Fans of Pachinko ’s generational restraint, The Pillow Book ’s lyrical lists, and anyone who has ever stared at a flower and felt both joy and grief at once.
In the popular imagination, the cherry blossom is the essential symbol of Japan. However, its apotheosis began not in the rice fields of the commoner, but within the insulated, highly ritualized world of the Heian Imperial Court. For the aristocracy of Kyoto, nature was not a wilderness to be tamed, but a mirror of courtly sentiment. Among the flora celebrated in the annual cycle, the sakura reigned supreme, supplanting the plum blossom ( ume )—which had been favored during the earlier Nara period—as the quintessential marker of spring. sakura at court
: While conspiracies are whispered behind fans and decrees are signed in dark ink, the sakura remains translucent and indifferent. It offers a terrifyingly pure contrast to the complex, often stained, business of men. The Verdict Fans of Pachinko ’s generational restraint, The Pillow