Flowering Seasons
The cherry blossoms at Kouzenji usually begin to bud in late April and remain in full bloom until early May.
Many cherry trees can be seen around the Kouzenji Temple grounds, but the "Kechi-Myaku Sakura" in front of the main hall of Kouzenji Temple, which stands 8 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 5.5 meters and is more than 300 years old, is a sight to behold when it is in full bloom.
Mid - April
Buds begin to bloom
Late April
Cherry blossoms begin to bloom
Early May
Cherry blossoms are in full bloom
Blooming time depends on the weather and other factors. Detailed blooming times will be updated on the "Cherry Blossom Information" on the TOP page.
The Story of Kechi-Myaku
Cherry Blossom
The Legend of Kechi-Myaku Cherry BlossomPart-1
More than 300 years ago, there was a blacksmith named Denpachi Yanagimoto in Igeppu (now Oiso), a town under Matsumae Castle. He worked hard because he dreamed of visiting the Kamigata region.
His son was to take over the family business and he finally achieved his dream of seeing the Kamigata region. At the beginning of spring, he left Matsumae with his daughter Shizue.
He visited Edo, where everything he saw and heard was unusual, went up the Tokaido Highway to Ise, visited famous and historic places in Kyoto. They also visited Hyakumanben Chionji Temple and the head temple of Matsumae Kouzenji Temple, where they were given sutra chanting to offer offerings to their ancestors.
After touring Nara, they arrived at Yoshinoyama and, enchanted by the beauty of the cherry blossoms adorning the mountain, decided to stay at an inn for a while. There was a nunnery near the inn, and the young hermit and his daughter Shizue became very good friends. Soon the day came for them to return to Matsumae. The young nun handed Shizue a cherry tree sapling and said, "When you return to your country, plant and nurture this cherry tree as if it were mine. The young nun handed the sapling to Shizue. After returning to Matsumae, Shizue and her daughter had it planted in the front yard of their family temple, Kouzenji. The cherry blossoms bloomed beautifully year after year, delighting the eyes of the people.
The Legend of Kechi-Myaku Cherry BlossomPart-2
It was the night before the chopping down. A beautiful girl in a cherry-patterned kimono appeared at the priest's bedside and said with tears in her eyes, "I am going to lose my life tomorrow. Please give me a vein of blood so that I can go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Please give me a vein of your blood so that I may go to the Pure Land of Paradise.
The abbot told her to wait until tomorrow morning, but she did not seem to listen to him and only cried.
The girl politely thanked the abbot and then disappeared. It was like a dream for the abbot.
The next morning, as he looked up at the cherry tree he was about to cut down, he saw something white tied to the tip of a branch. When the chief priest approached and looked at it, he was stunned for a moment. It was the "blood vein(Kechi-Myaku)" that he had given to the girl last night. Immediately, he stopped cutting down the cherry tree and held a grand memorial service. The site for the reconstruction of the main hall was also changed. When Kouzenji Temple was destroyed by fire on February 6, 1903, the trunk was burnt, but it was restored to its present form.
Outline of Kechi-Myaku
Cherry Blossom
- Age
- Approx. 320 years old (*as of 2022)
- Height
- approx. 8 meters
- Trunk circumference
- Approx. 5.5 meters
- Habitat
- Only found in the precincts of Kouzenji Temple in Japan
- Species
- Matsumae hayazaki, also known as "Naden".
- Characteristics
- The center of the flower gradually turns red as the cherry blossoms begin to fall.
The Story of Kouzenji
-White Double Cherry Blossom
About Kouzenji-White Double Cherry Blossom
Kouzenji-White Double Cherry Blossom is a cherry tree that has been in the Kouzenji Temple in Matsumae for a long time. When the survey was conducted in 1954, the parent tree had already died and was done by hikobae. After that, we increased the number of trees by grafting.
In 1965, when a cherry blossom researcher visited the town, he looked at it but could not find a corresponding horticultural variety. In 1968, after working with the chief priest of Kouzenji, he named it "Kouzenji-White Double Cherry Blossom". It is a pure, elegant, and beautiful cherry tree.
"Kechi-Myaku" cherry tree is estimated to be over 300 years old and is thought to be part of the Sea of Japan culture that was carried along with the Kitamae ships. It is also the parent tree of the Naden, a variety of early-blooming cherry tree that is representative of Matsumae.