Higo Hanasyoubu (Higo Iris)

❁Mangetsukai's Rule of Secrets❁

- To protect the firm promise of Matsudaira Shoo and Yoshida Junnosuke and the pure varieties

All seedlings and seeds are owned by Mangetsu-kai, and are prohibited from being transferred or shared with anyone other than members, even close relatives, and must be returned when leaving the group!

In the 1910s, a professor emeritus from Tokyo University investigated Higo irises and reported at the International Botanical Society that they were "unparalleled flowers, not only in Japan, but also in the world."

They became widely known in the horticultural world around the world.

They were encouraged to exhibit them at the 1929 Paris World's Fair as "a flower that Japan can be proud of," but they declined due to the fact that they were not to be sold to outsiders.

In 1930, the American Iris Society asked them to sell seedlings, but they refused, in accordance with the society's rules.

The Higo Hanasyobu (Higo Iris) Mangetsu-kai has protected and passed on the "not to be sold to outsiders" rule!

Shohinken is the only plant allowed by the Mangetsu-kai to be planted in the ground.

Currently, the pure variety is being protected and passed down by several members.

The flowers generally sold commercially as "Higo irises" are not from the Mangetsu-kai.