Momijigari: "The Hunt for Red Leaves"
Aki samushi
Manako no hikaru
Kijo no men
Mask of the she-devil
rays shine,
when the first colds bite
(Masaoka Shiki, 1867 - 1902)
In Japan Autumn is much more than a season. It’s a veritable anniversary.
If you ask a Japanese about Momijigari they will answer that it’s not a simple holiday on the calendar, but a sacred ritual, a true state of being of the human soul. As a matter of fact, thousands of people flock every year – following an old tradition – to the parks, woods and forests of Japan to admire the view and the unique and irresistible colour of autumn trees.
In Momijigari (literally “The Hunt of the Red Leaves”) the spirit itself of autumn is celebrated and the sensations that this wonderful season emanates are tasted and appreciated till the last gentle-falling leaf.
The astounding red hues of Japanese maple (the symbol of this tradition) are not mere nuances of colour. They tell an ancient and profound story, of ancestral traditions and rituals: music and dances among the autumnal trees – passion and love for a season which every year is unrepeatable and unspeakable.
Our Maple Burgundy line – and its trademark product Maple Fuji – perfectly capture the essence and the emotions of this poetic, beautiful season, eliciting the senses to the unspoken tales of colours and shapes.
