Sakura

Sakura (Japanese, Kanji: 桜 or 櫻, Hiragana: さくら, Katakana: サクラ) is the name Japan board of the decorative Cerisier S of the Japan (whose Prunus serrulata ) as of their Fleur S. the cherry (called 桜んぼ sakuranbo ) comes from another species of Prunus .

Symbolic system of Sakura

The will sakura was always a transitory symbol of beauty in Japan and is closely associated with the Samurai S and the Bushi . The life was regarded as beautiful and short, a little like a flower of cherry tree.

During the Second world war, the will sakura was a symbol being used to motivate the Japanese people. The pilot Japaneses painted it on the sides of their plane before leaving for a suicide mission, as a symbol of beauty and transitory nature. The government encouraged the Japanese to believe that the heart of the dead soldiers to the combat were réincarnaient in flowers of cherry tree. Today still, the military and the police use these flowers like emblems, flags and badges in the star place traditional.

Cultural influence

The flowering of these Cherry tree S.A. from time immemorial inspired the Japanese artists: the cultural print of this event is omnipresent in the literature (in particular in the Manga and the Anime) and the Japanese Peinture S, the traditional dance S, the theater and the religion (Bouddhisme, Shintoisme).

In the same way, will sakura it is very present in the music (for example, the group Kagrra often associates its songs or the environment in its concerts with the cherry tree). There exists at least a popular song entitled Sakura , initially designed to be played by a Shakuhachi (flute of bamboo); one also counts many pieces of J-Pop bearing this title.

The will sakura are represented very diverse manners on the Kimono S, the articles of paper mill and the crockery.

" Sakura" is also a female first name very running.

Cultivars

There exists very many Cultivar S of Sakura being different by the number of petals, the color of the flowers and the young sheets, the period of flowering or the port of the tree.

The preferred variety of the Japanese is the Somei Yoshino (Japanese: 染井吉野). Its flowers are of an almost pure white tinted the palest pink particularly on the level of the stem. In general, the petals of these flowers fall (or rather " dispersent" , 散る chiru in Japanese) one week before the sheets do not appear; this is why, they seem white trunk with the summit. This variety holds its name of the village of Somei (now integral part of the district tokyoïte of Toshima). She was developed medium until the end of 19th, between the end of the time of Edo and the beginning of the era Meiji. The Somei Yoshino is so largely associated with the cherry tree that the Jidaigeki (historical films) and other works of fiction represent this variety at the beginning of the time of Edo, even quite front; such settings in scene are thus purely anachronistic.

The will yamazakura , will yaezakura, and will shidarezakura are other varieties of cherry tree of Japan. The will yaezakura has large flowers with more than 5 dense petals and pink dark. The will shiradezakura , or " cherry tree pleureur" , have branches which fall like those from the Weeping willow and carrying pink cascades of flowers.

Hanami

Each year, the National agency of Meteorology (気象庁) and the whole of the population follow the will sakura zensen (桜前線, face of the flowers of cherry tree). Every evening, the forecasts on this subject follow the weather report of the tv news. Flowering starts with Okinawa in January and generally reached Kyōto and Tōkyō at the end of March or April. Then, it progresses towards north to reach Hokkaidō later a few weeks. The Japanese pay an great attention to these forecasts. They will be able to thus go in the parks, the furnace bridges and the temples in family or between friends for " to contemplate the fleurs" (花見, Hanami ), to eat and drink. The festivals of the Hanami celebrate the beauty of the cherry trees in flowers and are, for much, an occasion to rest and benefit from the landscape.

Establishment

The will sakuras hold a place of first importance in the majority of the Japanese gardens and the public parks, schools and public buildings Japanese. As the years fiscal and school begin every both in April, the day of the re-entry of the classes coincides with the season of the cherry trees in the majority of the island of Honshū.

Outside Japan

Japan offered 3.000 cherry trees to the the United States in 1912 to celebrate the friendship of their two nations then flourishing. These trees were aligned at the edge of Tidal Basin with Washington, cd. and this gift was renewed in 1956 with 3.800 additional trees. The will sakura continues to be a popular tourist attraction there, in particular thanks to the Annual Festival of the Flowers of Cherry tree when the latter finish their flowering, at the beginning of spring.

See too

Prunus
Vancouver Sakura Diary for photographs of various varieties of cherry tree
Sakura in Kyoto
Sakura Gallery de Tōkyō with Kyōto

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