Apart from sakura - cherry blossoms, there are several possible candidates for representing “This is Japan”, such as kimono and torii. However, here I select sakura - cherry blossom as Japanese visual representation. In the paper, I also compare the ways of appreciating cherry blossoms in Japan, USA and Poland, and examine the causes of Socio-cultural Differences behind.

1. Sakura – ethos and pathos of Japan (桜 -日本の精神と悲愴)
Wu Hai-Shang
Introduction: Apart from sakura-cherry blossoms, there are several possible candidates for
representing “This is Japan”, such as kimono and torii. Modern Japanese intellectual Uchimura
Kanzo was requested to be in kimono costume when performing a speech in Washington. Torii is
another major symbol of Shintoism, a religion or philosophy unique to Japan. Other example such
as Mt. Fuji and washitsu might also characterize Japan from a foreigner’s vision, however, here I
select sakura as Japanese visual representation since other ones are exclusively Japanese and have
almost no counterparts for contrasting overseas.
When I was 3 years old, I was taught an ancient melody “Sakura”. This tune is not only the first
Japanese song of my acquisition, it has also established my foremost impression toward Japan. The
visualizing music depicts the full bloom of sakura over the spring ether in such elaboration that
makes it undistinguishable from twilight and mist. One could only tell by its diffusing fragrance.
Performed in a minor tone, it augments a sense of rustiness and etherealness, recalling traditional
aesthetics of “mononoaware (もののあわれ)”and “yugen (幽玄)”.
Sakura in Japan: In my opinion, sakura is not only a visual representation of Japan for foreigners
but also compatriots. The unique five-petal pattern appears in both traditional and modern context.
The adoption of sakura pattern could be seen in kimono, origami as well as evaluation marks (評価
印) for elementary schools. The reason might lie in sakura’s peculiar appearance. At the first sight,
the five petals provide a sense of symmetry and harmony, and its shape yields possibility for
variations (See figure 1.) Most of all, the jagged shape of petals distinguishes from other floral
designs. Referring to the exterior of sakura, modern novelist Jinzai Kiyoshi described it as
“semi-transparent pink colored”, with “collectively formed patterns”, but has a scent that almost
non-present1. Along with the fragrance, the almost pellucid hue glares in any kind of background,
with similar or contrasting colors.
Sakura has played an important role in aesthetics. In ancient Japanese, the word ‘flower (花)’
alone directed for cherry blossoms. Customary usages such as hanami (花見, cherry blossom
viewing) and hanazakari (花盛り, full bloom of cherry blossom) could be instances. The depiction of
sakura appeared in profound literature such as Genji monogatari, Manyoshu and Kokinshu. The
renowned poetess Komachi (小野小町) mentioned the withering of sakura in the rain while reflecting
her own youth and beauty (花の色は/うつりにけりな/いたづらに/わが身世にふる/ながめせしまに). Sakura
is often found in short poetries such as haiku and tanka, and serves as kigo – seasonal word – for
spring most of the time. Speaking of music, the folk song “Sakura” and “Hana” are the well-known
pieces. Although it creates an impression of an ancient folk, it is actually composed during late Edo
period, for the purpose of koto (箏) practicing. As for “Hana”, it was composed by modern musician
Taki Rentaro in eatly 20th century. Interestingly, the lyrics (春のうららの隅田川…櫂のしずくも花と散る)
has an astonishing resemblance with a waka in Genji tales: 春の日の/うららにさして/行く舟は/棹のしづ
1 Majima, A: Skin Color Melancholy (2014), Chuokoron-Shinsha, pp.343- 344

2. くも/花ぞ散りける.
