March is the month of blossoming cherry trees in Japan. It is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I've never seen it in person (I dream of it!) but if you don't know what I mean, please check it out or immerse yourself in this beautiful woodcut by Hasui Kawase.
In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse. Besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, cherry blossoms are an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhist influence, and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware (the awareness of impermanence or transience of things). The transience of the blossoms and their exquisite beauty and volatility, has often been associated with mortality and graceful acceptance of destiny and karma.
Hasui Kawase is a mysterious artist, at least for the English-speaking world. : ( He was one of the important printmakers of the Shin Hanga (New Print) movement. He is best known for his landscape artworks. Kawase had designed more than 100 prints for Watanabe Shōzaburō by the time the publisher's shops, as well as the woodblocks for those prints, were destroyed in the fire following the Great Kanto Earthquake. As a result, his prints and other works by Watanabe’s artists, published just before the catastrophic quake, are considered rare and highly sought after.
Kawase travelled frequently almost every year during his career as an artist. He visited the countryside, towns, and cities in Japan, making sketches of the scenery. His prints often feature the moon, reddening leaves in autumn, and reflections on water surface, while people are hardly depicted in his print designs. These factors make the viewers of his prints feel quiet and peaceful.
P.S. We are big fans of Japanese woodblock prints! Here are some beautiful ones depicting winter!