The "Kokonoe" camellia, a variety said to have been cherished by emperors during the Edo period and passed down through Hokyo-ji Temple in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, known as the "Temple of Dolls," has recently been revived on the temple grounds. Although the original tree withered at Hokyo-ji, a sapling that Takeda Pharmaceutical Company's Medicinal Plant Garden (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto), which had been protecting it for about 70 years, transplanted it. Large blossoms with red streaks on a white background are expected to bloom in April, and Hokyo-ji Temple is delighted that the camellia has returned.

A ceremony was held to replant the famous camellia "Kokonoe" at Hokyoji Temple, which had been lost (March 5, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City).

Hokyo-ji is a nunnery where imperial princesses have served as abbots. The Kokonoe camellia is said to have been a favorite of Emperor Go-Mizunoo in the early Edo period.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company's Medicinal Plant Garden began cultivating camellias in 1956 to serve as a backup for historical horticultural varieties. Currently, they cultivate 505 varieties, including 27 entrusted to them by temples and shrines.

'Kokonoe', a flower that blooms in April with white petals streaked with red (Photo courtesy of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company)

Last year's investigation revealed that the camellia thought to be Kokonoe at Hokyo-ji was a different variety, and the original plant had been lost. The plant had been preserved at the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company's Medicinal Plant Garden for 69 years, and a seedling approximately 60 centimeters tall, propagated by cuttings, was returned on March 5th.