Hōzuki — Whispers of the Waning Autumn ほおずき

Hōzuki — Whispers of the Waning Autumn

Kyoto, Japan | A Fine Art Photography Project by Robin Yong

In the quiet passageways of old Kyoto, where shadows linger upon wooden floors and the last warmth of autumn slowly gives way to winter, a solitary figure sits in contemplation. Dressed in a delicate pale-green kimono, her porcelain complexion illuminated by a fleeting shaft of light, she appears suspended between the worlds of memory and reality.

Beside her, the translucent shoji screens offer a ghostly reflection, creating the illusion of a second presence — perhaps another woman, perhaps a memory, or perhaps the silent echo of her own thoughts.

Hanging discreetly in the shadows are branches of hōzuki (ほおずき/鬼灯), the Japanese lantern plant, whose vivid vermilion husks resemble tiny lanterns glowing against the darkness.

In Japanese culture, hōzuki carries a rich symbolism. Traditionally associated with the summer Obon festival, these lantern-shaped fruits are believed to guide ancestral spirits on their journeys between the living world and the realm beyond. Their delicate, papery coverings evoke the fragility of life and the enduring connection between those who remain and those who have departed.

By late autumn, the hōzuki has taken on another significance. Its brilliant orange-red lanterns, now drying and fading, become reminders of the passing seasons. As their delicate outer husks gradually wither, they reveal the intricate beauty of impermanence — an expression of the Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware (物の哀れ), the gentle melancholy that accompanies an awareness of life’s transience.

Although hōzuki is more traditionally associated with summer than autumn, its lingering lanterns offer a poignant visual symbol as the year draws towards its close.

The contrast between the woman’s youthful elegance and the ageing lantern fruits creates a quiet dialogue between beauty and impermanence, presence and absence, light and shadow.

The composition also draws upon ma (間), the Japanese appreciation of meaningful emptiness. The surrounding darkness is not merely an absence of light, but a space in which silence, mystery and imagination are allowed to flourish.

Photographed in Kyoto during late autumn, Hōzuki — Whispers of the Waning Autumn is a meditation on the fleeting nature of beauty, the persistence of memory and the delicate boundary between the visible and the unseen.

Like the lantern fruits suspended in the shadows, some memories continue to glow long after their season has passed.

This photo project celebrates my 10 years of friendship and collaboration with the geiko Tomitsuyuu. Over the years, the hair ornaments on her hair and her kimono have progressed from the very colorful and elaborate kanzashi of a maiko in her junior years to something much more simple and elegant. Still, we enjoy having seasonal flowers in our photos but nowadays we try to make things more subtle as well.