Cherry trees thrive in many parts of the world where the climate is suitable for their growth. In 806, Japanese monk Kukai brought sakura trees to China, there known as yinghua, to commemorate his time as a student in the Qinglong Temple, in Xi’an.
The Beauty of Sakura
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This collection focuses on cherry blossoms in Japanese art throughout different time periods. Cherry blossoms (Sakura) have been significant in Japanese culture for hundreds of years. They are a symbol of beauty and a reminder of how short life can be. The pieces of art showcased in this collection are of different mediums and material.
Blossoming cherry trees , Artist: Kano Sanraku, 1615-1868, Владелец коллекции: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
This painting from the Edo period shows the cherry blossom tree blooming using gold, ink, and tint on paper. The emphasis of this piece is the big cherry blossom tree and its flowers. It shows movement as your eyes follow the branches and then flowers stemming off of them. There is movement in the hills as well.
Utagawa Hiroshige II, Two views of Mt. Fuji from the Sumida River, a pair of hanging scroll paintings , 1865/1894, Владелец коллекции: British Museum.
In this painting, also from the Edo period, two Geishas are shown viewing the cherry blossoms near Mimeguri Shrine which can be seen in the background. The colors are muted and soft but still eye-catching. Encasing the painting is a patterned silk which compliments the art. The simple shading seen on the trunk of the cherry blossom tree creates depth and texture giving the tree a somewhat realistic look.
Cherry Blossoms at Mukōjima , Artist: Kobayashi Kiyochika, Publisher: Fukuda Kumajiro, 1880, Владелец коллекции: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
Mukōjima is a flower garden in Japan. In this painting are bloomed cherry blossoms, a few Geishas, and some men. The blossoms look almost pure white against the blue sky and a mountain is shown in the background. There is a sense of balance by the the objects in the photo, though it is asymmetrical. The soft strokes and shading give off a pleasant and happy mood.
Mt. Yoshino, Cherry Blossoms , Kobayashi Kiyochika, 4/1/1897, Владелец коллекции: Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
This piece is a depiction of Mt. Yoshino printed on a woodblock. Mt. Yoshino is famous mountain in Japan that is covered with cherry blossoms. Also shown are two hikers trekking up the up mountain side. The lines of the rock edges vary in width making them look jagged and rough.
Cherry blossom flurry , Artist: Kaburaki Kiyokata, Publisher: Hakubunkan, 1903, Владелец коллекции: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
In this piece the cherry blossom is not the main focus; the Geisha is. It shows her bracing herself against a cherry blossom tree due to a gust of wind, which surrounds her with a cloud of petals. More vivid colors are used for her kimono which is great contrast against the more pastel shades. Movement is shown by the billowing in her kimono, scarf, and also by the rogue strands of hair that have escaped the rest.
Cloudy weather in cherry blossom season , Artist: Takeuchi Keishu, Publisher: Hakubunkan, 1905, Владелец коллекции: Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.
This painting shows a Geisha relaxing underneath a cherry blossom tree that is in full bloom. Slightly visible is her tea set behind her and a napkin in her hand. The cherry blossom here has a bit more variety in color versus the ones shown before. The yellow flowers stand out against the grey and dark green pattern of her kimono. Her face is relaxed and serene. The lines in her hair create hundreds of individual strands giving it volume.
What is the Significance of Cherry Blossoms?
Ephemerality
Why are cherry blossoms so significant? In addition to the beauty of its pale pink petals and its prevalence in Japan, the blossom is known for its distinctively short lifespan. Once this tree begins to flower, its delicate blooms will last only for a week or two before the “sakura snow” falls to the ground or is carried off by the breeze. Because of this fleeting phenomenon, the flowers have come to represent life’s ephemerality and specifically, the fleetingness of human existence.
Renewal
Similarly, cherry blossoms represent a time of renewal and rebirth. Year after year, the pops of pink mark the unofficial end of the bleak winter months and signify the long-awaited beginning of spring. This also overlaps with the beginning of the school year in Japan.
When is Japanese Cherry Blossom Season?
Hiroshige, “Cherry-Blossom Viewing at Asuka Hill,” c. 1830–1843 (Photo: Museo del Prado via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
While unseasonably warm weather can prompt a premature bloom and uncharacteristically cool temperatures can conversely cause a delay, cherry blossoms typically reach their peak bloom between March and mid-April, making this a prime time for hanami.
Hanami History
Hiroshige, “Cherry-blossom Viewing on the Hill of the Tenjin Shrine in Yasui,” 1834 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Though the custom of hanami is typically linked to cherry blossoms today, it is rooted in the appreciation of a different flowering plant: the plum blossom.
In the 8th century, during Japan’s Nara period, upper-class individuals began hosting picnic-like parties beneath plum, or ume, trees. Arriving a month earlier than their cherry counterparts, the tree’s sweet-smelling blooms are historically known as “the first important flower to blossom in the spring.”
During the Heian period (794 to 1185), however, picnickers started setting up camp beneath the branches of cherry blossom trees, too. Eventually, the sakura’s popularity surpassed that of the ume, reimagining the deep-seated roles of the flowers and redefining the hanami practice.
Spreading the Love of Cherry Blossoms
After taking a trip to Japan in 1885, writer Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore tried for 24 years to convince the Office of Public Buildings in Washington DC to plant cherry blossom trees around the US capital. The first experiment planting cherry blossoms in DC was a success in 1906 when the US Department of Agriculture imported 75 trees to test their ability to adapt to the new environment.
Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore approached First Lady Helen Herron Taft, in 1909, with the idea of raising money to purchase the trees and donate them to the city. Mrs. Taft had lived in Japan and was familiar with the beauty of the flowering cherry blossoms. It was her idea to plant them by making an avenue of them. When the former Japanese Consul in New York learned of the First Lady’s plans, he suggested that his government make a gift of the trees, instead.
Japan’s Gift of Friendship
Former Tokyo’s Mayor, Yukon Ozaki, supported the gift of 2,000 cherry blossom trees to the US. Unfortunately, these first trees had to be destroyed due to disease. The Mayor sent another shipment, this time of 3,020 trees, for goodwill. These trees, comprised of twelve varieties of sakura, arrived to the United States on March 26, 1912. First Lady Helen Taft, and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador, Viscountess Chinda, planted two Yoshino cherry blossom trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin, about 125 feet south of what is now Independence Avenue.
Washington DC’s National Cherry Blossom Festival grew from this ceremony. These two original trees still stand several hundred yards west of the John Paul Jones Memorial, located on 17th Street, beside a plaque commemorating the occasion. In a gesture of gratitude for the gift of the cherry trees, President Taft sent a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan.
The Pathos of Things
So, how does an artist—a painter, or pottery-maker, a poet, or a writer—portray a moment that is not meant to last? “Mono no aware,” “the pathos of things,” is a Japanese phrase that tries to convey this feeling behind things that are not meant to last forever.
Faced with the dilemma of making enduring art from an evanescent phenomenon, artists have resorted to many solutions. These solutions range from focusing on the hanami party itself, to portraying the blossoms in all their fragility and beauty. Sometimes the blossoms are alone, sometimes in branches, sometimes surrounded by other delicate birds, insects, and flowers.
But, perhaps most interestingly, artists have sometimes placed the soft sakura beside symbols of long-enduring power such as buildings, rivers, and even the mighty Mount Fuji. By showing one next to the other, the loveliness of the sakura’s brief blooming shines the most. Without that contrast, maybe it would be impossible to appreciate the nature of the cherry blossom’s message and symbolism.
