Sakura, cherry blossom

The wait is over: the cherry trees are finally in bloom, and to celebrate we are presenting a fold of… a cherry blossom! The cherry tree is called sakura in Japanese. The sakura is a very strong symbol in Japan, so it is no surprise to find it in origami, and several origamists have tried their hand at it. The one we chose is by Makoto Yamaguchi. It is a modular fold made from 5 squares, and each petal has the small notch typical of the sakura. You will see, it is very easy to make. In the video I use 5 squares of 7.5 cm. That gives a fairly large flower, so you can fold it with smaller squares (I went down to 3.75 cm!), but it takes a little more precision.

At the beginning of spring, when the trees blossom, the Japanese like to go and admire the flowers. This is the traditional custom of hanami, which literally means "looking at flowers". It is still very popular, especially for cherry trees, and during this period the Japanese enjoy picnicking under the trees with family or friends. It is so popular that some people come very early in the morning to reserve their spot under the trees by laying down their blanket! The blossom lasts little more than a week, which symbolises for the Japanese the fleeting nature of beauty and of life…