"Sakura Sakura" (さくら さくら, "Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms"), also known as "Sakura", is a traditional
Japanesefolk song depicting spring, the season of
cherry blossoms. It is often sung in international settings as a song representative of Japan.[1]
Contrary to popular belief, the song did not originate in ancient times; it was a popular, urban melody of the
Edo period.
Melody
The "Sakura Sakura" melody has been popular since the
Meiji period, and the lyrics in their present form were attached then. The tune uses a
pentatonic scale known as the
in scale.
Expressed as diatonic notes in the
major scale, the
In scale is 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 (1), 10 (3); or the notes E F A B c e[2] (nominally A minor); or in solfège Mi Fa La Si Do Mi. The melodic scale can either be represented in older Western musical theory by the
Phrygian minor or the
Phrygian major mode, with the 3rd and 7th notes in the scale omitted.
Because the melody spans a modest
range, it is ideally suited to instruments that have a limited pitch range, such as the
Native American flute (similar to the shakuhachi).[3]
The melody arranged by Ongaku Torishirabe-gakari was included in Collection of Japanese Koto Music issued in 1888, for beginning
koto students in the Tokyo Academy of Music.[4]
Lyrics
The original lyrics[5] are listed as the second verse in the table below. In 1941, the
Ministry of Education published a new verse in Uta no hon (うたのほん 教師用 下) which was listed first, with the original verse listed second.[6] However, there are various theories about the original lyrics. According to one theory, it is said that "Sakura Sakura" is a parody of "Saita sakura".[7] "Saita sakura" is thought to have been made as a Japanese koto song in during the Edo period. (Lyrics: さいた桜 花見て戻る 吉野は桜 龍田は紅葉 唐崎の松 常盤常盤 深みどり)[8][9]
sakura sakura noyama mo sato mo mi-watasu kagiri kasumi ka kumo ka asahi ni niou sakura sakura hana zakari[6]
sakura sakura yayoi no sora wa mi-watasu kagiri kasumi ka kumo ka nioi zo izuru izaya izaya mini yukan[5]
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, In fields, mountains and villages As far as the eye can see. Is it mist, or clouds? Fragrant in the rising sun. Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, Flowers in full bloom.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, Across the spring sky, As far as the eye can see. Is it mist, or clouds? Fragrant in the air. Come now, come now, Let's go and see them.
In popular culture
The first lines of the original verse ('sakura sakura yayoi no sora wa mi-watasu kagiri') serve as a prelude to
Bon Jovi's song "Tokyo Road" from their second album 7800° Fahrenheit (released in 1985).[citation needed]
In the Punch-Out!! games, an instrumental rendition is used for Piston Hondo's opening theme.[10][11]
Japanese band
BUCK-TICK used this melody in live versions of their "Victims of Love" song in the early
1990s.[citation needed]
Dream of the Cherry Blossoms by
Keiko Abe, a virtuoso percussionist, is a five-minute piece for
marimba that is based on "Sakura Sakura" that has become popular in the marimba repertoire.[citation needed]
In the early 2010s, Japanese singer
Kiyoshi Hikawa performed the second of the two verses of "Sakura Sakura" - the first and (so far) only
Enka singer to do so.[citation needed]
Yukihiro Yoko, a
classical guitarist, made an arrangement for his instrument, a theme with variations, in which he uses different guitar techniques to imitate the sound of the
koto.[citation needed]
In Kara, a short film/tech demo created by
David Cage and his company
Quantic Dream about a robot who is built to serve humanity, the robot is asked to "sing something in Japanese", after which she sings this song.[16] Eventually, this short film was adapted into a video game, Detroit: Become Human. In the game, one of the main characters, Markus - an android, is trying to put himself together in a junkyard. This references the short film when Markus stumbles upon a dying Kara model, the one from the film, that is still singing the song.[17]
"Sakura Sakura" appeared on Wii Music as one of the song selections in the Jam Mode.[citation needed]
In the
Tokyo area, each train station has its own distinctive jingle used to signal train departures. The jingles for the
Komagome and
Musashi-Koganei stations are both based on "Sakura Sakura".[citation needed]
Hololive Production virtual youtuber Akai Haato used this melody in a scary version of the song, jokingly talking about herself.[citation needed]
In the video game Genshin Impact, the background song of the Archon of Inazuma (a region inspired by Japan) uses a musical arrangement inspired by this song.[citation needed]
^Clint Goss (2011).
"Sakura Sakura". Flutopedia.com. Sheet music for the Native American Flute.
Archived from the original on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
^Tsuge Gen'ichi (2016).
"Sakura". komuso.com. International Shakuhachi Society.
Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2011-12-27. who cites
Ongaku Torishirabe-gakari (arr.) (1888). "桜 Sakura". In 東京音楽学校編 Tōkyō ongaku gakkō hen [Tokyo Academy of Music] (ed.). 「箏曲集」 Sōkyokushū [Collection of Koto Music]. Vol. 1.
Tokyo, Japan.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
^
abc東京音楽学校編 Tōkyō ongaku gakkō hen [Tokyo Academy of Music], ed. (1888). 「箏曲集」 Sōkyokushū [Collection of Koto Music].
Tokyo, Japan.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
^
abc東京音楽学校編 Tōkyō ongaku gakkō hen [Tokyo Academy of Music], ed. (1941). 「うたのほん 教師用 下」 Uta no hon, kyōiku-yō, ge [Book of Songs for Educational Use]. Vol. 2.
Tokyo, Japan: 文部省
Monbushō.
^藤田圭雄 Fujita tamao (1997). 「日本童謡唱歌大系1」 Nihon dōyō shōka taikei 1 [Compendium of Japanese nursery rhymes 1]. 東京書籍 Tōkyō syoseki.
^「山田流琴のかがみ」 Yamadaryū kotonokagami [Model of The Yamada school of Koto]. 博信堂出版部 Hakushindō shuppanbu. 1948.
^Yumi Shimada (2002). ""Sakura, Sakura"- a study of its development and popularisation into a school song". Japanese Journal of Music Education Research. 32 (2). Japan Music Education Society: 1–14.
doi:
10.20614/jjomer.32.2_1.