Pizzicato Five (often nicknamed "P5") is a legendary Japanese group that fo… Read Full Bio ↴Pizzicato Five (often nicknamed "P5") is a legendary Japanese group that formed in 1984. Arguably the first group to popularize shibuya-kei from underground circles, they also later on began experimenting with the style, with what some called an innovative genre all their own, blending traditional Japanese pop, alternative, soul, funk, jazz, ye-ye, acoustic folk, and early electronic music, among others. They are also perhaps best known to audiences in the west in their later incarnation as a duo of Nomiya Maki (野宮真貴) and Konishi Yasuharu (小西康陽).

They are widely credited to have spearheaded the "Shibuya-kei" movement of Tokyo in the 90s, along with Flipper's Guitar.

They are known for their eclectic and energetic compositions, which often sound like "new" releases from the late 1960s hipster scene. Their catchphrase--"A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular"--captured the group's ironic stance but eager attitude. The group broke up in March 2001.

A hugely prolific group, Pizzicato Five would release at least an album-per-year along with various EPs and remix albums during their 16 year-career.

Both Nomiya Maki (野宮真貴) and Konishi Yasuharu(小西康陽) currently enjoy solo careers - with Konishi Yasuharu(小西康陽) producing other artists ranging from Puffy and SMAP to Cornelius and kahimi karie(カヒミ・カリィ) - alongside collaborative remix compilations - from Ella Fitzgerald and The Supremes to classic Disney and Thunderbirds (as in Super-Marionated) music on his Shibuya-based Readymade Records label.

On Thursday March 31st, 2011, exactly 10 years after Pizzicato Five disbanded, Konishi Yasuharu announced a new solo project called Pizzicato One. The first release, titled One and Ten Very Sad Songs, consists of covers of English songs, each featuring vocals by various internationally-known artists from around the world.

Sakura Sakura
Pizzicato Five Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

さくらさくらいろはにほへと
さくらさくらいろはにほへと
さくらさくら板の木の下で
わたしは恋を知りました
あれは19の春のこと
桜吹雪の頃のこと
帝国ホテルのあの部屋で
わたしは恋を知りました

さくらさくらいろはにほへと
さくらさくらいろはにほへと
花の命は短くて
男はみんな嘘つきで
いろはにほへと散りぬるを
てなことおっしゃいましたかね
むかしの人は言いました
桜の花の満開の
下には屍が埋まってらい
わたしの恋も散りました
お花見・やけ酒・桜もち
上野の森には桜が満開
千鳥ケ淵にも桜が満開
いろはにほへと散りぬるを
てなことおっしゃいましたかね

さくらさくらいろはにほへと
さくらさくら
帝国ホテルのあの部屋で
わたしの恋は散りぬるを
帝国ホテルのあの部屋の
鏡にルージュで書きました
いろはにほへと散りぬるを

いろはにほへと散りぬるを
てなことおっしゃいましたかね

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Pizzicato Five's "Sakura Sakura" tell a story of the singer's experience with love and heartbreak. The first stanza describes the scene of the singer discovering love under a cherry blossom tree, during the sakura season. The second stanza refers to the fleeting nature of both love and the blossoms themselves, with the line "hana no inochi wa mijikakute, otoko wa minna usotsuki de" (the lifespan of a flower is short, and all men are liars). The third stanza references an old saying that corpses are buried beneath the cherry blossom trees, and relates that to the singer's own heartbreak.

The fourth stanza repeats the sentiment of the first, with a reference to the cherry blossoms in Ueno Park and Chidorigafuchi in Tokyo. The next few lines reference traditional activities associated with cherry blossom season, such as hanami (flower-viewing parties), yakezake (drinking under the blossoms), and sakuramochi (cherry blossom rice cakes). The final stanza returns to the singer's experience of love and loss in the room of a hotel in Tokyo, where they wrote "sakura sakura" with lipstick on the mirror to express their heartbreak.

Overall, the song is a bittersweet reflection on the transience of life and love, set against the backdrop of Japan's famous cherry blossoms. The lyrics are poetic and evocative, and capture the melancholic mood of the season.

Line by Line Meaning

さくらさくらいろはにほへと
Sakura blossoms, a representation of life's fleeting nature

さくらさくらいろはにほへと
Sakura blossoms, a reflection of the basic nature of things

さくらさくら板の木の下で
Under a wooden board, in the shade of cherry blossoms

わたしは恋を知りました
I experienced love for the first time

あれは19の春のこと
It happened in the spring of my 19th year

桜吹雪の頃のこと
During the time of the cherry blossom blizzard

帝国ホテルのあの部屋で
In that room at the Imperial Hotel

わたしは恋を知りました
I experienced love for the first time

さくらさくらいろはにほへと
Sakura blossoms, a reminder of how little time we have in this world

さくらさくらいろはにほへと
Sakura blossoms, a symbol of the impermanence of life

花の命は短くて
The life of a flower is short-lived