The glamour of sakura resides not only in its outer shape. The flower has been a manifestation of
holiness in Japan since untraceable eras. In ancient time, sakura was regarded as sacred as rice, an
indispensable plant for life, because of its beauty and “agrarian productivity” seen from its
flourishing2. Sakura was a symbol of life force in Japan initially, just as the “Qi” concept for
Chinese. The etymology for sakura is believed to be derived from a character in ancient chronicle
“Kojiki”, konohana no sakuya bime (木花開耶姫). Another argument is that ‘sa’ is the name of ‘deity
of rice’ (サ神), and ‘kura’ stands for ‘the seat of deity’3. However, sakura seemed not only
symbolize life but also perishing. According to ethnologist Yanagita, sakura was associated with
mountain which connoted death. A deceased ‘merges’ with a collective ‘ancestore’ and visits the
village as ‘deity of rice’ decades after passing4. Nevertheless, the metaphorical turning point could
be the introduction of Buddhism in my opinion. Japanese culture absorbed the concept of transience
and impermanence thereafter, and the beauty of sakura dwelled no more in its blooming than
lavishing.
The relation between sakura and samurai is unnegligible throughout the psyche of Japan.
Modern thinker Nitobe juxtaposed ‘chivalry (Bushido)’ with sakura in his renowned book
“Bushido”. Moreover, he marked sakura as the “emblem” of Japan5. The word ‘samurai’ was
possibly derived from ‘saburai (候ひ,serving). Samurai is characterized by the loyalty toward a lord
and the candor to sacrifice, and the kabuki ‘Chushingura (忠臣蔵) could be a visual example.
“Yamato damashii (大和魂, Japanese spirit)” has rooted in Japan since history, as far as Heian era.
Lafcadio Hearn described that “the appellation of the old province of Yamato, seat of the early
emperors” has been “figuratively used for the entire country” and that “we might correctly, though
less literally, interpret the expression as 'The Soul of Old Japan'”.6 As Japan went through
reformation and westernization, the occupation as samurai was obsoleted, but the spirit survived.
During the World Wars, civilians are irrigated with patriotic education in families, schools and the
society. The connotation between warriors and sakura surged in this epoch. The flourishing and
fade of sakura encouraged the young Kamikaze fighters to battle ‘straight-forwardly(潔く)’ in the
front line, as though the flower ‘s sudden performance (パッと咲いてパッと散る). Indeed, the sense
of solidarity might also be present, as sakura embraces collectiveness in both the procedure of
blooming and shedding. The simultaneity of the scattering petals forms a scenery of ‘hanafubuki (花
吹雪, petal snow-storm)’, accustomed as Japanese idiomatic language.
Sakura in United States:Although cherry blossom in United States has almost identical
appearance as those in Japan, they seem to glow with a fundamentally different shine. In 1912,
Japan presented United States with 3,020 cherry trees as souvenir for mutual friendship. Although
2 Ohnuki, E: Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms, and Nationalism (2002), The University of Chicago Press,
p.27
3 Ibid. p.29
4 Yanagita, K: Senzo no Hanashi (1946), Chikuma Shobo, pp.94- 96
5 Nitobe, I: Bushido (1975), Ohara Publications, p.12
6 Hearn, L: Japan:An Attempt at Interpretation (1904), Macmillan Company, p.177

3. the original habitat of sakura is estimated to be Eurasia and Himalayas7, and it has ‘migrated’
through Europe and Asia, the first batch of sakura arrived from Japan in 1910 seemed to be the
primary existence of this species in United States. The initial motive for the rooting of sakura in the
soil of United States was a proposal from author and geographer Eliza Scidmore in 1885. Scidmore
was fascinated by the blossoms on her visit to Japan, and promoted her idea to the government
although turned out to be in vain. However, in 1906, plant explorer David Fairchild imported
around 100 cherry trees to Washington from Yokohama. In August 1909, Japanese embassy donated
2,000 trees, however, they faced the fate of incineration after being discovered the infection.
Nevertheless, then Tokyo mayor Ozeki Yukio implemented a second import, increasing the number
to 3,0208. The trees were mostly somei yoshino (染井吉野), a species native to Japan since modern
age, combined with 11 other varieties, such as ariake (有明). The cherry trees were cultivated in
Washington, but there are many more spots for sakura viewing these days. The most notable ones
might be New Jersey, Manhattan, San Diego, Philadelphia and Kentucky. As a symbol of Japan,
sakura serves as an ambassador for cultural communication. In April, cherry blossom festivals,
known as sakura matsuri are held in many
sakura viewpoints. Meanwhile, singers and performers delight the spectators under the precious
pink instant glittering once a year. Events such as J-Pop or wadaiko are the most common on stage.
