Japanese art and meaning.

Like the chrysanthemum, the maple has come to represent fall in Japan. This bright and colorful season, filled with harvest bounty, hasn't always had connotations of death and decay. Maple leaves or momiji, were lauded by Japanese poets as early as the eighth century, and by the tenth century were second only to the cherry blossom in poetic importance. Before Japan slips into gray, white, and brown winter, autumn is also a last chance for a burst of color. Although maple leaves turn both red and yellow, red maple leaves are the most common in tattooing.  Autumns version of watching the cherry blossoms bloom, with the emphasis once again on the beauty of the passage of time and the transient nature of life itself.