Sakura blooming. Japanese sakura

When the god of the mountains invited Ninigi, the grandson of the Sun goddess, to marry one of his daughters, he decided that if he gave preference to the eldest, High Rock, the life of their descendants would be eternal and durable, like stones. But if he prefers the youngest, Blooming, then the life of their children, regardless of social status, will be beautiful, but short, like cherry blossoms. Ninigi chose Blooming and became the ancestor of the Japanese emperors.

The Japanese, annually contemplating the beauty of this amazing plant and looking at the fragility of its flowering, reflect on the fact that beauty does not last forever, and life is fleeting and fragile. Therefore, it very much resembles a crumbling sakura flower - although it is beautiful, it leaves too soon: not in vain Cherry blossoms symbolizes the frailty of life and the changeability of existence.

Sakura is the name given to trees of the rose family, plum subfamily (species: finely serrated cherry), most of which performs a purely decorative function: they bloom, but do not bear fruit (unlike other trees of its species, Japanese sakura is grown not for its berries, but for its flowers). There are 16 types of sakura and more than 400 varieties.

Despite the fact that sakura trees can be found mainly in the south northern hemisphere: in China, Korea, in the Himalayas, the most trees of this species grow in Japan: nine out of sixteen species and a considerable number of varieties. There are especially a lot of someyoshino (white sakura with huge flowers) and shidarezakura (weeping willow) here - this color of sakura has a pink tint.

Sakura grows very well next to other plants of its species, which, depending on how they were planted, produce a different impression. For example, tree branches planted in parallel rows can intertwine with each other at the top, forming a blooming arch above your head - this looks especially chic if at this time the flowers have already begun to gradually fall and a person is walking on the carpet that the sakura petals created.

The height of the plant depends on its age, but is usually about 8 meters (but there are also taller trees, for example, one of the oldest sakura in the world, whose age is 1800 years, has about 24 meters in height).

The bark is smooth, cut across the entire surface of the tree with small horizontal cracks of a gray, green or red hue, and the wood of the tree is very flexible due to the high amount of resin in it.

The leaves are oval or spear-shaped with slightly jagged edges. When a sakura branch blooms, it is completely covered with flowers, mostly white or pink, with each inflorescence consisting of several double flowers, usually having 5 petals. The Japanese managed to develop species whose flowers contain about 50 petals, the diameter of which is about 50-60 mm - in appearance they even resemble roses, peonies, and chrysanthemums.

Sakura petals can be of different colors: white and pink sakura are common, but you can often see flowers in red, crimson, yellow and even green and variegated tones. Since sakura flowers bloom even before sakura leaves appear on the tree, it seems as if a huge number of delicate inflorescences are clinging to a dead and bare trunk (therefore, in Japan it is also associated with rebirth).

When the sakura petals begin to fade, but have not yet fallen from the tree, and the sakura branch is overgrown with the first leaves, the plant looks extremely elegant and summery (the Japanese call it Ha-Zakura, which means “sakura with leaves”).

Few trees of this type bear fruit, and if they do produce a harvest, the sakura fruits (sakurambo) are usually very small, cherry-colored, have a large seed, tightly covered with thin pulp, and taste very sour and tart. They are sold in small boxes and are extremely expensive.

Flowering time

Cherry blossoms begin in January on the island. Okinawa (located in the south) and ends on the island. Hokkaido, thus moving north. The period when this tree blooms largely depends on its species: some plants begin to bloom in winter, others in late spring. For example, such well-known species as:

• Fuyu-Zakura - blooms in the last month of autumn;
• Yama-dzarkura is an early plant, blooms at the end of March;
• Someyoshino - in early April;
• Yae-zakura - in mid-spring;
• Kasumi-zakura - in early May.

When the flower fully opens, it remains that way for about a week. How long it will bloom depends largely on the weather and temperature - the colder it is, the longer you can contemplate sakura flowers. But, on the contrary, cherry blossoms will be significantly reduced.

Hanami Festival

Cherry blossoms in Japan are celebrated at the state level: the official opening of Hanami (“Contemplation of Flowers”) takes place in Tokyo’s main park, Shinjuku, and not only famous politicians, but also members of the imperial family take part in it.

During this period, numerous gardens, parks, squares and other places where cherry trees bloom are visited by great amount people, inspection is especially popular in the evening, when the sakura branch is very beautifully illuminated. While contemplating, people have picnics, relax, and often use the Hanami holiday for their personal interests - they negotiate, strengthen contacts, and make new acquaintances.

Use of wood in everyday life

The Japanese make sour wine from the fruits of this plant or add it to rice during cooking. They also found a use for leaves and petals - they pickle them, after which the leaves are used as an edible coating for “sakura-mochi” sweets made from rice, and sakura petals do a good job as an odorous seasoning. During the holidays, they are often dipped in boiling water or green tea. When they come into contact with hot water, the sakura petals open and delight guests with their appearance.

Bonsai

Experts consider sakura to be an ideal tree - it grows slowly, so having bought a young plant, you don’t have to worry that in a year or two it will have to be transplanted outside, especially since the vertical growth of the tree will be restrained by constant pruning of new shoots and pruning of roots.

You can buy such a plant in special stores. A small cherry blossom tree looks the same as an older tree, only the diameter of its inflorescences does not exceed one centimeter (usually pink). When creating a bonsai, you must remember that the plant, although small, is alive, and not a stone, insensitive toy, and therefore, if it is not given enough attention or the wrong approach is taken, it may die.

