Sakura ishi (cherry blossom stones): mica pseudomorphs of complex cordierite-indialite intergrowths from Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. From: Rocks & Minerals | Date: July 1, 2006| Author: Rakovan, John; Kitamura, Masao; Tamada, Osamu | COPYRIGHT 2006 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Cherry blossoms have been revered for more than a thousand years in Japan and have become one of its most recognized icons. In the city of Kameoka, which lies just over the western mountains of Kyoto City (figs. 2, 3), mica pseudomorphs after complex cordierite-indialite intergrowths that resemble cherry blossoms are found (fig. 1) (Rakovan 2005). As with the real blossoms, these stones, known as sakura ishi (cherry blossom stones), are also revered by mineralogists and mineral coll...

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