In early Japanese folklore, cherry blossoms, or sakura, represented fertility and growth.

在早期的日本民間傳說中，櫻花，又或者說，sakura，代表生命力和成長。

Because they grew in the mountains, cherry trees were part of a spiritual landscape inhabited by powerful Shinto deities called "kami."

一個被稱為kami的強大神道靈居住在一個神聖的山區內，而櫻花樹因為也生長於此，而成為了其中的一部分。

Beginning in the 9th century, saplings and trees were brought down from the mountains to grace the gardens of the aristocracy.

從九世紀開始，為了讓貴族們的花園增添光彩，櫻花樹苗和樹木被帶到山下。

The practice of hanami was first associated with plum, ume, blossoms.

花見一開始與梅（ume）花有關。

At first, cherry blossom celebrations were the preserve of the imperial court elite.

起初，櫻花慶典只專屬於朝廷精英。

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a legendary feudal warlord and samurai, sponsored some of history's most lavish cherry blossom viewing events.

傳奇的封建軍閥和武士——豐臣秀吉，贊助了歷史上幾場最奢華的賞櫻活動。

In 1594, he made a pilgrimage with a large entourage to Mount Yoshino.

1594年，他帶著大批隨行人員前往吉野山進行朝聖之旅。

There, he hosted a poetry party, a noh play, and a 5,000-person cherry blossom viewing party.

他在那主持了一場吟詩聚會、一場能劇和一個五千人的賞櫻大會。

Four years later, in 1598, Hideyoshi hosted another sumptuous cherry blossom viewing party at Kyoto's Daigo-ji Temple.

四年後的1598年，秀吉在京都的醍醐寺舉辦了另一場豪華的賞櫻大會。

He transplanted 700 cherry trees to the site and built hillside teahouses to accommodate his guests.

他將七百棵櫻花樹移植到現場，並在山坡上建造茶館來招待他的客人。

He is said to have commissioned more than 3,000 opulent kimonos for the ladies of the court.

據說他還為宮廷的女士們訂製了三千多件華麗的和服。

Cherry blossom viewing gradually gained popularity with people from virtually every level of society.

賞櫻逐漸受到社會各階層人士的歡迎。

The pastime was in full swing by the Edo period, as depicted in colorful woodcuts from the era known as "ukiyo-e", or "pictures of the floating world."

到江戶時期，這時也被稱為浮世繪（ukiyo-e）時代，這種消遣活動的蓬勃發展正如當時在五彩斑斕的木刻上所刻畫的那般。

Kitao Shigemasa's elegant 18th-century woodblock print shows a cherry blossom viewing party that is not so different from what happens today.

十八世紀時，北尾重政優雅的木版畫上展示了一場與現代相差無幾的賞櫻活動。

Three women and a man relax at Asukayama Hill, still a popular destination for cherry blossom viewers.

三個女人和一個男人在飛鳥山放鬆，而這裡仍然是賞櫻的熱門景點。

They are seated on a ground cover enjoying a picnic of food and drink among the blossoms.

他們坐在地墊上，享受野餐的食物，並在繁花簇擁中喝酒。

Utagawa Hiroshige's view of a landscape near Ueno Hill features two graceful weeping cherry trees in the foreground.

歌川廣重的風景畫內的賞櫻地點在上野山附近，前景中有兩棵優美的枝垂櫻。

The site has been identified as Shūsō-in, one of three Buddhist temple gardens collectively known as Hanamidera, or flower-viewing temples.

該遺址已被確定為Shūsō-in，是日本的三個佛教寺廟花園之一，他們統稱為Hanamidera，或觀花寺廟。

It was formerly called "higurashi no sato," meaning a village where visitors would lose track of time while contemplating beautiful scenery.

它以前被稱為「日暮之鄉」，意味著遊客陶醉在美景時會忘記時間的流逝。

During the Meiji period, cherry blossoms continued to embody a complex mixture of memories, events, ideas, and philosophies associated with Japan and Japanese culture.

明治時期，櫻花繼續體現著與日本和日本文化相關的記憶、事件、思想和哲學的複雜混合。

Ina Japan now teeming with foreign visitors and modern industry, cherry blossoms were embraced as enduring symbols of the country and its people.

日本伊那現在到處都是外國遊客和現代工業，而櫻花被視為該國及其人民經久不衰的象徵。

Washington author, journalist, and world traveler Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore became enamored with cherry blossoms during trips to Japan that began in 1885.

華盛頓作家、記者和世界旅行家 Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore 在 1885 年開始的日本之旅中迷上了櫻花。

She urged D.C. park officials to plant cherry trees in the city's new Potomac Park.

她敦促華盛頓特區公園官員在該市新的波托馬克公園裡種植櫻桃樹。

A few years later, David Fairchild, a botanist with the US Department of Agriculture, and his wife, Marian Bell, came up with the idea of planting cherry trees along the boulevard, a popular roadway in the park.

幾年後，美國農業部的植物學家David Fairchild和他的妻子Marian Bell想出了在公園裡一條受歡迎的林蔭大道上種植櫻桃樹的想法。

The efforts of Scidmore and the Fairchilds set the stage for Japan's 1912 gift of 3,020 cherry trees that would transform the shores of the Tidal Basin and lead to the creation of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Scidmore和Fairchilds家族的努力為日本於1912年贈送的3,020棵櫻花樹做好準備，改變了潮汐湖的湖畔，並導致了國家櫻花節的誕生。

Learn more about the origins and shared traditions of sakura in "Cherry Blossoms: Sakura Collections from the Library of Congress."

在《櫻花：國會圖書館的櫻花收藏》中了解更多有關櫻花的起源和共同的傳統。

Available in bookstores and libraries everywhere.

本書在各地的書店和圖書館內皆能取得。