Cherry Blossoms: Traditional Patterns in Japanese Design

The cherry blossom is considered a national flower in Japan. It has been celebrated for many centuries and holds a very prominent position in Japanese culture. The Chronicle of Japan, the second oldest book in classical Japanese history, records the tradition of cherry blossom viewing parties being held as early as the third century. The imperial households, poets, singers, and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under the blossoms and it has been passed down through the generations. This tradition continues today as the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the cherry blossom front as it moves northward up the country. The Japanese people pay close attention to these forecasts and turn out in large numbers at parks, shrines, and temples with family and friends to hold flower-viewing parties. In 1912, Japan gifted 3,020 cherry trees to the United States to celebrate their growing-friendship. These trees were planted in Manhattan and along the shore of the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. This gift was renewed with 3,800 more trees in 1965. A new title in the traditional patterns series, this book shows another Japanese traditional motif, the cherry blossom. About 220 works are featured in the book dating from the eighth-century through the twentieth-century, including such artists as Hiroshige and Taikan Yokoyama.