Why Japan for Autumn Leaves? Heian Aristocrats Created Famous Fall Spots

The reason why Japan’s autumn foliage is considered the best in the world.

The news of autumn foliage has started coming in from various places. Many people from overseas also visit Japan specifically to see the autumn colors. While trees that change color in the fall exist outside Japan, why do so many people travel all the way to Japan to see the foliage?

“The most representative tree that changes color is the maple. There are around 150 species of maples worldwide, and it’s said that about 25-26 species grow naturally in Japan. Furthermore, many of these are endemic to Japan,”

Says Shigeru Matsutani, the honorary director of the Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden.

“The reason Japan has such rich vegetation is because the archipelago stretches from north to south, and the climate ranges from cold temperate in the north to warm temperate in the south, with plants adapted to each climate zone. Additionally, Japan has one of the highest percentages of forest area relative to its total land area among developed nations. As you go up 100 meters in elevation, the temperature drops by 0.5°C, so on a mountain over 3000 meters high, it could be 30°C at the base but only around 15°C near the summit. This means a single mountain can have climates ranging from warm temperate to cold temperate.”

The green leaves gradually turn orange, and then red, or sometimes the green fades to yellow. Due to the richness of vegetation, when you climb a mountain, you can enjoy various colors. Matsutani believes such landscapes are unique to Japan.

Indeed, the difference in elevation allows for a beautiful gradient of colors to be enjoyed. But what about gardens?

“While some trees are native, they also brought especially beautiful trees from the mountains to plant in gardens,” Matsutani says.

According to Matsutani, the Japanese have long felt the passage of seasons through the changing colors of leaves, finding beauty in the fleeting nature of the process. Once the season of autumn leaves passed, the harsh winter would come, so it is thought that people, wanting to enjoy the colorful foliage to the fullest, developed the culture of momiji-gari (autumn leaf hunting).

“Simply seeing the mountains turn colors wasn’t enough for the aristocracy of the Heian period. They wanted to bring the trees closer to them, which is why they brought them into their gardens. In ‘The Tale of Genji,’ there is a scene where Hikaru Genji places a maple leaf on his head and dances, so it’s likely that during Murasaki Shikibu’s time, people were already admiring the maples in their gardens.”

Kyoto is hot in summer and cold in winter, with a large daily temperature variation. This is said to be the reason why the autumn colors are so beautiful there. In the end, it was the Heian aristocrats’ love for the autumn foliage that helped create the famous autumn color spots loved by people around the world.

 

The Heian aristocrats transplanted maple trees from the mountains into their gardens, but by the Muromachi period, they wanted to enjoy nature even more closely, which led to bringing nature indoors. This practice gave birth to the art of using flowers for tea ceremonies, which eventually evolved into the Japanese art of Ikebana (flower arranging). The culture of creating ornamental varieties for viewing also began around this time.

“Maples are known for their genetic mutations, where a branch may suddenly produce leaves with different characteristics. When such branches were found in the mountains, they were brought back, and through techniques like cutting and grafting, they were propagated.

Especially during the Edo period, due to the flower-loving nature of figures like Tokugawa Ieyasu and Iemitsu, feudal lords competed to present rare flowering trees. Japan thus developed a unique horticultural culture that no other country had, and it has continued to this day.”

As a result, while there are only 25-26 species of wild maples, there are said to be between 100 to 200 cultivated varieties. The diversity of these ornamental varieties may have contributed to the wide range of maple colors.

“Many of these ornamental varieties have different leaf shapes or branch forms. However, the increase in ornamental varieties did not directly lead to a greater variety of maple leaf colors.”

Matsutani suggests that the deep love for flowering trees in Japan is closely linked to the Japanese sense of spirituality.

“The Japanese belief is that gods reside in all aspects of nature. Some trees are enshrined as sacred trees, and some shrines treat entire mountains as sacred sites. This reverence for nature has likely led to the love of nature and the enjoyment of maple trees.”

 

The Kyoto autumn leaves were incredibly beautiful more than 10 years ago.

In the northern regions, the autumn leaves have already started, but will Kyoto also have a spectacular display this year?

“I don’t know. Global warming is completely negative for autumn leaves. The key issue is the minimum temperature. For beautiful autumn leaves, the minimum temperature needs to gradually decrease, and there must be several days with temperatures below 5°C. Also, moderate rainfall is necessary, and most importantly, the trees need to be healthy. It depends on the weather after November begins.”

This summer was hot, so does it have any effect?

“When the temperature is high, photosynthesis becomes more active, which has a positive effect on the autumn leaves. However, if the rainfall is insufficient, the edges of the leaves will become crispy and unsightly, and they might fall before they turn color.”

According to Matsutani, Kyoto’s autumn leaves were incredibly beautiful more than 10 years ago. Will this year’s display be just as stunning?

▼Shigeru Matsutani / 9th Director of Kyoto Prefectural Botanical Garden. Known for balancing academic rigor with plant-based entertainment, he achieved the highest annual visitor numbers at a public botanical garden in Japan for four consecutive years. After retiring, he was honored with the title of “Honorary Director” at the same botanical garden. He is currently a visiting professor at Kyoto Prefectural University.