Cherry blossoms have a history of 1000 years in Japan. In Heian period (794- 1 192), cherry blossoms became the leading role, and there were five times more songs about cherry blossoms than Yongmei flowers. And there have been cherry blossom viewing activities in Japan for a long time. In the 7th century, Emperor Zhi Zhi was particularly fond of cherry blossoms and visited yoshinoyama in Nara many times. In addition, it is said that the first cherry blossom viewing conference in Japanese history was held under the auspices of Emperor Emei in the 9th century. At first, cherry blossom viewing was only popular among dignitaries, and it didn't spread to ordinary people until the Edo period (1603- 1867), forming a traditional folk custom.
Cherry blossoms have a short life span. There is a folk proverb in Japan that says: "Cherry blossoms last for seven days", that is, it takes about seven days for a cherry blossom to bloom and wither, and about 16 days for a whole cherry tree to bloom and wither, which forms the characteristics of cherry blossoms blooming and falling. It is this feature that makes cherry blossoms so attractive. Being honored as the national flower is not only because of its charm and charm, but more importantly, its "heroic" withering after its brief glory. Ask the soul of Yamato and watch the cherry blossoms at sunrise. The Japanese believe that life is too short, to live as brightly as cherry blossoms, and to leave decisively even if you die. When the cherry blossoms fall, they are spotless and crisp, and are honored as the Japanese spirit.
In Japan, cherry blossoms are loved as a symbol of group spirit and samurai spirit. There is a Japanese proverb: "Flowers want cherry blossoms, and people want warriors". That is, cherry blossoms are the most prominent flowers, and warriors are the best among people. Cherry blossom is a kind of flower that suddenly opens and withers. When it is in full bloom, a gust of wind blows, and the flowers under the cherry trees are colorful, just like a carpet paved with petals, and all the flowers fall overnight. The way this flower falls is decisive and crisp, just like a samurai group fought a battle in the city and all died, which is closely related to the samurai's outlook on life. For samurai, the beauty of cherry blossoms when they die is the life form they yearn for. In their view, cherry blossoms and samurai are similar in temperament. The most direct similarity is that although cherry blossoms are beautiful, their flowering period is very short, just as samurai often squander their good years at a young age. Therefore, the early samurai's understanding of things and feelings is somewhat sad, which is not the same as that of the samurai under militarism. The beauty and early death of cherry blossoms inspired the early warriors to give up their lives and forget their lives. They believe that sacrificing the body is a solemn and solemn ceremony to return to the eternal kingdom of God. However, this disrespect for life has laid a cultural foundation for being used by militarism and promoting national fanaticism in the future. The spirit brought by cherry blossoms to samurai is tragic and poetic, so the temptation to a Japanese man is far-reaching. Therefore, cherry blossoms and samurai spirit are inseparable.
From ancient times to the present, Japanese people appreciate cherry blossoms, and their short-lived profusion is even more brilliant, so is life. The core of Japanese culture and history has a tradition of pursuing self-destruction and self-sublimation. The Japanese respect their ancestors or those who died for their country as immortals, while the deceased respect Buddha. They have a unique understanding of life and death. Buddhism, which has the greatest influence on Japanese outlook on life and death. In Ye Yin, a book about Bushido, he wrote: "Bushido is dead and idle." It teaches people not to be bound by the question of life and death, but to dare to give up their attachment to life and die happily when they die; To live is to try to live completely all the time-this concept of Zen has been further developed, enlightening people to devote themselves to death to create a perfect life. Especially the samurai in the leadership, must abide by this spirit. Whenever he does something that damages his reputation or encounters a major setback, the samurai will die painfully to calm the situation and be exempted from all responsibilities.
Cherry blossoms are the concentrated expression of Japanese beauty. Elegant and light, people can't put it down; The trees are full of flowers, which are breathtaking and make people fall into dreams; Floating down, life is short, giving other flowers and plants spring. Beauty and death, that's it Try to live a good life and make life as gorgeous as cherry blossoms. When you die, you should "treat death like death" and "just die without avoiding axe and hunger". Japan is a country with a high suicide rate. The reason is that in Japan, this kind of suicide behavior of "surviving by death" is regarded as a brave act, not a sin. A Japanese scholar who lived in China once made statistics on the chorus of cherry blossoms. It is said that in "Cherry Blossom Song", half of the fallen cherry blossoms are recited, while only 13% people praise the blooming cherry blossoms, which is also related to Japanese aesthetics. The aesthetics evolved from Buddhism's "impermanence of behavior" takes sadness and sadness as beauty. The flowering period of cherry blossoms is generally only ten days, but it has become the most appropriate symbol of Japanese aesthetic consciousness, a kind of beauty that disappears and disappears in an instant.
In addition, as a friendly messenger of the Japanese people, cherry blossoms have been in full bloom in many parts of the world. 1972 When Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations were normalized, China presented a pair of giant pandas to Japan, and the Japanese government selected 1000 cherry saplings from Nagaomachi, Hokkaido, which were presented to China by then Japanese Prime Minister tanaka kakuei during his visit to China. These cherry saplings were planted in Beijing. Later, almost every year, the Japanese government or non-governmental organizations or friendly organizations presented cherry blossoms to China. These affectionate cherry blossoms add a friendship and warmth to the people of China and Japan.