of arms of the Japanese government.
(2) Orders
The Order of the Paulownia Flower is the “Paulownia Flower Order” (Grand Cordon of the Paulownia Flower). It was first established in 1888 as the highest rank of the “Order of the Rising Sun” and was called the “Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, Paulownia Flowers, 1st Class.” Since 2002, it has been a separate order, although of a higher rank, awarded to those who have demonstrated particularly outstanding achievements or long-term service among those who are eligible to receive the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
(3) Hanafuda Cards
The Hanafuda card for December is “Paulownia and Phoenix.”
Paulownia flowers bloom between April and May in the modern calendar (a seasonal word for summer in the old calendar), but the reason it was chosen for December is because it’s a pun on the “kiri” (from pinkiri) in “pinkiri” (pin to kiri).
(4) Other Names
① Another name for the “Koto” (Koto): It’s called this because the body of the koto is made of paulownia wood.
② Also known as “Oban” (large coin), “Koban” (small coin), or “Money”: Oban and koban coins are called this because they have a paulownia crest seal stamped on them.
