Ota Shrine, Kyoto

Known from a Heian-era poem, the Ota Shrine irises bloom every May. The island in the centre of the pond is known as "the floating isle," after the isle of the Chinese immortals.

The pond was originally part of a marsh known as Ota no Sawa. The Heian poet Fujiwara no Toshinari referred to the Ota irises in the following verse:

Mountain of gods, irises of Ota marsh, people's deepest wishes can be seen in their color.