Liberal Arts Blog — Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People (V) Japan — Sakura (“Cherry Blossoms”)
Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is Joy of Music Day
Today’s Topic — Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People (V) Japan — Sakura (“Cherry Blossoms”)
We started this global musical tour in Africa with “Nkosi Sikel iAfrika” from South Africa (4/9), “Sweet Mother,” from Nigeria (4/16), and “Jambo” from Kenya/Tanzania. Today, we fly to Japan for the song which is similarly beloved there — “Sakura.” The Japanese are obsessed with cherry blossoms. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate
THE LYRICS OF THE SONG — the one verse I know by heart
sakura sakura — Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms
yayoi no sora wa — across the spring sky
mi-watasu kagiri — as far as the eye can see
Ikasumi ka kumo ka — is it mist or clouds
nioi zo izuru — fragrant in the air
izaya izaya mini yukan — Come now, come now, let’s see them
NB: The cherry blossom symbolizes the ephemeral nature of life and beauty. A related concept is “mono no aware” sometimes translated either “the impermanence of life” or the “pathos of life.” Literally, mono means “things” and “no aware” means “ah or oh.” The term has been compared to Virgil’s “lacrimae rerum” (the “tears of things”).
A VOCAL VERSION AND ANOTHER PLAYED ON THE KOTO
1. The first link is to the vocal version. If you know of a better one, please share.
2. The second is to a version played in the Koto, a stringed instrument that has been called the “national instrument of Japan.”
3. The third link gives more details on the Koto.
Japanese Folk Song #9: Cherry Blossoms （さくらさくら/Sakura Sakura）
さくら(Sakura) 25絃箏 (25 strings koto)
HANAMI — ANNUAL RITUAL OF PICNICKING UNDER CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES
1. The tradition of picnicking under cherry blossoms has been observed since the Nara period (710–740).
2. The nightly weather reports track the advance of the “cherry blossom front” across Asia the way American weather reports track hurricanes.
3. “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 Hokkaido few weeks later.” (Wikipedia)
NB: Cherry blossoms are ubiquitous in Japanese art, manga (graphic novels), anime. You can find them on kimonos, kitchenware, and tattoos. On the dark side, they were placed on the side of Kamikaze fighter planes and bombers during World War II. As the Japanese Empire expanded the planting of cherry trees was equivalent to the planting of the flag.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami
YOUR TURN
Time to share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to music. Or the coolest thing you learned in your life related to music. Say your favorite song or songs. Or your favorite tips for breathing, posture, or relaxation. Or some insight into the history of music….
Or just something random about music… like a joke about drummers, jazz, rock….or share an episode or chapter in your musical autobiography.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. And perhaps to cement in your memory something important you would otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that matters to you.
