Winter cherry blossoms are in bloom while the other trees around are turning red.  The number of flowers is larger than usual, but not gorgeous as spring.  Of course.  Cherry blossoms are valuable only because they bloom in spring, and the cherry blossoms that bloom among the falling leaves are just only a sideshow.  However, it is winter cherry blossoms that also make you feel somehow charms.  Uba-Zakura is a common name for cherry blossoms that bloom before the leaves come out. And because it means that there are no leaves, which means “no teeth”, it means a woman who still retains her beauty and sensuality even after she is in old.  I think it was Yakumo Koizumi, but he said that the cherry blossoms are called “nanny cherry blossoms” because they bloom wonderful flowers with a color like breast milk before the leaves come out. Aha!

辺りの木々が紅葉する中、冬桜が花を咲かせています。例年になく花数も多いのですが、やはり春の華やかさはありません。当たり前です。桜は春に咲いてこその桜で、散り行く落ち葉の中で咲く桜は余興にしか過ぎません。しかし、どことなく色香を感じさせるのも冬桜です。まさに姥桜です。姥桜とは葉が出るより先に花が開く桜の通称で、葉がないことを「歯無し」に掛けた語ということで、女盛りを過ぎても、なお美しさや色気が残っている女性の意味に使われます。確か小泉八雲だったと思いますが、桜は葉が出る前に、母乳のような色の見事な花を咲かせるから、これを「乳母桜」と呼ぶんだと言っています。合点です。