Japanese cherry blossom

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Cherry blossom in Yoshinoyama
Cherry blossom in Britz
Cherry blossom in Britz

The Japanese cherry blossom ( Japanese sakura ) is one of the most important symbols of Japanese culture . It stands for beauty, awakening and transience ( mono no aware ). The cherry blossom season marks a high point in the Japanese calendar and the beginning of spring .

description

flowering cherry trees on the Miya river in Ise
Cherry blossom in Eastern Siberia

Usually referring to the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry tree ( Prunus × yedoensis ) and other cherry species native to Japan . The cherry blossom is also the official plant of Tokyo .

The cherry blossom begins in Japan in mid or late March in Kyūshū and then “migrates” to the northeast until it arrives in Hokkaidō around the beginning of May . During this time, the “ cherry blossom front ” ( 桜 前線sakura zensen ) is announced as part of the weather forecast . Spring plunges Japan into a pink and white sea of ​​cherry blossoms (almost half of all deciduous trees in Japanese cities are cherry trees), which is why the cherry blossom season is also a preferred holiday and travel season in Japan.

" Cherry Blossom Front " (Sakura Zensen) 2007 published by Japan Meteorological Agency

During the ten days or so when the cherries are in bloom in their own area, almost all residents of Japan celebrate a hanami with friends, colleagues or family in a park or other excellent place, which takes on a folk festival-like character. O- Bentō and often plenty of beer or sake as well as a mat (large blue plastic tarpaulins are typical) to sit on the floor are among the utensils with which one gathers near and under cherry trees in the city and in the country. The evening hanami after work is particularly popular among colleagues and students. In some parks, the cherry trees ( 夜 桜 yozakura ) at night are illuminated for this purpose .

Just as the cherry blossom, so to speak, heralds the warm part of the year, this ends with the red color of the autumn leaves ( 紅葉 kōyō ).

The cherry blossom is a symbol of feminine beauty in Japan. One often reads that the cherry blossom was a symbol of transience for the samurai , but in this case it has been confused with the tsubaki ( camellia ).

According to the 2014 report by the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, 522,353 cherry blossoms are planted as street trees in Japan. This is the second largest number of street trees.

The sakura song

Cherry blossom festival in Ueno (Tokyo)

The cherry blossom has been the subject of countless poems and songs since ancient times and creates a certain mood as a background in stories and films. Sakura, sakura is the name of a popular Japanese folk song :

Japanese Transcription German translation

さくらさくら

桜桜
野山も里も
見わたすかぎり
霞みか雲か
朝日ににおう
桜桜
花盛り

桜桜
やよいの空は
見わたすかぎり
霞みか雲か
においぞいずる
いざやいざや
見にゆかん

Sakura, sakura

sakura sakura
noyama mo sato mo
miwatasu kagiri
kasumi ka kumo ka
asahi ni niou
sakura sakura
hana zakari

sakura sakura
yayoi no sora wa
miwatasu kagiri
kasumi ka kumo ka
nioi zo
izanuru
mi izanaya

Sakura (cherry blossom), sakura

Sakura, sakura,
in the fields and hills and the villages
As far as the eye can see.
Like fog, like clouds.
shining in the rising sun,
sakura, sakura
The heyday

sakura, sakura,
the spring sky
As far as the eye can see.
Like fog, like clouds.
The scent and the colors,
let's go, let's go
enjoy the sight

In 2007, the Office for Cultural Affairs, in cooperation with the umbrella organization of parent associations ( 日本 PTA 全国 協議 会 , Nihon PTA Zenkoku Kyōgikai ) put together a selection of 100 songs that are sung by children and parents. The Sakura, sakura was included in it at number 42.

Cherry Blossom Day

In 1992, the Japan Cherry Blossom Association issued Cherry Blossom Day on March 27th.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Cherry Blossom  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Roadside Trees of Japan VII. In: TECHNICAL NOTE of the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management. February 2014, accessed on December 30, 2019 (jp).
  2. 親子 で 歌 い つ ご う 日本 の 歌 百 選 . Bunka-chō , 2007, archived from the original on March 6, 2015 ; Retrieved January 6, 2017 (Japanese).
  3. March 27, the day of the cherry blossom (3 月 27 日 さ く ら の 日 | な る ほ ど 統計 学園). Statistics Bureau of Japan, accessed March 22, 2019 (jp).