To mark the Echizen Asakura Itozakura Festival, a celebration of the weeping cherry held on 6 April, the Yokai Castle Town Project is unveiling a yokai born of the blossom itself.
Its name is Hanamaru.
Some 450 years ago, when the Echizen Asakura clan were at the height of their powers, Yoshikage Asakura and Yoshiaki Ashikaga held a poetry gathering at which this very cherry was sung of:
Morotomo ni tsuki mo wasuruna itozakura · toshi no o nagaki chigiri to omowaba
— Weeping cherry, do not forget the moon we watched together, if you hold our bond to be one that lasts through long years.
Kimi ga yo no toki ni aiau itozakura · itomo kashikoki kyo no koto no ha
— Weeping cherry, blossoming in step with our lord’s reign — how gracious are the words exchanged today.
That same cherry now takes on a form of its own as a yokai.
You can find out more on its own page: Hanamaru
A panel of Hanamaru will also be on display at the Itozakura Festival itself — we hope to see you there.
