MY FIRST BLOG
Senin, 18 Mei 2009
Ume
Prunus mumeFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Magnoliophyta
Class:
Magnoliopsida
Order:
Rosales
Family:
Rosaceae
Genus:
Prunus
Subgenus:
Prunus
Section:
Armeniaca
Species:
P. mume
Binomial name
Prunus mumeSiebold & Zucc.
Kingdom:
Plantae
Division:
Magnoliophyta
Class:
Magnoliopsida
Order:
Rosales
Family:
Rosaceae
Genus:
Prunus
Subgenus:
Prunus
Section:
Armeniaca
Species:
P. mume
Binomial name
Prunus mumeSiebold & Zucc.
Prunus mume, commonly known as ume (梅:うめ ?) or Japanese apricot, or Chinese plum is a species of Asian plum in the family Rosaceae. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia and Vietnam, is usually translated as plum blossom.
The tree originates from China, and was brought to Korea and Japan later. The tree is cultivated for its fruit and flowers. Although generally referred to as a plum in the English language, it is actually more closely related to the apricot.
The tree flowers in late winter, typically late January or February in East Asia, before the leaves appear. Each flower has five petals and is 1–3 cm in diameter. The flowers have coloring ranging from white to rose to deep red. The leaves appear shortly after the petals fall. The leaves are oval, with a pointed tip. The fruit ripens in early summer, typically June in East Asia. The ripening of the fruit coincides with the rainy season of China and Japan, méiyǔ (梅雨, literally "ume rains"), read baiu or tsuyu in Japanese. Each fruit is round with a groove running from the stalk to the tip. The skin is green when unripe, and turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it ripens. The flesh becomes yellow.
The tree originates from China, and was brought to Korea and Japan later. The tree is cultivated for its fruit and flowers. Although generally referred to as a plum in the English language, it is actually more closely related to the apricot.
The tree flowers in late winter, typically late January or February in East Asia, before the leaves appear. Each flower has five petals and is 1–3 cm in diameter. The flowers have coloring ranging from white to rose to deep red. The leaves appear shortly after the petals fall. The leaves are oval, with a pointed tip. The fruit ripens in early summer, typically June in East Asia. The ripening of the fruit coincides with the rainy season of China and Japan, méiyǔ (梅雨, literally "ume rains"), read baiu or tsuyu in Japanese. Each fruit is round with a groove running from the stalk to the tip. The skin is green when unripe, and turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it ripens. The flesh becomes yellow.
Names
The plant is known by a number of different names in English. Arguably the most widely accepted is Japanese apricot. Other variants include Japanese plum and Chinese plum (both names also used for Prunus salicina). An alternative name is ume, from the Japanese name, or mume, from the scientific name, also ultimately based on an older, alternative Japanese pronunciation—possibly the original—of "mme" (んめ), which was written "mume" (むめ). Another alternative is mei, from the Chinese name, which is usually seen in the context of Chinese art and cuisine, and imports from Chinese-speaking regions.
Sometimes names such as ume plum and umeboshi plum (the latter referring to Japanese pickled ume) are also seen. For the tree and flower, names like Japanese flowering apricot, flowering plum, and winter plum may be used, the latter specifically with regard to depiction of the flower in Chinese painting.
In Chinese it is called méi (梅) or méizi (梅子) [1] The Japanese name is ume (kanji: 梅; hiragana: うめ) while the Korean name is maesil (hangul: 매실; hanja: 梅實). The Japanese and Korean terms derive from Middle Chinese, in which the pronunciation is thought to have been muəi.[2]. The Vietnamese name is mai or mơ (although mai may also refer to a different plant, Ochna integerrima, in the south of Vietnam).
Varieties
China
In China, there are over 300 recorded cultivars of mei, which can be broadly divided by colour into white, pink, red, purple, and light green types. Some varieties are especially famed for their ornamental value, including the Dahong mei (大红梅; literally "big red mei"), Taige mei (lit. "pavilion mei"), Zhaoshui mei (lit. "reflecting water mei"), Lü'e mei (lit. "green calyx mei"), Longyou mei (lit. "swimming dragon mei").
As the mei can usually grow for a long time, ancient mei trees are found throughout China. Huangmei county (lit. "Yellow Mei") in Hubei features a 1600-year-old mei tree from the Jin Dynasty which is still flowering.
Japan
In Japan, ornamental ume cultivars are classified into yabai (wild), hibai (red ), and bungo ("Bungo province") types. The bungo trees are also grown for fruit and supposed to be hybrids between ume and apricot. The hibai trees have red heartwood and most of them have red flowers. The yabai trees are also used as grafting stock.
The plant is known by a number of different names in English. Arguably the most widely accepted is Japanese apricot. Other variants include Japanese plum and Chinese plum (both names also used for Prunus salicina). An alternative name is ume, from the Japanese name, or mume, from the scientific name, also ultimately based on an older, alternative Japanese pronunciation—possibly the original—of "mme" (んめ), which was written "mume" (むめ). Another alternative is mei, from the Chinese name, which is usually seen in the context of Chinese art and cuisine, and imports from Chinese-speaking regions.
