The cherry blossom (sakura) is Japan’s national flower, and there are cherry blossom festivals throughout the country every Spring. Sakura viewing parties known as hanami trace their roots to the 7th century, when the nobility would dine beneath the flowering trees and compose poetry. Hanami spread throughout Japanese society in the Edo period (17th century – mid-19th century) and were depicted in popular wood-block prints before the introduction of photography.

This photograph is remarkable for its intricate and delicate tinting, in which each petal on the trees seems to be individually colored. The print is in a superb state of preservation, having never been mounted.