, also known as "Sakura", is a traditional
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
folk songThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
depicting spring, the season of cherry blossom. Contrary to popular belief, the song did not originate from ancient times, not from the
Heian periodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyoto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Confucianism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
or prior. It was first composed during the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
for children learning to play the
kotoThe koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from the Chinese guzheng. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about long, and made from kiri wood . They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument...
. Originally, the lyrics "Blooming cherry blossoms" were attached to the melody. The song has been popular since the
Meiji periodThe , or Meiji era denotes the period in Japanese history during the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor . During this time, Japan began its modernization and rose to world power status...
, and the lyrics in their present form were attached then.
Discussion
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, also known as "Sakura", is a traditional
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
folk songThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
depicting spring, the season of cherry blossom. Contrary to popular belief, the song did not originate from ancient times, not from the
Heian periodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyoto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Confucianism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
or prior. It was first composed during the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
for children learning to play the
kotoThe koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from the Chinese guzheng. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about long, and made from kiri wood . They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument...
. Originally, the lyrics "Blooming cherry blossoms" were attached to the melody. The song has been popular since the
Meiji periodThe , or Meiji era denotes the period in Japanese history during the 45-year reign of the Meiji Emperor . During this time, Japan began its modernization and rose to world power status...
, and the lyrics in their present form were attached then. It is often sung in international settings as a song representative of Japan.
'Dream of the Cherry Blossoms' by
Keiko Abeis a Japanese composer and marimba player. She has been a primary figure in the development of the marimba, in terms of expanding both technique and repertoire, and through her collaboration with the Yamaha musical instrument company, developed the modern five-octave concert marimba.-Biography:Born...
, a Japanese virtuoso percussionist, is a 5 minute long piece for marimba based on an improvisation on the tune of 'Sakura sakura', and has become one of the most played pieces in the marimba repertoire.
Also, Yukijiro Yokoh, a Japanese classical guitarist made an arrangement for the instrument. Which is, like Keiko Abe's version, a theme with variations in which he uses different guitar techniques to imitate the sound of the Koto.
Standard
- 桜 桜
- 野山も里も
- 見渡す限り
- 霞か雲か
- 朝日に匂う
- 桜 桜
- 花ざかり
- 桜 桜
- 弥生の空は
- 見渡す限り
- 霞か雲か
- 匂ひぞ 出づる
- いざや いざや
- 見に行かん
Hiragana
- さくら さくら
- のやま も さと も
- みわたす かぎり
- かすみ か くも か
- あさひ に におう
- さくら さくら
- はな ざかり
- さくら さくら
- やよい の そら は
- みわたす かぎり
- かすみ か くも か
- におい ぞ いづる
- いざや いざや
- みに ゆかん
Romaji
- sakura sakura
- no-yama mo sato mo
- mi-watasu kagiri
- kasumi ka kumo ka
- asahi ni niou
- sakura sakura
- hana-zakari
- sakura sakura
- yayoi no sora wa
- mi-watasu kagiri
- kasumi ka kumo ka
- nioi zo izuru
- iza ya iza ya
- mi ni yukan
Translation
- Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
- On Meadow-hills and mountains
- As far as you can see.
- Is it a mist, or clouds?
- Fragrant in the morning sun.
- Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
- Flowers in full bloom.
- Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
- Across the Spring sky,
- As far as you can see.
- Is it a mist, or clouds?
- Fragrant in the air.
- Come now, come,
- Let’s look, at last!
Uses in popular culture
- Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , best known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is a British musician. He is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
used the melody of "Sakura Sakura" at the intro in the live version of his "Hard Headed Woman" song, during his 1976 Earth Tour that was later released on his album and DVD entitled MajikatMajikat is a live album and DVD by British singer/songwriter Cat Stevens. It was recorded during the US leg of Stevens' Earth Tour 1976, but was not released until 2004, by which time the artist was known as Yusuf Islam.-Track listing:...
.
- Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 and...
sampledIn music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also...
"Sakura Sakura" at the opening of their song "Tokyo Road," featured on their 1985 7800° Fahrenheit7800° Fahrenheit is Bon Jovi's second album, and was released in April 1985. It introduced the classic '80s Bon Jovi logo that would later on be used in Slippery When Wet and New Jersey....
album.
- Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school....
used a sample of a music box playing "Sakura Sakura" as the intro to the song "Music Box" on their 2005 album entitled VheissuVheissu is the fourth studio album by Thrice. It was released on October 17, 2005 by Island Records and peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 chart...
. The song is also built on the chord progression of "Sakura Sakura."
- DDR Extreme contains a variation of the song, under the title "Sakura".
- Sakura Sakura is used as Tokugawa
's diplomacy theme in the 2005 game of the year, Civilization IVSid Meier's Civilization IV is a strategy computer game released in 2005 and developed by lead designer Soren Johnson under the direction of Sid Meier and Meier's studio Firaxis Games. It is the fourth installment of the Civilization series...
.
- Italian singer Giuni Russo
Giuni Russo was an Italian singer-songwriter, who specialized in experimental music after a short successful stint as art-pop singer in the early 1980s....
made a version of this song that is particularly interesting because of the merging of two lyric styles so similar yet quite distinct from each other.
- Sakura Sakura is a playable song in the new game Wii Music
is a free form music game for the Wii that simulates playing musical instruments using the Wii Remote, Nunchuk, and the Wii Balance Board...
.
- The Japanese composer Yukihiro Yoko wrote a set of variations for guitar solo on "Sakura".
- Sakura Sakura is remixed as the ending theme to the game Perfect Cherry Blossom
is a vertical-scrolling shooter made by Team Shanghai Alice, and is the seventh official game of the Touhou Project. The full game was first released on August 17, 2003, in the 64th Comiket in Japan. English communities abbreviate the game to PCB....
- Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro is a ukulele virtuoso known for his complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, rock, and pop.-History:...
made a rendition of the song.
- Jazz pianist Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
gave a jazz piano rendition in his album My Dear Family.
- A brief sample played as the theme music for boxer Piston Honda in the game Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!
- A version of this theme was recorded by cellist Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber is one of the world's most renowned solo cellists.-Early life:The British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer William Lloyd Webber and the younger brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber...
.
- Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones performed a version of Sakura in his organ Solo at the Nagoya, Japan 5.10.1972 show.
External links