FREE: THREE NEW "Cherry Blossom Centennial "Forever Stamps

The listing, THREE NEW "Cherry Blossom Centennial "Forever Stamps has ended.

This panoramic USPS cherry blossoms stamp commemorates Tokyo's gift of cherry blossom trees to the city of Washington D.C. as a sign of growing friendship between Japan and the United States of America.

In 2012, the U. S. Postal Service commemorates the centennial of the gift of more than 3,000 cherry blossom trees from the city of Tokyo to the city of Washington, D.C with the Cherry Blossom Centennial (Forever®) stamp design. The two stamps, which are near mirror images, form the left and right halves of a panoramic view of blooming cherry trees surrounding the Tidal Basin. The stamp on the left depicts blossoming trees arching over two girls dressed in bright kimonos, and a family on a stroll with the Washington Monument in the background. On the second stamp, the Jefferson Memorial forms the backdrop for tourists taking in the sights under a canopy of pink blooms.

In early 1912, more than 3,000 Japanese cherry blossom trees arrived in Washington, D.C. The trees — a gift from the city of Tokyo to the city of Washington — honored the friendship between the United States and Japan. In 1927, local citizens held a pageant, including a reenactment of the original planting ceremony, to celebrate the gift of the stunning trees. During the 1930s, similar celebrations became annual events. Revived after a hiatus during World War II, the National Cherry Blossom Festival today encompasses myriad events such as a parade, concerts, galas, and a variety of cultural events, drawing more than a million visitors to the nation's capital each year.

Artist Paul Rogers worked with art director Phil Jordan to create the two stamp designs. A brief history of how the cherry trees came to the city of Washington appears on the reverse of the stamp pane along with a modern translation by Emiko Miyashita and Michael Dylan Welch of a traditional, circa ninth-century poem written by Ki no Tomonori (c.850-c.904).