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Cherry Blossoms
The cherry blossom can be found on a majority of the military cups.
Sometimes it is central to the design, and sometimes it acts as a
compliment. The variety of different designs is almost endless. You can go
to almost any page on this site and see cherry blossoms on a cup.
Most people know that it has served as a symbol for Japan for hundreds of
years. It has also been used over the centuries by various groups, thereby
strengthening their nationalist ties. And many groups use the cherry
blossom because of its beauty. Cup designers did so for this reason, too.
The cherry blossom is highly prized in Japan for its beauty and for its short
life. Because it falls to the ground at the height of its youth, it has become
and obvious symbol for those who die in war, most famously having been
used by the kamikaze pilots. But cherry blossoms on cups do not indicate
any connection with those pilots. They indicate a connection with Japan,
with beauty, with one's hometown, with the fragility of life.
Cherry blossom petals are more specifically symbols of a fallen warrior. But
even the symbolism of the petals is not limited to just death. The petals, too,
carry the weighty, multi-layered symbolism of the blossom.
Below are just a few examples of cups on which the blossom is prominent.
Sometimes it is central to the design, and sometimes it acts as a
compliment. The variety of different designs is almost endless. You can go
to almost any page on this site and see cherry blossoms on a cup.
Most people know that it has served as a symbol for Japan for hundreds of
years. It has also been used over the centuries by various groups, thereby
strengthening their nationalist ties. And many groups use the cherry
blossom because of its beauty. Cup designers did so for this reason, too.
The cherry blossom is highly prized in Japan for its beauty and for its short
life. Because it falls to the ground at the height of its youth, it has become
and obvious symbol for those who die in war, most famously having been
used by the kamikaze pilots. But cherry blossoms on cups do not indicate
any connection with those pilots. They indicate a connection with Japan,
with beauty, with one's hometown, with the fragility of life.
Cherry blossom petals are more specifically symbols of a fallen warrior. But
even the symbolism of the petals is not limited to just death. The petals, too,
carry the weighty, multi-layered symbolism of the blossom.
Below are just a few examples of cups on which the blossom is prominent.
| Inscribed 'Infantry 42nd Regiment, Victorious Return Commemorative.' |
| Inscribed 'Discharge Commemorative.' On the reverse: 'Infantry 69th Regiment, Nakashima.' |
| Inscribed '11th Infantry, Discharge Commemorative'. |
| Painted red & blue |
| Inscribed 'Engineer 5th Battalion.' |
| Lacquered wood cup with cherry blossom outline. Inscribed 'The Glory of the Country, Public Sacrifice.' On the reverse is a name: Fujita Kazuo. |
| Inscribed 'Infantry 6th Regiment, Celebration, Discharge Commemorative.' |
| Metal cup with embossed cherry blossoms and a famous poem by Motoori: 'If one should enquire of you concerning the spirit of a true Japanese, point to the wild cherry blossom shining in the sun. Inscribed on the reverse 'Meiji 37-8 [1904-5] War Victory Commemorative Sake Cup.' |
| Falling cherry blossom petals, a symbol of the fallen warrior. Inscribed '17th Division Commemorative.' |
| Hand-painted cherry blossom Inscribed 'Fukumitsu Area Branch, Military Reservist Association Merging Ceremony.' |