cherry blossom (sakura)
A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese.
Cherry blossom is speculated to be native to the Himalayas. Currently it is widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere such as: Europe, West Siberia, China, Japan, United States, etc. Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit. Edible cherries generally come from cultivars of the related species Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus.
In Japan, cherry blossoms also symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhistic influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware. The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga. The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.
The Sakurakai or Cherry Blossom Society was the name chosen by young officers within the Imperial Japanese Army in September 1930 for their secret society established with the goal of reorganizing the state along totalitarian militaristic lines, via a military coup d'état if necessary.
During World War II, the cherry blossom was used to motivate the Japanese people, to stoke nationalism and militarism among the populace. Even prior to the war, they were used in propaganda to inspire "Japanese spirit," as in the "Song of Young Japan," exulting in "warriors" who were "ready like the myriad cherry blossoms to scatter” In 1932, Akiko Yosano's poetry urged Japanese soldiers to endure sufferings in China and compared the dead soldiers to cherry blossoms. Arguments that the plans for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, involving all Japanese ships, would expose Japan to serious danger if they failed, were countered with the plea that the Navy be permitted to "bloom as flowers of death. The last message of the forces on Peleliu was "Sakura, Sakura" — cherry blossoms. Japanese pilots would paint them on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions. A cherry blossom painted on the side of the bomber symbolized the intensity and ephemerality of life in this way, the aesthetic association was altered such that falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor. The first kamikaze unit had a subunit called Yamazakura or wild cherry blossom.The government even encouraged the people to believe that the souls of downed warriors were reincarnated in the blossoms.
In its colonial enterprises, imperial Japan often planted cherry trees as a means of "claiming occupied territory as Japanese space". Cherry blossoms are a prevalent symbol in Irezumi, the traditional art of Japanese tattoos. In tattoo art, cherry blossoms are often combined with other classic Japanese symbols like koi fish, dragons or tigers.
Number of petals
Most wild trees, but also a lot of cultivated tree varieties, have blossoms with five petals. However, some species have blossoms which consist of ten, twenty or more petals. Trees with blossoms of more than five petals are called yaezakura.
Color of the blossoms
Most varieties produce light pink to white blossoms, but there are also cherry trees with dark pink, yellow or green blossoms. Furthermore, the color of some varieties' cherry blossoms may change while they are in bloom. For example, a blossom may open as a white flower and change color to pink over the course of a few days.
The fresh leaves
In case of early blooming trees, the fresh leaves usually do not appear until after full bloom, which gives the trees an attractive, homogeneous look while they are in full bloom. In case of later blooming trees, the leaves usually appear before the blossoms, giving the trees a more heterogeneous look. Furthermore, the color of the fresh leaves differs between the varieties. In most cases, the fresh leaves are green, coppery brown, or something in between.
Time of blooming
Most cherry tree varieties carry blossoms in spring. Yaezakura, i.e. cherry trees with blossoms of more than five petals, are typically the last ones to open their blossoms, with blooming periods about two to four weeks after most five-petaled species. Some extreme varieties bloom in late autumn and during the winter months. Read more about
Most common cherry tree varieties
Somei Yoshino (Yoshino Cherry)
Cultivated during the Edo Period in Tokyo, the Somei Yoshino is by far the most numerous cherry tree in Japan. Somei Yoshino trees come with slightly pink, almost white, 5-petaled blossoms. Their appearance is particularly intense thanks in part to the fact that their fresh leaves do not emerge until after the peak of the flowering season.
Yamazakura
The yamazakura is the most common cherry tree variety of Japan that actually grows wildly in nature as opposed to cultivars such as the Somei Yoshino. Its blossoms are slightly pink and have five, relatively small petals. The Yamazakura's fresh leaves develop at the same time as the blossoms, giving the tree a somewhat less intense look than the Somei Yoshino.
Shidarezakura (Weeping Cherry)
Weeping cherry trees have drooping branches and are among the most common and beloved cherry trees in Japan. There are two types: trees with blossoms of five petals and trees with blossoms of more than five petals. The latter are called Yaeshidarezakura and bloom about a week later than the 5-petaled ones.
Some early flowering cherry tree varieties
Kanzakura
The Kanzakura is among the first cherry trees to bloom. It is encountered only in relatively small numbers in some city parks where they surprise and delight visitors with their early blooming schedule.
Kawazuzakura
Named after Kawazu Town on the Izu Peninsula, where the tree variety was originally cultivated, the Kawazuzakura is among the earliest flowering cherry trees. Large numbers of them bloom during the cherry blossom festival in Kawazu which is held annually in late February and early March. The tree is less common in other parts of Japan.
Kanhizakura
This tree with its dark pink, bell shaped flowers is native to Taiwan and Okinawa where it blooms as early as January and February. In the parks of Tokyo it is not usually in bloom until mid March, but still among the earliest blooming varieties.
Some late flowering cherry tree varietiesIchiyo
The Ichiyo has about twenty, light pink petals per blossom, and its fresh leaves are green. It is among the most common, late flowering cherry varieties encountered in Japan's parks and gardens.
