Actually, though, the “official” Japanese flower is the 16-petal chrysanthemum used for the imperial seal. Japan has no legally defined national flower or seal, but you will see the imperial ...

It is thought that the chrysanthemum was first adopted as the imperial family crest in the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) through the influence of Emperor Go-Toba (r. 1183–98), who liked ...