Sometimes names such as ume plum and umeboshi plum (the latter referring to Japanese pickled ume) are also seen. For the tree and flower, names like Japanese flowering apricot, flowering plum, and winter plum may be used, the latter specifically with regard to depiction of the flower in Chinese painting.
In Chinese it is called méi (梅) or méizi (梅子) [1] The Japanese name is ume (kanji: 梅; hiragana: うめ) while the Korean name is maesil (hangul: 매실; hanja: 梅實). The Japanese and Korean terms derive from Middle Chinese, in which the pronunciation is thought to have been muəi.[2]. The Vietnamese name is mai or mơ (although mai may also refer to a different plant, Ochna integerrima, in the south of Vietnam).
Varieties
China
In China, there are over 300 recorded cultivars of mei, which can be broadly divided by colour into white, pink, red, purple, and light green types. Some varieties are especially famed for their ornamental value, including the Dahong mei (大红梅; literally "big red mei"), Taige mei (lit. "pavilion mei"), Zhaoshui mei (lit. "reflecting water mei"), Lü'e mei (lit. "green calyx mei"), Longyou mei (lit. "swimming dragon mei").
As the mei can usually grow for a long time, ancient mei trees are found throughout China. Huangmei county (lit. "Yellow Mei") in Hubei features a 1600-year-old mei tree from the Jin Dynasty which is still flowering.
Japan
In Japan, ornamental ume cultivars are classified into yabai (wild), hibai (red ), and bungo ("Bungo province") types. The bungo trees are also grown for fruit and supposed to be hybrids between ume and apricot. The hibai trees have red heartwood and most of them have red flowers. The yabai trees are also used as grafting stock.
Uses
Culinary use
Juice
A jar of commercially produced maesil tea syrup, made in South Korea
Ume juice is extracted by preserving the fruits in sugar. In China, sour plum juice (Chinese: 酸梅汤; pinyin: suānméitāng) is made from smoked ume (Chinese: 乌梅; pinyin: wūméi; literally "dark plum"). It ranges from light pinkish orange to purplish black in color and often has a smoky and slightly salty taste. It is traditionally flavoured with sweet osmanthus flowers, and is enjoyed chilled, usually in summer. The juice produced in Japan and Korea, made from green ume, tastes sweet and tangy, and is considered a refreshing drink, also often enjoyed in the summer. In Korea, maesil juice, which is marketed as a healthful tonic, is enjoying increasing popularity. It is commercially available in glass jars in sweetened, concentrated syrup form; it is reconstituted by stirring a small amount of syrup into a glass of water. The syrup may also be prepared at home by storing one part fresh maesil in a container with one part sugar (but no water).
Liquor
Ume liquor, also known as "plum wine", is popular in both Japan and Korea, and is also produced in China.[1] Umeshu (梅酒, sometimes translated as "plum wine") is a Japanese alcoholic drink made by steeping green ume in shōchū (燒酎, clear liquor).photo It is sweet and smooth. The taste and aroma of umeshu can appeal to even those people who normally dislike alcohol. A similar liquor in Korea, called maesil ju (매실주), is marketed under various brand names including Mae Hwa Su, Mae Chui Soon, and Seol Joong Mae. Both the Japanese and Korean varieties of ume liquor are available with whole ume fruits contained in the bottle.photo
In China, ume wine is called mei jiu (梅酒).
In Taiwan, a popular post-World War II innovation on Japanese-style umeshu is the wumeijiu, or Wumei liquor (烏梅酒), which is made by mixing Prunus mume liquor (梅酒 méijǐu), Prunus salicina liquor (李酒 lǐjǐu), and Oolong tea liquor.[3]
Pickled and preserved ume
Umeboshi (梅干), or pickled ume, are a Japanese specialty. Flavoured with salt and purple shiso (perilla) leaves, they are red in color and quite salty and sour, and therefore eaten sparingly. Ume used for making Umeboshi are harvested in late May or early June, while they are still green, and layered with salt. They are weighed down with a heavy stone (or some more modern implement) until late August. They are then dried in the sun on bamboo mats for several days (they are returned to the salt at night). The flavonoid pigment in shiso leaves gives them their distinctive color and a richer flavor. Umeboshi are generally eaten with rice as part of a bento, although they may also be used in makizushi. Umeboshi are also used as a popular filling for Onigiri, a rice ball wrapped in nori. Makizushi made with ume may be made with either umeboshi or umeboshi paste, often in conjunction with green shiso leaves. A by-product of umeboshi production is umeboshi "vinegar", a salty, sour condiment. In Chinese cuisine, ume that are pickled with vinegar and salt are called suān méizi (酸梅子; literally "sour mei fruits"), and have a similar intensely sour and salty flavor as umeboshi.
Huamei (Chinese: 話梅; pinyin: huàméi; literally "talk plum"), or Chinese preserved plum, refers to any of a large number of Chinese foods involving plums pickled in sugar, salt, and herbs such as licorice.photo There are two general varieties: a dried variety, and a wet (pickled) variety.
