Reader Collection > Blog > Cherry Flowers and Petals

 
  Cherry Flowers and Petals  
  Cherry (Prunus sp.) flowers with their white to pink petals appear often in Japanese art. Their popularity is understandable because a mass of cherry flowers makes a strong impression on the viewer whether seen in real life or in art. The Reader Collection of Japanese Flower-and-Bird Art includes a number of pictures featuring a mass of cherry flowers. Two examples are shown below.  
  Cherry flowers  
  Falling and fallen cherry petals also appear often in Japanese art. In Buddhist-inspired Japanese art falling cherry petals symbolize the transience of life while fallen cherry petals symbolize dead samurai warriors whose life as warriors in feudal times was often just as short as that of a cherry flower. Two pictures featuring falling and fallen cherry petals are shown below.  
 

Falling cherry petals

 
 

To see more pictures of cherry flowers and petals from the Reader Collection click here.

 
 

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