Break open a cherry tree and there are no flowers, but the spring breeze brings forth myriad blossoms.”
Ikkyu Sojun A
cherry blossom is the name for the flower of
cherry trees 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.
Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees as a gift to the
United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship. These trees were planted in
Sakura Park in Manhattan and famously line the shore of the
Tidal Basin in
Washington, D.C., and the gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965. 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.