What does "Sakura (Cherry blossoms) mean to the Japanese?

What does “Sakura”(Cherry blossoms) mean to the Japanese?

Cherry blossoms are in full bloom for only about two weeks at most, but as spring approaches in Japan, the news announces predictions of when the blossoms will bloom and when they will be in full bloom, song programs play cherry blossom-themed songs, and the streets are filled with accessories and food with cherry blossom motifs.
It is no exaggeration to say that cherry blossom viewing is an annual event for Japanese people, as many Japanese visit cherry blossom viewing spots when the cherry trees are in full bloom.
Why do Japanese people love cherry blossoms so much?

Two reasons why Japanese love cherry blossoms

To start with the conclusion, there are two reasons why Japanese people like cherry blossoms.

The first reason is that cherry blossoms symbolize the arrival of spring.
In Japan, which has four distinct seasons, “spring” is an exciting season when the cold “winter” is over, the fiscal year changes, and various things start anew.
One of the reasons why Japanese people love cherry blossoms is that when they are in full bloom, they can feel the arrival of such an “exciting season.

The second reason is that they are “ephemeral and beautiful flowers.
Even though we have been looking forward to the time when the cherry blossoms will be in full bloom for months, they will fall in about two weeks at most.
Since ancient times, Japanese people have always felt aesthetics about the transience of life, and the fact that the beauty of cherry blossoms in full bloom is a “fleeting flower” that ends up falling in a short period of time is thought to be one of the reasons why they like cherry blossoms so much.

Japanese people and cherry blossoms” dating back to the Yayoi Period

The Yayoi period (300 B.C. to 250 A.D.) is the period when rice cultivation began in the Japanese archipelago and the first Japanese nation was formed.
Since the Yayoi period, cherry trees have been worshipped as trees inhabited by the god of grain.

The blooming time of cherry trees is closely related to the temperature, and they start blooming when the weather gets warmer.
Therefore, it is assumed that rice cultivation was started based on the time when cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
The custom of predicting the good or bad harvest of the rice crop by the blooming of cherry blossoms was also born during the Yayoi period.

The Heian Period, when “Hanami = Cherry Blossom Viewing” was recognized

In the Heian Period, the period following the Nara Period, a trend to emphasize Japanese culture emerged, which triggered the popularity of cherry blossoms, which had been enshrined since ancient times.
It was also during the Heian Period that the first hanami (cherry blossom viewing) ceremony was held in Japan.
The emperor of the time held hanami in 894, and it became an annual event sponsored by the emperor.

Later, not only emperors but also aristocrats began to hold hanami, which is said to be the origin of modern hanami.
The oldest Japanese garden book, Sakuteiki, written in the Heian period (794-1192), also states that “cherry trees should be planted in the garden,” and it can be said that the awareness of “Hanami = Cherry Blossoms” was born in the Heian period.

The Kamakura Period (1185-1333): The custom of enjoying cherry blossoms with a banquet was born

Many Japanese people have an image of cherry blossom viewing as “spreading blue sheets under the cherry trees, bringing food and alcohol, and having a party.
This custom of enjoying cherry blossoms with a banquet was born in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), which came after the Heian period (794-1185).
In the Kamakura Period, Hanami was held among samurai, and Hanami started to be held in the provinces where samurai lived.
From this period, hanami changed and took root as a style of “banquet” held under cherry trees.

The cherry blossom viewing held by the samurai was grand, and the “Yoshino Hanami” and “Daigo Hanami” held by Toyotomi Hideyoshi were especially grand in terms of the number of cherry trees and the number of people who participated.
The cherry blossom viewing lasted for several days, and it is said that tea ceremonies, poetry recitals, and Noh performances were held every day.

Hanami took root among the common people in the Edo period

Until the Kamakura period (1185-1333), people who engaged in politics, or rather the upper classes, enjoyed cherry blossom viewing.
In the Edo period (1603-1867), common people also began to enjoy cherry blossom viewing.

