Sakura (Cherry Blossom)

What are generally called sakura (cherry trees) are trees in the family Rosaceae and genus Prunus. They are viewed and appreciated for their beautiful flowers, although some Prunus trees are grown for fruit. The cherry tree is said to have originated in the Himalayas and can be found growing in temperate areas of the northern hemisphere. Japan has nine native cherry blossom trees: Miyama-zakura, Choji-zakura, Mame-zakura, Edo Higan, Takane-zakura, Oshima-zakura, Oyama-zakura, Kasumi-zakura, and Yama-zakura. The Kanhi-zakura, native to Taiwan and southern China, has also been widely planted across warm regions. There are also many garden varieties, many of which belong to the cultivated variety called Sato-zakura. Somei Yoshino, a hybrid of Edo Higan and Oshima-zakura created around 1867, is the most commonly seen cultivated variety.

In addition to cherry blossoms, the flower of the Japanese apricot tree has also been beloved since ancient times in Japan and has been extolled in many poems, including those in the Man’yoshu (after 759). Sakon no Sakura was presumably planted in place of one of these apricot trees in the Nara period (710–794). The Buddhist monk and poet Saigyo of the late Heian period wrote many poems about cherry blossoms. One of his most famous verses is in his Sanka shu (Poems of a Mountain Hermitage): “Let me die in the spring under the blossoming trees. Let it be around the full moon of the 2nd month.” Another well-known work regarding cherry blossom is Saigyo-zakura (Saigyo’s Cherry Blossoms), a Noh play written by Zeami.

Today, the word hanami (flower viewing) indicates cherry blossoms, and only in Japan does the daily news provide forecasts of flowering times and the movement of the “cherry blossom front.” Throughout Japanese history, there have been locations famous for their cherry blossoms as well as famous cherry trees. Meisho Edo hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views of Edo) includes cheery blossom landscapes of places like Shinobazu Pond, Mount Asuka, and Mount Goten.

Cherry wood is valuable for use in printing blocks. For the woodblocks for ukiyo-e prints, the flat-grain timber of Yama-zakura was used. Cherry wood is also used as smoker chips. The bark of the tree can be used for making handicrafts, such as tea leaf cylinders and tobacco containers. The flowers of Yae-zakura can be pickled in salt and brewed to make sakura-yu (cherry blossom tea) or added to anpan (rolls with sweet bean paste) for aroma. The leaves of Oshima-zakura can also pickled in salt and wrapped around rice cakes to create a traditional sweet treat called sakura-mochi. What is known as sakuranbo in Japan is the fruit of wild cherry trees.