In Vietnam, a very similar variety of pickled ume is called xí muội or ô mai.photo
Sauce
A thick, sweet Chinese sauce called mei jiang (梅醬) or meizi jiang (梅子醬), usually translated as "plum sauce,"photo is also made from ume, along with other ingredients such as sugar, vinegar, salt, ginger, chili, and garlic. Similar to duck sauce, it is used as a condiment for various Chinese dishes, including poultry dishes and egg rolls.
Medicinal use
In traditional Chinese medicine, the smoked fruits, called wumei (烏梅), are used for medicinal purposes. They are generally black in color and are believed to be effective against parasites, as well as in stopping ulcers and promoting a strong digestive system and heart.
Cultural significance
Ume flowers have been well loved and celebrated in mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Mainland China
One of the most beloved flowers in China, the plum blossoms have been frequently depicted in Chinese art and poetry for centuries. The Chinese sees its blossoms as both as a symbol of winter as well as a harbinger of spring. It is precisely for this reason that the blossoms are so beloved, as they bloom most vibrantly amidst the winter snow, after most other plants have shed their leaves, and before other flowers appear. They are seen as an example of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, and more recently have also been used as a metaphor to symbolize revolutionary struggle since the turn of the 20th Century. Because they blossom in winter, the plum blossom is a member of "Three Friends of the Cold" (歲寒三友), along with pine, and bamboo. The plum blossom is also a member of Four Gentlemen of Flowers (花中四君子) in Chinese art (the others being orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo), symbolizing nobility. It is also one of the four seasonal flowers in Chinese art, which includes the other two flowers of the Four Gentleman, and the lotus.
In Mainland China, they are often used as decoration during the Chinese New Year. The plum blossoms are also one of the four flowers that appear on mahjong tile sets, where mei (Chinese: 梅; pinyin: méi) is usually simply translated as "plum" in English.
Taiwan
In 1964, the Executive Yuan adopted the five-petaled plum blossom ("Prunus mei") as the national flower of the Republic of China.[4] It also serves as the logo of China Airlines, the national carrier of the Republic of China. The flower features prominently on the currency and other national symbols.
Japan
Ume blossoms are often mentioned in Japanese poetry as a symbol of spring. When used in haiku or renga, they are a kigo or season word for early spring. The blossoms are associated with the Japanese Bush Warbler, and they are depicted together as one of the twelve suits on hanafuda (Japanese playing cards). During the Nara period (8th century), the blossom of the ume tree was preferred over the sakura (cherry) blossom, which became popular after the Heian period (794-1185).
Japanese tradition holds that the Ume functions as a protective charm against evil.[5] For this reason, the Ume is traditionally planted in the north-east of the garden, the direction from which evil is believed to come.[5] The eating of the pickled fruit for breakfast is also supposed to stave off misfortune.[5]
Vietnam
In Vietnam, due to the beauty of the tree and its flowers, the word mai is used to name girls. In Confucianism, mai is named in the group of Four Gentlemen (四君子) : lan (orchid), cúc (chrysanthemum), trúc (bamboo), and mai. The largest hospital in Hanoi is named Bach Mai ("white plum blossom"), another hospital in Hanoi is named Mai Huong ("the scent of plum"), situated in Hong Mai ("pink plum blossom'") street. Hoang Mai ("yellow plum blossom") is the name of a district in Hanoi. Bach Mai is also a long and old street in Hanoi. All these places are located in the south part of Hanoi, where, in the past, many Prunus mume were grown.
Due to its characteristics, beautiful flowers and a tall, slender tree, mai is used to describe the beauty of women in expressions such as "Mình hạc xương mai" - crane's body, plum's bones, and "Gầy như mai" - as slender as a plum tree.
Hồ Quý Ly wooed and won Princess Nhất Chi Mai of the Trần king after seeing a parallel couplet:[citation needed]
Thanh Thử điện tiền thiên thụ quế
Quảng Hàn cung lý Nhất Chi Mai.
meaning: Thanh Thử palace, thousands of cinnamon trees here
Quảng Hàn palace, Nhất Chi Mai there".
Nhất Chi Mai is the name of the princess, but also means a branch of mai, implying a beautiful girl.[citation needed]
The Zen monk Thiền sư Mãn Giác monk composed a poem "Cáo tật thị chúng" (meaning: Report of my illness).[citation needed]
Xuân khứ bách hoa lạc Spring goes, hundreds of flower fall
Xuân đáo bách hoa khai Spring comes, hundreds of flowers blossom.
Sự trục nhãn tiền qúa In front of the eyes, everything goes on ever
Lão tùng đầu thượng lai On the heads, showing the year of age soon comes.
Mạc vị xuân tàn hoa lạc tận Who can say when spring ends, all flowers fall down?
Đình tiền tạc dạ nhất chi mai Last night, in front-yard, a branch of plum flower blossomed.
In this poem, nhất chi mai serves as a metaphor for hope (similarly to the last leaf in the short story "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry).[citation needed]
The mai used to celebrate the new year in the south, similar to the peach in the north, is in fact a different plant from Prunus mume (Ochna integerrima).