One of the reasons for this is that the Edo period was a peaceful time, but it is also believed that the planting of cherry trees as a disaster prevention measure was a more important reason for the spread of Hanami among the common people.
The Sumida River still flows through Tokyo today, but at that time it was prone to flooding when heavy rains occurred.
However, it was impossible to build levees along the entire Sumida River, so cherry trees were planted along the river as a substitute for levees.
As a result, the number of places where even common people could enjoy viewing cherry blossoms increased, and hanami became a custom among the general public.

Let's enjoy Japanese cherry blossoms 120% by knowing how to enjoy Hanami!

In Japan, people have been enjoying cherry blossoms in various ways since ancient times.
If you are going to go to the trouble of viewing cherry blossoms, you might as well try to imitate the Japanese way of enjoying them.

1. enjoying cherry blossoms with a large group of people

Japanese people generally enjoy cherry blossom viewing by laying out blue sheets under the cherry trees or in a location where they can see the cherry blossoms clearly, bringing food and drinks, and eating and drinking with a large group of people.
This is such a major way of enjoying cherry blossoms that people sometimes go early in the morning to get a place to have a party.
If you are sightseeing during hanami season, why not buy food and alcohol with your friends or loved ones traveling together and enjoy hanami under the cherry trees?

2. enjoy fantastic nighttime cherry blossoms lit up

At cherry blossom viewing spots, you can enjoy the cherry blossoms illuminated by lights and lanterns at night.
The cherry blossoms, which have a lovely, fleeting beauty with a faint pink hue, look fantastic when lit up, and have a completely different charm from cherry blossoms illuminated by the sun.

3. take a boat ride and enjoy the cherry blossoms from the water

At cherry blossom viewing spots where cherry trees are blooming around the pond, you can take a boat for rent and leisurely enjoy the cherry blossoms from the water.
The reflection of the cherry blossoms on the surface of the water and the surrounding cherry blossoms in full bloom from the boat will give you a uniquely Japanese flavor.
We recommend this relaxing experience of watching the cherry blossoms while floating on the water in the warm spring sunlight.

4. enjoy the cherry blossoms by participating in a “cherry blossom festival

Cherry blossom festivals are often held at famous cherry blossom viewing spots in conjunction with the blooming of the cherry trees.
The content of the “Sakura Matsuri” varies from place to place, with food stalls lining the streets lined with cherry trees and live music performances held in areas with a view of the cherry blossoms.
Some areas that are closed to visitors outside of the “Sakura Matsuri” may be open for a limited time.
If you are visiting a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, check to see if there is a “Sakura Matsuri” going on.

5. enjoy cherry blossoms as a photo spot

During the cherry blossom season, many people visit cherry blossom viewing spots to take pictures.

In particular

・Cherry blossoms reflected on a lake
・Shrines, temples and cherry blossoms
・Cherry blossom trees along a river
・Tokyo Tower and other landmarks

are popular as photo spots.
If you take pictures at cherry blossom viewing spots where you can see this combination, you will be able to take pictures that are full of Japanese emotion.

Because of this history and custom, cherry blossoms are one of the flowers that Japanese people are very familiar with.

The Japanese people think of cherry blossoms not only as gorgeous and beautiful to look at, but also as a symbol of the fragility of human life, since the life of the flower is short and the time when it falls is also magnificent (as we explain to foreigners).
The faint scent of cherry blossoms when you pass by a row of cherry trees or flowers is said to contain a substance called coumarin, which has a relaxing effect.

Of course, in the world of Kutaniyaki, too, there are many designs and works related to cherry blossoms, and each artist and kiln has its own way of expressing cherry blossoms. Please check out the works of cherry blossoms that interest you!

Kinuyo Okada, one of the artists featured below, is an up-and-coming young artist whose elegant fine-line technique shines through in her lovely, contemporary motifs.
The inspiration for her works comes from her daily life. It can be a picture book, a handicraft cloth pattern she saw on the street, or television, etc. She takes what she feels is a good motif and creates it into a modern style.

She says, “In order to create innovative designs, I always want to draw what I want to draw and what I want to have”.