Japanese name/さくら

-About-
Sakura, or cherry blossoms, are Japan’s national flower in the hearts of the people. Every spring, throngs of Japanese people and visitors make efforts to see this well-loved flower, a tradition known as “hanami”, a flower-viewing and picnic event to enjoy the blossoms.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. The brilliant blooming season is powerful, glorious, and intoxicating, but short-lived, a visual reminder that our lives, too, are fleeting.The joyful tradition of hanami is an old and ongoing tradition, and can be traced back centuries in Japanese culture. The eighth century chronicle Nihon Shoki records hanami festivals being held as early as the third century AD.The style of this painting is from the Maruyama school of the Edo era (1603-1868).