The Red Magic Lilly or Red Tiger Lilly ( Lyocoris radiata 彼岸花 ) is ubiquitous along the waterways, around the paddy fields and in cemeteries in Japan at Mabon. For Japanese Buddhists they are a symbol of Autumn. They have a strong symbolism of death, guiding the dead to their next reincarnation. They are often used at funerals in Japan. Their bulbs are poisonous, so Japanese rice farmers have traditionally planted them around rice fields to protect the rice from mice. In the West, Red Tiger Lillie's have the symbolism of erotic love, but can mean shyness here in Japan. The erotic love aspect is easy to understand, but I did not understand the shyness aspect until I tried photographing them. They are one of the most difficult flowers I have tried to photograph, they seem to blur into a group and hide. I love these bright flowers, seeing them signals Autumn is here for me. The Red Magick Lilly of Mabon.
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