Weeping Sakura
If this scene speaks to you, prints and downloads are available:・Order prints, digital downloads, or commercial licenses・Explore gifts and merchandiseBridging Heaven and Earth: The Weeping Cherry Trees of Japanese Cemeteries
昔のしだれ桜を通じて、魂たちはこの世へ、美しい春の花としてそっと戻ってくる
In the stillness of a rural temple cemetery, a grand old weeping cherry tree (Cerasus itosakura) blooms with branches heavy with soft pink and white blossoms, its roots resting beneath generations of headstones. Petals drift in the breeze, like quiet echoes of lives once lived, reminding us that life, in some form, always continues.
Cherry trees are a common sight in many of the cemeteries I’ve visited across Japan, whether during road trips to remote mountain villages or on daily walks with my dog through the neighborhoods I've called home over the past 40+ years.
One commonly cited reason for this presence is the belief that the cherry tree’s brief bloom symbolizes the fleeting nature of human life. The renowned folklorist Kunio Yanagita (柳田 國男, 1875–1962) traced this association between cherry blossoms (sakura) and death back to ancient times, when the deceased were often buried beneath cherry trees. It was believed their souls might briefly return to the living world through the ethereal beauty of spring blossoms.
In one of his writings, Yanagita suggests that weeping cherry trees, in particular, are inherently spiritual. He viewed them as sacred markers of the ground beneath which the dead rest thus deserving of respect and reverence. Their beauty being not merely ornamental but deeply symbolic.
Sakura blossoms are also widely regarded as symbols of rebirth. Ancient Japanese believed that cherry trees were thought to embody mountain deities who later descended to become gods of the rice fields. As such, the sakura marked the beginning of spring; a season of renewal and hope.
Today, their bloom coincides with the start of Japan’s academic and fiscal year which starts on April 1st, offering a sense of optimism as students enter new schools and workers begin new jobs. In this way, cherry blossoms have become intimately tied to some of the most memorable milestones in a person’s life.
Back to older beliefs held in some regions, weeping cherry trees serve as conduits between the worlds of the living and the dead. Yanagita linked this idea to ancient spiritual practices that saw weeping cherry trees as dwellings for spirits. These trees were planted in cemeteries because they were thought to help souls travel between heaven and earth.
As I look at this tree, I can’t help but wonder: did the family who owns this plot plant the weeping cherry to ease the journey of their departed loved ones? And perhaps more personally, I find myself drawn to the idea of forgoing a traditional headstone one day, and instead resting among the roots of a weeping cherry tree, returning each spring in a quiet flurry of petals.
Location: Ryufuku-ji Temple, Hokuto, Yamanashi, Japan
Timestamp: 2025/04/08・13:28
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 + CP
28 mm ISO 100 for 1/800 sec. at ƒ/5.6
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