During my annual Cherry Blossom tour, I always make it a point to stop at one of the three greatest cherry blossom trees.  I feel like a cherry blossom wayfarer, as I travel the same pilgrim routes that samurai, artisans, geisha, and local residents traveled for centuries.  The Three Greatest Sakura Cherry Blossom Trees of Japan are the Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima, the Usuzumi-zakura in Gifu, and the Jindaizakura in Yamanashi.  Each of these cherry blossom spectacles has its own captivating history and make for an amazing photo op, but I don’t have one favorite sakura tree.  Each one holds its own natural energy having lived for thousands of years.  I feel that these trees are vortices of energy, power spots.  Some people have said they felt a vibration, a sense of power, emanating from the trees like a hum, a spiritual calling to which they unwittingly answer on their personal visits to the power spots as they drink in the natural power that each cherry blossom tree offers.

Pondering upon the spiritual impact and value the sakura trees represent, I am always drawn back to Zen teaching of the Beginner’s Mindset.  As the Zen master, D.T. Suzuki said, “I like Zen because everything is Zen.” A beginner sees myriad possibilities in each theme and pursuit, so that is the mindset I bring along to each project I participate in, and I am hopeful everyone can bring the same mindset with them, but this is not reality, and the Zen Buddhist mindset along with photography take time to develop. I understand that the paradoxes created by the Beginner’s Mindset requires time to fully grasp.  Many colleagues and fellow photographers feverishly hold onto their pride and feel that because they are “professional” photographers, they know the best expression of a theme and therefore limit the potential of the photographic subject.  As an instructor of the visual arts, I feel this is a catastrophic mistake.  Following the Beginner’s Mindset means dispelling misguided, preconceived notions and photographing the cherry blossom trees with the goal of capturing them in their natural environment and treasuring the small window of opportunity that I have every year as the sakura reach full bloom. 

The Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima prefecture is what is referred to as a shidarezakura variety of cherry blossom.  In English, it would be translated as ‘waterfall cherry’ because of how the branches arc up but then bend downward under the weight of the cherry blossoms, making it seem that the tree trunk is a spring from which the pink-tinged white petals flow forth from.  The Miharu Takizakura is over 1,000 years old and an on the beaten path location as over 200,000 visitors each year pay a visit and photograph this spectacular tree.  The Usuzumi-zakura Cherry Blossom Tree in Gifu prefecture is even older than the Miharu Takizakura being 1,500 years or even older, and the tree is part of Japan’s folklore, as the Keitai Emperor is credited with having chosen the location and planted the tree himself during his reign from 507 - 531 AD.  The name of the tree is also a tale unto itself.  The name means pale, inky black, which seems like an odd name to attach to this ancient cherry tree, but as a Japanese local, I have seen the reason.  The buds of this storied tree begin with the petulant shade of pink, and then give way to a sparkling white when in full bloom, and then as they fall from the tree, they darken, ultimately turning into the inky black as they meet their seasonal end.  I have photographed them in all stages of their ephemeral existence, and I look forward to seeing them again in 2022 or in 2023 should the schedules for my cross-country Cherry Blossom photo workshop sync up.  In my experience, I would say at the peak of visitation, the Usuzumi-zakura has as many if not more than the 200,000 Fukushima visitors.  The final of three great Cherry Blossom trees of Japan is the Jindaizakura of Yamanashi prefecture.  This tree’s planting reaches back two millennia or more, but we don’t know the exact date!  It’s credited as being the oldest cherry blossom tree in Japan and perhaps the entire world.  The Jindaizakura traces its roots back to the 12th Emperor of Japan, the legendary Yamato Takeru, but that is only the beginning of the mythic stories related to this cherry blossom tree.  The Buddhist priest Nichiren happened upon the tree in the 13th century, and the tree was wilting away and on the verge of dying; the sight of the Jindaizakura in its deplorable condition saddened the priest so profoundly that he prayed for the tree, and it was soon miraculously restored to perfect health.  This tree is truly from the age of the gods, as its name indicates.  I have visited this tree on several occasions, and I feel the energy emanating from it every time I get near it.  The pictures reflect this tree’s mythical origins.  Of all the three great Cherry Blossom trees of Japan, this one has the most visitors by far, and I hope that it will continue to have a record number of visitors for several more millennia.

Another element of the restorative power that comes from these great trees is the soil, flora, fauna, and the wildlife that surround them.  As you take awe-inspiring photos of one of the three great Cherry Blossom trees, you can experience Shinrin-yoku, or ‘natural therapy’ which is said to play a key role in Japanese longevity.  The trees resonate something akin to a vibrational vortex, and when people meditate in these power spots, many have claimed to feel transported to other moments in time, such as when the tree was planted, a Hanami party with Geisha, a samurai engagement during the Sengoku Nara or Heian period, a Zen master giving a lecture on Buddhist practices, or a conversation with the concierge of the Zen forest, my personal guide who often shows me the path-way to the natural landscapes and seascapes and sometimes the concierge is a marker, like a Kofun mound era carving, similar to the photo after this paragraph, which was carved thousands of years ago.  Across Japan, there are over 170,000 Kofun mound period sights, including villages, runes, or carvings.  To find them, you have to know what you’re looking for.  Even locals mistake these markers for a natural phenomenon, which they clearly are not.  And you can be assured I will point out the historical significance of each Kofun mound and their markers in the regions that we visit together, and I will explain why they were built and by who, and, if you’re interested to hear a tale of ancient Japan, I will share my insight about the First Nations People of Japan, an unknown tale - the Kofun Wars.  These historical facts are known by the Ainu, the First Nations People of Japan, but their history is largely obscured in prevailing historical narratives taught in Japan.  So when you join me on any of my cross country adventures in Japan, such as participants on my annual Cherry Blossom Photo Workshops, you will gain insight into Japanese dogma and the pursuit of the perfect cherry blossom.