A cherry blossom is the flower produced by trees called Sakura, a Japanese word loosely translated as "flowering cherry" in English. Cherry blossoms are largely found in Japan, Korea, China and many other Asian territories. More than 200 Cherry Blossom cultivators can be located in Japan alone.
What do cherry blossoms represent?
The cherry blossom is traditionally thought to bring good fortune to the owner, and are also used as a symbol of love and affection when given as a gift. Cherry blossoms are often used in Japan to symbolize clouds. This is largely due to the cloud-like pattern the flowers take when they bloom, but also for many metaphorical reasons as well. Cherry blossoms are often used in association with Buddhist teachings, and is widely used to represent Eastern thinking and philosophy such as mono no aware.
Mono no aware
The term mono no aware is a Japanese phrase that roughly translates in English to "an empathy toward things." Mono no aware is generally used to describe the feelings one experiences from being aware of the temporal nature of the world and everything in it, as well as the pain experienced when letting go of something that has died. Using cherry blossoms to symbolize and embody the mono no aware philosophy can be traced way back the 1700s.
Cherry blossom varieties
There are many different kinds of cherry blossom varieties. The most popular Japanese cherry blossom is the Somei Yoshino, which blooms with almost completely pure white flowers. The Somei Yoshino flowers flourish for about a week before falling from the tree to make room for the leaves.
Some other cherry blossom variations include the yamazakura, yaezakura and the shidarezakura. The yaezakura is known for having generally large flowers with very thick, pink petals.
Also known as the weeping cherry, the shidarezakura is characterized by its long branches that droop like the branches of a weeping willow. The shidarezakura blooms with a bouquet of pink flowers.
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