History

Unchanging is the incredible intrigue and mystique surrounding much of the Japanese culture, especially to those of us in the Western World who have little to no knowledge of this ancient civilization. Many reasons for this phenomenon are understandable, and could include the significant language barrier, lack of easy information exchange between Japan and the Western World, geographical distances making travel incontinent at best and mistrust of anything that is not easily understood, a basic human frailty. Therefore, the possibility of limited access to the wealth of knowledge in Japan is notable, and the orchid world is no stranger to this process. From the little information that is known about Japanese orchids, the entire plant (not only the flower) is of great value, culture is well documented and the presentation of the orchid is the difference between a common and uncommon designation.

The earliest records in Japanese history probably come from the Chinese book of “Senkaku Ruisho” (published before 1600) and “Kashi Sahen” (published in 1617). Within these texts, Neofinetia falcata was called “Keiran Ichimei Fuuran” which was later shortened to “Fuuran”, a term widely used today to represent the wild form of the Neofinetia falcata. The earliest culture information is found in the “Kadan Komoku”, which was written in 1665, confirming cultivation since the Kanbun Period. Within this text, that discusses general culture information about many different types of plants, the Fuuran is referenced, but lack any statements about the different forms found in cultivation today.

Therefore, while the European orchid enthusiast was frantically purchasing the many “different” genera that were collected from all parts of the word (with little if any information in relation to the culture of these orchids except for a trial by error basis – many orchids failed to survive), the Japanese had already studied and cultivated the Fuuran for over 100 years with earnest and surprising results. One discovery is that both demonstrable and reproducible differences exist between the Fuuran and can be linked to strict geographical locations. The Fuuran is not the only orchid to have this characteristic. Dendrobium moniliforme, Cymbidium goeringii and Sedirea japonica also share demonstrable and reproducible differences among each species. A division in terminology was then required to distinguish between the “common” and the “uncommon” orchids. Below is a table that shows the Common and the Uncommon (Garden Name) for the orchids discussed above.

To the Japanese, beauty is found in all types of alterations of the “typical form” and is extended to not only the flower, but to other parts of the plants, such as the stem (jiku), flower stalk, nectary (kyo), leaves (tennba), junction between leaves and stem (tsuke), roots and even root tips! An elaborate classification system has been created by the Japanese to explain and catalog all of these differing characteristics. Therefore, the “garden name” is a celebration of those plants that are uniquely different from the common plant of that species. The former are the plants that are highly desirable by the Japanese orchid growers and the Fuukiran is no exception in Japan’s rich and colorful history for the last 342 years.

The geographical distribution of the common neofinetia falcata (Fuuran) and the uncommon neofinetia falcata (garden name – Fuukiran) is a matter of record maintained by the Japanese, and reveals many differing geographical regions of Japan (not ignoring the fact that this genus (composed of two recognized species) is also found in Korea and China). Remembering that Japan is divided into eight Regions and the Regions are divided into sixty Prefectures, tabulating the origin the Fuukiran orchids reveals the following table.

Japanese Region	Number of Prefectures in each Region	Number of Prefectures with known Fuukiran	Number of Fuukiran in the Prefectures
Tohoku Region	6	1	6
Chubu Region	9	2	3
Chugoku Region	5	2	2
Hokkaido Region	14	0	0
Kanto Region	7	0	0
Kinki Region	7	3	5
Kyushu-Okinawa Region	8	2	2
Shikoku Region	4	2	9
Total	47	12	27

Although this data is preliminary, it is clear that Fuukiran can be found in Japan ranging from the Northern aspects to the Southern regions. Most of the Fuukiran have originated from harvesting the mountainsides in these Prefectures, not dissimilar to the collecting techniques in use today by modern orchid collectors. From the table above, twelve of sixty Prefectures are known to contain distinct Fuukiran (12/60 or 20%), and the total number of Fuukiran in those twelve Prefectures is twenty-seven (27).

According to the standards of the Japanese

Fuukiran Society (JFS), the discovery of a new Fuuran does not always result in the immediate designation of a new Fuukiran. Several generations of the prospective new Fuukiran must be grown as well as several separate and unique specimens. This is needed so the JFS can determine if the candidate Fuukiran is truly different, maintains the uniquely identifiable characteristics, passes its characteristics onto its offspring and, eventually, is deserving of the status of Fuukiran. However, it is not enough for the plant to have different vegetative or reproductive differences - it must have cultural characteristics that are pleasing and suitable for a Fuukiran. In other words, the plants must be grown in suitable pots with artistically sculpted moss. It is true that some of the Fuukiran candidates have been denied Fuukiran status simply due to a deviation from the expected presentation, such as a non-elegant pot, poorly sculpted moss, etc. If the Fuukiran candidate passes the rigid evaluation process, then the lowly Fuuran is assigned a “Registration Judgment” and a new Fuukiran is formally documented in the Fuukiran manifest.

The origins of the Fuukiran have been traced back to the Edo Period in Japan, at about the time of the Bunka-Bunsei epoch (late 18^th Century to early 19^th Century). At this time, horticulture varieties were “all the rage”, and included many flora, ranging from grasses to trees and the Fuukiran was not exempt from this practice. The result of this flurry of interest was a high price to pay for these unusual Fuurans was great. One source states that the same price for an unusual Fuuran equaled the price paid for an entire home with a garden! During this Period, the Shogun Tokugawa Ienari was a very compassionate collector and grower of the unusual Fuurans. He placed great importance upon these small green plants and went so far as to cover his valuable Fuuran with gold or silver netting to protect the plants. Admirers who came to see his plants had to wear paper masks so as to not breathe on his prized plants. This obsession trickled down to the regional warlords who commanded their clan members to scour the countryside so as to find unusual Fuurans. The warlords competed for the Shogun’s attention by finding more unusual Fuurans than the next warlord. And it is from this period in Japanese history that the term Fuukiran came into being. Literally, this word means “The Orchid (admired by those with) Wealth and Rank”. Today, the translation is sometimes shortened to “Wealth and Rank Orchid”. Popularity for the Fuukiran decreased at the end of the Edo Period only to be revised after the Meiji Restoration (about 1868).

The Meiji government embraced much of the beliefs held by Western civilization, and orchid growing was no exception. Unfortunately, this meant that most of the Fuuran and Fuukiran were ignored or forgotten, replaced by new and growing interest in the orchids coveted by the Western world. Fortunately, lists of Fuukiran could still be found, but the earlier popularity remained modest, at best, and little if any advances in availability, culture or discovery of new varieties occurred.

Nonetheless, at the beginning of the Showa Period (in the 1920’s), a second wave of popularity for the Furan and Fuukiran began, although the country was caught up in the problems of World War II. Books on Fuukiran as well as societies devoted to the classification, culture and harvesting of Fuukiran emerged in earnest. Unfortunately, most of the Fuukiran were only available to (or could be afforded by) the upper classes. This, plus the problems in the Pacific resulted in a severe decline in the Fuukiran’s popularity.. However, the popularity of the Fuukiran begin to once again gain momentum 28 years following the end of WWII, and continues to do so today. The most dramatic change that the Fuukiran has undergone is an increased availability of most of the Fuukiran for Japanese and non-Japanese orchid growers. This is largely due to the fact that many of the current day Japanese Fuukiran growers are encouraging the Western World to learn about the wonderful world of the Fuukiran. The result is that the Fuukiran are no longer only enjoyed by the select few, as seen during the times of the Shougun.