The cherry blossoms in the grassy park at Naruohama are starting to bloom nicely.
Maybe about 30% in bloom?
There was a name tag, so I went in for a closer look.
Nishinomiya Gongendaira-zakura.A tongue twister?
It has Nishinomiya in the name, but what exactly is this??
Here’s the location↓
The address is 3-chome Naruohama, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.
What is Nishinomiya Gongendaira-zakura?
Written in kanji, it’s 西宮権現平桜.
That’s right, it’s an original cherry blossom variety born in Nishinomiya.
It was also written on the back of the name tag↓
When I looked it up, I found a detailed explanation on the Nishinomiya City website.
The explanation and the following images are quoted from Nishinomiya Gongendaira-zakura / Shukugawa Mai-zakura | Nishinomiya City Website
Apparently, it was propagated from Yamazakura using plant biotechnology.I don’t really get it, but wow😮
Its scientific name is Prunus lannesiana ‘Nishinomiya-gongendaira’. Pretty much exactly as it sounds.By the way, “Prunus lannesiana” apparently means “Satozakura.”
And in 2021, this cherry tree was presented to Minamisanriku Town in Miyagi Prefecture!
The truck departed from Resort Naruohama at the time, so it might be a sibling of the cherry trees in the grassy plaza.
Where can you see them?
Nishinomiya Gongendaira-zakura can be found in other places too.
Rokutanji Park in front of City Hall↓
Here’s the location↓
The address is 7-25 Rokutanji-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.
Takakurayama Park↓
The address is around Najio Takakura, Shiose-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo. The residential area “Najio Sakuradai” is nearby too.
Takamatsu Hinata Green Space↓
The address is 14 Takamatsu-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.
Actually, Nishinomiya has other original cherry blossom varieties too. Maybe that’s why the city flower is the cherry blossom?
More details here↓
Final Notes
Among Nishinomiya’s original cherry blossoms, Nishinomiya Gongendaira-zakura is the only one with “Nishinomiya” in its name. They’re said to be at their best until around mid-April. Since they bloom a little later than Somei Yoshino cherry trees, you can still make it in time for hanami🌸 even now. Hurry!
西宮オリジナルの桜、いくつ見たことある？
