Wednesday 5 November 2014

Ozukuri

Ozukuri chrysanthemums Grand Trianon Versailles
These giant chrysanthemums are exhibited at Grand Trianon castle in the palace grounds until 15 November. The chrysanthemum is associated with mourning in France (especially on November 1, All Saints or All Hallows, when graves are flowered with them) but not so in Japan. Cultivated with veneration, this plant is considered both as an emblem of the imperial family and as an evocation of joy and eternity. It is thought to make life better and longer, symbolised by its late, colourful flowering period. Usually presented at Shinjuku Gyoen Imperial Park in Tokyo, the two giant chrysanthemums, or ‘Ozukuri’ travelled ten thousand kilometres to come to Versailles. These trees, 'designed' in keeping with a unique ritual, are being welcomed for the first time in France. They have reached maturity in a greenhouse at Grand Trianon thanks to the expertise of the gardeners from the Imperial Park who accompanied them to Versailles to prepare their flowering. The trees are constructed from a single plant from which a dome-shaped structure is grown. The flowers at the ends of the branches are clamped into horizontal concentric circles and create a floral half-sphere of monumental dimensions. These plant creations can reach three to four metres in diameter (9.84 to 13.12 feet) and include several hundred thousand flowers. The presence of these two giant chrysanthemums at Grand Trianon celebrates the 90th anniversary of the Franco-Japanese cultural partnership inspired by Paul Claudel, the 'poet-ambassador' who sought to strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries. VDP being extremely lazy, what you have just read is a slightly adapted paste of the palace website.
 
Cultivé avec vénération au Japon, le chrysanthème est considéré à la fois comme un emblème de la famille impériale et comme une évocation de joie et d’éternité. On lui attribue la capacité de rendre la vie plus belle et longue, ce que symbolise sa floraison tardive et colorée. Ces deux chrysanthèmes géants, ou "Ozukuri" nous viennent du cœur du parc impérial du Shinjuku Gyoen à Tokyo, sont "dessinés" selon un rituel unique et sont accueillis pour la première fois en France. Ils se sont épanouis dans une serre de Trianon grâce au savoir-faire des jardiniers du parc impérial, qui les ont accompagnés à Versailles pour préparer leur floraison. Les arbres se déploient à partir d’un seul et même pied autour duquel germe une structure en forme de dôme. Les fleurs à l’extrémité des branches sont enserrées dans des cercles concentriques horizontaux et créent une demi-sphère florale aux dimensions monumentales. Le diamètre de ces œuvres végétales peut atteindre trois ou quatre mètres et comporter plusieurs centaines de milliers de fleurs. La présence des deux chrysanthèmes géants au Grand Trianon marque le 90ème anniversaire du partenariat culturel franco-japonais inspiré par Paul Claudel, "l’ambassadeur-poète" qui voulait renforcer la connaissance mutuelle entre les deux pays. VDP étant flemmarde, ce que vous venez de lire est le texte (légèrement adapté) du site web du château. Les Ozukuri sont visibles jusqu’au 15 novembre.
Ozukuri chrysanthemums Grand Trianon Versailles
Ozukuri chrysanthemums Grand Trianon Versailles
Below, a picture of what they looked like 10 days after arriving in Versailles!

Ci-dessous, ce à quoi ils ressemblaient 10 jours après leur arrivée à Versailles !
Ozukuri chrysanthemums Grand Trianon Versailles

21 comments:

Tanya Breese said...

wow, i've never seen anything like it! amazing!!

Michelle said...

I've never seen anything like this. Just stunning! Thank you for sharing this!

RedPat said...

It is slightly bizarre the way they can control the growth of the plant! What a wonderful thing, Ciel!

Jack said...

That is pretty spectacular. (Love the "VDP being very lazy . . . " line.)

Anonymous said...

Astonishing, it is H U G E!

La cachette à Josette said...

inimaginable !

Anonymous said...

Spectaculaire ! Je ne connaissais pas ...

VP said...

Strange and quite spectacular!

Thérèse said...

Une alternative au bonsai!
C'est magnifique!
Une belle facon d'entretenir l'amitie entre jardiniers.
Je viens de lire qu'il y en avait eu deux a l’Exposition universelle de Paris en 1900!

Sharon said...

What an amazing construction. I love it. And, thanks for the great explanation.

Birdman said...

Some days, I too can survive with 'lazy'. Enjoy.

Wayne said...

Gorgeous, I appreciate the hard work that went into these, they are amazingly huge.

I can visualize some really cool monochrome photos coming from this.

EG CameraGirl said...

Looks like it might have been a tricky floral arrangement to make.

Lois said...

They are absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for including all the information too.

Stuart said...

I've never seen flowers so systematically lined up!

Revrunner said...

Ditto all of the above. :-)

Small City Scenes said...

Beautiful, interesting but weird. I used to do Bonsai and loved it but while it does make for beautiful plants you are tweaking it out of it's natural pattern and....is that right?. MB

Halcyon said...

How beautiful! I also associate "mums" with cemeteries, but this display may change my mind.

Gunn said...

Just fantastic!

Lots of work and lots of talents.

Great images!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Stunning.. and how even more super do they look reflected in the mirror and on that amazing checkerboard floor.. wonderful composition as a whole Ciel.

Unknown said...

This is amazing!