farewell to Sakura

Of Japan's 600 or so kinds of sakura or cherry blossom, around 80 percent are Somei-yoshino', hybrid plants which were interbred around end of Edo and the beginning of Meiji era (1868~).

Somei-Yoshino' (Cerasus ×yedoensis)

This kind of sakura has abundant blooms comparing wildlife species represented by Yama-zakura which blooms at the same time of shooting young leaves.

Yama-zakura (yama=mountain zakura=sakura , Cerasus jamasakura)

Information by the weather bureau  always tells about the blooming of Somei-yoshino' and its front line which goes up toward north along Japanese archipelago.
This year it was told that unexceptionally earlier bloom of sakura in some regions.

Yesterday weather forecast predicted gale-force winds and rain for the following a couple of days and it was right.

Seeing the weather through a window I remember the last viewing of cherry blossom while out for a walk in Nara Park.

I prefer some rustic flavor to stylish man made park, so I mainly walked on a field where many old cherry trees and maple ones are mingled. This field is located next to a small cozy area trimmed by many Somei-Yoshino's.

There we can see many Somei-yoshino' with pinkish white cute blossoms and also some Yama-zakura ,much older species, which  blooms a little quietly.

These are bloom of Somei-Yoshino'

This is of Yama-zakura

Some cherry trees already started to shed petals, and some deer looked as if they were eating fallen ones.

That one which looks like a rabbit is an old trunk

Although I had still much time before dusk I thought of the following tanka poem seeing the boughs above me.

誰かうしろになみだぐみつつ佇つごとし夕ぐれが桜のいろになるころ　花山　多佳子(1948~)

Behind me

someone might stand there

with moistness of eyes

as dusk became to be tinged with

hue of cherry blossoms

Takako Hanayama