Hanami was used as a term that meant "cherry blossom viewing" for the first time in the Heian era novel "Tale of Genji" (chapter 8, 花宴 "Hana no En, "Under the Cherry Blossoms""). From then on, in "tanka" and in "haiku" poetry, "flowers" meant "sakura", and the terms "hanami" and "flower party" were only used to mean sakura blossom viewing.