It is said that in the early 19th century, a physician, Genseki Fujimoto brought a seedling from Nagoya that became a parent tree and spread widely. In 1978 this tree became the official tree of Obara District.
While ordinary cherry trees only bloom once in spring, the Obara shikizakura blooms once in spring, and again from October to December. The small five-petaled blossoms are thought to indicate a cross between the mamezakura and edohigan species of cherry trees.
The flowers begin to blossom at the end of October, and are at their peak from mid November through early December. The peak period varies somewhat from year to year.
Growing in all parts of the district, the trees number approximately
10,000. Among them, the Maehora Shikizakura, aged more than 100years, has been designated a natural monument by Aichi Prefecture and is carefully protected.
