Higanbana

This article is about the flower. For the song, see Higanbana (Song).

Higanbana is species of spider lily that grows in Japan. Its English name is "red spider lily" or "hurricane lily" and its Latin name is "Lycoris radiata".

It is traditionally associated with death in Japanese society. Since its bulbs are poisonous, it was planted in graveyards to keep burrowing animals from eating the dead,, and around rice fields to protect the crop's roots; since the stems were edible, it could also be used as an emergency food source if the harvest was poor. Because the flower and the leaves of this plant never appear at the same time, it also symbolises people who are kept apart and cannot meet, especially lovers.

This flower has many names in Japanese, including;

彼岸花 - "Higanbana" meaning "flower of the autumn equinox," the time of year where the plant flowers. "Higan" can also refer to the other shore of the Sanzu River, i.e. the afterlife.
曼珠沙華 - "Manjushage"　from a line in the Buddhist Lotus sutra, referring to a red flower.
死人花 - "Shibito-bana," the flower of the dead.
幽霊花 - "Yuurei-bana," the flower that looks like a ghost.

In Fatal Frame

• In the Crimson Dream chapter of the Zero Shisei no Koe Comic Anthology, the Osaka Twins are seen playing in a field of higanbana.
• In Fatal Frame IV, Kageri Sendo compares herself to a higanbana in bloom in her letter.
• One of Ruka Minazuki's unlockable costumes has a higanbana motif.
• Higanbana appear several times in Fatal Frame V, including as the tile of the theme song. Associated with Ghost Marriage, they line the path to the House of Joining and grow in the garden near the room where marriages are performed. Shiragiku's kimono has a higanbana motif.
• Higanbana appear on the cover of Fatal Frame: Shadow Priestess.
• White higanbana grow behind the Kureha Shrine and Storehouse in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake. They are associated with Itsuki, and a bunch of them are laid on Mutsuki's grave in the Old Tree.

Footnotes

Japanese Culture
Religion
Buddhism - Shinto
Japanese Ghosts/Creatures
Funayūrei - Goryō - Hitodama - Ikiryō - Onryō - Ubume - Yōkai - Yūrei
Specific Japanese Ghosts/Creatures
Oiwa - Okiku - Yuki-onna
Terms
Dosojin - Grave Mound - Hannya Mask - Higanbana - Jizo - Kaidan - Miko - Mukoyōshi - Sanzu River - Shimenawa - Toro-Nagashi - Wara Ningyo
Locations
Northeastern Japan - Shizuoka - Sugisawa Village - Tono
Media and Entertainment
Kagome, Kagome - Ringu