Ukon
The Ukon has about 10-20 petals per blossom and coppery leaves. Ukon trees are easily recognized by their blossoms' characteristic, yellowish color.
Kanzan
Among the many yaezakura varieties, the Kanzan is one of the most common. One Kanzan blossom consists of as many as 30-50 pink petals. The fresh leaves are coppery brown.
Fugenzo
The Fugenzo is a late blooming yaezakura with about 30-40 petals per blossom. White to slightly pink when they open, the blossoms turn into a darker pink over time. The fresh leaves are coppery brown.
Shogetsu
The Shogetsu is a late blooming yaezakura with relatively large, white blossoms of about 20-30 petals. The fresh leaves are green.
Kikuzakura (Chrysanthemum Cherry)
The Kikuzakura has as many as one hundred petals per blossom! It is also one of the latest blooming trees. In fact, by the time the blossoms are in bloom, the fresh leaves have already developed almost completely and are somewhat hiding the blossoms.
Jugatsuzakura (Autumn Cherry)
The Jugatsuzakura (literally "October Cherry") is one of the varieties that bloom in the autumn and winter. The flowers are small and sparse, but provide a surprising sight in combination with fall colors or snow.
The idea of planting Washington’s cherry trees came from Japan
The Japanese government embraced the idea of a gift of cherry trees as an act of bilateral friendship, but it was a handful of Americans who first promoted their mass planting in the District, notably author and adventurer Eliza Scidmore and a Department of Agriculture plant explorer named David Fairchild. Fairchild introduced thousands of economic and ornamental plants to the United States during his career, including varieties of the Japanese cherry. On a visit to Japan in 1902, he was taken by the way the cherry tree was used to line city avenues. When he and his wife settled in Chevy Chase in 1906, they planted 100 trees on their estate. Fairchild enthusiastically promoted their wider use. Scidmore, in writing about the Japanese hanami, or celebration of the blossoms, had already whetted the appetite in the United States for the trees. Their pleas were taken up by first ladyHelen Taft, who was looking for ways to beautify Potomac Park.An initial planting of double-flowering cherry trees led to the offer of a major donation of trees by the city of Tokyo. The popular Yoshino cherry, with its creamy, delicate blooms and spreading canopy, is also called the Tokyo cherry.
cherry blossom was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule.
Watching of cherry blossom was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule.The festivals continued even after the Japanese surrendered in WWII, but have been contentious, and many
cherry blossom (sakura)
A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese.
Cherry blossom is speculated to be native to the Himalayas. Currently it is widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere such as: Europe, West Siberia, China, Japan, United States, etc. Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit. Edible cherries generally come from cultivars of the related species Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus.
In Japan, cherry blossoms also symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhistic influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware. The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga. The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.
The Sakurakai or Cherry Blossom Society was the name chosen by young officers within the Imperial Japanese Army in September 1930 for their secret society established with the goal of reorganizing the state along totalitarian militaristic lines, via a military coup d'état if necessary.
During World War II, the cherry blossom was used to motivate the Japanese people, to stoke nationalism and militarism among the populace. Even prior to the war, they were used in propaganda to inspire "Japanese spirit," as in the "Song of Young Japan," exulting in "warriors" who were "ready like the myriad cherry blossoms to scatter” In 1932, Akiko Yosano's poetry urged Japanese soldiers to endure sufferings in China and compared the dead soldiers to cherry blossoms. Arguments that the plans for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, involving all Japanese ships, would expose Japan to serious danger if they failed, were countered with the plea that the Navy be permitted to "bloom as flowers of death. The last message of the forces on Peleliu was "Sakura, Sakura" — cherry blossoms. Japanese pilots would paint them on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions. A cherry blossom painted on the side of the bomber symbolized the intensity and ephemerality of life in this way, the aesthetic association was altered such that falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor. The first kamikaze unit had a subunit called Yamazakura or wild cherry blossom.The government even encouraged the people to believe that the souls of downed warriors were reincarnated in the blossoms.
In its colonial enterprises, imperial Japan often planted cherry trees as a means of "claiming occupied territory as Japanese space". Cherry blossoms are a prevalent symbol in Irezumi, the traditional art of Japanese tattoos. In tattoo art, cherry blossoms are often combined with other classic Japanese symbols like koi fish, dragons or tigers.
Number of petals
Most wild trees, but also a lot of cultivated tree varieties, have blossoms with five petals. However, some species have blossoms which consist of ten, twenty or more petals. Trees with blossoms of more than five petals are called yaezakura.
Color of the blossoms
Most varieties produce light pink to white blossoms, but there are also cherry trees with dark pink, yellow or green blossoms. Furthermore, the color of some varieties' cherry blossoms may change while they are in bloom. For example, a blossom may open as a white flower and change color to pink over the course of a few days.
