Image of Sakura in the visual culture of Japan: origins and transformations

The Sakura blossom is one of the most constant and recognizable visual symbols of Japanese culture. Its presence in various phenomena of artistic activity over the centuries forms a significant plot-topical complex. Therefore, the study of the origins, content transformations, reasons and means of broadcasting the image of Sakura will allow us to develop a panoramic vision of Japanese culture. 
The purpose of the article is to highlight the main stages of the evolution of the Sakura cult and its interpretation in various visual practices. 
In the research we used the methods of comparative, stylistic, semantic and content analysis. The source basis consists of pictorial and graphic works, samples of applied and audiovisual arts, materials of visual practices and field researches conducted by the author in 2005–2013 in Kanto and Kansai regions. 
The results. The article examines the origins and peculiarities of the formation of a plot-topical complex associated with the flowering of Sakura blossoms in Japanese culture, identifies the main stages of the evolution of the image of Sakura blossoms from seasonal to national and propaganda symbol. Special attention is paid to the interpretation of the image of Sakura in Shinto and Buddhism, the development of the o-hanami tradition as a religious and social-communicative practice. On the basis of the analysis of works of painting, engraving (ukiyo-e, shin-hanga), works of audiovisual culture, the leading motifs that reflect the semantic diversity of the image of Sakura and its meaningful transformations are highlighted. The role of the poetic tradition in the development of plots related to Sakura, the presence of references to classical poems in the structure of the works are emphasized. A group of the most widespread images-identifiers of flowering is defined: places (Yoshino, Arashiyama, Gotenyama), seasons (spring), poems, persons (beauty, samurai, kamikaze), historical figures (Ono-no Komachi, Hideyoshi), temples (Yasukuni).