 This illustration is linked to Jōkichi Takamine's involvement in the gifting of the cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C. in 1912, which has evolved into the National Cherry Blossom Festival which is celebrated yearly.In 1904, the Emperor Meiji of Japan honored Takamine with an unusual gift.In the context of the St. Louis World Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), the Japanese government had replicated a historical Japanese structure, the "Pine and Maple Palace" ("Shofu-den"), modelled after the Kyoto Imperial Coronation Palace of 1,300 years ago.