The Cherry Blossom Princess

The sakura or cherry blossom is Japan’s national flower. Every year, thousands of these pale, pink, fragile flowers bloom in the spring and people across the island nation celebrate the season with happy gatherings, picnics and music. Sakura blossoms symbolize the beauty and impermanence of life.

Kono Hana Sakuya Hime was the delicately beautiful daughter of the mountain god, Oho Yama. As her name suggested, she was the blossom princess who made the trees flower—the flower being the fragile cherry blossom.

As she was walking along the seashore one day, Ninigi, the god of rice, happened to see her. Instantly, he fell in love with her, which was natural since she was a very beautiful girl. Ninigi did the proper thing. He approached the girl’s father, the mountain king, and asked for the hand of his daughter in marriage.

Now Oho Yama had an older daughter by the name of Iwa Naga who was the rock princess. ‘Why don’t you marry my elder daughter, Iwa Naga, instead?’ asked the mountain god. Oho Yama did not wish his firstborn to feel that she was less special.

Ninigi shook his head vehemently. ‘Oh no! I came to seek your permission to marry Kono Hana because I love her. I do not wish to marry anyone else.’ He did not even look in the direction of Iwa Naga, who was seated nearby on a rock. If he had, he would have wondered how her father could suggest such a thing, for the rock princess was very, very ugly! Iwa Naga heard this and scowled, which didn’t exactly improve her looks.

‘If you insist then . . .’ sighed Oho Yama. Reluctantly, he gave his consent and soon, Kono Hana and Ninigi were married.

That fool, thought Iwa Naga. He thinks he has made the right choice. If only he had married me, his marriage would have been rock steady and long lasting. Instead he chooses the princess of the sakura blossoms. He’ll see how short and fleeting it’s going to be just like those blossoms. Was that a curse or just the way destiny was going to play out, we’ll never really know.

Ninigi took his beautiful bride home. To his shock, the very next day, Ninigi discovered that Kono Hana was expecting a child! ‘What? This cannot be our child! Why, we were married just yesterday!’ he screamed at his bride who looked, well, very pregnant!

‘How could you say such a thing, Ninigi? Do you not trust me?’ cried Kono, her doe eyes welling with tears.

‘No, no! This child in your belly belongs to some other kami (spirit), someone from earth, perhaps! Do you take me for a fool?’

‘You doubt me, Ninigi?’ asked the sakura goddess, her delicate brow darkening with anger. ‘I will show you . . . If this baby is truly yours it will come to no harm. If not, we will perish together in a blaze, the child and I!’

Kono Hana then shut herself in a windowless hut which she set on fire. But the flames left untouched Kono and her babies—she had not just one but three of them! The children were named Po Deri No Mikoto (Fire Shine), Po Suseri No Mikoto (Fire Full) and Po Wori No Mikoto (Fire Fade).

It was little Fire Fade’s descendant who would one day become the first emperor of Japan.

Over time, the cherry-blossom princess, who emerged unscathed from the fire, became the patron goddess of Mount Fuji for people believed that she would keep them safe from the volcanic eruptions. And it’s said that human lives are as fragile, fleeting and short as the life of a delicate sakura blossom because Ninigi chose the cherry blossom princess instead of the rock princess, Iwa Naga, who had a longer life.