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Mass planting of cherries as at Sumida gave an opportunity for the simple joy of a free party under the cherries in the shogun-sponsored picnic site. "Viewing the flowers" (hanami) became a popular spring outing for anyone from beggar to emperor. Such picnics became the theme of illustrative paintings and woodblock prints, and these show us that the classic combination of wine and women accompanied the longing for spring in a gentle outdoors. Not only the new cherry-picnic sites, but even the historical places for imperial outingsArashiyama and in time Yoshinobecame popular party spots where there was ample room for letting loose the emotions and passions that were restricted in urban society with its demands. Cherries in blossom became loosely associated with the loosening of the shackles of convention, and they became a symbol for women. The word hana (flower), understood as cherry blossom, gained an attached meaning of women or, more accurately, expressed the playful side of womanhood. Districts with brothels such as Yoshiwara in Edo were often planted with flowering cherries. Early Cherry Collectors A man of letters, Kassho Naba (15951648) was the first to write a text exclusively on cherries. He was not interested in Japan alone, but was one of a small group of intellectuals who studied Chinese classics and kept a lively diplomatic correspondence with Korean government officials. Unlike the popular horticultural books of the time, which included lists of cherries more as a registration of existing forms, Naba's (Cherry list) of 1707 was not meant for publication, nor did it intend to present cherries as merchandise; rather it was a private statement of an intellectual who knew his classics, including classic cherries. It sets a pattern of appreciating cherries followed by daimyo garden lovers that would continue to appeal to the cultured elite over the centuries to come, well past the Second World War. Naba's list is interesting because it presents a picture of the cherry in 1707 that is not biased by commerce or nationalism. It gives names and short descriptions of cherries that formed the starting point of the explosive wealth of garden forms that appeared in the following centuries. The cherries of Kassho Naba include 'Fugenzo', 'Higan-zakura', 'Isezakura', 'Ito-zakura', 'Kirigaya', 'Kumagai-zakura', 'Mazakura', 'Niwa-zakura', 'Shio-