SAKURA OR "FIRE TREES"?

Sakura or "Fire Trees"


Not so long ago I happened to mention the term “fire tree” in referring to some of the bright autumn tree colors that are appearing all over both the United States, Canada, and also Japan. One friend asked me which was more beautiful, sakura or “fire trees”. Such an interesting question! One that made me stop and think.

The short answer is “I have absolutely no idea!” For myself, I think I find autumn colors and “fire trees” the most dramatic; also, autumn is my favorite season of the year. I guess the real answer is subjective; that is, it depends on a person’s individual viewpoint.

In a real way, sakura blossoms (as well as ume or plumb) represent the rebirth of things, at the very beginning of spring, and the colors, a new beginning, and in bushido (the samurai philosophical code) it takes on the meaning of the perfection and imperfection of all things and the transience of all things, life especially, because once the blossoms appear, within a very short time, they whither and blow away.

Autumn leaves, especially maple trees, which come in such a wide variety of colors, from deep crimsons, flaming reds, regal golds, and yellows, come at the end of the year, when nature and things are in a sense, “passing away.” The end of a season, the end of life. So each has its own symbolism, and its own beauty. But each also has its own culture as well.

During the Heian Period (794 – 1191), the Japanese nobility sought to follow many traditional practices from China, including the social trend of flower viewing (hanami), where the imperial households, poets, singers, and other scholars, and aristocrats, would gather and celebrate under the blossoms. In Japan, the cherry trees (sakura) were planted and cultivated for their beauty, particularly as ornamentation for the imperial grounds, temples, and such of Kyoto, as early as 794 A.D. if not early. In China, the ume (plum) was held in very high regard along side of apricots and peaches, but in Japan, by the middle of the 9th century, the sakura had replaced all the other blossoms as the “favored species.”

Sakura blossom viewing is so important in Japan, and so looked forward to, that every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen or “cherry blossom front” as it moves northward up the chain of the Japanese islands with the approach of warmer weather. Reports on television and radio of the progress of the sakura zensen are frequent and usually follow regular news broadcasts! The blossoming begins in Okinawa, typically in late January, and usually reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. I then proceeds into the areas of higher altitude and also northward, arriving in the far northern island of Hokkaido a few weeks later.

Japanese people pay close attention to these forecasts and turn out in huge numbers at parks, shrines and temples, in the company of both family and friends, to actually hold flower-viewing parties. Hanami festivals celebrating the beauty of the sakura offer many people a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. The actual custom of hanami can be traced back many centuries in Japan. Actually the classic Japanese historic writings known as Nihon Shoki, written in the 8th century, reports hanami festivals being held as early as the 3rd century A.D.


Also of interest is that most Japanese schools and public buildings have sakura trees outside of them. Since both the fiscal (business) year and the school year both begin in April, in many parts of the main island of Honshu, the first day of work or school coincides with the sakura season.

Even in the United States, there are many who are “devout” cherry blossom viewers, especially in and around the nations capitol, Washington, D.C., where ornamental cherry trees are in abundance and the short blossoming time is spectacular.

Momijigari (from the Japanese words momiji for “red leaves” or “maple tree” and kari which means “hunting”) is the Japanese tradition of going out to visit scenic areas and viewing the leaves changing color in autumn. Many Japanese take part in this with the cities of Nikko and Kyoto being perhaps the most popular destinations. The tradition is said to have again originated in the Heian era, as a cultural activity and is one of the reasons that so many deciduous trees (those whose leaves change color) can be found in the region of Kyoto.


In the United States, the custom is known as “leaf peeping” in areas where foliage changes color. “Leaf peepers” as they are often called, are those who participate in photographing and/or viewing the often-dramatic autumn leaves. “Leafing” as the custom is also known, is a bit tricky sometimes because in many areas, the leaves are only visible for a very limited number of weeks, with “prime time” often just lasting one to three weeks.


So which is more beautiful? I guess it depends on whom you talk to, when, and where. Go out in the fall, and back out at the end of winter, look around and see what you think!