sakura

noun

1. 1

   cherry tree

   Sakura represent the short-lived beauty of life. Sakura are often depicted in Japanese art and poetry.

   And while the tree is found throughout Asia, its associations with Japan are so strong that in Korea many sakura were removed after the colonial period as an unwanted reminder of the Japanese presence.

   “And inside Yamamuto, there continued to live the beauty of blooming sakuras, the transparency of flowing brooks, the blue of the sky, the foamy crests of waves, the blades of grass breathing in the sunlight, the sun rising over the calm ocean…”

   On Bandai forest path / two poets walk / with frequent stops. / Blossoms of roses / sakuras, wildflowers / stream from their mouth.

2. 2

   cherry blossom (blossom of the Japanese cherry tree)

   In his hand, he holds a sakura. He plans to give it to his daughter, marking a milestone in her life and protection for the future.

3. 3

   a card game from Hawaii played with Japanese hanafuda playing cards

   In Hawaii there are a number of popular gambling games which have not invaded the mainland, except possibly in Oriental colonies. The basic game among the large Japanese population is sakura, which is played with a deck of forty-eight tiny one-by-two-inch Japanese cards.

   Any beachboy was hailed as the day's hero who could scrape together enough money to buy a fresh box of sakura cards, and through the long hot days the gang would sit beneath coconut umbrellas, playing the silly game. No other was allowed, and if a man couldn't play sakura, he couldn't be a beachboy.

   A variety of games are played with these cards, including a version of Hanafuda in Hawaii, called Sakura, that uses cards specifically designed with numerical values.

Forms

plural

sakuras