The Japanese man who created one of the most famous cherry blossom sites in the US
Cherry blossoms are popular as a symbol of spring in Japan, but there are also several famous cherry blossom sites in the United States, one of which is the Tidal Basin along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., where the “National Cherry Blossom Festival” is held each spring attracting large crowds.
These cherry blossom trees were planted 110 years ago, and it was Dr. Jokichi Takamine, the first president of Sankyo Co., Ltd. (one of the predecessor companies of Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.), who presented them.
Over the course of his lifetime, Dr. Takamine established various businesses in Japan and the United States and made contributions to medical treatment, such as the world’s first successful extraction of adrenaline, but in his later years he did his best to promote goodwill between Japan and the United States, for which he was even called “the unofficial ambassador.” The cherry blossoms in the Potomac River’s Tidal Basin, presented as a symbol of friendship between the two countries, were one of these activities.
The ideas of both Japan and the United States came together to realize the planting of the trees
The idea for planting the cherry blossom trees originally came from travel writer Eliza R. Scidmore, who was also the first female director of the publisher of the world-renowned National Geographic magazine.
Eliza visited Japan twice in 1877, ultimately staying for a total of three years. Later, when she returned to Japan many times to meet her brother, who worked at the U.S. Consulate in Yokohama, she continued to be fascinated by the cherry blossoms, culminating, in 1885, in the idea of planting cherry blossoms in the U.S. Immediately after returning home, she approached the authorities in Washington. However, at that time no one was interested in her idea. Nevertheless, Eliza continued her steady work of soliciting donations and raising funds to plant the trees.
Thankfully, the situation changed more than 20 years later when, in 1909, Eliza learned that the Potomac Riverfront was going to be developed, and the US President’s First Lady, Helen Herron Taft, wanted to leave something to pass on to future generations of Washington, D.C., residents. Eliza suggested planting Japanese cherry blossom trees along the river to Helen, and the two immediately thought it was a wonderful idea. Dr. Takamine, who was visiting Washington, D.C. at the time, learned of their exchange and offered to donate 2,000 saplings, twice as many as planned. Then, the Japanese consul general to New York, Kokichi Mizuno proposed the idea of donating the cherry blossoms in the name of the city of Tokyo, symbolizing a bridge between the two countries. With the help of Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki, the group began to move forward with this historic project.
Persevering to solve the problems without giving up
However, at first the transport of the cherry blossoms did not go according to plan. Namely, while the trees were in quarantine in Washington, D.C., it was discovered that the saplings were infested with pests, and they all had to be destroyed.
Despite this setback, Dr. Takamine did not give up and decided to donate the saplings again. The second time, with the help of expert advice on how to prevent pests, he carefully selected and cultivated the saplings and even took meticulous care of the soil. When the saplings arrived in Washington, D.C. in 1912, they were praised by the quarantine officers and inspectors who said they had “never before seen such perfect imported plants.” These saplings became the cherry blossom trees that bloom along the Potomac River today.
Cherry blossom trees are brought home to Japan from America
But that is not the end of this cherry blossom story. The cherry blossom trees that Eliza enjoyed on the Arakawa Levee in modern-day Adachi City, located in the north part of Tokyo, were cut down due to flood control work on the Arakawa River and used as firewood during the war. However, as part of postwar reconstruction in 1956 and again in 1981, a plan to bring cherry blossom trees back home from Washington, D.C. to Tokyo was implemented. The saplings were planted on the banks of the Arakawa River and in parks in Tokyo, and the cherry blossom trees that Takamine donated in response to Eliza’s idea are still blooming beautifully and bringing color to the cities of Washington, D.C., Tokyo, Kanazawa, the city where Takamine spent his childhood, Yokohama, and other places in Japan.