National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City to the city of Washington, D.C. Ozaki gave the trees to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two nations.[1] Large and colorful helium balloons, floats, marching bands from across the country, music and showmanship are parts of the Festival's parade and other events.[2]
History of the cherry trees
Early initiatives
The effort to bring cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C., preceded the official planting by several decades. In 1885, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore returned from her first trip to Japan and approached the U.S. Army Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds with the idea of planting cherry trees along the reclaimed waterfront of the Potomac River. Scidmore, who would go on to become the first female board member of the National Geographic Society, was rebuffed, though she would continue proposing the idea to every Superintendent for the next 24 years.[4] Several cherry trees were brought to the region by individuals in this period, including one that was the location of a 1905 cherry blossom viewing and tea party hosted by Scidmore in northwest D.C. Among the guests was prominent botanist David Fairchild and his fiancée Marian, the daughter of inventor Alexander Graham Bell.[5]
In 1906, David Fairchild imported 1000 cherry trees from the
In 1909, Scidmore decided to raise the money to buy cherry trees and donate them to the District. As a matter largely of form, on April 5 she wrote a letter to
Thank you very much for your suggestion about the cherry trees. I have taken the matter up and am promised the trees, but I thought perhaps it would be best to make an avenue of them, extending down to the turn in the road, as the other part is still too rough to do any planting. Of course, they could not reflect in the water, but the effect would be very lovely of the long avenue. Let me know what you think about this.[4]
By chance, Jōkichi Takamine, the Japanese chemist who discovered adrenaline, was in Washington with Mr. Kokichi Midzuno, the Japanese consul to New York City, on April 8. Informed of a plan to plant Japanese cherry trees along the Speedway (Ohio Avenue), Takamine asked if Mrs. Taft would accept an additional 2000 trees, while Midzuno suggested that the trees be given in the name of Tokyo. Takamine and Midzuno subsequently met with the First Lady, who accepted the offer of 2000 trees.[4]
On April 13, Spencer Cosby, Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, purchased ninety cherry trees (Prunus serrulata) that were planted along the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial south toward East Potomac Park. It was subsequently discovered that the trees were of the cultivar Shirofugen, rather than the ordered Fugenzo. These trees had largely disappeared by the 21st century.[4]
On August 30, 1909, the
Much of the behind-the-scenes diplomatic events linked to the Japanese giving of the cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C., in 1912 are relatively unknown, according to the March 26, 2010, Washington Post article "Scenes from 2010's Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual rite of spring in Washington." By Michael E. Ruane Washington Post Staff Writer. The Art of Peace[7] illustrated biography on Prince Iyesato Tokugawa presents much of this prior history and the behind-the-scenes political details surrounding this Japanese goodwill gesture which point strongly to Prince Tokugawa's pivotal role in the initial Japanese gifting and its evolution into the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 1935. But instead of taking credit, Prince Tokugawa humbly wished to have this gift be seen coming directly from Japan's capital city Tokyo to the U.S. capital city Washington, D.C., without himself getting any recognition for this international goodwill gesture. Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1863-1940) held great influence based on his being both the heir to the last Shogun of Japan, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, a dynasty that ruled for over 260 years, and also based on Prince Tokugawa holding the powerful position of President of Japan's upper house of congress the House of Peers for thirty years (1903-1933).
The 1910
While in Washington, D.C., during his 1910 visit, the 37-year-old Prince Tokugawa twice visited the U.S. Senate to see first-hand the American legislative process. Tokugawa wished to familiarize himself with the similarities and differences between various democracies, such as that of the United States and Britain, to that of his own nation, Japan. One of the Japanese delegates who was part of Prince Tokugawa's delegation, who is shown in the 1910 Daily Tribune newspaper article photo illustration was the Mayor of Tokyo Yukio Ozaki, the Japanese official most remembered being linked to the Japanese gift of cherry blossom trees. This 1910 news article also stated that as part of Prince Tokugawa's visit to New York City, Prince Tokugawa expressed his desire to see the immense development that had occurred in the United States since his last visit. Prince Tokugawa and five of his Japanese companions toured the city; this included a visit to the American Stock Exchange on Wall Street; they also marveled at the construction of the Holland Tunnel. Prince Tokugawa was also invited to a small private dinner in honor of his visit to New York City, given by Kokichi Midzuno, Consul General of Japan. (Midzuno is the Japanese official who first contacted Japan's central government in 1910, asking for their advice on how best to proceed with the Japanese gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C.) Of the eighteen guests at the above dinner, several were prominent leaders from New York City's Japanese-American community. Rather than wishing to receive a recognition for facilitating the Japanese gifting of cherry trees, Prince Iyesato Tokugawa preferred that the gift be seen as a token of goodwill coming directly from Japan and its capital city of Tokyo to the United States and its capital city of Washington, D.C. During his visit to the U.S., Tokugawa introduced the mayor of Tokyo to many influential Japanese Americans and to U.S. officials, so as to promote this Japanese gift, which in coming decades would be commemorated and grow into one of Washington, D.C.'s largest celebrations.[8]
