The Excellence of Yamazakura: Mountain Cherries and the Disappearing Tradition of Ukiyo-e Craft

Cherry blossom, sakura, is one of the visual symbols of Japan. For Japanese people it represents the beauty and fragility of life. Cherry tree belongs to the Rose family, which includes nearly 3000 different sub-species of flowering plants. Prunus serrulata, sometimes called as Oriental Cherry, is a species native to Japan, Korea and China. In Japan, cherry trees are roughly divided in yamazakura, wild mountain cherries and satozakura, cultivated cherry trees growing in residential areas. Moilanen’s research concentrates on the special properties of yamazakura, and its use in manufacturing printing blocks for traditional ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The unique craft of ukiyo-e is gradually fading into history due to lack of successors. Difficulties in finding proper yamazakura wood material for making the printing blocks add to the problem. Moilanen gives an overview to the art of ukiyo-e and the present day situation in printing block manufacturing. Her article also includes an introduction of other wood qualities used in Japan for printmaking and a short report about a Finnish attempt for finding an alternative wood material to yamazakura. Research on heat-treated alder and birch was conducted in Aalto University in Helsinki 2008–2012. Finally, the current state of yamazakura in Japan is estimated, and the future prospects of ukiyo-e printmaking.

Response of essential oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) growth, biomass, and cannabinoid profiles to varying fertigation rates

Five essential oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars (Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom (Tuan), Berry Blossom, Cherry Wine, and Cherry Blossom × Trump) were treated with six fertigation treatments to quantify the effects of synthetic fertilizer rates and irrigation electrical conductivity on plant growth, biomass accumulation, and cannabinoid profiles. Irrigation water was injected with a commercial 20-20-20 fertilizer at rates of 0, 50, 150, 300, 450, and 600 ppm nitrogen equating to 0.33 (control), 0.54, 0.96, 1.59, 2.22, and 2.85 dS m−1, respectively. Plants were grown under artificial lighting (18 hr) to maintain vegetative growth for eight weeks, followed by an eight-week flowering period. High linear relationship between chlorophyll concentrations and SPAD-502 measurements validated the utilization of SPAD meters to rapidly identify nutrient deficiency in essential oil hemp. Cultivars expressed significant variation in plant height and cannabinoid profiles (% dry mass), in concurrence with limited biomass and cannabinoid (g per plant) yield variation. Cherry Blossom was the best performing cultivar and Cherry Wine was the least productive. Variation in plant growth, biomass, and cannabinoid concentrations were affected to a greater extent by fertilizer rates. Optimal fertilizer rates were observed at 50 ppm N, while increased fertilizer rates significantly reduced plant growth, biomass accumulation, and cannabinoid concentrations. Increased fertilizer rates (> 300 ppm N) resulted in compliant THC levels (< 0.3%), although when coupled with biomass reductions resulted in minimal cannabinoid yields. Additionally, CBD concentration demonstrated higher sensitivity to increased fertilizer rates (> 300 ppm N) compared to THC and CBG (> 450 ppm N). The results of this study can serve as a guide when using fertigation methods on essential oil hemp cultivars; although results may differ with cultivar selection, environmental conditions, and management practices.

