History Of Cherry Blossoms In Japan

The cherry blossoms' history has a rather significant relation associated with it. Often known as Sakura in Japanese, cherry blossoms are one of the most important national as well as cultural symbols of the country. Whilst you can find them in many different parts of the world, Sakura is most famous in Japan and is also the country’s national flower. Cherry blossoms in Japan are also symbolic of the spring season, and stand for the transient, constantly ebbing nature of life, thereby depicting the cycle of life and death. This is represented by the fact that cherry blossoms only bloom for up to two weeks, and are rather ephemeral, just like life.

When learning about the history of cherry blossoms in Japan, the age-old tradition of Hanami cannot be overlooked. Dating back to over a century, Hanami basically means flower viewing, or in this case, cherry blossom viewing. According to early scriptures, the tradition began with the emperors and the members of the Imperial Palace, who used to enjoy a feast beneath the blooming cherry blossom trees. This ancient tradition is still practised in Japan, albeit with a change in the customs and the activities that people enjoy now. In modern times, people meet with their friends and family to eat, drink and soak in the beauty of these spectacular cherry blossom trees.

According to the cherry blossoms' history, the origins of this tree were first recorded during the Nara Period, and it is during this time that cherry blossoms' hanami became a part of Japanese culture. The Nara Period dates back to the early 8th century, when the cherry blossom season was described as the beginning of the season of the planting of rice in the region. The tradition of Hanami soon became quite popular amongst the upper-class people towards the end of the 8th century, during the Heian Period. Between 809 AD to 823 AD, emperor Saga also organised many Hanami parties to enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms.

According to the history of cherry blossoms in Japan, while the tradition of hanami began numerous centuries ago, it was during the Edo period, in the early 17th century, when this tradition gained popularity amongst people of all classes. It was during these years when the country was under the military dictatorship of the Tokugawa Shogunate. As the shogunate rose and the military control increased in Japan, the samurai began participating in Hanami as well. Soon after, the common people began to participate in it too. Due to this, large areas of land throughout the country were planted with cherry blossom trees so that people could enjoy parties under them during the spring season.

When finding out about the cherry blossoms' history, it was suggested that Sakura also played an important role in the second World War. The flower has always been a significant symbol of the country, and therefore, was used by the government as a symbol of Japanese pride and patriotism during World War II. The Japanese soldiers were also often compared to cherry blossom flowers, in the sense that they would live a short but memorable life like the flowers. During the war, Japanese pilots painted cherry blossoms on their aeroplanes before the kamikaze suicide missions, and would also carry a branch of this tree with them. Additionally, these trees were also planted by the Japanese government in places that the country conquered.

The recent history of cherry blossoms in Japan suggests that these beautiful trees are now in danger. This may be due to a myriad of reasons. One of them is that a lot of the Somei-Yoshino variety of cherry blossoms were planted after World War II, and have now become quite old, which means that they may die soon since the life expectancy of cherry blossoms are around 30 to 40 years. Furthermore, due to the rapidly degrading climate conditions, and the ever changing weather, the delicate cherry blossoms are at risk, since their entire ecosystem is being affected. Furthermore, since cherry blossoms grew from cuttings, an environmental change can largely affect the entire gene pool of these flowers.