48 THE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR. 



brother of the flowers," "old man's flower," "virgin flower," etc. 

 The chrysanthemum is also one of the "Four Gentlemen," so called 

 on account of their vigorous qualities, the plum, the orchid, the 

 bamboo, and the chrysanthemum. 



But in Japan there is one place where it is said to be unlucky 

 to raise chrysanthemums, that is, in Himeji. The reason therefor 

 will be evident from the following story, related by Lafcadio Hearn 

 in his Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan : 



"Himeji contains the ruins of a great castle of thirty turrets; 

 and a daimyo used to dwell therein whose revenue was one hundred 

 and fifty-six thousand koku of rice. Now, in the house of one of 

 that daimyo's chief retainers was a maid servant of good family, 

 whose name was O-Kiku ; and the name 'Kiku' signifies a chrysan- 

 themum flower. Many precious thing were entrusted to her charge, 

 and among other things ten costly dishes of gold. One of these 

 was suddenly missed and could not be found ; and the girl, being 

 responsible therefor, and knowing not how otherwise to prove her 

 innocence, drowned heself in a well. But ever thereafter her 

 ghost, returning nightly, could be heard counting the dishes slowly, 

 with sobs : 'Ichi-mai, Ni-mai, San-mai, Yo-mai, Go-mai, Roku-mai, 

 Shichi-mai, Hachi-mai, Ku-mai, . . . .' 



"Then there would be heard a despairing cry and a loud burst 

 of weeping; and again the girl's voice counting the dishes plain- 

 tively : ' One two three four five six seven eight nine 



"Her spirit passed into the body of a strange little insect, whose 

 head faintly resembles that of a ghost with long disheveled hair ; 

 and it is called O-Kiku-mushi, or 'the fly of O-Kiku' ; and it is 

 found, they say, nowhere save in Himeji. A famous play was writ- 

 ten about O-Kiku, which is still acted in all the popular theatres, 

 entitled Banshu-O-Kiku-no-Sara-Ya-shiki, or 'the Manor of the 

 Dish of O-Kiku of Banshu.' " 



Some declare that Banshu is only a corruption of the name of 

 an ancient quarter (Bancho) of Tokyo (Yedo), where the story 

 should have been laid. But the people of Himeji say, that part of 

 their city now called Go-Ken-Yashiki is identical with the site of 

 the ancient manor. What is certainly true is that to cultivate chrys- 

 anthemum flowers in the part of Himeji called Go-Ken-Yashiki is 

 deemed unlucky, because the name of O-Kiku signifies "chrysanthe- 

 mum." Therefore, nobody, I am told, ever cultivates chrysanthe- 

 mums there. 



