Statistics[]Sakurafubuki |
Other Uses[]Used in Quest: None
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Synthesis Recipes[]Smithing (63), Alchemy (51), Woodworking (
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Used in Recipes[] |
Desynthesis Recipe[]Unknown |
Obtained From Desynthesis[]
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How to Obtain[]
| Auction House Category: Weapons > Katana ( | ) |
Crafted Only!
Historical Background[]
Sakurafubuki is the Japanese term for "cherry blossom blizzard" (sakura "cherry blossom" + fubuki "blizzard"). It is the term used to describe the falling of flower petals from the cherry trees when stirred by a wind. The cherry blossoms appear like snowflakes, gently drifting towards the ground.
The cherry blossom is an extremely important symbol in Japanese culture. Sakura refers to petals from the flowers that appear on cherry trees, specifically Prunus serrulata, the Japanese Cherry, in spring time. In spring, how close the cherry trees are to blossoming is made a part of the weather report on the nightly news. The cherry trees bloom in late March- early April on Honshu (and January on Okinawa and Late April on Hokkaido). Many Japanese will visit parks and other grounds with cherry trees during this time, often holding a hanami ("flower viewing party"). The viewing of the cherry blossoms is somewhat similar to people going out to see the fall colors in autumn on North America, though the fall colors do not have a remotely similar magnitude to the cherry blossoms. Hanami have been a tradition in Japanese at least since the Nara Period (710-784 CE). Cherry blossoms only stay on the cherry tree for a period of about 7 to 10 days.
To the Japanese, the cherry blossom symbolizes the ephemeral (brief, fleeting) nature of all life. It was said to resemble life in that both life and the cherry blossom were beautiful, albeit brief. It has been associated with medieval Samurai and the kamikaze pilots of WWII. During World War II, Japanese fighter pilots would paint cherry blossoms on their plane before embarking on their missions. The imperial government during the time spread propaganda that the souls of dead warriors would reincarnate as cherry blossoms. It was considered emblematic of Samurai because the blossom falls at the peak of its beauty, as opposed to withering away and a wrinkled, dried, faded husk dropping to the ground. Samurai preferred to die during battle rather than to die from old age.