The sign on the trail says, "Yoshina Drive" and indeed it is lined with these trees on both sides. They have been among the first to lose their leaves.
In 1912 Japan gave over 2000 Cherry Trees to the US and most of them were the Somei Yoshina variety.
An American woman, a Mrs. Schidmore, had traveled to Japan in 1885 and had urged the US president's wife to obtain these beautiful flowering trees for Washington, DC. A Dr. Fairchild imported them for his home and gave them to an elementary school. Finally, Dr. Jokicki Takanine (who first described adrenaline)
arranged for the 2,000 trees to be sent from the city of Tokyo as a gift. These trees were found to contain insects and nematodes and were destroyed. A second donation came from the shores of the Arakawa River and in 1965 another gift of 3, 800 trees arrived which were planted at the Washington Monument.
A cycle of gifting occured over the years with the US sending grafts of the original trees back to Japan.
The history is not without drama as vandals destroyed some of the US trees when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. And when some of the trees were to be moved to another location, US women chained themselves to the trees in protest.
Patrick is having an aborist look at the Cherry Trees in the back yard of their new house. Their roots are digging up the brick patio. He is thinking of cutting them down or moving them. Perhaps I should chain myself to a tree.
Peter and I lived in Tokyo where the weather was so much like the weather in South Carolina. In the spring there were moonlight viewings of the blooming trees. Now in Washington in the Spring, there is a two week Cherry Blossom Festival. I love the viewing of the trees in the light of the full moon. So Japanese to create a beautiful ritual in response to nature, the tea ceremony, flower arranging.
Sakura sakura
noyama mo sato mo
mi-watasu kagiri
Kasumi ka kumoka
asahi ni niou
hana zakari
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