Representative of the autumn, Japanese bush clover or hagi is also one of the seven herbs of autumn. Hagi has been loved by Japanese since the dawn of history, and it is said that the flower was most frequently taken as the theme in the anthology of Japanese poetry, Man’yoshu.

The reddish-purple flowers are pretty, and the plant’s strong vitality is also attractive.

O-hagi, a rice cake coated with sweetened red bean paste used as an offering on Autumnal Equinox Day, is named after this flower. The same cake, however, is called botamochi if offered on Vernal Equinox Day, meaning “peony cake”. The unique naming is owed to the ideas of Japanese people who love flowers in season.