Culinary use
Juice
A jar of commercially produced maesil tea syrup, made in South Korea
Ume juice is extracted by preserving the fruits in sugar. In China, sour plum juice (Chinese: 酸梅汤; pinyin: suānméitāng) is made from smoked ume (Chinese: 乌梅; pinyin: wūméi; literally "dark plum"). It ranges from light pinkish orange to purplish black in color and often has a smoky and slightly salty taste. It is traditionally flavoured with sweet osmanthus flowers, and is enjoyed chilled, usually in summer. The juice produced in Japan and Korea, made from green ume, tastes sweet and tangy, and is considered a refreshing drink, also often enjoyed in the summer. In Korea, maesil juice, which is marketed as a healthful tonic, is enjoying increasing popularity. It is commercially available in glass jars in sweetened, concentrated syrup form; it is reconstituted by stirring a small amount of syrup into a glass of water. The syrup may also be prepared at home by storing one part fresh maesil in a container with one part sugar (but no water).
Liquor
Ume liquor, also known as "plum wine", is popular in both Japan and Korea, and is also produced in China.[1] Umeshu (梅酒, sometimes translated as "plum wine") is a Japanese alcoholic drink made by steeping green ume in shōchū (燒酎, clear liquor).photo It is sweet and smooth. The taste and aroma of umeshu can appeal to even those people who normally dislike alcohol. A similar liquor in Korea, called maesil ju (매실주), is marketed under various brand names including Mae Hwa Su, Mae Chui Soon, and Seol Joong Mae. Both the Japanese and Korean varieties of ume liquor are available with whole ume fruits contained in the bottle.photo
In China, ume wine is called mei jiu (梅酒).
In Taiwan, a popular post-World War II innovation on Japanese-style umeshu is the wumeijiu, or Wumei liquor (烏梅酒), which is made by mixing Prunus mume liquor (梅酒 méijǐu), Prunus salicina liquor (李酒 lǐjǐu), and Oolong tea liquor.[3]
Pickled and preserved ume
Umeboshi (梅干), or pickled ume, are a Japanese specialty. Flavoured with salt and purple shiso (perilla) leaves, they are red in color and quite salty and sour, and therefore eaten sparingly. Ume used for making Umeboshi are harvested in late May or early June, while they are still green, and layered with salt. They are weighed down with a heavy stone (or some more modern implement) until late August. They are then dried in the sun on bamboo mats for several days (they are returned to the salt at night). The flavonoid pigment in shiso leaves gives them their distinctive color and a richer flavor. Umeboshi are generally eaten with rice as part of a bento, although they may also be used in makizushi. Umeboshi are also used as a popular filling for Onigiri, a rice ball wrapped in nori. Makizushi made with ume may be made with either umeboshi or umeboshi paste, often in conjunction with green shiso leaves. A by-product of umeboshi production is umeboshi "vinegar", a salty, sour condiment. In Chinese cuisine, ume that are pickled with vinegar and salt are called suān méizi (酸梅子; literally "sour mei fruits"), and have a similar intensely sour and salty flavor as umeboshi.
Huamei (Chinese: 話梅; pinyin: huàméi; literally "talk plum"), or Chinese preserved plum, refers to any of a large number of Chinese foods involving plums pickled in sugar, salt, and herbs such as licorice.photo There are two general varieties: a dried variety, and a wet (pickled) variety.
In Vietnam, a very similar variety of pickled ume is called xí muội or ô mai.photo
Sauce
A thick, sweet Chinese sauce called mei jiang (梅醬) or meizi jiang (梅子醬), usually translated as "plum sauce,"photo is also made from ume, along with other ingredients such as sugar, vinegar, salt, ginger, chili, and garlic. Similar to duck sauce, it is used as a condiment for various Chinese dishes, including poultry dishes and egg rolls.
Medicinal use
In traditional Chinese medicine, the smoked fruits, called wumei (烏梅), are used for medicinal purposes. They are generally black in color and are believed to be effective against parasites, as well as in stopping ulcers and promoting a strong digestive system and heart.
Cultural significance
Ume flowers have been well loved and celebrated in mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Mainland China
One of the most beloved flowers in China, the plum blossoms have been frequently depicted in Chinese art and poetry for centuries. The Chinese sees its blossoms as both as a symbol of winter as well as a harbinger of spring. It is precisely for this reason that the blossoms are so beloved, as they bloom most vibrantly amidst the winter snow, after most other plants have shed their leaves, and before other flowers appear. They are seen as an example of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, and more recently have also been used as a metaphor to symbolize revolutionary struggle since the turn of the 20th Century. Because they blossom in winter, the plum blossom is a member of "Three Friends of the Cold" (歲寒三友), along with pine, and bamboo. The plum blossom is also a member of Four Gentlemen of Flowers (花中四君子) in Chinese art (the others being orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo), symbolizing nobility. It is also one of the four seasonal flowers in Chinese art, which includes the other two flowers of the Four Gentleman, and the lotus.
In Mainland China, they are often used as decoration during the Chinese New Year. The plum blossoms are also one of the four flowers that appear on mahjong tile sets, where mei (Chinese: 梅; pinyin: méi) is usually simply translated as "plum" in English.
Taiwan
In 1964, the Executive Yuan adopted the five-petaled plum blossom ("Prunus mei") as the national flower of the Republic of China.[4] It also serves as the logo of China Airlines, the national carrier of the Republic of China. The flower features prominently on the currency and other national symbols.