Studi Ragam Motif Batik Khas di Kota Batu

Batik is a cloth made with a special technique to produce pictorial and colored motif using basic decoration and ornaments. The motif that is made varies according to the characteristics of each city. One of them is the typical batik of Batu City where the city is known for its apples. Some of the famous batik from Batu City are Semar Batik, Nara Batikku, Batoga Batik and Shitu Batik. The aim of this study is to describe the typical batik motif of Batu City from four studios, namely Semar Batik, Nara Batikku, Batoga Batik and Batik Shitu. The data in this study were obtained from interviews, observation and document collection. The data obtained was then processed by data reduction, data presentation and decision making. The validity of the data was tested by extension of observation, increasing persistence and triangulation. The results showed that each studio has its own various typical batik motifs. Semar batik has vegetable batik, sogan apple batik and liris apple batik. The typical motif of Batik Semar is apples and vegetables. Nara Batikku has longan batik motif, red tip batik and apple cherry blossom batik. Typical motif of Nara Batikku is flowers and plants. Batoga batik has motif of toga batik, green betel leaf batik and flower batik. The typical motif of Batoga Batik is herbal plants. Shitu batik has democratic batik motif, deaf shining batik and songgokerto batik. Characteristic of shitu batik is splash batik. Of the four studios, only Batik Semar has been registered at Diskoperindag, while the other three have not. Based on the results of this study, the authors suggest that the local department can be a source of information about the new batik business. For batik entrepreneurs, this should be used as input for the emergence of new historical heritage motif. For other students, it should be used as reference material in studying the various batik motifs typical of other cities. Batik merupakan sebuah kain yang dibuat dengan teknik khusus untuk menghasilkan motif bergambar dan berwarna dengan menggunakan ragam hias dan ornamen dasar. Motif yang dibuat bermacam-macam sesuai dengan ciri khas kota masing-masing. Salah satunya adalah batik khas dari Kota Batu dimana kota ini dikenal dengan buah apelnya. Beberapa batik yang terkenal dari Kota Batu adalah Batik Semar, Nara Batikku, Batik Batoga dan Batik Shitu. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeskripsikan motif batik khas Kota Batu dari empat sanggar yaitu Batik Semar, Nara Batikku, Batik Batoga dan Batik Shitu. Data dalam penelitian ini diperoleh dari hasil wawancara, observasi dan pengumpulan dokumen. Data yang diperoleh kemudian diolah dengan cara reduksi data, penyajian data dan mengambil keputusan. Keabsahan data diuji dengan perpanjangan pengamatan, peningkatan ketekunan dan triangulasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa setiap sanggar memiliki ragam motif batik khasnya tersendiri. Batik Semar memiliki motif batik sayuran, batik apel sogan dan batik apel liris. Motif khas dari Batik Semar adalah apel dan sayuran. Nara Batikku memiliki motif batik kelengkeng, batik pucuk merah dan batik sakura apel. Motif khas dari Nara Batikku adalah bunga dan tanaman. Batik Batoga memiliki motif batik toga, batik daun sirih hijau dan batik bunga. Motif khas dari Batik Batoga adalah Tanaman herbal. Batik Shitu memiliki motif batik demokrat, batik shining tuli dan batik songgokerto. Ciri khas dari batik shitu adalah batik ciprat. Dari keempat sanggar tersebut hanya Batik Semar yang telah terdaftar di Diskoperindag, sedangkan ketiga lainnya belum terdaftar. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian ini, penulis menyarankan bagi dinas setempat untuk dapat menjadi sumber informasi adanya usaha batik baru. Bagi pengusaha batik, agar menjadi masukan munculnya motif baru peninggalan sejarah. Bagi mahasiswa lain, agar dijadikan bahan referensi dalam meneliti ragam motif batik khas Kota lainnya.

Venturing into retail: SoGal and cherry blossom intimates

Study level/applicability Graduate or Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Majors Subject area Entrepreneurship/Venture Capital (VC) Investing Case overview The case highlights a women-founded venture capital firm that values investments in diverse entrepreneurs and an innovative retail business started by two minority entrepreneurs. Students will be asked whether the firm should invest in the venture and will also be asked to discuss models that may help transform the retail business into a VC-backed scalable technology business. Expected learning outcomes By the end of the discussion, students will be able to evaluate the feasibility and scalability of a new business venture; and evaluate the alignment between a venture capital company and a new venture. Supplementary Materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Social Implications This case highlights the lack of resources for women and minority entrepreneurs as well as the underrepresentation of minority women in the VC industry. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship

Inhibition of Solar UV-Induced Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 Expression by Non-Enzymatic Softening Cherry Blossom (Prunus yedoensis) Extract

Cherry blossom (Prunus yedoensis) petals are used as ingredients in many cosmetics. However, despite their use in numerous products, the exact function of cherry blossom petals in cosmetics is unclear. Therefore, we need evidence-based studies to support the labeling claims that are made in cherry blossom products in the cosmetics industry. We investigated the skin anti-aging potential of non-enzymatic softening cherry blossom extract (NES-CBE) in this study. The extract desalinated, to improve its quality such that it can be used as a functional material for the skin. The anti-wrinkle effect of NES-CBE was investigated on human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) under solar UV (sUV) light exposure. We found that NES-CBE reduced the sUV-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 expression and modulated the transactivation of the activator protein (AP)-1. Furthermore, NES-CBE suppressed the phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK proteins, indicating its regulation of sUV-induced MAPK signaling. Additionally, we observed NES-CBE reduced MMP-1 protein expression in a human skin equivalent model. Taken together, these results suggest that NES-CBE reduces sUV-induced MMP-1 protein expression through reducing AP-1 transactivation via regulation of the MEK1/2-ERK pathway.