The container for bonsai should be shallow and its diameter should be from 15 to 20 cm. Sakura bonsai prefers to grow on well-fertilized soil. It is advisable to add organic fertilizers to the soil a month before planting, nitrogen - simultaneously with planting, potassium and phosphorus, which promote the circulation of useful substances in the plant - in the summer. If the soil is poorly fertilized, the amount of humus should be from 8 to 12 g/dm3, and in a moderately fertilized soil it should be about five.

Japanese sakura loves good lighting very much, and therefore must be in a bright place (if it is in the shade, there is a risk of powdery mildew). When looking for a place for a plant, you should take into account that it really does not like drafts.

Water the bonsai tree once a day (half a glass of water), less often in winter. The small plant is replanted annually, cutting off 1/3 of the rhizomes (branches can also be done, but don’t get carried away, since sakura doesn’t like that). If caterpillars, woodlice, red mites, bark beetles and aphids are found in the soil, you must immediately destroy them with insecticides, otherwise they will very quickly destroy the plant.

Japanese cherry blossom is a famous symbol of Japan and Japanese culture. Haaru, in Japanese, spring is the time of blossoming of Japanese cherry blossoms, which is associated with one of the most beautiful holidays in the Country. Rising Sun. Sakura is the Japanese name for an ornamental tree related to the cherry tree species, as well as its inflorescences, and has long been revered by the Japanese.

On March 27, starting in the 4th year of Heisei (1992), the public organization "Japanese Cherry Blossom Society" introduced the Cherry Blossom Festival, or Hanami. Hanami is an ancient Japanese tradition of flower viewing, one of the most popular spring holidays (from the words “hana” - flower and “mi” - look), which literally means “looking at flowers”. Their “stone fruit relatives” also take part in the flowering festival.

Cherry blossoms are considered a Japanese national event. Pink color in Japan, as well as in Korea and China, is a symbol of the holiday of spring, the awakening of nature, the beginning of life. In addition, Japanese sakura is a traditional symbol of female youth and beauty. Image of a plum flower - cinquefoil. It symbolizes the five main wishes - good luck, prosperity, longevity, joy and peace.

Japanese cherry blossoms bloom in spring, with flowers ranging in color from bright pink to white. At this time, the spreading crown of the eastern beauty is completely covered with a pinkish foam of dense flowers. From a distance, cherry blossoms look like clouds, but up close you can enjoy the beauty of a single flower.

During cherry blossoms in Japan, everyone strives to get there, see and enjoy the fleeting beauty of spring. A large group of people go to admire flowers, which can consist of family members, friends, relatives, work or study colleagues. Hundreds of people spread rugs, blankets or mats on the ground and park lawns and have fun picnics. Usually they bring food, sake and other drinks with them or buy them from tents located nearby. This enchanting spectacle usually lasts only up to five days. And for the sake of these few days, city gardens and all kinds of parks are created, holidays and weekends are arranged so that as many people as possible can see this bright, awakening, inspiring beauty of flowering trees.

Decorative plum is also often called sakura - finely serrated plum. The tree grows up to 7 meters in height. Most types of ornamental plums do not bear fruit, but their lack of fruit is more than compensated for by their luxurious flowering.

The “relatives” of the Japanese cherry also include such fruit crops as peach, apricot, cherry plum, including decorative forms and varieties, as well as almonds. Most are relatively compact and therefore ideal for growing in small gardens.

There are many sakura cultures, in particular Somei Yoshino Sakura, first cultivated in the Edo era and widely spread throughout Japan since the Meiji era. In the old days, the dominant position in cultural terms was occupied by Yamazakura - “mountain cherry”, Yaezakura - “cherry with double petals” and the most famous Yoshino sakura - a derivative of Yamazakura.

Since Meiji times, the image of sakura has been on the headdresses of students and military personnel as an indicator of rank. Currently used on the emblems of the Japanese police and military.

The history of the tradition of admiring cherry blossoms

According to an old Japanese legend, the custom of hanami, or admiration cherry blossoms, extends life up to one hundred years. The hanami tradition originated in Japan at the imperial court. Later, the cherry blossom period began to be glorified in poems and music. This tradition originated in Japan during the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century AD. In those days, only Japanese aristocrats spent their time under the cherry blossoms, enjoying light drinks, music and games. During the time of Emperor Saga, a famous poet and calligrapher, cherry blossom festivals began to be held at the court in Kyoto, which consisted of relaxing under flowering trees. It was during this period that poems were written praising the beautiful graceful flowers of the Japanese cherry tree, in which they saw a metaphor for all life: its impermanence, ephemerality and transience. This was the beginning of hanami.

At first, this custom of admiring sakura and contemplating its subtle beauty extended only to the elite and the imperial court. It soon became popular among the samurai, and by the beginning of the Edo period, among ordinary people. In those days, cherry blossoms were a symbol of the harvest, and their bloom heralded the beginning of the rice planting season. According to Japanese beliefs, nature was inhabited by spirits, so offerings and libations were made to sakura. Later, sake began to be drunk at offering rituals. Nowadays, the fruits, pickled leaves and flowers of sakura are used for food purposes.

During the Tokugawa Dynasty, cherry trees were planted throughout Japan to spread and strengthen the tradition of hanami celebrations. During the period of feudalism, cherry blossoms became a symbol of the samurai and the code by which they led their lives. In the 19th century, during the Meiji reform era, cherry trees, which had become a symbol of feudalism, began to be cut down by order of the emperor, but the tradition of admiring cherry blossoms was revived after some time, becoming one of the most beloved holidays in Japan.