The Japanese plum, ume, blooms in the middle of winter and symbolizes the start of the new year according to the Eastern calendar. Unfazed by snow and cold, it represents resilience, courage, indomitable will, and purity. The design is complemented by the depiction of a brambling, a small bird that winters in Japan. They primarily feed on berries but also enjoy the sweet buds of flowering plants.
The brambling is a symbol of the approaching spring, and the paired images of the brambling and ume plum are a direct reference to the end of the cold weather and the onset of a new cycle.