Sakura / Cherry Blossom - Hanami for Japan 2011
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Sakura matsuri
さまざまのこと思い出す桜かな
Samazama no koto omoidasu sakura ka na
(Is it a cherry blossom that reminds me of various things?)
- Bashô Matsuo
In Japan, in late March and early April, they celebrate the Sakura matsuri, or cherry blossom festival.
All eyes will be on the light pink florets as they fill the city sidewalks, public parks, and temple gardens with quivering bursts of color in the gentle breeze of early spring. Picnicking under the blossoms is an ancient tradition. Then, all too soon, the petals begin to fall, and the scene becomes a distant memory.
One explanation of Bashô’s haiku is that he is recalling that he abandoned the way of samurai and decided to live the way of haiku. Or simply that cherry blossoms encourage random thoughts.
The sibilant repetition of the “s” and “z” sounds (samazama, omoidasu, sakura). The repeated consonants of “k” (koto, sakura, kana) produce a melodic sound to Bashô’s phrase.
“Do you remember many things?” is today’s colloquial understanding of the phrase.
A more literal translation is, “Various things, they call to mind, ah, cherry blossoms !”
Sakura is the Japanese name for flowering cherry trees and their flowers – often referred to as cherry blossoms. The most popular variety of flowering cherry tree in Japan is the Yoshino.
The Yoshino Cherry tree was first introduced to North America in 1902. In Japan there is a legend that each spring a fairy maiden hovers low in the warm sky, wakening the sleeping cherry trees to life with her delicate breath.
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Sakura trees in bloom
University of Washington Quadrangle
Seattle, Washington
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Ornamental cherry blossom, sakura
Along the Tidal Basin in Washington DC
Centennial Cherry Blossom Festival
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WHEN SPRING STARTS TO BREATH
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Sakura Sakura (さくら さくら)
Is a traditional Japanese folk song depicting spring, the season of cherry blossom.
sakura sakura (桜 桜)
no-yama mo sato mo (野山も里も)
mi-watasu kagiri (見渡す限り)
kasumi ka kumo ka (霞か雲か)
asahi ni niou (朝日に匂う)
sakura sakura (桜 桜)
hana-zakari (花ざかり)
sakura sakura (桜 桜)
yayoi no sora wa (弥生の空は)
mi-watasu kagiri (見渡す限り)
kasumi ka kumo ka (霞か雲か)
nioi zo izuru (匂いぞ 出づる)
iza ya iza ya (いざや いざや)
mi ni yukan (見に行かん)