"The Tale of Genji" also described utsuroi-giku as 'the color-changing chrysanthemum,' and the tale shows us that people at that time not only enjoyed looking at the chrysanthemum but also used it as kazashi (flowers worn in one's hair in a shrine ritual) and as a twig attached to a letter.
源氏物語にも「うつろひたる菊」などという呼び方で登場し、鑑賞するほかに挿頭や手紙の付け枝として利用されていたことがわかる。