Calendar Art 2012

Irises at Heian Shrine

Irises are still some ways away from their peak of bloom in Kyoto, but we have a preview of a scene of them in luscious bloom at Heian Shrine on this March-April page. The distinctive stepping stones crossing the water tell us that this is the “blue dragon pond” in the sacred central garden at Heian Shrine, Kyoto’s prime spot for iris view-ing. Here, approximately one thousand iris bulbs set down roots and bloom their magnificent purple flowers around the month of May, the month of the Boy’s Day Festival with which the iris is traditionally associated.