During his long career, Prince Tokugawa creatively promoted a friendship and alliance with six U.S. presidents and other world leaders during his extensive travels abroad. He was in many ways the diplomatic face of Japan when it came to international relations during the first 40 years of the twentieth century. Those years were often politically and socially turbulent, requiring Prince Tokugawa to take a leading role in encouraging respectful international diplomacy and military arms limitation at the Washington Naval Arms Conference. He strongly promoted an appreciation for democracy and during the 1920s took a leading stance against racism by introducing Abraham Lincoln's principles of equality into all of Japan's public schools and universities through Lincoln essay writing contests, where the winning students were given bronze commemorative coins with the face of President Lincoln.[9]
One of Prince Tokugawa's closest and most influential Japanese allies was Baron Shibusawa Eiichi (aka Baron Eiichi Shibusawa). The combination of the 1915 and 1937 illustrations to the right offer a new window to Prince Tokugawa and Baron Shibusawa and their allies' significant influence linked to the initial cherry blossom tree giving and its evolution into the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. The 1915 illustration is a rare photo that was discovered while doing research for the illustrated biography The Art of Peace. This biography highlights the alliance of Prince Tokugawa and Baron Shibusawa as they strove to promote international goodwill. This 1915 photo illustration (which is a section of a larger photograph) presents Baron Shibusawa Eiichi standing between two of his prominent Japanese colleagues. Shibusawa had been sitting at the other end of the huge banquet table, near former President Theodore Roosevelt, but for the sake of shooting and capturing this group photo of sixty attendees, the photographer requested that Shibusawa come to the other side of the table to be closer to former President William Howard Taft (who is at the far right in the photo, seated next to the gentleman whose image reveals only one half of his face). Standing at Shibusawa's right side is the Japanese-American Jōkichi Takamine, one of the two individuals who hosted this diplomatic banquet event. Takamine was a highly successful and respected chemist and businessman who helped found an international pharmaceutical company that continues to this day. Takamine was the individual who first offered to pay for the cherry blossom trees that were to be given by Japan to Washington, D.C. In this 1915 photo, standing at Shibusawa's left side is Count Chinda Sutemi, Japanese Ambassador to the United States. Both Takamine and Ambassador Sutemi were closely linked to the giving of cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C.
Japanese gift planted
In a ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of these trees on the north bank of the
To further build on the growing goodwill between Japan and the U.S. based on the giving of the Cherry Blossom Trees in 1912, one of Prince Iyesato Tokugawa's close friends and political allies, Baron Eiichi Shibusawa, visited the U.S. in 1915. The 1915 photo illustration presented to the right presents Shibusawa attending a large banquet in New York City that was held in his honor. The host of this banquet is Jōkichi Takamine, the successful Japanese-American community activist and businessman who first offered to purchase the cherry blossom trees and have this gift diplomatically come from the nation of Japan. Former President William Howard Taft is also in attendance at this event showing respect for Baron Shibusawa. It was President Taft and his wife who officially received the gift of the cherry blossom trees from the representatives of Japan three years earlier.
From 1913 to 1920, trees of the
National annual event
The first "Cherry Blossom Festival" was held in late 1934 under joint sponsorship by numerous civic groups, and in 1935 it officially became a national annual event. The cherry trees had by this point become an established part of the nation's capital. In 1938, plans to cut down trees to clear ground for the Jefferson Memorial prompted a group of women to chain themselves together at the site in protest. A compromise was reached where more trees would be planted along the south side of the Basin to frame the Memorial. A Cherry Blossom Pageant was begun in 1940.[4]
In 1937, the Garden Club of America commemorated the 25th Anniversary of the Japanese gift of cherry blossom trees to the U.S., by giving 5,000 flowering trees and plants to Japan. Who better to receive this U.S. goodwill gift than Prince Tokugawa, who had played a pivotal role behind-the-scenes and had introduced the then Mayor of Tokyo Ozaki to the U.S. leaders in Washington, D.C., in 1910, as part of the giving of those cherry blossom trees. It is revealing that in 1937, Prince Tokugawa accompanied by the current Mayor of Tokyo are now the representatives of Japan in receiving this gift from the Garden Club of America at a ceremony held at Kiyozumi Park, Tokyo.[12][7]
On December 11, 1941, four trees were cut down. It is suspected that this was retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan four days earlier, though this was never confirmed. In hopes of dissuading people from further attacks upon the trees during the war, they were referred to as "Oriental" flowering cherry trees for the war's duration.[4] Suspended during World War II, the festival resumed in 1947 with the support of the Washington, D.C., Board of Trade and the D.C. Commissioners.[citation needed]
In 1948, the Cherry Blossom Princess and U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen program were started by the National Conference of State Societies. A Princess was selected from each state and federal territory, with a queen chosen to reign over the festival. In 1952, Japan requested help restoring the cherry tree grove at Adachi, Tokyo, along the Arakawa River, which was the parent stock of the D.C. trees but had diminished during the war. In response, the National Park Service sent budwood back to Tokyo.[4]
In 1954, the governor of Tokyo gifted the
Three years later, the president of The Pearl Company started by
The Japanese gave 3,800 more Yoshino trees in 1965, which were accepted by First Lady
In 1994, the Festival was expanded to two weeks to accommodate the many activities that happen during the trees' blooming.