Japan
Ume blossoms are often mentioned in Japanese poetry as a symbol of spring. When used in haiku or renga, they are a kigo or season word for early spring. The blossoms are associated with the Japanese Bush Warbler, and they are depicted together as one of the twelve suits on hanafuda (Japanese playing cards). During the Nara period (8th century), the blossom of the ume tree was preferred over the sakura (cherry) blossom, which became popular after the Heian period (794-1185).
Japanese tradition holds that the Ume functions as a protective charm against evil.[5] For this reason, the Ume is traditionally planted in the north-east of the garden, the direction from which evil is believed to come.[5] The eating of the pickled fruit for breakfast is also supposed to stave off misfortune.[5]
Vietnam
In Vietnam, due to the beauty of the tree and its flowers, the word mai is used to name girls. In Confucianism, mai is named in the group of Four Gentlemen (四君子) : lan (orchid), cúc (chrysanthemum), trúc (bamboo), and mai. The largest hospital in Hanoi is named Bach Mai ("white plum blossom"), another hospital in Hanoi is named Mai Huong ("the scent of plum"), situated in Hong Mai ("pink plum blossom'") street. Hoang Mai ("yellow plum blossom") is the name of a district in Hanoi. Bach Mai is also a long and old street in Hanoi. All these places are located in the south part of Hanoi, where, in the past, many Prunus mume were grown.
Due to its characteristics, beautiful flowers and a tall, slender tree, mai is used to describe the beauty of women in expressions such as "Mình hạc xương mai" - crane's body, plum's bones, and "Gầy như mai" - as slender as a plum tree.
Hồ Quý Ly wooed and won Princess Nhất Chi Mai of the Trần king after seeing a parallel couplet:[citation needed]
Thanh Thử điện tiền thiên thụ quế
Quảng Hàn cung lý Nhất Chi Mai.
meaning: Thanh Thử palace, thousands of cinnamon trees here
Quảng Hàn palace, Nhất Chi Mai there".
Nhất Chi Mai is the name of the princess, but also means a branch of mai, implying a beautiful girl.[citation needed]
The Zen monk Thiền sư Mãn Giác monk composed a poem "Cáo tật thị chúng" (meaning: Report of my illness).[citation needed]
Xuân khứ bách hoa lạc Spring goes, hundreds of flower fall
Xuân đáo bách hoa khai Spring comes, hundreds of flowers blossom.
Sự trục nhãn tiền qúa In front of the eyes, everything goes on ever
Lão tùng đầu thượng lai On the heads, showing the year of age soon comes.
Mạc vị xuân tàn hoa lạc tận Who can say when spring ends, all flowers fall down?
Đình tiền tạc dạ nhất chi mai Last night, in front-yard, a branch of plum flower blossomed.
In this poem, nhất chi mai serves as a metaphor for hope (similarly to the last leaf in the short story "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry).[citation needed]
The mai used to celebrate the new year in the south, similar to the peach in the north, is in fact a different plant from Prunus mume (Ochna integerrima).
Bunga Sakura
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cherry blossom is the name for the flower of cherry trees, also known as Sakura (Japanese kanji : 桜 or 櫻; hiragana: さくら) in Japanese. In English, the word "sakura" is equivalent to the Japanese flowering cherry.[1] Cherry fruit (known in Japanese as sakuranbo) comes from another species of tree.
Natural history
Cherry Blossoms are indigenous to many Asian states including Japan, Korea, China, and India. Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms (sakura); well over 200 cultivars can be found there.[2]
Flower viewing
During the Heian Period (794–1191), Japanese sought to emulate many practices from China,[citation needed] including the social phenomenon of flower viewing (hanami: 花見), where the imperial households, poets, singers and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under the blossoms. In Japan, cherry trees were planted and cultivated for their beauty, for the adornment of the grounds of the nobility of Kyoto, at least as early as 794.[3] In China, the ume "plum" tree (actually a species of apricot) was held in highest regard, but by the middle of the ninth century, the cherry blossom had replaced the plum as the favored species in Japan.[citation needed]
Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen (cherry-blossom front) as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaidō a few weeks later. Japanese 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. Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. The custom of hanami dates back many centuries in Japan: the eighth-century chronicle Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) records hanami festivals being held as early as the third century CE.
Most Japanese schools and public buildings have cherry blossom trees outside of them. Since the fiscal and school year both begin in April, in many parts of Honshū, the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season.
Symbolism
In China the cherry blossom symbolizes feminine beauty, the feminine principle, or love in the language of flowers. In Japan cherry blossoms also symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life,[4] an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhistic influence,[5] and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware.[6] The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga.[6] The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality;[4] for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. The band Kagrra, which is associated with the visual kei movement, is an example of this latter phenomenon. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.
