Part 1
When do the hanamizuki flower?
After the cherry Blossoms
Who gifted Japan flowering dogwoods in 1915?
The United States of America.
Why did Hitoto Yo write the lyrics of hanamizuki?
To pay tribute to the victims of 9/11.
What is the name of Hitoto Yo's song?
Hanamizuki
What does hanamizuki signify in Japanese?
A return present
Where were the dogwoods planted?
In Hibiya park AND several botanical gardens in Tokyo.
What is the song a prayer for?
A world without war.
What is the English translation of hanamizuki?
Flowering dogwoods.
How did dogwoods come to Japan?
In return for the cherry trees presented to the US.
What happened to the dogwoods after WWII broke out?
They were regarded as a flower of the enemy and forgotten.
What was Hitoto Yo thinking of when she wrote hanamizuki?
How to stop the chain of hatred and anger.
What does Hitoto Yo pray for?
That everyone can live lives free from fear and suffering.
Where were the cherry trees planted in the US?
Half were planted in New York and half were planted on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington DC.
In the 1990s who rediscovered the dogwoods and where?
(4 answers)
They were discovered by Mr Mine Yoshihiko at Tokyo Metropolitan Engei highschool, Koishikawa Botanical gardens and the National Institute of fruit trees in Shizuoka.
What do most listeners believe of her song?
They think it is merely a love song.
How did Hitoto Yo support victims of the 2011 disaster?
She sang at concerts.
What tradition has started in America because of the cherry trees?
The national cherryblossom festival which has been held in Washington every year since 1947.
What did the US government do in 2012 and why?
Why did Hitoto Yo chose to erase the words "war" and "destruction" from the song?
To use the image and history of flowering dogwoods to express her hope for universal love.
How does the song hanamizuki comfort people?
It can be seen as an encouragement to those who want to move forward in times of great hardship.