The fresh leaves
In case of early blooming trees, the fresh leaves usually do not appear until after full bloom, which gives the trees an attractive, homogeneous look while they are in full bloom. In case of later blooming trees, the leaves usually appear before the blossoms, giving the trees a more heterogeneous look. Furthermore, the color of the fresh leaves differs between the varieties. In most cases, the fresh leaves are green, coppery brown, or something in between.
Time of blooming
Most cherry tree varieties carry blossoms in spring. Yaezakura, i.e. cherry trees with blossoms of more than five petals, are typically the last ones to open their blossoms, with blooming periods about two to four weeks after most five-petaled species. Some extreme varieties bloom in late autumn and during the winter months. Read more about
Most common cherry tree varieties
Somei Yoshino (Yoshino Cherry)
Cultivated during the Edo Period in Tokyo, the Somei Yoshino is by far the most numerous cherry tree in Japan. Somei Yoshino trees come with slightly pink, almost white, 5-petaled blossoms. Their appearance is particularly intense thanks in part to the fact that their fresh leaves do not emerge until after the peak of the flowering season.
Yamazakura
The yamazakura is the most common cherry tree variety of Japan that actually grows wildly in nature as opposed to cultivars such as the Somei Yoshino. Its blossoms are slightly pink and have five, relatively small petals. The Yamazakura's fresh leaves develop at the same time as the blossoms, giving the tree a somewhat less intense look than the Somei Yoshino.
Shidarezakura (Weeping Cherry)
Weeping cherry trees have drooping branches and are among the most common and beloved cherry trees in Japan. There are two types: trees with blossoms of five petals and trees with blossoms of more than five petals. The latter are called Yaeshidarezakura and bloom about a week later than the 5-petaled ones.
Some early flowering cherry tree varieties
Kanzakura
The Kanzakura is among the first cherry trees to bloom. It is encountered only in relatively small numbers in some city parks where they surprise and delight visitors with their early blooming schedule.
Kawazuzakura
Named after Kawazu Town on the Izu Peninsula, where the tree variety was originally cultivated, the Kawazuzakura is among the earliest flowering cherry trees. Large numbers of them bloom during the cherry blossom festival in Kawazu which is held annually in late February and early March. The tree is less common in other parts of Japan.
Kanhizakura
This tree with its dark pink, bell shaped flowers is native to Taiwan and Okinawa where it blooms as early as January and February. In the parks of Tokyo it is not usually in bloom until mid March, but still among the earliest blooming varieties.
Some late flowering cherry tree varietiesIchiyo
The Ichiyo has about twenty, light pink petals per blossom, and its fresh leaves are green. It is among the most common, late flowering cherry varieties encountered in Japan's parks and gardens.
Ukon
The Ukon has about 10-20 petals per blossom and coppery leaves. Ukon trees are easily recognized by their blossoms' characteristic, yellowish color.
Kanzan
Among the many yaezakura varieties, the Kanzan is one of the most common. One Kanzan blossom consists of as many as 30-50 pink petals. The fresh leaves are coppery brown.
Fugenzo
The Fugenzo is a late blooming yaezakura with about 30-40 petals per blossom. White to slightly pink when they open, the blossoms turn into a darker pink over time. The fresh leaves are coppery brown.
Shogetsu
The Shogetsu is a late blooming yaezakura with relatively large, white blossoms of about 20-30 petals. The fresh leaves are green.
Kikuzakura (Chrysanthemum Cherry)
The Kikuzakura has as many as one hundred petals per blossom! It is also one of the latest blooming trees. In fact, by the time the blossoms are in bloom, the fresh leaves have already developed almost completely and are somewhat hiding the blossoms.
Jugatsuzakura (Autumn Cherry)
The Jugatsuzakura (literally "October Cherry") is one of the varieties that bloom in the autumn and winter. The flowers are small and sparse, but provide a surprising sight in combination with fall colors or snow.
The idea of planting Washington’s cherry trees came from Japan
The Japanese government embraced the idea of a gift of cherry trees as an act of bilateral friendship, but it was a handful of Americans who first promoted their mass planting in the District, notably author and adventurer Eliza Scidmore and a Department of Agriculture plant explorer named David Fairchild. Fairchild introduced thousands of economic and ornamental plants to the United States during his career, including varieties of the Japanese cherry. On a visit to Japan in 1902, he was taken by the way the cherry tree was used to line city avenues. When he and his wife settled in Chevy Chase in 1906, they planted 100 trees on their estate. Fairchild enthusiastically promoted their wider use. Scidmore, in writing about the Japanese hanami, or celebration of the blossoms, had already whetted the appetite in the United States for the trees. Their pleas were taken up by first ladyHelen Taft, who was looking for ways to beautify Potomac Park.An initial planting of double-flowering cherry trees led to the offer of a major donation of trees by the city of Tokyo. The popular Yoshino cherry, with its creamy, delicate blooms and spreading canopy, is also called the Tokyo cherry.
cherry blossom was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule.
Watching of cherry blossom was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule.The festivals continued even after the Japanese surrendered in WWII, but have been contentious, and many
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