THE CHRYSANTHEMUM 79 



After centuries of cultivation in China the 

 Chrysanthemum appears to have been introduced 

 into Japan. Its conventionalised form, or what is 

 known as the Kiku-mon, Kiku being the Japanese 

 name for the flower, has long been adopted as 

 the crest and official seal of the Emperor and is 

 found on the stamps and coinage of Japan in 

 its sixteen-petalled form. It is also the emblem 

 of the most exalted order in Japan, a decora- 

 tion that is conferred chiefly upon royal persons 

 as a mark of the Imperial favour, our own King 

 Edward VII. being one of the holders of the 

 order. 



The annual Crysanthemum fete held in the 

 Imperial Gardens at Tokio is known the wide 

 world over, and one of the finest and most descrip- 

 tive accounts of it was given some years ago by the 

 celebrated French author, Pierre Loti. This fete 

 is annually held on the birthday of the Emperor, 

 and to it are invited the native aristocracy and 

 other distinguished members of the Court and the 

 members of the Diplomatic Service. Upon the card 

 of invitation there appears the Kiku-mon stamped 

 in gold, and the border of the card is composed of a 

 garland of the flowers and foliage in gold. This 

 great fete was instituted by the Emperor Ouda 



