The Two “Hototogisu” of Ikaho
Today, we would like to introduce two different things in Ikaho that share the name hototogisu.
One is connected with The Cuckoo (Hototogisu), the well-known novel by Tokutomi Roka that helped introduce the charms of Ikaho Onsen to readers throughout Japan.
Because of this literary connection, the hototogisu, or lesser cuckoo, has also been designated as the official bird of Shibukawa City.
There is also another hototogisu that appears every year around this season at the entrance to Ryokan Omori.
This one is a flower: hototogisu, known in English as the Japanese toad lily.
The flower is said to have been given its Japanese name because the dark reddish-purple spots on its petals resemble the markings on the breast of the hototogisu bird.
Its symbolic meanings in the language of flowers include “forever yours” and “hidden determination.”
So, did you discover the difference between Ikaho’s two “hototogisu”?
We hope you will come and enjoy Ikaho Onsen in the gentle days of early autumn.