Taiwan Cherry

あづさゆみ春の山べにけぶりたちもゆともみえぬひざくらのはな

azusayumi haru no yamabe ni keburi tachi moyu tomo mienu hizakura no hana

A catalpa bow: From the mountainside in springtime Smoke rising— Doesn’t it appear to be burning with Fiery cherry blossoms.

6[i]

The Japanese name for this breed of cherry is hizakura (‘fire cherry’)—hence the imagery used in the poem.

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[i] This poem is included in Kokin rokujō (4234), attributed to Ōchikōchi no Mitsune with the headnote ‘Taiwan Cherry’.