Cherry blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring. Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, and as such are frequently depicted in art.[citation needed]
During World War II, the cherry blossom was used to motivate and manipulate the Japanese people, to stoke nationalism and militarism among the populace.[7][8] Japanese pilots would paint them on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions.[7] A cherry blossom painted on the side of the bomber symbolized the intensity and ephemerality of life;[9] in this way, the aesthetic association was altered such that falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor.[7] The government even encouraged the people to believe that the souls of downed warriors were reincarnated in the blossoms.[7]
In its colonial enterprises, imperial Japan often planted cherry trees as a means of "claiming occupied territory as Japanese space".[8]
Varieties
Prunus serrulata (Prunus jamasakura)
Prunus speciosa
Prunus × yedoensis
Prunus sargentii
The most popular variety of sakura in Japan is the Somei Yoshino. Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week, before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The variety takes its name from the village of Somei (now part of Toshima in Tokyo). It was developed in the mid- to late-19th century at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The Somei Yoshino is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that jidaigeki and other works of fiction often depict the variety in the Edo period or earlier; such depictions are anachronisms.
Winter sakura (fuyuzakura/Prunus subhirtella autumnalis) begins to bloom in the fall and continues blooming sporadically throughout the winter. It is said to be a cross between Tokyo Higan cherry (edohiganzakura/P. incisa) and Mamezakura/P. pendula.[10]
Other categories include yamazakura, yaezakura, and shidarezakura. The yaezakura have large flowers, thick with rich pink petals. The shidarezakura, or weeping cherry, has branches that fall like those of a weeping willow, bearing cascades of pink flowers.
Cherry blossom in other countries
Philippines
A province in Western Philippines, Palawan, serves as home to an endemic Palawan Cherry Blossoms, which appears to resemble that of Japan's, thus the name.
Canada
Vancouver, BC is famous for its thousands of cherry blossom trees lining many streets and in many parks, including Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park. Vancouver holds the annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival every year. [5] High Park in Toronto, ON features many Somei-Yoshino cherry trees (the earliest species to bloom and much loved by the Japanese for their fluffy white flowers) that were given to Toronto by Japan in 1959. Through the Sakura Project, the Japanese Embassy donated a further 34 cherry trees to High Park in 2001, plus cherry trees to various other locations like Exhibition Place, McMaster University and the University of Toronto's main and Scarborough campuses.
United States
Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship[11]. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and famously line the shore of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. (see West Potomac Park), and the gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.[12] The cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring. Also, Balboa Park of Los Angeles has 2,000 cherry blossom trees that blossom in mid to late March. The trees are located on Balboa Boulevard in Van Nuys. Philadelphia is also home to over 2000 flowering Japanese cherry trees, half of which were a gift from the Japanese government in 1926 in honor of the 150th anniversary of American independence, with the other half planted by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia between 1998 and 2007. Philadelphia's cherry blossoms are located within Fairmount Park, and the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia celebrates the blooming trees. The University of Washington in Seattle also has cherry blossoms in its Quad.
Other US cities have an annual Cherry Blossom Festival (or Sakura Matsuri), including the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia, which features over 300,000 cherry trees. Belleville, Bloomfield, and Newark, New Jersey celebrate the annual Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival in April, which attracts thousands of visitors from the local area, Japan, and India. As of April 2009, Branch Brook Park has a cherry tree collection with over 4,000 cherry blossoms in more than fourteen different varieties.[13] Branch Brook Park will soon have more flowering cherry trees than Washington, D.C., thanks to an ongoing replanting program. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City also has a large, well-attended festival.
Cherry Blossoms are indigenous to many Asian states including Japan, Korea, China, and India. Japan has a wide variety of cherry blossoms (sakura); well over 200 cultivars can be found there.[2]
Flower viewing
During the Heian Period (794–1191), Japanese sought to emulate many practices from China,[citation needed] including the social phenomenon of flower viewing (hanami: 花見), where the imperial households, poets, singers and other aristocrats would gather and celebrate under the blossoms. In Japan, cherry trees were planted and cultivated for their beauty, for the adornment of the grounds of the nobility of Kyoto, at least as early as 794.[3] In China, the ume "plum" tree (actually a species of apricot) was held in highest regard, but by the middle of the ninth century, the cherry blossom had replaced the plum as the favored species in Japan.[citation needed]
Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen (cherry-blossom front) as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaidō a few weeks later. Japanese 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. Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. The custom of hanami dates back many centuries in Japan: the eighth-century chronicle Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) records hanami festivals being held as early as the third century CE.
Most Japanese schools and public buildings have cherry blossom trees outside of them. Since the fiscal and school year both begin in April, in many parts of Honshū, the first day of work or school coincides with the cherry blossom season.
Symbolism
In China the cherry blossom symbolizes feminine beauty, the feminine principle, or love in the language of flowers. In Japan cherry blossoms also symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life,[4] an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhistic influence,[5] and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware.[6] The association of the cherry blossom with mono no aware dates back to 18th-century scholar Motoori Norinaga.[6] The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality;[4] for this reason, cherry blossoms are richly symbolic, and have been utilized often in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as at musical performances for ambient effect. The band Kagrra, which is associated with the visual kei movement, is an example of this latter phenomenon. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", and several pop songs. The flower is also represented on all manner of consumer goods in Japan, including kimono, stationery, and dishware.
