Roses In Japan
A leading role in the rosedom of Japan - Mr. Seizo Suzuki
Seizo Suzuki was a rose breeder who, with his rare talent and incessant efforts, always played a leading role in the rosedom of Japan. It is largely thanks to his leadership that Japan's rosedom has come to enjoy the world-wide reputation it holds today. During his lifetime, he raised as many as 160 new rose varieties, and 30 of them were awarded the ARRS and other prizes at prestigious intemational competitions of new roses the world over, earning him the reputation as a great breeder globally.
He was one of the breeders who recognised early on the importance of species roses and old garden roses as a gene pool for future breeding programmes. He collected about 2,000 such roses in his research institute of the Keisei Rose Nursery. This collection impressed Mr. Peter Harkness so strongly that he wrote in an article he contributed to the RNRS journal The Rose: "For quality of growth and richness of variety I have never seen its like. I could have stayed for days." (The Rose, Christmas 1993)
Seizo Suzuki was born in Tokyo in 1913. His love of plants started in his early childhood under the influence of his father, an enthusiastic amateur horticulturist. Among many plants, he was particularly fascinated by a beautiful red rose, Gruss an Teplitz, the queen of his father's garden. It was this rose, that made him decide to take up the study of roses as his lifelong occupation.
In 1938, at the age of twenty-four, he started his career as a professional rosarian, opening Todoroki Rose Garden in Tokyo. Two years later, in 1940, he married Haruyo, who was to become his most devoted colleague all through his life.
In those days, Japan was running into a national crisis under the reign of the military clique. In 1941, the Second World War started. Soon food became scarce in this small island country, so all the arable land was turned into barley or sweet potato fields. People gave the cold shoulder to those who grew roses, and some openly criticised Suzuki for growing an enemy country's national flower. In l944, he was called up to the navy force as a medic. It was his wife Haruyo who, until August the next year, when the war ended and Seizo returned home, with a desperate effort managed to preserve his collection of 1000. rose bushes of 300 different varieties. The rose bushes, which thus survived those difficult days, later came to lay the foundation for the revival and prosperity of rose culture in postwar Japan.
On returning to Tokyo, Seizo reopened his rose garden. It was lucky that his garden was saved from the air raids. In May, 1948, though it seemed to be a reckless thing to do in Tokyo, which had turned into a burned ruin then, he and his friends organized the first rose show after the war. The show held in those difficult days, featuring this flower of peace, appealed to many Japanese as symbolizing the joy of retrieving peace. It was taken up in radio news and newspapers, and achieved a nationwide reputation, lt also gave a powerful impetus to people's effort for the resurrection of their country. This show further motivated the organisation of the 'New Japan Rose Society' and Todoroki Rose Garden came to serve as its office.
Suzuki's rose garden, which was restarted with 300 varieties, came to possess in ten years over 1000 different varieties of species roses,OGRs, and modem roses. His dream of creating new roses was steadily materialising, too. In 1956. Amanogawa (the Milky Way) was awarded a bronze medal at the International Gardening Association Contest in Hamburg. This rose, a single yellow floribunda with an obvious Japanese touch, was his starting point as a rose breeder with a worldwide reputation.
It was at this period that a large concern, running railways in the Tokyo area made a plan of establishing a big rose nursery, and asked Suzuki to assist in its work. This new nursery, the Keisei Rose Nursery, was opened in 1958, and Suzuki took up the position of the president of its research institute. As the president, he laid out the principles of developing a scientific and efficient breeding programe, asking the advice, and support of first class rose scientists in and out of the country. He himself studied breeding techniques based on genetic engineering, inviting Dr. W.E. Lammerts from the University of Califomia. He also engaged in the analysis of pigments with top experts in this field, and published several papers on this subject. These researches led to the clarification of the mechanism of colour change in Rowers, and further to the creation of new roses such as 'Kagayaki (brilliance), which garnered the Silver Medal at the 1970 International Trials at the Hague, and 'Seika' (Olympic Torch) which was awarded the 1972 Gold Star of the south Pacinc at the New Zealand International Trial Grounds. He also engaged in the analysis of rose fragrance with the cooperation of the research institute of a cosmetic company. The research of rose fragrance, including the determination of the rose essential oil components, led to the discovery of dimethoxy-methylbenzene among the perfume components of Rosa gigantea-an achievement which came to play a critical role in his breeding work thereafter. An outcome from this research was the creation of 'Hojun' (pure fragrance) in 1981. This large-nowered pink HT is not just highly fragrant; it is unique in that its fragrance is made up of all the components of the rose perfume so far known. Another rose of this line, the red flowered 'Kampai'(Cheers!) was awarded the highly coveted Grand Priz at the International Rose Trials in Rome largely because of its special fragrance. Meanwhile, Suzuki and other horticulturists had been patiently negotiating with the Ministry of Agriculture and its related agencies for nearly ten years over the enactment of the plant patent act. In those days, Japan had no such acts enforced on the commercial use of plants, so there was no protection for the breeders of new cultivars. This had invited severe criticism from other nations which had already had plant patent regulations, and Japan was regarded as a backward country in the field of plant breeding.
In 1978, after years of negotiations, sometimes lasting from morning till late at night, Suzuki and his friends' efforts finally bore fruit, and a new plant act was enacted, enabling Japan to join the advanced countries in this field.
Suzuki was always aiming at breeding the most excellent roses of the world, and considered that, to attain this aim, it was essential for a rose breeder to be acquainted with the best works of art. He was, in a way, a great artist who regarded rose breeding as the combined work of science and art.
Seizo Suzuki's 86 years life with roses ended 2000, but the seeds he sowed have already come up and are steadily growing all over the world today. We have taken over part of his rose collection, and, as an NPO, (non profit organisation), and with the cooperation of many rose loving volunteers, have been running a rose garden featuring species and OGRs.
We are now determined to put all our efforts into the realisation of his ideal-the opening of a rose museum. We would be very much obliged if rose lovers of the world could extend their kind help and cooperation to this sincere effort of ours.
Acknowledgement :
This article was first published in The Indian Rose Annual XXI, 2005, the organ of the Indian Rose Federation. We extend our sincerest gratitude to the Federation and the editors of the annual Mr. and Mrs. Viru Viraraghavan for kindly permitting us to use it on our homepage.
Reference :
Maebara, K.,(2005) "Seizo Suzuki's Life with Roses", The Indian Rose Annual XXI 2005, pp.40-42, the Indian Rose Federation
Katsuhiko Maebara
President, A Non-Profit Organization Rose Culture Institute.