April 9, 2025

Seasonal Photo of the Campus Uzuki (Part 1)

A researcher has been studying the full bloom dates of cherry blossoms in Kyoto for 1200 years. According to an article in the Yomiuri Shimbun last month, Associate Professor Aono Yasuyuki (Agricultural Meteorology) of Osaka Municipal University has been studying the full bloom dates of cherry blossoms since the 9th century from the diaries and waka poems of nobles. The latest full bloom date to date was May 4, 1323. The earliest was March 25, 2023, and it seems to be getting earlier and earlier. The year 1323 (Genko 3) was the end of the Kamakura period. It was the year before the "Shochu Incident" in which Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to overthrow the Kamakura Shogunate but failed. In a waka poem by Emperor Go-Daigo about cherry blossoms, he wrote, "Even here, the Kumoi cherry blossoms have bloomed, I think it's just a temporary lodging." At that time, it was mainly wild cherry blossoms that were admired, and it was only after the early Meiji period that the current Somei-Yoshino spread throughout Japan. By the way, cherry blossom buds appear around the summer of the previous year, and then go into a dormant state. In order for the flower buds to bloom, they need to be exposed to low temperatures for a certain period of time during the winter, a process called "breaking dormancy." You new students, who have overcome the long and rigorous study for entrance exams, are like cherry blossoms about to bloom after "breaking dormancy." We hope that your student life over the next four or two years will be fulfilling.