In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo gave over 3,000 cherry trees to Washington D.C. as a gesture of goodwill. Today these trees are a defining feature of our nation’s capital, drawing crowds annually.

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of this diplomatic gift, the Norton Simon Museum presents Lessons of the Cherry Blossom: Japanese Woodblock Prints. Taken from the museum’s personal collection, these rarely seen prints show the ubiquity of the cherry blossom, in Japanese culture. With work from artists such as Hiroshige, Hokkei, Eishi and Hokusai, Lessons of the Cherry Blossom represents a veritable Mount Rushmore of celebrated “ukiyo-e” artists. Come learn more about the tradition and cultural significance of the cherry blossom.

Lessons of the Cherry Blossom is happening from now until September 3. $10, students free. 411 W. Colorado Blvd, pasadena. nortonsimon.org or 626.449.6840.

—Stephen Angulo

Image credit: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858), “Noto Province, Waterfall Bay” from the Famous Views of the (Sixty-odd) Provinces series, 1856. Color woodblock print, vertical ōban. Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Barbara Steele Williams, 1967.