Cherry Blossoms Stained Red

Part of the "Objects in Motion" Project. Developed by students Nathan Wan, Justin Miller, and Drake Sage in Dr. Mark Auslander's class "Global Studies and Cross-Cultural Analysis" (ANTH 205), at the University of Southern California-Capital Camps. Fall 2025. 

Return to our ANTH 205 class project homepage.

Whilst the cherry blossom holds value for being a peaceful, beautiful, and charming object, it's symbolic meaning was also exploited. This was apparent through the militarization of the cherry blossoms imagery, utilizing the flower for propaganda, motivation, and diplomatic efforts.  As it presents itself as a innocent and captivating object, the blossom holds a history that is surrounded by blood and war. This is further addressed in the connection to Winnicott, Mintz, and Mauss, exploring how blossoms went beyond just objects. 

Context

In 1909, Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine and the mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, arranged for the city of Tokyo to donate 2,000 cherry trees to the United States as a symbol of friendship. Eliza Scidmore, an American writer and the first woman on the National Geographic Society’s board, had spent years advocating for cherry trees to be planted in Washington, D.C. Her persistent lobbying helped convince officials, especially First Lady Helen Taft, to finally support the project. The first shipment arrived in 1910, but had to be destroyed when U.S. agriculture inspectors found the trees were infested with insects and disease, which led Japan to send a second, larger gift. In 1912, a new shipment of 3,020 healthy cherry trees from Japan reached Washington, D.C., and on March 27, First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, the Japanese ambassador’s wife, planted the first two trees along the Tidal Basin in a small ceremony.