I went to the Shinshu Nakano Rose Festival! #30

Hello, this is Acupuncture and Moxibustion Salon HALU.
The other day—well, actually it was a while ago now—I went to the Rose Festival! 🌹
The Shinshu Nakano Rose Festival is held every year at Ippongi Park in Nakano City, Nagano Prefecture, and this is the third time I've visited!

Actually, I later found out that I came on the exact same day last year too (lol).
Perhaps due to climate factors like temperature and rain, there were many buds and fresh flowers that had just bloomed, which allowed for a different kind of enjoyment than before, as the rose scent wasn't as strong yet. ✨

Even roses that look the same at first glance have different numbers of petals and shades of color due to crossbreeding, and every single rose has a name.
Among them, the ones I thought were wonderful—or rather, amazing—were the "Rose of Versailles" series.

I have absolutely no knowledge of The Rose of Versailles, but seeing the roses actually blooming, I had this mysterious feeling of, "Oh, that feels just like it! I don't know it, but I get it...!" 😂

I was curious about how they could create such a look that matches the image, so I did a little research on rose crossbreeding.

Wild Roses

It is known from fossils that roses were already growing wild in the Northern Hemisphere 30 million years ago. Apparently, there are no wild roses in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps due to the temperature??
Their existence dates back so far that they appear in ancient murals and myths from before the Common Era, and throughout various eras, they have been used not only for ornamental purposes but also as medicines, fragrances, and sometimes as symbols of wealth and power.
It's a famous story that Cleopatra used to float roses in her bath or spread them on the floor!

Artificial Crossbreeding

The turning point was the late 18th century, with the presence of Josephine, the first wife of the French Emperor Napoleon.

She was apparently a collector-type otaku, and she collected rare exotic animals and plants from all over the world, amassing them in the gardens of Malmaison Castle, which she purchased (secretly while Napoleon was away on a campaign). She also collected paintings and jewelry. 💰

Furthermore, true to her own words about making the area around Malmaison Castle "the most beautiful and interesting garden in Europe, a model of good refinement," she hired foreign horticultural researchers, garden designers, and gardeners, and poured her passion into creating the gardens at Malmaison Castle.

Roses were one of those things; she used her connections to gather almost all the rose varieties available at the time (the number was a staggering 250 or so!) by any means necessary.

Eventually, those researchers succeeded in artificially crossbreeding roses, and it is said that this served as a foothold for the number of rose varieties in Europe to increase to 4,000.
It can be said that this was the starting point for the various roses we see today.

However, this was during a time when France and England were at war.
Even during the war, she relied on officers who had licenses to enter and exit other countries to help her collect roses.

Hmm... "What are you doing at a time like this?" 😂
While that thought crosses my mind, if it weren't for her connections and passion (and her husband's super wealth), we might not be able to be moved by the beauty of roses today.

Returning to modern crossbreeding

While researching, I visited the blog of a breeder, and it seems that after crossbreeding, they sow a vast number of rose seeds—tens of thousands every year—but only about three varieties per company are announced each year.
Wow, the odds...! 🤪

It seems that new varieties are selected from various perspectives, such as the beauty of the rose itself, as well as disease resistance and the strength of the fragrance.
Of course, not everything turns out as intended... In a sense, the hardships involved in the breeding and selection of the Rose of Versailles series, which has a clear goal, are hard to imagine. 🥲

In paintings, they are depicted not only as themselves but also as symbols of beauty.
They were composed as "sobi" by Ki no Tsurayuki in the Kokin Wakashu.
They are sung about in songs like "You are more beautiful than a rose."
The message changes depending on the number of roses you give.
Rose scents are in the lineup of almost any product.

There aren't many flowers that have been by our side through every era with universal beauty and various stories.
Next year, I'm going to study the names of the flowers and their backgrounds a bit more before I go! 💪

This time, the event was held from May 24 to June 15, 2025, and 3,000 bushes of 850 varieties (!?) of roses were in full bloom in the park! There is also an English garden. 🌹

Please add it to your list of places to visit next year.


If this article made you think, "Oh, I didn't know that," please give it a like or follow me. 💓

Acupuncture and Moxibustion Salon HALU is a place to fulfill your "wants."
The goal is "for you to do what you want to do," and the treatment is just one of the means to that end.
Let's aim for the "place you want to go" together.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion Salon HALU
381-2217
3-28-14 Inasato-machi Chuo, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture
≪By Appointment Only≫
Please start by registering as a friend to make an inquiry.