Cherry blossom is an omen of good fortune and is also an emblem of love, affection and represents spring. Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the fleeting nature of life, and as such are frequently depicted in art.[citation needed]
During World War II, the cherry blossom was used to motivate and manipulate the Japanese people, to stoke nationalism and militarism among the populace.[7][8] Japanese pilots would paint them on the sides of their planes before embarking on a suicide mission, or even take branches of the trees with them on their missions.[7] A cherry blossom painted on the side of the bomber symbolized the intensity and ephemerality of life;[9] in this way, the aesthetic association was altered such that falling cherry petals came to represent the sacrifice of youth in suicide missions to honor the emperor.[7] The government even encouraged the people to believe that the souls of downed warriors were reincarnated in the blossoms.[7]
In its colonial enterprises, imperial Japan often planted cherry trees as a means of "claiming occupied territory as Japanese space".[8]
Varieties
Prunus serrulata (Prunus jamasakura)
Prunus speciosa
Prunus × yedoensis
Prunus sargentii
The most popular variety of sakura in Japan is the Somei Yoshino. Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. They bloom and usually fall within a week, before the leaves come out. Therefore, the trees look nearly white from top to bottom. The variety takes its name from the village of Somei (now part of Toshima in Tokyo). It was developed in the mid- to late-19th century at the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji period. The Somei Yoshino is so widely associated with cherry blossoms that jidaigeki and other works of fiction often depict the variety in the Edo period or earlier; such depictions are anachronisms.
Winter sakura (fuyuzakura/Prunus subhirtella autumnalis) begins to bloom in the fall and continues blooming sporadically throughout the winter. It is said to be a cross between Tokyo Higan cherry (edohiganzakura/P. incisa) and Mamezakura/P. pendula.[10]
Other categories include yamazakura, yaezakura, and shidarezakura. The yaezakura have large flowers, thick with rich pink petals. The shidarezakura, or weeping cherry, has branches that fall like those of a weeping willow, bearing cascades of pink flowers.
Cherry blossom in other countries
Philippines
A province in Western Philippines, Palawan, serves as home to an endemic Palawan Cherry Blossoms, which appears to resemble that of Japan's, thus the name.
Canada
Vancouver, BC is famous for its thousands of cherry blossom trees lining many streets and in many parks, including Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park. Vancouver holds the annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival every year. [5] High Park in Toronto, ON features many Somei-Yoshino cherry trees (the earliest species to bloom and much loved by the Japanese for their fluffy white flowers) that were given to Toronto by Japan in 1959. Through the Sakura Project, the Japanese Embassy donated a further 34 cherry trees to High Park in 2001, plus cherry trees to various other locations like Exhibition Place, McMaster University and the University of Toronto's main and Scarborough campuses.
United States
Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship[11]. These trees were planted in Sakura Park in Manhattan and famously line the shore of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. (see West Potomac Park), and the gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.[12] The cherry blossom trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction (and the subject of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival) when they reach full bloom in early spring. Also, Balboa Park of Los Angeles has 2,000 cherry blossom trees that blossom in mid to late March. The trees are located on Balboa Boulevard in Van Nuys. Philadelphia is also home to over 2000 flowering Japanese cherry trees, half of which were a gift from the Japanese government in 1926 in honor of the 150th anniversary of American independence, with the other half planted by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia between 1998 and 2007. Philadelphia's cherry blossoms are located within Fairmount Park, and the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia celebrates the blooming trees. The University of Washington in Seattle also has cherry blossoms in its Quad.
Other US cities have an annual Cherry Blossom Festival (or Sakura Matsuri), including the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Georgia, which features over 300,000 cherry trees. Belleville, Bloomfield, and Newark, New Jersey celebrate the annual Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival in April, which attracts thousands of visitors from the local area, Japan, and India. As of April 2009, Branch Brook Park has a cherry tree collection with over 4,000 cherry blossoms in more than fourteen different varieties.[13] Branch Brook Park will soon have more flowering cherry trees than Washington, D.C., thanks to an ongoing replanting program. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City also has a large, well-attended festival.
Germany
The cherry blossom is a major tourist attraction in Germany's Altes Land orchard region.
