Sakura Mythology
Charise Scrivner
Konohanasakuya-hime is the goddess of Mount Fuji and all volcanoes in Japanese mythology; she is also the blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life.[1][2] She is often considered an avatar of Japanese life, especially since her symbol is the sakura (cherry blossom).
Shinto shrines have been built on Mount Fuji for Sakuya-hime, collectively known as the Asama or Sengen Shrines. It is believed that she will keep Mount Fuji from erupting,[3] but shrines to her at Kirishima have been repeatedly destroyed by volcanic eruptions. She is also known for having torn up the Yatsugatake Mountains, because it was higher than Fujiyama.
Sakuya-hime met Ninigi on the seashore and they fell in love; Ninigi asked Ohoyamatsumi, the father of Sakuya-hime for her hand in marriage. Oho-Yama proposed his older daughter, Iwa-Naga-hime, instead, but Ninigi had his heart set on Sakuya-hime. Oho-Yama reluctantly agreed and Ninigi and Ko-no-hana married. Because Ninigi refused Iwa-Naga, the rock-princess, human lives are said to be short and fleeting, like the sakura blossoms, instead of enduring and long lasting, like stones.
Sakuya-hime became pregnant in just one night, causing suspicion in Ninigi. He wondered if this was the child of another kami. Sakuya-hime was enraged at Ninigi's accusation and entered a doorless hut, which she then set fire to, declaring that the child would not be hurt if it were truly the offspring of Ninigi. Inside the hut, Ko-no-hana had three sons, Hoderi, Hosuseri and Hoori.[6][7]
According to an 11th-century legend, a small village in the Suruga Province named Kamiide was struck by smallpox epidemic. In the village, there lived a young boy named Yosoji and his mother, who was infected by the disease. To cure his mother, Yosoji went to a fortune teller who told him to give his mother water from a small stream near Mount Fuji.
The next day, Yosoji decided to go to the river, but then stumbled upon three different paths, not knowing which one to take. A young girl in white came towards Yosoji from the forest and guided him to the stream. Yosoji scooped up water from the stream and gave it to his mother to drink.
Days later, Yosoji went back to the area where the three paths met, and met the girl in white once again. She told him to come back in three days, and that she would meet him there. She also told him that it would take five trips to the stream to treat all the villagers.
Five trips later, Yosoji's mother was healed, and so were many other villagers. The villagers thanked him, but he knew that he owed it all to the girl in white. So he went back to the stream to give thanks to the girl in white. However, he found that the stream was completely dried up and the girl was nowhere to be seen. Thus, Yosoji prayed that the girl would reveal herself, so that he might thank her for her actions.
The girl appeared before him and Yosoji said that he wished to tell her how deeply grateful he was to her and that he wished to know who she was, so he could tell the villagers whom to thank. The girl in white said that her identity was not important and said farewell to Yosoji. She then swung a branch of camellia over her head and a cloud from Mount Fuji came down and picked her up. Yosoji realized the woman was none other than the Goddess of Mount Fuji.[8]
In general, sakura, cherry blossoms, represent the impermanent nature of life. Not only is the beauty of the flowers short and sweet, the trees themselves are also short-lived. But there are contradictory meanings as well. Cherry blossoms symbolize both birth and death, beauty and violence. They are a central motif in the Japanese worship of nature, but they have also historically signified the short but colorful life of the samurai. Sakura emblems also adorned the planes of kamikaze pilots during World War II.
Sacred trees are often a theme in supernatural Shinto or Buddhist folk tales. Spirits, or kami, are said to inhabit old or beautiful trees, called kodama. There are hundreds of these trees in Japan, and to denote their sacredness, they are encircled with large twisted ropes called shimenawa. It is said that misfortune will come to anyone who cuts down or otherwise mistreats one of these trees.
Another ancient cherry tree tale concerns the ghost of a lonely samurai. In the district of Wakegori dwelled an elderly samurai who had outlived his children and all of his other loved ones. As he grew older and lonelier, his only comfort was the ancient cherry tree in his garden. He had played under this tree as a child, and it had been in his family for generations. One summer, the tree, too, died. The samurai grew more despondent, and on the 16th day of the next January he committed hara-kiri beneath the tree. His ghost entered the tree and made it bloom, and every year since, it is said to bloom again on January 16.
Not so much a piece of folklore as a remarkable natural phenomenon, the revered tree called Ishiwari-zakura, or Stone-Splitting Cherry Tree, can be seen in Morioka, Japan. This tree took root in a small crack in a boulder and eventually grew large enough to split the boulder in half. Thus, the beauty and power of a tree was able to shatter stone. Today the tree is 400 years old.
For the Japanese, blooming sakura represents the transience and fragility of life. A person lives their life in the same way as a sakura petals falls - beautifully and quickly. Sakura flowers are considered the abode of the souls of the ancestors, so to look at flowers is to look at one's ancestors, to remember them. Naturally, there are many stories associated with this.
The mountain deity Oho-yama had two daughters - the elder Iwa (Rock) and the younger Saku (Blooming). One day, the deity Ninigi descended from heaven to marry one of the daughters. Ninigi chose the younger one. He called the older one ugly and sent her to her father. Oho-yama became angry and announced a sentence: the life of all of the descendants of Iwa would be solid and eternal, like rocks; the descendants of Saku, though, from the Emperor to the most common person, would be as short as a spring bloom. When Saku died, a beautiful tree grew on her grave, which was named 'sakura'.
Another legend tells about how a tree suddenly bloomed. Once upon a time, the gods decided to remove a Tree that had never bloomed, but first they gave it 20 years, during which it could turn into a human being and experience human feelings. There was a war occurring and Tree didn't see anything good until it met a beautiful girl. They fell in love with each other, and the tree admitted that it was a tree. The girl also wanted to become a tree, and they became one - sakura, blooming with beautiful flowers.
I've come across sakura with white, pink and even almost red-coloured flowers. The legend of the pink flower, though, is quite sad. On the orders of a cruel ruler, a woman with children was tied to a tree trunk and flogged to death. The pink rose petals of the sakura tree became reminders of innocent victims...
The ancient Yo-roku sakura is the cherry blossom that blooms on the sixteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar in February. The soul of a samurai lives in that tree. Once, a sakura tree grew in his garden and bloomed at the usual time. He played under the tree as a child and knew that his parents and all his ancestors played there too. As he grew, he found that he outlived his children and the only thing that remained dear to him in the world was that sakura tree.
The following summer, the tree began to wither before dying. The old samurai fell ill with grief; nothing could compensate for his loss. On the sixteenth day of the first moon, he went out into the garden, bowed to the dry trunk and pleaded: "I beg you, take my life and start blooming again!" Then, spreading a white cover under the tree, he sat down in a ritual pose and ended his life. As he died, his soul moved into the tree and it instantly bloomed. So it happened - the sakura blooming every year, on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, during the snow season.
Whether admiring the sakura in popular locations or in the quieter places where you can enjoy sakura in peace and tranquility, comprehending and absorbing the spirit of Japan through these stories really enhances the experience.
The varieties of cherry blossoms offer a diverse and breathtaking panorama. Each tree contributes to the grand symphony of colors and fragrances that define the cherry blossom season in Japan. Let us discover the mystique behind these delicate blooms. We can explore the captivating narratives passed down through generations.
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With its pink flowers and cherry blossoms, the sakura tree transcends the boundaries of culture and time. It invites us to pause, reflect, and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the present moment. As we navigate the delicate dance of life, let us embrace the transient yet exquisite nature of the sakura tree, allowing its blossoms to inspire us to live fully and appreciate the fleeting beauty surrounding us.
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