Sakura fulfills the wonder of visual and auditory sense in many parts of the world. However, its
contribution might not stagnate in the field of aesthetics in United States. The flower contributes to
scientific studies in a global scale. A research carried out inspecting the blossoms in Washington
and Mid-Atlantic states attempted to forecast the scope of global warming within 21st century9. The
team estimates the temperature with the data of peak bloom dates. A chart (See figure 2) shows that
it is possibly for the blossoms to reach full bloom earlier in the future, and hence the degree of
global warming could be roughly predicted under two types of scenarios (A1B and A2). The
phenomenon (the study) could be attributed to the predominance of large scale academic research in
United States, which also signifies the economical abundance of the country.
Sakura in Poland: As I have introduced sakura in Asia and America, I would like to spot the light
on another continent – Europe in the following paragraphs. The reason for my referring to sakura in
Poland is that I was impressed by the portrayal of sakura blooming in Łazienki Park (Warsaw) in a
novel ‘ワルシャワ物語’ by novelist Kudo Yukio. He mentioned that flourishing of somei yoshino in
May, celebrating the arrival of spring after the lonesome and grave winter. Different from sakura in
Japan and United States which usually blooms in mid-spring, it is in late spring that sakura reaches
peak bloom in Poland. This might attribute to the climate and latitude. Poland belongs to
continental climate, with totally around 5 months under snow annually (See figure 3). As a result,
7 LaGrave, K.: Cherry Blossoms: History Behind the Bloom (2013),
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-lagrave/cherry-blossoms-history_b_3081264.html
(Retrieved 19/1/16)
8 Cherry Tree History, http://www.nps.gov/chbl/cherry-blossom-history.htm (Retrieved 19/1/16)
9 Chung, U. et al.: Predicting the Timing of Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC and Mid-Atlantic
States in Response to Climate Change (November 2011), PloS one, Vol.6, No.11

4. cherry blossom has come to symbolize the advent of spring. Moreover, once the twigs are budded, it
releases a sudden burgeon, since the temperature increases rapidly in late spring.
Apart from the somei yoshino in Łazienki Park which was a present from Japan, almost all other
cherry blossoms are no ornamental but edible in Poland. There are basically 2 types of cherry trees,
‘wiśnia (sour cherry)’ and ‘czereiśnia (wild cherry)’ although they are similar to each other10. White
blossoms rather than pink ones could be seen in those trees, but the value lies in the fruit most of the
time. The cherries could be consumed directly when they ripe in June, while they could also be
processed into jam, juice and wódka.
Sakura is also a means of cultural communication in Poland. It combines with local crafts such as
pottery. Patterns of the flower integrate with the blue pigments, creating a compromising image, a
blend between Orient and Occident. Similar to United States, sakura matsuri is also held in popular
sakura sites such as Łódź. The cherry trees are still donated from Japan these days, as
commemoration of developing friendship.
Causes of Sociocultural Differences and their Background: In the following lines, I would like
to make comparisons based mainly on sakura’s aesthetical aspect, in the frame of East versus West.
To summarize in short, the beauty of sakura in the West is revealed in is blooming, while it is
languishing that resonates with spectators in Japan. The discrepancy might derive from the
perspectives of visual perceptions. From a viewpoint of development of fine arts, the objects
themselves already represent comprehensiveness. As a result, objects are viewed as rigid without
narrative backgrounds. In my view, the emergence of Humanism in Renaissance contributed to a
more individualistic yet materialistic perspective. Furthermore, although sakura is native to some
western countries, it seldom appeared as a motif in literature, art or music which is another
disparity.
