Sakura, the Symbol of Japan
In Japan, Sakura (cherry blossoms) symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhist influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware. The association of the sakura with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga. The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality; for this reason, sakura are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.
Sakura appears in many Japanese Arts and Cultures
Widely celebrated in Japanese literature, poetry, and art, sakura carry layered meanings. For example, because they bloom briefly, the blossoms are often seen as a metaphor for the ephemeral beauty of living. At the same time, the joyful tradition of hanami (flower viewing) is an old and ongoing tradition. The practice was first associated with plum blossoms before becoming almost exclusively linked with sakura by the Heian Period (794–1185). With wider exposure to Japanese art and culture in the nineteenth century, audiences around the world embraced sakura as a particularly Japanese cultural hallmark. Norinaga MOTOORI, a scholar of ancient Japanese thought and culture, wrote a poem ‘What is Japanese spirit? It is Yamazakura blossoms in the morning sun’ as the concrete example of Japanese spirit of ‘Mono no aware’ (graceful, tasteful, sad feeling). Also in the Meiji period Inazo NITOBE wrote in the opening sentence of his book “Bushido” that bushido (Chivalry) is like cherry blossoms which symbolize Japan.
Sakura symbolizes blossoming. Blossoming into truth and knowledge to educate people.
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Secrets will reveal themselves as we dig deeper into the obvious. As time passes, everything blossoms.
