History of Goshiki Zakura and Reagan Zakura

Coming back across the border

In the Meiji era, "Senju Sakura Bank," "Arakawa Zutsumi Zakura," and "Nakagawa Zutsumi Zakura" were born one after another in Adachi. Among them, the Arakawa Zutsumi Zakura in Kohoku, which was planted by the people of the Kohoku region in 1886, has various varieties of cherry blossoms fluttering like five-colored clouds in white, yellow, pink and deep red. Since then, it has become known as the "Goshiki Zakura" and has become a famous place in Tokyo.

The famous Arakawa Zutsumi Zakura was donated to Washington by Mayor Yukio Ozaki on February 19, 1912, and was planted on the banks of the Potomac River.

However, at the same time, construction of the Arakawa canal (currently Arakawa River) began, many of the Arakawa Zutsumi cherry trees disappeared and were also cut down due to a shortage of supplies during the war.

After the war, the movement to revive the lost cherry trees began.

In 1981, in the Sakura no Sato return project, which was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the city system, the branches of cherry trees, which were donated before the war, were collected from the Potomac park, and more than 3000 cherry trees of 30 varieties were revived.

As part of this project, Mrs. Nancy Reagan, Honorary Chairman of the Washington Cherry Blossom Festival, donated a Yoshino cherry tree to Adachi City.

This cherry tree is called "Reagan Zakura" and was planted in Toneri Park in 1984, and it still attracts people who visit the park during the flowering season. "Goshiki Zakura", which was a famous place in Tokyo during the Meiji era and was revived by the postwar return project, is used in the Adachi City song lyrics and is a symbol of the history of the cherry blossoms in the city.