On the other hand, sakura is spiritual in Japan. Nowadays, when seeing or hearing sakura, one
almost comes up with the spirit of samurai without fail. During the wartime, it was believed that if
soldiers perish in the battlefield, they would become ‘glorious souls’ – eirei (英霊) – to gather and
protect the land. The psyche was visualized as the petals fell onto the ground eventually nourish the
soil and the tree for a second bloom in the coming year. Thus the concept of rebirth might also be
present. However, distinguishing from other Asian countries which are mainly dominated by
Buddhism, Shinto, with animistic and pantheistic character inhabited in Japan since ancient times.
As I have suggested in the previous paragraphs, sakura has had a profound association with grains
where the immeasurable kami (八百万の神) dwells.
Besides spiritual aspects, climatology might also be a crucial criterion of the differences. In
Kojiki, the land of Japan was named ashihara no nakatsukuni (葦原中国), meaning a land in the
midst of damp reed meadow. Humidity has been an unnegligible characteristic in the climate of
Japan. According to modern philosopher Watsuji Tetsuro, Japan is classified under ‘monsoon’
climate11, which contains more moisture in the atmosphere than the other 2 types, ‘desert’ and
10 欧州桜旅 ポーランド（ワルシャワ）の桜: http://4travel.jp/travelogue/10570407 (Retrieved 20/1/16)
11 Watsuji, T.: Climate and Culture (1961), Greenwood Press, p.18

5. ‘meadow’. He stated that humidity is “nature’s gift” to human beings. Indeed, nature has impact on
aesthetics. Opposite to the Mediterranean countries where “Greek noon” could be observed and
there is sharp contrast between light and shadow, there exists a spectrum of ‘grey zone’ in Japanese
aesthetics, for instance wabi and sabi. According to K. Loren, wabi sabi is “a beauty of things” that
are “impermanent and incomplete”12. In my opinion, sakura matches the context. Under the
humidity, the forlorn petals flow and smoke along with the haze. Its beauty lies not in the clarity but
the ambiguity (曖昧さ).
So far I have compared sakura in the scope of East and West, but I would like to contrast the 2
Western countries below. The most apparent difference between sakura in United States and in
Poland could be the fructification. Since the cherry trees are imported directly from Japan, the
physical features should remain the same as Japanese ones, whose flower has more significance
than fruit. By contrast, many cherry trees are native to Poland and their flowers have almost no
values. Instead, the cherries could be ingested and incorporated with local beverage such as wódka.
The similarities regarding sakura in the West might be the role as cultural interaction such as sakura
festivals as a means of introducing Japanese culture.
Conclusion: In the final part of my study, I would like to conclude with “What is Japan” through
my comparison in regard with sakura in Japan, United States and Poland. Similar to other countries
in the world, it might be difficult to be put in a nutshell. Nevertheless, from my discourse, I have
gained consciousness about the aesthetical perception toward sakura. Notwithstanding the fact that
Sakura has fascinated me with visual magnificence, its grandest glamour lies in the features unseen
to me. Initially, I have observed the outer appearance of flower as elegant, harmonious and a
symbol of Japan. However, from my discovery, the flower also contains religious – Buddhism,
Shintoism , mythological – Shinto tales- and historical backgrounds – the association with kamikaze
- which is a unique aspect of Japan. Moreover, the climate influences the method of appreciation
and the physical trait of sakura as well. It might be the fading that fascinates me, along with the
mindset of transience and impermanence in Buddhism and the dwelling of almost infinite kami
energy in Shintoism. These precious and unique aspects could all be observed in sakura, and this
might be one of the reasons of my selecting sakura as Japanese visual representation. To conclude,
sakura is a visual representation of Japan for me, but its value resides not only in its visibility but
also in intangibility, which is an essential respect of everything in my view. Citing from “Le Petit
Prince”, “L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux (the important things could not be seen)”.
Figures and charts:
12 Loren, K.: Wabi-sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers (2008), Imperfect Publishing,
p.7

6. Figure 1.: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/ogoh/103148
Figure 2.: Chung, U. et al.: Predicting the Timing of Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC and Mid-Atlantic
States in Response to Climate Change (November 2011), PloS one, figure 4
Figure 3.: http://www.go-poland.pl/climate
Poland