Sakura Sakura, (Cherry Blossoms), solo on Japanese koto, by Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto

Sakura Sakura, composed by Kimio Eto and performed by Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto on Japanese koto. This was recorded during the pandemic when we were unable to go out. Shirley was learning this piece at home, and played it in tribute to all the festivals which were not able to happen due to the shutdown. Sakura Sakura is a traditional Japanese folk piece celebrating the arrival of spring and the sensory beauty of blooming blossoms. Beneath its cheerful invitation to go view the flowers, it symbolizes themes of renewal, the fleeting transience of life, and the Japanese aesthetic of "mono no aware" (the beautiful, melancholic awareness that all things must pass)