The Japanese cherry blossoms and the tradition of flower gazing, or hanami, has inspired poets for centuries. These haiku call to mind the beauty of springtime and the fleeting beauty of the sakura.

Yosa Buson

Buson greatly admired Basho and even embarked on his own literary pilgrimage, tracing Basho’s footsteps as recorded in Basho’s diary The Narrow Road to the Interior.

Drinking up the clouds

it spews out cherry blossoms –

Yoshino Mountain.

Wind blows

they scatter and it dies

fallen petals

Petals falling

unable to resist

the moonlight

Sakura, sakura

they fall in the dreams

of sleeping beauty

Basho Matsuo

Basho is the most famous poet of the Edo Era, and now the most well-known haiku poet of all time.

A cloud of cherry blossoms;

The temple bell,－

Is it Ueno, is it Asakusa?

How many, many things

They call to mind

These cherry-blossoms!

Very brief –

Gleam of blossoms in the treetops

On a moonlit night.

A lovely spring night

suddenly vanished while we

viewed cherry blossoms