Description
Caldari philosophy is deeper, richer and more various than those who merely glance at the megacorporate surface of the Caldari State realize. The Zakura Zakitsu movement is one strand of Caldari thought and practice that has achieved some fame beyond the State for its emphasis on travel, trade and exploration as outward reflections of a collective fate. The symbolism of the movement connects strongly with the Zakura Hansei cherry trees ubiquitous in Caldari culture and the concept of the winds as agents of fate. The Zakura Zakitsu society counts pilots, traders and explorers from all empires as members, and they can sometimes be seen wearing the stylized blossom petal pattern on their exploration suits.
Cherry trees are found on the home worlds of the four major empires where growing conditions and land permits. Popular as an ornamental tree for the mass flowering of cherry blossoms that break out as warm seasons begin, there are many varieties found across New Eden. Cherry trees of the Zakura Hansei family became popular with the Caldari, particularly as the hardier varieties were able to fluorish in the more temperate regions of the notoriously cold Caldari Prime. In the Caldari State, the large and splendid Zakura Bazei variety is often a feature of corporate parks and executive class gardens.
The Caldari gave the name 'Zakura' to these blossoming trees and these varieties are known by that name as far afield as the ornamental arboretums of the Amarr Empire. In a historical irony, this family of cherry trees is actually native to Gallente Prime, and the cherry was not known on Caldari Prime until it was introduced some time after first contact with the Gallente.