Organization and events
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is coordinated by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., a
The three-week festival begins around the middle of March with a Family Day at the National Building Museum and an official opening ceremony in the Warner Theatre.[15] The Pink Tie Party is also held, at which attendees are invited to don their finest pink attire to revel together and toast the spring season. An array of activities and cultural events takes place on the following days.[16] The Blossom Kite Festival (formerly the Smithsonian Kite Festival) usually takes place during the festival's first or second weekend.[17] Every day there is a sushi/sake celebration, classes about cherry blossoms, and a bike tour of the Tidal Basin. Other events include art exhibits (photography, sculpture, animation), cultural performances, rakugo, kimono fashion shows, dance, singing, martial arts, merchant-sponsored events, and a rugby union tournament.
The next Saturday, a three-stage festival takes place on the
During the morning of the festival's last Saturday, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade travels along
In 2009, the National Cherry Blossom Festival introduced an alternative event to its lineup, with the debut of Cherry Blast, a mix of art, dance performances, live music, and fashion that took place in an Anacostia warehouse. In 2010, Cherry Blast II—the creation of artist Philippa P. Hughes of the Pink Line Project—moved to a storage warehouse in Adams Morgan, but still featured an eclectic group of local artists and musicians.[25] The 2016 Cherry Blast took place at the Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square during the last Saturday evening of the festival.[26]
The event's organizers cancelled many of the events since 2020 because of concerns related the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.[27] Several activities have since been added to engage the community in the springtime celebration, such as Petal Porches, Art in Bloom, and Paws & Petals.
Types of cherry trees
Of the initial gift of 12 varieties of 3,020 trees, The Yoshino Cherry (70% of total) and Kwanzan Cherry (13% of total) now dominate.[28]
The first 12 cultivars presented were 'Yoshino', 'Kwanzan', 'Ichiyo', 'Taki-nioi', 'Shirayuki', 'Fugenzo', 'Ariake', 'Jo-nioi', 'Fukurokuju', 'Surugadai-nioi', 'Gyoiko', and 'Mikuruma-gaeshi'. With the exception of 'Yoshino', these 11 cultivars belong to the Sato-zakura group, a complex interspecific hybrid derived from the Oshima cherry. Many cultivars other than 'Yoshino' and 'Kwanzan' are not currently available for viewing because the government didn't obtained them after the original trees reached their maximum age.[29]
The Yoshino produces single white blossoms that create an effect of white clouds around the Tidal Basin and north onto the grounds of the Washington Monument. Intermingled with the Yoshino are a small number of Akebono cherry trees, which bloom at the same time as the Yoshino and produce single, pale-pink blossoms.[28][30]
The Kwanzan grows primarily in East Potomac Park and comes into bloom two weeks after the Yoshino. It produces clusters of clear pink double blossoms. East Potomac Park also has Fugenzo, which produces rosy pink double blossoms, and Shirofugen, which produces white double blossoms that age to pink.[28][31]
Interspersed among all the trees are the Weeping Cherry, which produces a variety of single and double blossoms of colors ranging from dark pink to white about a week before the Yoshino. Other cultivars and species that can be found are the Autumn Cherry (semi-double, pink), Sargent Cherry (single, deep pink), Usuzumi (white-grey), and Takesimensis (good in wet areas).[28][30][31]
Gallery
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Thousands of people attend the annual Cherry Blossom Festival every spring.
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Cherry blossoms on the National Mall.
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Cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin.
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A detailed close-up of some cherry blossoms.
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Cherry blossoms surrounding theMLK Memorial.
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Blossoms at theFDR Memorial.