Great Britain
Batsford Arboretum holds the national collection of Japanese village cherries, sato-sakura group. [6]
South Korea
Cherry blossoms are also indigenous to South Korea. Watching of cherry blossom was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule since Japanese watched cherry blossoms in Korea in an attempt to create an atmosphere of Japan.[14] [15] [16] The festivals continued even after the Japanese surrendered in WWII because botanists were able to trace the origin of the cherry blossom to the natural flora of Halla mountian in Korea, but not to any natural flora in Japan. "The most popular variety of cherry tree in Japan is called the Somei Yoshino, which is the same species as the Korean wang beot namu. DNA testing and analysis of the two trees in Korea and in Japan proved this to be the case in 2001. The testing showed that the Japanese Yoshino was actually taken from Korea and then replanted in its country of origin at a later time.[citation needed]In 1933, the renowned Japanese botanist Koizumi Genichi reported that the Japanese sakura is of Korean origin.[17] In 1992, Takaki Kiyoko, another botanist specializing in sakura, also claimed that the Yoshino sakura hails from Jeju Island.[citation needed] More evidence supporting this claim is that while this species of cherry tree is indigenous to Korea and can be found as part of the natural flora of Mount Halla, it cannot be found anywhere in Japan'.[18] Recent studies conducted on the comparison of Korean and Japanese cherry blossoms by botanist concluded that the two trees can possibly be categorized as distinct species when analyzed by inter-simple sequence repeat and chloroplast DNA in 2007.[19] Further studies are ongoing. Whether the natural Korean cherry blossom is related to the Japanese version is still studied but what is definately known is that Japans cherry blossoms were artificially cultivated and not natural to Japan's flora. This lead Japan to develop many theories on how and where the cultivated hybrids came to be and questions arose on when they were imported, but its origin is still obsure.[20] Scientia Horiculturae volume 114 states cherry blossoms "that grows under natural environments in Jeju, Korea and of Yoshino cherry hybrids that grows only in cultivated conditions in Japan".[21][22] need to be analyzed. Koreans decided to continue the festivals with Koreas natural flora of Cherry blossoms and have been watching cherry blossoms bloom during various festival throughout South Korea[23][24], with the Korean weather agency announcing a forecast every year.[25]
Certain trees at Seoul's Gyeongbok Palace were cut down to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Japanese surrender in WWII.[8] Although Cherry blossoms are already indigenous to Korea, Japan had planted these tree on sacred and offensive locations in the Palace. Once the offensive trees were cut down the festival continued with the indigenous trees. The cherry blossom festival at Gyeongbok Palace is one of a number of such festivals across Korea and is prominently advertised to tourists[26].
Culinary use
Cherry blossoms and leaves are both edible and used as food ingredients in Japan. The blossoms are pickled in salt and umezu and used for coaxing out flavor in wagashi or anpan. Salt-pickled blossoms in hot water is called sakurayu and drunk at festive events like weddings in place of green tea. Leaves, mostly Ōshima cherry because of the softness, are also pickled in salted water and used for sakuramochi. Since the leaves contain coumarin, however, it is not recommend to eat them in great quantity.
The cherry blossom is a major tourist attraction in Germany's Altes Land orchard region.
Great Britain
Batsford Arboretum holds the national collection of Japanese village cherries, sato-sakura group. [6]
South Korea
Cherry blossoms are also indigenous to South Korea. Watching of cherry blossom was introduced to Korea during Japanese rule since Japanese watched cherry blossoms in Korea in an attempt to create an atmosphere of Japan.[14] [15] [16] The festivals continued even after the Japanese surrendered in WWII because botanists were able to trace the origin of the cherry blossom to the natural flora of Halla mountian in Korea, but not to any natural flora in Japan. "The most popular variety of cherry tree in Japan is called the Somei Yoshino, which is the same species as the Korean wang beot namu. DNA testing and analysis of the two trees in Korea and in Japan proved this to be the case in 2001. The testing showed that the Japanese Yoshino was actually taken from Korea and then replanted in its country of origin at a later time.[citation needed]In 1933, the renowned Japanese botanist Koizumi Genichi reported that the Japanese sakura is of Korean origin.[17] In 1992, Takaki Kiyoko, another botanist specializing in sakura, also claimed that the Yoshino sakura hails from Jeju Island.[citation needed] More evidence supporting this claim is that while this species of cherry tree is indigenous to Korea and can be found as part of the natural flora of Mount Halla, it cannot be found anywhere in Japan'.[18] Recent studies conducted on the comparison of Korean and Japanese cherry blossoms by botanist concluded that the two trees can possibly be categorized as distinct species when analyzed by inter-simple sequence repeat and chloroplast DNA in 2007.[19] Further studies are ongoing. Whether the natural Korean cherry blossom is related to the Japanese version is still studied but what is definately known is that Japans cherry blossoms were artificially cultivated and not natural to Japan's flora. This lead Japan to develop many theories on how and where the cultivated hybrids came to be and questions arose on when they were imported, but its origin is still obsure.[20] Scientia Horiculturae volume 114 states cherry blossoms "that grows under natural environments in Jeju, Korea and of Yoshino cherry hybrids that grows only in cultivated conditions in Japan".[21][22] need to be analyzed. Koreans decided to continue the festivals with Koreas natural flora of Cherry blossoms and have been watching cherry blossoms bloom during various festival throughout South Korea[23][24], with the Korean weather agency announcing a forecast every year.[25]
Certain trees at Seoul's Gyeongbok Palace were cut down to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Japanese surrender in WWII.[8] Although Cherry blossoms are already indigenous to Korea, Japan had planted these tree on sacred and offensive locations in the Palace. Once the offensive trees were cut down the festival continued with the indigenous trees. The cherry blossom festival at Gyeongbok Palace is one of a number of such festivals across Korea and is prominently advertised to tourists[26].
Culinary use
Cherry blossoms and leaves are both edible and used as food ingredients in Japan. The blossoms are pickled in salt and umezu and used for coaxing out flavor in wagashi or anpan. Salt-pickled blossoms in hot water is called sakurayu and drunk at festive events like weddings in place of green tea. Leaves, mostly Ōshima cherry because of the softness, are also pickled in salted water and used for sakuramochi. Since the leaves contain coumarin, however, it is not recommend to eat them in great quantity.
