Chiyoda Great Interior Flower Viewing by Toyohara Chikanobu (1894). This painting depicts a “hanami,” the revered Japanese tradition of admiring cherry blossoms. (Public domain)
English by Angela Feng
Bright pink cherry blossoms against a brilliant blue sky is a sight unlike any other in the world. “Sakura” is the cherry blossom’s name in Japan. They flutter slowly to the ground as crowds mill about, taking in springtime’s beauty. Across the country, the atmosphere shifts. Buds bloom. Winter draws to an end. Just as spring brings the promise of fresh beginnings, the sweet scent of the sakura brings hope and cheer. Family and friends gather to admire the scenery and enjoy warmer weather.
Cherry blossom blooms on a hillside near Mount Yoshino, Japan. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
A Revered Tradition
“Hanami” is the Japanese word for “the act of admiring cherry blossoms,” which is a respected tradition there. It dates back to the Nana period (A.D. 710–794) when a Japanese envoy to China brought back the custom of enjoying plum blossoms. Festivals dedicated to sakura began in the Heian period (A.D. 794–1185).
Back then, Japanese people believed gods signaled a year of good harvest through cherry blossoms. So they prayed, made offerings, and feasted to honor the sacred trees. Hanami—sakura festivals as we know them now—were first popular in the imperial court. Nobles held grand viewing ceremonies that included singing, dancing, feasting, and drinking. Over time, the hanami tradition spread to the common people and became widely enjoyed all over Japan.
One of the largest hanamis to ever take place was Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s Cherry Blossom Party in 1598, held at the famous Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto. The temple was in a state of disrepair until Toyotomi invited thousands to attend his event. With over 700 cherry blossom trees planted around the temple, the extravagant fete further cemented the hanami as a valuable part of Japanese culture. After that, Daigo-ji Temple was revitalized and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Beauty in Impermanence
From the 1600s until the mid-1800s, viewing cherry blossoms was a popular event enjoyed by Japanese from all walks of life. The flowers and their festivals became recurrent motifs in art and literature, as the charming blossom established itself as a national image for the Japanese. Famously, Utagawa Hiroshige depicted several blooming cherry boughs in his vertical-format landscape series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Hiroshige was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist and considered one of the last great masters of the tradition.
Utagawa Hiroshige, one of Japan’s best ukiyo-e artists, depicted several scenes of blooming cherry trees in his vertical format landscape series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. (Left–right) Kiyomizu Hall and Shinobazu Pond at Ueno, New Fuji in Meguro, and Suijin Shrine and Massaki on the Sumida River. (Public domain)。