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Wide view of the Tidal Basin with blossoms in 2010
See also
- Branch Brook Park, largest collection of cherry blossom trees in the United States
- Hanami, Cherry Blossom Viewing in Japanese
- International Cherry Blossom Festival, Macon, Georgia
- Dutch royal family in exile during World War II
References
- ^ "History of the Cherry Blossom Trees and Festival". National Cherry Blossom Festival: About. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ "Miss America Nina Davuluri to participate in Cherry Blossom Festival 2014". news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "Blooms tell curious tale of two cities – One woman's vision and a mystery cable took hanami to D.C." The Japan Times. March 21, 2002.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "History of the Cherry Trees". Cherry Blossom Festival. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ISBN 1-59373-040-3.
- ^ Jefferson, Roland M; et al. (1977). The Japanese flowering cherry trees of Washington, D.C. : a living symbol of friendship. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9903349-2-7.
- ^ "Introduction to The Art of Peace: the illustrated biography of Prince Iyesato Tokugawa". TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com. 13 April 2020.
- ^ Hoffman, John (Summer 2013). "Lincoln Essay Contests, Lincoln Medals, and the Commercialization of Lincoln". Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association.
- ISBN 9781593730406. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
- ^ "Guide to the Cherry Blossom Festival". Neighborhoods.com. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ "Introduction to The Art of Peace: the illustrated biography of Prince Iyesato Tokugawa". TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com. 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Japanese Stone Lantern". U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ISBN 1-58620-533-1.
- ^ (1) "Family Day Presented with the National Building Museum: March 26, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
(2) "Opening Ceremony: March 26, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-02-14. Retrieved 2016-03-22. - ^ "Events". National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ (1) "Blossom Kite Festival: March 30, 2013". National Cherry Blossom Festival. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2013-01-27.
(2) "Blossom Kite Festival: March 28, 2015". National Cherry Blossom Festival. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-03-16.
(3) "Blossom Kite Festival: April 2, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival. National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2016-01-24. - ^ a b "Southwest Waterfront Fireworks Festival Presented by Harris Teeter: April 9, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ "Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run". Credit UnionCherry Blossom. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ "Official Japanese Stone Lantern Lighting Ceremony: April 10, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ "National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade presented by Events DC: April 16, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-02-14. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ (1) "The 45th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival". Japan-America Society of Washington DC. Archived from the original on 2006-04-11. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
(2) "51st Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival". Japan-America Society of Washington DC. Archived from the original on 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
(3) "53rd Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival". Japan-America Society of Washington DC. Archived from the original on 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
(4) "55th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival". Japan-America Society of Washington DC. Archived from the original on 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2016-03-21. - ^ Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ^ (1) "56th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival". Japan-America Society of Washington DC. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
(2) "Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival: April 16, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-22. - ^ "Going Out Guide: Cask Ale at Black Squirrel and Cherry Blossom events". Washington Post. 2010-03-31. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ "Events DC Presents Cherry Blast: April 16, 2016". National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
- ^ Hahn, Fritz. "Coronavirus closes Smithsonian museums, cancels National Cherry Blossom Festival events". Going Out Guide. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d (1) "Types". Cherry Blossom Festival. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
(2) "Types of Trees". Cherry Blossom Festival. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2021-05-17. - ISBN 978-4004315346
- ^ a b (1) "Tidal Basin Cherry Tree Location Map" (PDF). Cherry Blossom Festival Maps and Brochures. National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
(2) "Maps". National Mall and Memorial Parks – Cherry Blossom Festival. National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-03-22. - ^ a b "East Potomac Park Cherry Tree Location Map" (PDF). Cherry Blossom Festival Maps and Brochures. National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
Further reading
- Ann McClellan, The cherry blossom festival: Sakura celebration (Bunker Hill Publishing, 2005).
- Hahn, Fritz. "Coronavirus closes Smithsonian museums, cancels National Cherry Blossom Festival events". Going Out Guide. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Washington DC Cherry Blossom Watch
- Cherry Blossom Festival by the National Park Service
- Guide to the National Cherry Blossom Festival records, 1999-2000, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University.
- Video of the 1944 Cherry Blossom Festival
- Washington DC Cherry Blossoms and Blossom Kite Festival
- Sakura Matsuri-Japanese Street Festival
- View The Japanese flowering cherry trees of Washington, D.C. by Roland M. Jefferson online at the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- Cherry Blossom Cam by EarthCam
- History of the National Cherry Blossom Festival - The Art of Peace illustrated biography on Prince Tokugawa Iesato[1]
38°52′54″N 77°2′6″W / 38.88167°N 77.03500°W
- ^ Katz, Stan S. (October 2019). "The Art of Peace, an illustrated biography on Prince Tokugawa Iesato, the Japanese diplomat who took a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in the gifting of the cherry blossom trees in 1910 and 1912, who later helped launch the official annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in 1935". TheEmperorAndTheSpy.com.