Cherry blossoms are a symbol ofisagiyosa in the sense of embracing the transience of the world.
InJapanese society, particularly in historicalfeudal Japan,isagiyosa (潔さ, "purity") is avirtue, translated with "resolute composure" or "manliness".[1] Able to be interpreted as "grace with pride",[2]isagiyosa is the capability of accepting death with composure and equanimity.[3][4] It stands besides other central virtues such as public-spiritedness (kō no seishin), loyalty (seijitsusa), diligence (kinbensa), and steadiness (jimichisa).
Cherry blossoms, because of their ephemeral nature, are a symbol of isagiyosa in the sense of embracing the transience of the world.[5] Honda (2001) maintains that these virtues are not Japanese in particular but form amoral code common to allAsian agricultural societies.[6]
^Richard J. Berenson,Neil deMause,The complete illustrated guidebook to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (2001), p. 121.
^Honda Yoshihiko, 2001, ‘Taiwan de “Taiwanron” wa dô yomareta ka,’ Sekai 688: pp. 220-228, cited after Ulrike Wöhr,Japan’s “Return to Asia”: History, Diversity, Gender, “Images of Asia in Japanese Mass Media, Popular Culture and Literature”, Papers Presented at ICAS 2, Berlin, Germany, 9–12 August 2001ü .
